Asia Singapore Under tripartite guidelines announced Tuesday, starting in December, companies will have to give fair consideration to employees' requests for flexible work, which could lead companies to hire abroad
Asia Japan Oji Holding, specialized in the production of disposable diapers, has decided to focus only on adult and senior products, exiting the market of diapers for babies
Asia Mongolia The second meeting of the National Committee to prepare the national team for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, where the country has set a goal of getting 4-5 medals
Asia United Arab Emirates Exceptional and unusual rainfall caused major flooding, with over 80 millimeters of water between Monday night and Tuesday, nearly half of the rain that falls in the country on average in a year; it was the heaviest rainfall in 75 years
Asia Azerbaijan France has recalled its ambassador to Azerbaijan for consultations due to reported Azerbaijan's continued unilateral actions that can damage relations between the two countries
Asia China The Chinese Athletics Association has promised to strengthen oversight of its road running events after at the Beijing Half Marathon three runners appeared to slow down to allow China's He Jie to overtake them and win
Asia Pakistan Doctors Without Borders is deeply concerned about the rights and welfare of Afghans after authorities announced phase two of the repatriation plan; Pakistan hosts an estimated 4,4 million Afghans
Asia Nepal Manual machines are still in use in the security system at Tribhuvan International Airport to screen passengers, a sign that Nepalese police seem to be lagging behind in adopting modern crime control technology
Asia Philippines The nationwide distribution of plastic driver’s license cards has begun; the introduction of the new document addresses the backlog in driver’s licenses issuing, with 9,7 million more plastic cards expected to be delivered
Asia India The upcoming general election of 19 April, in which the parliament for the next five years will be chosen and where Modi seeks his third consecutive term, is the world's biggest democratic exercise ever: nearly one in eight people in the world will vote
Asia Bhutan According to Asian Development Outlook, Bhutan's economic growth is driven by public spending and capital accumulation but the growth mode of capital accumulation is not sustainable due to declining spending and recommended innovative financing approaches
Asia Cambodia Some 5.000 families have been relocated by authorities from the archaeological site of Angkor Wat temple, a major tourist attraction, in a program that Amnesty International called as a "gross violation of international human rights law"
Asia Georgia The country has gone down the path of semi-consolidated authoritarianism, argues the Freedom House report "Nations in Transit 2024," whereby Georgia is among the countries with hybrid regimes leading to self-cratization