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
Africa Guinea-Bissau Family Care and Planning Unit has been inaugurated next to the Maternity Unit of the Simão Mendes Nacional Hospital, with ultrasound equipment for pregnant women, in project to improve access to sexual and reproductive health and reduce maternal mortality
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
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
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 Trinidad and Tobago To address the growing number of vehicle related crimes - fraud, theft and road safety violations - the country will move toward video analytics and registered plate suppliers or manufacturers to build a robust secure vehicle registration system
Europe Hungary 'Stars of the Polar Night', new exhibition of documentary Word Press Photo Winner Esther Horvath, opened at the Capa Centre; the work focuses on researchers working in Ny-Alesund, the epicentre of global warming in the Norwegian Spitsbergen mountains
Africa Tanzania The UN commended Tanzania for continuing to uphold its fundamental principles, including the promotion of peace, human rights and democracy, while accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
Africa Botswana Air Botswana has announced a new partnership with local dairy company Dream Flavours, as part of its strategic support for the #PushaBW initiative promoting local brands and will thus start to offer local yoghurt products on its flights
Africa Algeria The country is gradually moving towards a digital payments system, with a 71% increase in digital financial transactions in the first quarter of 2024
America Costa Rica The poverty rate in Costa Rica has dropped to 18%—the lowest level since 2010—according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census, from 21,8% in the previous year
Africa Somalia Thousands of security cameras have been installed throughout the capital Mogadishu with the aim of preventing, discouraging and reducing attacks by al Shabaab militants
America Bolivia Bolivia is semi-paralyzed by road blockades led by supporters of Evo Morales, protesting for nine days against the judicial investigation into the former president for alleged abuse of a minor; the blockades have severed connections between major cities
America Chile Hundreds gathered in Santiago's Plaza Baquedano to mark the fifth anniversary of Chile's "Estallido Social," the massive 2019 protests demanding social reforms