Asia Laos About $12 million in digital taxes from global technology companies have been collected under new law: foreign providers of online services must register with Lao tax authorities regardless of whether they have a physical presence in the country
Africa Zimbabwe The Council of Ministers received and examined a comprehensive report on the national response to drugs and substance abuse, presented by Interior Minister Kazembe Kazembe, including police operations against the illegal sale of alcohol
Africa Nigeria $59 billion will be spent on the construction of rural roads and farmers' markets thanks to a World Bank loan of $500 million to the federal government
Africa Tanzania The Tanzanian railway authorities have started commercial operations of the first standard-gauge electric train from Dar es Salaam to the Morogoro region, a length of 300 km
Asia Vietnam Over 100 representatives of ethnic communities from border, maritime and island areas received gifts from President To Lam at a meeting where he praised the profound transformation of ethnic minority communities over the past 40 years of national renewal
Asia China Journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin, one of the most prominent activists of the #MeToo movement in the country, was sentenced to five years in prison; she has been jailed since September 2021 on charges of 'inciting subversion', often used against opponents
Asia Thailand An investigation was ordered by the Defence Minister to investigate salary deductions for conscripts across the country, after another document showed a 1.200 baht fee for WiFi service deducted from some salaries
Asia Lebanon Israeli forces used phosphorous bombs to target several towns in southern Lebanon, causing forest fires to spread and threatening residential areas
Europe Ukraine The G7 decided to use frozen Russian assets to raise $50 billion for Ukraine to help it fight invading Russian forces
America Costa Rica Costa Rica is leading in Latin America in electronic waste collection per capita, achieving an 8% collection rate (1 kg per inhabitant) despite a regional increase in e-waste generation, significantly outperforming the regional average of 2,7%
America Brazil With fewer than 100 individuals left, Brazilian conservationists are racing to save the Muñoa’s Pampas cat, one of the world’s most endangered felines, by promoting habitat-preserving ranching, captive-breeding programs, and conservation agreements
Africa Mozambique Mozambique's electoral commission claimed to have included in its register almost one million additional voters who, according to the country's National Statistics Institute, 'cannot exist'
Europe Slovenia The house in which Prešeren was born will be restored and reinvented this year; the place were the national poet was born attracts over 20.000 visitors per year, with largest numbers on 8 February, Slovenian Culture Day the anniversary of the poet's death
Asia Singapore At only five years old, Abyan Imtiaz Irkiz became the youngest Singaporean to reach Everest base camp, taking eight days, two less than planned