Asia

Two Russian embassy staff in Kabul were among six people killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the entrance of the embassy, in a blast that injured at least 10 others, the Russian Foreign Ministry and Afghan officials said on Monday. Police said the attacker was shot dead by …

Pakistani authorities are struggling to prevent the country’s biggest lake from bursting its banks and inundating nearby towns after unprecedented flooding, while the disaster management agency on Monday raised its toll of flood deaths by another 24. Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan’s northern mountains have brought floods …

The move follows several incidents involving UAVs believed to be from mainland China The Taiwanese military announced the deployment of anti-drone guns to the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu on Friday, following several UAV incursions allegedly coming from the Chinese mainland. Kinmen and Matsu are groups of small islands …

Most residents of the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen went into a weekend lockdown on Saturday as mass COVID-19 testing kicked off in much of the city of 18 million people. The lockdown, and the suspension of bus and subway services, came into effect two days after city authorities said …

An explosion outside a mosque in Afghanistan has killed a high-profile pro-Taliban cleric and a number of civilians, marking the latest in a series of terrorist attacks since the Taliban’s rise to power last year. The blast, which took place during the Friday prayers in the Western city of Herat, …

Torrential rains and flooding have killed more than 1,100 people, including 380 children, in Pakistan, where army helicopters plucked stranded families and dropped food packages to inaccessible areas while the UN appealed on Tuesday for $160 million in aid. The historic deluge, triggered by unusually heavy monsoon rains, has impacted …

Taiwan fired warning shots at a Chinese drone that buzzed an offshore islet on Tuesday shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen said she had ordered Taiwan’s military to take “strong countermeasures” against what she termed Chinese provocations. It was the first time warning shots have been fired in such an incident …

The government of Pakistan has declared a state of emergency to deal with the monsoon floods that have hit areas across the country and affected more than 30 million people. Despite being essential every year to irrigate crops and fill lakes and dams across the Indian subcontinent, monsoons also bring …

China has reportedly conducted military exercises around Taiwan as tensions grow over US provocations, including visits by top American officials to Taipei. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, citing a spokesman for China’s People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command, reported on Friday that the drills are part of the routinized military operations …

Historic monsoon rains and flooding in Pakistan have affected more than 30 million people over the last few weeks, the country’s climate change minister said on Thursday, calling the situation a “climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions”. Pakistan has urged the international community to help with relief efforts as it …

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has ordered an update of his country’s wartime operational plans to counter alleged threats from North Korea. On Thursday and the fourth day of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military drills between South Korea and the United States, Yoon ordered the update to address Pyongyang’s …

Afghanistan’s Taliban government has warned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) of a stern response to Western sanctions against the country’s officials, warning the world body not to use the bans as a “pressure tool.” Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman, issued the warning before the UNSC’s plan …

Floods and landslides triggered by intense monsoon rains killed at least 50 people in northern and eastern India over the last three days, officials said on Sunday. The rains overwhelmed hundreds of villages, sweeping away houses and leaving residents stranded as rescue crews have been racing to evacuate survivors. Earlier …

The Republican governor of Indiana, Eric Holcomb, has landed in Taiwan, becoming the latest US official to visit the self-ruled island amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. Holcomb announced in a Twitter thread on Sunday that he arrived in Taiwan along with a delegation for a trip to strengthen …

China’s ambassador to the UK urges London not to follow Washington’s lead on the issue

A huge explosion struck a mosque in Kabul during evening prayers on Wednesday, witnesses and police said, with many feared dead or injured. Police said there were multiple casualties but did not say how many. One Taliban intelligence official told Reuters that as many as 35 people may have been …

Explosions and fires ripped through at least 17 locations in southern Thailand on Wednesday, authorities said, in what appeared to be multiple coordinated attacks that injured seven people. The bombings and arson attacks happened after midnight and targeted convenience stores and a gas station across three provinces, lightly injuring at …

UN rights chief says the return of Rohingya refugees is not possible currently due to concerns about their safety in Myanmar.

Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises led by the host and including India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and other countries, China’s defence ministry said on Wednesday. China’s participation in the joint exercises was “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”, the ministry said …

A military court in Myanmar has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a six-year prison term after finding her guilty in four corruption cases. Suu Kyi was sentenced to “six years imprisonment under four anti-corruption charges,” a source close to the case who requested anonymity told media outlets. …