Asia Bahrain 394.000 visitors have been registered in state-run heritage sites in January-August 2026, with the Bahrain Fort accounting for 246.409, nearly two thirds of the total, and foreign visitors prevailed with the presence of 187.567 people
Europe Slovakia The country will receive more than €69 million from EU for the construction of the 2nd phase of Presov northern bypass; in a competition involving hundreds of projects, the second highest sum was pre-approved for Slovakia, after a German railway project
Europe Portugal Montijo airport saw the extension of the environmental declaration deadline rejected by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests ICNF and may no longer be an option to host Lisbon's new airport
Europe North Macedonia Five people from the country's leading cancer clinic, including two former directors, are suspected of having illicitly purchased expensive cancer drugs, some of which potentially ended up on the black market
Oceania Solomon Islands New Zealand has joined Australia in rejecting allegations by Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare of delaying some $18 million in financial support, saying it had asked its top diplomat in Honiara to "set the record straight"
Europe Switzerland Online streaming services offered in Switzerland, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, have bumped up their subscription fees in recent years, in some cases massively, data published by Moneyland.ch - an online price comparison - reveals
Asia Mongolia Vatican Radio - Vatican News now also speaks the language of Mongolia, visited by Pope Francis last September: the idiom is the 52nd in addition to the others already present, both written and spoken, thanks to a collaboration with the local Church
Africa Libya The Governor of the Libyan Central Bank, President of the Libyan Audit Bureau and the Chairman of the National Oil Corporation all stressed the need to increase oil production rates
Africa Madagascar The Africa Mercy, Mercy Ships' newly refurbished hospital ship, has arrived in Madagascar and will stay in the country from February to December 2024; it last visited the country in 2015
Oceania Palau Palau's livestock sector experienced significant growth in 2023, in terms of both the number of animals and revenue generated, according to the annual report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment
America Saint Lucia Saint Lucia's Director of Consumer Affairs, Wendy Frederick, confirmed that the island, experiencing a sugar shortage, has received supplies, though acknowledging that it had not received the required quantity
Asia Lebanon Britain would be organising a plan to de-escalate tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border; the plan would involve Britain training Lebanese army forces to do more security work in the border region
Oceania Kiribati The Australian defence ship Reliant has delivered two fire engines and various unloaded supplies to the port of Betio in the capital; the cargo will enhance emergency response capabilities on the Tarawa Atoll
Asia Malaysia The sentence of former PM Najib Razak to 12 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power was halved; by the end of 2023, corruption charges had been filed against both Najib and other members of his party, the United Malaysian National Organisation