Asia Syria Hundreds of Kurdish students in Hassakeh and Kobani refused to enter their classrooms as the 2026–27 school year began, protesting a decision that reduces Kurdish-language instruction to three periods per week, demanding the decision be reversed
Europe Slovenia The country has urged member states to send a strong political signal to the Western Balkans; EU leaders will meet for a summit between 23 and 24 June which includes the topic of enlargement
Africa Mozambique In Gorogonsa, at the southern end of the Great African Rift Valley in central Mozambique, coffee, once an alien, grows in the rainforest reversing ecosystem degradation by reforesting the area
Asia China A major UN biodiversity summit, delayed because of the pandemic, will be held in Montreal, Canada, instead of China as planned, mainly for Beijing's 'zero Covid' policy, after environmentalists had warned that further delays could jeopardise the agreement
Asia Turkey The country has managed to increase its share of local wind turbine production to 72% and the government has ambitions to attract further investment in the sector; the country exports 80% of its production
Asia Saudi Arabia Members of the Jeddah Association of Hearing Impaired Women (Emkan) triumphed in a chess tournament in Jeddah, competing against non impaired people to take the top four places
Africa Tunisia President confirmed that draft constitution, subject to a referendum on 25 July, will not enshrine Islam as the "religion of the state"; it will not speak of a state with Islam as its religion, but of belonging to an umma that has Islam as its religion
Asia Iran The country is escalating uranium enrichment by preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at its underground Fordow site, capable of switching enrichment levels more easily, according to a report by the United Nations Nuclear Observatory
Asia North Korea Medical crews and epidemiological investigators have been sent to South Hwanghae province, which is battling an outbreak of an as yet unidentified intestinal disease
Europe United Kingdom The country's biggest transport strike in 30 years will last until Saturday, with nearly 50.000 rail workers on strike; the government is urging the population to avoid travelling
Africa Morocco The 10th Ahwach National Art Festival took place in the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, bringing together artists and enthusiasts of the traditional folkloric style of music and dance typical of south-eastern Morocco
Africa Libya MSF has called for speeding up the evacuation of the most vulnerable migrants stranded in Libya to safe countries; there are currently an estimated 600.000 migrants in Libya subjected to confinement and enslavement
Asia Nepal The country is preparing to move Everest Base Camp - located on the Khumbu Glacier and used by 1500 people during this spring climbing season - because global warming and human activity are making it unsafe for crevasses to form in the ice
Europe Russia The country has become China's largest supplier of oil; Russian oil imports rose 55% year-on-year to a record high in May, ousting Saudi Arabia