Asia China “Bone ash apartments" will be illegal after new law prohibits use of residential properties to store ashes or bury remains outside dedicated areas; scarce space in cemeteries, low house prices made more affordable to entomb remains in an empty apartment
Europe France Samba, France’s last circus elephant, a 38-year-old African elephant, found a permanent home at Richter Safari Park in Hungary;
Africa Zambia As Zambia is expected to receive normal to above-normal rainfall in the upcoming season, Zambians living in flood-prone areas are urged to relocate before the onset of the 2025/2026 rainy season
Asia Singapore A Micron Technology “Made-in-Singapore” flash-memory chip is seeing rising demand amid the generative-AI boom; Around 98 % of Micron Technology high-end NAND production is in Singapore, making the island the company’s global NAND Centre of Excellence
Asia Indonesia Land once home to villagers has been overtaken by Indonesia’s new MotoGP circuit in Lombok, part of a mega tourism zone; dozens of Sasak community families were evicted, and compensation has been described as woefully low
Europe Austria A country-wide test of the civil warning alarm system has used over 8.300 sirens to check the operation of the technical equipment throughout Austria, as well as familiarize all residents with the signals and their meaning
America Antigua and Barbuda A urgent dispatch with warnings ad alerts has been issued over high swells causing very hazardous conditions on North/north-facing coastlines; threat level to life, livelihood, property and infrastructure is high, with the potential for extensive impacts
Europe Luxembourg Grand Duke Guillaume swore the sovereign’s oath in Luxembourg’s parliament to ascend to the throne of Luxembourg in a traditional ceremony attended by royals and European heads of state
America Belize Belize, along with Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has signed a free movement deal allowing citizens to live and work in each other’s countries without visas or permits, expanding prior Caricom mobility rights
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina The Bosnian Serb strongman has named Sinasa Karan as his candidate for the November 23 presidential elections in the Serb-led entity, finally acknowledging his court conviction and exclusion from office in August
America Bahamas PM Philip Davis has addresses a push for general election following the death of environment minister Miller
Asia Myanmar The US and Canada will send small delegations to Burma’s April by-elections, responding to the government’s invitation; While calling it a positive step, both said the process doesn't meet international standards for full election monitoring
Europe Belarus Repurposing of agricultural land will be prohibited, no lands from the agricultural land pool will be allocated for construction or plots; this especially applies many abandoned and unused plots in small communities, Belarus media reported
Asia East Timor A full banning of any form of online gambling has begun following a resolution of East Timor’s Council of Ministers resolution