Asia Laos The Lao national identity card system is now back online, after it was down for five months: now citizens can once again have their identity cards issued
Asia Kyrgyzstan In 2022, fines of 1,7 million soms (18.000€) were imposed for violations of land and water laws
Asia Lebanon The hit Israeli series Fauda topped Netflix's viewing charts in Lebanon, where much of the plot of the fourth season took place
Asia Israel Israelis will be able to obtain citizenship in Germany and Austria upon family heritage evidence, as new laws have been passed in those countries that simplify the conditions for obtaining citizenship and passports for victims of Nazi persecution
Asia Iraq Central Bank governor has been replaced after Iraqi dinar slumps; the currency hit new lows on Friday, reaching around 1.670 to the US dollar
Asia Indonesia The island of Bali welcomed the first group of Chinese tourists on Sunday with a charter flight
Asia Georgia More than 20 million GEL (EUR 13.5 million) will be allocated to disaster-stricken populations in January, in line with the government's order to allocate funds to municipalities for measures to eliminate the consequences of the recent natural disasters
Asia Myanmar The number of Rohingya refugees embarking on dangerous sea journeys in the hope of reaching Malaysia or Indonesia has increased by 360%, the UN announced after hundreds of refugees were stranded late last year
Asia Japan The country will consider downgrading COVID-19 to the same category as seasonal influenza and then review the related measures in spring this year
Asia Philippines The price of onions has risen so much that they now cost more than chicken or beef, becoming a luxury item for Filipinos; the country's authorities have also seized illegal onion shipments, such as those from China
Asia India Inequality is growing in Indian society according to latest Oxfam report: in 2021, 1% of the Indian population owned 40% of the country's wealth and the number of billionaires rose from 142 to 166 in 2022
Asia Turkey One of Turkey's leading mobility apps has announced a decision to implement a plan to build specific parking spaces for scooters in coordination with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Asia Maldives The Bank of Maldives has reduced the interest rate for student loans to 5%, effective from 1 February