India's demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rose to a record in the fiscal year ended in March amid government measures to provide cleaner cooking fuel to rural households, and analysts expect consumption to keep rising.

Gold demand was robust in India and Singapore this week as a correction in prices ahead of a key gold-buying festival boosted purchases even as major centres like China and Japan were closed for most of the week due to holidays.

A Vietnamese woman who spent more than two years in a Malaysian prison on suspicion of killing the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was released from jail and returned to Vietnam on Friday.

The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in Congo rose above 1,000 on Friday, with attacks on treatment centres continuing to hamper efforts to control the "intense transmission" of the second-worst epidemic of the virus on record.

Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya's future was in doubt on Friday after she said she would not take medication to lower her testosterone levels to comply with new rules for the 800 metres.

Rajasthan Royals have decided to bring back Ajinkya Rahane as captain for the remainder of their Indian Premier League campaign after Steve Smith left to join the Australian squad, the franchise announced on Friday.