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
Africa Ivory Coast Street vending on main roads, begging, and the use of handcarts has been banned in Abidjan by District Governor Ibrahim Cissé Bacongo, with police checks intensifying in recent days
Asia Bangladesh The country will not provide electricity and gas to new factories to be built outside designated economic zones and industrial enclaves; central bank required banks to secure mandatory certificates of approval from utility providers before lending
America Peru President Dina Boluarte is under investigation for allegedly possessing a dozen expensive watches, possibly including Rolex models, without declaring them in her asset reports, leading to a controversial raid on her residence and the government palace
Europe Austria Austria's glaciers will disappear within 45 years, warned the Austrian Alpine Club, in its latest glacier measurement report describing the rapid reduction of 93 glaciers in Austria over the past two years
Europe Spain Telegram is the subject of a legal dispute in Spain after Spanish media companies filed a lawsuit over the alleged unauthorized use of copyrighted audiovisual content and demanded its suspension as a precautionary measure
Asia Malaysia The tradition of "bertuntung," decorating homes with oil lamps in preparation for the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, is still practiced by the Malaysian community in Sarawak; many homes choose to display a combination of oil lamps and electricity
Europe Ukraine In recent weeks Russia has reportedly hit "up to 80%" of conventional power plants and half of Ukraine's hydropower plants "in the heaviest attacks since the war began"
Asia Qatar On the occasion of Eid Al Fitr, families from the region and beyond are invited to attend the largest traveling LEGO Shows event in Qatar scheduled at the Qatar National Convention Centre from April 10 to 25
Asia Palestine Palestinians are returning to devastated homes in Khan Younis, finding rubble and dead bodies after the Israeli army withdrew its forces; living conditions in the Gaza Strip are bordering on famine after 6 months of war
Oceania Samoa Some 26.000 Samoans will be assisted by a project of the US Agency for International Development's Office of Humanitarian Assistance, preparing them to cope more effectively with the shocks of future disasters
Asia Oman With the issuance of three royal decrees establishing three more nature reserves, Oman will count a total of 30 protected areas
Europe Montenegro Montenegro's gambling revenue, including casinos, betting houses, clubs with slot machines and internet betting, increased 58,5% year-on-year to 6,5 million euros in the first quarter of 2024
Asia Mongolia 350 people of various ages and backgrounds will benefit from scholarships in "Grow with Google" program that includes online study in English for 3 months, 40 hours of classroom instruction and 30 hours of on-the-job training