Africa Tanzania A comprehensive voluntary repatriation program has been finalized to bring back Tanzanian citizens living in South Africa, following growing impatience towards African immigrants; in co-operation with local authorities, returnees will undergo verification
Europe Luxembourg The number of solar panels increased by almost half in Luxembourg last year, according to the national energy regulator, although overall sustainable energy production increased only slightly due to light winds
Asia Taiwan Daxi-Daxi Folk Festival, a very participapated pop encounter of traditional culture and young generations, returns in person today after a 2-years COVID hiatus
Africa Gambia More than half of girls between the ages of 0 and 14 have experienced some form of female genital mutilation, while more than one in four girls are married before they turn 18, according to figures recently released by UNICEF
Asia Tajikistan Refugees living in Tajikistan - according to UNHCR data - are mostly citizens of neighbouring Afghanistan, in transit to third countries, with numbers decreasing since 2021; there are currently no resettlement programmes in the country
Asia Maldives Maalaa High Rising Construction signed a contract with the Ministry of Gender Affairs to build a home for 28 children in Nilandhoo
Europe Netherlands Young transgender people, some even as young as 14, are buying drugs online to start transitioning on their own as waiting times for official treatment are very long; waits can be longer than 3 years, NOS reports after interviewing over 700 people
America Saint Lucia Saint Lucia Olympic Committee recently handed over a cheque for US$5853 to the Saint Lucia National Table Tennis Association to fund national table tennis player De'Andre Calderon, who will represent Saint Lucia at the upcoming Commonwealth Games
Asia Cyprus The country can become a regional educational, research and excellence centre and there is a targeted government policy for higher education, said President Anastasiades addressing the graduation ceremony of the University of Cyprus
America Dominican Republic The pollution generated by the Punta Catalina thermal power plant covers much of the country and almost all of Haiti, according to a six-month study conducted by environmental specialists in the province of Peravia
Europe Belgium Many changes scheduled for this month have been implemented: from new e-scooter laws to stricter technical inspections, from Brussels’ Low Emission Zone (LEZ) fines to all retailers to offer at least one electronic payment method
Europe Switzerland There are almost 8.000 public recharging stations, an average of 1 for every 10 electric vehicles; fossil-fuelled vehicles are also destined to disappear from Swiss roads, as new cars sold must comply with EU regulations on CO2 emissions
Oceania Tonga Three repatriation flights from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji took place on June 29 and 30, with more than 500 passengers; more flights are scheduled for several days in July