Asia Bangladesh Prisoners in Bangladesh legally earn Tk2, € 1 cent, per day for their labour: so low that it undermines efforts to rehabilitate inmates through meaningful work; the inspector general of prisons raised the issue amid reforms in the prison employment system
Asia Lebanon A draft law on restructuring Lebanese banking sector was adopted, a condition for unlocking international aid to face the economic crisis it has suffered since 2019; it is considered the first time a Lebanese government has approved a bill of this kind
Africa Burkina Faso SAMU - Service d’aide médicale urgente, French for Urgent Medical Aid Service, has been inaugurated in its headquarters in Ouagadougou with an official ceremony; the service will offer easier access to urgent treatment
Africa Cameroon 7.900 Cameroonians, legally in the US under the programme which grants temporary safety from conflict and instability, see the end of their legal protections under new move of the administration of President Donald Trump
Africa Benin A massive, door-to-door information campaign to fight onchocerciasis - the disease also known as river blindness - has been launched in Benin; the parasitic infection is caused by the roundworm Onchocerca volvulus, with damages compromising eyesight
Europe Montenegro In 2024 ONGs, citizens, media and businesses submitted 6.787 requests for access to information to government bodies; the Agency for Personal Data Protection and Free Access to Information reports they have decided on 4.220 cases of administrative silence
America Saint Kitts and Nevis The Nevis Disaster Management Department is urging the Nevisian public to adopt water conservation practices in response to the latest Caribbean Drought Bulletin of April 2025 highlighting the ongoing risk of drought across the region
Africa Seychelles Seychelles is fully ready to welcome visitors to its national pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka, Japan; the country is presenting its sustainable development model “A people’s journey: Empowering lives through sustainable tourism, aquaculture and investment.”
Africa Lesotho VODACOM M-Pesa mobile money service will be accessible to all mobile users in the country, regardless of their network provider, a revolution for financial transactions, particularly for local producers, shop owners, shopping enthusiasts
Europe Slovenia Zoran Mušič (1909-2005), an internationally acclaimed modernist painter and printmaker, will be honoured with a series of exhibitions in Slovenia and Italy as Nova Gorica and Gorizia have come together as the first cross-border European Capital of Culture
Asia Indonesia Indonesia ended its first quarter as a full member of the BRICS bloc of developing economies; though candidacy was accepted in August 2023, it formally joined the bloc only after the formation of its newly elected government last year
Asia Palestine Ahmad Manasra was released after 10 years in Israeli prisons: apprehended when he was 13 years old, is now 23 years old upon his release; according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, he was released in a remote location away from the prison gates
Asia Saudi Arabia The number of licensed rooms recorded a growth of 69% in 2024 compared to year 2023, reaching 475.970 units; Ministry of Tourism spokesperson underlines the ministry's efforts to streamline the licensing process for operators and investors in the sector
Europe Latvia The 105th anniversary of the Patent Office of Latvia was celebrated on 8 April 2025 with the simultaneous visits of the World Intellectual Property Organization, the European Patent Office and the European Union Intellectual Property Office