Asia Cambodia The National Election Committee set up a commission and three sub-commissions - one for facilitation, one for technical aspects and one for announcing the results - to handle the preliminary results of today's municipal elections
Asia Georgia Georgia ranks 44th, the best among its neighbors, in the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021, a report issued by the World Economic Forum, assesses the pace of tourism development in different countries
Asia Kuwait The country announced 5 requirements for pilgrims to apply for the Hajj, like being under 65 years old and fully vaccinated and having health insurance to cover treatment costs in case of contracting Coronavirus
Asia Turkey About 250.000 Turkish citizens have quit smoking with the help of 'Alo 171', a telephone line that connects smokers with health officials who help them quit; the figure represents one third of the total number of calls, 700.000
Asia Kazakhstan A series of training courses on 'Creating Women's Cooperatives' will be organised with USAID's support; through them, more women entrepreneurs can integrate into local supply chains throughout Central Asia
Asia Japan The Anti IUU Forum Japan - a group of NGOs promoting sustainable fishing - issued a statement to government officials suggesting measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
Asia Laos About 7.000 people die every year in Laos from smoking-related diseases, 19 individuals a day, including non-smokers who inhale second-hand smoke, in figures presented by the Minister of Health
Asia Uzbekistan WB has approved a $15 million soft loan for the 5-year financial sector reform project, with actions such as privatisation of state-owned commercial banks, strengthening financial preparedness for natural disasters, and creating a development bank
Asia Singapore Singaporean Peter Chong, 80, became the oldest person to climb the highest mountain in the Philippines, Mount Apo, an inactive volcano rising 2.954 metres above mean sea level
Asia Bangladesh All unlicensed hospitals, clinics and private diagnostic centres will be closed, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said; private health organisations that do not provide quality services will be admonished
Asia East Timor The 54-year-old Archbishop of Dili Carmo da Silva is one of the new cardinals announced to be appointed this August by Pope Francis; President José Ramos-Horta congratulated the cleric
Asia Turkmenistan In the Koneurgench district of the Dashoguz region in the north, construction has begun on a large private park for trucks in transit that also includes a maintenance area for heavy vehicles
Asia Kyrgyzstan The country intends to move away from carbon-based energy by 2050 and by 2030 they will be reduced by 44% - the announcement was made by the director of the Climate Finance Centre of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision