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 Vietnam The government has introduced incentives to encourage investment in the development of hi-tech parks, which will be eligible for investment incentives equivalent to those applied to locations with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions
Asia Brunei The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Intellectual Property Office of Brunei Darussalam to outsource patent services
Asia Bahrain An air defence facility was officially inaugurated, the Bahrain Spears project - Ras Al Bar Camp
Africa Liberia Kula Bonah Nyei Fofana was appointed to head the President's press and communications office: for the first time in Liberia's history, a woman will lead the communications team of the President
America Barbados Nearly 500 students are participating in the pilot phase of the Ministry of Energy and Enterprise's National Financial Literacy Expansion Programme, underway in seven secondary and six primary schools
Asia Cyprus Cyprus property sales fell by 3% in January 2024 compared to the same month last year according to official Land Registry sales statistics
Africa Guinea-Bissau The Minister of the Environment of Guinea-Bissau, Viriato Luis Soares Cassamá, presented the candidature of a group of islands in the Bijagós archipelago to become a World Heritage Site at the Unesco headquarters in Paris
America Antigua and Barbuda The Department of Youth Affairs launched its inaugural Entrepreneurship EDGE programme, aimed at empowering young people and improving their entrepreneurial skills
Europe Austria The pigments in 12 million-year-old fossil snail shells from Austria are the oldest preserved dyes of the polyene group, as scientists from the Natural History Museum in Vienna and the University of Göttingen have shown
Asia Azerbaijan The 7 February presidential elections in Azerbaijan saw manipulations and violations, including carousel voting, ballot stuffing and aggressive behaviour towards observers and independent journalists throughout the day
America Panama The National Migration Service of Panama predicted a 20% increase in irregular migration through the dangerous Darien jungle in 2024, with over 40.000 individuals already crossing this year
Africa Algeria Algeria is discussing closer bilateral cooperation with Germany in the deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen on the occasion of the visit of Economy Minister Robert Habeck to the country
Asia Sri Lanka The government approved a proposal to issue driving licences for light vehicles to people with hearing impairments throughout Sri Lanka, with biennial renewal; a pilot project was launched in November 2022 in the Gampaha district