Oceania Marshall Islands The fish aggregation devices FADs that fishing boats use to make catches easier, lately equipped with satellite communications gear to pinpoint location, are now being built by drug cartels that wrap packs of cocaine and radio transponders to trace troves
America Guatemala Authorities arrested numerous police officers for their involvement in a human trafficking network that smuggled migrants toward the US, with the officers accused of accepting bribes and facilitating their passage
Africa Republic of the Congo The inter-union sections of the Congo-Ocean Railway launched a strike last week in Pointe-Noire following the delay in the payment of wages to railway workers who have accumulated more than thirty months' back pay
Africa Niger The resurgence of terrorist attacks in Niger and other ESA countries received particular attention during the last Council of Ministers, which extended the state of emergency in three regions of the country
Africa South Sudan The country is ready to declare a state of national disaster due to the catastrophic floods that devastated large parts, displacing nearly 200.000 people and causing widespread destruction of essential infrastructure, including schools and hospitals
Africa Mauritius The Chagos Islands will be returned to Mauritius, a 'historic' agreement after more than fifty years of dispute in the Indian Ocean
Asia Iraq A large-scale reforestation campaign in all governorates has been launched by the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture to reduce desertification, mitigate rising temperatures and expand green belts in the country
America Bahamas In recognition of the upcoming World Mental Health Day on 10 October, the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched the Light It Up Green initiative in Parliament Square, using the official colour of mental health awareness from 1 to 10 October
Africa Central African Republic Produced by the Civil Society Working Group on the Central African Crisis, a report criticises the management of the oil sector, focusing on fuel management in the country that suffers from recurrent petrol shortages and very high prices
America Dominican Republic Construction of the submarine cable for the electricity connection between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will begin in 2027, as announced by Caribbean Transmission, the company responsible for implementing the Hostos Project
Africa Comoros National Agency for Medicines and Medical Evacuations is launching a 10-day monitoring mission in Ndzuani to monitor imports and quality of medicines, strengthening regulations in the formal and informal pharmaceutical sector
America Ecuador A partial state of emergency was declared in Quito due to rising violence from drug trafficking groups, with the measure lasting 60 days and including a curfew, as the government combats organized crime linked to international cartels
America Colombia The new edition of the International Business Matchmaking event organized by ProColombia, bringing together exporters, businesspeople and investors aims at strenghtening commercial relations with Mexico
Africa Mali The family of Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, considered one of the greatest musicians of the last 50 years and who died in 2006, has denounced the theft of the Grammy Award won by him in 1995 for the album Talking Timbuktù for 'best world music album'