An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck Indonesia's Mentawai island region on Tuesday, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

Two states in India’s north-east have agreed to resolve their differences peacefully after their long-running border dispute erupted into deadly violence last week, reports AFP.

The death toll from floods in central China last month is at least 302 with dozens of people still missing, officials said yesterday, after record downpours dumped a year’s worth of rain on a city in just three days, reports AFP. Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province and the epicentre of the record flooding, was hardest-hit with 292 people dead and 47 missing, according to a provincial government press briefing, as residents were trapped in subway trains, underground car parks, and tunnels. Images of passengers inundated by shoulder-height water went viral on Chinese social media on Line 5 of the city subway where 14 people died, while dozens of cars in a tunnel were tossed aside by the deluge, many with passengers still inside.

Members of a shadow government set up by opponents of Myanmar’s coup yesterday condemned the country’s military ruler for taking on the role of prime minister in a caretaker government and said the move was designed to try to win legitimacy.

President Ashraf Ghani yesterday blamed Afghanistan’s fast-deteriorating security situation on a “sudden” decision by the United States to withdraw its troops, but said his government had a plan to bring conditions under control within six months.

In its article, titled “Bangladesh and Pakistan - Formerly one Nation, today a World Apart”, IFFRAS (International Forum for Rights and Security) described how Bangladesh became a “miracle story” and Pakistan a “disaster tale”. 

The death toll from floods in central China last month is at least 302 with dozens of people still missing, officials said, after record downpours dumped a year's worth of rain on a city in just three days.

Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing has taken on the role of prime minister in a newly formed caretaker government, state media reported yesterday, six months after the army seized power from a civilian government.

China’s growth in new home prices slowed in July for the first time in five months, with smaller cities especially weighed down by higher mortgage rates, price caps on resale homes and other steps to cool speculation, a private-sector survey showed on Sunday.

Chinese factory activity weakened in July to its lowest level since the start of the pandemic, data showed Saturday, as manufacturing was impacted by slowing demand, weak exports and extreme weather.

China’s securities regulator said on Sunday it will seek closer cooperation with its US counterpart and will support overseas listings, after US regulators tightened disclosure for Chinese companies and voiced concern about Beijing’s regulatory actions.

India yesterday assumed the rotating Presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of August. It has several important items on

 China and a number of Asian countries ramped up Covid-19 curbs yesterday as Delta variant cases surged and tens of thousands rallied in France against restrictions designed to stop the pandemic.

Afghan government forces struggled against Taliban assaults on several major cities yesterday as the insurgents stepped up a nationwide offensive that saw a key airport in the south come under rocket fire overnight. 

Myanmar's military ruler Min Aung Hlaing has taken on the role of prime minister in a newly formed caretaker government, state media reported on Sunday, six months after the army seized power from a civilian government.

Small groups of students protested against Myanmar’s military junta yesterday in Mandalay and a human rights group accused the armed forces of crimes against humanity as the country approached six months since the army’s takeover. 

The mastermind behind a 2019 attack that killed 40 Indian paramilitary troops has been killed in a shootout with security forces, Indian police in Kashmir said yesterday. 

Eleven people were killed in eastern India after torrential rains swept away homes and triggered landslides, officials said yesterday, taking the country’s monsoon death toll above 230. 

Hundreds of black-clad Malaysians yesterday staged an anti-government protest in defiance of a ban on public gatherings under coronavirus curbs, piling pressure on the embattled prime minister to resign.  

India's Punjab state government has ordered schools -- all classes -- to reopen from August 2, as the state further relaxed Covid-19 restrictions.