TOPIC

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Afghanistan

Latest news and updates on Afghanistan, China relations and the Taliban's return to power after the 20-year war with the US and allies.

Capital

Kabul

Head of state

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

Head of government

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

US President Donald Trump (bottom right) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping upon arriving at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

There’s a lesson for the US president in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 19th century.

4 hours agovideocam

India

Iran’s ‘anti-American’ rhetoric tests India’s balancing act at Brics meeting

14 May 2026 - 1:22PMvideocam

Pakistan

Pakistani Taliban splinter group claims suicide attack, 14 police dead

10 May 2026 - 6:57PMvideocam

Fifa

Fifa says Afghan women’s team can play in tournaments without Taliban approval

Fifa Council agrees to amend federation’s rules at meeting in Vancouver, opens door to potential LA Olympics qualifying campaign.

29 Apr 2026 - 1:27PM

Members of Afghan Women United celebrate after scoring against Chad, in their first international tournament since fleeing their country. Photo: AP

China-Middle East relations

China’s calls to open Hormuz show the limits of its ties to Iran, experts say

While Beijing has long seen Tehran as a useful partner, the nation is not crucial to its Middle East strategy, analysts argue.

28 Apr 2026 - 11:00PMvideocam

United States

Taliban, Congo? Afghans stuck in Qatar who helped US war face more stress

After reports the US could send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US to the DRC, the Taliban urged them to instead head back to their homeland.

25 Apr 2026 - 11:25PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

What the US-Iran ‘fight-talk’ dynamic means before their ceasefire ends

Meanwhile, China expresses ‘concern’ over America’s interception of Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman.

20 Apr 2026 - 7:32PMvideocam

A police officer gestures to a vehicle at a check post near Faisal Masjid on Sunday, as Pakistan tries to convene a tentative second phase of peace talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Pakistan has the world’s attention. Now it must focus inwards

For Islamabad, sustaining its diplomatic success will also depend on how effectively it addresses internal challenges.

14 Apr 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Xinjiang

Why has China mapped out a third new county in Xinjiang on its western frontier?

Cenling county, near Pakistan and Afghan borders and disputed frontier with India, follows Hean and Hekang as Beijing boosts security.

11 Apr 2026 - 3:46PMvideocam

Australia

Decorated Australian soldier faces 5 murder charges in Afghan war crime probe

Roberts-Smith reportedly kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and drank out of a prosthetic leg of a man who was gunned down.

7 Apr 2026 - 2:06PM

Former member of Australia’s elite Special Air Service regiment Ben Roberts-Smith leaves the Federal Court in Sydney on May 1, 2025 .Photo: AFP

United Nations

Afghan mother demands answers after son dies in Pakistani hospital bombing

Human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the March 16 strike on a drug treatment centre that killed 411.

6 Apr 2026 - 9:14AMvideocam

Samira Muhammadi holds up a photograph of her son, Aref Khan, who was killed by a Pakistani airstrike that struck a drug rehabilitation centre on March 16.Photo: AFP

Central Asia

Afghanistan wants US$10 billion in trade deals with Central Asia

Central Asia’s typical trade routes through Russia are hampered by heavy sanctions, while the Taliban is trying to trade with the world despite international sanctions.

5 Apr 2026 - 9:26PM

Earthquakes

Afghan boy sole survivor after quake kills 8 in refugee family back from Iran

The group, who recently returned to live in a tent near Kabul, died when a wall collapsed on them, their toddler the only one left alive.

4 Apr 2026 - 8:21PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

In a time of war, Chinese museums are a safe haven for ancient treasures of Iran

Cultural exchanges established with the Middle East are underscoring China’s role as a safe harbour for vulnerable global heritage.

4 Apr 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

An image showing damage to a room in Tehran’s Golestan Palace. Photo: AP

United States

Hegseth ousts army’s top uniformed officer, even as US wages war on Iran

Chief of Staff Randy George has been asked to take early retirement, in the latest of over a dozen firings of top generals and admirals.

3 Apr 2026 - 6:55AMvideocam

US Army Chief of Staff General Randy George speaks to American soldiers in southern Germany in February. Photo: AFP

Pakistan

What Pakistan gains by playing peacemaker in Iran war

If Islamabad can successfully carry off the talks, it stands a chance of bringing in much-needed investments and weapon sales, analysts say.

1 Apr 2026 - 7:20PMvideocam

War and conflict

Opinion | How selective outrage over Iran war exposes the limits of realpolitik

From Iran to Afghanistan, the cold logic of ruthless pragmatism ensures human life and welfare are always the biggest casualties.

1 Apr 2026 - 5:30AM

US, Israel war on Iran

China, Pakistan launch five-point plan to ease Iran crisis, push ceasefire

Beijing backs Islamabad’s mediation push as both call for truce, Hormuz reopening and talks to restore regional stability.

1 Apr 2026 - 2:40AMvideocam

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (left) meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on January 4. Dar is visiting China again this week – his second trip to the country in three months. Photo: Xinhua

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why India is quietly deepening its engagement with the Taliban

New Delhi’s courtship of Kabul is powered by realpolitik as the imperatives of security, strategy and connectivity converge.

31 Mar 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war and rogue drones force European aviation safety rethink

As the Middle East conflict clogs flight corridors between Asia and Europe, EASA chief warns of ‘hybrid warfare’ risks.

30 Mar 2026 - 2:28PM

Taliban

Afghanistan releases detained US citizen after more than a year

Researcher Dennis Coyle, 64, was arrested in January 2025 on ‘violations of Afghanistan’s applicable laws’.

25 Mar 2026 - 2:28AM

US citizen Dennis Coyle (middle) waits at the airport in Kabul on Tuesday after the Taliban released him. Photo: AFP

Climate change

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

21 Mar 2026 - 3:00PM

Nepal’s Mera Glacier is among the handful of glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region that meets the World Glacier Monitoring Service’s benchmark standards. Photo: Patrick Wagnon/ICIMOD

Pakistan

Video | Pakistan to pause Afghan strikes for Eid

The decision was made at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

19 Mar 2026 - 11:43AM

Pakistan

Pakistan announces 5-day pause on Afghan strikes for Eid

The temporary ceasefire comes after Monday’s hospital strike, the deadliest in an escalating conflict between the two neighbours.

19 Mar 2026 - 11:43AMvideocam

War and conflict

Video | Survivors recount deadly air strike on Kabul drug rehab hospital

Afghanistan says 400 killed In hospital strike, Pakistan denies targeting civilian sites.

18 Mar 2026 - 9:57PM

02:19

Taliban

‘People were burning’: 400 dead after Pakistan strikes hit Kabul hospital

Pakistan rejected the accusation, saying its air strikes on eastern Afghanistan did not hit any civilian sites.

18 Mar 2026 - 10:02PMvideocam

Firefighters work at the scene of alleged Pakistani air strikes in Kabul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

United States

Afghan asylum seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says

Mohommad Nazeer ⁠Paktyawal, who had worked with the US military in Afghanistan, died ⁠in Texas after his arrest on Friday, AfghanEvac said.

16 Mar 2026 - 4:27AM

Pakistan

Afghan Taliban’s drone attacks on civilians ‘crossed red line’, Pakistan warns

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says the administration in Kabul has brought ‘grave consequences upon itself’.

14 Mar 2026 - 9:30PM

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Afghanistan

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

There’s a lesson for the US president in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 19th century.

Iran’s ‘anti-American’ rhetoric tests India’s balancing act at Brics meeting

Pakistani Taliban splinter group claims suicide attack, 14 police dead

Fifa says Afghan women’s team can play in tournaments without Taliban approval

Fifa Council agrees to amend federation’s rules at meeting in Vancouver, opens door to potential LA Olympics qualifying campaign.

China’s calls to open Hormuz show the limits of its ties to Iran, experts say

While Beijing has long seen Tehran as a useful partner, the nation is not crucial to its Middle East strategy, analysts argue.

Taliban, Congo? Afghans stuck in Qatar who helped US war face more stress

After reports the US could send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US to the DRC, the Taliban urged them to instead head back to their homeland.

What the US-Iran ‘fight-talk’ dynamic means before their ceasefire ends

Meanwhile, China expresses ‘concern’ over America’s interception of Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Gulf of Oman.

Opinion | Pakistan has the world’s attention. Now it must focus inwards

For Islamabad, sustaining its diplomatic success will also depend on how effectively it addresses internal challenges.

Why has China mapped out a third new county in Xinjiang on its western frontier?

Cenling county, near Pakistan and Afghan borders and disputed frontier with India, follows Hean and Hekang as Beijing boosts security.

Decorated Australian soldier faces 5 murder charges in Afghan war crime probe

Roberts-Smith reportedly kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and drank out of a prosthetic leg of a man who was gunned down.

Afghan mother demands answers after son dies in Pakistani hospital bombing

Human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the March 16 strike on a drug treatment centre that killed 411.

Afghanistan wants US$10 billion in trade deals with Central Asia

Central Asia’s typical trade routes through Russia are hampered by heavy sanctions, while the Taliban is trying to trade with the world despite international sanctions.

Afghan boy sole survivor after quake kills 8 in refugee family back from Iran

The group, who recently returned to live in a tent near Kabul, died when a wall collapsed on them, their toddler the only one left alive.

In a time of war, Chinese museums are a safe haven for ancient treasures of Iran

Cultural exchanges established with the Middle East are underscoring China’s role as a safe harbour for vulnerable global heritage.

Hegseth ousts army’s top uniformed officer, even as US wages war on Iran

Chief of Staff Randy George has been asked to take early retirement, in the latest of over a dozen firings of top generals and admirals.

What Pakistan gains by playing peacemaker in Iran war

If Islamabad can successfully carry off the talks, it stands a chance of bringing in much-needed investments and weapon sales, analysts say.

Opinion | How selective outrage over Iran war exposes the limits of realpolitik

From Iran to Afghanistan, the cold logic of ruthless pragmatism ensures human life and welfare are always the biggest casualties.

China, Pakistan launch five-point plan to ease Iran crisis, push ceasefire

Beijing backs Islamabad’s mediation push as both call for truce, Hormuz reopening and talks to restore regional stability.

Opinion | Why India is quietly deepening its engagement with the Taliban

New Delhi’s courtship of Kabul is powered by realpolitik as the imperatives of security, strategy and connectivity converge.

Iran war and rogue drones force European aviation safety rethink

As the Middle East conflict clogs flight corridors between Asia and Europe, EASA chief warns of ‘hybrid warfare’ risks.

Afghanistan releases detained US citizen after more than a year

Researcher Dennis Coyle, 64, was arrested in January 2025 on ‘violations of Afghanistan’s applicable laws’.

Himalayan glacial loss threatens 2 billion as Asia’s ‘water tower’ shrinks

Conflicts, such as the Iran war, are diverting global attention away from the ecological crisis, scientists warn.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | Pakistan to pause Afghan strikes for Eid

The decision was made at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Pakistan announces 5-day pause on Afghan strikes for Eid

The temporary ceasefire comes after Monday’s hospital strike, the deadliest in an escalating conflict between the two neighbours.

Video | Survivors recount deadly air strike on Kabul drug rehab hospital

Afghanistan says 400 killed In hospital strike, Pakistan denies targeting civilian sites.

‘People were burning’: 400 dead after Pakistan strikes hit Kabul hospital

Pakistan rejected the accusation, saying its air strikes on eastern Afghanistan did not hit any civilian sites.

Afghan asylum seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says

Mohommad Nazeer ⁠Paktyawal, who had worked with the US military in Afghanistan, died ⁠in Texas after his arrest on Friday, AfghanEvac said.

Afghan Taliban’s drone attacks on civilians ‘crossed red line’, Pakistan warns

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says the administration in Kabul has brought ‘grave consequences upon itself’.

As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

Video | Pakistan to pause Afghan strikes for Eid