America Colombia Abelardo De La Espriella has become the new president-elect of Colombia in a tight run-off; the far-right lawyer was openly backed by US President Trump
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
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
Asia Oman An emergency financing programme to support small and medium-sized enterprises during emergencies has been launched, as announced by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority
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
Asia Laos As of 1 August, digital platforms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon will charge a 10% value-added tax to customers in Laos, following the VAT increase from 7%
Africa Cape Verde The amount of water made available to young farmers in Casa de Meio, in the municipality of Porto Novo, Santo Antão, no longer meets their needs, as they denounced; 90 tonnes of water are made available every day for irrigating the plots
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
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
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 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 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
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