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 Eritrea Eritrea's policy of maintaining indefinite national service, which 'affects the lives of thousands of people' and is the reason why 'many young Eritreans to leave their country' has been addressed as 'a concern' by Britain
Europe Switzerland The Swiss have voted to add the 13th monthly payments for pensioners; a separate proposal to gradually raise the retirement age to 66 and beyond was clearly rejected in a separate nationwide vote
Asia Thailand The President of the Thailand Stock Exchange, Pichai Chunhavajira, has announced plans to intensify the crackdown on illegal short selling as shares continue to perform negatively
America Belize Local social group “Loving Is Key” is holding an empowering training focused on mental health for the community, with the aim of addressing the current mental health crisis
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The Archery Association of St. Vincent and the Grenadines kicked off the 2024 archery season with the first classification tournament last weekend with a total of 19 archers all vying for first place in their respective categories
Europe Montenegro The number of vehicles registered for the first time in Montenegro increased by 43% to 31.238 in 2023; in the fourth quarter of last year alone, the number of first-time vehicle registrations increased by 28% year-on-year
Europe Netherlands Twice the median income is no longer enough to afford an average home in the Netherlands, according to calculations by the data company Calcassa
Africa Libya Libyan boxer Saad Al-Falah was crowned the World Boxing Association's Middleweight Champion of the World in Africa after defeating his Ivorian opponent, Adama Koné, in the Suleiman al-Darrat stadium fight in Benghazi
Europe United Kingdom A seven-year-old girl died after a small boat trying to reach the English Channel, and UK, capsized in northern France; the country continues its investment of millions of pounds to send refugees to Rwanda
Asia Uzbekistan A new project to support Uzbekistan's capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public and animal health threats was launched by USAID, in collaboration with FAO and the Veterinary and Livestock Development Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Asia Mongolia More than two million animals have died from malnutrition and fatigue this winter as the country grapples with exceptional cold and snow and temperatures reaching minus 50 degrees Celsius in some places, below the average
Asia Turkmenistan The 'Oguz Han' Science and Technology Centre will be opened by the Turkmenistan Academy of Sciences to develop products in the fields of innovative nanotechnology, biotechnology and information
Oceania Tonga 81,5% of Tongan women over the age of 20 suffer from obesity; the figure makes Tonga first in the world ranking for women suffering from obesity according to a study published by Lancet medical journal