Russia tells 'hypocritical' Afghan government to negotiate with Taliban

The Kremlin's most senior Afghanistan official accused the Afghan government of hypocrisy on Wednesday and said it needed to start proper negotiations with the Taliban about the country's future before it was too late.
14 July 2021, 13:20 PM

Taliban seize border crossing with Pakistan in major advance

Taliban fighters in Afghanistan said on Wednesday they had taken control of one of the main border crossings with Pakistan, perhaps the most strategic objective they have captured so far in a rapid advance across the country as U.S. forces pull out.
14 July 2021, 12:17 PM

Beijing steps up control of online influencers as culture ministry cracks down on talent agencies

China’s culture ministry is seeking to expand its regulatory authority to livestreaming stars and other online influencers by targeting for the first time the agencies that help personalities monetise themselves online, a move that could shape the future of the booming livestreaming industry that so many Big Tech companies, from ByteDance to Tencent Holdings, have come to rely on for growth.
14 July 2021, 10:13 AM

Pakistan bus blast kills 13, including 9 Chinese

At least 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals and two Pakistani soldiers, were killed after a blast sent a bus plunging into a ravine in a remote region of northern Pakistan on Wednesday, multiple sources told Reuters.
14 July 2021, 09:01 AM

Covid-19: UV-C disinfection system to be installed in Indian parliament

When Indian parliament begins its monsoon session on July 19, lawmakers will be protected against Covid-19 by the latest technology to mitigate airborne transmission of the virus.
14 July 2021, 06:32 AM

Malaysia shuts jab centre after 200 workers infected

A Malaysian coronavirus vaccination centre was shut down yesterday after more than 200 workers tested positive for Covid-19, authorities said, as the country’s cases set a new daily record.
13 July 2021, 18:00 PM

Covid 3rd wave inevitable

Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned yesterday against overcrowding at tourist sites after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) warned that the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is “inevitable” and “imminent” and alerted the state governments against allowing potential “super-spreader” events. 
13 July 2021, 18:00 PM

Liberal Deuba becomes PM of Nepal

Nepal’s president appointed veteran liberal Sher Bahadur Deuba as prime minister yesterday, the president’s office said, a day after the Supreme Court reinstated the parliament that was dissolved in May.
13 July 2021, 18:00 PM

Liberal Deuba becomes PM as Nepal struggles with Covid

Nepal’s president appointed veteran liberal Sher Bahadur Deuba as prime minister on Tuesday, the president's office said, a day after the Supreme Court reinstated the parliament that was dissolved in May.
13 July 2021, 13:01 PM

Immunized but banned: EU says not all COVID vaccines equal

After Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor and his wife received two doses of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in Nigeria, they assumed they would be free to travel this summer to a European destination of their choice. They were wrong.
13 July 2021, 07:23 AM

Grade 7 book seized in Pakistan's Punjab for printing Malala’s picture

The Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) on Monday confiscated the social studies book for grade 7 published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) for printing the picture of Malala Yousufzai alongside that of 1965 war hero Maj Aziz Bhatti Shaheed in the list of important personalities.
13 July 2021, 07:19 AM

8 killed in China hotel collapse

Part of a hotel collapsed in the Chinese city of Suzhou killing eight people and rescue workers were searching on Tuesday for nine people missing in the ruins, state media reported.
13 July 2021, 04:50 AM

Nepal top court ousts PM Oli

Nepal’s top court ousted the sitting prime minister and reinstated the dissolved parliament yesterday, plunging the Himalayan nation into further political uncertainty.
12 July 2021, 18:00 PM

Boosting Protection: Thailand to mix Sinovac, Astra shots

Thailand will use AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine as a second dose for those who received Sinovac’s shot as their first dose in a bid to increase protection, it said yesterday.
12 July 2021, 18:00 PM

Lightning strikes kill dozens in India

More than 50 people were killed in lightning strikes across several states in India, authorities said Monday, including 11 people at a historic fort. 
12 July 2021, 18:00 PM

25 cities contribute more than 50pc

Just 25 big cities – almost all of them in China – accounted for more than half of the climate-warming gases pumped out by a sample of 167 urban hubs around the world, an analysis of emissions trends showed. 
12 July 2021, 18:00 PM

India foils terror attack

An al-Qaeda offshoot in Kashmir planned attacks in northern India ahead of the country’s Independence Day, police claimed after arresting two men with alleged links to the group on Sunday.
12 July 2021, 18:00 PM

Suu Kyi hit by four new charges in Mandalay court

Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi is facing four additional criminal charges, filed in a court in the country’s second biggest city Mandalay, her lawyer said yesterday.
12 July 2021, 18:00 PM

UN resolution calls for reconciliation in Myanmar

The UN Human Rights Council yesterday adopted a resolution condemning human rights violations by Myanmar’s military against the Rohingya and other minorities, and called for a process of reconciliation.
12 July 2021, 18:00 PM

UNHRC adopts resolution emphasising justice and repatriation of Rohingyas back to Myanmar

UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution on the "Human Rights Situation of Rohingya Muslims and other Minorities in Myanmar" today, calling on the international community to continue providing humanitarian assistance until they return to Myanmar.
12 July 2021, 16:05 PM