HUNGARY: Thousands of people marched in Budapest last Friday night to protest against changes to Hungary’s labour code, known as the “slave law,” which allows employers to ask staff to work up to 400 hours of overtime a year. 

The rally besieged the presidential palace and briefly blocked a bridge across the Danube.

Hard-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban blamed Hungary-born US billionaire George Soros for funding the activists.

INDIA: People in India’s capital city New Delhi were advised today to minimise time outdoors for the next three to five days and avoid using private vehicles as pollution hit its second-highest levels this year. 

This is the fourth time this winter that air pollution has been categorised as “severe” by the country’s Central Pollution Control Board.

The city is considering banning construction activities if pollution levels remain high for the next 48 hours.

CUBA: The ruling National Assembly approved an update of the country’s constitution this weekend, the final step before a national referendum in February.

The new constitution maintains Cuba as a centrally planned economy, but recognises private property for the first time and paves the way for a separate referendum on legalising gay marriage.

It also creates the role of prime minister alongside the current president, as well as provincial governors.

YEMEN: A UN team led by a Dutch officer is on its way to Hodeida today to monitor a newly agreed ceasefire in the Red Sea port city, where Yemen's civil war rivals have been fighting for months.

The team arrived in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, by air from Aden today and later headed to Hodeida by road under heavy security.