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 Laos UNICEF Laos celebrated its 50th anniversary; in 1973 the peace agreement between the Royal Government of Laos and the communist Pathet Lao marked the end of the Laotian civil war and laid the foundation for UNICEF's entry into Laos
Asia Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Airlines will launch flights from Ashgabat to Jeddah (Turkmenistan-Saudi Arabia) three times a week starting 16 February 2024; Turkmenistan Airlines is the country's only national airline and flies to ten destinations in Europe and Asia
America Venezuela Venezuela’s oil exports increased 12% last year to almost 700.000 barrels per day as the United States eased sanctions imposed since 2019 on the country’s energy sector, according to data and documents viewed by Reuters
Asia Tajikistan Majlisi Milli President Rustam Emomali, who is also mayor of Dushanbe, visited the Iran House of Innovation and Technology in Tehran as part of his official visit to Iran
Asia Sri Lanka Professionals in Supplementary Medical Service have launched a token strike against the government’s decision to not provide them with Disturbance, Availability and Transport
Africa Sierra Leone Dr Edward Nahim, Sierra Leone's leading mental health professional and veteran psychiatrist, has passed away; he worked as a consultant psychiatrist for over 40 years at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital in Freetown
Africa Sao Tome and Principe FAO will develop a strategy and plan to promote employment in the agricultural sector for young people in Sao Tomé with the final goal of reducing the poverty rate, now over 66%
America Dominica The unparalleled benefits of the 'Citizenship by Investment' programme was recently emphasised by the Prime Minister; at a press conference he stressed that it provided citizens with exceptional advantages, superior to those of any other country
Europe United Kingdom Labour has proposed measures to tackle persistent school absenteeism, such as free breakfast clubs for primary schools and increased funding for early speech and language interventions
Asia Taiwan A new endemic species of balitorid fish has been discovered in the Kaoping River in southern Taiwan, said the Yushan National Park headquarters
Asia India Prime Minister Modi's government is considering doubling the annual compensation for female landowners to 12.000 rupees ($144), a move ahead of the national elections that will be presented as empowering women in rural areas
Africa Djibouti Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed chaired the annual meeting of the Interministerial Committee on the National Disability Strategy for discussions focused on the review of the action plan
Asia Bhutan Gross Domestic Happiness has been used for over 15 years to measure the citizens' well-being instead of the GDP; some critics believe it is more of an image-enhancing gimmick and not very effective in improving the living conditions of the population