Asia

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has demanded from the US to respect its core concerns, such as the Taiwan issue, if it wants to restore strained ties between the two countries. Qin told his US counterpart Antony Blinken in a phone conversation on Wednesday to respect China’s “core concerns,” stop interfering …

China poses a growing threat to global security, Germany said in its first national security strategy on Wednesday, underscoring Berlin’s shift in emphasis from economic interests to geopolitics following Russia’s war with Ukraine. Using blunt language about its top trading partner, the strategy document describes Beijing as aggressively claiming supremacy …

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing where they agreed to establish a strategic partnership between the two countries. During the Wednesday meeting, Xi said this partnership will mark a new stage in their relations that will build on their past achievements and open …

India has slammed the ex-Twitter CEO’s allegations as an “outright lie,” saying it did not make any threats to shut down the social networking site. On Monday, Jack Dorsey, thco-founder of Twitter who quit as CEO in 2021, accused India of threatening to shut down Twitter due to the platform’s …

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un says he will “hold hands” with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, offering “full support and solidarity” to Moscow. In a message to Putin on the occasion of Russia’s national day on Monday, Kim called for “closer strategic cooperation” with Moscow, and “holding hands firmly with …

Japan has extended a military alert to shoot down any North Korean ballistic missile, rocket or debris approaching the island nation ahead of Pyongyang’s anticipated next satellite launch. Japan’s Defense Ministry declared on Sunday that the order for its military forces to be on high alert would remain in place …

Beijing has slammed the new Iran-related sanctions imposed by the United States on Chinese targets, urging Washington to stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese entities and people. A spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry told reporters on Monday “The US action lacks factual basis and due process, harming the legitimate rights …

Four boys drowned in rough seas off the western Indian financial hub of Mumbai on Tuesday as India and Pakistan began evacuating people from coastal areas, two days before a cyclone is expected to make landfall. Classified as a very severe cyclonic storm, Biparjoy is expected to land around Thursday …

A storm off India’s west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone and could hit India’s western state of Gujarat and southern parts of Pakistan this week, the Indian weather department said on Monday. The cyclone, named Biparjoy, is expected to make landfall on Thursday afternoon between Mandvi in …

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un says he will “hold hands” with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, offering “full support and solidarity” to Moscow. In a message to Putin on the occasion of Russia’s national day on Monday, Kim called for “closer strategic cooperation” with Moscow, and “holding hands firmly with …

The link between the Afghan Taliban and proscribed militant outfits Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains “strong and symbiotic”, a report published by the United Nations (UN) said. The fourteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council’s 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee — released …

The United States on Friday banned imports from China-based printer maker Ninestar Corp and a chemical company over alleged human rights abuses in China, according to a post for the Federal Register. Ninestar, whose website says it is the world’s fourth-largest laser printer manufacturer, and Xingjang Zhongtai Chemical Co Ltd, …

Iraq and Pakistan have agreed to strive for strengthening and expanding the bilateral economic, trade and investment ties in the traditional and non-traditional sectors, and also through “Pakistan-Iraq Business Council” to further augment trade ties between the two countries. This was announced in a joint statement, issued simultaneously here in …

A rights group has revealed that Israel provided Myanmar’s military junta with arms equipment despite a US and European Union embargo imposed over the country’s genocide against members of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The rights group Justice for Myanmar said in a report published on Thursday that the Israeli arms …

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck Java, Indonesia on Thursday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth of 40 km (24.85 miles), EMSC said.

At least 11 people died after an avalanche hit members of a nomadic tribe as they crossed a mountainous area in northern Pakistan, the country’s disaster management agency said on Saturday. Another 13 people were injured in the avalanche which struck a group of families at Shounter Top Pass late …

Two Iranian border guards have been killed and two civilians wounded during clashes with armed members of the Taliban in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan. An Iranian police official said on Saturday the Taliban started shooting at a border post in violation of international law and the principles …

China’s cyberspace regulator said 1.4 million social media posts have been deleted following a two-month probe into alleged misinformation, illegal profiteering, and impersonation of state officials, among other “pronounced problems.” The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a statement on Friday it had closed 67,000 social media accounts and …

The Chinese government has rejected claims that its spies are penetrating Western infrastructure, calling the joint warning issued by the United States and its allies a “collective disinformation campaign.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that alerts issued by the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were …

Three people were killed Thursday, including two police officers, in a shooting and stabbing attack in Japan’s central Nagano region, according to public broadcaster NHK and other Japanese media outlets. Earlier police said a masked man carrying a rifle and a knife was holed up in a building in Nagano …