A major grid failure caused a widespread power outage in India’s financial capital Mumbai and surrounding areas yesterday, the first such blackout in more than two years that stranded thousands of train passengers and delayed college exams.

A bus heading to a Buddhist temple collided with a train in central Thailand, killing at least 20 people dead and injuring 30, authorities have said.

North Korea has unveiled previously unseen intercontinental ballistic missiles at an unprecedented predawn military parade that showcased the country’s long-range weapons for the first time in two years.

A police sting that busted a prostitution ring and triggered a back-and-forth in the courts has revealed a conflict in Indian law over a woman’s right to sell sex and a state’s right to stop her.

Thailand is seeking ways to shorten the 14-day quarantine for foreign tourists to attract more arrivals as the country opens up.

Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty won bail yesterday, nearly a month after being arrested for allegedly buying drugs for her ex-boyfriend actor Sushant Singh Rajput, whose suicide sparked a media storm in India.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has visited Japan to rally support from Washington’s closest allies in Asia, calling for deeper collaboration with Japan, India and Australia as a bulwark against China’s growing regional influence.

South Korea has sought Bangladesh’s support to the Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's bid for the top post of the World Trade Organization.

A case was registered yesterday against Pakistan PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and other party leaders at the Shahdara Police Station in Lahore for ‘conspiring’ against the country and state institutions.

BJP leader Manish Shukla was shot dead on Sunday evening, about 20 km from north Kolkata, when he was speaking with some locals and party workers near a local police station.

Mecca slowly stirred from a seven-month hibernation today as pilgrims trickled in after Saudi authorities partially lifted a coronavirus ban on performing umrah - a pilgrimage to Islam’s two holiest sites that is undertaken at any time of year.

Saudi Arabia’s Chamber of Commerce head Ajlan Al Ajlan has called for a boycott of “everything Turkish”, including imports, investment, and tourism, reports Gulf News.

Attackers set off a truck bomb in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens, according to provincial officials, as violence continues in the war-torn nation despite peace talks taking place in Qatar.

Police have mobilised hundreds of buses to head off any political rallies in the South Korean capital Seoul, with authorities determined to prevent another cluster of novel coronavirus cases emerging from a protest.

Lebanon has asked Interpol to issue arrest warrants for the Russian captain and owner of the ship that brought the explosive material that detonated at Beirut port in August, killing nearly 200 people, according to state media reports.

Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a framework for US-mediated talks aimed at ending a long-running dispute over a border that has been the frontline of several conflicts.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has appreciated China as one of the most valued partners of Bangladesh for its socio-economic development and the continued Chinese support to Bangladesh during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

An Indian court yesterday acquitted top ruling party leaders of conspiracy related to the mob demolition of a flashpoint mosque 28 years ago that sparked communal riots which left more than 2,000 dead. Here is a timeline relating to the mosque dispute:

India’s Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu tested positive for coronavirus today, but is asymptomatic and in good health, his office said.

Sri Lanka has shipped back to Britain container-loads of waste that the government said was brought into the island in violation of international laws governing the shipping of hazardous material.