Asia

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

Over 960 people in Armenia were attacked by animals in August, according to data from the Statistical Committee; 322 of the cases were recorded in rural communities, most cases were dog attacks and 55,2% of the victims were minors

The draft general budget for 2025 presented this week, 28% higher than 2024, allocates 70% of resources for current spending and 30% for investment, but raises concerns regarding the budget’s failure to adequately address poverty and food insecurity

Luang Namtha will celebrate recognition as a national heritage site of Pha That Xieng Teung stupa’s, a buddhist place for meditation; the festival of cultural events, performances, markets will take place 9-15 November as part of the 2024 Visit Laos Year

Sindh province - over 55 million people - has adopted a new 10-point grading system for matriculation and intermediate exams; the reform aims to alleviate the pressure on students striving for high marks and promote a more balanced educational environment