Asia Vietnam 80th National Day has been marked with largest military parade in decades at Ba Dinh Square, featuring over 200 land vehicles, 30 aircraft, and more than 40 naval vessels, with international contingents from China, Russia, Laos and Cambodia
Asia Pakistan A $500 million Memorandum of Understanding was signed with U.S. Strategic Metals USSM, targeting development and processing of critical minerals like copper, rare earths, gold, tungsten, and antimony
Asia Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has resigned after less than a year in the role, following two major election losses, anticipating the vote of his Liberal Democratic Party on whether to hold an internal leadership vote that could have forced him out
Asia Azerbaijan 151 new standards have been approved in January–August 2025 by the Azerbaijan Institute of Standardization to keep in line with the country’s socio-economic development priorities; the largest number is in food technology and agriculture, with 38 norms
Asia Uzbekistan Senate approved an amendment allowing inmates to reduce their prison sentences by three days for each approved book they read and demonstrate comprehension of; The law, excluding life-sentenced prisoners, may benefit over 13.500 convicts annually
Asia Nepal Approximately 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X, have been banned after they failed to register with the government by the 28 August deadline; the move has sparked protest over restrictions on expression and digital freedom
Asia North Korea Kim Jong Un attended the Military Parade in Beijing on 3 September; diplomacy exports say that standing next to China’s leader Xi Jinping during the event, the North Korean leader showed his leverage in the region
Asia Turkmenistan In his working visit to the People's Republic of China, President Berdimuhamedow confirmed Turkmen-Chinese strategic partnership as a continuation of the centuries-old mutual understanding and trust between that today extends to all areas of cooperation
Asia Vietnam The largest administrative reform in decades has been announced: Vietnam will merge provinces and eliminate the district level, reducing local government units by up to 50%, as part of wider governance restructuring
Asia Taiwan Measures aimed at making housing more affordable for young families and offering flexible parental leave were approved; policies include the “Stable Housing Plan”, increasing social housing for newlyweds and parents of preschoolers, among other provisions
Asia Bahrain Muhammad Sadiq Salman, a Bahraini screenwriter, has been awarded the David Wollen Angel for Comedy for his film script Bobby Chicago
Asia Laos The government is enforcing stricter penalties on tobacco companies that fail to comply with new graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging, aiming to curb smoking and protect public health
Asia Qatar The Qatari Cohesion Octagon Parachuting Team, affiliated with the Qatar Air Sports Committee of the Joint Special Forces, won first place and the gold medal at the 24th World Championship in the Netherlands with 181 points