Asia Indonesia After a 7,7 magnitude earthquake hit Flores, the scientific community said consecutive major earthquakes, (like Venezuela, Colombia) are normal: global earthquake rates remain steady, averaging about 16 major earthquakes, magnitude 7 or higher, each year
America Grenada Government expects a $1 million equipment grant from the Japanese government, to enable better management of the sargassum seaweed scourge, which has been covering beaches along the island's eastern and northern corridors since 2014
Europe Spain Spain-based EasyJet cabin crew have announced a nine-day walkout strike starting today, following stalled negotiations over pay conditions
Asia Uzbekistan In a historic first, Uzbekistan's new state-of-the-art gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in the Qashqadaryo region has started producing synthetic oil
Europe Iceland Though there had been no commercial whaling in Iceland for four years and only one whale was hunted in 2021, hunting operations have resumed a few days ago
Africa Nigeria Nigeria's Supreme Court has recently ruled that Muslim girls can wear the hijab in public schools in Lagos State, upholding a 2016 ruling by an appeals court that had overturned the hijab ban
Europe France The Ministry of Economy has confirmed the end of the €38 ceiling for meal vouchers, which will be reduced to €19 from today; the measure was adopted in June 2020 to support restaurateurs
Asia Pakistan The Finance Minister said a consortium of Chinese banks and Pakistan have signed an agreement for a $2,3 billion loan, underlining the gratitude of the Pakistani people towards China
Africa Burkina Faso 6500 tonnes of food supplies recently arrived in the country from ECOWAS to support IDPs fleeing jihadist violence in the country; the loan will be fully repaid, but there is concern about the management of the grain, with fears of theft or corruption
America Venezuela The arrival of the US delegation to the country is seen as a potential opportunity to repair stained relations and discuss the ongoing economic sanctions
Oceania New Zealand According to Rabobank's KiwiHarvest food waste survey, households waste about 13,4% of their food, up from 8,6% in last year's survey; the average household wastes about $1520 worth of food a year
Africa South Sudan The WB has warned that South Sudan's economy could weaken further, contracting by between 0,8 and 2,8% this year, pointing out that last year South Sudan's gross domestic product contracted by 5,1%
Asia United Arab Emirates The new law that comes into force today envisages a mandatory 25 fils fee on all single-use bags starting today; this decision is the first step towards a total ban on single-use bags within two years