Asia Indonesia After a 7,7 magnitude earthquake hit Flores, the scientific community said consecutive major earthquakes, (like Venezuela, Colombia) are normal: global earthquake rates remain steady, averaging about 16 major earthquakes, magnitude 7 or higher, each year
Africa Nigeria The Independent National Electoral Commission has approved delegations from international organisations, including the African Union, Commonwealth, ECOWAS and the European Union to monitor elections on the 25th for president and national assembly
Africa Togo The wage gap between the employees of Togo Cellulaire and Togo Telecom is expected to narrow soon, with Togocom, the parent company of the two companies, signing a collective agreement with trade unions to this end
Oceania Tonga Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala is visiting Australia as part of the Canberra Fellowships Program
Africa Egypt A renovated wing of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo - which houses a 16-metre papyrus scroll recovered last year - has been inaugurated; it is the first phase of wider renovations to the ancient complex
America Saint Lucia The Government of Saint Lucia hosts the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre
Europe Luxembourg According to estimates by the Chamber of Commerce, the country will need an additional 270.000 workers by 2030, a figure that worries the industrial sector, craft enterprises and banking sector; foreign workers account for 70% of Luxembourg's workforce
America Canada Vancouver 17-year-old Tyson Venegas stunned judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the first episode of American Idol's 21st season; his outstanding performance was awarded a rare Platinum Ticket which grants him straight access to Hollywood
Europe Czech Republic The Czech government organised a meeting of the countries that could fight together against the new emission standards for cars, which according to the country are unreasonably strict and pose a danger to the European automotive industry
Asia Oman The Environment Authority opened telephone number 80071999 to report any incident of pollution or assaulting wildlife, stranding and death of turtles and marine mammals in the Sultanate
Oceania Papua New Guinea A mission is underway to rescue an Australian professor and three local researchers held hostage by an armed group in Papua New Guinea; he was captured while he was on a field study trip in the remote highlands at an unspecified date
Asia Georgia Despite his poor health, former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili remains in prison; the legal battle for the release of Georgia's third president now continues at the European Court of Human Rights
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina One of the greatest obstacles to the exercise of the journalistic profession is represented by the so-called SLAPP, specious lawsuits that seek to silence or limit the work of journalists and activists fighting for civil rights
Asia Japan Famous Japanese manga and anime creator Leiji Matsumoto, whose real name was Akira Matsumoto, has died at the age of 85; Matsumoto was known for his epic science fiction sagas, including Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emeraldas and Space Battleship Yamato