Asia Lebanon Lebanese consumers smoke an average of 1.955 cigarettes per year, highest rate in the region followed by Kuwait and Libya, according to the 7th edition of the Tobacco Atlas report, an anti-smoking initiative published by the American Cancer Society
Asia Azerbaijan The mosque in Zangilan, vandalised during the Armenian occupation, has been restored, thanks to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which revived religious monuments and mosques
Asia Bhutan 10 chess players, 5 men and 5 women, will represent the country at 44th Chess Olympiad in India; the tournament will be an official international chess competition for Bhutanese players after eight years of inactivity by the chess federation
Asia Malaysia About 90% of the 10 emerging jobs in in the country are related to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)
Asia Jordan Remittances made by Jordanians working in Qatar during the first 5 months of 2022 amounted to about $190 million, +7,9% compared with $175 million during the same period in 2021
Asia South Korea 52,4 percent of unmarried Koreans in their 20s think it is OK not to have children after marriage; latest survey by the Korea Development Institute reports concerns over high child-rearing costs as one of the main reasons
Asia Uzbekistan Much-needed cold chain equipment and computers to the Ministry of Health were donated by the US through the US Agency for International Development, with the goal of strengthening Uzbekistan immunisation system
Asia Tajikistan Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan organised a table tennis tournament to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, in which employees from the embassies of 10 countries, as well as friends and family members, participated
Asia Syria Ahmed Saleh Ibrahim, president of the Syrian Farmers' Union, predicted that the country will produce between 1 and 1,2 million tonnes of wheat this season; the estimate only covers agricultural land cultivated in areas under government control
Asia Yemen A delegation from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation inaugurated the first phase of the largest hospital in Shabwa governorate, part of the UAE's humanitarian initiatives to support the deteriorating health sector
Asia Kuwait Two million expatriates living in the country will no longer have to travel abroad for treatment, after a public-private partnership healthcare system has been established to meet the needs of expatriates and their families
Asia Brunei The Business Sentiment Index for April 2022, based on surveys of more than 600 micro, small, medium and large enterprises, conducted by the Central Bank of Brunei Darussalam shows optimistic conditions
Asia Kazakhstan Over 100 foreign observers from the OSCE and other international organisations have so far been accredited for the referendum in Kazakhstan; accreditation of international observers will end today