Asia China 10 United States-based companies have been added to China's export control list, government procurement barred from 50 US companies two weeks after the Pentagon blacklisted some of China’s best-known companies for alleged ties to the Chinese military
Asia North Korea North Korean Foreign Ministry officials visited Mongolia for talks, marking the first country's delegation in five years to the country that has played a role in past nuclear talks
Europe Norway Bergen's municipal government has voted to ban overnight camping in public parks, open spaces, along streets, squares and other public areas; critics say the aim is to keep homeless people off the streets
America Saint Kitts and Nevis A three-day workshop was held focusing on the unique challenges of electricity regulation in small island states in the Caribbean, with the theme "Right-sizing Electricity Regulations in Small Island States within the Caribbean: How Far, How Fast?"
Asia United Arab Emirates Dubai Customs will distribute 30.000 meals during Ramadan, one of 11 community initiatives under the Ramadan campaign
Oceania Solomon Islands A Red Cross humanitarian operation has kicked off to assist 5.000 of the nearly 14.000 people affected by the current drought; some atolls and islands reportedly had no rain in the first three months of this year
Asia Saudi Arabia The National Talent Identification Program, now in its 14th year, has registered about 100.000 students
America Saint Lucia A review exercise with the management team of the Saint Lucia Fire Department was organized by the Department of Internal Affairs to ensure that the management team had a complete understanding of the various legislative acts
Asia Tajikistan U.S. Agency for International Development contributed $7 million to World Food Program to strengthen assistance to vulnerable families facing growing food insecurity in Tajikistan
America Canada Online child sexual exploitation rates more than tripled in Canada between 2014 and 2022; new research from Statistics Canada shows police were only able to solve two in five online sexual offences against children in that period
Europe Romania Experienced specialists continue to be the most difficult category of candidates to recruit in Romania, especially in sectors such as construction, finance, accounting or manufacturing, where employers generally face a shortage of talent
Asia Philippines The House of Representatives Committee on Transportation has addressed bills that would provide harsher penalties for perpetrators of road rage; bill proposes a prison sentence of up to 12 years
Oceania Samoa After six months of planning and recruitment, the Office of the Election Commission is set to open Samoa's online registration portal on May 6, while manual registration will begin in Aprile
Oceania Tonga The rising star of the Tonga Tala, Tonga's national netball team, is aiming to climb to the No. 8 position in the world's top ten netball teams in international competitions scheduled for 2024