2019: the year in entertainment

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that Sunday's referendum in Venezuela over the status of the disputed region of Essequibo was "absolutely not" the success proclaimed by the Maduro regime. According to electoral authorities, 95 percent of voters approved of Venezuela's claim to the large swath of neighbouring Guyana, but turnout was around 50 percent.

Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and one-off Islamist attacks closer to home, German authorities are confronting a "complex threat situation." Some observers warn against exaggerating the danger.

Thailand's tourism bureau estimates nearly 1.5 million fewer visitors from China in 2023 than had originally been expected at the beginning of the year. Changing travel trends and economic problems in China are to blame.

He's claiming that his remarks were "misinterpreted". The Emirati oil executive leading the COP28 climate conference in Dubai has come out fighting after widespread criticism of his suggestion that there was "no science" indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels was needed to contain global warming.

Students are among the victims of Nigeria's rampant inflation, as they face tuition fee hikes of over 300 percent. Also, the clock is ticking down towards DR Congo's general elections, in which President Felix Tshisekedi is running for a second term. Plus, Nairobi hosts international talks on the reduction of plastic pollution.

The Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Professor Eghosa E. Osaghae, has called for a new framework for federalism in Nigeria, one that is more contextualised and adaptable to the country’s unique circumstances.