KABUL: A United Nations report published Thursday said Taliban authorities were committing human rights violations, including torture and arbitrary detention, against Afghans forced to return by Iran and Pakistan. “People returning to the country who were at particular risk of reprisals and other human rights violations by the de facto (Taliban) authorities were women and […]
Read MoreBy Joe Luc Barnes Almaty – Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank has announced it will acquire a 49% stake in Uzbek digital payments company Click for $176.4 million, marking one of the largest cross-border banking investments in Central Asia to date. The deal values Click at approximately $360 million, highlighting the growing importance of digital finance in […]
Read MoreBy Aidan Jones Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodia on Thursday as a simmering border dispute erupted into open conflict, with soldiers on both sides trading fire – and Cambodian troops unleashing rockets that killed at least 12 Thais, most of them civilians. Both countries traded blame for the clashes, which began at the flashpoint […]
Read MoreChinese President Xi Jinping urged top European Union officials today (24 July) to “properly handle differences and frictions” as he criticised Brussels’s recent trade actions against Beijing at a tense summit dominated by concerns on trade and the Ukraine war. Expectations were low for the summit in the Chinese capital marking 50 years of diplomatic […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall Interpol’s decision to drop a decade-old red notice against Paul Watson, the outspoken founder of marine conservation group Sea Shepherd, has sparked outrage in Japan, with critics accusing the international police agency of bowing to Western bias and undermining justice for alleged attacks on Japanese whalers. Interpol announced on Tuesday that it […]
Read MoreBy Priyanka Shankar Brussels, Belgium – Just before the summer lull hits Brussels, the European Union and China will hold a top-level summit in Beijing on Thursday, commemorating 50 years of diplomatic ties. The mood before the meeting on Thursday, however, has not been particularly celebratory but, rather, tense with low expectations for any concrete […]
Read MoreBy Junaid Kathju India’s acquisition of the latest variant of US-made Apache attack helicopters is a key step towards bolstering its ability to fight on two fronts against Pakistan and China, but experts are divided on whether the ageing aircraft can remain battleworthy over the long term. On Tuesday, the Indian army took delivery of […]
Read MoreBy Hadi Azmi Malaysia’s civil servants have been warned of possible disciplinary action if they join a protest on Saturday calling for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s resignation, as the opposition claims hundreds of thousands are being mobilised for the rally. The “Turun Anwar” (Anwar Resign) demonstration is the first mass rally that directly challenges the […]
Read MoreBy Joe Luc Barnes Late on July 20th, the President of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, touched down in Bishkek as part of a two-day state visit to Kyrgyzstan. It forms part of Khürelsükh’s wider Central Asian tour, with the President set to fly to Dushanbe following his sojourn in the Kyrgyz capital. The trip builds on […]
Read MoreBy Liu Zhen China has staged a warfare demonstration using a full spectrum of uncrewed systems, underscoring its role as a leading global drone supplier, according to a state media report on Monday. The drone and counter-drone exercise at a testing ground in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region simulated the “seizure and control of critical […]
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