Asia

A mechanism had been set up to facilitate interdepartmental efforts to enable the detention of vessels suspected of sabotage acts in coastal waters, authorities stated, following incident at sea earlier this month

Three pairs of bar-headed geese, one of the few bird species capable of flying over the altitude of 9.000 meters, were spotted in Jagadishpur Bird Sanctuary in Kapilvastu, showing Nepal’s role in bird conservation and is ecotourism potential

Phuket faces a growing garbage crisis, with over 1.000 tonnes of daily waste overwhelming its landfill; authorities plan to cut waste by 15%, expand the landfill, and build an incinerator, stressing the need for better waste separation

SK’s space program, part of the Lunar Codex, is sending 11 traditional sijo poems, including Kim Dal-ho’s “Dream of a Meteor” and Koo Choong-hoe’s “To the Moon,” to the moon via Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, set to reach the Mare Crisium in March

A coffee processing station in Mokvat, built with support from Korea International Cooperation Agency and Wonders International, processes 900kg-1 ton of cherries/hour and boosts the coffee value chain by enabling farmers to produce higher-value products

The Istanbul Transport Coordination Centre approved a 35% increase in fares for public transport, taxis, school buses and employee shuttles

Sa Đéc’s Flower Festival in Đồng Tháp province celebrates its heritage with displays of flowers, ornamental plants, and local goods; open until January 21, the festival strengthens its identity as the “City of Flowers"

Kedah state will mandate the inclusion of Jawi script on all billboards, effective immediately, to preserve the traditional Malay-Arabic script, reflecting the state’s cultural heritage; businesses must incorporate Jawi alongside existing scripts

App stores must implement age verification by March 31 to block under-18 users from adult content, like dating platform; the decision comes amid growing global concerns over online safety, pushing stricter measures to protect minors from harmful content

Although families continue to cherish marriage traditions, a recent survey from Kazakh Institute for Public Development show that expensive marriages and outdated practices, such as the abduction of brides, have decreased significantly

Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani and UK Prime Ministers Keir Starmer unveiled a £12.3 billion ($15 billion) UK-Iraq investment and trade package aimed at strengthening prosperity and bilateral economic ties