Asia Bangladesh Following the railway authorities, the Dhaka Mass Transit Company asked passengers to wear masks to avoid Covid infection, amid a surge of cases in many areas of the country, including river resorts crowded for Eid holidays
Oceania Tonga The development of the private sector is the primary focus of Tonga's new budget, the Prime Minister Hon. Dr 'Aisake Eke said as his Cabinet finalized the budget for 2025-2026, to be presented to the Legislative Assembly this week
Asia Oman As online trading sector is thriving, with revenue expected to reach $297,6 million in 2025, awareness campaign with slogan 'For Safe Shopping' has been launched to raise both the public's awareness and the suppliers' knowledge of the legal frame
Europe Estonia A cultural cooperation programme until the year 2029 has been signed with Ukraine at mInisterial level
Africa Sudan Widespread and systematic violations against women and girls in Sudan: conflict-related sexual violence, abductions, killings - many attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces - have been reported and condemned by independent human rights experts
Europe Latvia 91% of Liepaja residents would be happy to participate in Liepaja European Capital of Culture 2027 or Liepaja 2027 events as audience and are less keen on more active forms of involvement - a study on local and regional cultural habits has concluded
Africa Morocco Morocco is among 64 countries where the majority of people believe the top purpose of democracy is to improve living standards and well-being, not just as a system to protect freedoms, according to 2025 Democracy Perception Index
Europe Lithuania Within the plan to extend the high-speed railway Rail Baltica up to 114 km in Lithuania by 2025, a new tender has been issued for a 12,4 km stretch
Africa South Sudan South Sudan must repay $657 million to the African Export-Import Bank over unpaid pandemic and trade-related loans; according to Global Trade Review, the British court ruling followed gov and central bank failure to respond to lawsuit or attend hearings
Asia Kuwait 3rd Gulf Housing Week, 18-22 May, will be hosted in Kuwait under the theme “Real Estate Development for Sustainable Housing”; the event is part of ongoing efforts by Gulf Cooperation Council states to strengthen regional cooperation in the housing sector
Europe Kosovo Former Kosovo Liberation Army guerrilla Pjeter Shala appealed against the ICC Hague Trial verdict jailing him for 18 years for war crimes; the prosecution and victims’ representative insisted the sentencing was fair
Asia Qatar Free admission to Qatar Museums venues and exhibitions today 18 May and educational activities will celebrate International Museum Day; museum should evolve to remain an essential connection amid ongoing changes, actively shaping resilient communities
Europe Norway New, large offshore areas in the Arctic have been offered for more oil and gas exploration, as Norway seeks to pull more money out of its Oil Fund: the money, oil and gas revenues of the past 30 years, would be used mostly to cover extra aid to Ukraine
Oceania Palau Speaking at a panel with the advertising industry at Cairns Crocodiles - an international festival - sitting President of Palau stressed the importance of consistent campaigns as powerful tools to address climate issues with impacting results