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
Asia Maldives Addu Meedhoo MP Rozaina Adam has proposed an amendment to the Constitution to allocate 33% of seats in Parliament to women
Africa Rwanda At least £370 million has been pledged by the UK to Rwanda as part of the plan to relocate asylum seekers to the African country; in addition, British institutions pledge to pay up to £150.000 for each person relocated
Oceania Kiribati US lawmakers have expressed concern over Kirabati's use of Chinese police for security, just as the US State Department warns that such cooperation could pose new risks to the country
Asia Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's first semi-transparent agri-voltaic pilot project has been commissioned in Hanthana, Kandy; it will help study the development of renewable energy in the country's tea plantations
Africa Zambia Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has declared the drought a disaster and a national emergency, saying it has devastated food production and compromised power generation
America Jamaica A 1.000-gallon water tank has been donated to Windsor Castle Primary and Infant School in Portland by Courts Ready Cash, as part of efforts to provide water harvesting solutions to the institution
Oceania Samoa The Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development under its Aged Care Budget signed financial support for the Mapuifagalele and Logoipulotu Home for the Elderly
Africa Sudan Ten months of war have brought Sudan 'to the brink of collapse', where the vast majority of the population suffers from hunger: less than 5% of Sudanese can afford a full meal a day,' said World Food Programme director
Oceania Australia Meta announced that it will also close Facebook news tabs in Australia, after noticing that enough people were not visiting the platform to read the news
Africa Sao Tome and Principe São Tomé and Príncipe's four teachers' and educators' unions announced the start of an indefinite class strike, following the failure of negotiations with the government, to demand an increase in the basic salary from €100 to €400
Africa Ghana Ghana's parliament passed a law that gives way to intensifying the repression of Lgbtq+ rights and of those who promote lesbian, gay or considered unconventional sexual or gender identities
Europe Serbia Both government and opposition hailed the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights' final report on the December 2023 elections as a vindication of their conflicting claims
Asia Azerbaijan Ahliman Amiraslanov, chairman of the Milli Majlis Health Committee, said that about $29,5 million was allocated from the state budget for oncology services, about $470 for the treatment of each patient