Governments attending upcoming regional summits in Malaysia should reject the Myanmar military junta's plans to hold "elections" in December 2025, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to all countries sending delegates. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN partner Summits wi
A passenger bus erupted into flames after a motorcycle crashed into it early Friday, killing at least 25 people and injuring several others in southern India, police said. The fire tore through the bus within minutes, trapping dozens of passengers as it sped along a highway near Kurnool district i
Pakistan banned a violent Islamist party under the country's anti-terrorism law on Thursday, the government said, days after the group clashed with police in an anti-Israel rally and five people were killed. Pakistan's cabinet has approved the ban, the government said in a statement. The far-righ
Pakistan has claimed to have seized narcotics worth over $972 million from two sailing boats in the Arabian Sea during a joint operation with a Saudi-led maritime task force. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) said Pakistan Navy ship Yarmook stopped the vessels wi
Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is preparing an economic stimulus package that is likely to exceed last year's $92 billion to help households tackle inflation, government sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday. The package of more than 13.9 trillion yen ($92.19 billion) marks T
Japan's parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichias the country's first female prime minister Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right. Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-mo
Pakistan's ceasefire agreement with the Afghan Taliban hinges on their ability to rein in militant attacks on Islamabad from their soil, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters on Monday. A Taliban spokesperson and its defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comme
Two Hong Kong airport security staff were killed on Monday after a cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the runway on landing, collided with their security patrol vehicle and pushed it into the sea, the city's airport operator said. The Boeing 747 involved in the deadliest airport incident in the fi
Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday that it has located the body of a hostage, which it said will be delivered to Israel on Sunday if field conditions were appropriate. The group said any Israeli "escalation" would hinder search operations, shortly after Israel said it launched airstrikes and artille
A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea by crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone between the two countries on Sunday, the South's military said in a statement. The soldier was taken into custody by South Korean guards who had been monitoring his movements, the military said, say
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party have broadly agreed to form a coalition government, setting the stage for the country's first female prime minister, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday. Sanae Takaichi, leader of the conservative LDP, and Hirofumi Yoshimura, head of
Afghanistan and Pakistan were holding peace talks in Doha on Saturday, both sides said, after the South Asia neighbours extended a ceasefire following a week of fierce border clashes. They are seeking to find a way forward after the clashes killed dozens and wounded hundreds in the worst violence
A high-level delegation from Afghanistan left for peace talks with Pakistan on Saturday in Doha, an Afghan government spokesperson said, after the countries extended a ceasefire to their fierce border clashes. "As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha," Zabih
