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
Oceania Nauru Amnesty International Australia and refugee rights groups have stated that the 40 people who recently sought asylum in Western Australia and were brought to the island of Nauru to be processed in offshore detention should head back to Australia
Europe Kosovo Approximately 57.000 citizens of Kosovo have renounced their citizenship from the beginning of 2008 until the end of 2023, the main reason being the ban on dual citizenship in several states
Africa Uganda The Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Hillary Onek, appealed to the international community to increase funding for Uganda to enable it to feed its growing refugee population
Europe Germany The approximately seven million Germans - almost one-tenth of the population - who, according to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, habitually consume cannabis will be able to legally purchase cannabis 'for recreational use' from 1 April
Europe Latvia The Food and Veterinary Service will begin intensifying checks at the EU's external borders on consignments of food and fodder from today to exclude risks to human and animal health and to verify that consignments comply with EU legislation
Africa Gambia The Gambian Police, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders, held a validation of the five-year police strategic plan for the years 2024 to 2028
Asia Lebanon The suspension of financial support by donor countries to the UN agency for UNRWA will put at risk the education of 38.000 Palestinian refugee children in Lebanon
Asia Yemen The Houthis have recruited and trained more than 200.000 new fighters since the group began its actions in the Red Sea in support of Palestine, says a Houthi spokesman
Africa Namibia The country has been placed on the International Financial Action Task Force's grey list for concerns about compliance with international standards against money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and proliferation financing
Oceania Vanuatu The government allocated Vatu 2,1 billion (€16.000.000) for the improvement and maintenance of main roads
Africa Gabon Gabonese artist and designer Eddy Heindrickx Mayombo works mainly with discarded materials like paper and cardboard and an origami-like folding technique to create his pieces, which he has exhibited in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Russia
Europe Spain Microsoft has announced plans to increase investment in AI and cloud infrastructure in Spain, quadrupling spending over the period 2024-2025 to reach $2,1 billion, which is Microsoft's largest investment since it settled in the country 37 years ago
Europe Ireland University of Galway study shows decline in well-being and high rates of self-harm among adolescents, noting that young people who have suffered adversity, such as bullying or conflict with parents, are substantially more at risk of self-harm