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
Africa South Sudan The Catholic Church in South Sudan has announced that preparations are in full swing for the reception of Pope Francis in the capital Juba, who will visit the country from 3 to 5 February
Europe Liechtenstein Four mountaineers from the Liechtenstein Alpine Club (LAV) participated in the World Cup and European Championships at the same time, with the team achieving success in its first international outing this season
Africa Togo Committed to reducing the trafficking of counterfeit medicines, Togo volunteered in 2022 to launch a pilot project to develop and implement a national plan to combat QIFM, it signed the Medicrime convention
Asia India Inequality is growing in Indian society according to latest Oxfam report: in 2021, 1% of the Indian population owned 40% of the country's wealth and the number of billionaires rose from 142 to 166 in 2022
Asia Japan The country will consider downgrading COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal influenza and then review the related measures in spring this year
America Saint Lucia The leader of Saint Lucia's National Green Party believes that the island should put agriculture first, but that the authorities are not doing so, calling for a national land preparation programme that includes drainage and irrigation
Europe France Parisians are to vote on 2 April to decide on the future of scooters sharing in the city, a proposal by Mayor Hidalgo in the light of lamented inconveniences and recent accidents
Asia Philippines The price of onions has risen so much that they now cost more than chicken or beef, becoming a luxury item for Filipinos; the country's authorities have also seized illegal onion shipments, such as those from China
Africa Tanzania Tanzania's opposition Chadema party held its first mass rally since a ban imposed by former president John Magafuli was lifted
Europe Latvia This year the country plans to train 2.000 soldiers at different levels of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, doubling the 2022 figure
Asia Turkey One of Turkey's leading mobility apps has announced a decision to implement a plan to build specific parking spaces for scooters in coordination with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Africa Algeria The country is 'ready to win' the African Nations Championship, the biennial men's football tournament it hosts until 31/01; diplomatic crisis between Algiers and Rabat over Western Sahara has led to the exclusion of Morocco, the defending champion
Europe Austria The government wants to reduce the burden of high electricity prices for households by covering 80% of grid tariffs, while the authorities are trying to counter inflated prices from utility companies by investing an additional €200 million