Asia Thailand In a bid to re-launch the country's reopening, the dates for the Thailand International Boat Show have been confirmed, and it will be held from 6-9 January 2022
Asia Vietnam The country's first metro has gone into service in Hanoi, ending a 10-year project that has been dogged by delays and rising costs; a second line is expected to open in 2023
Asia Nepal More than 40% of pregnant women in Bagmati province, which is also home to the federal capital, opted for home birth in the last fiscal year, according to the province's health directorate
Asia Singapore The Ministry of Health has declared that the state will no longer pay for treatment for people with Covid-19 who could have been vaccinated but chose not to
Asia United Arab Emirates The Abu Dhabi Civil Code was reformed, allowing non-Muslims to marry, divorce and obtain shared custody of their children on the basis of civil law and not on Sharia principles
Asia Tajikistan As of today, public transport fares in the capital Dushanbe are increased by an average of 50%
Asia Cambodia 10 nests of the grey-headed sea eagle, a species officially 'near-threatened' with extinction according to Birdlife International, were recorded in the country in October, with NatureLife Cambodia expressing happiness at the work being done in the area
Asia Turkmenistan The Institute of Seismology and Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences will cooperate with a Russian institute to carry out joint programmes, projects, exchange of research experience and other activities in the field of seismology and geodynamics
Asia Myanmar The UN enquiry body investigating the military junta's crackdown on opponents of its coup has said it has found evidence that could point to crimes against humanity
Asia Bhutan As the Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) Secretariat is currently reviewing the five-year-plan system, a study has recommended that the government change the planning cycle from five years to three
Asia Iran The Iran Saffron Council, said that from March 20 2021, the country has exported 95.708kg of saffron, for a total value of over US$47 million, to some 60 countries; compared to the same period last year, export has grown by 25%
Asia Afghanistan A nationwide polio vaccination campaign has begun for the first time since the Taliban took control of the country in August; according to Unicef, the UN agency has received authorization to carry out the campaign in the country
Asia East Timor The recently deceased Bishop Basilio do Nascimento Martins of Baucau has been awarded the country's highest honour, the Order of Timor-Leste, by President Francisco Guterres "for his dedication to humanity and his courage"