Asia Indonesia Officials in East Jakarta faced backlash after using an AI-generated image to respond to a public complaint, raising concerns over transparency; The fact highlight risks of using AI in public communication without clear disclosure or verification
Africa Burundi Over 70.000 people have arrived in Burundi since January from DR Congo; they include some returning Burundians as well as rural and urban populations fleeing local conflict, seeking international refugee protection and humanitarian assistance
Europe United Kingdom The Supreme Court ruled that trans women do not fall within the legal definition of women under UK's equality legislation; the landmark judgment says the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, a blow to campaigners for transgender rights
Asia South Korea The presidential election have been officially scheduled for June 3, following the Constitutional Court's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol; Candidate registration closes May 11, with campaigns starting May 12
Asia Vietnam 11 island districts will be turned into “special zones”, areas directly managed by provinces with no district-level administration; This reform simplifies governance, boosts development, and strengthens national sovereignty in strategic maritime regions
Africa Ethiopia 40 trade investment permits for export, import, retail and wholesale will be granted to foreign companies as part of the government’s steps to liberalize economy; the Ethiopian Investment Commission said the permits follow months of work on guidelines
Asia Armenia In Jan-March 2025, 988 road accidents where recorded in Armenia, resulting in 60 deaths and 1.391 injuries, confirming an alarming trend of the past 10 years; lawmakers held hearings on Road Safety to identify key problems and find systemic solutions
Asia Malaysia Curtailments to gas flow are expected to end on 20 April; they have been imposed after a fire in Petronas Putra Heights on 1 April resulted in a mushroom cloud in a residential area, where 50 houses were damaged by temperatures reaching over 1.000 °C
Africa Zambia A training for licensed artisanal miners has started; the pivotal Ministerial initiative addresses several critical aspects regarding these key workers contributing to local and national economies especially in rural areas, with safety at first place
Asia Georgia “The Blitz: A Georgian Daughter’s Rise to CFO in the Post-Soviet Era”, the autobiography by Tamar Gakharia, has reached the top of Amazon charts, earning the #1 New Release badge and becoming a bestseller in selected categories in record time
Asia Iraq A sandstorm swept through Iraq, filling the air with choking dust that closed airports and put over 3.700 people in hospital with breathing difficulties; Visibility fell to less than one km in central and southern cities cloaked in an orange haze
Asia Bahrain Councillors have unanimously approved an urgent request to preserve a historic natural spring in Samaheej; members of the Muharraq Municipal Council stressed the heritage value of ‘Ayn Aloudah’, one of the island’s archaeological water sources
Africa South Africa Google plans to invest $90 billion in economic output and help create 300.000 jobs in South Africa by 2030; among the fastest-growing tech giants globally, with 30% y-o-y growth, Google claims AI will bring a wave of new jobs, not just tech roles
Europe Slovakia While Slovak president condemned Russian strike on Sumy and urged to make pressure for peace, the parliament refused to sign the international document condemning Russia for those deadly attacks