Asia Tajikistan Tajikistan must reconsider its attitude towards civil society and consider human rights defenders as allies instead of enemies, said a UN expert after the dissolution of 700 NGOs in the country
Asia United Arab Emirates Starbucks employees based in the United Arab Emirates expressed fears they will lose their livelihoods, as the Gulf retail giant Alshaya Group, which operates the coffee chain in the Middle East, announced plans to cut jobs
Asia Vietnam The country is facing the dual challenge of micronutrient deficiencies and malnutrition, which have a major impact on the productivity and health of the population, experts said
Asia Saudi Arabia The world's first mosque built with 3D printing technology, located in the Al-Jawhara suburb of Jeddah, recently celebrated its inaugural ceremony
Asia Afghanistan 10 million doses of bivalent oral polio vaccine have been donated to Afghanistan by the Indonesian Agency for International Development
Asia Armenia The country said it had officially asked Russia to withdraw its border guards from Yerevan airport
Asia Azerbaijan France has no moral right to raise accusations against Azerbaijan, said the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, firmly rejecting the statement about alleged attacks on freedom of expression and the press and arbitrary arrests in Azerbaijan
Asia Bahrain Around 14 cutting-edge technology companies from Bahrain took centre stage at LEAP 2024, held in Riyadh from 4 to 7 March
Asia Bangladesh Bangladesh is committed to further collaborate with the Nordic countries for a greener and more resilient future, according to the Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
Asia East Timor The Prime Minister has met the first Timorese artist to represent the country at the prestigious Venice Biennale: Maria Madeira; she will show her work Kiss and Don’t Tell, which pays homage to the strength and resilience of the women of Timor-Leste
Asia Israel Israel is blocking 1.500 trucks of humanitarian aid at Rafah crossing and preventing them from entering Gaza; the goods are officially being rejected for 'security reasons' and include oxygen, incubators, refrigerators, tents, solar panels
Asia Indonesia Minister of Youth and Sports Dito Ariotedjo expressed optimism that the Indonesian para badminton and para athletics teams could win gold at the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympic Games
Asia Kazakhstan The country is preparing to introduce broadband internet in 171 rural schools in the East Kazakhstan region using SpaceX Starlink technology; last month, the first batch of 500 pieces of SpaceX Starlink equipment had arrived in the country