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
Africa Botswana The country received an integrity award from the WHO for achieving a milestone in tobacco control efforts by ensuring that there was no undue influence or pressure from the tobacco industry in any public health policy formulation or implementation process
Africa Burundi The average size of family farms is shrinking in rural areas due to population pressure, with fertility being lost due to over-exploitation and farmers seeking new areas, leading to weakening rivers such as the Ruzizi
Asia Bhutan For 8th birthday of His Royal Highness Gyelsay Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, more than 500 DANTAK Project officials engaged in clean-up activities on 900 km of highways, in initiative aimed at creating awareness about the importance of keeping the roads clean
Africa Senegal Clashes occurred in Dakar between security forces and demonstrators protesting the unprecedented postponement of the presidential elections, announced by Head of State Macky Sall, originally scheduled for 25 February
America Cuba Over two thousand personalities and experts from 40 countries will discuss topics related to higher education at the Havana Palace of Congresses from 5 to 9 February as part of the 14th International Higher Education Congress 2024
Europe Finland Finnish forest industry giant Stora Enso has announced a new profit improvement programme that could result in the shedding of around a thousand jobs
America Haiti Haiti's northern region hosted the inaugural edition of the Salon du Livre et des Arts du Grand Nord d'Haiti, with the aim of highlighting the talent of local artists and writers
Oceania Nauru Among the reasons for the break with Taiwan and the rapprochement with China would be the fact that the country faces immense financial pressure due to the imminent closure of the Regional Refugee Processing Centre
Europe Netherlands Last year, people in need of a new organ had to wait slightly less than in previous years, the Dutch Transplant Foundation reported, from 29 months in 2022 to 27 months in 2023 for kidney transplants, with similar decreases for other organs
Africa Namibia Namibian President Hage Geingob died on Sunday at the age of 82 while receiving medical treatment at Lady Pohamba Hospital
America Chile Wildfires left at least 60 dead in the Valparaíso area, where over 1.100 homes were damaged; 1.400 firefighters have been deployed, supported by thousands of volunteers, and a state of emergency due to wildfires has been confirmed
America Saint Kitts and Nevis Land-based aquaculture will be expanded in 2024, as part of the St. Kitts Department of Marine Resources' strategy to reduce the Federation's food imports by 25% by 2025