Asia Israel The Knesset has passed a media overhaul law giving government greater regulatory control; PM Netanyahu attended the debate, skipping the vote; the news has been released by a number of online media in the late hours of 16 July
America Colombia Tens of thousands of Colombians protested in multiple cities against President Gustavo Petro's proposed reforms; protesters are concerned about the health reform aimed at decreasing power from insurers and expanding access to public healthcare
Europe Liechtenstein The country placed four Israeli settlers on the sanctions list after the increase in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank
Europe Denmark Based on decades of extensive data, a University of Copenhagen study has established a correlation between exposure to air pollution and elementary school pupils' grades, as children have pronounced negative effects on their brains
America Ecuador Ecuador has approved a referendum to enhance security measures against organized crime, proposing military street patrols, criminal extradition, and increased prison terms
America Cuba FAO and EU will help strengthen the capacity of institutions and companies involved in seed production and certification in Cuba through a project implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture in 8 municipalities aimed at increasing local production
Europe Iceland Iceland's Minister of Health will meet with the president of the Icelandic Association of Family Physicians to discuss doctors' criticism of excessive bureaucracy that reduces their time with patients
Oceania Fiji The retirement age for specialized expert positions has been extended from 60 to 62 by the government, seen as a strategic approach to maintaining skills and addressing professional shortages
Asia East Timor A new manganese prospect has been discovered in East Timor, with X-ray fluorescence grades as high as 27,9% manganese, by Perth-based explorer Estrella Resources
Asia Taiwan Environmental groups presented four proposals for Taiwan's carbon pricing strategy, including a carbon tax collection system to discourage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Africa South Sudan Embassies of Canada, countries of the EU, Japan, the UK and the US among others have called on the transitional government to remove additional costs imposed on donor states, UN agencies and partners providing humanitarian assistance
America Brazil Brazil's average per capita income rose by 11,5% last year, reaching a 12-year high, according to latest data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The world is forgetting the escalating violence in eastern Congo, the UN human rights chief said as he visited the region and called for peace and support for millions of displaced people
Africa Ethiopia Researchers from the US have discovered the genome of the Arabica coffee species and traced its origins to a natural mating between two other coffee species, estimated to have occurred between 610.000 and one million years ago in the forests of Ethiopia