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
Africa Ivory Coast The Minister for the Promotion of Good Governance and the Fight against Corruption announced the launch in a few weeks of the platform for reporting acts of corruption, inviting the entire population to use it to report 'any act of corruption'
Europe Serbia A delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe identified a number of irregularities and shortcomings in the electoral process during the 3 April parliamentary and presidential elections in Serbia
Asia Philippines Sara Duterte, daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, the country's outgoing president, was sworn in as vice-president alongside her running mate, Ferdinand Marcos Junior, who will soon replace her father as president
Africa Senegal The 14th edition of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar ends today; it has exhibited the works of 59 artists and collectives with the aim of making art more present in public space, in streets and squares, and welcoming more visitors
Africa Nigeria Among cities around the world, Nigeria's economic capital Lagos is the worst place to live according to the Economist intelligence unit based on five factors to assess livability
Europe Lithuania Russia has asked Lithuania to immediately lift a ban on the transit of certain goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad
Asia Taiwan Taiwan's EVA Airways was judged the best airline in East Asia at the recent Airline Passenger Experience Association ceremony, receiving the 'Five Star Global Airlines' rating for the fourth consecutive year
Asia Georgia Georgians are preparing for a mass demonstration in support of the country's EU membership, just days after the European Commission recommended postponing Tbilisi's candidacy
Africa Ghana The government recently launched a plan to achieve a local processing rate of 50% of its cocoa crop within the next three years; currently, local cocoa production stands at 20%
Africa South Sudan There is great disappointment in the country at the news of the postponement - due to problems with his knee - of Pope Francis' visit to the region, initially scheduled from 2 to 7 July
Asia Jordan On Refugee Day, UNHCR honored Jordan’s continued hospitality in welcoming and hosting refugees; new data shows 96% of Jordanians are sympathetic towards refugees and 81% supports their inclusion in national systems such as health and education
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The country expressed doubts on Rwanda in a possible regional force on its territory; in a statement issued on 17th, the government accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels who captured the town of Bunagana, on the border with Uganda
Asia Malaysia The government recently said it will abolish the death penalty and stop all executions, in a move cautiously welcomed by rights groups as a rare step forward on the issue in the region