Asia Laos New rules for intellectual property protection wereintroduced, allowing businesses to protect industrial designs internationally through a single application under the Hague System; It simplifies registration and administrative procedures, reducing costs
Europe Austria Austria, with Hungary, decided not to send weapons to Ukraine to avoid further escalation, said Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner and her Hungarian counterpart Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky
Africa Ghana International attention is gathering around the works of Michael Tetteh, professional glassblower and pioneer artist in Ghana, who makes his colourful glass artworks using scrap metal, glass, TV screens, bottles and other waste
Europe Andorra The new compensation system for public passenger transport companies will come into operation on 1 February, with an expected public saving of €1 million
Africa Cameroon Shakiro, a Cameroonian transgender woman persecuted by the Cameroonian justice system and victim of aggression, has been granted protection in Belgium, where she has arrived
Africa Morocco Cultivating, producing, processing and exporting cannabis for medical purposes will now also be possible in Morocco, which is taking starting steps in this industry with the first ten authorisations for production, processing and marketing
Europe Netherlands The government needs to be more transparent about how the billions of euro in funds allocated to combating climate change will be used, states the Court of Auditors in a letter to the parliament
Africa Democratic Republic of the Congo The authorities have declared 1 February a public holiday in the capital Kinshasa, a decision aimed at allowing Catholic citizens to attend a mass presided over by Pope Francis at Ndolo airport
Africa Libya A 'historic' agreement signed in Tripoli between Italian Eni and Noc, with a projected investment of €8 billion, will increase gas production to guarantee export volumes to Europe
Europe Ireland The state is failing to comply with its legal obligation to conduct vulnerability assessments for asylum seekers arriving in Ireland, new figures show
Asia Iran Ministry of Defence didn't provide information on who is suspected of carrying out the drone attack on the weapons factory in Isfahan; latest drone strike against Iran comes amid escalating regional and international tensions involving the country
America Suriname The country has signed an agreement with China for the upgrading and expansion of the “Safe City” security camera system, which now will include surveillance cameras in all of its districts
Europe Hungary At the world final of the prestigious Bocuse d'Or cooking competition in Lyon, Bence Dalnoki and Patrik Nyikos, under the leadership of Tamás Széll, achieved Hungary's best ever result in the competition, taking third place
Oceania Marshall Islands MIMRA records show that tuna transshipment in Majuro has resumed after disastrous 2020, when transshipment plummeted 60% from the previous year