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
Africa Mauritius A memorandum of understanding was approved between India and Mauritius for the joint development of a satellite, scheduled to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in early 2025
Europe Belgium Belgian prison staff went on a 24-hour strike starting at 10 p.m. on Thursday evening to protest against overcrowding and poor working conditions; Belgian prisons currently house around 12.000 people, exceeding the capacity by around 1.300 inmates
Africa Morocco The country won the vote to head the UN Human Rights Council after a heated showdown with South Africa, which argued that Rabat's human rights record made it unfit to chair the body
Asia Azerbaijan A conference on 'Politicisation of Religion: Harmful Effects' was held, organised by the State Committee for Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Africa Somalia A helicopter belonging to the UN mission in Somalia was captured by al-Shabaab militiamen after accidentally landing in territory controlled by the armed group; at least six aid workers who were on the aircraft are now in their hands
Asia Bhutan Bhutanese voters overwhelmingly chose Tshering Tobgay as Prime Minister for a second term, in a significant political development, with the People's Democratic Party winning almost two-thirds of the seats
Europe Portugal The country broke the record for energy production in 2023, with more production from renewable sources, more days in a row with only renewable energy and the lowest emissions ever, Redes Energéticas Nacionais announced
America Cuba A 500% increase in the price of fuel, from 25 pesos (US$ 0,20) to 132 pesos, has been announced by the Cuban government as it struggles with shortages and the deepening economic crisis
Europe Ukraine Hundreds of people attended a ceremony in the courtyard of the gold-domed St Michael's Monastery in Kiev to honour the memory of the famous Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov, killed in action while serving as a soldier
Asia Syria A former Syrian army general, Mohammed Hamo, 65, resident in Sweden, will appear before a Stockholm court for his alleged role in war crimes committed in Syria in 2012
Europe Belarus Current Time, a Russian-language network operated by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, has been added to the register of extremist organisationsa in a frame of ongoing repression of independent media and civil society by Belarusian authorities
Africa Nigeria A Nollywood film, 'A Tribe Called Judah' broke all box office records and became the first Nigerian film to earn 1 billion naira ($1,1 million) in domestic theatres in just three weeks
Africa Zimbabwe Families of school-age children challenge the government's decision to impose tuition fees in US dollars; tuition fees are set in US dollars, while parents and guardians can pay in local currency at the exchange rate on the date of payment