Asia

Turkish preacher and Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who was once very influential in politics, until a decade ago a political ally of President Erdoğan and later one of his greatest opponents, has died at the age of 83

South Korean intelligence claims it has evidence that North Korea is about to send thousands of soldiers to fight against Ukraine alongside Russia; between 8 and 13 October, around 1.500 North Korean soldiers were sent to north-eastern Russia for training

Nima Rinji, an 18-year-old Nepalese climber, has written mountaineering history by becoming the youngest climber in the world to join the coveted eight-thousand-meter club, summiting all 14 of the highest mountains above 8.000 metres

The Maidar Buddhist ceremony, held annually at Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Mongolia, celebrates the future arrival of Maitreya; a symbol of love and compassion; this tradition blends Buddhism with Mongolia’s nomadic and Shamanistic roots

Sarawak, Borneo, will launch a digital residency program with special advantages to attract digital nomads; this initiative aims to enhance the digital ecosystem and make local basic economy less dependent on tourism flows

The National Reef Foundation has launched an initiative to empower rural women by building their skills in managing small and medium-sized enterprises and improving product quality to meet local market demand

26,7% of the 576.400 young people aged 15 to 29 are unemployed, according to data from the National Statistics Service

The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction ended in Manila; thousands of participants from governments, civil society, private sector and academia shared best practices to accelerate disaster risk reduction across the region

A geologist from Estrella Resources has mapped under a zone of supergene manganese in an exposed outcrop 500 m south-west of the Samalari discovery, by now the largest manganese outcrop ever observed in East Timor

The army has called on Jordanian males aged 18-40 to rectify their status by obtaining a valid military service booklet to avoid travel delay, while males over 40 must ensure they hold a military subscription exemption that certifies they reached the age

Special tourist zones, introduced under the Tourism Promotion Act in 1993 and established to attract foreign visitors to boost local economies, have largely fallen short of their goals, according to latest data from municipal administrations

Law enforcement reports have often highlighted the detention of girls and women for 'immoral behaviour', with their faces often previewed in news articles, violating women's rights