America Brazil A Federal Court ordered Land Reform Agency to remove land occupiers from various sites in the Amazon; the decision follows a request from the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, a nationwide coalition that is denouncing unlawful settlings
America Argentina Argentinians will shortly head to voting amid a severe economic crisis, with leading candidates including Javier Milei, Patricia Bullrich, and Sergio Massa; challenges lie in curbing inflation and restoring faith in governance
Oceania Tonga At the end of a five-day visit to Tonga, which included a tour of the tsunami-affected areas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction declared that more resources are needed
Asia Taiwan Sun Yat-sen National University said a Mandarin-language immersive school at its Kaohsiung campus, operated by Vermont-based Middlebury College, will begin enrolling US university students in spring 2024
Europe Switzerland Voters went to the polls to elect a new national parliament in Switzerland on Sunday with results showing a victory of the radical right and a defeat of environmentalist forces
Africa Rwanda The construction and equipping of a new aviation training facility in Kigali will be possible thanks to a $23,6 million loan from the African Development Bank
Asia Saudi Arabia The Riyadh-based Hevolution Foundation, a non-profit foundation funded by the Saudi government, has selected 11 Saudi researchers in the field of ageing sciences to receive two-year grants worth $2,6 million
Oceania Samoa The two pig traps in Savai'i earlier this month to catch wild pigs are proving successful; they are installed by a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Pig Brig Trap Company of the US and the Market Development Facility
Asia Thailand Thailand's ambitious plan to distribute digital currency to its citizens, with a total value of around $15 billion, has been delayed; each citizen over the age of 16 should receive around $280 with the aim of revitalising the national economy
Asia Tajikistan The government has been accused of using electricity as leverage against its political opponents, after officials allegedly cut power to the homes of families of several opposition figures
Asia Singapore Singapore has not yet made any decisions on the use of nuclear energy, but needs to keep its options open and build expertise in the field, said the Minister of Trade and Industry
Asia Yemen Tropical Cyclone Tej is expected to arrive in Yemen this week, bringing significant rainfall and a risk of flooding to the east of the country; Al Ghaydah area could receive 500-750 mm of rainfall, compared to the annual average of 50 mm
Asia Uzbekistan Last year, agriculture consumed 39 billion cubic metres of water, of which 36% was lost in canals and ditches with earthen beds; in the past two years, subsidies have been allocated to the water sector also to inroduce water-saving technologies
Europe Vatican City Pope Francis telephoned US President Joe Biden to talk about the conflicts in the world and the need to find paths to peace