Africa South Sudan Conditions for elections remain unfavorable, UN experts warned during a press conference in Juba after concluding their visit to South Sudan; planned December elections face risks from renewed violence, shrinking civic space, persistent impunity.
Asia Singapore After independent art centers and theaters closed in the summer, Yale-NUS College will stop accepting new students and will close by 2025; online petition to save the independent arts institution have reached 10.500 signatures
America Guatemala A state of calamity is declared due to the rise in Covid-19 cases with the Delta and Lambda variants, not curbed by the restrictive measures for all activities and social events already imposed in August
Europe Belgium Nineteen-year-old Zara Rutherford is making her solo flight around the world and she has just arrived in Panama City; she won't return home until November 4, when she expects to have landed in 52 countries, becoming the youngest woman in history to do so
Asia Iran 30.000 Iranian pilgrims will be received by Iraq for Arbaeen rites provided they have a negative Covid-19 test taken 72 hours before arrival in the country
Asia Turkey Lake Akşehir, the country's fifth largest lake, is threatened by drought and has almost dried up due to years of low rainfall and the misuse of its water for agricultural purposes
Asia Bhutan The London-bound flight of the Prince of Bhutan had to abort take-off at Delhi airport due to a swarm of ants found in the business class section of the plane
Asia Afghanistan The members of the new interim government have been announced, with Mohammad Hasan Akhund, Taliban leader on the UN list of international terrorists, as premier; demonstrations by women and activists are taking place all over the country
America Honduras As the Bitcoin fever is spreading across Central America, the country opened its first Bitcoin ATM
America Bolivia This week the country celebrates its first ever Andean Indigenous Cultural Festival of Cochabamba, a celebration to honor the indigenous people of Cochabamba as well as an incentive for national tourism
America Dominica This week some gas stations will be temporarily shut down since fuel retailers can’t manage to keep their businesses open with the rising labor and security costs; the announcement has been made by the local Association of Fuel Retailers
Africa Lesotho First National Bank Lesotho has launched an e-commerce platform where customers can buy and sell goods and services
America El Salvador The decision of President Nayib Bukele to make Bitcoin a legal tender for the nation continues to stir doubts and citizens have started to express their disagreement by protesting on the streets and the media
Africa Guinea-Bissau Security measures on its eastern and southern border with Guinea-Conakry have been strengthened after that country's special forces claimed to have captured the president and dissolved institutions