Europe Italy The value of "unobserved" economy has grown by €15,1 billion, marking a 7,5% increase on 2022 data, reaching €217 billion; the net value of illegal activities stands at just under €198 billion, up €14,9 billion on previous year, 9,2% of GPD in 2023
Asia Cyprus MPs are preparing to vote on amendments to the pension reform law that appear to weaken its original provisions with more exemptions, including for state officials; revised proposal sparked criticism and doubts on wether a real reform is still possible
Asia Brunei Houselisting was launched by Department of Economic Planning and Statistics; lasting to 24 August, it will build a comprehensive database to support the Labour Force Survey 2025, scheduled for 3 to 30 November and crucial for policy makers
Europe Switzerland The number of catfish caught in Switzerland has increased tenfold in 20 years, as warmer watercourses encourage these predators to reproduce and grow more in size: of the thousands of yearly catches, those above 2m meters are regularly hooked
Africa Malawi Central Poultry, Malawi’s leading poultry company, provided chicks, vaccines, feed, support to 150 farmers in a pilot project to improve local production; beneficiaries can then sell the chickens to CP or at market price to repay the non-interest loan
Europe Bulgaria Admirers of traditional Bulgarian carpet craftsmanship gathered for the "Iglika Kilim Fest," a celebration that turned the local meadows into an open-air museum of kilim, antique hand-woven rugs; 965 rugs were displayed across a ten-acre area
Africa Mozambique Education Minister Samaria Tovela acknowledged that the government owes some teachers money for overtime worked accumulated since 2022, explaining that the delay is to serious communication failures as sector lacks consolidated data across Mozambique
Europe Luxembourg Luxembourg’s air traffic agency has signed a charter with national carrier Luxair aimed at reducing the number of night flights, committing to curbing noise pollution for local residents and promoting sustainable aviation practices
Asia Yemen Yemeni authorities have seized over 1,5 million Captagon pills in a major drug bust; the shipment, hidden on a refrigerated truck traveling from Houthi-controlled Sana’a to Saudi Arabia, reveals a shift in narcotics trafficking, from Syria to Yemen
Asia Japan A team representing the United States won the championship of the World Cosplay Summit 2025 in Nagoya; they were clad in popular game characters
Europe Albania Bankers Petroleum, Albania’s largest oil producer, threatened to sue government in international arbitration courts, claiming its rights as foreign investor were violated; prosecutors allege it stole billions of euros in a massive corporate fraud
Europe Denmark Aalborg zoo is appealing for donations of pets that must be put down to be gently euthanised and fed to predators; it would gratefully receive live horses while hens rabbit, guinea pig can be handed over to be eaten whole so that nothing is wasted
Europe Sweden A month after a law came into effect making insulting a public official a criminal offense, over 170 police reports have been filed from police officers, security guards, public employees and 10 preliminary investigations are underway
Oceania Fiji Enabling ePassport access through New Zealand’s SmartGate system, in line with the arrangement already in place with Australia, has been proposed: it would streamline travel for Fijian passport holders and support more efficient border control processes