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 Mozambique New restrictions on the foreign currency positions of commercial banks have been issued by Bank of Mozambique under a special regime set to last for one year; the move may further aggravate the country’s ongoing shortage of foreign exchange
Asia Oman The shrimp fishing season 2025 will run from 1 September to 30 November; making the official announcement, MAFWR ministry stressed the importance of fishermen adhering to regulations, using only licensed gear locally known as al-ghadif
Oceania Samoa Pre-polling stations have been opened for the elderly and the members of the disabled community, making sure they can exercise their right to vote ahead of the general election scheduled for tomorrow 29 August
America Guyana A validation workshop has been launched in Guyana for its National Adaptation Plan, a long-term environmental strategy to strengthen resilience against rising seas, droughts and other climate impacts across 10 key sectors
Europe Lithuania Social Democratic MP Inga Ruginienė has been appointed as Prime Minister of Lithuania; following the resignation of Paluckas on 31 July, 78 parliament members voted in favor, 35 against and 14 abstained
Africa Morocco A $405.000 contract with a consultancy firm close to the US president was signed, allegedly for labelling the Polisario Front in Western Sahara a terrorist organisation to induce the group in negotiations; it is not clear how it would facilitate dialogue
Europe Slovenia A national test of a new emergency alert system will be run: all mobile phone users connected to wireless networks will receive a push notification from Civil Protection/Disaster Relief, also in English; message in Italian, Hungarian in minority areas
Africa Gambia Chaos spread at the Kanifing court as Police Intervention Unit officers fired tear gas to push back youths demanding the release of 23 protesters charged with holding a procession in a public place without licence from the IGP; all of them deny charges
Africa Burkina Faso The remains of Alain Christophe Traoré, aka Alino Faso, a social media influencer, have been repatriated from Ivory Coast, were he was found dead in his cell, detained for allegedly collaborating with foreign agents; a mourning BF calls for accountability
America Bahamas A week before schools reopen, VAT exemption allows families and educators to purchase school items, PCs, stationery, clothing, bags, hair accessories, free of VAT; the Consumer Protection urged retailers not to inflate prices, parents to shop essentials
Africa Gabon National goal of energy independence and universal access within ten years is pursued with new deals, as with Turkish Aksa Energy for design, financing, construction and operation of a 1.000MW gas power plant; the state utility SEEG still poses hurdles
Europe Estonia A national designated spatial plan for a defense industry park has been approved in a government session; it will cover a 204-hectare site in the Ermistu village, Pärnu city, and a 141-hectare site in Varinurme village, East Viru County
Africa Benin Potential beneficiaries of loans for farmers, or 'credit agricole', a key tool, are calling on authorities to streamline the process: some producers manage to obtain credit from decentralized financial systems, others are stuck with collateral as obstacle