Asia China “Bone ash apartments" will be illegal after new law prohibits use of residential properties to store ashes or bury remains outside dedicated areas; scarce space in cemeteries, low house prices made more affordable to entomb remains in an empty apartment
Africa Liberia To tackle the escalating drug epidemic, Liberia has declared a nationwide moratorium on the sale and distribution of Tramadol and Shisha, effective from 22 August 2025 and has introduced a ban on the use of Shisha and unlicensed Tramadol
Asia Cyprus School bus fees and subsidies for the new academic year have been announced: monthly student fare is set at 5 euros with a subsidy of €17, annual fare at €30 with €190 subsidy, all children from large families in sec and tech education will be exempt
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Africa Eritrea Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies Corporation of Eritrea reported that the corporation is working to meet the medicine and medical equipment needs of health facilities; til June 2025, medicines and equipment for $8m were imported, 2,8 locally produced