Europe Iceland With the highest show up ever recorded in Reykjavik, 52,8% of 225.031 of Icelanders voted against the government's proposal to resume talks on joining the EU after 13 years; Around 12.600 votes separated the figure from the 47,2% who voted in favor
Europe Russia Censorship on the web platforms YouTube and Whatsapp has reportedly been tightened in recent days, to limit criticism of the special military operation against Ukraine that brought Kiev forces into Russian territory, in the Kursk region
America Honduras Honduras has passed a law to protect the environment, inspired by communities where locals have fought against water pollution caused by mining; this legislation stipulates to safeguard natural resources and uphold the right to a healthy environment
Europe Vatican City Catholic organisations present at the first Catholic Peace Forum in Nagasaki renewed their call for a nuclear-free world, reinforcing the hope that Hiroshima and Nagasaki will remain the last cities to suffer atomic bombings
Europe Slovenia A fire has been raging near the village of Borovec, near Kočevska Reka in the south, since Friday evening, very close to the primordial Krokar forest, protected by UNESCO
Oceania Vanuatu The Emalus Campus of the University of the South Pacific hosted its annual Open Day, a much-awaited event showcasing the university's diverse offerings
Europe United Kingdom The Scottish Parliament will debate the new Assisted Dying Bill for the terminally ill and mentally competent adults; if passed, Scotland would be the first nation in the UK to allow terminally ill people access to assisted dying
Asia Uzbekistan The Senate approved the Entrepreneurship Code; today in Uzbekistan there are about 5.000 documents regulating entrepreneurial activity and entrepreneurs have difficulty finding the requirements applicable to their business
Europe San Marino Union of San Marino Tourism Operators stated that August started off sluggish, but that Ferragosto - bank holiday on 15 August - saw record numbers, thanks in part to last-second bookings
Asia Iran According to the Russian news agency TASS, the Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, stated that the country is ready to transit Russian gas through its territory
Asia Vietnam The biotrade project, run by the Swiss agency Helvetas and the Centre for Rural Economic Development, a local NGO, has been helping small businesses in the Mekong for the past eight years and ended with an event at the Swiss Embassy
America Chile By 2025, 50% of Santiago's public bus fleet will officially be electric, this marks a major milestone in Chile's push for sustainable transport, with further plans to transition all buses to electric by 2040
Asia Japan Around 1.000 women wearing traditional costumes and golden paper lanterns on their heads danced during the Yamaga lantern festival in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto yesterday 16 August; the festival draws up around 100.000 visitors each year
America Colombia Colombia, along with Brazil and Mexico, is in talks with Venezuela's government and opposition after a contested election, urging adherence to the law, as the opposition is challenging the results declaring Nicolás Maduro the winner