Asia Singapore New cat ownership rules require pet cats to be microchipped and licensed, with limits on the number of cats allowed per household; After a two-year transition period, owners must comply or face penalties, while licences will become chargeable
America Costa Rica Costa Rica recently passed the "Menstruation and Justice" bill, reducing the Value Added Tax (VAT) on menstrual hygiene products from 13% to 1%, aligning them with essential goods, thus showing its commitment to address the issue of gender inequality
Africa Algeria The 26th edition of the Algiers International Book Fair closes today, 4 November; with the slogan "Africa writes its future", Algeria's most important literary and cultural event had over 1.200 publishers from 61 countries
America Chile A 6,7 magnitude earthquake has struck Chile near La Serena, Elqui, in the Coquimbo Region; no major damages have been reported, although it was felt across the region
America Bahamas The Bahamas National Institute of Statistics will start publishing data on unemployment rates quarterly, twice as often as so far done
Africa Comoros Teachers' unions questioned the recruitment competition announced by the Ministry of National Education, returning to their demands and announcing a return to strikes if their protocols remain unheeded
Africa Gambia The biennial African Competition Forum, organised by the Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority, was held in the country on Tuesday
Europe Belarus Six Supreme Court judges, in addition to the heads of the Gomel Oblast Court and the economic courts of the Vitebsk Oblast and the city of Minsk, were appointed by a decree signed by President Lukashenko
Asia Brunei The country is intensifying its efforts to transform its tourist landscape into an internationally recognised ecotourism destination, focusing on three fundamental pillars: nature, culture and adventure activities
Europe Kosovo The Government of Kosovo approved the draft law for the 2024 budget in the amount of €3,3 billion, a small increase compared to last year's budget
Europe Latvia Demand for blood components has been increasing by at least 15% per month this year, with a similar trend observed in all regions; securing demand is becoming very difficult as the number of donors is decreasing and first-time donors are less frequent
Asia Turkey Water levels in dams in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, have dropped critically by up to 20%, according to recent figures released by the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration; this is the lowest value recorded in the last 10 years
Asia Kazakhstan Commenting on the tragic accident at the Kostenko coalmine, Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said that all those responsible will be punished, stating that the government is aware of its responsibility
Oceania Australia Australia's industrial policy needs to be "recast and modernised" to benefit from global energy transition, the Treasurer said, promising a new 'uniquely Australian' plan that would leverage more private capital against bolder public investment overseas