Asia

Two buses collided head-on in Bangladesh’s northwestern division of Rangpur on Sunday, leaving at least six people dead and 40 others injured, media reported. The accident took place early on Sunday after the driver of one of the buses fell asleep at the wheel, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported, citing …

The military build-up continues ‘like never before’ on both sides of the 2,100-mile border despite high-level talks It was described as a dialogue, the first high-level meeting in months between the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers to address the ongoing border aggressions that have pushed the two nuclear-armed countries to …

The Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada on Sunday said he “strenuously favors” a political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan even as the movement has launched a sweeping offensive across the country. “In spite of the military gains and advances, the Islamic Emirate strenuously favors a political settlement in the …

At least 30 people died in three Mumbai suburbs when several houses collapsed after landslides triggered by heavy rain, local officials said on Sunday. Rescuers were seen using their hands to dig up the ground and retrieve bodies, local television showed, and authorities said more victims could be trapped inside …

Afghanistan’s authorities say the daughter of the ambassador to Pakistan was briefly kidnapped and “severely tortured” in the Pakistani capital. According to a statement by the Afghan Foreign Ministry on Saturday, Silsila Alikhail, the daughter of Ambassador Najibullah Alikhail, was kidnapped and tortured by unidentified men on her way home …

China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday promised $3 billion in aid to developing countries to fight COVID-19 at an unprecedented emergency online meeting of APEC heads of state. Xi said the additional funds, which come after a similar pledge in May, were intended to “support COVID-19 response and economic and …

The United States Air Force is dispatching more than two dozen F-22 stealth fighters to an exercise in the western Pacific this month as tensions escalate with Beijing over Pacific flashpoints like the South China Sea and Chinese Taipei. Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii said approximately 25 F-22s Raptors from …

China’s foreign ministry branch in Hong Kong said new U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials and its updated business advisory on the city are “extremely rude” and “extremely unreasonable” bullying acts with “despicable intention”. The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on seven Chinese officials over Beijing’s crackdown on democracy in …

A delegation of Afghan political leaders led by top peace official Abdullah Abdullah left for Qatar on Friday to attempt to breathe life into stalled talks with the Taliban as violence escalates around the country. Abdullah, head of the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation and former government chief executive, …

Indonesia’s religious minister called on Friday for people to pray at home during next week’s Islamic holiday to avoid the risk of spreading the coronavirus, as some regions complained of a lack of supplies of COVID-19 vaccines. Fuelled by the spread of the more virulent Delta variant, Indonesia has repeatedly …

A Russian Antonov An-28 passenger plane carrying up to 17 people disappeared from radars on Friday while flying over the Siberian region of Tomsk, local officials said, the second such incident this month. The region’s governor said two helicopters had been dispatched to search for the plane, which was flying …

The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on Friday on a number of Chinese officials over alleged Beijing’s crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, and warn international businesses operating there about deteriorating conditions, two people with knowledge of the situation said. The sources said the financial sanctions would target …

Afghanistan is a sovereign nation and history has proved once again that any intervention by a foreign power in the country is doomed to failure, says China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. “With the withdrawal of the United States and NATO from Afghanistan, the Afghan people have learned …

China has condemned a blast targeting a bus in a remote region of northwestern Pakistan that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals, calling on Islamabad to thoroughly investigate the attack and punish the perpetrators. In a statement on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian urged Pakistan to “severely …

The two countries agreed to ‘seek a mutually acceptable solution’ to the border problem after meeting their foreign ministers. The failure of China and India to resolve the standoff over their disputed border in the western Himalayas, despite an agreement last year, is not in the interest of either side, …

Heavy rain in border regions between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan spurred mudslides that have left 14 dead, authorities in the Central Asian countries said on Tuesday. Landslides hit the mountainous region every year, blocking roads and often forcing families to rebuild homes from scratch. Kyrgyzstan officials said the bodies of six …

Minutes after returning from a mission on Tuesday before dawn, a convoy of exhausted Afghan commandos were speeding back out of their base to try to extract a wounded policeman trapped by Taliban insurgents on the outskirts of Kandahar. The previous outing had been tense but quiet. This operation in …

The Taliban on Tuesday warned Turkey against extending its troop presence in Afghanistan when US-led forces leave the country, insisting the decision was “reprehensible”. “The decision… is ill-advised, a violation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity and against our national interests,” the group said in a statement, days after Ankara …

More Afghans are likely to flee their homes due to escalating violence, the U.N. refugee agency warned on Tuesday, as the Taliban take control of more territory in response to the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces. “Afghanistan is on the brink of another humanitarian crisis. This can be avoided. This …

At least two people were dead and 10 missing after heavy rains in a hilly northern Indian state triggered landslides and flash floods that destroyed homes, damaged roads, and swept away cars, a senior government official said on Tuesday. About 50 workers from the National Disaster Response Force and local …