Asia Syria Germany's Ministry of Transport lifted the landing ban and normalized passenger traffic with Syria from 27 July 2026, thus opening to direct flights Düsseldorf-Damascus today 29 July, Berlin Brandenburg-Damascus and Cologne/Bonn-Aleppo on 1 August
Oceania Papua New Guinea The International Monetary Fund re-established a resident mission in Papua New Guinea, ending an absence of more than two decades from a Pacific island country with which it has had stormy relations
Asia Vietnam The country is facing the dual challenge of micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition, which have a major impact on the productivity and health of the population, experts said
Europe Latvia The definition of maximum permitted teaching hours is considered by Minister of Education as a possible solution to teacher overload; one third of teachers, 34%, carry more workload than the 36 hours provided for by the contract
Asia Kyrgyzstan Bishkek has officially become larger after the deputies at the last session of the City Council have approved the annexation of surrounding territories determined by presidential decree
America Peru A bill aimed at safeguarding freedom of conscience, thought, and religion against potential ideological pressures from the State and its officials has been approved by the Constitution and Rules Committee of the Peruvian Congress
Africa Lesotho The Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel is preparing for a six-month closure for planned maintenance, undertaken jointly by the Lesotho Highlands Development Agency and the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority
Europe Germany In a long-running dispute over asylum policy between the German federal states and the central government, the states made a request to outsource asylum applications to third countries
America Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ranks first in global mental well-being rankings, as revealed by a global report examining emotional recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic
Asia Israel Israel is blocking 1.500 trucks of humanitarian aid at Rafah crossing and preventing them from entering Gaza; the goods are officially being rejected for 'security reasons' and include oxygen, incubators, refrigerators, tents, solar panels
Africa Mozambique Of the 99.000 and more people who fled their homes because of the severe violence in the North, 61.492 are children, Save the Children reported
Oceania Fiji The Science Department of the University of Fiji has received a grant under the ERASMUS+ programme that will allow students and staff to travel to Palermo, Italy, for an exchange programme from this year until 2026
Asia East Timor The Prime Minister has met the first Timorese artist to represent the country at the prestigious Venice Biennale: Maria Madeira; she will show her work Kiss and Don’t Tell, which pays homage to the strength and resilience of the women of Timor-Leste
Asia Indonesia Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo expressed optimism that the Indonesian para badminton and para athletics teams could win gold at the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympic Games