Asia Malaysia The 30% of Bumiputera capital requirement for private schools has been scrapped, ending a policy that reserved a minimum share of ownership for the country’s ethnic Malays and indigenous groups; implementation sparked debate between ministries
Europe Russia A woman has died of the plague in the remote Siberian region of Irkutsk, a 28-year-old laboratory technician that may have been infected as a test tube broke; up to 200 people with whom she may have been in contact have been quarantined and monitored
America Jamaica KFC Jamaica advised customers that a shortage of lettuce at the restaurant is caused by the challenges being faced by its vegetable supplier due to the ongoing drought impacting the country
Europe Austria In Vienna, those who need an appointment with a specialist covered by health insurance wait the shortest time, 22 days, compared to the rest of Austria registering an average of 34 days; data are reported in 2026 study by krankenversichern.at
Africa Zambia Zambia is set to sign a five-year, US$1,5 billion health agreement with the US, as negotiators removed a clause that would have required Zambia to send specimens from its disease surveillance system to America
Asia Pakistan Pakistan, with Turkey, will deploy military forces to Saudi Arabia under a new security agreement; The pact follows a broader strategic partnership between the three countries to address the escalating situation in the Middle East
Oceania Tuvalu Leaders from nations including Australia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Mauritius visited Tuvalu for a first-hand look at the reality of climate change on the sidelines of Pacific pre-COP summit ahead of COP31
Europe Czech Republic Forty editors-in-chief from the Czech media have issued a rare joint appeal to the country’s politicians. They are calling on them to reject violence and threats against journalists and to guarantee equal access to information from public institutions
Africa Kenya First ever case of Ebola has been confirmed as the outbreak spreads; a Kenyan citizen who had been living and was treated in the DRC died days after arriving in Nairobi onboard a regular flight and undergoing normal public screening
Europe Ireland A second one-day strike is set to close almost all the country’s schools and cause substantial disruption across health, local government and justice systems; four largest public service unions met to consider escalation over a new national pay deal
Africa Burundi A digital justice platform under preparation will allow citizens to file certain criminal complaints online and track the progress of their cases as part of the government's effort to digitize the justice system
Asia Taiwan Taoyuan Airport expects about 738.000 passengers during the five-day National Day travel period from Thursday to next Monday, 147.000 passengers per day in average, with three temporary flight suspensions scheduled for Saturday’s aerial display
Asia Kazakhstan Eleven years after joining the World Trade Organization, Kazakhstan trades across a wider global market under international rules; However, one of the central challenges that preceded accession remains: reducing its dependence on commodity exports
Europe Albania Phishing and text message scams have risen significantly in Albania, with scammers using trusted names like Albania Post - prompting calls for more institutional expertise and better awareness campaigns