In spite of an agreement struck in April to cut production of crude by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, oil prices still haven't seen a boost. In this edition, we see that concerns over global economic growth are outweighing the production cuts. Also, European space rocket Ariane 5 gears up for its final lift-off and Singaporean bank UOB makes a winning bet on Taylor Swift fans.

The Nature Restoration Act had become a contentious issue within the European Parliament, but climate activists welcomed the acceptance of the bill. Farmers fear they could lose valuable agricultural land.

The run-up has has been dominated by concerns over corruption, and the exclusion of a leading candidate.

Bangladesh is scheduled to hold general elections by January 2024, and observers say the EU has a key role to play in ensuring that the polls are free of electoral manipulation and misconduct.

Central African Republic voted on a constitutional referendum on Sunday which, if it passes, could remove a presidential term limit and allow President Faustin-Archange Touadera to run for a third term in 2025. Touadera was first elected in 2016 for a five-year term and won reelection in 2020 for what was supposed to be his final term in office.

India's opposition has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of choosing silence and killing the spirit of India in violence-hit Manipur, a state governed by his party.

Young people in Zimbabwe, including many first-time voters, could determine the election winner. But is Jamaican dancehall music enough to win them over?

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government is facing a wave of criticism at home and abroad after allowing the release of treated radioactive water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean.

Zimbabwe's opposition blasted a "fundamentally flawed" electoral process, saying that delays, intimidation and other irregularities meant the ballot was "unable to produce a free and fair electoral outcome."

The regional bloc CCAS, and the country's opposition coalition, have urged international partners to push for a rapid return to civilian rule. Also in this edition: In Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 48 protesters are reported to have been killed in the eastern city of Goma. And finally: In South Africa, the death toll rises to 76 after the devastating Johannesburg fire at an abandoned apartment block that housed dozens of homeless people and squatters.

Pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili is facing possible impeachment after she visited leaders in the bloc. The current government is seen by the opposition as taking the country away from Europe and toward Russia.

The UN chief has called it an epidemic of coups. In Africa, since 2020, military officers have seized power, or attempted to do so, in numerous sub-Saharan countries. Just in the last two and a half months, soldiers in Gabon announced a takeover of power, while in Niger, members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum and announced that they were seizing power.