Asia Singapore New cat ownership rules require pet cats to be microchipped and licensed, with limits on the number of cats allowed per household; After a two-year transition period, owners must comply or face penalties, while licences will become chargeable
America Saint Kitts and Nevis The IMF forecast economic growth at 5% for the country, lower than the 8,8% recorded last year; next year's figure would be at 3,8%
Asia Taiwan Sun Yat-sen National University said a Mandarin-language immersive school at its Kaohsiung campus, operated by Vermont-based Middlebury College, will begin enrolling US university students in spring 2024
Oceania Vanuatu One month after the conclusion of the national games in Vanuatu, state teachers employed by the Teaching Service Commission are still fighting to receive their daily subsistence allowance
Europe Vatican City Pope Francis telephoned US President Joe Biden to talk about the conflicts in the world and the need to find paths to peace
Europe Spain Cepsa, Compañía Española de Petróleos, began developing projects for the construction and operation of biomethane production plants from agricultural and livestock waste to decarbonise its industrial activity replacing natural gas with this renewable gas
Europe Switzerland Voters went to the polls to elect a new national parliament in Switzerland on Sunday with results showing a victory of the radical right and a defeat of environmentalist forces
Asia Yemen Tropical Cyclone Tej is expected to arrive in Yemen this week, bringing significant rainfall and a risk of flooding to the east of the country; Al Ghaydah area could receive 500-750 mm of rainfall, compared to the annual average of 50 mm
Asia Philippines New users of social networks X in the Philippines will have to pay around $0,75 per year to access the basic functions, while the 'read' function will be free
Europe Russia Russian-American journalist Kurmasheva will remain in detention, the second US journalist detained after Gershkovich was arrested in March for espionage; international experts consider the episode part of unprecedented crackdown on independent journalism
Africa Central African Republic The International Criminal Court has released Maxime Mokom, a former militia leader in the Central African Republic, dismissing the case against him for war crimes, after the prosecutor dropped all charges
Asia Iran The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought - awarded by the European Parliament - went this year to Iranian Mahsa Jina Amini and the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement
Asia United Arab Emirates Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al-Qasimi, president of the Big Heart Foundation, ordered the organisation to provide aid worth AED 30 million ($8,1 million) to Palestinians in Gaza
Africa Ethiopia The country listed ports in Eritrea, Djibouti and Somaliland as facilities that could be peacefully obtained; with the cession of Eritrea in 1993, the country has no access to the sea and it is dependent on Djibouti for 85% of imports and exports