Asia Maldives A maximum prison sentence of three years and higher fines will hit individuals who intentionally fail to submit tax filings for any taxes required or fail to reveal data, if the proposed amendment to the Tax Administration Act passes
Asia Yemen Yemeni authorities have seized over 1,5 million Captagon pills in a major drug bust; the shipment, hidden on a refrigerated truck traveling from Houthi-controlled Sana’a to Saudi Arabia, reveals a shift in narcotics trafficking, from Syria to Yemen
Asia Kuwait Eviction has been ordered for 22 properties currently occupied by public benefit associations following the government plans to use state-owned land for public development projects
Asia Kazakhstan Negotiations are underway with potential suppliers, including China National Nuclear Corporation, for the construction of third nuclear power plant; Kazakh Atomic Energy Agency reports talks of development of high-power nuclear and small modular reactors
Asia Japan A team representing the United States won the championship of the World Cosplay Summit 2025 in Nagoya; they were clad in popular game characters
Asia North Korea Tumen, a remote Chinese city, has restarted a cross-border bridge project to boost trade with North Korea, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery and local Chinese media, over five years after the bridge was completed but abandoned
Asia Taiwan Construction companies involved in public projects for the reconstruction and repairs in Tainan, Yunlin and Chiayi, severely damaged by Typhoon Danas with flooding and landslides still a threat, can reassign migrant workers without Minitry permission
Asia South Korea Police raided HYBE, the agency behind BTS, the globally famous K-pop group, as part of a probe into alleged unfair share trading by chairman Bang Si-hyuk; He’s accused of misleading investors before HYBE’s 2020 IPO, the initial public offering of stock
Asia Myanmar New restrictions on fuel distribution have been announced, citing shortages and security concerns; Analysts said the move would further hurt the economy, disrupt transport and increase pressure on civilians already struggling with inflation and conflict
Asia Saudi Arabia Imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah urged Muslims to verify news and avoid spreading content from paid or fake social media accounts that produce false statements, warning that many deliberately spread misinformation to distort reputation and sow divisions
Asia Afghanistan Nearly 20.000 Afghans have been crossing from Iran to Afghanistan every day, driven out by targeted crackdowns and xenophobia: 1,5 million since January, fled or deported, make one of the worst displacement crises of the past decade, UN data reports
Asia Uzbekistan High spending and shady contracts for national and international artists led the Anti-Corruption Agency to launch a probe into Khanabad “Echoes of the World” music festival, at its 3rd edition later this month in Andijan
Asia Bhutan Desi High School has launched a five-year forest restoration project with WWF-Bhutan and the Thimphu Forest Division; Students will restore and manage two hectares of degraded forest near the school, planting native trees and ensuring long-term care