Asia Uzbekistan Senate approved an amendment allowing inmates to reduce their prison sentences by three days for each approved book they read and demonstrate comprehension of; The law, excluding life-sentenced prisoners, may benefit over 13.500 convicts annually
Europe Vatican City The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States reaffirmed its closeness to all indigenous peoples, especially indigenous women, speaking at a commemoration of International Day and 8th Inter-American Week of Indigenous Peoples
Europe Kosovo Liberation Army veterans, citizens and other organizations held a protest in Pristina against the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers, accusing it of bias, namely of 'doing an injustice to the people [of Kosovo] who were persecuted by Serbia'
America Barbados A major agreement to build a coconut processing plant was signed with India, part of Barbados' plan to industrialize and expand its agro-processing sector; Export Barbados said it will create full value chains for coconut products with Indian technology
America Saint Lucia To improve support for citizens during difficult times, the National Insurance Corporation is developing a plan for an unemployment insurance program that will provide temporary financial relief to people who become involuntarily unemployed
Europe Iceland A man involved in what is thought to be Iceland’s first bank robbery walked into a police station and confessed to the crime, police posted on Facebook; the robbery took place in 1975 and was relatively small in scale compared to later bank robberies
Asia Kazakhstan A new nationwide coordination body has been set up to unite state agencies in the fight against drug addiction and drug-related crimes; it will focus on developing comprehensive prevention measures, improving treatment and rehabilitation programs
Asia Cyprus A Turkish Cypriot has been diagnosed with mad cow disease, prompting the north’s veterinarians’ association to demand urgent biosecurity measures, pointing out that in southern Cyprus, eradication and surveillance are implemented following EU regulations
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina Journalist Natasa Miljanovic Zubac, known for publishing material on organised crime and high-level corruption, has been detained, her family home searched, for the alleged crime of “disclosure of an official secret” upon orders of State Prosecutor Office
Africa Angola Old Cinema Miramar in Luanda is reportedly been sold to the Chinese without details of the deal that began in December 2013; it could be transformed into a residential space in support of the Chinese embassy
Oceania Palau The Oneisomw community hosted a training and clam farm setup led by Nature Conservancy to provide the community with tools for sustainable aquaculture; 3.600 bear paw clams were stoked, 75 giant clams, locally extinct, reintroduced to Chuuk lagoon
Oceania Fiji Movie 'Bati' was screened at Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival: it is the first ever Fijian feature film selected for NZIFF, filmed in Suva and the highlands of Namosi, with a Fijian cast and crew
Europe Moldova The Leova–Bumbata border crossing is now working on a 24/7 schedule, letting travelers cross at any time, following agreement of border authorities of Moldova and Romania; Moldova has registered +45% foreign visitors arrivals in Jan-June 2025
Europe Denmark Copenhagen Municipality will keep its job centres open as one of the pillars of its employment service, despite the national reform that removed the requirement, encouraging their closure