Asia Philippines A persistent infestation of soft scale insects continues to threaten Philippines’s sugar industry, damaging crops and reducing yields in key producing provinces; Authorities are expanding monitoring and pest-control measures to contain the outbreak
Africa Botswana Individual top earners will pay higher personal income tax under new reform, passing from 25% to 27,5%; the measure aims at increasing domestic revenue collection and strengthening compliance and will affect those who earn more than P400.001/year, €25.700
America Ecuador A net worth audit of Ecuador’s mayors and prefects has been launched by the Ecuador National Assembly’s Commission on Autonomous Governments following a Pulitzer Center-supported investigation that revealed increased assets of some officials
America Haiti Haiti has entered the Central American and Caribbean Games, with over 8.000 participants at their 100th year, with athletes in taekwondo, boxing, cycling, judo, chess and 3x3 basketball
America Guatemala A 10% drop in homicides and a 38% decline in extortion cases has been recorded in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to official statistics presented by President Arévalo
Africa Niger Activist Mariama Djibrine has no intention of abandoning the helm of the Alliance of Democrats of the Sahel ADS, pushing for a return to constitutional order in the Sahelian countries, after having been stripped of her Nigerien nationality
Asia Malaysia MediSAS national health insurance scheme will be launched at the end of July, offering affordable coverage for critical illnesses and major medical treatments; The program is designed to expand financial protection for lower- and middle-income households
Africa Mauritania A land-lease agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia; 53.957 hectares of land in the districts of Boghé and Aleg, in Brakna Wilaya, will benefit from investment by a Saudi company that will deploy modern agricultural technologies to enhance production
Africa Gabon The municipal council of Port-Gentil, the Mayor and the Prefect of Bendjé Department met to adopt resolutions aimed at strengthening local governance, modernizing the municipal administration, and accelerating the development of the economic capital
America El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s party "Nuevas Ideas" - New Ideas - has designated him as their official candidate; he is elegible for a third mandate following the 2025 Constitutional reform that eliminated the limit of mandates for one person
Africa Mozambique Africa’s first fully electric mine will be developed at the Moatize coal complex with a €140,6 million investment by Vulcan; The project replaces diesel-powered mining equipment with electric machinery to reduce fuel dependence and lowering emissions
America United States A major step toward deep-sea mining has been taken by opening a bid for the lease of over 31 million acres of federal waters for the extraction of critical minerals in American Samoa, sparking debate and worries among Pacific states
Europe Czech Republic A custom-made 3D-printed titanium implant is being tested: its porous structure can be infused with drugs to be gradually released; developers at UCT in Prague and Motol University Hospital will use one of the country's most advanced 3D metal printers
Asia Palestine The ancient West Bank town of Sebastia is now on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger; despite strong objections from Israel, UNESCO approved emergency procedures in its 48th WHC session in Busan, South Korea