Asia Nepal Kathmandu Metropolitan City has renewed efforts to enforce a long-ignored ban on public smoking; An awareness drive with fines is underway and though past attempts failed, the city says strict enforcement is vital for public health and pollution control
Europe Portugal Eduardo Serra, the most international of Portuguese cinematographers, reportedly died at 81 on 19 August; as a director of photography he collected two Oscar nominations, collaborated with Leconte, Chabrol and worked on the final two Harry Potter films
Africa Sudan The Sudan Liberation Movement, a Darfur rebel group that has remained neutral in Sudan’s civil war, proposed a roadmap to end the conflict; leader Abdul Wahid al-Nur called for an immediate ceasefire and the formation of an interim civilian government
Europe Serbia Unrest escalated across Serbia, with ruling party supporters clashing violently with student-led protesters and trying to attack journalists, while in Valjevo demonstrators set fire to a ruling Progressive Party office and attacked City Hall
Europe Monaco Princess Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer, has spoken out to media about the +45% incidence in water-related deaths compared to 2024, saying this “public health emergency” calls for more safety education and supervision around pools, beaches, waterways
Oceania Tuvalu PM Feletei Teo may pull Tuvalu out of the region’s top political meeting next month, after host nation Solomon Islands, a Beijing ally, told parliament that non-Pacific dialogue partners, attending the forum since 1989, wouldn't be invited
Europe Ireland Over 65.000 students received their high school final results; Leaving Cert 2025 highest grade, H1 with a maximum of 625 points, has been achieved by 2,6% less students in what looks to be the first year of normality after post-pandemic adjusted figures
America Argentina A bill that seeks to change Argentina’s time zone during the winter so that the sun rises earlier, with the aim of saving energy, has been passed in the Chamber of Deputies with 151 votes in favour, 66 against, 8 abstentions; it now goes to the Senate
Africa Algeria National Mujaheed Day has been celebrated in the country, commemorating the marking the 70th anniversary of the North Constantine Offensive, a key revolution fight, and the 69th Soummam Congress, the first effort of giving Algeria a new, structured asset
Africa Senegal Four bales of Indian hemp, a total 243kg have been seized on a canoe, concealed under fishing nets, in an overnight operation off the Thiaroye-sur-Mer quay; intelligence information had alerted of a possible waterway delivery from a neighboring country
America Jamaica Across Jamaica, potential candidates have been stepping forward for the 2025 General Election; before nomination day, candidates must have been nominated by 10 registered voters, pay a fee, and meet age, residency, and eligibility requirements
America Dominica Sharon Clifton Kelsick, from Castle Bruce, an experienced, long-serving educator, has been elected as the new president of the Caribbean Union of Teachers; it's the second occasion in the union’s history that a woman has assumed the regional role
Africa Ivory Coast Sprinter Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith finished third in the 200m at Diamond League event in Lausanne, Switzerland, with her best time of the season despite extreme weather; the podium grants her access to the World Championships in Japan, on 13-21 September
Asia Tajikistan Alif, a fintech operator, in partnership with Visa, launched a fee-free remittances system directly transferring money to Alipay and WeChat wallets in China, thus avoiding losses from double currency conversion from Somoni to US Dollars to Chinese yuan