Asia

Myanmar's military government is to release thousands of political prisoners jailed for protesting against a February coup that removed the civilian government. It has announced plans to free over 5,600 prisoners.

Iran’s interior minister says the country ranks first in the fight against illicit drugs and attaches great importance to the campaign against narcotics.

The Iranian president has urged Muslim nations to remain united and refrain from divisions.

Ankara has summoned the ambassadors of 10 countries, including the United States, Germany, France and Canada, over a joint statement criticizing Turkey’s compliance with ‘democracy’.

The United States has announced it will not join talks on Afghanistan to be hosted by Russia. The negotiations will include other key players, like China, Iran and Pakistan. The Taliban has also confirmed participation in Moscow consultations on Afghanistan.

The Biden administration’s top envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, is leaving his post, the US State Department has confirmed. It comes less than two months after the US messy and deadly withdrawal from the war-torn country.

The Iranian foreign minister says if parties to the Iran nuclear deal live up to their obligations fully under the JCPOA, Tehran will also return to fulfilling its commitments.

Beijing has refuted a recent report by The Financial Times which says China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August. China says it was a "routine test" for reusable space rocket technology.

NATO secretary-general says countering ‘the security threats’ from the rise of China will be an important part of the alliance’s future rationale. Jens Stoltenberg has predicted Beijing rising will impact NATO’s security.

Iranian Customs Organization spokesman has announced the resumption of trade ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan points to the decreasing role of Washington and its allies in the region.

The Chinese military has lashed out at the United States and Canada for sending warships through the Taiwan Strait. Beijing says the North American nations were threatening peace and stability in the region.

China’s military carried out its first-ever test of a “nuclear capable hypersonic missile” in August, a report has revealed. The space capability has reportedly surprised the US intelligence.

The Taliban has vowed security at Shia mosques will be tightened following the Friday deadly bomb blast at a mosque in Kandahar, one week after a similar explosion in Kunduz. Daesh terror group has claimed responsibility for two bombings at Afghan mosques which killed tens of Afghans during Friday prayers.

The Office for Economic Studies of the Iranian Parliament’s Research Center has issued a report examining China’s "Belt and Road Initiative" and its trade cooperation opportunities for the Islamic Republic.

Myanmar's military chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing will not be invited to an upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Pentagon has offered “condolence payments” to the families of 10 civilians who were killed in a US drone attack in Afghanistan last August. The killings sparked angry protests among Afghans.

Daesh terror group has claimed responsibility for the Friday explosion at a Kandahar mosque in Afghanistan. The blast happened at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in which scores of worshippers were killed and wounded.

Turkey has called on the international community to cooperate with the new rulers of Afghanistan. The comment comes after a high-level Taliban delegation visited Ankara for talks with Turkish officials for the first after the group seized Kabul last August.

China has rejected as irresponsible accusation by the US regarding Beijing military drills near the Island of Taiwan. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry has urged Washington to stop making such remarks on Taiwan issues.

Moscow announced its warship has prevented a US Navy destroyer from intruding into Russia’s territorial waters in the Sea of Japan. The Russian Defense Ministry has summoned US military attache in connection with the border incident.

The spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission has said the Azeri president’s latest anti-Iran comments are against good-neighborliness principles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says interaction should be maintained with the Taliban, but there should be no haste to recognize the new rulers of Afghanistan officially.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement in condemnation of Friday’s terrorist attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The attack, a bomb blast, happened at the Fatemieh Mosque in Kandahar.

A second Iranian plane carrying aid for those affected by the recent terrorist blast in Kunduz, Afghanistan has arrived in the province.