Afghanistan

At least 14 dead in suicide bomb attack at anti-militant rally in Pakistan

No group claimed responsibility for the attack in the northwestern town of Kabal but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban.

3 Aug 2026 - 10:48AM

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

31 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

US Army soldiers cross a floating bridge on the Imjin River during a joint river-crossing exercise with South Korea as a part of the Freedom Shield military exercise in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on March 20, 2025. Photo: AP

Sexual harassment and assault

As I see it | America declares international law for thee but not for me

While the US is seeking to dismantle the International Criminal Court, it has signed a statement upholding the Hague tribunal’s South China Sea ruling.

28 Jul 2026 - 8:30PM

Central Asia

China tests Central Asian land corridors to bypass maritime chokepoints

New Afghanistan link via Uzbekistan highlights diversification push, but critics ask if Taliban can ensure security for stable logistics.

25 Jul 2026 - 7:14AMvideocam

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan removed over sexual misconduct allegations

The UK barrister is accused of having a non-consensual sexual relationship with a junior lawyer working at the International Criminal Court.

25 Jul 2026 - 4:36AM

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands in January 2025. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine war

Opinion | Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine shows the impotence of nuclear weapons

Having the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal has not helped Russia on the battlefield.

22 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

China economy

Opinion | China is growing its export channels with railways through Central Asia

Beijing is seeking to diversify its export channels as geopolitical tensions destabilise maritime trade hubs.

22 Jul 2026 - 9:13AMvideocam

‘Mini Kabul’ falls silent as Pakistan targets undocumented Afghans in border province

About 2.3 million Afghans – some who lived in Pakistan for decades – have been sent back since the repatriation drive began in 2023.

17 Jul 2026 - 5:15PM

Japan

‘Very worried’: US campaign against ICC leaves Japan in a bind

The initiative will make Tokyo weigh its international law commitments against its dependence on the US security umbrella, analysts say.

16 Jul 2026 - 8:00AM

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands. Photo: AP

US-Iran war: is Trump falling into a Vietnam ‘quagmire’?

Renewed strikes put Washington’s appetite for a prolonged war to a familiar historical test, analysts say.

16 Jul 2026 - 12:40AMvideocam

Screen grab from video footage released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Sepah News website purportedly shows missiles being launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait on July 14. Photo: AFP

China travel

China’s economic clout boosts ‘passport power’, index finds

Chinese travellers are gaining easier access to destinations worldwide, even as they still require visas for more countries than they can enter freely.

3 Jul 2026 - 4:00PM

Iran prepares funeral for late supreme leader killed on war’s first day

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s public funeral will begin Saturday as Iran and the US observe a fragile ceasefire.

1 Jul 2026 - 3:16PM

36 Afghan civilians die in Pakistan air strikes, 160 injured: officials

Amid escalating tensions, the Taliban said that when residents gathered to rescue people after an initial attack, the area was struck again.

29 Jun 2026 - 5:57PMvideocam

The rubble of a ruined building stands in the village of Mandokhel in Afghanistan’s Paktia province. Photo: dpa

US Supreme Court paves way for Trump’s mass deportation of Haitians, Syrians

Top court rules that the administration can strip protections from some 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians in the US.

26 Jun 2026 - 1:07PM

General who was last US soldier out of Afghanistan suddenly steps down

Christopher Donahue, commanding general of US Army Europe and Africa, is the latest in nearly two dozen military leaders to depart.

25 Jun 2026 - 7:34AM

Central Asia

Afghan government workers face sack, jail after smartphone ban begins

Employees will be available only ‘via telephone calls and email’, an official says, citing an order from the supreme leader.

17 Jun 2026 - 9:36PM

A man uses smartphones in Kabul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

Diplomacy

Opinion | How Asia can benefit from a Russia-India-China dialogue revival

Far from acting as another bloc, such a grouping could help ensure that regional competition is managed rather than reproduced.

17 Jun 2026 - 6:58AMvideocam

(From left to right) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. Photo: SPUTNIK / AFP

Video | Pakistan conducts deadly air strikes in Afghanistan

The air strike puts an end to a month of relative calm between the two sides.

11 Jun 2026 - 4:13PM

Afghanistan after the US

‘Frightened’: Afghan women detained by Taliban in clothing crackdown

‘I saw two employees – one was carrying a whip – putting two women who were not wearing burkas into a vehicle’.

8 Jun 2026 - 10:42PM

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

30 May 2026 - 8:08AMvideocam

Central Asia

China’s expanding footprint in Central Asia

From addressing critical water security fears to driving a regional green tech revolution, Beijing is cementing its role as an indispensable partner to Central Asia. This three-part series investigates China’s expanding influence in the region amid global geopolitical uncertainty, exploring how new investments and diplomatic ties are reshaping the Central Asian landscape.

15 Jun 2026 - 10:35AM

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) arrives in Astana for the second China-Central Asia Summit in June 2025. He was welcomed at the airport by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Photo: AFP

As Iran war stokes water security fears, Central Asia could turn to China

Nations facing chronic water shortages might look to Chinese investment to upgrade their creaking Soviet-era infrastructure, observers say.

29 May 2026 - 1:54PMvideocam