Asia Armenia A train with 1.000 tons of Kazakh wheat reached Armenia passing through Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia; the transport was made possible following the lifting of restrictions on cargo transit through Azerbaijan, as per the agreements reached in Washington
Asia Bahrain 1.206 inspection campaigns and visits have been conducted by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority in the first half of June 2025, resulting in 18 arrests of violating workers and 218 deportations for breaches of residency and labour laws in the Kingdom
Africa Tanzania A population of Witte's River Frog has been observed and studied in an alpine stream at al altitude of almost 4.000 meters on Mount Kilimanjaro, almost 1.000 meters above their known range, making it the highest-dwelling frog of the African continent
Oceania Palau The Pacific Mini Games Palau 2025 are bringing together athletes from 23 Pacific Island nations and territories, united in a celebration of sport and culture with activities happening across all venues until 9 July
Africa Seychelles Seychelles will develop a national cruise tourism strategy following a year-long major cost-benefit analysis made in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, focused on the impact on economy, society and environment.
Asia Japan A record 21,5 million foreign visitors entered Japan in the first half of 2025 and travel demand appears to remain strong, if not constant, outside peak seasons
Europe Moldova "First Home” program beneficiaries will pay a higher interest rate on their mortgage loans, up by 2,12%, starting today; Bank of Moldova last week kept the base rate at 6,5% per year to in a move to anticipate the expected rise in inflation
America Bahamas Public workers' salary adjustments have been announced: wages and benefits will keep rising over time; the salary increases will come from industrial agreements, regular promotions and a formal wage review to keep government competitive in the job market
Asia Saudi Arabia The Al-Baha Summer Festival 2025 has been inaugurated; under the theme "Al Baha... Heritage and Tourism", it will offer over 500 events and welcome 2,5 million visitor, in a showcase of culture and heritage that aims at attracting also local tourism
Oceania Marshall Islands The Micronesian Islands Forum will be hosted this week in Majuro, with leaders from Kiribati, Nauru, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau; airline connectivity issues will be a focus
Asia Laos FAO and IUCN launched a $42 million GEF-funded initiative to protect primary forests in Southeast Asia and the Pacific; It supports Laos, PNG and Thailand, aims to manage 3,2M ha, restore 8,5k ha, cut 34M t CO₂, and benefit around 20.000 people
Africa Ivory Coast As tensions rise ahead of October polls, with many fearing election violence as seen in 2011, thousands of supporters of banned opposition candidate Tidjane Thiam have marched on the offices of the Ivory Coast electoral commission
Africa Central African Republic At least 29 high school students have been killed and 250 injured in a stampede at a high school in Bangui as an electrical explosion triggered by returning power after a failure brought panic among the 5.000 students sitting their final exams
Asia Yemen Sites have been handed out by local authority in Sana'a province for a solar power system installation that will operate water wells; the land is now ready for the implementing party