Asia Afghanistan In response to public statements by the authorities that he will not be allowed to travel to the country, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, urged the Taliban to reverse their decision
Asia Armenia Lawmakers will drop plan to toughen penalties for tax evasion after business leaders raised concerns about the potential impact of proposed changes on the private sector
Asia Bhutan The country has experienced an unprecedented surge in extreme weather events, with a record 10 incidents in the last three years alone; National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology attributes this alarming spike to climate change
Asia Iran 34 female prisoners began a hunger strike in an Iranian prison on Sunday to mark two years since the start of protests against clerical authorities, said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi's foundation
Asia Israel The Houthi group claims to have launched a new hypersonic ballistic missile that flew some 2.000 km towards the centre of Israel, evading air defence systems and triggering a fire not far from Tel Aviv; Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to retaliate
Asia Uzbekistan The Anti-Corruption Agency said it found cases of conflict of interest in three other ministries, Transport, Pre-School and School Education and Culture, and related organisations, whose 107 officials hold shares in 116 business entities
Asia United Arab Emirates An increasing number of tenants are relocating from Dubai to the northern emirates, namely Sharja and Ras al-Kaima, driven primarily by affordability and supported by hybrid work arrangements that offer more flexibility to employees
Asia United Arab Emirates For workers in the UAE federal government, a unified model that applies to both Emiratis and foreigners has been developed for a number of employment contracts and working patterns
Asia Azerbaijan Azerbaijan's population increased by 23.477, or 0,2%, since the beginning of 2024 and reached 10.204.247 as of 1 August 2024
Asia Brunei Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam and the Islamic Development Bank formalised a partnership to align with Brunei's sustainable development goals
Asia Cambodia The Festival of the Sea 2024, the 11th, will be held this year in Kampot Province from 13 to 15 December with the theme 'Celebrating Coastal Heritage and Sustainability', it was announced by the Ministry of Tourism
Asia Iraq The US will withdraw most troops from Iraq over the next two years, but will leave a small residual force in the northern Kurdistan region, according to a plan negotiated by US and Iraqi officials
Asia Lebanon UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, announced a $24 million emergency aid package to support the country's most vulnerable populations and those suffering from the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel