Asia Japan Proof of proficiency in Japanese will be required to apply for a working visa for engineering, humanities or international services; policy will be revised tightening screening after workers entered Japan under a specialized job visa but do unskilled jobs
America El Salvador The IMF has urged El Salvador to reduce its reliance on Bitcoin and strengthen its regulation of digital assets, warning of financial stability risks, although President Bukele remains committed to Bitcoin's long-term economic benefits
Europe Albania The country has the highest corruption rates, the highest pressure of officials to accept bribes and the highest victimisation of citizens by corruption within the Western Balkans
America Honduras Honduras has extended the partial state of emergency, initially implemented in December 2022 to reduce criminal violence, for another 45 days, as the country continues to face high homicide rates, with over 3.600 murders reported from January
America Bahamas In recognition of the upcoming World Mental Health Day on 10 October, the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched the Light It Up Green initiative in Parliament Square, using the official colour of mental health awareness from 1 to 10 October
Africa Comoros National Agency for Medicines and Medical Evacuations is launching a 10-day monitoring mission in Ndzuani to monitor imports and quality of medicines, strengthening regulations in the formal and informal pharmaceutical sector
Africa Mali The family of Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, considered one of the greatest musicians of the last 50 years and who died in 2006, has denounced the theft of the Grammy Award won by him in 1995 for the album Talking Timbuktù for 'best world music album'
America Belize The Belize Fisheries Department has officially reminded the public of regulations for the Queen Conch season, which runs until June 2025; the restrictions include a ban on harvesting or possessing conch
Europe Romania Pets will be able to accompany their owners in Bucharest's public institutions, according to a draft law presented for public debate by the City Hall
Europe Moldova 20 school minibuses were donated from Romania to schools in Moldovan districts, part of a larger effort to ensure every child has access to quality education
Europe Estonia The Environment Agency wants to change the law so that it is only obliged to assist protected species in distress, instead of all animals, in order to save resources on reports that do not turn out to be worthy or of help
Africa Sierra Leone 21% of teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have already had pregnancies, and 30% of young women get married before the age of 18, while 9% of young girls have even married before the age of 15, according to ActionAid
Europe San Marino The San Marino Personal Data Protection Authority fined the TikTok platform €3,5 million because it did not adopt any suitable methods for verifying and detecting the age of users
Africa Seychelles The 39th edition of the annual Creole Festival kicks off on 5 October with the 'Moman Kreative' (creative moment), an event that offers primary, secondary and post-secondary school students a platform to showcase their talents