Africa Togo Five women's cooperatives involved in rice parboiling have received new equipment including large-capacity soaking tanks, eco-friendly stoves, parboiling units; the Food Resilience Systems Program in West Africa aims at cutting losses and raising output
Oceania Tonga The legal marriage age has been raised from 15 to 18 with newly passed bill after years of concern over underage unions in Tonga; the reform comes alongside an amendment making more explicit in law the country’s ban on same-sex marriage
Europe Lithuania 8 Lithuanian defence and security firms and research institutions have signed a letter of intent with Brazil’s Embraer, one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, in a first official attempt to apply industrial cooperation in defence procurement
Oceania Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine in her keynote speech opening National Ocean Symposium underlined the importance of individual participation and of taking personal and community-level actions to keep the ocean environment healthy
Europe United Kingdom 532 people were arrested by London police when supporters of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group recently outlawed as terrorist, intentionally broke the ban and gathered in a protest with plaques explicitly naming the organization
America El Salvador Forty low-income families have received new cooperative-built apartments in San Salvador’s historic center, as part of a government project co-funded by Italy to expand access to safe, affordable housing and empower vulnerable communities
Asia Kyrgyzstan A package of laws to enhance the use of the Kyrgyz language in public and professional life has been signed by President Japarov, in line with Parliament Committee that has been supporting the use of local language in schools with a series of measures
Europe Liechtenstein As demand for the annual 15 August torchlit procession through the Fürstensteig is increasing, to ensure everyone's safety a 70 participants limit is being introduced for the first time this year; the majority of new entrants are foreigners
Asia Turkey Concrete discussions on the opening of the border with Armenia have not yet begun, though the negotiation process is expected to continue, according to a diplomatic source in Türkiye, via Russian media
Asia Pakistan Over 200 supporters of former PM Imran Khan were detained during countrywide rallies marking his arrest anniversary; Clashes in Lahore and Karachi saw police using force to disperse crowds
Africa Gabon Full membership of Gabon within the Commonwealth has been restored: it had been partially suspended in 2023 out of violation of the democratic principles of the Charter; progress towards fulfilling obligations remains in the agenda of upcoming meetings
Asia Philippines Government will convene a “conclave-style" gathering of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive policy on online gambling, as announced by President Marcos; The initiative signals a renewed effort to address concerns surrounding internet gaming regulation
America Haiti A press release on key contract involving Haiti's biggest port and two elite members was allegedly published without the consent of council's leader, deepening fracture government-private sector as a wealthy businessman is taking over presidency on 15 Aug
Asia Turkmenistan 3rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries was held on August 5-8, 2025 in Awaza: over 100 countries and 50 international organizations took part in the event organized by the UN once a decade; Awaza declaration can be a game changer for 2030