The Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI), in partnership with the International Labour Organization, discussed developing mutually beneficial business models for the animal husbandry sector, boosting employment opportunities in rural areas.

According to a report from the LNCCI on Thursday, the discussion was held in Laos capital Vientiane on Wednesday and chaired by Vice President of the LNCCI Xaybandith Rasphone, news agency reported.

During the meeting, Xaybandith emphasised the importance of addressing challenges and identifying opportunities across various business types, from large corporations to small manufacturers and enterprises, in both urban and rural areas.

Turkey National Intelligence Organisation "neutralised" a senior member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.

The report, quoting anonymous Turkish security forces, said that Halil Yigit, code-named "Hogir Pirosi," who was a responsible member of the PKK unit in the Gara region, organised attacks against Turkish security forces there, news agency reported.

The man joined the PKK in 2007 in southeastern Türkiye's Sirnak province, where he participated in "terrorist attacks with weapons and improvised explosive devices" in the Silopi district, the report said.

Six Islamic State (IS) militants, including a senior group member, were killed in airstrikes on their hideout in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, the Iraqi military said on Thursday.

The militants were killed in three airstrikes carried out by Iraqi F-16 jet fighters on an IS hideout based on intelligence reports and two months of monitoring, said a statement from the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, news agency reported.

The airstrikes were followed by a raid of security forces on the site where they found six bodies, one of which is believed to be a senior IS member known as Omer Salah Ne'ma, nicknamed Abu Khattab, the statement said.

A tourist was killed by a rockfall in Greece's Samaria Gorge on the island of Crete amid bad weather, local authorities said.

Apart from the victim, a 32-year-old Ukrainian woman residing in Germany, no other visitors were injured, according to a press release from the management, news agency reported.

Severe rainfall caused the rockslide, it said, adding that some 300 hikers were briefly trapped, but by sunset, they had been evacuated to safety by disaster response units.

The gorge will remain closed until further notice.

Parts of Mongolia are facing a sudden drop in temperatures and unseasonably early snowfall this autumn.

As of Thursday morning, provinces including Khuvsgul, Selenge, Bulgan, Orkhon, and Darkhan-Uul in the north, as well as the western provinces of Zavkhan and Khovd, and central provinces Tuv, Arkhangai, and Uvurkhangai, have reported snow accumulation of up to 7 cm, according to the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring, reports news agency.

This snowfall has led to temperatures plunging to minus five degrees Celsius in these areas. The central and northern regions of Mongolia are crucial for agriculture, and the abrupt weather change has raised concerns about its potential impacts on farming and daily life.

Australia's population has officially surpassed 27 million people, with migration primarily driving growth.

Official data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday revealed that the Australian population was 27.12 million at the end of March 2024, news agency reported.

The population grew by 615,300 people - or 2.3 per cent - in the 12 months to the end of March.

"Net overseas migration drove 83 per cent of this population growth, while births and deaths, known as natural increase, made up the other 17 per cent," Beidar Cho, head of demography at the ABS, said in a statement.

Mongolia's Immigration Agency announced on Thursday that it has begun issuing all categories of visas electronically.

In line with the government's objective to streamline visa issuance and improve service delivery for foreigners visiting Mongolia for official or personal reasons, all 54 categories of visas issued by Mongolia's Immigration Agency, based on inviter requests, are now available electronically, the agency stated.

The move is part of the Mongolian government's efforts to promote the development of the tourism sector. Inviter requests can be submitted directly through the department's official website, news agency reported.

Pakistan and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral economic and trade relations, said Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, the ministry said in a statement.

The MoU between the Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX) and Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) aims to foster cooperation in economic and trade sectors, news agency reported.

Balaton Park in western Hungary will make its debut on the MotoGP calendar in 2025, marking the sport's long-awaited return to the country after more than three decades.

Situated near the picturesque Lake Balaton, Central Europe’s largest lake, the circuit will undergo significant upgrades in preparation for the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, as well as the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.

Hungary first hosted MotoGP in 1990, with a second Hungarian GP taking place in 1992. Since then, the country has celebrated the rise of homegrown talent, notably Gabor Talmacsi, who became Hungary's first Grand Prix World Champion after claiming the 125cc crown in 2007.

A total of 133 people from Oktwin township in the Bago region, Myanmar, were hospitalised due to food poisoning, the information team of the State Administration Council reported on Thursday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday after local residents consumed fried vermicelli, sauce, rice, and tamarind egg curry donated to them earlier that morning, the report said.

The patients experienced food poisoning symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea at around 8 p.m. local time, news agency reported.

The patients were transported to Taungoo General Hospital, with 68 treated as outpatients and 65 admitted as inpatients. Of the inpatients, 41 were discharged on Thursday morning after recovering, it said.

In a separate incident, over 100 people from Tatkon township in Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory were hospitalised on Tuesday due to food poisoning.