Asia Philippines An Air Quality Index has been issued amid temporary haze from Indonesian forest fires; The Health Department advised residents to wear masks, limit outdoor activities, and remain indoor if possible
Europe United Kingdom A group of asylum seekers, supported by refugee groups and a British border staff union, asked a British court to stop the government from taking them to Rwanda, arguing that the controversial plan is unsafe
Europe Austria The Social Democrats urged the government to increase spending to combat gender-based violence by creating dedicated facilities in the country, where 14 feminicides were already recorded in 2022
Europe Slovenia Democrats, Parliament's largest opposition party, have proposed that drug tests be mandatory for public office holders, arguing it is "in the public interest to know whether politicians are taking prohibited drugs"
Africa Benin The government recently announced the recruitment of 500 new qualified health workers to strengthen the presence of qualified human resources in Benin's hospitals
Asia Thailand People in Thailand can now grow cannabis plants at home and sell the harvest after the nation removed marijuana from the list of banned drugs; recreational use remains banned
America Grenada The Grenada Tourism Authority has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Government and the Royal Caribbean Group to create job opportunities for Grenadians through a recruitment campaign
Europe Bulgaria The country will lift its veto on North Macedonia's EU accession talks if 3 criteria are met: compliance with the framework position adopted by Bulgarian Parliament, inclusion of Bulgarians in Constitution and implementation of Neighbourhood Agreement
Europe France The use of Google Analytics is not legal without a new agreement to replace the EU-US data processing agreement, French data watchdog CNIL clarified on its website, also shutting down hopes that it could be reconfigured to allow data transfer to the US
Africa Ivory Coast A draft law on refugee status in accordance with the 1951 Convention has been adopted in the Council of Ministers, filling the gap that existed regarding the protection of persons threatened with persecution in their country of origin
America United States The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has revised the speed regulations used to protect North Atlantic whales and set new restrictions on incoming ships to further protect the animals
Asia Iran The alleged mass execution of thousands of political prisoners by the Iranian regime in 1988 would constitute a crime against humanity according to Human Rights Watch, claiming to have 'overwhelming evidence' against then Supreme Leader Khomeini
Europe Latvia According to Linda Jakobsone, board member of the Lets Help Refugees association, the biggest problems for Ukrainian war refugees who have arrived in Latvia are their involvement in the labour market and the insufficient supply of housing
Europe Moldova The conditions for the conduct of the competition for the financing of publishing projects and the purchase of books by the State will be improved thanks to new government amendments