Asia

China says it has put forward alternative parameters for a second probe into the origins of Covid-19 that should span multiple countries, Beijing’s latest move to counter a push by the US for a deeper investigation into the theory the virus leaked from a Wuhan lab. China, where the coronavirus …

The death toll has risen to 99 from floods that hit a province in central China last week, authorities said on Thursday. No details on who they were or how they died were provided in initial state media reports. The city of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, was hit …

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin faced calls to resign on Thursday from the opposition and the biggest bloc in the ruling coalition, after a rare rebuke by the king over the government’s handling of emergency ordinances. Muhyiddin’s government said earlier this week that on July 21 it had revoked all …

Torrential monsoon rains have ruined the sprawling camps of Rohingya Muslim refugees in southern Bangladesh, turning settlements into fast-flowing rivers overnight and leaving thousands of refugees without shelter. On Wednesday alone, over 30 centimeters of rain fell on the camps in Cox’s Bazar district, which is home to more than …

Afghan villagers searched desperately for survivors after a flash flood swept down a narrow valley in a Taliban-controlled area, killing at least 40 people and destroying dozens of houses in the early hours of Thursday morning, officials said. Getting reliable information was difficult, according to Afghan officials, as the Kamdesh …

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has questioned the United States’ rationale behind the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 by stressing that the Americans “really messed it up in Afghanistan.” “I think the US has really messed it up in Afghanistan,” Imran Khan said in an interview with PBS News Hour …

Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupted on Wednesday, spewing a massive column of smoke and ash into the sky. The eruption of the volcano in North Sumatra province lasted about 12 minutes, a local geological agency said. “The volcanic material reached 4,500 meters into the air and lasted for quite a long …

Eighteen migrant laborers sleeping on a highway in northern India after their bus broke down died when a truck rammed into the vehicle, police said Wednesday. At least 19 others were injured in the accident in Uttar Pradesh state, a senior police officer told reporters. Most of the passengers were …

A nine-member Taliban delegation is on a two-day visit to China where they met with the foreign minister for talks on the peace process and security issues, the group’s spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Politics, economy, and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan …

North and South Korea are in talks to reopen a joint liaison office that Pyongyang demolished last year and hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations, three South Korean government sources with knowledge of the matter said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim …

A report by a UK-based investigative group says an airstrike by France in Mali early this year killed 19 civilians and was a “complete violation of international human rights and international humanitarian law.” The report, released by the London-based international law firm Stoke White Investigations on Monday, said that French …

The United States has imposed new flight restrictions over Afghanistan due to the risk “posed by militant activity” across the country. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday that US airlines and other US operators were banned from the Kabul Flight Information Region. Citing the risk “posed by extremist/militant activity,” …

South Korea’s presidential Blue House announced on Tuesday that the two countries’ leaders had agreed to rebuild trust, while revealing that they had also been exchanging a series of letters since April. It said South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un had both agreed to improve ties and to …

A wall of sand over 100 meters high swallowed a city on the fringes of the Gobi desert in northwestern China, in scenes reminiscent of a disaster film. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Dunhuang, a tourist draw with a colorful history …

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday reiterated calls for a “negotiated settlement” with the Taliban in Afghanistan, admitting the country faced a “deeply challenging” security situation as foreign troops leave. “The security situation in Afghanistan remains deeply challenging, and requires a negotiated settlement. NATO will continue to support Afghanistan, including …

India will miss a target to administer over a half-billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of the month as Bharat Biotech — maker of its only approved homegrown shot — struggles to boost output, an analysis of government data showed on Monday. India has undertaken one of the world’s …

Pakistan on Monday reopened a major southwestern border crossing with Afghanistan that is currently under Taliban control on the Afghan side, Pakistani customs officials said, allowing over 100 trucks carrying goods to cross into Afghanistan. The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, a key port for landlocked Afghanistan, had been closed by Pakistan …

The ruling party of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has won a majority of seats in Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s regional assembly, the head of the election commission announced on Monday. Analysts say polarisation in Pakistan’s politics pushed the main national parties to focus on the polls in the semi-autonomous region, tightening …

Beijing has urged Washington to put aside its “misguided mindset and dangerous policy” of viewing China as an “imaginary enemy,” which has led to a stalemate in relations between the world’s two largest economies. In a high-level meeting on Monday, China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Feng warned visiting US Deputy …

A top Chinese diplomat took a confrontational tone on Monday in rare high-level talks with the United States, accusing it of creating an “imaginary enemy” to divert attention from domestic problems and suppress China. Amid worsening relations between the world’s two largest economies, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the …