Asia Qatar Qatar Museums unveiled a new metal sculpture at the Al Shafallah Centre: 'Infinity Love' honours 25 years of support by Sheikha Moza, who founded the centre in 1999 to support people with disabilities
Asia Philippines The Philippines remains the most dangerous Asian country for land and environmental defenders, with 68% of the killings and enforced disappearances recorded in the region in 2023, 17 out of a total of 25, according to the Global Witness observatory
Asia Oman A national tour to present the National Digital Economy Programme and its key initiatives kicked off upon initiative of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, in collaboration with other ministries and entities
Asia Nepal The Humla District Hospital is seeing an increase in the number of patients; with only 15 beds and up to 150 patients per day showing up to be treated, it is not possible to manage the situation
Asia South Korea Smoking accounted for more than 80% of in-flight illegal acts reported by South Korea's 10 carriers in the past five years; under South Korean law, a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,500) is imposed for in-flight smoking, including e-cigarettes
Asia Israel The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling on Israel to end its illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories within a year, a move that Palestine hailed as 'historic'
Asia Kuwait In a step towards supporting juvenile rehabilitation, a new night school for juvenile delinquents opened upon initiative of the Ministry of Social, Family and Children Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Education
Asia Thailand A QR Licence mobile application has been introduced by Thailand's Department of Land Transport so that motorists will no longer need to carry their driving licence
Asia Tajikistan In a move to combat extremism, the country, where 96% of the population is Muslim, has imposed a complete ban on women wearing the hijab; previously, the hijab had been banned in schools since 2007 and in public institutions since 2009
Asia Sri Lanka All vehicle import restrictions will be lifted by February 2025, following significant improvement in foreign exchange reserves and the strength of the rupee
Asia Singapore Students who perform well in their mother tongue in the primary school leaving examination will have the opportunity to study their mother tongue at secondary school from 2026 onwards, thus eliminating the minimum score limit now present
Asia Saudi Arabia 'Our Guests are Our Priority' initiative aims to improve the quality of services offered to national and international tourists throughout the Kingdom by strengthening the adherence of accommodation facilities to licensing and classification standards
Asia Bahrain Semiconductor chip manufacturer Polymatech Electronics will invest USD 16 million in Bahrain to create a semiconductor manufacturing plant that will play a key role in the production of essential components for 5G and 6G