Asia Afghanistan Afghan passports rank the worst in the world in the latest ranking published by Henley Passport Index; based on the number of destinations their owners can access without a prior visa, Afghan passport gives access to 12% of countries globally, or 26
Asia Kuwait The Cabinet called for a significant advancement of electronic systems and applications to improve efficiency and safeguard the nation's digital infrastructure
Asia Nepal The Nepalese Army has so far opened 1.411 kilometres of tracks in different parts of the country
Asia Kyrgyzstan 200 hearing-impaired children will have free cochlear implant operations by the end of this year, the Ministry of Health reports
Asia Kazakhstan The creation of artificial forest plantations on the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea, aiming at reducing the region's negative environmental impacts, will see the support of Chinese scientists
Asia India Thulasendrapuram, a small village about 300 km from the Indian city of Chennai, birthplace of Kamala Harris' maternal grandparents, is proudly displaying a large banner of Mrs Harris in its center
Asia Maldives Next year's budget will include an allocation to facilitate additional training opportunities for athletes, as part of the government's priority to develop the sports sector
Asia Uzbekistan Advertising structures on the streets of Tashkent that hadn't been legalised before 1 June will be dismantled upon order by the Council of Ministers
Asia Mongolia Journalist Unurtsetseg Naran was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison by a court in Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar; according to local analysts and journalists, this represents a worrying development for the country's media
Asia Laos As of 1 August, digital platforms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon will charge a 10% value-added tax to customers in Laos, following the VAT increase from 7%
Asia Cambodia The Ministry of Environment's is developing regional nursery stations though a specific initiative that gained the support of the United Nations National Development Programme in Cambodia
Asia Oman An emergency financing programme to support small and medium-sized enterprises during emergencies has been launched, as announced by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority
Asia Turkmenistan The Koytendag State Nature Reserve, located in eastern Turkmenistan near the borders with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, aims for UNESCO World Heritage status, for its breathtaking landscapes, biodiversity and dinosaur footprints