Europe Iceland With the highest show up ever recorded in Reykjavik, 52,8% of 225.031 of Icelanders voted against the government's proposal to resume talks on joining the EU after 13 years; Around 12.600 votes separated the figure from the 47,2% who voted in favor
Asia Mongolia The Treasury Department of the Bank of Mongolia (BoM) has issued a 1 oz 999 silver coin marking the Year of the Tiger; the new coins are now available on BoM's coin.mongolbank.mn website
Asia Malaysia Lee Lyn-Ni, a Unicef child protection expert working in the country, outlined a collaboration with the government to raise awareness of the risks of early marriages, given the large increase recorded due to impoverishment caused by the pandemic
Asia Vietnam At the launching ceremony of the National School Health Programme 2021-25, the PM said protecting and caring for children and students is the responsibility not only of their families, but also of the community, society and the entire political system
Asia South Korea Samsung patented a design for a smartphone that can be folded into four parts using four hinges, acting as a dual-display smartphone, a small tablet or a pocket-sized 'mini' laptop
Oceania Papua New Guinea PNG Power has restored power supply in the highlands region, notwithstanding adverse weather conditions making the job more difficult
America Saint Kitts and Nevis In its continued pursuit of food sustainability on Nevis, the Ministry of Agriculture is recording successes in food production, based on demand for crops grown on government-owned farms
Europe Moldova Rescuers and firefighters carried out 383 operations last year as a result of prank calls and already 48 operations so far this year, reports the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, costing thousands of lei to the state budget
Europe Belarus Among a series of draft laws to improve the quality and efficiency of the justice system, one plans to grant people the right to appeal against all court decisions without exception, including decisions of the Supreme Court
Europe Switzerland The popular initiative for a ban on tobacco advertising appears to be heading towards approval by the Swiss people, according to the second poll ahead of today's vote
Asia Saudi Arabia Given the country's long and rich coffee tradition, 2022 has been designated as 'The Year of Saudi Coffee'; according to internal reports, the country plans to plant 1,2 million coffee trees by 2025
Asia Israel The National Library of Israel, founded in 1892, has digitized its collection of rare Islamic books and manuscripts; last year, more than 650.000 people across the Arab world visited the library's Arabic-language website
Asia Uzbekistan Speakin about the socio-economic development of cities and provinces, the president pointed to corruption and nepotism for some mayors, as the improvement of drinking water, heat and electricity supply was not ensured despite allocation of necessary funds