Following agreement reached by the remaining signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership earlier this year to push ahead following US President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the United States from the pact, Japan has taken the lead with regard to formulating a plan B for the agreement.

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced on April 30, 2019, that plans for reductions in personal and corporate income tax will be released by the Government in June 2019.

On May 26, 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the Carbon Tax Act No 15 of 2019, which came into effect on June 1, 2019, as announced by the Minister of Finance in the 2019 Budget.

The Australian Government has set out the numerous changes made to the tax system on July 1 and launched a consultation on new tax rules for "stapled structures."

The OECD has committed to providing proposals to fix the taxation of the digital economy by 2020, in an update to G20 leaders on international efforts to mitigate base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).

According to a recent study, each year as many as 40,500 critically ill U.S. hospital patients die with an unknown medical condition that may have caused or contributed to their death.

Dengue fever is a vector-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. 39 dengue cases have been reported in Delhi so far, a civic body report said.

Tens and thousands of people in India are being affected by mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya. However, dengue and malaria

To develop an effective vaccine against dengue and Zika viruses, it requires the E protein to spread across the entire surface of every viral particle.

Cyprus's Department of Taxation said recently that it will accept only electronic payment for the main tax heads from June 1, 2018.

China's Ministry of Commerce has objected to the EU's new anti-dumping methodology, claiming that it violates World Trade Organization rules.

Hong Kong on February 2, 2018, ratified an Ordinance to enable the territory to soon join the OECD's Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters and thereby more simply and more broadly agree to exchange tax information with other countries' tax authorities.

The OECD has requested stakeholders' input on the dispute resolution processes in place in Andorra, Anguilla, Bahamas, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Faroe Islands, Macau (China), Morocco, and Tunisia.

The finance ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have put their names to a statement calling for countries to reach an agreement on solving the tax challenges of the digital economy by the end of 2020.

On February 20, 2020, Malta's Commissioner for Revenue said tax payments by bank draft or check issued by foreign banks will no longer be accepted.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said that Austria does not agree with new German proposals for a European financial transactions tax.

Hong Kong on February 2, 2018, ratified an Ordinance to enable the territory to soon join the OECD's Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters and thereby more simply and more broadly agree to exchange tax information with other countries' tax authorities.

Switzerland is due to introduce its new corporate tax regime from the beginning of 2020.

The United Arab Emirates' Federal Tax Authority has released a statement confirming that all purchases from online retailers are subject to the same value-added tax rules as for purchases from brick and mortar stores – that they should generally be subject to the headline five percent value-added tax rate.

The EU has announced the removal of eight jurisdictions from its tax blacklist.

The Japanese and Danish governments announced on October 11 that they had signed a new agreement for the avoidance of double taxation in Tokyo.

Japan's proposed sales tax hike is expected to go ahead as planned in 2019 after a landslide win by incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The EU's new free trade agreement with Japan, finalized by negotiators from both sides on December 8, 2017, has been described as the European bloc's most comprehensive yet.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democrat Party has approved a tax reform package that will cut corporate rates for companies who increase employee wages.

Japan's Ministry of Finance has reported the signing of a double tax agreement with Iceland in Reykjavik.

Japan's Cabinet recently approved tax reform bills, which have now been introduced into the country's parliament for debate.

The fifth round of tariff cuts under the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement have entered into force.

Following its passage through Japan's parliament, the Diet, measures in Japan's 2018 tax reform package became law on April 1, 2018.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, has announced a task force will be set up to consider ways to mitigate the negative impact of the planned 2019 consumption tax rise.

The EU and Japan have signed an Economic Partnership Agreement that will remove the majority of the EUR1bn (USD1.2bn) of duties paid annually by EU companies exporting to Japan.

South Korea's Government has announced that it will provide tax relief to small and medium size businesses that have been affected by Japan's decision to remove 159 South Korea products from its export "white list."

Japan's sales tax rose from eight to 10 percent on October 1, 2019, following two previous delays to the hike.

On January 8, 2020, Japan and Morocco signed a double taxation agreement.

On February 19, 2020, the United States Internal Revenue Service announced that the leaders of the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement recently gathered in Sydney, Australia, to review their work and to set priorities for the years ahead.

Jersey has signed a double taxation agreement with the Republic of Cyprus. This is the island's twelfth agreement that meets the international standard for such agreements.

Recently released statistics by Jersey's Government show a steady or improving picture for the financial services sector in 2015.

Jersey has launched a tax amnesty for prior unpaid taxes that will be offered until the end of 2017.

Jersey is consulting on the introduction of a land development charge, to be called the Jersey Infrastructure Levy.

South Africa, Jersey, and Belgium are among a handful of territories that have recently announced an extension to the due date for country-by-country reports under the new frameworks being introduced under Action 13 of the OECD's base erosion and profit shifting Action Plan.

Jersey has become one of only three jurisdictions to ratify the BEPS multilateral instrument to revise tax treaties to counter base erosion and profit shifting.

Revenue Jersey has sought to reassure taxpayers over fears that they will be charged the default effective rate of tax from next January.

Highlights: Unique surgery leaves a 100kg man with two beating hearts by a technique called the 'Piggyba

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said that Austria does not agree with new German proposals for a European financial transactions tax.

The finance ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have put their names to a statement calling for countries to reach an agreement on solving the tax challenges of the digital economy by the end of 2020.

Alcohol and marijuana, when used separately or combined, increase the risk of condomless sex among young adults, a new study finds. bThis increased

In a rare surgery, doctors have extracted an astounding 526 teeth from the mouth of a seven-year-old boy. The surgery was performed at Chennai's Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, doctors said.

17th January 2014 – Colombo, Sri Lanka – His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, has officially launched a new, hi-tech information system that promises to enhance water management in the South Asian country. Download the full media release

World Water Day dialogue stresses need for public and private sectors to work together for water-secure growth.

The call to action highlighted in Nature this week cites recent scientific breakthroughs on groundwater’s vital role in supporting rivers globally.

World’s largest user of groundwater for agriculture looks to solar for a more sustainable future.