Africa Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa signed into law constitutional changes that extend his time in office to 2030; new legislation, approved by Parliament last month, also introduces a provision allowing presidents to be elected by lawmakers instead of direct public vote
Asia Taiwan Language diversity was celebrated at Golden Melody Awards with prizes celebrating not only Mandopop, but also artists singing in Taiwanese, Hakka and indigenous languages, a visible sign of government's efforts to promote languages other than Mandarin
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina In Banja Luka families with four or more children will receive free payments for the construction of a residential building, if they have not resolved the housing issue
Europe Slovenia A new national spatial planning strategy, which explicitly paves the way not only for the expansion of the country's only nuclear power plant, but also for the construction of small modular reactors, has been approved in Parliament
Asia Thailand The session of the Thai parliament where the new prime minister will be elected opens today, 3 July; the vote is scheduled for 13 July
Europe Moldova As the country prepares for intensive negotiations as part of its path to EU membership, the lack of qualified experts to lead the talks is a crucial issue
Europe Estonia 43% of Estonians would opt for an electric or hybrid car if possible, shows a survey commissioned by Moller Baltic Import; the percentage of those who prefer an all-electric or hybrid car is highest between the ages of 40 and 49
Asia South Korea Workers at medical institutions will be required to register newborns starting a year from now; at least 2.236 children born 2015-2022 in medical institutions haven’t been registered by parents and went therefore totally ‘invisibile’
Asia North Korea ‘We have neither been informed […] nor known about it and we have no intention to examine it’ would reportedly be the official the answer to the request of the chief of South Korea's Hyundai Group to visit the North's Kumgangsan next month
Asia Kazakhstan With UNDP support, the upgraded Sayramsu Anizdary tourist trail was opened in the Sayram-Ugam State National Nature Park, located in the north-east part of the Western Tien-Shan Mountain range
Asia Sri Lanka The parliament approved a plan to restructure the national debt, which is crucial to continue the $2,9 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund
Africa Liberia Cuttington University, Sub-Saharan Africa's oldest private university, has now obtained 24-hour electricity after years of limited supply, with students hitherto forced to interrupt their nightly studies and other social activities
Asia Syria 90% of Syrian population lives below the poverty line has warned the UN Humanitarian Chief Martin Griffiths; millions face cuts in food aid next month because of a funding shortfall - the $5,4 billion UN appeal for Syria is only 12% funded
Asia Iraq Up to 4 million mangrove trees will be grown in the Khor Al-Zubair mudflats region; the joint project of government and UN agencies is inspired by successful mangrove forest rehabilitation activities in neighbouring Kuwait and the UAE