Pakistan's parliament was dissolved by President Arif Alvi on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's advice on Wednesday, the president's office said, setting the stage for a national election. However, polls that are to be held in three months are likely to be delayed as the election commission says constituency boundaries have to be redrawn to mirror new census numbers. 

Reuters reported that, “A general election in the country of 241 million people should be held in 90 days but it could be delayed for several months because the election commission has to redraw the boundaries of hundreds of constituencies based on a new census data.”

The approaching Typhoon Khanun caused about 43,000 teenage scouts attending the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea to be evacuated. The event, the first global gathering of scouts since the COVID-19 pandemic, was attended by representatives from 155 countries. 

However, on Tuesday, everyone was evacuated from the Saemangeum site after South Korean authorities conceded it was no longer safe to run the event given the approaching storm. More than 1,000 buses were deployed to move the participants out of the site. The South Korean president cut short his holiday to manage the fallout from the gathering.

India's main opposition party leader, Rahul Gandhi, reclaimed his seat in parliament after the Supreme Court suspended his controversial conviction for defamation. His return is expected to strengthen the voice of the newly formed, 26-party opposition alliance led by his Congress party. 

He was convicted in March in a case brought by a ruling party legislator over comments deemed insulting to Prime Minister Modi and others with the same name, including the legislator. Upon his conviction, Gandhi lost his parliamentary seat and was jailed for two years but granted bail. The Supreme Court last week suspended the conviction, allowing Gandhi to return to parliament and contest next year's elections.

China launched a new satellite for disaster monitoring on Wednesday. The satellite will be used for monitoring floods, typhoons and landslides, and provide data support for emergency management, ecological environment, natural resources, water conservancy, agriculture and other industries. 

The newly launched satellite has the same configuration as the in-orbit HJ-2 05 satellite, which has two image modes – 5-meter spatial resolution and 25-meter spatial resolution.

Cambodia's king on Monday approved the nomination of 45-year-old army general Hun Manet to become the next premier. Hun Manet is the son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, confirming a much-anticipated transfer of power by one of the world's longest-serving leaders. 

Reuters reported that, “The decree endorsing Hun Manet requires the approval of the National Assembly, which will be dominated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party after its landslide win in a July 23 election. Hun Manet said on Facebook he was 'committed to fulfilling the national mission with heroism, honesty, and responsibility'.”

(Cover: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, center, poses for a group photo with lawmakers of the National Assembly at the end of the last session of the current parliament, in Islamabad, Pakistan, August 9, 2023. /CFP)