Asia

The United States had encouraged the Pakistani government in March 2022 to remove former Prime Minister Imran Khan from office over his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a classified Pakistani government document obtained by The Intercept.

A roadside bomb has struck a vehicle carrying a local politician and his friends in southwestern Pakistan, killing him and six others, with no responsibility yet claimed by any group. In another bombing, two people were killed in the country’s northwest.

The Taliban sent thousands of troops and hundreds of suicide bombers to the area, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, claiming the group is prepared for war with Iran over a water dispute. Tehran has issued a warning to the Taliban, urging them to honor Afghanistan’s water-supply agreement or face the consequences.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's lawyers could not reach him on Sunday after he spent the night in a jail near the capital following his arrest the previous day on a corruption conviction, Khan’s spokesperson has confirmed.

At least 30 people were killed and nearly 70 wounded when a train derailed in southern Pakistan on Sunday, according to local media. Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where successive governments have paid little attention to improving the poorly maintained signal system and ageing tracks.

Japanese Ambassador to Tehran Ikawa Kazutoshi has strongly criticized the Russian attack on Ukraine, saying Russia’s behavior poses a threat to the world security. He underlined that Tokyo stands by the people of Ukraine. Kazutoshi urged Iranian officials to also stand by the people of Ukraine.

Pakistan’s Police have arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the city of Lahore after a court sentenced him to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts.

The United Nations humanitarians warn of critical aid funding gaps for more than 21 million people in Afghanistan, saying that some relief has already been trimmed.

Islamabad retains the option of launching a counterterrorism operation inside Afghanistan if the Taliban government fails to take action against terrorists operating along its borders, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned.

Acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with ambassadors and special representatives from several countries based in Qatar and called on them to reopen their embassies in Kabul.

Daesh terror group has claimed responsibility for a massive bomb attack in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday that killed at least 54 people, including 23 children.

Taliban leaders have met with US officials in the Qatari capital Doha for the first time since their return to power in Afghanistan two years ago.

The air forces of China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will conduct a joint training exercise in China's Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in August, Beijing announced Monday.

At least 40 people have been killed and more than 150 injured in a bomb explosion in Pakistan’s north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province that targeted a political party gathering, police have confirmed.

The United Nations has been forced to cut food, cash payments and assistance to millions of people in several countries — including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen — because of “a crippling funding crisis” that has seen its donations plummet by about half as acute hunger is hitting record levels, a top official has confirmed.

US officials are set to meet with representatives of the Taliban and "technocratic professionals" from Afghan ministries during a visit to Qatar's Doha this week, the State Department has said. Both sides will discuss security, narcotics  and women's rights.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with visiting Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in his first known meeting with a foreign dignitary since the Covid-19 pandemic. Shoigu’s visit comes as North Korea is marking the anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Chinese Communist Party group headed by Politburo member Li Hongzhong are in Pyongyang to attend the 70th anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang has been suddenly replaced by his predecessor Wang Yi in a surprise shake-up to China’s foreign policy leadership. Qin had been missing from the public eye for a month without explanation.

A Russian delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is beginning a three-day visit to North Korea on Tuesday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and North Korean state media.

Pakistan’s Election Commission has issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The ex-premier faces a contempt charge for allegedly using “intemperate language” against government officials.

At least 31 people have been killed and dozens more are missing due to heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, more than a dozen people died as heavy rains and landslides hit neighbouring Pakistan.

Russia and China have staged large-scale naval drills in the Sea of Japan, Russia’s Pacific Fleet announced in a statement to journalists. The three-day exercise involved a wide range of activities, including joint firing drills, a simulated naval battle, and air defense training.

A Chinese naval flotilla set off on Sunday to join Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan in an exercise aimed at “safeguarding the security of strategic waterways”, according to China’s defence ministry.

Suspected fighters armed with guns, hand grenades and rockets attacked a military base in southern Pakistan, killing at least four soldiers, the army and security officials have confirmed.