Asia China 10 United States-based companies have been added to China's export control list, government procurement barred from 50 US companies two weeks after the Pentagon blacklisted some of China’s best-known companies for alleged ties to the Chinese military
Asia Taiwan The Taipei 101 Observatory recorded 1,29 million visitors in 2023, with international tourists accounting for 80% of visitors
Asia Vietnam Over 12.500 people were dissatisfied with the quality of service offered by medical control departments of Ho Chi Minh City's public hospitals in 2023, almost +18,5% compared to 2022, according to the survey conducted by the city's Department of Health
Oceania Fiji A Fijian academic challenged the Pacific region's media and politicians on their coverage of the climate crisis, asking whether the discriminatory style of reporting is a case of climate injustice
Europe Russia Russian police have charged with 'public display of the symbols of an extremist organisation' for the first time a person who allegedly posted on the web an image of a rainbow flag symbolising Lgbtq pride, according to human rights group Perviy Otdel
Africa Sudan East African regional leaders called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Sudan, where clashes have claimed thousands of lives since April last year
Europe Switzerland 101 army weapons were reported missing last year, of which 95 were stolen, according to the newspaper Blick, including 88 assault rifles and 13 pistols; Swiss army guns disappear every year and 2023 figures are slightly higher than 2022
Europe Vatican City Pope Francis sent a message to participants at the International Conference on 'The Declaration of Helsinki: Research in resource-poor settings' calling for global equality in healthcare
Africa Angola The country produced an average of around 1,098 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2023, making it the third largest producer in Africa, behind only Nigeria and Libya, according to Angola's National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency
Africa South Sudan South Sudan and Uganda are ready to harmonise grain sampling, testing methods and certification processes to improve bilateral trade, especially for products from the two countries
Africa Burkina Faso The military government of Burkina Faso, born out of a military coup in September 2022, has announced that it has foiled 'yet another destabilisation attempt' and launched a hunt against an alleged network of conspirators involving soldiers and civilians
Asia Armenia Armenia held 13th Human Rights Dialogue in Yerevan with EU, focusing this year on gender equality and non-discrimination, freedom of assembly, expression and information, electoral and constitutional reform, refugee rights and strengthening labour rights
Africa Rwanda One hundred new buses started passenger service in Kigali in the frame of the city's commitment to improving public transport
Africa Sierra Leone Former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma has been granted permission by a Freetown high court to travel abroad on medical grounds, while being charged with treason and other offences for the failed November coup