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 Lebanon The Israeli Air Force launched an extensive wave of attacks against Lebanon, in which at least seven civilians were killed, in response to rocket attacks by Hezbollah towards the north of the country that killed an Israeli soldier
Europe Albania Edi Rama's government is trying to radically change the law on protected areas, paving the way for constructions for 'strategic purposes' and skipping the public consultation process
Asia Cambodia A team from Fisheries Administration and Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia collected 206 king turtle eggs from 20 hatchlings in last 2 months; the turtles are listed on International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as critically endangered
Africa Central African Republic About 10.000 children are still fighting alongside armed groups in the Central African Republic, more than ten years after the beginning of the civil war, as stated by Marthe Kirima, Minister of Family and Gender Affairs of the Central African government
Asia Bangladesh Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat accepted the journalists' call for social media to be subject to an accountability policy and said he would take action on the matter after talking to all stakeholders
America Dominica PM Roosevelt Skerrit said the meeting held recently at Intercontinental Dominica Cabrits Resort with a EU delegation "went very well"; EU reportedly expressed concern about the low cost/high volume model of Dominica's citizenship-by-investment programme
America Dominican Republic The General Directorate of Customs has significantly reduced the time taken to complete internal administrative processes implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 software leading to greater traceability and agility in services received by taxpayers
Asia Cyprus The interior ministry is in the process of examining and evaluating the entire lifeguard system to ensure it is managed more efficiently; the announcement came just a day before the lifeguard’s plan to go on strike
America Bolivia This week Bolivia celebrated the Jisk’a Anata Carnival Parade in La Paz, marked by vibrant rhythms and inclusive participation, blending indigenous and contemporary dances, emphasizing unity, tradition, and water conservation
America Belize Belize City's taxi operators can now participate in the Belize City Council's E-Mobility plan, leasing-to-own electric cars, with the first two e-taxis delivered and two more on the way
America Argentina Pope Francis and Argentine President Javier Milei embraced in St. Peter's Basilica during a mass to canonize the first Argentine saint, Mama Antula, marking their first encounter blending faith and politics
America Brazil Brazilian police have seized former President Jair Bolsonaro's passport and accused him of manipulating a draft decree to overturn election results, allegedly pressuring military chiefs for a coup and plotting to jail a Supreme Court justice
Africa Cape Verde The beach of Ponta Preta will host the kitesurf world cup from 16 to 25 February, organized by the GKA Kitesurf World Cup Cabo Verde; some 85 sailors, including 15 Cape Verdeans, will compete in the event