Asia Turkey Ankara is preparing for NATO Summit scheduled for 7–8 July 2026, the second hosted by Turkey with the one in Istanbul in 2004; this year's non-NATO guest list comprises East-Asian and Pacific powers, the absence of the central Asian block stands out
Africa Morocco The country won the vote to head the UN Human Rights Council after a heated showdown with South Africa, which argued that Rabat's human rights record made it unfit to chair the body
Europe Belgium Belgian prison staff went on a 24-hour strike starting at 10 p.m. on Thursday evening to protest against overcrowding and poor working conditions; Belgian prisons currently house around 12.000 people, exceeding the capacity by around 1.300 inmates
Asia Indonesia 241.000 Indonesian pilgrims will perform the Hajj this year, sending the largest contingent ever to Saudi Arabia after the Kingdom approved the quota for Indonesia for 2024, up from 221.000 in 2023
Europe Germany The German drivers' union announced the start of nationwide strikes which will increase traffic chaos while the confrontation between farmers and the government over agricultural subsidies continues
Europe Belarus Current Time, a Russian-language network operated by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, has been added to the register of extremist organisationsa in a frame of ongoing repression of independent media and civil society by Belarusian authorities
Europe Ukraine Hundreds of people attended a ceremony in the courtyard of the gold-domed St Michael's Monastery in Kiev to honour the memory of the famous Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov, killed in action while serving as a soldier
Asia Cyprus Junior Achievement Cyprus is launching its 5th JA StartUp, fostering business ideas and innovation among university students and providing the practical experience to develop and run their own business; JA StartUp engaged over 20.000 students in Europe
Africa Somalia A helicopter belonging to the UN mission in Somalia was captured by al-Shabaab militiamen after accidentally landing in territory controlled by the armed group; at least six aid workers who were on the aircraft are now in their hands
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina The decision on entry and stay under special conditions for Palestinian citizens who are relatives of national citizens has been approved by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Africa Mauritius A memorandum of understanding was approved between India and Mauritius for the joint development of a satellite, scheduled to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation in early 2025
Africa Zimbabwe All 15 miners trapped for four days in a Zimbabwean gold mine have been rescued, in news given on social media X with video showing the mud-covered workers being greeted by a small cheering crowd at the mine site
Africa Senegal First Sub-Saharan Africa's all-electric rapid transit bus network was launched in the capital Dakar; the 18.3-kilometre Dakar Brt project with 23 bus stops and three transfer hubs was realised by China Road and Bridge Corporation
Europe Greece A new National Cyber Security Authority will be set up following the wave of attacks that hit Greek public bodies in the past two years