Asia Azerbaijan 2nd Forum of Azerbaijani Religious Figures held in Baku was attended by over 100 leaders from various faiths, promoting constitutional values as secularism and freedom of conscience and discussing legal and cultural aspects of state-religion relations
Asia Palestine Members of the clergy participated in the Christmas procession outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, and people paraded through the streets of the city at the rhythm of drums to begin the first festive Christmas after two years
Asia Tajikistan Teen Foteh Azizov invented and launched Moni, Tajikistan’s first AI-powered legal assistant tool; noticing that legal language is complex and hard to understand, with support from a local law firm he developed a tool that explains the law in simple terms
Asia Armenia For the first time, a shipment of grain has been sent to Armenia by rail from Russia’s Volgograd region - and via Azerbaijan; others will follow, for a total of 2.000 tons of produce
Asia Turkmenistan Turkmenistan and Spain have discussed closer cooperation to address desertification in Central Asia, including the possible creation of a regional center focused on land degradation; the talks took place in Ashgabat following UN hints to such initiative
Asia Japan Protesters rallied near the Niigata prefectural government building before voting took place in the prefectural assembly on a partial restart of the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant, the world's largest, closed after the 2011 Fukushima disaster
Asia Palestine A four-storey residential building in East Jerusalem has been demolished by Israeli officials citing it was an unauthorised structure; the building, set near the Old City, housed around 100 people, including women, children and elderly residents
Asia Jordan The apparel sector is witnessing a lively commercial activity as festive shopping gains momentum, driven by Christmas offers rolled out to stimulate demand, targeted promotions and shifting consumer priorities amid ongoing economic pressures
Asia North Korea The Biological Specimen Factory in Kaesong Municipality has been renewed and equipped with temperature control; stuffed specimens of birds and mammals are preserved in their original aspect, intended for educational units use, a press release reports
Asia Malaysia 31 Malaysians trapped in job-scam networks in Myanmar have been rescued and safely repatriated; victims were lured with false offers and forced into cybercrime work, highlighting ongoing regional trafficking networks and the need for tighter cooperation
Asia Maldives Tourist arrivals continued to rise in December, with figures pointing to sustained year on year growth of 10% and over during what is traditionally the busiest month; notwithstanding the Christmas holidays China is expected to lead the incoming this month
Asia Oman Oman air launched a direct flight to Copenhagen via Bagdad; the importance of the connecting route was underlined with an official ceremony at the Iraqi airport
Asia Philippines Temporary maritime restrictions have been announced in parts of the West Philippine Sea ahead of a Chinese rocket launch; Authorities cited safety risks from falling debris, analysts note the move comes amid tensions with Beijing over contested waters