Oceania Marshall Islands The fish aggregation devices FADs that fishing boats use to make catches easier, lately equipped with satellite communications gear to pinpoint location, are now being built by drug cartels that wrap packs of cocaine and radio transponders to trace troves
Africa Senegal People under the age of 25 account for almost 75% of Senegalese population, announced the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation on the basis of the provisional results of the Fifth General Population and Housing Census
Asia Israel Israel’s government approved plans to build over 5.000 new homes in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank; though it is not clear when construction will begin, the decision raised international bewilderment and more tensions with Palestine
Africa Ethiopia Children born to Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia are denied birth certificates: according to BBC, the Ethiopian refugee authorities stopped the service about 18 months ago, during the war in Tigray
Africa Somalia The authorisation of the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia has been extended by the UN Security Council by another six months, until 31 December 2023
Europe Poland The Polish fruit growers' association has appealed to the Prime Minister to stop importing Ukrainian fruit, which is creating a 'dramatic' drop in demand for local produce and depressing prices
Asia Japan A new partnership has been created between Hiroshima atomic bomb memorial and that of the attack on US base Pearl Harbor, an agreement that survivors of the bomb-ravaged city have strongly criticised, pointing out that "they are not comparable events"
Africa Ivory Coast Approximately 42% of primary school teachers are absent from class when school principal is not present, according to 2022 Educational Service Indicators Survey; the absence of teachers from school and classes is more frequent in state schools
Europe Sweden The sale of sexual services, which unlike the purchase of such services is legal in Sweden, should to be taxed like any other service, the Swedish Tax Agency said in a statement
Africa Madagascar In order to protect rainforest victim of illegal logging, Fanjanirina Pascaline, former woodcutter, has been since 2020 the head of a women's association that cultivates seedlings to supply them to the population of the small district of Anivorano
Europe United Kingdom Thames Water, largest private utility company responsible for public water supply and waste water treatment, born under Margaret Thatcher's will, is close to bankruptcy; the £10 billion necessary to save it would be weighting on taxpayers
Europe Croatia The Dubrovnik municipality has decided to ban luggage on wheels, with fines up to 265€, after residents complained for the disturbing noise of the trolleys on the pavement
America Canada Nearly 15.000 of the cheques sent earlier this year by the Manitoba government to help with rising costs were returned to the sender; the province's inability to reach thousands of people is renewing questions about using only the mail to give out cheques
Europe Slovakia The country will vote against the European Commission's proposal to relax EU GMO rules by exempting plants produced with new genomic techniques, which reduce demand for risky pesticides, from the GMO directive