Oceania New Zealand A women meeting in Wellington marked a year since changes to pay equity extinguished some 180.000 claims for equal work of equal value; a request to the UN was made to investigate whether the move amounted to systemic discrimination towards women
Oceania New Zealand Possible serious adverse effects, along with concerns about efficacy and protection period, lead to hesitation about the vaccine according to a New Zealand study by researchers at the University of Auckland prompted by low vaccination rates after COVID-19
Africa Somalia Save the Children called for greater protection of women and girls in Somalia, following the increase in sexual abuse and rape of teenage girls in recent months
Africa Sao Tome and Principe The country surpassed the record of 35.000 tourists by registering 35.817 visitors in 2023, with the Portuguese leading the way with almost 50%, according to data revealed by 'Lusa ' from the Directorate of Tourism and Hospitality
Europe Norway Over half of Norwegians believe that 'everyday racism', characterised by derogatory comments related to ethnicity, is widespread in Norway while only 2% think it's not widespread, a new poll indicates
Asia Oman Many strategic road projects will be prioritised this year, including those planned to provide connectivity to important and popular tourist areas - the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology stated
America Ecuador Ecuadorian military, in efforts to showcase regained control of Cotopaxi prison amid a nationwide intervention in 35 facilities, have invited the international media to showcase the improved security and equal treatment for inmates
Asia Jordan A total of 26.272 young men and women are members of the Kingdom's 33 licensed political parties according to the Independent Election Commission
Asia Taiwan The country will participate in the construction of the world's largest optical-infrared telescope together with six other countries, the National Science and Technology Council announced after signing a MoU with the Giant Magellan Telescope programme
Asia Thailand Thai Airways reported a rebound in profits upon increased demand for air travel; a net profit of 28,1 billion baht (US$782 million) in 2023, shows a substantial recovery from the 272 million baht loss reported the previous year
Africa Guinea-Bissau A shortage of a large number of teachers in public schools in Guinea-Bissau has been officially announced in a communiqué; this shortage has been caused by various reasons: study, health, dropout and other situations
Asia Nepal The Department of Immigration has started issuing travel permits for domestic and foreign tourists travelling to restricted zones through an online system
America Costa Rica A US$2,1 million US-funded Anti-Drug Operations Center in the Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a region historically exploited by organized crime for drug trafficking
America Colombia Colombia has repatriated 77 pre-Hispanic artifacts from Germany, arriving in Bogotá on the presidential plane; the move is part of the government's commitment to restoring the collective and historical memory of indigenous peoples