Asia Philippines A persistent infestation of soft scale insects continues to threaten Philippines’s sugar industry, damaging crops and reducing yields in key producing provinces; Authorities are expanding monitoring and pest-control measures to contain the outbreak
Africa Togo An intercommunal consultation for forest landscape restoration is now active as part of the AFR100 Togo project: mayors, municipal secretaries-general, traditional chiefs and technical ministerial staff met in Kpalimé to discuss key priorities
America Barbados Housing Minister announced his intention to create emergency housing stock in this island for citizens displaced by hurricanes and other event
Asia Bahrain Breast cancer screening divisions are planned for public hospitals in an effort to improve women's healthcare services and increase early detection rates across Bahrain; tender was assigned to Yusuf Mahmood Hussain Company for around €1,1 million
Europe Belarus 153.700 families opened accounts under the Family Capital Program as of beginning of May, with 82.600 deposits totaling $826 million; FCP is a state initiative to encourage families and address demographic challenges
America Haiti Textile workers in northeast Haiti have rejected newly offered minimum wage and vowed continue their strike; tensions at the CODEVI industrial park remain, with thousands of workers demanding a daily wage of roughly $23
Europe Russia Ukrainian drone strikes on key Russian oil export terminals and refineries disrupted global energy flows, caused billions in losses, brought critical environmental damage to Black Sea holiday spots and air pollution as far as St. Petersburg and Tuapse
Europe Switzerland Hundreds of people queued outside Swatch shops in Switzerland in the hope of being able to buy one of the newly launched 'Royal Pop' watches; scuffles broke out in some places and the producer introduced a worldwide policy of quotas for queuers
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian Serb wartime military chief Ratko Mladic’s plea for release on humanitarian grounds due to his deteriorating health was rejected on the grounds that he is getting high-quality medical care in detention
Europe Iceland With 32,5% of the vote in Reykjavík’s municipal elections, the Independence Party won three additional seats compared to previous results; turnout at 55% was higher than forecasted
Africa Botswana Hereditary monarch of the Ba-Ga-Malete, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko was elected Deputy Chairperson of Southern Caucus of Pan-African Parliament; she is a member of Botswana’s Ntlo ya Dikgosi, through which traditional leaders contribute to national governance
Europe Bulgaria “Bangaranga”, the song by Dara, won the Eurovision Song Contest in the first win ever for Bulgaria; the country qualified for the final 5 times out of 15 participations, finishing 3 times in the top five
Asia Armenia Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance said it had reached an agreement to conduct inspections at Armenian farms and enterprises following talks with the head of Armenia’s Food Safety Inspection Body
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus first in Ituri province and now in Kinshasa - with cases in Uganda - has been declared by WHO a public health emergency of international concern PHEIC but currently not a pandemic emergency