Europe Sweden Several youths in Vallentuna were poisoned by isopropanol after drinking alcohol bought from a "vodkabil" that they got in touch with via Snapchat; according to Poison Information Centre the substance, used to clean electronics, is dangerous if ingested
America Costa Rica The FLAIR system, a news technology for marine conservation, identifies and tracks sharks in real time with image segmentation and recognition models, drastically reducing analysis time from 20 hours of manual annotation to around one for a 5-minute video
Asia Georgia Tbilisi Mayor and Secretary of the ruling party Kakha Kaladze accused foreign powers and organizations of tentative interference in internal affairs: pressure, misinformation, political manipulation would destabilize Georgia and undermine its sovereignty
Europe Germany A central Berlin street with an unfortunate name referring to 'moros' has been renamed after Anton Wilhelm Amo, a Black German Enlightenment philosopher, who in 1734 became the first Africa-born scholar to receive a European doctorate
Africa Madagascar Madagascar assumed the Chair of Southern African Development Community at the 45th meeting of Heads of States and Government held in Antananarivo, themed Advancing Industrialisation, Agricultural Transformation, and Energy Transition for a Resilient SADC
Asia Vietnam Plans have started for the evacuation of over half a million people and all boats are ordered to stay ashore as Vietnam braces for an intensifying Typhoon Kajiki
Africa Tunisia Members and backers of Tunisia's largest trade union rallied in support of the organisation, which has faced mounting pressure from President Kais Saied; it was the largest demonstration recently held in the country, denouncing a rollback of freedoms
Asia Uzbekistan The Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR has commenced developing an oil field in Uzbekistan and 'very promising' feedback is expected with one or two years, Uzbekistan announced in a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan
Europe Czech Republic Registration period for Czech expats wishing to vote by mail in the upcoming parliamentary elections has closed and first figures report over 24.000 people listed; it is the first time that citizens abroad can vote and it follows a reform passed in 2023
Asia Myanmar Ministry of Information signed a $3 million-per-year lobbying contract with Washington-based DCI Group; The deal comes amid the transition to a nominal civilian interim government, though military chief Min Aung Hlaing remains in powe
Africa Guinea Three political parties, including the country's two main parties, have been suspended by decree as the campaign for the constitutional referendum was due to begin today and ultimately postponed to 31 August; the announcement was read on public tv
Asia Afghanistan Youth in remote areas of Zabul area demand access to modern education as a key to their future; some teachers have started a few courses in English, with computers, and students are highly motivated; access to education in general remains a key issue
America Belize The first case of New World screwworm in humans has been confirmed in Belize; though rare, it is a possible consequence of the spreading of screwworm infections affecting cattle since November 2024
Asia Kyrgyzstan Mandatory tips, a 5-15% ever more often charged separately in restaurant, will be banned in Kyrgyzstan; the practice, authorities affirm, raises concerns in terms of tax regulation, consumer protection, and business transparency