America Cuba International investors can now build and fully own tourism facilities: to reverse the dramatic fall in tourism, authorities have eliminated the requirement for foreign groups to form a joint venture with the Cuban state to manage their tourism activities
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines A series of training workshops were conducted to provide participants with the skills and knowledge needed to create and manage their own home gardens, improving local food production, in the frame of the UBEC CERC Food Insecurity Project
Asia Saudi Arabia The Holy Makkah Municipality has launched a digital reforestation initiative that, through a platform, allows citizens to choose the tree of their choice, select the location, make payments online and have the trees planted in their name
America Argentina Vice President Victoria Villarruel has called for reopening legal cases against leftist guerrilla groups from the 1970s and potentially imprisoning their members today
Asia Turkmenistan The first lesson of the new school year will be dedicated to the theme 'Magtymguly Fragi's fountain of wisdom' and the country's achievements in 33 years of independence
Asia Bahrain Pool booking rates exceeded 90% in August 2024 as temperatures soared; private bookings for family celebrations and corporate events increased, impacting on small and medium-sized pools
Europe Luxembourg The government once again discussed the future of Caritas, with a plan to liquidate some of its entities; the new organisations that would replace them could then employ Caritas employees, but under separate management
Africa Guinea-Bissau The review of Guinea-Bissau's Extended Credit Facility agreement has been completed; subsequently, the IMF unblocked the disbursement of aid amounting to approximately €6,3 million
Asia Laos To cope with rising cost of living the government is considering a proposal to increase company employees benefits; in July, inflation was reported at 26,10% and since May 2022 it has remained in the double digits and hit a peak of 41,26% in February 2023
America Belize The country is moving to end child marriage by proposing amendments to its Marriage Act to raise the legal age for marriage from 16 to 18, also eliminating provisions allowing minors to marry with parental consent
Oceania Tonga Meleane Falemaka, a first-time Paralympian, is the only para-athlete to represent Tonga at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and will compete in the F38 category in the women's discus throw
Europe Finland An estimated 20.000 stray cats are to be found on the streets of the country; uncontrolled breeding of unneutered free-roaming cats has led to large colonies of feral cats throughout the country, even hundreds of them
Africa Ethiopia A new site, Aftit, in the Amhara region, has been created for people fleeing Sudan's civil war, which will replace two other sites, Awlala and Kumer, recently closed, Ethiopia's Refugee and Returnee Service and UNHCR announced
Europe Iceland The Naming Committee, an independent body that determines whether a new name can be authorised or not, added several new names; among the criteria is whether it has a historical precedent and whether it's believed that a child can be bullied for the name