Oceania Tonga Heavy machinery, marine equipment and construction crews have started work at Fangaʻuta Lagoon site for Tonga’s long‑awaited US$97 million bridge; The 720‑metre infrastructure will strengthen the key transport link between Nukuʻalofa and Eastern Tongatapu
Asia Kazakhstan Artificial intelligence has become a mandatory discipline across all universities in Kazakhstan; 93 universities have already integrated AI into their academic programs, while 20 institutions have launched 25 new educational tracks
Asia Maldives President Muizzu called for more inclusion of small developing countries in international decision-making at the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State meeting SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin, China
Africa Mauritius Tanya Cheung Chin Yan, a 2024/2025 graduate of the SSS Ébène Girls' technical program for architecture in the University of Melbourne, Australia, ranked first in the world for the Cambridge International A Level Art & Design
America Haiti The Organization of American States met in Washington DC, USA, to present a roadmap to end the gang violence Haiti endured over four years; the Holy See reiterated the Church’s closeness to the people, reaffirming its constant support for peace efforts
Asia Pakistan Punjab province suffered its worst floods ever in late August, as monsoon rains and upstream dam releases inundated towns and fields; Two million people were affected, with widespread evacuations and damage to homes and infrastructure
Europe Hungary HajdúZoo opened in Keszthely the first in the western corner of Lake Balaton: it hosts exotic animals and beloved domestic pets, and the biggest star of this unique zoo is undoubtedly the global 'trending' rodent capybara
Africa Ghana As jihadist violence threatens vulnerable northern border, the community in Bawku - caught in ethnic feud for decades - has seen clashes take on a new dimension and Ghana starts to brace for a spillover of violence from Sahel
Asia Cyprus School bus fees and subsidies for the new academic year have been announced: monthly student fare is set at 5 euros with a subsidy of €17, annual fare at €30 with €190 subsidy, all children from large families in sec and tech education will be exempt
Africa Burkina Faso The UN resident coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak has been declared “persona non grata” over an official report accusing jihadi groups and government forces of abuses against children; junta says the report has no "evidence or supporting documentation”
Africa Botswana A public health emergency has been declared as Botswana faces shortage of essential medicines and medical equipment; President Boko announced in a TV address presenting a highly price sensitive multimillion plan to fix supply chain with military oversight
Europe United Kingdom A record number of high grades achieved by A-level students was announced two weeks ago, but a social cluster has underperformed again, with too few students getting top marks at GCSEs and A-levels: white, working-class Britons
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina Relatives commemorated the 30th anniversary of the wartime massacre at the Markale market in Sarajevo, where 43 people were killed by a shell fired from Bosnian Serb positions during the siege of the city
Africa South Africa An NGO has taken South African government to court over a backlog of hundreds of thousands of late birth registration, with people waiting years for a response from Home Affairs; no birth certificate means restricted access to healthcare and education