America Cuba International investors can now build and fully own tourism facilities: to reverse the dramatic fall in tourism, authorities have eliminated the requirement for foreign groups to form a joint venture with the Cuban state to manage their tourism activities
Europe Italy Clients of specialised operators held over one billion euros in cryptocurrencies in Italy according to data transmitted to the OAM, the body of broker agents, at the end of the first quarter of 2023
America Haiti 61% of the population agreed with deploying armed forces according to a nationwide poll
Africa Egypt Solar power stations have been installed at major museums and archaeological sites, including the Alexandria's National Museum, the Giza Plateau housing the Pyramids and the Palace of Mohamed Ali in Cairo, as part of a plan to promote sustainable tourism
Asia Lebanon Exploratory drilling for oil and gas, organised by the country with international partners, is starting; experts warn that without structural reforms, the new marine gas field will not end country's economic malaise
Africa Rwanda At least 23 baby mountain gorillas born in the past 12 months will be named during a naming ceremony scheduled for next month in Rwanda
Africa Ivory Coast Didier Drogba, former Chelsea striker, has been appointed as new coach of national football team, with contractual goals of winning the next 2024 and 2025 African Cups and leading the country to win the 2026 World Cup
Asia Iran Iran - with Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE - has been invited by the BRICS group of nations to become new members of the bloc
Europe Portugal Nationalist far-right party Chega! has tabled a bill proposing windfall tax on bank profits to finance housing support programs through a temporary solidarity grant, arguing that it would be an "effective and fair" measure
Asia Jordan Hotel occupancy rates in the Kingdom have decreased due to high temperatures and approaching school season; reservation rate at five-star hotels from August 17-19 in Aqaba reached 87%, 61% in the Dead Sea, 62% in Amman and 40% in Petra
Asia Laos Laotian doctors at the Mother and Child Central Hospital have extracted a 20 kg cyst from a pregnant woman, in the first operation of its kind in the capital Vientiane
Africa Guinea The National Transitional Council unanimously authorised the ratification of the financing agreement between the International Development Association and the Republic of Guinea
America Chile Approximately 70% of Chilean universities have implemented measures to address mental health concerns among students, with a new plan aimed at tackling the rising challenges amid the return to in-person education post-Covid
Africa Niger The situation of the thousands of irregular migrants in Assamaka, north-west Niger, is increasingly complex, given the lack of cooperation with international bodies since the coup