Asia

An explosion in Afghanistan's capital Kabul killed at least six people, the country's interior ministry and police have announced.

Turkey has formally asked to join the BRICS group of emerging-market nations as Ankara seeks to enhance its global influence and forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies, according to people familiar with the matter.

Yerevan has handed over to Baku the 10th package of proposals on a peace treaty and reiterated its readiness to establish peace in the region, the Armenian foreign ministry has announced.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have held a telephone conversation over bilateral ties between Tehran and Kuala Lumpur as well as some other issues of mutual interest.

Russia has invited Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to participate in the summit of BRICS members in Kazan, Russia.

At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban re-took power in 2021, with the future of an entire generation now "in jeopardy", the United Nations' cultural agency announced Thursday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has stated Beijing supports Iran in defending its "sovereignty, security and national dignity" amid Tehran’s promise to punish Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital.

The American and British envoys to Japan have announced they will boycott an upcoming ceremony commemorating the victims of the 1945 US atomic bombing because the city’s mayor did not invite the Israeli ambassador.

Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, referred to China as a strategic partner in Iran's foreign policy and emphasized that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not forget China's assistance in countering the oppressive US sanctions.

The US’ accusations that Russia is trying to influence the upcoming US presidential election are absurd, and Moscow resolutely refutes these allegations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. In response to accusations recently levied by US intelligence officials, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed Beijing has never interfered in US elections and has no intention to do so.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar have discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the sidelines of a summit in Japan, according to a statement from Washington.

The US government currently imposes sanctions on one third of the world in a situation that disproportionately affects low-income countries – 60 percent of which are under US sanctions of some kind – according to an analysis of the White House’s long-standing policy of economic warfare by the Washington Post.

The US military has admitted that it ran a clandestine campaign aimed at discrediting China’s Sinovac vaccine in the Philippines and across Asia and West Asia, Reuters has reported.

Ukraine is ready for peace talks with Russia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has stated during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday.

Tokyo has imposed asset-freeze sanctions on four individual Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, the government's top spokesperson announced on Tuesday.

14 Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Fatah, have agreed in the Chinese capital of Beijing to achieve "a comprehensive national unity" under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The United Arab Emirates has imprisoned dozens of Bangladeshis, three of them given life sentences, for protesting against the government of their home country.

Several European states are considering reopening their embassies in Afghanistan in a move that would entail diplomatic recognition of the Taliban almost three years after the fall of Kabul, people familiar with the matter have claimed.

China's Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian has stated it appreciates president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian’s recently announced favorable stance on the countries’ relations, voicing Beijing's readiness to work with Iran’s incoming administration.

The Pakistani government has announced it plans to ban Pakistan Terheek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister, Imran Khan.

Chinese and Russian naval forces have started joint military drills in the Pacific, the Defense Ministry in Beijing has announced.

NATO is a threat to global peace, security and stability because of its “deep-rooted Cold War mentality and ideological bias”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian has stated.

A United Nations human rights panel has urged the immediate release of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying he has been detained “arbitrarily in violation of international laws”.

Iran's special envoy to Afghanistan has stressed the need for comprehensive negotiations with all parties to address the "complex and serious" situation in Afghanistan and the wider region.

The United States, Japan and South Korea are forging a military alliance in Asia that bears strong similarities to NATO, the North Korean Foreign Ministry has warned, slamming the actions of the three countries as a threat to regional stability.