Asia

Japan’s largest advertising agency, Dentsu Group Corp, has evacuated its Tokyo headquarters after receiving a bomb threat, an internal company email reviewed by Reuters showed on Friday. “Warning of explosion at Dentsu’s Shiodome headquarters building with deadline past 7:00 a.m. on June 7, Sunday” a message sent via the company’s …

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has canceled plans to attend the Hajj pilgrimage this year because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Around 220,000 people from Indonesia were set to take part in this year’s Hajj, and Indonesia always gets the largest foreign contingent due to its population …

The governor of Indonesia’s capital announced on Thursday the easing of some coronavirus restrictions though he warned that the fight against the outbreak was far from over in Southeast Asia’s biggest city. Governor Anise Baswedan said from Friday some public transport could resume normal operations and houses of worship would …

At least 39 children and teachers have been injured in a knife attack at a nursery school in Guangxi, southern China. The local government said 37 students and two adults suffered injuries of varying degrees in the stabbing, which took place at about 8.30 am local time on Thursday. Chinese …

Chinese troops have moved into a tense, disputed section of the Himalayan border shared by China and India, according to a high-ranking Delhi official. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Tuesday a “significant number” of Chinese troops had moved to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries. …

Pakistani aviation authorities have told Pakistan International Airlines that the pilot of a passenger plane that crashed into a residential district of Karachi last month had ignored air traffic control’s instructions for landing, a PIA spokesman said on Wednesday. The PIA Airbus A320 crashed on May 22 while trying to …

A cyclone is lashing areas on India’s west coast after making landfall near the densely populated city of Mumbai. The eye of Cyclone Nisarga narrowly missed the megacity as it slammed into Maharashtra state. There are warnings it may trigger big storm surges. Officials moved tens of thousands of people …

Nine civilians, including women and children, have been killed in a roadside bomb explosion targeting a small bus in southern Afghanistan. Jamal Nasir Barekzai, the spokesman for the Kandahar Police, said five others were also wounded when the bomb tore through the vehicle in Afghanistan district of the province on …

Trump administration announced it will block Chinese passenger airlines from traveling to the United States starting on 16 June. The move, made by the US Department of Transportation, reportedly was in response to Beijing refusing to allow US air carriers to resume flights to the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, …

If Beijing imposes its new national security law in Hong Kong, Britain will extend a path to citizenship to almost three million eligible residents of the city, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged. There are some 350,000 people living in Hong Kong who currently hold British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passports, …

Coronavirus patients were among more than 100,000 people evacuated from low-lying coastal areas in India’s western states as a cyclone advanced toward Mumbai in Maharashtra today. Cyclone Nisarga made landfall at around 1 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET) with wind speeds of up to 110 kph (68 mph), according …

A bomb attack has targeted a mosque compound near a fortified diplomatic district in Kabul, injuring at least three people. Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said that the bomb attack was carried out at the entrance of a popular mosque located on the edge of the Green Zone on …

The Spanish authorities decided to close one of their military bases in Iraq and withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, El Pais reported. Troops serving at the Bismayah training camp in Iraq are expected to return to Spain by the end of July. Currently, there are 350 Spanish troops at this …

 A Wuhan doctor who worked with coronavirus whistleblower Li Wenliang died of the virus on Tuesday, state media reported, becoming China’s first COVID-19 fatality in weeks. Hu Weifeng, a urologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, passed away after being treated for COVID-19 and allied issues for more than four months, state …

At least 20 villagers, including 10 children, were killed in landslides on Tuesday (June 2) after three days of incessant pre-monsoon rains in northeastern India, officials said. The landslides took place in the Barak Valley of southern Assam state, Forests Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said, adding that several homes were destroyed. …

The Tokyo government on Tuesday warned citizens to stay at home unless they had urgent business and to practice social distancing after recording 34 new coronavirus infections, the highest since early May. Japan lifted a state of emergency for the capital on May 25.

Beijing warned Washington Monday of retaliation after President Donald Trump announced restrictions on Chinese students in the US in protest against a new national security law in Hong Kong. China also said ongoing unrest in the US highlighted its severe problems of racism and police violence — and exposed Washington’s …

A new United Nations report says that the Taliban assured al Qaeda that it would maintain their close links despite the “peace” deal with the organization which the Trump administration has touted as signifying a break between the Taliban and the terror group responsible for the 9/11 terror attacks. “The …

Japan is considering re-opening its borders to travellers from selected countries which have low levels of coronavirus infections, as it begins to ease restrictions put in place earlier this year to control the outbreak. As schools, cinemas, sports clubs and department stores reopened in the nation’s capital Tokyo on Monday, …

It is a scene repeated the world over: pedestrians glued to their phones while walking, causing collisions and sometimes accidents. No more, says one Japanese city. Officials in Yamato city, near Tokyo, on Monday, submitted a bill to the city assembly to stop people from using their phones while walking. …