Asia Palestine Israeli settlers set fire to two mosques north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and spraied the word "revenge" on walls, according to local witnesses, in an unprecedented episode of escalating hostilities
Europe Portugal A foreigner with a tourist visa will no longer be allowed to apply for legalisation in Portugal: an employment contract or another solution previously dealt with by the Portuguese consular network will be now required
America Saint Lucia The country decided to sign the Memorandum of Agreement already signed by other countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States offering citizenship by investment programmes
Europe Monaco A smoking ban has been imposed on Monaco's beaches until the end of September: the decision states that smoking is a danger to the environment, nature, biodiversity and people's health
America Brazil Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has withdrawn Brazil’s ambassador to Israel, comparing Israel's actions to the Holocaust, resulting in Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz summoning the Brazilian ambassador for a public reprimand
Africa Gambia Ndey Rose Sarr, UNFPA representative in The Gambia, stated that female genital mutilation is harmful and a violation of human rights, sexual rights and children's rights that should not be allowed by the country
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The Caribbean Community Secretariat conducted another round of consultations in the country on how to implement the Single Market and Economy
Asia Laos The country is preparing to conduct its fifth population and housing census in March 2025, with a pilot test taking place in the capital Vientiane, Houaphanh, Bokeo and Sekong provinces, and will be the first digital census in the country
America Belize The Government of Belize has launched a fiscal reform program backed by the Inter-American Development Bank to enhance public financial management, improve resource efficiency, and ensure budgetary sustainability through targeted training
Asia Maldives A law will be amended to ban people with Israeli passports from entering the archipelago, as a reaction to war in the Gaza Strip; it is not yet clear when the ban will come into effect
Asia Japan The transport ministry inspected Toyota headquarters in Aichi Prefecture after the company admitted to improperly obtaining vehicle quality certifications in a setback for the carmaker that sits on world's No. 1 spot for product reliability
Oceania Fiji Eight local companies had the opportunity to promote their products at the Naturally Good Expo held in Sydney, Australia
America Grenada The latest conference to address the sargasso challenge in Grenada and the region was organised by incoming CARICOM chairman and Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell with representatives from the EU and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Oceania Nauru The number of asylum seekers on Nauru appears to have exceeded 100, with a further 37 people being sent to the island from Australia