Europe Sweden Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have discovered a new species in Swedish forests: it is a fungus that parasitizes lichens
Africa Zambia National power company Zesco has announced a series of scheduled eight-hour blackouts to ration electricity after the country is hit by a devastating drought due to a very poor rainy season
Europe Belgium Cocaine use in Belgium has risen sharply in recent years, according to a new report by the public health institute Sciensano; requests for cocaine treatment have increased from 2.500 in 2015 to 4.200 in 2022
Europe Moldova The Council of Europe's anti-corruption body listed reforms Moldova needs to make, focusing on lobbying in government, police and border police integrity, and the work of the country's anti-corruption prosecutor's office
Europe Vatican City The Holy See Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition - Venice Biennale, which will be displayed in the Giudecca women's prison, will illustrate the ability of inmates to embrace art to transform their lives
Asia Vietnam Nearly 200 people have been treated for food poisoning after eating contaminated chicken at a restaurant in Nha Trang city; the deputy director of the Khánh Hòa Department of Health said that so far, tests of samples and food have not yet yielded results
Asia Malaysia The country is growing among major producers of semiconductors, being the world's sixth largest exporter; in the 1970s, Malaysia created a free trade zone on the island of Penang, offered tax exemptions and built dedicated districts and warehouses
Oceania Nauru Dave Kitson has been named Nauru's new national soccer team manager and international ambassador; he has played 81 times in the English Premier League and 155 times in the Championship, scoring a total of 69 goals
Europe Ukraine President Zelensky recalled on X that two years have passed since the Russian attack on the Mariupol Drama Theater, raising "eternal remembrance for all those whose lives were taken by Russian terror"
Africa Mali Mali's junta has disbanded the nation's main student organization, the Mali Student Association, accusing it of disrupting classes and provoking clashes and killings
Oceania New Zealand The country will record "significantly slower" economic growth in the coming years, the finance minister said, as slowing productivity hampers the economy; the announcement came as New Zealand is about to issue a pre-budget update in two weeks
Asia Palestine The Spanish ship of the humanitarian organization Open Arms, carrying 200 tons of humanitarian aid, arrived in the waters of the Gaza Strip; departing from Cyprus, it was carrying equipment and mostly food from World Central Kitchen
Oceania Vanuatu The Department of Biosecurity has partnered with New Zealand's AgResearch to release a virus in areas of Efate heavily infested with the coconut rhinoceros beetle, including Devils Point, Bukura, and Ifira
Oceania Micronesia Ms Jenny Grant-Curnow is the new Australian Australian ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia