An Indian court has sentenced opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail on charges of defamation for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. Gandhi will appeal against the order in a higher court, but it is potentially a big blow for his Congress party a
At least nine people were killed and 47 others injured in northwest Pakistan in the 6.5-magnitude earthquake which jolted the country on Tuesday evening, an official statement said on Wednesday. Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province sai
Taiwan's defence ministry has contingency plans for any moves by China during Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's overseas visit, Deputy Defence Minister Po Horng-huei said on Wednesday ahead of Tsai going to the United States and Central America next week. China, which claims democratically governed
India dampened foreign airline hopes for more access to its airports on Tuesday, with its aviation minister urging domestic carriers to fly long-haul and help establish new hubs as it seeks to recapture control of Indian travel from foreign rivals. It is also asking aerospace companies to step-up
Muslims in Saudi Arabia will start fasting from dawn to dusk for the month of Ramadan on Thursday. The kingdom’s Supreme Court announced the date as the Ramadan moon was not sighted on Tuesday, Arab News reports. Typically, Ramadan starts in Bangladesh a day after Saudi Arabia. That means M
A leaking fuel tanker that sank off the central Philippines three weeks ago has been found using an underwater robot from Japan, a provincial governor said on Tuesday, as authorities sought more foreign help to address the oil spill, reports Reuters. The discovery of MT Princess Empress, whi
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar on Monday called on the international community to coordinate sanctions to counter the abuses perpetrated by the southeast Asian country's military. Since a junta seized power in February 2021, Myanmar has been plunged
Kuwait Oil Co. on Monday declared a state of emergency due to an oil leak in the west of the country. Production was not affected because of the oil leak and there were no injuries reported, reports Reuters citing a statement issued by the company.
Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal won a vote of confidence in parliament on Monday after securing the support of the opposition centrist Nepali Congress party and other smaller groups who are now expected to join his new cabinet. His old coalition allies pulled out of the government last m
Thailand dissolved its parliament on Monday to clear the way for an election in May, a vote set to reignite a long-running power struggle between a military-backed establishment and a political movement that has dominated elections for two decades. Reuters said King Maha Vajiralongkorn endorsed a
A firebrand Israeli minister claimed there's "no such thing" as a Palestinian people as Israel's new coalition government, its most hard-line ever, ploughed ahead on Monday with a part of its plan to overhaul the judiciary. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition said it was pushing a key pa
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that Beijing's proposal on how to solve the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but acknowledged that the solutions are not easy. In an article published at the start of his visit to Moscow - the first by a world le
Indian Kashmir is to get its first foreign investment, with Dubai’s Emaar Group due to build a $60 million shopping and office complex, as the government looks to stabilise a region where Muslim separatists have for years battled the government. The 5.0 billion rupee ($60.50 million) develop
