>> Mali's government has ordered the closure of 104 refined cooking oil factories across the country after an investigation revealed most of them don't have necessary equipment to produce safely-refined cooking oil. Most of the cooking oil contain gossypol, a toxic substance naturally produced by cotton plants, which causes sterility, cancer and inhibits growth.

>> A health alert has been declared in Paraguay in a bid to stop a new outbreak of dengue. So far this year, health workers have detected about 150 suspected cases of the mosquito-borne disease. Last year, 17 people died from dengue in Paraguay.

>> Cuba has announced a ban on the hunting of marine turtles. Every year, hundreds of turtle species hatch on Cuban beaches, including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. Turtle meat is a local delicacy and its shells are illegally traded to make combs and accessories.

>> The Indonesian and Australian governments have signed a pact to improve Indonesia's transport safety.