Europe Italy Giorgia Meloni's government became the longest since Italy became a republic after WWII: the first led by a woman, it lasted 1.413 days as of 4 September, one more than Silvio Berlusconi's 2nd; premier said stability isn't a record, but a key for planning
Europe Netherlands The number of firebomb attacks in the Netherlands is on the rise, and this year there were 250; last year the police were called out 900 times for attacks and attempted firebomb attacks, according to updated police data
Asia Japan The number of foreign nationals residing in Japan counted over 3,4 million in 2023, +10,9% on 2022, marking a record high for the second consecutive year, with employment-related visas seeing growth amid the country's acute labor shortage
Europe Iceland A revised amendment to the Agricultural Products Act (búvörulög) passed despite opposition from various stakeholders, paving the way for a potential monopoly in the agricultural processing sector
Europe Luxembourg High levels of cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines and cannabis have been detected in Luxembourg wastewater, according to a study published by the European SCORE Group and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
Asia Lebanon The country will file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council over what it called Israel's violation of its sovereignty by disrupting its navigation systems
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines To promote food and nutrition safety, St Vincent Grammar School initiated a program for 42 students to learn how to successfully raise, slaughter, and dress broilers for clients
Asia Singapore The country dropped five places to 30th globally, but retained its position as Asia's happiest country for the second consecutive year in the World Happiness Report 2024
Europe Malta The Malta Employers' Association has opposed the proposed compulsory membership in trade unions, supported in particular by the General Workers' Union
America Saint Kitts and Nevis A ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of two solar-powered water desalination plants was held; the plants will be able to generate 12 cubic meters of fresh drinking water every hour
Europe North Macedonia Bureaucratic delays after the country's name dispute have left nearly a quarter of the population without passports, as in February only 1,3 million new passports had been issued due to incorrect implementation
Africa South Africa Johannesburg is facing an unprecedented collapse of its water system affecting millions of people, forced to stand in line for hours on end for water due to scorching weather that has shrunk reservoirs and crumbling infrastructure neglected for decades
Oceania Micronesia The FSM national government said that, with the help of partners, it has mobilized emergency supplies for drought-affected communities; four states-Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae-have been experiencing drier-than-normal weather since December last year
Europe Kosovo Kosovo has taken a necessary step to secure membership in the Council of Europe, which will bring benefits such as membership in multiple conventions, participation in Eurovision, access to the ECHR