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
Asia Turkey More than 46.000 permanent homes built in 11 cities affected by the 6 February earthquake will be handed over to their rightful owners by early 2024
Africa Benin Every year the country loses about 30 metres of coastline to the ocean; the government has spent millions of dollars to protect coastal communities from marine erosion, but climate change and rising sea levels have exacerbated the region's vulnerability
Asia Laos The Vientiane Capital Tourist Information Centre and Exhibition Hall of handicrafts and traditional products made under the 'One District One Product' initiative officially opened to the public
Africa Guinea-Bissau The Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy coniders the issue of biodiversity conservation one of the country's priorities, since the national economy is largely based on the exploitation of fishery resources
Europe Estonia The Estonian state is evaluating the capacities of European munitions manufacturers for its largest purchase to date amounting to €280 million; while production lines are currently on hold for up to two years, the state is hoping for faster delivery times
Africa South Africa The government has sent a formal request to the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by mid-December: South African presidency minister said 'the world cannot simply stand by and watch'
Europe Czech Republic It is no longer taboo to talk about the fact that organised crime is mainly behind human trafficking according to Pavla Novotná, Director of the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy at the Czech Ministry of the Interior
Europe Romania Ahead of next year's elections, the government has increased taxes for businesses, notwithstanding calls for financial reform to cut state spending and refrain from raising public sector salaries
Africa Tunisia With Jonathan Lourimi running bobsleigh, the country will be represented for the first time at the Winter Youth Olympics, at the 2024 Gangwon Games in South Korea
Asia Kazakhstan The country's locomotive fleet of 1.880 units has a wear level of 52%; 133 new locomotives were purchased this year
America Haiti The High Court in Nairobi has blocked the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti on a 'Multinational Security Support' mission to build security conditions conducive to the holding of elections
Africa Central African Republic Established in 2018 to investigate and prosecute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed from 2003, the Special Criminal Court is now subject of controversy with victims believing it has not fully fulfilled its role
Asia Georgia Georgian journalist Tamuna Museridze has been included by the BBC in its list of the 100 most influential women of 2023, having uncovered, by searching for her biological parents, a black market in baby trafficking in Georgia in the 1950s