Asia Cyprus All diplomatic missions have been informed that the ESTIA plan to repatriate third country nationals has been activated and Cyprus is ready to help if there are requests to leave the Middle East via the island following the escalating situation
Asia Turkey Istanbul emerged as the main destination and source of internal migration, with 412.707 arrivals and 581.330 departures in 2023; inter-provincial migration surged significantly last year according to the 'Internal Migration Statistics' report
Asia Afghanistan The Taliban celebrated the 3rd anniversary of their seizure of power with a ceremony in Bagram, where there was the former American military base; the country follows the Persian calendar and celebrates the date 14/08 instead of 15/08, day of the seizure
Asia Kyrgyzstan The International Volunteer School of the Organisation of Turkic States countries is taking place from 12 to 16 August, with the aim of strengthening volunteering and its role in solving social, economic, environmental and other problems
Asia Lebanon The death toll of Israeli attacks on towns and villages in the south of Lebanon now stands at 550 people, while over 1.760 people have been injured and more than 100.000 are internally displaced, stated the Ministry of Health
Asia Pakistan There will be no spectators for the second Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh due to renovation work at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, described as a 'difficult decision' by the Pakistan Cricket Board
Asia Singapore Eligible Singaporeans will receive between US$200 and USD 400 next month as part of measures to help them cope with cost-of-living increase
Asia Sri Lanka A programme to conserve 30% of the country's land and ocean by 2030 has been launched by the government, with the aim of attracting $1,5 billion in green investments between 2025 and 2030
Asia Kuwait To address ongoing disputes and immigration violations, the government imposed travel bans on more than 43.000 people - both Kuwaitis and expatriates - in the first six months of 2024
Asia India The state of Assam has launched a mobile phone application with the aim of reducing deaths caused by wild elephants: the app alerts people to approaching herds of elephants so they can move away
Asia Iraq The country plans to build five new thermal power plants to add 10.000 megawatts to its electricity grid; the new power plants will be closed-cycle thus able to run on different fuels
Asia Kazakhstan Kazakh scientist Rauan Kaiyrzhanov has called for the creation of a national brain biobank to promote research into neurodegenerative diseases
Asia Maldives Cemeteries in the Male' area could reach full capacity in the next two years, alarmed Male' Mayor Adam Azim