Asia

Kedah state will mandate the inclusion of Jawi script on all billboards, effective immediately, to preserve the traditional Malay-Arabic script, reflecting the state’s cultural heritage; businesses must incorporate Jawi alongside existing scripts

Sa Đéc’s Flower Festival in Đồng Tháp province celebrates its heritage with displays of flowers, ornamental plants, and local goods; open until January 21, the festival strengthens its identity as the “City of Flowers"

The Istanbul Transport Coordination Centre approved a 35% increase in fares for public transport, taxis, school buses and employee shuttles

A coffee processing station in Mokvat, built with support from Korea International Cooperation Agency and Wonders International, processes 900kg-1 ton of cherries/hour and boosts the coffee value chain by enabling farmers to produce higher-value products

SK’s space program, part of the Lunar Codex, is sending 11 traditional sijo poems, including Kim Dal-ho’s “Dream of a Meteor” and Koo Choong-hoe’s “To the Moon,” to the moon via Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, set to reach the Mare Crisium in March

The first 2025 human death from avian influenza H5N1 was reported; 28 years old, the man from Kampong Cham province lived in an area with ongoing poultry outbreaks and had been involved in raising and feeding chicken

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iran is not seeking 'nuclear weapons' and warned US President-elect Donald Trump against risking a 'war' with the Islamic Republic

Israeli historian Ilan Pappe said he believes there are many factors, from the Trump presidency to international isolation, that show that Zionism is entering its 'last phase' before its collapse

Plans have been proposed to set a minimum age for social media use; experts urge careful study and public input to balance safety and access: concerns include enforcement challenges and impacts on digital rights, education, and information access

The signing ceremony of the Haj management agreement for Brunei Darussalam pilgrims for the 2025 season took place recently in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the Minister of Religious Affairs representing the country