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
America Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The donation from the East Caribbean Group of Companies was considered a 'beacon of hope' for the Zero Hunger Trust Fund's school feeding initiative that serves 12 schools in the most vulnerable communities
Asia Japan Recent survey by Taisho University shows Japanese people in smaller towns and villages with at least 5% foreign population do not regularly interact with the foreigners who live in their communities, underscoring the need to work on integrating society
Africa Lesotho Civil servants have given the government a week to honour its 'promise' of a 25% wage increase, otherwise they will go to court, after a meeting between the government and the Coalition of Lesotho Civil Servants that allegedly produced no positive outcome
America Saint Kitts and Nevis The new tax administration system of the St. Kitts and Nevis Department of Revenue, SMARTS - Smart Modernised Administration for Revenue and Taxation System, is now up and running to offer more simplified and efficient services to taxpayers
Oceania Palau Charter flights from Macau to Palau doubled in February compared to January, with 19 flights scheduled for the Chinese New Year holiday; this is expected to bring up to 2.800 visitors from China, a boost for the island nation's tourism industry
Asia Turkey According to recent survey, 250 people die every day in Turkey because of smoking, said Dr Akçay, president of Turkish Association for Respiratory Research and director of the Department of Chest Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of Başkent University
Europe Slovakia The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is launching a new project in the field of nursing services, worth €100 million, to help almost 13.000 people over two years
Africa Seychelles The Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency reported a sharp increase in domestic accidents and electrical fires over the past year
Europe Luxembourg Single and widowed parents will pay less tax from 2025 and a broader reform to eliminate higher taxes for singles than for married couples will be presented no earlier than 2026
Asia Nepal 321 families affected by wild elephant attacks in Jhapa district are awaiting compensation from the government after the animals caused damage to people and property in various places and at different times in the current 2023/24 fiscal year
Asia Jordan The number of Jordanians participating in ‘Urdun Jannah’, the program aimed at stimulating domestic tourism, reached 14.199 in January; Aqaba welcomed 11.413 visitors, while Jerash, Dana Reserve and Shobak recorded no visits through ‘Urdon Jannah'
Oceania Tonga After a three-month break, the Legislative Assembly of Tonga will meet today, 12 February 2024, at 2pm to continue work on the 2023 parliamentary session
America Uruguay Uruguay has recalled to ambassador in Venezuela, Eber da Rosa, expressing concern over events jeopardising free and democratic elections in Venezuela, particularly the disqualification of opposition leader María Corina Machado