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
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
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
Africa Seychelles To revolutionize early childhood education, Ministry of Education signed a collaboration plan with Think Equal, a globally recognised non-profit organisation focused on enhancing social and emotional learning in early childhood education
Africa Togo Thermal power plants ensure a stable electricity supply in Togo even though the country steps up investment in renewables; thermal generation capacity is driven by a 100-megawatt gas-fired plant and a 65-megawatt combined-cycle of natural gas and propane
America Chile Construction and development infrastructure projects involving energy and public health have been halted to check out eventual impact on endangered species and archaeological remains; President Kast, conservative right, sharply criticized the decision
Africa Madagascar From a weekly cultural radio program to army support to the presence of the Presidential couple and a delegation at a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, a number of signs tell of a growing interest of Russia in Madagascar
Europe Italy 10th European Conference on Tobacco Health ECToH, will be held on 20-22 May in Milan, hosted by Italian League Against Cancer and Association of European Cancer Leagues: "Nicotine-Free Spaces for Healthier Cities" covers tobacco prevention, policy-making
America Paraguay 215 years of independence from Spain have been commemorated across Paraguay; as per tradition, two day of public holiday on 14 and 15 were celebrated, with the main parade on the 15th
Europe Austria Over 70.000 visitors have been counted at the Eurovision village according to Vienna City Marketing, while around 5.000 staged a street protest ahead of the grand finale amid a geopolitical storm with five countries boycotting over Israel’s participation
Africa Ivory Coast The crew of Malick Ibrahima Guèye and N’Gom Ibrahim Ben-Daryl is aiming to win the 2026 National Top Chronos Rally Championship, despite some setbacks this season, a highly important, popular motorsport event and pillar of Ivorian motorsport calendar
Oceania Tonga The Tonga Career Expo 2026 is taking place in Nuku'alofa, where students and job seekers will have the opportunity to interact directly with employers, TVET providers, businesses, and government exhibitors
Europe Sweden An exhibition of the royal family's private photos collected over five decades will be on display in Solliden Castle this summer to celebrate 120 years of the palace, King Carl Gustaf's 80th birthday and the royal couple's 50 years of marriage