Asia Japan Proof of proficiency in Japanese will be required to apply for a working visa for engineering, humanities or international services; policy will be revised tightening screening after workers entered Japan under a specialized job visa but do unskilled jobs
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 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 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
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 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
Africa Namibia 16 Namibian companies have expressed interest in contributing to establish a new national airline, announced for December 2026; a dedicated technical committee has been set up to guide the process of setting up the new national carrier
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
Africa Cape Verde Extended Credit Facility for Cape Verde and Resilience and Sustainability Facility, were discussed during the visit of a International Monetary Fund team to the country; reviews including an agreement to extend the arrangements
America Grenada Sargassum invasion, affecting Caribbean beaches since over a decade, is being converted into a source of revenue through a sustainability-oriented value chain; joint international efforts target the removal of 10.000 tonnes of seaweed by 2026
Africa Guinea-Bissau Four convicted drug traffickers have been transferred to the United States in a landmark extradition carried out under a judicial cooperation agreement; “Operation Landing”, carried out in September 2024 also resulted in the seizure of 2,6 tons of cocaine
Oceania Tuvalu At a panel with the advertising industry at Cairns Crocodiles - an international festival - the groundbreaking campaign presenting Tuvalu as first 'digital nation' has been recalled as powerful tool to address climate issues with truly impacting results
America United States Scientists are considering leaving the US as the administration shutters whole health divisions and curbs what can be studied: in a recent poll by Nature 75% of the 1.600 interviewed said they were thinking of moving elsewhere, mostly to Canada or Europe
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