Oceania Australia The chairwoman leading the Commonwealth agency tasked with improving Australia’s housing crisis with social and affordable housing and home ownership has resigned after two years in the position, weeks before a parliamentary inquiry
Oceania Nauru Two landmark air carrier cooperation agreements involving Nauru Airlines were signed during the Micronesian Islands Forum in Majuro, one with Air Marshall Islands and one expanded use of Nauru Airlines cargo services with Palau, FSM, Marshall Islands
Oceania Marshall Islands Two air carrier cooperation agreements were signed during the Micronesian Islands Forum in Majuro this week, with one specifically between Air Marshall Islands and Nauru Airlines
Africa Eritrea The UN Human Rights Council has rejected Eritrea’s bid to shut down an independent investigation into alleged rights abuses, a move hailed as vital to preventing impunity, with 25 votes against, 18 abstentions and 4 votes in favour
Africa Republic of the Congo Congolese lawyers are closing ranks against the establishment of the Moroccan business firm Bennani & Associés, expressing concern about the violation of specific national legislation in this area
Africa Lesotho His Majesty King Letsie III is expected to pardon at least 240 inmates this year to mark the 200th anniversary of the Basotho nation’s: the announcement was made during a government media briefing yesterday at the Lesotho Television studios
Asia Oman “Shabab Oman II” from Oman Royal Navy docked at Le Havre, France, 10th stop of its international voyage: the vessel's mission is to spread messages of love and peace, highlighting Oman’s maritime heritage and reinforcing the historical ties with France
Asia Lebanon US envoy Tom Barrack’s visit to Lebanon opened the “window of diplomacy”; a tense atmosphere had preceded his arrival in Beirut, where he received the official Lebanese response to a three-point paper with a path leading to Hezbollah’s disarmament
Africa Liberia A National Inspector Course was conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO with 20 aviation personnel; the first in-country course aimed to build self-reliance in aviation oversight within Liberia’s Aviation Security Improvement Plan
Europe Netherlands A new maternity hotel opened in Groningen and one is due to begin operations in Hoorn; mothers stay with their newborns under professional supervision instead of receiving postnatal care at home amid a growing shortage of postnatal caregivers
Europe Latvia Changing the system of service pensions, said Prime Minister Evika Silina, is necessary to restore equality with other recipients of retirement pensions; the retirement pension age was raised some time ago, but the age for service pensions hasn't
Europe Kosovo The construction of new river bridges in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica is deemed by Kosovo Serb party as a political stunt aimed at putting ‘fresh pressure’ on the Serb community
Asia Turkmenistan Ýolagçy, the app for tracking public transport routes has released a major update with offline access to routes: now residents in Ashgabat and Arkadag, especially important for users with limited mobile traffic or in areas with poor network coverage
Africa Burundi New provincial governors have been officially appointed, thus completing a major administrative reform announced in 2022 that reduced provinces from 18 to 5 to streamline governance, reduce costs and improve public services