Asia

Proposed amendments to the Tobacco Control Act – the chief of which is the enforcement of a smoking ban for the post-2007 generation – have been accepted into the Parliament and sent to a select committee for review, approved with a majority vote of 63-2

Bangladesh has restored "except Israel" on passports, thus barring citizens from travelling there; the phrase "valid for all countries except Israel" was printed on Bangladeshi passports for decades and removed in the later years of ex PM Sheikh Hasina

Though festivities and events have been taking place in Georgia to celebrate Europe Day since 2014, this 11 May the country will celebrate its first Europe Day as a candidate of the European Union at the Expo Georgia exhibition center in Tbilisi

15.000 out of 35.000 Armenians who submitted income declarations claimed their right to reimbursement for social expenses and have received around AMD1,4 billion (€3,2 million) in reimbursements; a proposed law aims at extending the declaration deadline

Illegal use of electricity for cryptocurrency mining has been discovered at three enterprises in Tajikistan, as well as in private homes, with an estimated damage amounting to over 130 million somonis (€10,7 million)

Turkmenistan Airlines will resume passenger flights on the Ashgabat-Moscow-Ashgabat and Ashgabat-Kazan-Ashgabat routes today 1 May 2025; periods of disruption of these services began in August 2023 due to security reasons

Tension escalated in the South China Sea as Chinese and Philippine personnel both raised their national flags on Sandy Cay, a contested outcropping, underscoring the persistent territorial disputes and the strategic importance of the area for both nations

Qatari Diar has signed an agreement with Dar Global to develop Trump International Golf Club, a luxury 18-hole golf course, and Trump-branded luxury villas, part of the Simaisma coastal project located 40 kilometres north of Doha; Eric Trump was present

Royal Decree No. 44/2025 or Law on the Regulation of Human Organ and Tissue Transfer and Transplantation in Oman has been issued, prohibiting the sale or purchase as well as financial compensation for donations of human organs, parts, or tissues

Ronen Bar, chief of Shin Bet, whom cabinet voted last month to fire, will step down from his role on 15 June; opposition lawmakers urge Netanyahu to follow an Bar himself said ‘all’ who failed on October 7 must go

A survey based on WHO's World Health Survey Plus indications and methodology will target a representative sample of residents across Saudi Arabia through individual and household questionnaires to monitor trends and behaviors and improve public services

Azerbaijan Railways will purchase seven new locomotives and spare parts from the Chinese company CRRC Ziyang Co., Ltd.; according to local media, all technical and commercial terms have been finalized for a total value of $26 million