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 Austria Airbnb has been providing data to the city of Graz, including the identity of the landlords, in response to growing opposition by many cities to short-term apartment rentals; Graz is demanding accommodation fees from landlords and will impose fines soon
Asia Saudi Arabia Saudi Regional Cloud Seeding Program aims to implement operations in six main regions: Riyadh, Qassim, Hail, Makkah, Al-Baha, Asir and gradually cover all regions following climate studies and rainfall distribution, according to an Al-Arabiya.net report
Asia Palestine People from Gaza, including young children with serious conditions, will be denied entry to the US, a key pathway for medical care: the US administration stopped approving visitor visas after a lobbying campaign called incoming flights a national threat
Europe Andorra Five people have been convicted in Montpellier, France, for smuggling tobacco from Andorra; the cross-border investigation found that the four defendants were selling the illegal cigarettes in the food stores they owned
Asia Qatar 800 new university students were welcomed for the start of the new academic year; now part of Qatar Foundation’s unique ecosystem of education, they have been encouraged to embrace the spirit of giving back, serving their communities
Asia Brunei A surge in ‘Macau Scam’ cases with impersonation of bank and police officers is causing public distress: Cyber Crime Investigation Division warned citizens, saying it typically begins with phone calls signaling suspicious transactions on victim’s account
America Canada Binding arbitration has been ordered by Federal Minister Patty Hajdu to put an end to a strike by Air Canada’s flight attendants that has grounded flights and disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of travellers in Canada and overseas
Europe Luxembourg Defective vel’OH! bicycles and vandalism episodes remain major issues for Luxembourg City; despite technical upgrades, the topic appears again and again on social media, with videos circulating of safety deficiencies in the bicycles
Asia Yemen Nearly half of Yemen’s population in government-controlled southern areas is facing acute food insecurity: the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reports 4,95m experiencing crisis-level hunger or worse, including 1,5m at emergency levels
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo Following the seriousness of the latest deadly incidents, Kinshasa and Brazzaville committed to revising Navigation Regulations of the river Congo, promptly strengthening cooperation on river safety and launching a review of bilateral agreements
America Cuba Fidél Castro's 'influencer' grandson causes a stir; for those in a daily struggle for food and basic items, Sandro Castro's high-flying lifestyle and apparent lack of empathy is offensive on a whole different level
America Belize A cashless e-bus ridership card has been launched in Belize City as part of an EU- and UNDP-backed pilot project to modernize public transport and improve payment efficiency through Digi Wallet integration
Africa Mali Return of the legendary Timbuktu manuscripts to their original place has begun, transferred in 2012 under special conditions to Segou, then to Bamako, by librarians, associations and residents to save them from destruction by radical jihadist groups