America Belize The Belize Senate unanimously approved an amendment to the Marriage Act raising the legal marriage age to 18, eliminating parental consent for minors, in a move hailed as a transformative human rights milestone to combat child marriage
America El Salvador El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has donated Bitcoin to fund 1.000 new schools in Honduras, aligning with his Bitcoin initiative to also fund philanthropic purposes
Asia Laos An exhibition in Vientiane celebrates traditional Lao silk, showcasing over 100 textiles, some nearly 300 years old, crafted by local artisans; the event highlights Laos’s ethnic diversity and heritage in weaving, with live demonstrations of the craft
America Honduras Cybercrime reports in Honduras have surged by 500% over the past three years, according to recent reports from the Cybercrime Investigation Unit of the DPI
America Mexico Only four out of ten Mexicans pay taxes, says a recent government statistic that highlights the need for fiscal reform to boost revenue for essential services like public education, healthcare, and infrastructure
Asia China 13 new birth support measures were presented and aim to improve childbirth care services, expand childcare systems, promote a birth-friendly social atmosphere and strengthen support for education, housing and employment
Oceania New Zealand A major fire is raging through a protected wetland in the Waikato region of the North Island, endangering its fragile ecosystem and the rare species that inhabit it, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet
Africa Rwanda Thousands of citizens participated in a mass tree planting campaign in eastern Rwanda, advancing the nation's goal of planting 65 million trees by the end of the fiscal year
America Grenada The government plans to build a shrine at Fort George to honour former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and others who lost their lives on 19 October 1983 in a power struggle for control of the then ruling New Jewel Movement and the Grenada Revolution
America Colombia At the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16, the Colombian Catholic Church formally expressed its support for biodiversity protection, aligning fully with the government's stance on this issue
Asia Bhutan In Thimphu, five new schools will become 'inclusive', ensuring access to support, resources and tailored education for children with disabilities; the initiative is part of a broader national plan to enhance inclusive education
America Ecuador Amid a severe energy crisis with daily 14-hour blackouts, Ecuador’s government extended next week’s holiday to create a five-day break aimed at boosting tourism, despite recent power rationing due to drought affecting the main hydroelectric source
Europe Latvia In 2022, more companies were born in Latvia than those that disappeared, better than the EU average for the birth rate of companies, which was 14,3% against 10,5% of the EU, about the double of the company death rate of 7,85%, against 8,7% of the EU
Asia Japan Halloween celebrations by cosplayers were subdued at Tokyo's Shibuya this weekend, after local authorities strengthened measures to prevent overcrowding and extend the period of alcohol consumption ban on certain streets from seasonal to year-round