Asia Tajikistan An amnesty law signed by President Rahmon to celebrate 35 years of independence will cover 18.038 convicted people, with full release for 11.305 people, reduced terms for 6.733; of 507 women, 248 will be released, of 134 minors, 99 will be freed
Asia Turkmenistan The Koytendag State Nature Reserve, located in eastern Turkmenistan near the borders with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, aims for UNESCO World Heritage status, for its breathtaking landscapes, biodiversity and dinosaur footprints
Oceania Vanuatu The Municipality of Port Vila has initiated the installation of solar street lights along the city's main street to improve the visibility, safety and comfort of residents and visitors
America Barbados The Director of the Department of Emergency Management thanked the students for participating in the Early Warning poster competition for Hurricane Awareness Month, encouraging them to be more aware of the risks
Europe Romania The government launched the 'Qualify Romania' campaign, encouraging all Romanian citizens with a valid US visa to apply for its renewal so that Romania can qualify for the Visa Waiver programme
Oceania Tonga Starlink has been granted a 'temporary provisional permit' to operate in the country; a condition of the permit is that it is required to facilitate local payment methods for Tongan businesses and provide details of the terminals used
Europe Spain The Spanish Ministry of Health will fund a new immunotherapy treatment for several types of cancer, which will replace the current intravenous infusion with an injection, reducing treatments from one hour to just seven minutes
Asia Tajikistan A group of women in Kulob started a mushroom cultivation business last April; in June they sold their first batch of oyster mushrooms, earning over 10.000 somoni (about €840) and showing it can be quite a profitable business
Africa Sao Tome and Principe The Portuguese School of São Tomé and Príncipe is being rehabilitated and expanded to meet the demand for students in the archipelago, which has doubled to 700 since its creation in 2016
Africa Seychelles A group of 18 young male footballers aged between 15 and 16 will travel to Marseille, France, to train and play with top French teams, including Olympique Marseille, through FIFA's Talent Development Programme
Asia Taiwan Taiwan-based e-scooter brand and battery developer Gogoro Inc. plans to start commercial availability of three e-scooter models and battery replacement services in Singapore in the fourth quarter of this year
Europe Lithuania Amid social media reports of a possible accident at Russia's Rostov nuclear power plant, the Radiation Protection Centre stated on Friday that there is no direct radiological threat to Lithuanian territory
Africa Togo Hydrogeological studies in Greater Lomé were undertaken as part of the Togo Urban Water Security Project, to assess groundwater conservation, the risk of contamination and sealing requirements
Europe Vatican City Pope Francis expressed the hope that the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games would provide an opportunity for nations at war to respect an ancient Greek tradition and establish a truce for the duration of the Games