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
Asia Pakistan Amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code that make necrophilia an official crime after years of a legislative vacuum on the subject have been approved unanimously by the Senate
Asia East Timor Some 600.000 people crowded the same seaside park for Pope Francis' final mass 35 years after St John Paul II prayed during the nation's struggle for independence from Indonesia
Asia Georgia The National Bank of Georgia decided to maintain the refinancing rate at 8%, applying a careful approach to keep inflation close to acceptable levels
Asia Malaysia A dozen prehistoric human skeletons, believed to be up to 16.000 years old, have been discovered in the Nenggiri Valley, in caves that are expected to be flooded for the construction of a hydroelectric reservoir by mid-2027, reports Live Science
Asia North Korea The United Nations Food Programme is still unable to enter North Korea to provide aid more than three years after withdrawing staff during the pandemic
Asia East Timor The final event of Pope Francis Apostolic Journey to Timor-Leste saw the Pope speaking to around 3.000 young people in Dili about the importance of the values of freedom, commitment, and fraternity; 95% of Timorese are Catholic
Asia Maldives Maldives Immigration stated that they encountered considerable difficulties in deporting migrants at the authority's detention centre who did not have legitimate documents