Asia

Taiwan’s youth suicide rate has risen above the OECD average of 6,5, up from 4,5 in 2021, latest comparative report says, and mental health problems are worsening according to a National Taiwan University survey

Councillors have unanimously approved an urgent request to preserve a historic natural spring in Samaheej; members of the Muharraq Municipal Council stressed the heritage value of ‘Ayn Aloudah’, one of the island’s archaeological water sources

The presidential election have been officially scheduled for June 3, following the Constitutional Court's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol; Candidate registration closes May 11, with campaigns starting May 12

In Jan-March 2025, 988 road accidents where recorded in Armenia, resulting in 60 deaths and 1.391 injuries, confirming an alarming trend of the past 10 years; lawmakers held hearings on Road Safety to identify key problems and find systemic solutions

11 island districts will be turned into “special zones”, areas directly managed by provinces with no district-level administration; This reform simplifies governance, boosts development, and strengthens national sovereignty in strategic maritime regions

“National AI” Program will train 250 AI specialists and 2.250 teachers over five years; In partnership with global institutions, it will offer AI education in Mongolian to bridge the digital divide and foster innovation nationwide

The CleanHood initiative has been launched: it promotes shared responsibility for neighborhood cleanliness engaging schools, community groups, and businesses to foster collective ownership and encourage active participation in maintaining public spaces

“The Blitz: A Georgian Daughter’s Rise to CFO in the Post-Soviet Era”, the autobiography by Tamar Gakharia, has reached the top of Amazon charts, earning the #1 New Release badge and becoming a bestseller in selected categories in record time

A sandstorm swept through Iraq, filling the air with choking dust that closed airports and put over 3.700 people in hospital with breathing difficulties; Visibility fell to less than one km in central and southern cities cloaked in an orange haze

Curtailments to gas flow are expected to end on 20 April; they have been imposed after a fire in Petronas Putra Heights on 1 April resulted in a mushroom cloud in a residential area, where 50 houses were damaged by temperatures reaching over 1.000 °C

All Chinese airlines have been ordered not to take further deliveries of Boeing; authorities open new chapter in response to the US decision to impose 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter

Security forces reportedly killed 9 militants of the Pakistani Taliban TTP, active in the northwest region, in a raid in Dera Ismail Khan, near the Afghan border; Among them was Shireen, linked to the killing of army captain Hasnain Akhtar

126.000 phishing emails were allegedly sent by North Korea to nearly 18.000 South Koreans between Nov 24 and Jan 25: officials, researchers, journalists were lured with fake content like concert tickets and political leaks