Asia Vietnam A nationwide online competition on the Constitution was launched through a dedicated digital platform, allowing citizens to test their knowledge online; the initiative is part of a broader government campaign to improve citizenship awareness
Asia Cambodia The sale and consumption of alcohol will be banned for two days, 22 and 23 July, when national elections will be held in the country - the announcement came from the Minister of Tourism
Europe Latvia In the upcoming future, seven disaster management centres will be planned and built in the country as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan approved by the Council of Ministers
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The temporary parliament being built in Calliaqua is nearly finished; when the permanent parliament building is completed, the legislative hall will be converted into a student hostel
Asia Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's first female astronaut to travel to space, Rayyanah Barnawi, a breast cancer researcher, will depart for the International Space Station today on the Axiom Space 2 mission, according to US space agency NASA
Asia Georgia Hundreds of Georgians took to the streets to protest the rapprochement after Russia restored visa-free travel for Georgian citizens on 10 May and lifted the ban on direct flights between the two countries imposed in 2019
Africa Namibia The Supreme Court ruled in favour of recognising same-sex marriages celebrated abroad with foreign spouses, making the country the second on the continent to do so after South Africa
Asia East Timor Parliamentary elections in East Timor are scheduled for today 21 May 2023; the President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds
Europe Belgium The country entered the Council of Europe's Register of Damage Caused by Russia's Aggression in Ukraine
Africa Mozambique Interprovincial bus company 'Maning Nice' has shut down its operations and left about 500 workers unemployed; the reason would be the poor condition of the main north-south highway and the reduced flow of passengers
Africa Mali An investigation by four French media outlets reveals some background to the kidnapping of French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was held captive by the Groupe de soutien à l'Islam et aux musulmans Gao, in northern Mali, from 8 April 2021
Europe Germany Biofuels producers claim that the new greenhouse gas emission reduction target for transport fuels under new EU rules could reduce the amount of crop-based biofuels used in German road transport if strictly enforced
Africa Benin The World Health Organisation has announced that Benin and Mali have succeeded in eliminating trachoma, a tropical eye disease that can cause permanent blindness
Europe Ireland 2023 Climate Action Mandate was approved to achieve climate targets across the public sector such as -51%% in greenhouse gas emissions and 50% improvement in energy efficiency by 2030