Sunday, December 21, 2025

Asia

Taliban bans women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan

The Taliban has issued a one-month closure notice to all beauty salons in Afghanistan, in the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of women and girls in the country.

Ex-Iran envoy: Chances of world recognition of Taliban diminishing

Iran’s former ambassador to Afghanistan has said chances of the international community recognizing the Taliban are diminishing.

Pakistan vows to counter Indo-US defense cooperation

Islamabad has conveyed its strong reservations to Washington for its deepening defence ties with New Delhi, viewing the development as a direct threat to the country’s security interests.

UN says over 1,000 Afghan civilians killed since Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

More than 1,000 civilians were killed and nearly 2,700 others wounded in Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021, a UN report says.

China’s FM touts Beijing and Moscow as a force for “global peace”

Beijing and Moscow are "an important force in ensuring global peace and in promoting inclusive development," Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in a video address Tuesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

China throws support behind Russia after Wagner insurrection

China has voiced support for Russia after a short-lived insurrection posed the gravest challenge to the 23-year rule of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, a close partner of Chinese leader Xi Jinping in his push “for a new world order and strategic alignment against the US.”

Blinken defends Biden on labeling China’s Xi a “dictator”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has backed President Joe Biden’s remarks calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator, saying the American leader “speaks for all of us.”

China summons U.S. envoy following Biden’s derogatory remarks

Beijing has reportedly summoned the U.S. ambassador to China as a diplomatic rebuke, escalating its anger against US President Joe Biden after he referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”.

UN envoy says Afghan women ban makes Taliban recognition “nearly impossible”

The United Nations envoy to Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has said that it will be “nearly impossible” for the international community to recognize the Taliban government as long as restrictions on women and girls remain in place in the war-ravaged country.

Biden labels China’s president a ‘dictator’

US President Joe Biden has called his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a “dictator”. The American leader claims Beijing was humiliated after one of its weather balloons accidentally strayed into American airspace earlier this year.

UN expert says Taliban treatment of women could be ‘gender apartheid’

A United Nations expert has stated that the treatment of Afghan women and girls by the Taliban could amount to “gender apartheid” as their rights continue to be undermined by the governing authorities. The Taliban have accused the UN of “spreading propaganda against the Islamic Emirate”.

Xi tells Blinken: World needs stable China-U.S. relations

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday ended a high-stakes visit to Beijing with an unexpected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, the china's leader stressed the world needs steady relations between Beijing and Washington after a period of simmering tensions.

Russia says Iran, regional bloc likely to sign free trade pact by year-end

Moscow expects that an agreement on a free trade zone (FTA) between Tehran and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will be inked before the end of the year, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexey Overchuk has said.

Pakistan arrests 10 suspected human traffickers after Greece boat tragedy

Pakistani authorities have arrested 10 alleged human traffickers after it emerged that many of the migrants and refugees who drowned off Greece’s coast were from the South Asian nation. Islamabad has vowed the traffickers would be "severely punished."

Beijing-Washington relations hit all-time lowest: China’s FM

Beijing-Washington relations have hit the lowest level since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said at a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken meets Chinese FM on high-stakes mission to cool China-US tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi on a high-stakes diplomatic mission to cool Washington-Beijing tensions.

Russia says Iran’s full membership at SCO on agenda at next summit

Bakhtiyer Khakimov, Russia’s presidential representative for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization affairs, has said that Iran's full membership at the SCO will be at the top of the agenda of the upcoming summit of the bloc.

Taliban make US withdrawal anniversary a national holiday

Afghanistan has created a new public holiday to mark the date the last US soldier left the war-torn country. According to the Taliban, the departure of foreign troops will be celebrated each year on August 31.

China, Palestine agree to establish strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing where they pledged to establish mutual strategic partnership.

Egypt to abandon dollar in trade with BRICS

Egypt is seeking to shift away from the US dollar in mutual trade with several member states of the BRICS economic bloc, Egyptian Supply Minister Ali Moselhy has said.

Palestinian president arrives in Beijing as China seeks larger role in Mideast

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported, as China has expressed readiness to help facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Beijing censures Iran-related US sanctions on Chinese entities

Beijing has slammed the fresh Iran-related sanctions imposed by Washington on Chinese targets. China has urged the US to stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese organizations and individuals.

Saudi Arabia announces huge investment deals at Arab-China summit

Saudi Arabia has announced billions of dollars in investment deals between Beijing and the Arab world on the first day of the China-Arab business conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Taliban reject UN report calling Afghan government ‘exclusionary’ and ‘repressive’

The Taliban have condemned as “baseless and biased” a United Nations Security Council report that branded the ruling Afghan administration “highly “exclusionary” and “repressive”.

Over a dozen killed in Kazakhstan forest fires

Fourteen people have been killed in major forest fires in northeastern Kazakhstan, the Central Asian country’s highest such toll in years.

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