Asia Turkey The 10th International Turkish Language Congress, which brought together international scholars, began on Thursday with the reading of the national anthem in the new conference hall of the Atatürk Higher Institute of Culture, Language and History
Asia Malaysia Over 500.000 women entrepreneurs are being empowered through microfinance programmes that provide capital and training to start and grow their businesses
Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan Taliban dismiss as "absurd" the accusations of gender discrimination and human rights violations that have followed new restrictions on the visibility of women in public
Asia Iran Law to protect "family by promoting the culture of chastity and the hijab' tightens penalties for women who do not wear the veil in public with fines, restrictions on internet use, imprisonment, confiscation of vehicles and bans on travelling abroad
Asia Taiwan The import ban imposed on certain foods from Fukushima area of Japan after major accident at the Fukushima Daichii nuclear power plant in 2011 has been lifted; it will be possible to import wild game, mushrooms and vegetable koshiabura again
Asia Thailand A law enacted legalises same-sex marriages; it will come into force in 120 days, so the first same-sex marriages in the country can be celebrated from January next year
Asia Lebanon Over half a million people are said to be fleeing the south and east of the country after Israeli bombardments that have claimed more than 500 lives; international organisations are making emergency mobilisations to bring help to the displaced
Asia Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who won Sunday's elections in Sri Lanka, is 55 years old and is the most left-wing president in the country's history; he is the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a party still described as Marxist-Leninist
Asia Kuwait The country is considering a global market-based petrol price increase for 'expatriates' only; in addition, a cash subsidy for Kuwaitis will be approved to spare them the petrol price increase
Asia Kazakhstan More than half of the Kazakh citizens surveyed are ready to participate in the upcoming referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, according to a poll conducted by the Kazakh Institute for Strategic Studies
Asia Mongolia A unified information system for foreign nationals was developed and the Mongolian Immigration Agency began issuing visas on invitation for all categories electronically, as part of the project implemented by the Asian Development Bank
Asia Qatar The country could record its highest number of tourists ever this year, having already welcomed almost 3,3 million visitors in the first eight months of 2024, a 26% increase over last year, when more than 4 million visitors were welcomed
Asia Iraq Nokia announced a strategic partnership with Zain Iraq to upgrade the telecom operator's network in southern Iraq for three years, marking Nokia's first entry into the microwave sector with Zain Iraq