Get the latest news on the transition to the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump and a new Congress.

TEHRAN –The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in collaboration with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has started a project to modernize and update the Instructor Training Center (ITC) and the Technical and Vocational Training Organization (TVTO) of the country.

TEHRAN – Considering the fact that the fertility rate in Iran is stabilized at around 1.6 children per woman, which is much lower than the rate required to replace its aging population, the transition of society from young to middle-aged has become inevitable.

TEHRAN –The fourth Persian Medicine Festival is planned to be held in February with the theme of ‘integration of Persian medicine into the healthcare system’.

TEHRAN –Under the nationality law amended in 2019, a total of 29,045 Iranian identity cards have been issued for children born to Iranian mothers and foreign fathers.

The premier of Canada's most populous province said Tuesday president-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian products would be a «disaster» that would hurt U.S. stock markets.

In Europe, Christmas tree prices have been falling for the better part of the last decade — in stark contrast to Canada. Why?

After a shark attack took his right leg, professional kiteboarder Lucas Arsenault is back on the water. Lucas Arsenault was on vacation with his family in Turks and Caicos in May when a shark attacked him while snorkelling. He lost his right leg.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's working relationships with women have been part of the conversation around his politics for more than a decade. After Chrystia Freeland's blunt cabinet resignation pushed him to his lowest political moment, the topic is being used against him.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali pirates have issued a $10 million ransom demand for a Chinese-owned fishing vessel and its 18 crew members, amplifying concerns about a resurgence of piracy in the waters off Puntland’s northeastern coast.

Somalia took the ambitious step of banning single-use plastic bags this year, but in a country with many economic challenges, it has proved hard to implement.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Security authorities in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have alerted the management of the Abubakar As-Sadique Islamic Center about credible threats targeting the mosque, reportedly originating from extremist groups. The threats, shared on social media, have led to heightened security measures and temporary suspensions of some educational activities at the mosque.

First lady Jill Biden has taught her last class at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has worked as a professor since 2009.

Nature Seychelles, a not-for-profit organisation, teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Madagascar to provide a 15-day science-based coral reef restoration training in the last months of the year for four practitioners from the southwestern Indian Ocean islands. Nature Seychelles said in a recent press release that the training began in October with three days of online theoretical instruction covering essential principles of restoration ecology and best practices, appropriate design, logistics, and planning. Since November 5, the training shifted to Nature Seychelles' Centre for Ocean Restoration and Learning (CORAL) complex on Praslin Island, with practical in-water activities at Cousin Island Special Reserve, where actual restoration efforts are taking place. This segment comprises a mix of classroom lessons and field activities coordinated by the Nature Seychelles Reef Rescuers, led by Dr. Luca Saponari. The participants are learning all aspects of coral reef restoration from the Reef Rescuers programme, which has been running for 14 years. They expect to gain skills in collecting healthy corals for restoration, building underwater nurseries, growing corals underwater, planting them in degraded areas, and monitoring and evaluating success. The training draws on Nature Seychelles' Coral Reef Restoration Toolkit, created in Seychelles and published in 2018. It will be done alongside new and improved practices from the third phase of the programme, which is financed by the Adaptation Fund through the United Nations Development Progamme (UNDP) and the government of Seychelles. The training comprises a mix of on-land lessons and in-water activities coordinated by Nature Seychelles' Reef Rescuers. (Nature Seychelles) Photo License: All Rights Reserved    The chief executive of Nature Seychelles, Dr. Nirmal Jivan Shah said, «We aim to cascade our world-class experience in coral reef restoration to as many practitioners as possible to foster a community of practitioners across borders to improve the outlook for corals.» He said, «This latest training reflects our commitment to sharing successes, lessons learned, and challenges faced from an established programme. It is the third international training in coral restoration we have conducted since launching the project in 2010, and over 90 individuals have been skilled up through these and other hands-on activities open to marine biologists.» The CEO added that the training is payable to help establish a sustainable funding mechanism for coral restoration required by the current project financed by the Adaptation Fund. It will also establish Seychelles' reputation as a world leader in coral restoration. Dr. Mahery Randrianarivo from WWF highlighted the urgent need for active restoration in response to severe declines in Madagascar's coral reefs over the past five decades driven by a combination of natural, climatic, and human-induced pressures. «While passive restoration efforts have been made through the establishment of marine protected areas and locally managed marine areas, the increase in frequency and intensity of these disturbances now require active restoration to better support and enhance reefs' resilience. Based on data collected over the past 10 years, WWF Madagascar has identified reef sites that are struggling to recover,» he said. Randrianarivo added that Madagascar is now planning to test various coral nursery techniques at a pilot site in the southwest seascape. «The most effective methods will then be scaled up across the region, with further application in other seascapes. Thanks to Nature Seychelles' experience sharing, we now have a clearer understanding of the challenges we must overcome to achieve our goals,» he said. Funding for Madagascar's project and training has been provided by the Blue Action Fund. 

The Russian military has reported taking out a US-made Abrams main battle tank in Kursk Region using two kamikaze drones Read Full Article at RT.com

Kiev may “resort to diplomacy” with Russia but will not rush into any agreements, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said Read Full Article at RT.com

CNN has come under fire for a report showing a civilian being released from a Damascus prison, with claims that he was an intel officer Read Full Article at RT.com

An elderly woman went to a hair salon to dye her hair but ended up purchasing a treatment package for $880. Her son-in-law, surnamed Wong, told Shin Min Daily News that the 75-year-old, who is hearing-impaired, visited the salon located at Block 414, Yishun Ring Road on Nov 14. She had planned to dye her hair, which would have only cost her $38. Before the dyeing process was completed, however, the salon employee sold her a scalp care service, telling her that the treatment would only take a few minutes. «At that time, my mother-in-law was told that it would cost around $80, so she took out her bank card to pay,» said Wong. 'We have to shout every time we talk to her' Wong suspects that the salon employee took advantage of his mother-in-law's hearing impairment to sell her the treatment package. «We have to shout every time we talk to her so that she can hear us,» said Wong, highlighting the severity of her condition. He claimed that his mother-in-law was under the impression that «she had paid $80 plus» that day, unaware that she had purchased a 12-treatment package for ten times the price.

They aren't Singaporeans, but they take better care of our country than some of us do. A Japanese family was seen picking up litter in Tiong Bahru on Dec 14, spurring a local to reflect on himself and other Singaporeans. In a post to Facebook group Tiong Bahru Social Page, Alex Chan wrote: «Saw a Japanese family picking up litter along the route to Tiong Bahru Plaza bus stop». «Let's not litter and make Tiong Bahru clean for all,» he said, also thanking the Japanese family. Speaking with 8world, Chan shared that he's a Tiong Bahru resident and encountered the family while he was buying breakfast that morning. He believes the family is Japanese as he overheard them conversing in the language while picking up rubbish. «I thought they were just passing by, but I realised they were cleaning the sheltered walkway,» he said. «This is a good opportunity to teach children not to litter, as there is often rubbish and cigarette butts on this stretch of road,» Chan added. According to him, the Japanese children appeared to be about seven to 10 years old.

34 motorists, aged between 24 and 63, will be charged in court on Thursday (Dec 19) for drink driving offences.  In a news release on Wednesday, the police said the arrests were made between August and December after the motorists failed their breathalyser tests during police enforcement checks.  Two motorists aged 36 and 44 are repeat offenders of drink driving. They were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol on Sept 30 and Nov 5 respectively.  If convicted, they will serve time in jail. Another two motorists, a 52-year-old man and a 33-year-old man, face an additional charge of leaving their vehicles in a stationary position along Airport Road and Brickland Road respectively. Their actions obstructed traffic and potentially caused danger to other road users, the police said. Both motorists had driven their cars after allegedly consuming alcohol, and subsequently fell asleep behind the wheel. They will be charged with drink driving and for leaving their vehicles in a manner that caused undue inconvenience to others. 

[New Zimbabwe] FORMER opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) top official Tendai Biti believes the fight against President Emmerson Mnangagwa's illegal bid for a third term in office must dominate next year.

[New Zimbabwe] The Zanu PF-led government has dropped the original name of Mbudzi roundabout and retitled it Trabablas Interchange, President Emmerson Mngangagwa's nom-de-guerre during the country's liberation war.

[allAfrica]

The Grindavík town council wants to preserve the traces of the disaster in Grindavík and thereby unite the town's past and future. A draft of a new framework plan was presented today and includes, among other things, the preservation and use of cracks, lava, and some traces of buildings in an innovative way.

The Barcelona Court has closed a case into alleged “Russian interference” in Catalonia’s attempted secession from Spain Read Full Article at RT.com

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution of fighting Nazism despite opposition from Ukraine and Western countries Read Full Article at RT.com

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has commented on the risks posed by tensions between Russia and NATO Read Full Article at RT.com

A driver survived the explosion that killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov in Moscow, sustaining minor injuries, media have reported Read Full Article at RT.com

Members of the Electoral College gathered in all 50 states on Tuesday, with Congress to count the electors’ votes on January 6 Read Full Article at RT.com

Project STAR has begun the implementation of comprehensive Community Transformation Action Plans across five communities, marking a significant milestone in its mission to drive sustainable economic and social development to improve the quality of...

The United Kingdom has announced funding under the Sustainable Blue Economies Programme’s Blue Social Challenge Fund to help countries across the Caribbean harness its ocean resources to improve climate resilience and livelihoods for vulnerable...

WESTERN BUREAU: While St James currently holds the dubious title as Jamaica’s murder capital, with over 100 homicides this year, the mayor of the capital city Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, is promising that come 2025, the tourism hub will...

WESTERN BUREAU: President of the Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, businessman Moses Chybar, the chief executive officer of Icon Importers and Distributors, has outlined a range of steps he plans to take to reposition his 25-year-old...