Africa Togo Five women's cooperatives involved in rice parboiling have received new equipment including large-capacity soaking tanks, eco-friendly stoves, parboiling units; the Food Resilience Systems Program in West Africa aims at cutting losses and raising output
Europe Monaco Princess Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer, has spoken out to media about the +45% incidence in water-related deaths compared to 2024, saying this “public health emergency” calls for more safety education and supervision around pools, beaches, waterways
Africa Senegal Four bales of Indian hemp, a total 243kg have been seized on a canoe, concealed under fishing nets, in an overnight operation off the Thiaroye-sur-Mer quay; intelligence information had alerted of a possible waterway delivery from a neighboring country
Europe Serbia Unrest escalated across Serbia, with ruling party supporters clashing violently with student-led protesters and trying to attack journalists, while in Valjevo demonstrators set fire to a ruling Progressive Party office and attacked City Hall
Africa Mauritius Local potato harvest is underway and from 25 August through December, sales will be limited to the National Wholesale Market, while imports will have to go exclusively through the Agricultural Marketing Board AMB in Moka
Africa Algeria National Mujaheed Day has been celebrated in the country, commemorating the marking the 70th anniversary of the North Constantine Offensive, a key revolution fight, and the 69th Soummam Congress, the first effort of giving Algeria a new, structured asset
Asia Syria Women in Syria's media face a hostile or unfavorable environment that undermines their presence in the industry; they are expected to maintain far more strict composure and professionalism than men and often face insinuation about their personal life
Europe Portugal Eduardo Serra, the most international of Portuguese cinematographers, reportedly died at 81 on 19 August; as a director of photography he collected two Oscar nominations, collaborated with Leconte, Chabrol and worked on the final two Harry Potter films
Africa Ivory Coast Sprinter Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith finished third in the 200m at Diamond League event in Lausanne, Switzerland, with her best time of the season despite extreme weather; the podium grants her access to the World Championships in Japan, on 13-21 September
Asia Tajikistan Alif, a fintech operator, in partnership with Visa, launched a fee-free remittances system directly transferring money to Alipay and WeChat wallets in China, thus avoiding losses from double currency conversion from Somoni to US Dollars to Chinese yuan
America Dominica Sharon Clifton Kelsick, from Castle Bruce, an experienced, long-serving educator, has been elected as the new president of the Caribbean Union of Teachers; it's the second occasion in the union’s history that a woman has assumed the regional role
Asia Japan Remote-controlled robots have been deployed to one of the reactors at Fukushima nuclear plant to prepare the removal of around 880 tonnes of radioactive debris, the most daunting challenge in the decommissioning operation following 2011 earthquake damages
Europe Romania National Cyber Security Directorate has issued a warning about a new online scam that fraudulently uses the image of president Nicușor Dan in so-called “quick investment” schemes
Europe Finland Three crew members of the oil tanker Eagle S, believed to belong to Russia's so-called shadow fleet, were charged with aggravated criminal mischief for damaging 5 Baltic Sea cables last December by dragging the ship's anchor on the seabed for around 90km