Asia

Seven Pakistani soldiers have been killed in an attack by suspected militants near the border with Afghanistan. Pakistan’s military said in a statement on Friday that the troops’ convoy was ambushed the day before in the Isham area of North Waziristan, a district in the volatile northwestern province of Khyber …

Shanghai reported a record number of symptomatic COVID-19 cases on Saturday and other areas across China tightened controls as the country kept up its “dynamic clearance” approach that aims to stamp out the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone, a central Chinese manufacturing area that includes Apple …

China says it conducted military drills around Taiwan on Friday, coinciding with a US Congressional delegation’s visit to the island, with Beijing blaming the visitors for raising tensions with the “provocative” trip. The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement that its military sent frigates, bombers, and …

Lindsey Graham was the first American lawmaker to step off the airplane after his congressional delegation landed at Songshan Airport in Taipei on Thursday evening, starting a whirlwind visit to Taiwan that has already angered China. The Republican senator for South Carolina is leading the congressional delegation, or CODEL, which …

G20 host Indonesia said on Thursday Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov had confirmed he plans to attend virtually next week’s meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies. Indonesian finance ministry official Wempi Saputra also told a briefing that Jakarta was considering whether …

The Philippine military and aid workers pledged on Thursday to keep searching for 103 people missing after tropical storm Megi ripped through central areas this week, burying many under landslides and killing at least 138. Megi was the first cyclone this year to hit the Philippines, an archipelago of more …

Protesters share milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate the traditional new year near Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office, where they have camped out for six days. Sri Lankans have shared milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate their traditional new year opposite the president’s office, where they have camped out for …

Sri Lanka’s prime minister offered talks on Wednesday with protesters calling for the government to step down over its handling of an economic crisis as the opposition threatened to bring a no-confidence motion against it in parliament. The island nation of 22 million people is in the throes of its …

Tokyo denies that it was asked to participate in an alliance seeking to counter China Japan has received unofficial offers to become part of the AUKUS military bloc, which was formed last year by Australia, the UK, and the US, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported on Tuesday. Several unnamed Japanese …

Some residents of Shanghai were allowed out of their homes as the city of 25 million eased a two-week-old shut down Tuesday after a video posted online showed what was said to be people who ran out of food breaking into a supermarket. About 6.6 million people can go outdoors, …

Rescuers hampered by mud and rain on Tuesday used their bare hands and shovels to search for survivors of landslides that smashed into villages in the central Philippines, as the death toll from tropical storm Megi rose to 42. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes as the storm …

Right-wing Hindu groups hold processions in Muslim neighbourhoods and make hate speeches during Ram Navmi celebrations in several states. Muslims in several Indian states are on edge after mobs came out in processions, making hate speeches and attacking their properties during the Hindu festival of Ram Navmi. Most of the …

Non-emergency staffers were evacuated due to a spike in Covid cases and related government restrictions The US State Department has ordered diplomatic workers to vacate a consulate in China, citing a rise in coronavirus infections and new draconian containment measures. All American citizens have also been urged against traveling to …

A US nuclear-powered carrier strike group has been deployed to the waters off the Korean peninsula for the first time since 2017 amid rapidly escalating tensions with North Korea over its missile tests. Reports quoted a US official as saying on Tuesday that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group …

North Korea praised Kim Jong Un’s leadership in developing nuclear weapons, touted his political achievements, and unveiled new portraits and exhibitions to celebrate his 10 years in charge of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). Kim is considered to have assumed power when he was named supreme commander of …

Beijing has urged the US to take practical steps to promote peace instead of trying to capitalize on the Ukraine conflict. China has criticized the harsh sanctions imposed by Washington on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine, saying that the restrictions were the wrong tool to defuse the ongoing crisis. …

Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse hundreds of university students protesting high cooking oil prices and a mooted extension of President Joko Widodo’s stay in office. Crowds of demonstrators were seen running away from the scene outside parliament in the capital Jakarta, according to …

Pakistan’s parliament on Monday elected Shehbaz Sharif prime minister after a week-long constitutional crisis that climaxed on Sunday when his predecessor Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote. Shehbaz, 70, who has a reputation domestically as an effective administrator more than as a politician, is the younger brother of three-time prime …

Parliament session to elect a new PM begins, with opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif the favourite to win after a week-long constitutional crisis. PTI announces resignation from the National Assembly Qureshi said the PTI has decided to resign from the National Assembly. “This house is going to elect a new prime …

The state weather bureau said that the tropical storm Megi made landfall in the central Philippine province on Sunday morning. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said Megi hit land before 8:00 a.m. local time, Xinhua reported. Megi is the first tropical storm to hit the Southeast Asian …