Africa South Africa The sale of unregulated medicines is increasing in South Africa, where fake and substandard medicines are distributed through informal channels, informal outlets, online platforms, and cross-border smuggling, with people often buying unaware of fakes
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 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
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
Africa Comoros Several doctors interviewed deplore a significant drop in hospital visits during national transport crisis; they hope for a swift return to normal, as they fear an increase in community deaths due to a lack of transportation to bring patients to hospitals
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
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 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 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
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 fiveb
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
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
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
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