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
Europe Greece 140.000 permanent public school teachers will be evaluated in a decade, according to estimates by the competent authority: the evaluation law was passed in 2021 but few have been assessed so far, while 30.000 newly hired teachers have undergone evaluation
Asia Lebanon Pope Leo XIVcould be visiting Lebanon on his first foreign visit, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said, a trip that would give a chance to speak in broad terms about peace in the Middle East and the plight of Christians there
Asia Bahrain Bahrain Post’s online services will be available exclusively in app MyGov from 28 August; the move will unify access to government e-services, enhancing digital transformation process, in line with users’ expectations for seamless, integrated experience
Africa Zimbabwe Filmmakers are expect to Studio Moto tomorrow 23 August for the Bokola Festival under the theme 'Dream. Now!; in Zimbabwean slang bokola means to truly see, to grasp deeply and the festival is meant as a platform for truth, resistance, and transformation
Asia Tajikistan Alif, a fintech operator, in partnership with Visa, launched a fee-free remittances system directly transferring money to Alipay and WeChat wallets in China, thus avoiding losses from double currency conversion from Somoni to US Dollars to Chinese yuan
America Colombia Colombia has faced a worsening health system crisis that has forced the closure of maternity wards and emergency rooms due to delayed government payments and insufficient transfers to health insurers
Asia East Timor A military hospital, fully funded by China under newly signed agreement in military cooperation, will be built in Timor Leste; the signing has been part of celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the National Liberation of Armed Forces held in Tasi Tolu
Asia Kuwait Online game Roblox will be soon blocked upon Ministerial decision, citing its potential dangers to children's behavior and mental health; similar bans are in place in Qatar, Oman, China, Turkey, Jordan, North Korea and Kuwait public called on authorities
Africa Lesotho Two months into the national ban on imports of potatoes, cabbage and eggs introduced saying that local product is enough to meet the country’s demand, the Ministry could reopen to the import of potatoes and cabbage after reports of scarce local produce
America Grenada The Grenada Tourism Authority has announced the launch of a new international destination magazine in partnership with Greydoor Publishing; the publication will be a storytelling platform capturing the essence of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique
Africa Cape Verde To activate crisis funds and urgent infrastructure repairs Cape Verde has declared a state of emergency on the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão, devastated by floods which killed at least nine people and forced 1.500 from their homes
Oceania Papua New Guinea The country's first five coronary bypass graft surgeries have been successfully performed at Port Moresby general hospital by a mixed team of PNG and Singapore doctors from 15 to 19 August
Europe Russia Russia is not committing to a meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and President Putin, which US President Trump has encouraged as a next step toward ending the war; Foreign Minister Lavrov argued any meeting should be prepared “gradually”