In its inaugural index on women empowerment, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) compares single women, those in monogamous and polygamous marriages and widows.  The rate of empowerment is highest among unmarried women (37 per cent), but drops to 27 per cent when they tie the knot or begin cohabiting with a man. KNBS described empowerment largely as the ability to make choices (The Star, 12/08/2020).

The United Nations reported that airstrikes on Thursday 6th August by the Saudi-UAE led coalition in Houthi-held al-Jawf governorate in northern Yemen killed at least 9 children.

A large blast in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed at least 70 people and injured more than 4,000 others, the health minister says.Videos show smoke billowing from a fire, then a mushroom cloud following the blast at the city's port.

Six women have been arrested by officials of the State National Security Committee in Kyrgyzstan on suspicion of belonging to a banned group. According to the leaked information, the women who were imprisoned in Naryn are suspected of belonging to the banned (extremist) Hizb ut Tahrir organization in Kyrgyzstan.