Asia Oman Traditional Omani folk games have been integrated into a digital environment; the pioneer initiative has been launched as part of effort to preserve the nation's intangible cultural heritage and make it a legacy for younger generations
Asia Armenia Over 16.000 forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh have been granted Armenian citizenship so far this year; 11.259 who have been granted by presidential decree and 5.000+ minors changed passport when their parents were granted citizenship
Asia Kuwait Newborn registration delays in Kuwait are now to attract fines: every Kuwaiti father or guardian must register a newborn in the father’s nationality file within 60 days, or face fines ranging KD2.000 to 3.000 (€5.500-8.000) with limited settlement options
Asia Israel Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-125 index gained 1,7% as shares rose to new record highs at the end of trading day yesterday following an Israeli airstrike that targeted top Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar; index has marked over +32% so far this year
Asia East Timor The Order of Engineers of Timor-Leste is under creation with the support of the Portuguese Engineers Association to provide a regulatory structure for the profession, to strengthen quality, ethics and enhance the value of the sector
Asia Maldives The UN Disability Rights Committee reported the absence of strategies, policies and disaggregated data on women with disabilities, the lack of gender perspectives in disability laws and the absence of disability perspectives in gender policies
Asia Yemen A drone attack launched by Houthi militants in Yemen injured two people at an airport near the city of Eilat after an alert system failed
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