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
Africa Burkina Faso Four journalists were released from forced enlistment into the army and reunited with their families; the International Federation of Journalists, working on their release since abduction, welcomed the initiative reminding the public value of a free press
Africa Uganda Road maintenance works have begin countrywide following government program aimed at improving road safety and reducing vehicle breakdowns to ultimately enhance rural connectivity
Africa Mali Dozens of soldiers have been arrested over suspects of plotting to overthrow the junta, which in its turn came to power in Mali in a coup; a Malian security force reports of 'arrests linked to an attempt to destabilise the institutions' in recent days
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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