Oceania Australia Police in New South Wales rejected arming guards at Jewish events; The Australian Jewish Association told the antisemitism royal commission that private security guards at Jewish events should be armed, authorities fear that would further fracture society
Asia Kuwait Deportation Administration set a new record in 2023, with an unprecedented number of expatriates deported for violation of local laws (42.892 in total, 25.191 men and 17.701 women), according to a private source in Ministry of the Interior
America Nicaragua Members of the US government’s global religious freedom watchdog have added their voices to a growing group of calls for the release of imprisoned Catholic leaders in Nicaragua, arguing that it’s time for legislative action against the nation
Europe Liechtenstein As part of the Epiphany entertainment, the Vaduz fire brigade theatre group performed the show 'Fischerei Ospelt'
America Ecuador Plans for a national referendum to implement a stricter anti-crime legislation and tighten security measures have been announced in a bid to curb an upward trend of escalating crime rates and violence in Ecuador
Africa Libya The Iraqi Embassy in Tripoli resumes processing consular transactions for Iraqi citizens today; efforts were made to obtain the approval of the Interior and General Directorate of Passports to introduce a mobile passport issuing and renewing system
Africa Mali The UN mission in Mali officially ended a decade of deployment in the country, meeting a December 31 deadline agreed after Mali’s military leaders ordered it to leave
Europe Luxembourg Luxembourg’s companies with global revenues of at least €750 million will pay a minimum effective tax rate of 15% with the start of 2024 as lawmakers passed the new law in parliament’s last session of 2023
Africa Botswana Batswana have been urged to turn up, as voter registration for 2024 general election starts, although a number of major parties have not yet held their primary elections to select candidates
Asia North Korea The daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is his 'most likely successor', according to the man listed as the next head of Seoul's spy agency
Asia South Korea Around 100.000 people gathered at various locations across Busan to see the first sunrise of the year, though it was delayed by 20 minutes due to heavy clouds; Haeundae and Gwangan Beach areas drew around 65.000 individuals, while 20.000 visited temples
Africa Cameroon A new tax compliance certificate, which can be downloaded online via the Harmony platform, has been established to obtain an exit visa in order to boost the fight against tax evasion by forcing those who have to travel to comply with their payments
Europe North Macedonia North Macedonia weathered a series of ethnically-charged incidents in 2023, a relatively calm period despite economic hardships, and opens 2024 with the prospect of a politician from the country’s ethnic Albanian minority becoming prime minister
Africa Mauritius The first centenarian of the year 2024, Mrs Rookmeen Jugurnauth, celebrated her 100th birthday at Domaine Seetloo, in Solferino, Vacoas, with family and friends