America Uruguay To restore police presence on the streets is priority for Montevideo's new police chief, who rejects the idea of heavy hand, defends use of armored vehicles to protect officers, maintains that Uruguay is far from falling into violence as Central America
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
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
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
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
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 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
Africa Togo Cotton production could reach 66.000 tonnes in 2024-2025 marketing year, compared to 67.000 tonnes of previous year; cotton operators gathered in Sokodé to discuss the reasons, including climatic challenges like prolonged drought during the sowing phase
Asia Tajikistan The Integrated Rural Development Project/TRIGGER recognised the invaluable contribution of rural women to agriculture, food security and community development in workshops with 300 people including women, entrepreneurs, government officials and partners
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
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
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
Asia Kyrgyzstan Construction started on a rehabilitation centre for disabled children in the Toguz-Toro district of the Jalal-Abad region