Asia Taiwan Rising memory chip prices have pushed Taiwanese industry players’ 6-months revenue beyond 2025 full-year totals; Analysts said prices are expected to continue rising in Q3 as supply remains tight, forecasting further growth for memory-related companies
Oceania Fiji Over 10.000 Fijian coffee farmers in the Viti Levu highlands will benefit from a US$25.000 grant that the Indonesian government handed over to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka
Asia Philippines The government will give priority to Philippine-made vehicles in the Utility Vehicle Modernisation Programme, assured House Speaker Martin Romualdez in a message to local manufacturers of modern jeepneys
America Barbados The six-month gap at the top of Barbados' leading tourism agency has been filled with the appointment of new CEO Andrea Franklin, a Barbadian marketing professional, and the promotion of a senior official to a new post of chief operating officer
Asia Azerbaijan Only a month after the first UN climate summit, Azerbaijan, the next host, announced a 28-strong organising committee without a single woman; after criticism, it added 12 women to the committee
Oceania Australia In Melbourne, two monuments dedicated to figures considered linked to the country's colonial past were vandalised, a statue of Queen Victoria and one of Captain James Cook, who led several voyages of exploration in the Pacific Ocean in the 18th century
Africa South Sudan The country's peace monitoring body, known as Rjmec, has stated that it is necessary to speed up the process in view of the elections scheduled by the end of the year, given the serious delay the country is facing in this regard
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The country will benefit from around $324 million per year for road construction thanks to the renegotiation of the contract with Sino-Congolaise des Mines
Europe Austria Thousands of people took to the streets across Austria on Friday to protest against right-wing extremism and racism, inspired by similar demonstrations in neighbouring Germany
Asia Qatar The country described as 'destructive' leaked audio statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticising Qatar's efforts to mediate with Hamas as 'problematic', complicating the already difficult negotiations
Europe Portugal Brazilians Lucas Chianca and Maya Gabiera stormed the 2024 Nazare Big Wave Challenge podium to win men's and women's individual divisions with swell building and surf hitting 30 to 40 feet
Africa Burkina Faso The country's first mining waste treatment plant was inaugurated in the country, one of Africa's leading gold-producing states
Africa Zambia The reopening of schools has been further postponed to 12 February 2024, a decision that follows advice of Council of Ministers for National Disaster Management and Mitigation; calendar for schools and institutes has been changed to make up for lost time
Africa Benin The 27th Chinese medical team, tasked with providing health services and exchanging medical experiences with Beninese health personnel, arrived in Cotonou; the 22-member team will work in Lokossa, in the south-west, and Natitingou, in the north-west