Asia Maldives The country broke a post-pandemic record welcoming 8.900 visitors in a single day with on 3 February
Asia Oman The WHO regional office has awarded Al Buraimi the prestigious status of 'Healthy City' in Eastern Mediterranean region; the award will enable the implementation of the 'Health for All' concept, improving equitable access to high quality health services
Asia Mongolia Mongolia is in talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch the first national telecommunications satellite, the latest move to improve connectivity and develop the 'national space economy'
Asia Vietnam The government has introduced incentives to encourage investment in the development of hi-tech parks, which will be eligible for investment incentives equivalent to those applied to locations with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions
Asia Uzbekistan Forest cover has increased by 1 million hectares to 11,9 million hectares in the last six years, now reaching 26,4% of the country's total area, said Forest Agency Director Nizomiddin Bakirov
Asia Brunei The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Intellectual Property Office of Brunei Darussalam to outsource patent services
Asia Bahrain An air defence facility was officially inaugurated, the Bahrain Spears project - Ras Al Bar Camp
Asia Afghanistan The Afghan power company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat settled a two-year debt with Uzbekistan for the supply of electricity
Asia Cyprus Cyprus property sales fell by 3% in January 2024 compared to the same month last year according to official Land Registry sales statistics
Asia Sri Lanka The government approved a proposal to issue driving licences for light vehicles to people with hearing impairments throughout Sri Lanka, with biennial renewal; a pilot project was launched in November 2022 in the Gampaha district
Asia Yemen A collection of poems by Shalom Shabazi, part of the collection recently acquired by the National Library of Israel, sheds light on the history of Jews in Yemen
Asia Malaysia At the beginning of 2024, a long-dormant border dispute, in which a border village faces the prospect of transferring its land to Indonesia, is reawakening political strife that many had hoped had been eliminated
Asia India Indian e-scooter manufacturer Ola Electric, backed by SoftBank, is considering bidding for the extraction rights to lithium blocks auctioned by the Indian government, in a move that could boost its EV battery production plans