Asia Thailand Rubella has been eliminated in Thailand as a public health threat, achieving the WHO criteria for interruption of endemic transmission; imported cases is now the key concern, especially for infections during pregnancy
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
Asia East Timor IMF staff completed the 2022 Article IV mission to East Timor; based on the preliminary findings, staff will prepare a report to be submitted to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision
Europe Bulgaria Bulgarians are shortening their holidays at the seaside because of the increased cost of fuel
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 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 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
America Bolivia A number of small wildfires near La Paz have been successfully extinguished in the past days; according to authorities fires are set ‘for fun’ by youngsters
America Honduras The Central Bank of Honduras has approved a loan of US$1 billion for the country’s government to address severe fiscal imbalances and new investment projects
Africa Seychelles Study on a new cryptic species of the sucker-tailed gecko, endemic to the country and discovered on Felicite Island, is contributing to the basic understanding of Seychelles' biodiversity
Asia Yemen The UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg denounces the Iran-backed Houthis for rejecting proposals to end the siege of Taiz and threatening to undermine the UN-brokered truce
Europe San Marino At the Oran 2022 Mediterranean Games a gold, a silver and a bronze medal from boules for the Republic
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
Oceania Tuvalu Tuvalu’s Foreign Minister Simon Kofe has pulled out of the U.N. Oceans Conference after China blocked Taiwan’s delegation from participating