Asia Palestine Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and spraied the word "revenge" on walls, according to local witnesses, in an unprecedented episode of escalating hostilities
Asia Palestine The “Baghdad Declaration" issued at the end of the 34th Arab League Summit calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the deployment of UN protection and peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian territories until a two-state solution is implemented
Asia Indonesia Indonesia’s top court is now reviewing 14 petitions against the new law letting more military officers hold civilian roles, as critics warn it undermines democracy and reform, fearing a return to military dominance seen during Suharto’s authoritarian era
America Trinidad and Tobago Hannah Janoura, businesswoman and philanthropist, distributed 190 wheelchairs to members of the public in what has become an annual appointment: media report she has been doing this for so many years, she has handed out at least 1.400 wheelchairs
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
Africa Uganda Amnesty International urged the United Nations Security Council to enforce and renew an arms embargo on South Sudan, accusing Uganda of breaching the ban by deploying troops and military equipment to the conflict-stricken country
Europe Moldova About 17.000 voters were called at the polls yesterday to elect mayors in several localities; the elections have been monitored by 21 national observers accredited by the Central Election Commission
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 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
Europe Estonia A cultural cooperation programme until the year 2029 has been signed with Ukraine at mInisterial level
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
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 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