Sherbrooke is redoubling its efforts to revitalize the Alexandre district, close to downtown. The project has been in the works for several years. This time, the city is launching a survey to find out what its citizens think.

Dakhla and the French city of Nice are preparing a twinning arrangement, with the signing of a letter of intent by the President of the Dakhla City Council, Erragheb Hormatollah, and the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, in recognition of their shared ambition to further deepen their partnership.

On Saturday January 17, 2026, the Institut National Supérieur de Sciences et Techniques d'Abéché swapped notebooks for brooms. Under the impetus of the SEMATN-IST organization, a vast clean-up operation mobilized the university community to make sanitation a bulwark against disease.

For the past week, the 73rd World Bird Show has been taking place at the WEX in Marche-en-Famenne. This major event brings together 20,000 birds: colored canaries, posture canaries, exotic birds and native birds. The last time this event was held in Belgium was in Hasselt in 2013, and for Wallonia it was in Charleroi in 1996.

The members of the twinning committee reported on the positive dynamic being established with their Bonn-Beuel counterparts. Exchanges are taking place between the two towns, confirmed by a 2026 program involving travel on both sides of the Rhine border.

The operation to issue over 6,000 birth certificates, national identity cards (CNI) and unique identification numbers (NIU) to beneficiaries began on January 15 at the Talangaï town hall in Brazzaville's sixth arrondissement. This initiative, supported by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Solidarity and Humanitarian Action and the World Bank, aims to facilitate access to government assistance programs for people living in precarious neighborhoods.

Volunteers from the association Culture en folie, which runs the Micro-Folie in Le Pouliguen, have joined forces with those from AVF (Accueil villes françaises) to organize a year-round lecture series.

After years of waiting, there will soon be a new municipality on the Port-au-Port peninsula in western Newfoundland.

Ouidah, the ocean city and departure point for thousands of black slaves, was in the spotlight on January 08, 09 and 10. During these three days, the city once again vibrated to the rhythm of Vodun Days 2026. The historic city, a veritable open-air museum, was decked out in its finest finery to welcome the world. Modernized infrastructures, lively emblematic sites, popular fervor and international crowds. Everything was in place to make this "mature" edition a memorable one. From the very first day, dedicated to a giant open-air concert on the beach, the event lived up to all its promises.

Forty years after the launch of Dôi Moi (Renewal), Vietnam is reaping the rewards of sound urban planning and management, propelling Vietnam into a new era of development and injecting it with unprecedented momentum, said architect Dào Ngoc Nghiêm, vice-president of the Association for Urban Planning and Development of Vietnam, affiliated to the National Union of Scientific and Technological Associations.

Once again this year, eco-delegates from the Germaine-Tillion high school have launched a major donation drive in partnership with five local associations - Restos de cœur, ASL, Secours populaire, Secours catholique and Noël solidarité - which redistribute toys for the benefit of children.

Financial assistance of $239,000 has been granted to the municipalities of Saint-Aubert, Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska and the Ville de Saint-Pascal to improve road safety.

As part of the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 (CAF), Africa Global Logistics (AGL), CAF's official logistics partner, has launched the "AGL Moving Tour", an itinerant caravan designed to celebrate African soccer, while generating a concrete impact in local communities.

To mark the centenary of the Œuvre des pupilles orphelins des sapeurs-pompiers de France, a number of bakeries are hosting "galettes solidaires" operations in January 2026. In Pluméliau-Bieuzy, L'Adélice is donating one euro to the association for every galette purchased.

Lirtuel is an online service that enables anyone registered in a library recognized by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation to borrow novels, comics and other works free of charge from a catalog of over 12,000 titles on electronic media.

A meeting ceremony dedicated to the bilingual French teaching program in LV1 and LV2, in Phnom Penh and Kandal province, was held on December 18, 2025 at the Preah Sisowath high school in Phnom Penh.

The commune of Eymoutiers is now twinned with that of Niederbronn-les-Bains (Bas-Rhin), sealing a link dating back to the Second World War.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) is working on a plan to gradually introduce universal free basic healthcare, with the aim of eliminating out-of-pocket costs for essential medical services covered by health insurance by 2030, officials said.

In Niort, the traditional galette des Rois is adorned with a touch of solidarity. Behind this gourmet initiative lies invaluable support for schoolchildren experiencing difficulties at school.

Winnipeg may soon offer pedestrians a few extra seconds to cross before vehicles start moving at all city intersections, as part of a plan to improve road safety. The Public Works Committee will discuss this report at its January 8 meeting.