Asia Thailand Rubella has been eliminated in Thailand as a public health threat, achieving the WHO criteria for interruption of endemic transmission; imported cases is now the key concern, especially for infections during pregnancy
Europe Vatican City Pope Francis has prayed for peace and appealed for help to build humanitarian corridors in Myanmar
Asia Cambodia 109,095 tourists, mostly national, have travelled to typical destinations across the country during the third weekend of June, recording an increase of 54% compared to the previous week
Africa Libya The unity government has reopened the coastal highway linking the country's east and west, closed for two years due to local fighting hazards
Europe Hungary The country moved up five places to 42nd position in the competitiveness ranking published by the IMD World Competitiveness Center of the Swiss Business School
Europe Spain The Spanish government approved in a Council of Ministers meeting today partial pardon decrees for Catalonia's nine separatist leaders sentenced to prison after the 2017 secession attempt
Asia Bhutan The government will propose lifting the ban on the sale of tobacco products in view of the continued smuggling of tobacco products through the porous border in the south, which has been identified as one of the main reasons for the spread of the Covid-19
Europe Norway Norwegian start-up Wind Catching Systems has revealed its design for a floating 'wind sail': a 324m by 300m structure with 117 turbines, capable of generating as much power as five conventional spinners at a lower cost
Europe Poland Warsaw and Lodz will become a single metropolitan area with a new ultra-high-speed rail link, which will be completed in 2027, connecting the two cities in 45 minutes
America Costa Rica The National Geographic Society has recognized Bernal Rodríguez, professor and researcher at the School of Biology of the UCR, for his leadership and charisma in protecting the environment
America Dominican Republic Ranking in 7th place for highest percentage of vaccinated population in America, the country registers 21.5 % of the population inoculated with two vaccine doses
Asia Vietnam 924 volunteers participated in the third phase of human trials for Nanocovax's homemade Covid-19 vaccine, the most promising of the four national vaccines
Europe North Macedonia An environmental tax of 5.7 cents for oil will be introduced and that the value-added tax on electricity will be temporarily reduced from 18% to 5% for one year
Oceania Nauru The Nauru Public Health received from Australia two vehicles that will provide better access to communities in under-served areas