World Reports

A port expansion in the Republic of the Congo; bioproducts in Queensland, Australia; more chips in Japan; India’s solar boost; and record robotics stats.

Installation of the first steel rolling gate on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal marks a major milestone in the massive expansion project.

According to a report by London-based global recruiting firm Hydrogen Group, the likelihood is very good that members of Generation Y, those people born in the 1980s and 1990s, are prepared to leave their home countries in order to make the most of the investment into their careers.

The UBI Index, based in Stockholm, Sweden, released its Global Top 25 ranking of University Business Incubators with a US-based incubator at the top of the list.

The FUSO Canter Truck plant in Tramagal, Portugal, celebrated its 50th anniversary in early February.

The United Arab Emirates in late November was awarded the 2020 World Expo, beating out Yekaterinburg in Russia, Izmir in Turkey and São Paulo in Brazil to become the first Middle Eastern territory to ever host the event.

Switzerland, Germany and Austria lead the world in terms of their travel and tourism industry competitiveness with Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Canada, Sweden and Singapore completing the top 10, according to the fifth Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, released in March by the World Economic Forum.

Government financial support for corporate facility investment and expansion continues to be a common practice in most parts of the world.

Vienna retains the top spot as the city with the world’s best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey.

World Reports: Index Mines Social Media and Jaguar Accelerates U.K. Expansion Plans

Swiss textile machine manufacturers pick China sites; a Swiss coffee concern finds a location closer to home for a 400-job production facility

The world’s largest facility for testing and developing carbon capture technologies was inaugurated in Mongstad, Norway, in early May. Technology Centre Mongstad (TCM) is a joint venture between the government of Norway, Statoil, Shell and Sasol.

Two-Wheeling in Southeast Asia; European Auto Plants Rev Up; Color for Scandinavia; Tunnel-to-Tunnel Bridge Debuts In China

World Reports: Brick Work; Cambodia’s First Motor Plant; Energizing Europe; BASF Plans €1-Billion Expansion; Renault-Nissan Plant Goes Green; ‘Morning Star’ Rises

Daimler invested €670 million (US$873 million) in 2011 and plans to spend more than €980 million ($1.3 billion) in 2012 on its main Mercedes-Benz powertrain plant in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, Germany; Weidenhammer Packaging Group (WPG), a major European supplier of composite cans, composite drums and plastic containers; Stamford, Conn.-based audio specialist Harman International Industries; Germany-based Leoni, a leading provider of cables and cable systems to the automotive sector and other industries.

Cold Storage; ABB Launches New Factory in Shanghai; BASF Boosts Capacity In Japan, Taiwan and Bahrain; Nestlé Investing Around the Globe;

World Reports: Engineered fabrics; EMAL expands; Nokia Siemens Networks; Romania Lands EADS Plant; Concrete Wind Towers in Brazil

Germany recorded the highest percentage gain in an inward investment rebound in Europe in 2010, according to Ernst & Young’s ninth annual European Attractiveness Survey.

Some of the world’s leading producers of fibers and fiber-related products have large new projects in various stages of development. Here’s a look at two.