Asia Armenia Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan said Armenia will participate for the first time in the Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of the European Union, scheduled for mid-April in Spain
Asia Afghanistan Abdul Rashid Iqbal, president of Kabul Polytechnic University, said the first international water conference of this atheneum will be held by the end of September this year
Asia Cambodia There has been a significant increase in mobile payments due to digital transaction options allowing more people to switch from cash to digital payments, the National Bank of Cambodia said
Asia East Timor The influenza laboratory at the National Health Laboratory's in Timor-Leste has been recognized as a National Influenza Center under the WHO Global Influenza Program as a member of the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System
Asia Kazakhstan The Astana Hub International Technopark of IT Startups has seen a surge in projects started by female entrepreneurs, with nearly 250 companies registered, 25% of which have successfully extended their services abroad
Asia Kazakhstan 1,1 million plants will be planted in a drained part of the Aral Sea by the end of 2025 to revitalize the area, according to plans of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
Asia Palestine UN Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese presented a report with a body of evidence "suggesting that Israel has committed at least three of the proscribed acts in the Convention" of genocide toward the people of Gaza
Asia Japan The film Oppenheimer was first shown in Japanese theaters, several months after its US release in July 2023
Asia Bhutan The country received the second tranche of payment from India for the development of the infrastructure of the Gyalsung academies; the Gyalsung is envisioned as a one-year integrated training program mandatory for all youths at the age of 18
Asia Bangladesh Kicked out of other prayer services, members of Bangladesh's transgender hijra community have been welcomed into a new mosque in the Muslim-majority nation with the promise of discrimination-free worship
Asia Azerbaijan Representatives of the Office of the Military Attaché of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Belarus visited the grave of Azerbaijan's National Hero of Belarusian origin Davidovich Anatoliy Nikolayevich on the anniversary of his birth
Asia China China's medical equipment market reached a market capitalization of 1,27 trillion yuan ($179 billion) in 2023, revealed the China Medical Equipment Association; the figure is 10,4% higher than that of 2022
Asia Brunei The Brunei national soccer team arrived home to a heroes' welcome and roaring applause after their heroic 3-2 victory over Vanuatu in an international match of the FIFA Series 2024