One of the Taliban’s most secretive leaders, whose only picture on US “most wanted” lists is a grainy semi-covered profile, was photographed openly for the first time yesterday at a passing-out parade for new Afghan police recruits.

The Taliban have been carrying out extensive house searches around the Afghan capital, according to residents, a policy the group’s spokesman said was to detect criminal activity but that some Western diplomats said had targeted ordinary citizens.

Afghanistan’s main universities yesterday reopened six months after the Taliban returned to power, but only a trickle of women returned to now-segregated classes.

The Myanmar junta has rejected a regional special envoy's request to meet with a group of ousted lawmakers - which it had branded a terrorist group - amid attempts to break a year-long political stalemate since the coup.

Myanmar's junta is set to replace Aung San Suu Kyi at the UN's top court Monday as it seeks to dismiss a case over the alleged genocide of Rohingya Muslims.

Sri Lanka’s state-run petroleum company has run out of cash to buy oil, and fuel shortages across the country could get worse, the energy minister said yesterday. 

Myanmar’s military junta is to take part in hearings at the top United Nations court in The Hague next week despite a complaint from political opponents that this could give it international recognition without legal standing. 

India has complained to Singapore about a remark its prime minister made on the number of Indian parliamentarians facing criminal charges, an Indian official said yesterday, in a rare instance of friction between the Asian allies. 

Myanmar’s junta on Monday said it would not attend an upcoming Asean summit after the bloc’s “regrettable” exclusion of its top diplomat over a lack of progress in defusing post-coup violence.

The Myanmar military massacred civilians, used human shields, and committed other atrocities in Karenni State in acts that may amount to war crimes, said Fortify Rights in a new flash report published today.

Hong Kong’s health facilities have been overloaded by an “onslaught” of Covid-19 infections, its leader said, even as authorities cling to a “zero-Covid” policy despite an unprecedented rise in cases fuelled by the Omicron variant.

Armed men stormed the home of a high-profile Sri Lankan television journalist critical of the government yesterday, police said, sparking condemnation by local media rights groups.

Indonesia yesterday signed a deal with France to buy six Rafale warplanes as part of an anticipated total order of 42, Jakarta’s defence minister said, as Paris

A Myanmar rebel group said yesterday that junta troops attacked its fighters in breach of a ceasefire, accusing the military of trying to destabilise the only region of the country that has seen no post-coup crackdown.

Former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been discharged and will receive his follow-up treatment as and when required in the future, says the National Heart Institute (IJN).

As the military consolidates its power amid widespread dissent and armed rebellion is spreading across the country, turmoil in Myanmar is likely to accelerate in 2022, experts said.

Myanmar’s junta suffered a fresh diplomatic blow yesterday as regional bloc Asean barred its top diplomat from attending an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers.

Increased instability in Myanmar since a military coup a year ago has seen a surge in narcotics production there and trafficking into Southeast

A group of young men were recently stopped at a security checkpoint in Yangon and asked to hand over their mobile phones. After being questioned about social media apps on their phones, one was fined for using a virtual private network (VPN).

The world must work to avert more violence and even civil war in Myanmar, China’s ambassador to the UN said Friday.