The OECD has reported on the progress achieved to improve tax transparency internationally under the new Common Reporting Standard (CRS), ahead of the meeting of G20 finance ministers in Fukuoka, Japan.

Highlights: Healthy sleep patterns can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) These sleep pat

Highlights: Eating too much - not exercising too little - is at the root of obesity It is also responsible

Highlights: Risk of autism can now be predicted by analyzing the sperms of prospective fathers Mutations

Highlights: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed changes to the drugs and cosmetics

Highlights: Zika virus can specifically kill brain cancer cells, without harming normal cells It

Highlights: Excessive belly fat could increase the risk of recurrent heart attacks and strokes Occurs due to

Highlights: In India, the concept of brain death has been closely linked with organ donation In the ca

Highlights: Boron can now be retained within cancer cells using a novel method Trapping boron within ca

Highlights: Bacteria living in household dust particles have been detected These are capable of transmitting

Highlights : A way to utilize existing chemotherapy in a more efficient manner in treating pancreat

Highlights: A low-cost test can identify patients at high risk of requiring dialysis or transplant

Highlights: Quitting smoking at any age significantly reduces the risk of lung cancer Healthy lung cell

Highlights: A new treatment strategy against MERS has been developed It uses drugs that regulate a cellular/

Highlights: Early genetic signs, years before diagnosis, could signal cancer development in the future

Highlights: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and brain scanning can predict which treatment is best for de

Highlights: Personalized therapeutic cancer vaccines are likely to be available soon A new type of deli

Highlights: Infants conceived through IVF can have a higher risk of death than infants conceived naturally This

Highlights: World Encephalitis Day is celebrated annually on 22 nd February Its major objective is to raise awaren

Highlights: A sensor based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been developed The sensor can inst

Highlights: The American Heart Association has published a statement on exercise and heart health It re

Highlights: A common intestinal bacterium has been identified that secretes a carcinogen The carcinogen produ

Highlights: The current global crisis with COVID-19 infection provides telehealth the ideal opport

Highlights : In India, over 17,265 confirmed novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases and 543 deaths as of yesterd

Highlights : Coronavirus cases have crossed over 50,000 in India, despite being under strict lockdown Social distanc

The OECD on August 13, 2019, released follow-up reports for Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States on their efforts to implement BEPS recommendations on dispute resolution.

The UK tax agency has announced that it has scheduled two new webinars to support the construction industry to come to terms with the new VAT reverse charge being introduced on building and construction services from October 1.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has automatically registered 95,000 businesses for its simplified import procedures, allowing most UK traders up to six months to pay import duties and submit customs declarations, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on October 31, 2019.

Airbnb has disclosed that it has been contacted by HM Revenue and Customs regarding the application of tax laws or regulations impacting the company's business, adding that some matters "may result in litigation".

On November 5, 2019, the UK Government released the synthesized text of the Luxembourg-UK double tax agreement, as modified by the BEPS multilateral instrument.

New Zealand is the easiest place in the world to do business, according to the World Bank's new Doing Business 2020 report, which looks at the simplicity of setting up, operating, and paying taxes in 190 territories around the world.

The main UK opposition party Labour has set out its plans for tax reform, in a manifesto released on November 21.

The Conservative Party in the UK has won an outright majority in elections held on December 12, 2019.

The UK Government on January 10, 2020, released the synthesized text of the 1987 Belgium-UK double tax agreement, as modified by the BEPS multilateral instrument.

Switzerland has said that the withdrawal of the UK from the EU on January 31 will not change the relationship between Switzerland and the UK in the near future.

The UK's National Audit Office has called for a more comprehensive review of the 1,190 tax relief measures available for taxpayers, which are estimated to have cost the UK revenues worth GBP155bn (USD201.7bn) in 2018-19.

The UK Government has announced that the expansion of the off-payroll working rules, known as IR35, will be delayed until April 2021, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The UK's 2020 Budget, released on March 11, 2020, includes proposals to waive business rates on small retailers, to introduce a new tax on plastics, and to remove value-added tax on electronic publications.

The Dutch Government will allow taxpayers to defer payments of certain taxes under a new package of coronavirus economic relief measures.

The German Ministry of Finance has adopted a circular including various tax relief measures for businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

The Swiss Government has announced that it will waive interest on late payments of tax, to allow companies to delay their tax payments.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Maltese Government has announced deferrals for the payment of a number of taxes.

New Zealand has enacted The COVID-19 Response (Taxation and Social Assistance Urgent Measures) Bill to support businesses and individuals cope with the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Argentine Government has announced a number of tax-related measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UK Government has announced that it will delay ramping up its Making Tax Digital project, in light of COVID-19.

On April 2, 2020, the Dutch Ministry of Finance announced that the rules for requesting tax payment deferrals have been simplified and extended to cover additional taxes.

The Swiss Federal Council has launched a consultation on proposals to close what it says is a loophole in the withholding tax system, in a bid to strengthen the country's debt market.

New Zealand's Inland Revenue Department has set out the range of supports available to businesses in response to the impact of COVID-19.

On April 3, 2020, the Belgian tax authority announced an increase in the credit available for timely advance tax payments to provide businesses and the self-employed a liquidity boost amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The Swiss Federal Council has announced that it will expand a system of guarantees for SMEs to provide support for start-ups during the coronavirus pandemic.