CIS leaders hold summit in St. Petersburg; Kyrgyzstan to chair in 2023
St. PETERSBURG: The leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are meeting in for an informal two-day summit in St. Petersburg. The summit, at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is attended by Presidents of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov, Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan Serdar […]
South Korea’s ex-President Lee granted special presidential pardon
SEOUL: President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday granted wide-ranging special pardons to former President Lee Myung-bak and a series of high-profile politicians and former officials convicted of corruption and other irregularities during the previous administrations. Former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo, a close confidant of former President Moon Jae-in, was also pardoned with about […]
Sri Lanka’s ousted president Rajapaksa leaves for US
former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left for the United States of America. According to local reports, he boarded a plane for Dubai on the first leg of his travel to the US. He reportedly left Sri Lanka via the VIP Terminal at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Rajapaksa was […]
China to scrap quarantine requirement for international arrivals on January 8
BEIJING: China will scrap the quarantine requirement for international arrivals starting January 8, 2023, the country’s National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement. NHC said passengers traveling to China need to take nucleic acid test within 48 hours before boarding their flights to China, and that nucleic acid screenings and centralized isolation after arrival […]
Five of world’s top 10 most popular beaches on TikTok are in Asia
Nha Trang is a coastal resort city in southern Vietnam known for its beaches, diving sites and offshore islands. Its main beach is a long, curving stretch along Tran Phu Street backed by a promenade, hotels and seafood restaurants (Photo: Vietnamisawesome). NEW YORK: Five of the world’s top 10 most popular beaches on TikTok are […]
Uzbekistan slashes number of ministries, executive bodies
TASHKENT: The number of executive bodies in Uzbekistan will be reduced from 61 to 28 and the number of ministries will be cut from 25 to 21 while 20 bodies will be abolished starting January 1. In his December 20 address to Parliament, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed administrative reforms to transform the […]
Uzbekistan: 2023 is the Year of Human Care and Quality Education
Shavkat Mirziyoyev TASHKENT: Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has made a proposal to call 2023 the Year of Human Care and Quality Education. Mirziyoyev made the proposal as he delivered his annual address to the Oliy Majlis (parliament) and the people of Uzbekistan. “The more opportunities we create for our people, the greater the impact, and the […]
Mongolia second Asian country to join Nature for Health Initiative
The conference in progress (Montsame) ULAANBAATAR: Mongolia has become one of the six countries to join the Nature for Health Initiative (N4H) to advance global efforts in upstream pandemic prevention. Environment and Green Development Advisor to the President of Mongolia N. Batkhuu participated in the side event at the CBD COP 15 in Montreal to […]
Anwar Ibrahim passes parliamentary test of legitimacy as 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Anwar Ibrahim today confirmed his legitimacy as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia when the motion on vote of confidence was approved by a majority voice at the opening sitting of the 15th parliament. The legitimacy was confirmed by Speaker Johari Abdul as he announced the result of the voice vote taken […]