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
Asia United Arab Emirates The book written by Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al Maktoum, which tells the stories of women aviation pioneers, was presented at the 16th Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2024 by the Kalimat Group publishing house
Asia Azerbaijan The 7 February presidential elections in Azerbaijan saw manipulations and violations, including carousel voting, ballot stuffing and aggressive behaviour towards observers and independent journalists throughout the day
Asia Armenia The ICC held a special ceremony to welcome Armenia as the 124th State Party to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC
Asia South Korea South Korea's consumer rights watchdog found 473 faulty products which had been recalled from overseas markets being sold in South Korea in 2023: 113 were food and beverages, 106 electronic devices, 70 products for children, 61 sports-related items
Asia Israel The government rejected the proposal contained in Hamas document calling for 4,5 months of ceasefire instead of one and a half months, offering the release of hostages in three stages and demanding the release of 1.500 Palestinian prisoners
Asia Nepal The encroachment of arable land near rivers and lakes for infrastructure construction has damaged the bird population in wetlands along the Rapti River in Bhalubang, leading to a shortage of food for the birds
Asia Georgia By 2024, Georgia's airports will accommodate up to 6,8 million passengers, according to the new government programme of Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgia's premier candidate, presented to the Georgian Parliament
Asia Indonesia The president of the Indonesian Medical Association stated that of the total 226.190 doctors in Indonesia, about 160.000 reside in western Indonesia, underlining a problem that the health system has been facing for a long time
Asia Iraq The country imposed a ban on eight local commercial banks preventing them from participating in dollar transactions, with the aim of reducing fraud, money laundering and more illicit uses of the US currency