Asia Singapore Demand for part-time domestic cleaning services in the country has risen sharply, by as much as 50 per cent, since the pandemic broke out
Asia Kazakhstan Half a kilo of silver coins from the 10th century was found incidentally by a resident of Taraz; the discovery is so important that will be followed by archaeological excavations on the site
Asia Vietnam Dong Ngoc Ha, a first-year biology student at the University of Science, has been named among the top 50 in the Global Student Prize 2021
Asia Palestine Siblings Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd, who gained world attention exposing episodes of recurrent injustice in Occupied Palestinian Territories, have been named in the Time 100 Most Influential People
Asia Saudi Arabia A series of camel sculptures carved into rocks in the North of the country are probably the oldest large-scale animal reliefs in the world - at between 7000-8000 old - according to a new study
Asia Tajikistan The construction of SCO Park, a new culture and recreation pole, has begun in Dushanbe; it will host an exhibition centre where each one of the SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states will have its own separate hall
Asia China The country has formally asked to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership CPTPP, after Aukus - a historic security agreement among the US, UK and Australia - was unveiled
Asia India With over 4.000 players of ultimate frisbee in around 100 villages in Assam, this sport is erasing ethnic divisions in a region with a mixed population of indigenous Bodos, Assamese, Gorkhas, Bengali-speaking Muslims and tea tribes
Asia Uzbekistan The city of Khiva hosted this week the UNESCO International Cultural Forum "Central Asia at the Crossroads of World Civilizations"; experts from 46 countries discussed the role of the region for dialogue and mediation in the current geopolitical context
Asia United Arab Emirates Camel riders from the UAE are preparing for a desert journey in which they will cover 700km in 10 days, with the Expo 2020 site as their final arrival point
Asia Philippines President Duterte will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court's investigation into the country's drug war, insisting that the court has no jurisdiction in the country
Asia Turkey Industrial production rose 8.7% in July year on year, said the Turkish Statistical Institute; the manufacturing, mining and mining index and the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply index also increased
Asia North Korea The tests of a new rail-based ballistic missile system continue; state media claim it was able to fire missiles from a train to hit a target 800 kilometers off the east coast