Europe Sweden A new species has been discovered in Swedish forests, a fungus that parasitizes lichens; it has been recognized by researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
America Jamaica Farmers are officially urged to maintain their drains and ditches at best to help remove excess water from their farms upon request by the Rural Agriculture Development Authority
Europe United Kingdom A plan to release thousands of inmates early under certain conditions to prevent prison overcrowding in England and Wales is one of the first significant steps taken by the Keir Starmer-led government
Asia South Korea Heavy rainfall has been affecting the South Chungcheong and the North Jeolla provinces for 36 continued hours, causing floods and triggering landslides that have resulted in at least four casualties and damage; media report over 3.500 people displaced
Africa Eritrea Biniam Girmay said he hopes to encourage more diversity in elite cycling after the Eritrean won the third stage of this year's Tour de France
Africa Niger Search units are on high alert after inmates escaped from the Koutoukale maximum security prison, which houses Islamist militants from the Niger conflict with armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State as well as suspected Boko Haram insurgents
Asia Kuwait Electricity consumption rose on Thursday to the highest level in the country's history due to soaring summer temperatures, reaching a record high of 17.120 megawatts, 180 megawatts more than the previous record in the summer of last year
Europe Finland 63% of Finns believe that violations of international human rights would be acceptable in the context of the enactment of the Border Security Act, according to a poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat
Europe Latvia Riga Airport signed a €248.000 contract with BM-projekts for the development of a multi-storey car park; the short-term 400-space car park project will be developed and approved by the construction authority within nine months
Asia Iraq Speaking at an online conference organised by Aid to the Church in Need, Archbishop Semaan drew a parallel between the enduring nature of olive trees and the steadfast spirit of Iraqi Christians driven out by Islamic State militants
Asia Japan Unable to get married legally in Japan, LGBTQ couples are celebrating their special bond by donning traditional kimonos and fashionable formal wear for "photo weddings"; still, these choreographed images are often kept hidden in the conservative society
Africa Zimbabwe 7,6 million Zimbabweans, almost half the population, are in need of aid given the severe drought in the country, the UN has reported; in June, the UN appealed for $429 million, but funding has been slow to materialise
Europe Denmark From 15 July in Copenhagen, tourists who travel by public transport or bicycle and take part in activities that are good for the environment will be rewarded with free meals and free entry to museums in a pilot programme called CopenPay
Africa Benin French-Beninese citizen Kemi Seba, a well-known pan-Africanist activist in both France and West Africa, has been stripped of his French citizenship for his strongly anti-Western analyses cloaked in pan-Africanism