Africa Uganda Uber has ended its operations in Uganda after having been a commodity in the local urban transport for over a decade; the exit takes immediate effect and follows extensive review of Uber's business priorities across Africa
America Saint Kitts and Nevis A MoU with Southern University was signed by the government to further boost the Federation's agricultural sector, to improve agricultural methods and bolster the farming community with advanced knowledge and techniques
Asia Kyrgyzstan During the best performing nine months of 2023, the country exported 9,9 tons of gold, or which 8 tons exported to Switzerland
Europe Kosovo Long-awaited EU visa liberalization scheme allowing Kosovo nationals to travel without a visa comes into force today January, 1 2024; Kosovars can travel to the passport-free Schengen zone without a visa for periods of up to 90 days in any 180-day period
America Cuba Due to interruption of work in first days of 2024, adjustments have been made to the editing, printing and circulation of national newspapers; on 1 January only the weekly Trabajadores will circulate, on 2 January Granma and on 3 January Juventud Rebelde
Asia Japan Japan Airlines is preparing to launch its first direct flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Doha, Qatar, from 31 March 2024, becoming the first Japanese airline to provide a non-stop service to the Middle East
Africa Seychelles Visitor arrivals from 1 Jan to 24 Dec 2023 exceeded 2022 figures by 6%, according to the latest releases from the National Statistics Office; the largest number of visitors, 53.887, came from Germany, followed by France with 41.696 visitors
Asia Thailand The Nong Khai-Vientiane stretch of the Thai-China high-speed rail (HSR) project is anticipated to conclude construction in 2028, revealed Thai Deputy Transport Minister Surapong Piyachote
Asia Israel Tal Mitnick, an 18-year-old Israeli who refuses to serve in the IDF, is serving an initial 30-day sentence in military prison; he is the first known case of a conscientious objector since the beginning of the conflict
Africa Namibia The Africa Hospitality Investment Forum, the most important conference on tourism and hotel investment in Africa, has been announced for 25-27 June 2024 in Namibia
Europe Hungary The Budapest100 programme, which will take place from 9 to 12 May 2024, will showcase the diverse architectural heritage of the 1970s and initiate a debate on its appreciation and possible future
Oceania Tonga The country will host its first Super Rugby match in May 2024, with Moana Pasifika and Highlanders clashing at Teufaiva Stadium
Asia Turkey The Ministry of Commerce changed the regulation on price labelling, making it compulsory to display fares and price lists in conspicuous places for consumers in restaurants, cafés and bakeries as of today 1 January 2024
Africa South Africa South African start-up Lelapa Ai developed Vulavula, a language model capable of transcribing speech and identifying names in three African languages (Afrikaans, IsiZulu and Sesotho); many AI programmes such as ChatGpt do not work in African languages