America Cuba International investors can now build and fully own tourism facilities: to reverse the dramatic fall in tourism, authorities have eliminated the requirement for foreign groups to form a joint venture with the Cuban state to manage their tourism activities
Oceania Palau Palau's Civil Service Pension Plan is facing a deepening financial crisis, with the investment fund declining and a growing gap between contributions and payments
Asia Oman The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Health, received the Excellence Award for the year 2023 from the World Health Organization for its tireless and continuous efforts in combating non-communicable diseases
Asia Pakistan A three-day exhibition of photographs and paintings kicked off at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts in conjunction with the 13th Pakistan Mountain Festival - the annual flagship event of Devcom-Pakistan
Asia North Korea A delegation of Russian Far East officials has arrived in Pyongyang, according to North Korean state media, on a visit that is expected to include bilateral talks on topics ranging from revitalising tourism to joint construction projects
Africa Ghana The anti-homosexual bill will be passed before the Christmas holidays, said the Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, Alban Bagbin; the bill envisages a 10-year prison sentence for Lgbtq+ supporters and three years for people who identify as homosexuals
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The spread of monkeypox, which has killed nearly 600 people, mostly children, in DRC this yea, leaves the WHO 'very concerned'; the country reported over 13.000 cases in 2023, where the last peak in 2020 was less than half
Europe Hungary The subsidiaries of Gloster Infocommunications, Gloster-Minero IT and FF Next Technologies, have signed a cooperation agreement with the German Red Cross to develop special software for electronic data recording of bone marrow and stem cell donors
Oceania New Zealand Efforts to restore New Zealand's endangered flightless parrot, the kākāpō, include relocating the species to predator-free reserves
Europe Ireland A closure order has been issued for Pizza Max in Oldcastle after food inspectors found evidence of people living and sleeping in its food preparation area, uncovering mattresses, bedding, medicines, clothes and personal food
Africa Lesotho His Majesty King Letsie III, Chancellor of the National University of Lesotho, opened the Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Development Trust values-based leadership conference in Rome, Italy
Asia Singapore Departure of first Singapore-born panda cub to China to participate in conservation programme has been postponed to January 2024; last public appearance at Pavilion Capital Giant Panda Forest in the River Wonders park is scheduled for today 13 December
America Dominican Republic The 'Health Path, Change Your Lifestyle' initiative, which has completed 30 interventions across the country, has impacted over 1,4 million households, said Health Minister
America Belize In Belize's Valley of Peace, students built an eco-friendly Christmas tree in four days using repurposed plastic bottles, with the annual tree lighting event symbolising the importance of recycling and reducing single-use plastic in the festive season