Oceania Marshall Islands The fish aggregation devices FADs that fishing boats use to make catches easier, lately equipped with satellite communications gear to pinpoint location, are now being built by drug cartels that wrap packs of cocaine and radio transponders to trace troves
Europe Bulgaria Bulgarians are shortening their holidays at the seaside because of the increased cost of fuel
America Guyana Starting next month, government cash grants will be offered to children in private and public schools in order to buy the textbooks and class materials they need
Africa Burundi Burundian drummers keep the atmosphere of yesteryear alive, preserving, with pirouettes and dances, a centuries-old ritual, locally known as the "ignoma" recognised by UNESCO and jealously guarded by the Burundian state
Oceania Solomon Islands IMF conducted a virtual mission to Solomon Islands to discuss recent economic developments and policy plans; the final statement forecasts -4,5% GDP in 2022 but economic recovery is starting and a GDP rebound is expected in 2023
Asia Brunei The country will purchase vaccines and antiviral drugs against monkeypox, although no cases have been detected so far, to prepare for a potential epidemic
Oceania Palau Palau is now the smallest country in the world by population to have established an EMT; the local emergency medical team has completed training and is prepared to cope with disasters, disease outbreaks and other crises
America El Salvador The ‘Guarantee Programme’ grants small companies the possibility to ask for loans with low guarantees in order to boost their business; the progran has been started by the ational Commission for Micro and Small Businesses and the Development Bank
Africa Egypt To increase electricity generation capacity, the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plant Authority is studying the construction of small nuclear reactors, with a minimum capacity of 10 megawatts and a maximum of 300
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Taiwan is expected to donate US$52,000 to the country to purchase new monitoring equipment for La Soufriere volcano
America United States The Supreme Court - not elected by the voters - delivered two highly controversial decisions in less than a week; the rulings have made the Court’s popularity sink to 20% and many have commented that they show the distance between politics and real life
Oceania Vanuatu The government is seeking an agreement with Tonga to grant Air Vanuatu the rights to deliver regional and international air services on behalf of Tonga
Asia Palestine Tamam Abou Hamidan, 34, who left Gaza in 2014 when her family emigrated to Sweden, has now been appointed Major of the town of Olofstrom
Asia Syria The country, now in its 11th year of war, was designated earlier in June as one of the world’s 20 “Hunger Hotspots” by FAO and the WFP; now opposition-held Idlib residents fear that Russia’s veto at the UN could close their only aid border crossing