Asia Georgia In Sukhumi, the capital of the region of Abkhazia, hundreds of people stormed the complex where the local parliament is located, protesting against an agreement with Russia to facilitate investment in local real estate
Europe Austria Austria is one of the EU countries with strictest rules for foreigners wishing to obtain citizenship; more than 750.000 people who have been legally resident in the territory for more than ten years still do not hold an Austrian passport
Africa Central African Republic The country and Chad signed a memorandum of understanding to create a 'mixed border security force'; the two countries share a border of almost 1.200 kilometres
Europe Latvia In 2022, more companies were born in Latvia than those that disappeared, better than the EU average for the birth rate of companies, which was 14,3% against 10,5% of the EU, about the double of the company death rate of 7,85%, against 8,7% of the EU
Oceania Tonga Tonga's Department of Statistics team is conducting household surveys to collect data on the lives of women and children; Tonga is the first Pacific island country to conduct such a survey focusing on data on the lives of women and children
America Colombia At the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16, the Colombian Catholic Church formally expressed its support for biodiversity protection, aligning fully with the government's stance on this issue
America Ecuador Amid a severe energy crisis with daily 14-hour blackouts, Ecuador’s government extended next week’s holiday to create a five-day break aimed at boosting tourism, despite recent power rationing due to drought affecting the main hydroelectric source
America Grenada The government plans to build a shrine at Fort George to honour former Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and others who lost their lives on 19 October 1983 in a power struggle for control of the then ruling New Jewel Movement and the Grenada Revolution
Europe Hungary 'Stars of the Polar Night', new exhibition of documentary Word Press Photo Winner Esther Horvath, opened at the Capa Centre; the work focuses on researchers working in Ny-Alesund, the epicentre of global warming in the Norwegian Spitsbergen mountains
Asia Bahrain Stricter technical requirements have been issued for street advertising; the decree aims at ensuring safety standards and guarantee compliance with engineering regulations
Africa Tanzania The UN commended Tanzania for continuing to uphold its fundamental principles, including the promotion of peace, human rights and democracy, while accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
Asia Japan Halloween celebrations by cosplayers were subdued at Tokyo's Shibuya this weekend, after local authorities strengthened measures to prevent overcrowding and extend the period of alcohol consumption ban on certain streets from seasonal to year-round
America Trinidad and Tobago To address the growing number of vehicle related crimes - fraud, theft and road safety violations - the country will move toward video analytics and registered plate suppliers or manufacturers to build a robust secure vehicle registration system
Oceania New Zealand A major fire is raging through a protected wetland in the Waikato region of the North Island, endangering its fragile ecosystem and the rare species that inhabit it, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet