Asia Palestine Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and spraied the word "revenge" on walls, according to local witnesses, in an unprecedented episode of escalating hostilities
Oceania Palau The Republic of Palau is now under Water Shortage ALERT as the water level in the Ngerimel and Ngerikiil reservoirs in Airai has decreased significantly due to lack of rainfall and increased water consumption - a decision by National Emergency Committee
Asia Syria As the crisis in Syria continues to worsen after 13 years of conflict, Adam Abdelmoula, resident coordinator for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, has appealed for $4 billion in aid for over 10 million Syrians
Asia Philippines President Marcos Jr. has ordered the country's government to strengthen the navy's security activities to prepare for "a number of serious challenges", making no clear reference to China
Africa Ghana The local national communications authority has revealed that repair operations on the two submarine cables damaged on March 14 are proceeding, with two ships tasked with tackling the repair expected to be completed by early May
Europe Netherlands The Veendam hyperloop test center is ready for use, and in a few weeks, the first vehicle will make a test run on the 420-meter track, made of prefabricated steel pipes
Asia Cyprus A convoy of three humanitarian aid ships operated by the NGO Open Arms and bound for the Gaza Strip has departed Cyprus, as permitted by the maritime corridor announced in early March by the European Commission
Asia South Korea An activist group led by ecologist Shin Joon Hwan would like to gradually replace all cherry trees of the Yoshino, or Tokyo cherry, variety with a type it claims is native to the country, since cherry trees are symbolic of Japanese colonial rule
Africa Malawi Parliament legalized the cultivation of a very potent local variety of cannabis for industrial and medical use; the rule requires the government to issue a license for cultivation and transportation, while consumption for personal use remains illegal
Africa Mozambique Aid for an additional $22 million has been announced by the US to support "stabilization efforts" in Cabo Delgado province in the country's northwest
Asia East Timor Despite delays mainly due to weather conditions, UK-based Baron Oil has completed a geophysical survey at the planned drilling location for the Chuditch-2 appraisal well off East Timor and is currently preparing to begin geotechnical investigation
America Panama Panama has introduced a new tool, the Taxonomía de Finanzas Sostenibles, in collaboration with various banks, aimed at developing environmentally-related banking activities and promoting a sustainable and low-emission economy
Africa Burkina Faso Over 40.000 Burkinabe nationals have arrived in Mali since December, says UNHCR, which also claims that every day "hundreds of people" continue to arrive on Malian soil from neighboring Burkina Faso NOTA
Africa Sudan NGO Emergency has opened a new pediatric outpatient clinic in Khartoum within the Salam Center for Cardiac Surgery in the Soba district, and will provide care to mothers and children up to 14 years old