Asia

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.

The ongoing progress in relations between Beijing and Moscow is the result of their strategic choice, which rests on fundamental interests of both countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated.

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was re-elected with more than 87% of the votes on Sunday, the country’s Central Election Commission announced on Monday citing preliminary results. More than 15 million people participated in Sunday’s election.

Washington intends to transform India into a major hub for maintenance and resupplying of its warships in the South Asia region as part of a military partnership pact aimed at countering Beijing, according to a report.

China's Foreign Ministry has announced that Beijing will continue its attempts to restore the US-abandoned 2015 nuclear agreement "at an early date".

China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Geng Shuang, has called on the US to remove all unilateral sanctions and restrictions imposed on Iran in connection with its nuclear program.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to improve its combat readiness in order to be able to “win any war”. He made the remarks after meeting with the military command responsible for operations in the Taiwan Strait.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.”

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.”

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”.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.