Wellington: New Zealand has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong following China's decision to pass a national security law for the territory. Announcing the move, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the new national security law was not consistent with the country's "principles". Ardern said those principals are "basic freedom of association and the right to...
Seoul: Signalling that he has no intention to give up nuclear weapons, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said nuclear deterrence will permanently guarantee national security. Kim made the remark during a speech at a national conference of veterans held recently to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to...
Moscow: Russia has announced the suspension of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to China and said the resumption of further deliveries is yet to be ascertained. Citing Chinese newspaper Sohu, UAWire reported, "This time, Russia announced the postponement of the delivery of missiles for the Chinese S-400 system. To a certain extent, we can say that...
Lahore: Submitting his latest medical report to the Lahore High Court via his lawyer, Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif informed that his doctors have advised that he should not step outside as contracting Covid-19 could be fatal for him. The Sharif family patriarch is in London undergoing treatment for complicated coronary artery disease and...
Kathmandu: The much-awaited meeting of Nepal’s ruling communist party failed to sort out the differences between PM K.P. Sharma Oli and the rival faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” as political issues did not figure during the brief deliberations. The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) was held at the...
Kabul: A key member of the Taliban's political office in Doha has blamed the Afghan government for delays in the peace negotiations between the two sides which are aimed at ending the decades-long war in the country. The talks were expected to begin 10 days after the February 29 deal between the US and the...
Islamabad: Senior Pakistani journalist Matiullah Jan, known for his hard-hitting criticism of the country’s military and other institutions, has been released after he was kidnapped by heavily armed men in Islamabad. Jan, a freelancer who has worked for numerous local and foreign media outlets, had been bundled into the back of a car around midday...
New Delhi/Dhaka/Kathmandu: A humanitarian crisis is deepening in South Asia as new figures reveal that more than 9.6 million people have been affected by monsoon floods, devastating large areas of India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said: “Millions of people across Bangladesh, India and...
Riyadh: The Saudi Interior Ministry announced the Kingdom's readiness for the upcoming Haj season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which will begin on July 29. This year's Hajj has been scaled back dramatically to include only about 1,000 Muslim pilgrims due to the pandemic. Zayed Al Tuwailan, commander of Haj Security Forces, told the media that the...
