Asia North Korea A sanctioned NK company, deeply tied to the military, is expanding into Russia’s diamond-rich Yakutia region, local media reported; the operation appears to be a try to send labor abroad and deepen economic cooperation with Moscow, defeating UN sanctions
Asia East Timor World Portuguese Language Day was celebrated with a ceremony at the Government Palace with around 2.000 students and teachers from the Centros de Aprendizagem e Formação Escolar, underlining the cultural and communication importance of the language for ET
Asia South Korea 54,9% of South Koreans are in a state of prolonged resentment, 12,8% severe, with nearly 70% of respondents answering that they believe the world is unfair, according to latest survey by Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Health
Asia Uzbekistan Doctors and nurses in primary healthcare will only work full-time, obstetricians and gynecologists will be doubled according to new system presented following Ishtikhon polyclinic model; family doctors would earn $1.500/month, nurses up to 800
Asia India Two weeks after armed militants killed over 20 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir, India hit nine sites in Pakistan and on Pakistan’s side of the disputed Kashmir region saying the strikes were “focused, measured, and nonescalatory in nature”
Asia Israel Netanyahu declared Israel “on the eve of a forceful entry to Gaza" as security cabinet voted to approve a plan for tens of thousands of additional soldiers to seize and hold Gaza territory, relocating Palestinians south, raising international bewilderment
Asia Kyrgyzstan Roads leading to Three Peaks ski resort in eastern Issyk-Kul will be expanded, demolition works are underway; a central street in the village of Jyrgalan, the most remote village in the Ak-Suu district of the region, will also be enlarged
Asia Bahrain BAPCO Refining confirmed that the safety valve incident on the Bahrain plant has been contained and all measures have been take to protect workers and environment; the leak had resulted in the death of two employees while performing an inspection
Asia Taiwan Growing popularity of Matsu pilgrimages has brought a 50% increase in bookings this year across Taiwan; Dajia Matsu pilgrimage and Baishatun Matsu procession, symbolizing the sea goddess spiritual journey in the human world, draw thousands of devotees
Asia United Arab Emirates With RTA parking often full, motorists spend up to an hour searching for spots — wasting fuel, causing traffic, and turning to costly private lots, whose fees double in some areas: motorists urge action amid soaring parking rates
Asia Sri Lanka The three major pharmaceutical industry associations openly oppose the decision to import medicines from seven countries under the proposed Government-to-Government G2G import scheme, warning that it threatens to collapse the local pharmaceutical industry
Asia Azerbaijan Scattered human remains and fragments of clothing of at least seven individuals could lie in the grave excavated in April in the liberated Khojaly district near the Asgaran-Khojaly road, one of two burial sites recently uncovered in the area, media report
Asia Kuwait With high capacity energy storage, solar initiatives and a full round of maintenance of energy generating units - now 76% complete - Kuwait is preparing to face the summer heat