America Grenada Toll-free 988 Suicide Hotline for Crisis Response has been launched to guarantee immediate support for people experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress and other mental health crises; an awareness campaign will start soon
Oceania New Zealand Because of flooding in Hawke's Bay, residents have been forced to swim to safety from flooded homes after Cyclone Gabrielle passed through; a national state of emergency has been announced - only the third time in history
Asia North Korea North Korean authorities have ordered girls and women to change their names if they are called 'Ju Ae', as it is forbidden in the country to be called by the same name as leader Kim Jong Un's daughter
Asia Japan Academic Yusuke Narita's words, recently published by the New York Times, have aroused great controversy for his bold statement on the country's ageing: "it seems to me that the only solution is quite clear: isn't it mass suicide of the elderly?"
Europe Russia The country has supplied India with some $13 billion worth of weapons over the past five years and New Delhi has ordered more than $10 billion worth of weapons and military equipment from Moscow, according to Russian state news agencies
Asia Philippines The country has accused China of shining a 'military-style' laser light to scuttle a supply mission in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea; the laser glare temporarily blinded the crew of the Philippine coast guard vessel, forcing it to retreat
Asia Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides won the presidential election, promising a unity government tasked with advancing peace talks with estranged Turkish Cypriots; Christodoulides, 49, took 51,9% of the vote, runoff independent rival Mavroyiannis, 66, took 48,1%
Africa Botswana Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the country could sever trade ties with South African diamond giant De Beers if talks to renegotiate sales agreements prove unfavourable to the country's government
America Barbados School Nutrition Policy to be launched today; given the concern about great increase in obesity among school children, it was developed as a guide for school administrators, teachers, canteen concessionaires and vendors to plan healthy meals and snacks
Africa Rwanda About 3.000 schools that are not connected to the internet will have access to it by 2024 thanks to funding from the China Exim Bank and the WB, said Paula Ingabire, Rwanda Minister of ICT and Innovation
Africa Mozambique The cases of dead fish surfacing in Maputo Bay, southern Mozambique, since last weekend are causing concern to the authorities, who are investigating the possible causes together with academic institutions, civil society groups and fishermen
Asia Indonesia Indonesia and China have agreed a budget overrun of 18 trillion rupiah ($1,2 billion) for the Jakarta-Bandung bullet train; it will be Southeast Asia's first high-speed rail link when completed, in a few months time
Asia Maldives The first tourism seminar in Huvadhu Atoll was organised for 40 participants to teach them how to support local tourism in the atoll but also to create awareness among people about the local positive and negative effects of tourism
Africa Guinea-Bissau The president of the National Union of Journalists and Social Communication Technicians (SINJOTECS), Indira Pinto Correia Baldé, defended that journalists should invest in training