Oceania Tonga Heavy machinery, marine equipment and construction crews have started work at Fangaʻuta Lagoon site for Tonga’s long‑awaited US$97 million bridge; The 720‑metre infrastructure will strengthen the key transport link between Nukuʻalofa and Eastern Tongatapu
Asia Philippines The Election Commission is set to hold the plebiscite for the creation of 8 municipalities in the Special Geographic Area of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region; April 13 activity will give the people of the 63 villages a chance to form their respective towns
Asia Kazakhstan The worst floods in decades hit Kazakhstan and Russia, with entire neighborhoods evacuated and thousands of homes flooded in the Ural River area between the two countries
Oceania Solomon Islands Solomon Islands' Gross Domestic Product is expected to grow by 4,1% in 2024 according to preliminary data; projected growth will be driven by mining, fishing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, and agriculture
Asia Tajikistan Locust infestations, exacerbated by environmental factors, are a serious problem for Tajikistan's agricultural production, threatening food security and economic stability
Africa Sierra Leone 85.000 people are currently struggling with epilepsy throughout the country, revealed Max Bangura, executive director of the Sierra Leone Epilepsy Association
Africa South Sudan As the country races against time to hold its first national elections in December 2024, an event brought together political actors and civil society representatives to agree on a Code of Conduct that will govern the actions of political parties
Europe Germany The Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, has approved the so-called "self-determination law," a provision that makes it easier to change gender identity and name at the registry office
Africa Cameroon After Chad, World Food Program plans to suspend humanitarian aid to Cameroon due to lack of funds; after the end of April, "we have no visibility on possible funding," said Aboubacar Guindo, WFP vice president in Cameroon
Europe Russia Patriot, an autobiographical book Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was working on before his death last 16 February in a prison in Siberia, will be published on October 22
Oceania Tonga The Asian Development Bank and the government signed a grant agreement to help accelerate economic recovery from disasters caused by natural hazards and health emergencies
Oceania Samoa An addendum to the existing 2012 bilateral agreement was signed with the US to continue and expand operational cooperation in the suppression of transnational illicit maritime activities
Africa Republic of the Congo About five years after its introduction in Congo, the martial art hapkido is attracting many teenage girls who train at a center in the city of Pointe-Noire to learn how to defend themselves
Africa Central African Republic Gender-based violence is rising for ongoing conflict and weak legal system; notwithstanding the stigma of reporting, since 2020 reported cases rose from 9.200 to 25.500, according to data by the UN and partners, but international funding has decreased