Asia Qatar In order to improve the country's instant payment system, the Central Bank of Qatar introduced the 'Request Payment' function through its 'Fawran' service in line with the Third Financial Sector Strategic Plan
Asia Tajikistan The civil service has declined in the country, with almost 4,000 positions in government agencies currently vacant and the number of applicants decreasing significantly
Asia Turkey The results of Physical Activity Survey 2023 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality reveal a significant increase in the number of people practicing physical activity throughout the city, with Küçükçekmece leading among the 39 districts
Asia Maldives A mega initiative is planned to be launched in September to have only local teachers in the Maldives education system
Asia Georgia Kutaisi has been nominated as one of the selected extraordinary destinations to visit in 2024 in the TIME magazine list
Asia East Timor East Timor deposited the instrument of accession to the 1907 Convention for the Settlement of International Disputes in the Pacific
Asia Oman The number of vehicles registered in the country during the first half of 2024 amounts to approximately 1.704.873 vehicles, of which private licences account for 79,6%
Asia Cyprus Preparations are underway in the Paphos district village of Lysos for the drying and production of the area’s cured figs, commonly known as ‘maxilles’, which are on the island’s Unesco list of tangible cultural heritage
Asia Bhutan The Indian government is likely to authorise the import of potatoes from Bhutan, expecting tuber prices to remain high in the short term due to lower production
Asia Philippines A Chinese solar energy company has joined the Philippine government's efforts to increase renewable energy supply capacity by building a photovoltaic power project in Bacolod City
Asia China The 26 African countries participating in the China-Africa Digital Cooperation Forum, hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in Beijing, agreed to strengthen partnerships in the digital sector
Asia Brunei The oversized national flag of Brunei was officially lowered in the open area of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex at the conclusion of the celebrations of His Majesty the Sultan's 71st birthday
Asia North Korea Images of Olympic table tennis players from North and South Korea taking a selfie together on the medal podium in Paris have gone viral, hailed as a rare demonstration of cross-border unity