South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that much progress had been made in restoring trust with Beijing, and that he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a role in mediating Seoul's efforts to engage North Korea. Lee, who held talks with Xi this week, said the Chinese lea
Israel said Lebanon's efforts to disarm Hezbollah are far from sufficient after the Lebanese army declared that it had established operational control in the south, raising pressure on Lebanese leaders who fear Israel could escalate strikes. In line with US demands, the Lebanese government has bee
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in talks to convert about $2 billion of Saudi loans into a JF-17 fighter jet deal, two Pakistani sources said, deepening military cooperation months after the two nations signed a mutual defence pact last year. The talks underscore how the two allies are moving to ope
The air force chiefs of Pakistan and Bangladesh held talks on a potential pact covering the sale of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Dhaka, Pakistan's military said, as Islamabad widens its arms supply ambitions and beefs up ties with Bangladesh. The talks in Islamabad come as Pakistan looks to capit
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the Philippines' southern islands on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) around 68 km (42 miles) east of Baculin, a village in the
India expects neighbourly relations in the region to grow stronger once the situation in Bangladesh normalises through elections, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. He expressed the hope while responding to a question about his recent visit to Bangladesh at an event in Chennai
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced eight journalists and social media commentators on Friday to life imprisonment in absentia after convicting them of terrorism-related offences linked to online activity in support of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The convictions stem from cases
At least nine people have died, and more than 200 have been hospitalised in the central Indian city of Indore after a diarrhoea outbreak that officials said was linked to contaminated drinking water, according to a lawmaker and local health authorities. Kailash Vijayvargiya, a lawmaker, said nine
Chinese President Xi Jinping will host South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on a state visit starting on Sunday, signalling Beijing's intent to strengthen ties with Seoul amidst strained relations with Japan over Taiwan. The visit marks the second meeting between Xi and Lee in just two months, an
Myanmar's junta said slightly more than half of eligible voters cast their ballot in the first phase of a three-stage national election at the weekend, a figure that was markedly lower than the previous two elections. The election is the first since a 2021 coup and is taking place during a civil w
When India overtook China as the world's largest producer of rice this year, the country's politicians and agriculture lobby marked the moment by praising resilient farmers and innovative government policy. India has nearly doubled the amount of rice it exported over the past decade, with shipment
Hamas' armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, announced on Monday that its military spokesperson Abu Obeida had been killed during the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. The announcement was made by a newly-appointed spokesperson, who assumed the same nom de guerre, Abu Obeida, during a televised p
Iraq's parliament elected Sunni Muslim lawmaker Haibat al-Halbousi as speaker at its opening session on Monday following November's national election, launching a process to form a new government that often takes months. A parliamentary statement said Halbousi secured 208 out of a total of 283 vot
