Europe Italy Giorgia Meloni's government became the longest since Italy became a republic after WWII: the first led by a woman, it lasted 1.413 days as of 4 September, one more than Silvio Berlusconi's 2nd; premier said stability isn't a record, but a key for planning
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina After a chestnut pest started to spread on the border with Croatia in 2015, the response given with the "Chestnut" project, with the creation of a common database and shared knowledge, showed how crucial a cross-border action was in solving common issues
Asia Japan Rising temperatures, heavy rainfall, flooding and demographics are eroding a centuries-old culture surrounding wasabi cultivation, making its rhizomes - already considered the hardest plant to grow in the world - more susceptible to mildew
Asia North Korea Work has begun on a large 10.000-apartment residential project, a major housing initiative by the regime
Africa South Africa Gauteng, the country's economic centre, is offering food vouchers to people aged 50 years who have not yet received the Covid-19 vaccination to encourage them to get the vaccine; Gauteng accounts for the majority of cases in the country with 32,4%
America Haiti International donors pledged $600 million, more than the UN initially expected, to help rebuild Haiti's deep south; with the government, they want to ensure that lessons are learned from past mistakes, like uncoordinated management of aid after 2010 quake
Asia Syria For survivors of torture and sexual abuse in Bashar Assad's prisons, the conviction of former Syrian intelligence officer Anwar Raslan last month for crimes against humanity and the ongoing trial of Dr Alaa Mousa represent a major breakthrough
America Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega met with Russian officials to strengthen the countries’ bilateral relations, to reinforce their technological, military, and business cooperation
Europe Lithuania The emergency alarm system will be upgraded with new sirens; installed in municipalities over the next two years, it will be capable of warning at least 75% of people living in areas within the impact zone of the Belarusian nuclear power plant
Asia Vietnam Human Rights Watch accused authorities of harassing and detaining more than 170 activists over the past two decades in a newly released report; the group called for an end to the "systematic restriction" of activists' freedom of movement
Asia Yemen The UN Special Envoy to Yemen said that consultations would begin this week with all Yemeni parties - the government, Houthi rebels, civil society, political parties and experts - to find an inclusive political solution to the unending civil conflict
Europe Ireland Lawmakers could soon start voting remotely in a select number of situations, including potential future pandemics, according to a debated bill that would amend the Irish constitution
America Uruguay As an attempt to reignite tourism, the government has temporarily suspended sales taxes for all hotels
America Bolivia In the past year, the price of lithium has increased by 800%, so the government has decided to further accelerate the industrialisation of it and invest more resources in the sector