Asia Turkey Tens of thousands of people, 42 arrested, took part in a rally marking the 100th day since the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, opposition's chosen candidate for the next presidential elections; the crowd was demanding his release
Asia Iraq Arab leaders concluded 34th Arab League Summit in Baghdad with the “Baghdad Declaration" calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza and presence of UN protection and peacekeeping forces in the Palestinian territories until a two-state solution is implemented
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
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 Oman As online trading sector is thriving, with revenue expected to reach $297,6 million in 2025, awareness campaign with slogan 'For Safe Shopping' has been launched to raise both the public's awareness and the suppliers' knowledge of the legal frame
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 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
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
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
Europe Estonia A cultural cooperation programme until the year 2029 has been signed with Ukraine at mInisterial level
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
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 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