Nepal registered the nation’s first legal ​​same-sex marriage between citizens of different countries on Oct. 6, 2024.

Three years following the Taliban’s siege of Kabul, a new European Union ruling passed on October 4th, 2024 states that countries only require the gender and nationality of female Afghan refugees to grant asylum.

On Sept. 25, the IMF reached a deal with Pakistan, securing the nation the seven billion dollars needed to pay its debts and stay afloat. The news was uplifting to the country that has an external debt of  $130 billion, with $90 billion due over the next three years. The International Monetary Fund, the financial wing of the United Nations, has continuously lent out money over recent years to Pakistan as the nation struggles to pay back interest on decades-old debt. Pakistan has requested a staggering twenty-three bailouts. This request comes as the nation teetered on being unable to pay back its interest obligations, in effect defaulting.

On August 29th, India unveiled a new missile submarine with possible nuclear capabilities in an effort to compete and assert power against China in light of their ongoing dispute.

This past Thursday, September 19th, in Pakistan two individuals were killed over accusations of Blasphemy. The first, Dr. Kanbhar, was shot dead by police after a mob moved to attack him. 

Women’s rights in Afghanistan are in a state of deterioration, amplified by tensions from the Taliban who regained control of the state in August 2021. Throughout November, four prominent women’s rights activists were arbitrarily detained by the Taliban.