Oceania Marshall Islands The fish aggregation devices FADs that fishing boats use to make catches easier, lately equipped with satellite communications gear to pinpoint location, are now being built by drug cartels that wrap packs of cocaine and radio transponders to trace troves
Europe Spain Government promised a solution to the Western Sahara conflict accepted by both Morocco and the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi nationalist liberation movement, after it accused Spain of abandoning its neutrality and siding with Morocco's plans
Asia Nepal The country is tightening imports of cars, gold and cosmetics as its foreign exchange reserves have dwindled, after the government suspended the central bank governor and appointed his deputy as interim chief
Europe Vatican City Pope Francis recognised a miracle attributed to an Italian layman, the martyrdom of two Italian priests who died during WWII and the heroic virtues of seven new Venerables, including two missionary bishops and three lay women
Asia Palestine Satisfactory numbers of tourists are returning to Bethlehem and the Holy Land under the slogan "Ready", highlighting the sector's efforts to comply with Covid-19 protocols; Bethlehem depends on tourism for 90% of its economic revenue
Oceania Tonga A range of cleaning supplies from Karcher in Australia donated to hospitals across Tonga to help clean up the ash fall after the eruption have been received by the Ministry of Health
Europe Iceland Forests and shrubs now cover over 2% of Iceland: the area increased more than sixfold since 1990, from 7.000 hectares to 45.000; in 20 years' time the figure is expected to reach 2,6%
Europe Montenegro After the first recorded case of bird flu in the country, environmentalists have warned of a serious threat to the Dalmatian pelican population of Lake Skadar
Europe United Kingdom Both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak will be fined by the Metropolitan Police for attending a birthday party organised for Johnson during a Covid blockade, part of a Met investigation into illegal partying in Downing Street
Africa Malawi To improve the adoption of digital payments and the transition to a cashless economy, NBS Bank, a local bank, and international companies Mastercard and Network International, have signed a partnership
Asia Turkmenistan President Berdimuhamedov instructed the government to expand the loan programme for small and medium-sized enterprises, focusing on the need to create new jobs
Europe Ukraine The World Bank estimates the country’s economy will shrink by 45,1% this year because of war which has shut down half of the country’s businesses, minimized imports and exports, damaged critical infrastructure
Africa Kenya Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund has completed an equity investment in Koko Networks, a technology start-up specialising in the cooking fuel market, based in Nairobi