Oceania New Zealand A women meeting in Wellington marked a year since changes to pay equity extinguished some 180.000 claims for equal work of equal value; a request to the UN was made to investigate whether the move amounted to systemic discrimination towards women
America Ecuador A genetic analysis revealed that over 47% of corvina samples collected from a number of markets trace like shark meat; the molecular technology thus confirms that shark meat is being sold as corvina in Ecuador
Asia Japan The cherry blossom season officially began in Japan with the traditional opening of the Imperial Palace street to the public; an online survey estimates average budget for cherry blossom viewing at -13,8% this year amid consumer concern over inflation
Africa Sao Tome and Principe UNDP in Sao Tomé has published two notices: the hiring of a national consultant to promote training in women's leadership with a dedicated project and a list of items on sale due to office renewal
Europe Poland Three bison have been hit by a train – which, in a sad irony, was called Żubr, the Polish word for bison; the incident occurred near the town of Witowo, close to Białowieża Forest, which is home to the country’s largest bison population
America Uruguay Uruguayan drug trafficker Sebastián Marset was captured in Bolivia; the criminal is considered Uruguay’s most dangerous criminal and is one of the five most wanted individuals by the Drug Enforcement Administration DEA
Europe Russia The Russia/Sahel Region teleconference was organized by Lomonosov Moscow State University with other institutions and focused on socio-political cooperation, personnel training, interaction between Russia and Sahel countries in the field of security
Africa Republic of the Congo Provisional results declared Sassou Nguesso re-elected to a fifth term with 95% of the vote, on a reported turnout of 85%; the figure was notably in contrast to eye witness observations of short queues at polling stations in the capital Brazzaville
Europe Belgium The Brussels citizens’ collective '40 Comités' in an open letter called on the Capital Region's new Minister-President to tackle insecurity and cleanliness, and to further step up the fight against poverty and homelessness
America Barbados Barbados and Liberia signed a historic visa waiver agreement; with political consultations, it is expected to unlock new opportunities in trade, labor mobility, and cultural exchange in a wider frame of strengthening South-South cooperation
America Colombia A Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashed in Puerto Leguízamo loosing altitude a few minutes after take off leaving 68 dead, two missing, 57 injured, many of whom seriously
Europe Kosovo An exhibition has opened to mark the anniversary of NATO air strikes; the open-air selection of pictures in Pristina commemorates the 27th anniversary of NATO’s military intervention to end the Kosovo war and the ethnic cleansing of ethnic Albanians
Africa Rwanda World Tuberculosis Day has been celebrated at Gasabo District headquarters in Kigali under the theme “Together we can end tuberculosis”; the number of deaths has declined from 77 per 100.000 people in 2000 to 3,4 in 2024, a 95,6% reduction
Africa Liberia Liberia and Barbados signed a historic visa waiver agreement; with political consultations, it is expected to unlock new opportunities in trade, labor mobility, and cultural exchange in a wider frame of strengthening South-South cooperation