Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations

Gulf oil states are using their vast wealth to build influence across the far-flung South Pacific, experts have told AFP, tearing a page straight out of China's Belt and Road playbook.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two of the world's biggest crude oil producers, have been ramping up efforts to shed their reputations as global climate laggards.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has recommended avoiding travel to the South African region because of Omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus that has been declared a concern by the World Health Organization.

Africa's film industry is thriving and could create many millions of extra jobs if its potential was fully exploited, the United Nations said on Oct. 5. 

In a report, the U.N. cultural organization UNESCO said that an estimated five million people currently work in Africa's film industry, which contributes $5 billion to the continent's GDP. 

Every year, the European Environment Agency (EEA) compiles bathing water data gathered by local authorities across the 27 European Union member states, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Albania - measuring levels of bacteria from sewage and livestock. More than two thirds of sites are coastal beaches, with rivers and lakes making up the remainder.

The unification of the leaders started after the WHO opened the annual session with the draft resolution which recognizes the mistakes in the response to COVID-19, the AP reported.

Bulgaria's economy grew by 2.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2021, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said in a flash estimate on May 18. In real terms, gross domestic product (GDP) in Bulgaria in January-March was 26.44 billion leva, or 13.52 billion euro.

From Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Acropolis, fireworks burst in skies above eerily deserted landmarks as the world ushered in the New Year with muted celebrations and said good riddance to a pandemic-ridden 2020.

India's government revoked disputed Kashmir's special status by presidential order on Aug. 5 as thousands of newly deployed troops descended and some internet and phone services were suspended in the restive Himalayan region where most people oppose Indian rule.

This represents a drop of 16% compared to 2010. The decrease is due to effective measures in Eastern and South Africa, according to a UN report.

The overwhelming majority of Greece's bathing waters met European Union water quality standards in 2017, according to the European Environment Agency.

In its annual report, the agency said that 95.9 percent of all existing coastal bathing waters are of excellent quality, behind Luxembourg (100 percent), Malta (98.9 percent) and Cyprus (97.3 percent).