America Brazil The federal import tax on international purchases of up to US$ 50 made through e-commerce platforms like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress has been erased; experts say it is a strategic move in view of October's upcoming general elections
Oceania Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai called for the non-renewal of the permit for slipway operations in Port Vila
Africa Comoros The crisis in the Comoros deepens, with two days of clashes that left one person dead and six injured in Moroni, where the opposition has called on the population to demonstrate and denounce Azali Assoumani's disputed victory in the presidential elections
Oceania Marshall Islands Japanese Ambassador handed over 4 boats to the Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority, Moriana Phillip, as part of the oil spill response equipment provided through a grant under an 'Economic and Social Development Programme'
Africa Togo The 60 health centres rehabilitated or built as part of the 'Quality Essential Health Services for Universal Health Coverage' project are now officially operational in the Savanes region
Asia Turkey In the wetlands of the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, a significant increase in the number of winter birds has been observed compared to last year; members of NGOs and volunteer birdwatchers, led by experts, are engaged in censusing 14 areas
Europe Estonia After an observation platform on Paldiski cliff collapsed on beach below, Olle Hints, head of Institute of Geology and associate professor at Tallinn University of Technology, stated that the cliff will naturally retreat about 25 mt in the next 100 years
Europe France More than 17% of workers in France (or 3,1 million people) earn the minimum wage, up from 12% three years ago; the government needs to review the system of tax relief on low wages, which encourages employers to maintain the minimum wage
Asia Uzbekistan A bill to mitigate penalties for the illegal import of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been passed by the Uzbekistan Senate; it introduces administrative liability instead of criminal liability
Africa Sierra Leone In a recent interview Joseph Rahall, executive director of Green Scenery, shared his concerns about the rising heat in the country, with various impacts of heatwaves like increases in disease, threats to agriculture and disruptions in fishing industry
Africa Djibouti Plans are underway to build a national cancer centre, the first of its kind in a country without access to radiotherapy; Ministry of Health invited experts from the IAEA, WHO and IARC to conduct a global cancer imPACT Review in the country in October 2023
Oceania Nauru The country, where freedom of expression is constitutionally guaranteed but not always respected, has no daily newspaper; the government has introduced many restrictions for foreign journalists, including a several thousand dollars visa application fee
Europe Greece The government's goal is to turn the country into an exporter and transit hub for green energy to Europe, strengthening energy interconnections and regional cooperation 'for the benefit of the countries involved'
Europe Slovenia Over 30 years after the passing of the law for the restitution to the rightful owners of property nationalised or confiscated after the Second World War, some of the most complex cases have still not been resolved, 95 compared to 115 two years ago