Egypt has completed its first step of parliamentary elections without incident. Polls in 14 of Egypt's 27 governorates closed Oct. 25 at 9 p.m.; official results are expected later this week. The second stage of the elections will be held Nov. 7-8 in the country's remaining 13 governorates.
The Turkish lira passed 8 lira to the dollar for the first time ever, marking the biggest decline among other emerging markets Oct. 26 and the longest streak of depreciation for the lira since 1999, Bloomberg reported.
Malaysia’s king declared that there is no need for Malaysia to impose a COVID-19 state of emergency, rejecting Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's proposal, CNA reported Oct. 25.
The World Bank has authorized a $304 million loan to help Pakistan finance its Punjab Resource Improvement and Digital Effectiveness Programme (PRIDE), which aims to improve Punjab’s taxation system by introducing comprehensive computer systems and reevaluating existing rules and regulations, Pakistan Defence reported Oct. 24.
Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) announced that its forces had killed Abu Muhsin al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the second-in-command of the overall group, during a raid in the central Ghazni Province, Al Jazeera reported Oct. 25.
With nearly all (99 percent) of the ballots counted, 78 percent of Chileans who participated in an Oct. 25 referendum have voted to create a new constitution that will be written by an elected constitutional convention, the BBC has reported.
The U.S. Treasury issued sanctions on Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Iraj Masjedi, for his connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force.
Pro-Beijing lawmaker Alice Mak of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions called Oct. 23 for an investigation into whether pro-democracy lawmakers’ tactic of filibustering violates the new national security law.
The United Nations said that a “permanent cease-fire in all areas of Libya” had been signed between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is allegedly preparing to declare a state of emergency after consulting with the country's monarch, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, The Straits Times reported Oct. 23, citing unconfirmed leaks.
