Europe Montenegro Montenegro will be first country to join the European Union under the new safeguards designed to ensure all new members uphold agreed democratic standards, preventing backsliding on the bloc’s values
Oceania Palau The 'Palau Paradise Express', the direct flight between Brisbane and Koror, Palau's capital, will be extended for another year following the success of the route started in December 2024
Europe United Kingdom A record number of high grades achieved by A-level students was announced two weeks ago, but a social cluster has underperformed again, with too few students getting top marks at GCSEs and A-levels: white, working-class Britons
Africa South Africa An NGO has taken South African government to court over a backlog of hundreds of thousands of late birth registration, with people waiting years for a response from Home Affairs; no birth certificate means restricted access to healthcare and education
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina Relatives commemorated the 30th anniversary of the wartime massacre at the Markale market in Sarajevo, where 43 people were killed by a shell fired from Bosnian Serb positions during the siege of the city
America Cuba Many provinces are coexisting with repeated, long power failures, to the point that residents, as soon as electricity is available, be it daytime or night, frenetic use of appliances begins, from washing machines to cell phones chargers or water pumps
Asia Indonesia Protests erupted after police killed a motorcycle ride-hailing driver; The demonstrations turned violent, with some parliament buildings set ablaze and by yesterday government agreed to cut lawmakers’ extra pay and housing allowances to calm the unrest
Africa Comoros Experts from the International Maritime Organization IMO has visited the port of Mutsamudu to assess progress made and get to the final phase toward certification of this strategic infrastructure; this 5-day workshop was dedicated to port security
Africa Botswana A public health emergency has been declared as Botswana faces shortage of essential medicines and medical equipment; President Boko announced in a TV address presenting a highly price sensitive multimillion plan to fix supply chain with military oversight
Africa Burkina Faso The UN resident coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak has been declared “persona non grata” over an official report accusing jihadi groups and government forces of abuses against children; junta says the report has no "evidence or supporting documentation”
Africa Rwanda RwandAir is expecting to receive an Airbus A330-200 before the end of this year, and it is reinforcing its fleet with two of Boeing 737-800s jets, serving from Kigali; the carrier is promoting its expansion with an international campaign
Oceania Kiribati Opposition is formally agains government's refusal to debate suspension of the Court of Appeal, occurred over two years ago, as the CoA quashed government's deportation order for HC Judge Lambourne as it was unconstitutional and mandating to reinstate him
America Suriname A joint initiative led by the Public Prosecution Service, UNICEF, and education ministry has expanded training on grooming and child pornography to multiple districts, aiming since 2024 to strengthen child protection against sexual exploitation
Asia Singapore Bulan Bahasa, Malay Language Month, has been launched; PM Wong, who attended, underlined it ‘holds a special place in Singapore as a bridge to our shared history and culture’ and will continue to ensure that all mother tongue languages continue to thrive