According to official results from Portugal’s Ministry of Internal Administration, only António José Seguro of the Socialist Party and André Ventura, leader of the right-wing Chega party, finished first or second in every region of the country, locking in their places in the runoff.

Seguro, the centre-left Socialist candidate aligned with the S&D group in Europe, finished first overall with 31% of the national vote , leading in almost every municipality and all but two regions. His support base stretches across much of mainland Portugal, reflecting the continued strength of the Socialist Party in both urban centres and large parts of the interior.

Ventura followed in second place with 24%, marking another breakthrough for Chega. The party won outright in two regions and placed second everywhere else, confirming its transformation from a protest movement into a nationwide political force.

Liberal Initiative candidate João Cotrim Figueiredo also secured 16%, placing third in most autonomous regions, while Henrique Gouveia e Melo, running as an independent backed by the conservative PPM, finished with 12%, also claiming third place in several areas.

Neither came close to challenging the two front-runners nationally, underscoring how polarised the race has become.

The upcoming runoff will determine who succeeds President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, whose role, while largely ceremonial, carries significant influence through veto powers and the ability to dissolve parliament.

With Portugal facing economic pressures and broader European uncertainty, the second round is expected to draw sharp contrasts between Seguro’s institutional continuity and Ventura’s populist challenge.

In 1975, much of Africa, Asia, and parts of Latin America were still predominantly rural. According to the United Nations, only about 38% of the global population lived in urban areas at the time.

Fast-forward to 2020, cities had become the most common settlement type in large parts of Europe, North America, Latin America, and East Asia. Globally, urban residents crossed the 50% mark for the first time in human history.

What this really means is that cities are no longer exceptions or hubs surrounded by countryside. They are now the default way humans organise themselves.

Why the world is moving to cities

The drivers of urbanisation are well established and backed by decades of research from institutions such as the World Bank and the OECD.

People move to cities for jobs, education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Industrialisation and the growth of service-based economies concentrate opportunities in urban centres. At the same time, mechanisation in agriculture reduces the need for large rural labour forces, pushing people toward towns and cities.

In low- and middle-income countries, this shift is happening at remarkable speed. The World Bank notes that nearly 90% of future urban population growth will occur in Africa and Asia, particularly in countries such as Nigeria , India, and Ethiopia.

2025 and beyond: cities take the lead

In 2025, the UN projected that cities will be the most common settlement type in most countries worldwide. The map shows large swathes of Africa and South Asia transitioning from rural and town-dominated settlement patterns to city-centred ones.

Looking ahead to 2050, the trend becomes even clearer. The UN estimates that nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by mid-century. Cities will dominate not just wealthy nations, but also overwhelmingly rural regions only a few decades ago.

This shift is not uniform. Some countries will still have strong rural populations, particularly where agriculture remains central to livelihoods. But globally, the balance has tipped.

The opportunities and the risks

Urbanisation brings real advantages. Cities tend to be more productive , more innovative, and more efficient in delivering services. The UN and World Bank both highlight that cities generate more than 80% of global GDP, despite covering a tiny fraction of the Earth’s surface.

At the same time, rapid urban growth carries risks. Without careful planning, cities can become centres of inequality, congestion, pollution, and housing shortages. Informal settlements already house more than one billion people worldwide, according to UN-Habitat.

This assertion is backed by a World Bank statement which reads "Cities are engines of economic growth and development. They are the centers where most GDP is generated and most private sector jobs are created. As cities grow, they help entire regions and even countries to become more prosperous and productive. However, the rapid pace and scale of urbanization is also bringing significant challenges."

Climate change adds another layer of urgency. Cities are responsible for a large share of global emissions, yet they are also among the most vulnerable to heatwaves, flooding, and rising sea levels.

This marks one of the most significant regulatory flashpoints for a major tech platform in years. What started as an isolated action in a handful of countries has grown into a patchwork of measures that reflect deep concerns over data privacy, national security and harmful content.

A new map from Nazar and The World in Maps shows the scale that several countries have fully blocked access to X, while others are actively reviewing its operations. The trend spans continents, from Asia and Europe to the Americas and the Middle East.

Here’s a breakdown of who’s taken action, and why.

Countries that have banned X

According to the latest information, the following countries have implemented some form of ban on X:

Countries under scrutiny

Several governments are cited as reviewing or considering bans, rigorous oversight or stricter content and data regulations affecting X:

Africa covers an enormous area of around 30.3 million square kilometres , making it the second-largest continent on Earth after Asia. Greenland, by contrast, is the world’s largest island but only roughly 2.16 million square kilometres in total land area. That means Africa’s landmass is roughly 14 times larger than Greenland’s.

But when you look at x, Greenland and Africa often appear to be similar in size on many maps because most maps use the Mercator projection, a style of map developed in the 1500s that preserves direction for navigation but dramatically distorts size, especially near the poles.

On a Mercator map, areas close to the equator, like Africa, get shrunk visually, while places near the poles, like Greenland, are stretched and appear much larger than they really are.

For centuries, the Mercator projection was the go-to choice for classrooms, atlases and even digital maps. But that has consequences. Because the projection exaggerates northern landmasses, it can give viewers a misleading sense of relative size.

Africa’s real size isn’t just bigger than Greenland. It also dwarfs other large countries and regions that people commonly think rival or exceed its area:

In recent years, geographers and advocacy groups, including the African Union, have pushed for world maps that show landmasses in their real proportions . Their aim isn’t just academic. They argue that accurate maps help correct misconceptions about Africa’s economic, demographic and strategic importance on the global stage.

One alternative gaining traction is the Equal Earth projection, which preserves area more accurately than the traditional Mercator map. Maps like these make it clearer why a continent like Africa, with more than a billion people and an area of over 30 million square kilometres, dominates in scale compared to islands like Greenland.

That sharp contrast defines the region’s fertility landscape in 2026. Data compiled by UNESCAP reveals a widening demographic divide, with profound implications for economies, healthcare systems and future generations.

At the top of the scale is Afghanistan, where women have an average of 4.7 births. Pakistan follows at 3.5, while Papua New Guinea sits at 3.0. These higher fertility rates are closely linked to limited access to reproductive health services, early marriage, and social norms that continue to favour larger families.

UNESCAP’s regional assessments consistently show that fertility tends to remain high where girls’ education levels are lower, and family planning options are restricted or unevenly available.

A significant number of Asia-Pacific nations are now hovering around the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, the point at which a population can sustain itself without migration.

Mongolia and Timor-Leste record approximately 2.6 births, followed by Cambodia at 2.5 and Laos at 2.4. Bangladesh, Indonesia and Myanmar sit right on the replacement line. These figures reflect societies in transition, where economic growth and urbanisation are changing family expectations, but traditional patterns still hold influence.

According to UNESCAP, this stage often marks a turning point, after which fertility tends to fall more rapidly.

India , Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam now average 1.9 births per woman. North Korea is close behind at 1.8, while Brunei sits at 1.7.

Fertility continues to fall in wealthier and more urbanised economies: Australia and New Zealand record 1.6, Malaysia and the Maldives 1.5, and Bhutan 1.4. At the lower end, Japan and Thailand have fallen to around 1.2, China and Singapore to 1.0, and Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea to just 0.7.

You may ask why, and the short answer is the calendar.

Many Orthodox Christian churches still follow the Julian calendar for religious feasts. The Julian calendar currently runs 13 days behind the widely used Gregorian calendar. As a result, Christmas Day, marked as 25 December in the Julian system, falls on 7 January in the Gregorian one.

This practice remains especially strong in countries where Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy plays a central role in religious life.

What this really means is that Christmas is not “late” in these places. It is right on time according to a different clock.

Based on the map, Christmas on January 7 is commonly observed in:

Eastern Europe and the Balkans

Caucasus and Central Asia

Africa and the Middle East

In some of these countries, January 7 is a public holiday. In others, it is primarily a religious observance, with communities celebrating alongside the wider population that follows the 25 December date.

How Christmas looks different on January 7

The traditions are often distinct from Western Christmas customs.

In Russia and Serbia, celebrations focus more on church services, fasting periods, and symbolic meals rather than gift-giving.In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Christmas, known as Genna, is marked by early-morning liturgies, white traditional clothing, and communal meals after a long fast.

In Egypt, Coptic Christians attend midnight Mass on 6 January, followed by a festive meal that breaks the Nativity fast.

Trees, Santa hats, and commercial displays are far less central. The emphasis is spiritual, communal, and rooted in centuries-old practice.

Data updated in November 2025 shows Google attracting an estimated 99.4 billion visits, almost double that of second-placed YouTube, which recorded 48.5 billion visits. The figures offer a snapshot of how people worldwide spend time online and how search, video and social platforms continue to shape daily digital habits.

Google’s dominance reflects its central role as the default gateway to the web. From news and shopping to maps and email, the search engine remains deeply embedded in how users navigate the internet .

YouTube’s position in second place highlights the growing importance of video, particularly among younger audiences. The platform has become a primary source of entertainment, education and news, with creators increasingly competing with traditional broadcasters.

Facebook ranks third with 9 billion visits, underscoring its continued relevance despite years of criticism over privacy , misinformation and declining use among younger users.

One of the most notable shifts in the latest ranking is the rise of ChatGPT, which places fourth globally with 5.6 billion visits. The AI-powered platform now sits ahead of Instagram and Reddit, reflecting a sharp increase in interest in generative artificial intelligence.

Analysts say ChatGPT’s growth signals a change in how users search for information, write content and solve problems online, potentially challenging traditional search engines in the long term.

Instagram follows closely behind with 5.5 billion visits, while Reddit and Wikipedia round out the top seven, highlighting the enduring appeal of community-driven discussion and open-access knowledge.

The list also shows the continued popularity of adult websites, with Pornhub ranked eighth at 3.8 billion visits, tied with Elon Musk-owned X, formerly Twitter.

Amazon completes the top ten with 2.6 billion visits, reflecting its role as a global shopping platform, even as competition from regional e-commerce firms continues to grow.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital, Bangui, on Monday, December 5, ANE President Mathias Morouba said Touadera secured 76.15 per cent of valid votes cast, achieving an outright majority in the first round. Voter turnout stood at 52.42 per cent.