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The government of Uzbekistan has expanded the list of countries whose citizens can enter the country without a visa for up to 30 days. The corresponding decree was adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers, according to the website kun.uz.
The new list includes seven countries: Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Qatar, China, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Previously, Chinese citizens had a visa-free regime for 7 days, but now the stay has been extended to 30 days.
The decree also introduces shorter processing times for business visas. Citizens of 12 countries — Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Japan — will be able to obtain a business visa within 2 days. For citizens of the UAE, Iran, and Pakistan, the processing time will be 3 days.
According to authorities, Uzbekistan now has a visa-free regime for citizens of 86 countries.
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Facing a record drop in fertility rates, Singapore is significantly expanding its family support framework. According to Bloomberg, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced increases in direct financial assistance alongside enhanced housing benefits for young families.
Under the updated policy, every Singaporean child up to the age of 17 will be eligible to receive up to 70,000 Singapore dollars (approximately $55,000 USD) in total support, which includes cash payouts, educational grants, and related benefits. The government is also expanding paid parental leave and capping monthly out-of-pocket costs for government-subsidized childcare at 150 Singapore dollars.
These interventions aim to reverse a severe demographic decline, marked by last year's fertility rate drop to 0.87 children per woman, while over 20% of the country's population is currently aged 65 or older.
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