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
Asia Kuwait The Cabinet called for a significant advancement of electronic systems and applications to improve efficiency and safeguard the nation's digital infrastructure
Europe Monaco The EU anti-corruption body GRECO has published a new report on the Principality of Monaco, calling for stricter measures and sanctions for high-ranking officials and transparency in the issuing of residence permits
Europe Greece The authorities conducted over 4.500 inspections in the past three weeks based on citizen complaints about beach and shoreline zoning violations, imposing a total of €800.000 in fines
Asia Afghanistan Afghan passports rank the worst in the world in the latest ranking published by Henley Passport Index; based on the number of destinations their owners can access without a prior visa, Afghan passport gives access to 12% of countries globally, or 26
Europe Estonia Estonia is one of the freest countries in the world, with a score of 95 out of 100 according to the Freedom House Freedom in the World 2024 index
Asia Kyrgyzstan 200 hearing-impaired children will have free cochlear implant operations by the end of this year, the Ministry of Health reports
Asia India Thulasendrapuram, a small village about 300 km from the Indian city of Chennai, birthplace of Kamala Harris' maternal grandparents, is proudly displaying a large banner of Mrs Harris in its center
America Belize Food prices in Belize surged over 6% these past months due to supply shortages caused by an extreme drought, with the Ministry of Agriculture exploring measures like increased vegetable production and protective structures to address the issue
Europe Hungary Hungarians are becoming more financially aware, fewer people have no savings and more feel secure in their finances, a recent survey by financial services provider Provident shows
Asia Kazakhstan The creation of artificial forest plantations on the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea, aiming at reducing the region's negative environmental impacts, will see the support of Chinese scientists
America Haiti Okap Projects, a group of diasporas from Cap-Haïtien, installed 310 solar-powered streetlights in a mega project to electrify the entire city
Europe Ireland Queen's University announced more funds to help Palestinian students with scholarships; the programme established in 2020 funds tuition fees and accommodation, but not visa or travel costs
Africa Gambia The Gambian delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament presented the national government's report on economic growth, youth development, climate resilience and macroeconomic convergence