Asia Afghanistan The Afghan Taliban government celebrated the second anniversary of its seizure of power with festivities and a public holiday on Tuesday
Asia Cyprus Thousands of residents have celebrated the ‘Easter of Summer’, the catholic festivity of the Assumption of Virgin Mary on 15th August; the millennial tradition sees people flocking to churches and monasteries, bells ring even in the most remote chapels
Asia Thailand To allow for natural rehabilitation, Maya Bay will be closed for two months during the monsoon season until 30 September
Asia Maldives Tree Top Hospital has launched a back-to-school promotion, running throughout August, to motivate parents and guardians to prioritise their children's health before school
Asia Laos Lumpy Skin Disease, a viral infection affecting cows and buffaloes, is not a cause for concern this year, as Laos has observed very few cases in 2023
Asia North Korea The country would be preparing to open its borders to selected nationals for the first time in almost four years, according to a tour company operating in the country Koryo Tours, but lacks an official date
Asia Oman On the beach of Raysut, in the Wilayat of Salalah, the 'Osara' recreational tourism project is being built entirely from recycled wood with activities, recreational and cultural events and relaxation opportunities for different age groups
Asia Qatar Qatar Biobank, a member of the Qatar Foundation, will recruit 60.000 participants for its medical health research initiative on personalised medicine
Asia Philippines The 100 million seedling project of the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Coconut Authority will begin this month and guidelines are being drafted
Asia Israel The Sheba Medical Centre Gala at the Hotel Hermitage raised more than half a million euros for the Middle East's largest hospital treating sick children and refugees, the Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan, Israel
Asia Singapore The Teachers' Day school holiday has been rescheduled to 11 September due to the presidential election polling day, which will fall on 1 September if there is a contest
Asia Uzbekistan Authorities are aiming to halve the number of road accidents with serious consequences by 2030, according to the draft Uzbekistan-2030 strategy, which, however, does not include parameters for reducing deaths and injuries
Asia Turkmenistan Kurash World Cup will be held at the Ashgabat Olympic Village Martial Arts Sports Complex from 23 to 28 November 2023 organised by the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports together with the International Kurash Association