Asia Israel Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-125 index gained 1,7% as shares rose to new record highs at the end of trading day yesterday following an Israeli airstrike that targeted top Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar; index has marked over +32% so far this year
Europe Hungary A new bathing spot on the Danube opened in Budapest: the Duna-fürdő Árasztó-part free beach will welcome bathers 12-31 August, as the capital aims to make the Danube riverbank a natural part of everyday life for residents
America Grenada Government and opposition agreed and removed the oath of allegiance to the British crown, replacing “His Majesty King Charles the Third, His Heirs and Successors” with simply “Grenada” in a shared commitment to national identity and constitutional reform
Asia Kyrgyzstan A package of laws to enhance the use of the Kyrgyz language in public and professional life has been signed by President Japarov, in line with Parliament Committee that has been supporting the use of local language in schools with a series of measures
Asia Turkey Concrete discussions on the opening of the border with Armenia have not yet begun, though the negotiation process is expected to continue, according to a diplomatic source in Türkiye, via Russian media
Europe United Kingdom 532 people were arrested by London police when supporters of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group recently outlawed as terrorist, intentionally broke the ban and gathered in a protest with plaques explicitly naming the organization
Europe Lithuania 8 Lithuanian defence and security firms and research institutions have signed a letter of intent with Brazil’s Embraer, one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, in a first official attempt to apply industrial cooperation in defence procurement
Oceania Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine in her keynote speech opening National Ocean Symposium underlined the importance of individual participation and of taking personal and community-level actions to keep the ocean environment healthy
Europe Liechtenstein As demand for the annual 15 August torchlit procession through the Fürstensteig is increasing, to ensure everyone's safety a 70 participants limit is being introduced for the first time this year; the majority of new entrants are foreigners
Oceania Tonga The legal marriage age has been raised from 15 to 18 with newly passed bill after years of concern over underage unions in Tonga; the reform comes alongside an amendment making more explicit in law the country’s ban on same-sex marriage
Africa Eswatini Seven senior employees at Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation are suspected to be implicated in a copper theft syndicate, facilitating the theft of cables from existing infrastructure and relating to businessman allegedly involved in supply
Africa Libya The National Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing has called for the swift adoption of anti-money laundering law, as international reports have flagged suspicious activities potentially passing through Libya’s financial system
America El Salvador Forty low-income families have received new cooperative-built apartments in San Salvador’s historic center, as part of a government project co-funded by Italy to expand access to safe, affordable housing and empower vulnerable communities
Asia Mongolia “Ebarimt” the VAT receipt system that issues lottery-based tax receipts to encourage compliance will be fully digitalized; Led by the Digital Development Ministry with the central bank, it will replace paper receipts with mobile and card-based tracking