America Dominican Republic Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights warned that positive examples of press freedom are rare; remarks were made during the 81st General Assembly of the Inter-American Press Association in Punta Cana
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 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
Europe United Kingdom 532 people were arrested by London police when supporters of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group recently outlawed as terrorist, intentionally broke the ban and gathered in a protest with plaques explicitly naming the organization
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
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
Asia Singapore Digital banks serving retail customers are trimming deposit interest rates in line with traditional lenders; cuts reflect the ongoing global decline of interest rates and could push customers to look for alternative investments with more attractive yields
Oceania Papua New Guinea Millions of Kina have been lost in the past two weeks due to power blackouts and internet failures, says the PNG Manufacturing Council, adding that it is not a problem of capacity but of poorly run grids and mismanaged maintenance
Asia Palestine UN rice resold at 10€/kilo, 50% commissions on cash: this is how people survive in the northern Gaza Strip, a local journalist shows in a video published in El Pais, saying that only those receiving a salary can resist the absence of humanitarian agencies
America Haiti A press release on key contract involving Haiti's biggest port and two elite members was allegedly published without the consent of council's leader, deepening fracture government-private sector as a wealthy businessman is taking over presidency on 15 Aug
Asia Mongolia “Ebarimt” the VAT receipt system that issues lottery-based tax receipts to encourage compliance will be fully digitalized; Led by the Digital Development Ministry with the central bank, it will replace paper receipts with mobile and card-based tracking
Asia Bangladesh Transport associations have revoked a 72-hour nationwide strike announced for today after government softened its stance on phasing out outdated vehicles; though it didn't meet the eight-points demanded, it will start to ban the older vehicles first
Asia Nepal On August 1, Bagmati Province was officially declared fully vaccinated for children aged 16–23 months, with all districts achieving complete coverage
Asia Turkmenistan 3rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries was held on August 5-8, 2025 in Awaza: over 100 countries and 50 international organizations took part in the event organized by the UN once a decade; Awaza declaration can be a game changer for 2030