Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

The UN has sent a team of senior female officers to Afghanistan to discuss a ban on women's education and employment in aid organizations.

Amina Mohammad, the UN's most senior woman, and the head of UN Women, Sima Bahous, were in Afghan capital Kabul to talk to senior Taliban leaders. Reuters reported that, "Ms Mohammad discussed women's rights with Afghanistan's acting foreign minister" on January 18, after the Taliban authorities banned most female aid workers and stopped women and girls from attending high school and university.

Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned and has had his memberships at the Politburo and the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) removed, the Vietnam News Agency reported on January 17.

He made the decision out of his personal wish, which was announced at a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPV's meeting held on Tuesday, the official news agency said. Phuc was elected as the Vietnamese president in April 2021.

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sulawesi island on January 18, prompting panicked residents in some towns nearest to the epicenter to flee buildings. No major damage was reported. The tremor was felt in the neighboring Philippines.

The Philippine seismology agency said the quake was felt in southern areas of the country and warned of a risk of damage and aftershocks. It was the second quake in as many weeks. Indonesia sits on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire," making it one of the most seismically active regions in the world, experiencing frequent earthquakes.

China's population shrank in 2022 for the first time in six decades, which will impose long-term challenges on the economy, as the labor market, demand for housing and the pension system will be affected in the coming years.

Malaysian conservatives have clamped down on bikinis, alcohol and gambling as tourists return after COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed. 

Kedah state is banning gambling and booze in a blow to the area’s tourism recovery, while Melacca state says bikinis are "only suitable for the bedroom." The states are governed by conservative Muslims, who won a majority in Malaysia’s recent parliament polls and are seeking more dominance in the states.

(Cover: Afghan women chant slogans during a protest against the ban on university education for women, in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 22, 2022. /CFP)