Asia United Arab Emirates Emirates customers made over one million connections to Starlink Wi-Fi in seven months, using more than one petabyte of data through the satellite internet service accessible free onboard aircraft in the fleet
Asia Kuwait Online game Roblox will be soon blocked upon Ministerial decision, citing its potential dangers to children's behavior and mental health; similar bans are in place in Qatar, Oman, China, Turkey, Jordan, North Korea and Kuwait public called on authorities
Africa South Africa Ex owner of the world's largest rhino conservation farm John Hume was arrested with five more people on charges of smuggling their horns following an international police operation that began in 2017; horns trading, not export, is legal in SA
America Grenada The Grenada Tourism Authority has announced the launch of a new international destination magazine in partnership with Greydoor Publishing; the publication will be a storytelling platform capturing the essence of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique
Africa Cape Verde To activate crisis funds and urgent infrastructure repairs Cape Verde has declared a state of emergency on the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão, devastated by floods which killed at least nine people and forced 1.500 from their homes
Africa Lesotho Two months into the national ban on imports of potatoes, cabbage and eggs introduced saying that local product is enough to meet the country’s demand, the Ministry could reopen to the import of potatoes and cabbage after reports of scarce local produce
Oceania Papua New Guinea The country's first five coronary bypass graft surgeries have been successfully performed at Port Moresby general hospital by a mixed team of PNG and Singapore doctors from 15 to 19 August
Europe Russia Russia is not committing to a meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and President Putin, which US President Trump has encouraged as a next step toward ending the war; Foreign Minister Lavrov argued any meeting should be prepared “gradually”
Europe Bulgaria Political chaos has created a media vacuum in which citizens are vulnerable to disinformation and Kremlin-led narratives proliferate; with highest rate of news avoidance and lowest media literacy in Europe, a better enforcement of existing rules is needed
Europe North Macedonia More inclusive websites will be developed at government level for people with visual impairments and hearing disabilities, but a lot of work remains to be done in North Macedonia for access to both physical and virtual sites
Europe Estonia The chargé d'affaires of the Russian embassy was given a diplomatic note declaring him persona non grata: the first secretary of the Russian embassy's staff must thus leave Estonia; the Foreign Minister cited incompatibility with Estonia values
America Suriname As school principals expressed their concern regarding current rules and guidelines, no longer reflect the reality of their schools, Ministry made changes to admission rules to grades 10 and 12, giving students in grade 9 and 11 one more chance for access
Europe Slovakia A ban on all open fires, including the use of official firepits, the burning of bushes and trees, and smoking, is in effect in the forests of Bratislava this week and until further notice, due to high risk fires
Asia Indonesia 80th Independence Day was celebrated with nationwide festivities on 17 August; the grand ceremony in Jakarta, led by President Prabowo, with a historic flag parade, cultural performances and fireworks, marked the milestone with massive public celebration