Asia

Asian markets tracked losses in Wall Street on Wednesday as investors grow increasingly concerned about stalled US debt ceiling talks to avert a painful default. The optimism that flowed through trading floors at the start of the week has given way to trepidation, with several Republicans questioning an early June …

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has started a two-day visit to China, in an effort to deepen trade and business ties between Moscow and Beijing amid intensifying US economic warfare against the two nations. Mishustin arrived on Monday night in Shanghai, where he will participate in a Russian-Chinese Business Forum, the …

Pakistan is considering banning former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party for attacking the state, says the defense minister, a decision likely to enrage his supporters and exacerbate his confrontation with the military establishment. The former cricket star is embroiled in the latest, critical phase of a decades-old rivalry between civilian …

State-backed Chinese mouthpiece Global Times called the G7 an “anti-China workshop” on Monday, a day after Beijing summoned Japan’s envoy and berated Britain in a fiery response to statements issued at the group’s summit in Hiroshima. Group of Seven (G7) declarations issued on Saturday singled out China on issues including …

The Group of Seven (G7) leaders have said that they would not back down from supporting Ukraine in its war as Russian forces continue to make advancements in the pro-Moscow regions. “Together with the entire G7 we have Ukraine’s back and I promise we’re not going anywhere,” octogenarian US President …

China has said it opposed the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting scheduled to take place next week in the disputed Himalayan territory of Indian-controlled Kashmir and stressed that it will not attend the event. “China firmly opposes holding any form of G20 meetings on disputed territory. We will not attend such …

China has said it will not attend next week’s G-20 tourism group meeting scheduled to take place in Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir. “China firmly opposes holding any form of G20 meetings on disputed territory. We will not attend such meetings,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at …

India will start withdrawing its highest value currency notes from circulation, the central bank said on Friday, in a move that economists said could boost bank deposits at a time of high credit growth. The withdrawal of 2,000-rupee ($24.5) notes – which the finance ministry’s top official, T.V Somanathan, said …

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has launched a special operation aimed at removing online social media accounts that spread “fake news” and impersonate government-run media. The CAC said on Wednesday that since April 6 it had removed 107,000 accounts that disseminated false news and rumors on the internet. Hundreds …

China has sentenced a 78-year-old U.S. citizen to life in prison for espionage, a court said Monday, but revealed few details about the previously unreported case. Such heavy terms are relatively rare for foreign citizens in China, and the jailing of American passport holder John Shing-wan Leung is likely to …

Thailand’s two main pro-democracy opposition parties agreed to form a coalition government on Monday, one day after they swept to a landslide victory in elections that saw voters demand a change in the decades-long hold on political power by the military and the monarchy. The progressive Move Forward Party stunned …

Cyclone Mocha lashed Myanmar’s Rakhine state on Sunday with devastating winds and heavy rain, killing at least six people and causing extensive damage, the UN and local media reported. The big picture: The storm, which packed maximum sustained winds of 155 mph as it moved ashore just north of the …

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were inaccessible in Pakistan on Saturday after having been temporarily restored late on Friday, Reuters witnesses said. The Ministry of Interior suspended mobile broadband services across the country and blocked access to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter on Tuesday night amid unrest after former Prime Minister Imran …

A powerful storm packing winds of up to 175 kph barreled towards the coasts of eastern Bangladesh and Myanmar on Saturday, threatening around a million Rohingya refugees and others living in low-lying areas. After brewing in the Bay of Bengal for days, Cyclone Mocha is likely to intensify further and …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party was set to lose Karnataka, the only southern India state it governs, according to an early vote count Saturday that showed opposition Congress party leading in the crucial state polls. With vote counting continuing, India’s Election Commission said the Congress was leading in …

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered authorities on Saturday to identify and arrest all those involved in violent acts after former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest this week sparked deadly unrest. Khan departed the court premises late Friday night and headed towards his hometown Lahore amidst high security, after a …

Pakistan’s top court has ordered the anti-graft agency to release former Prime Minister Imran Khan from its custody amid violent and widespread protests sparked by his detention. According to Press TV, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Imran Khan’s arrest earlier this week, which sparked deadly protests across the …

China has urged the United States to respect the aspiration of the people of West Asian countries as Washington opposes Syria’s return to the Arab League. China on Wednesday urged the US to respect the aspiration of West Asian nations and stop what Beijing called coercive diplomacy. “The Middle East …

US President Joe Biden will host India Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit on June 22 that will affirm the two countries’ “deep and close partnership,” the White House announced Wednesday. The visit, the highest level of diplomatic reception at the White House, will boost Washington and New …

North Korea’s foreign ministry has warned Japan not to join the newly announced Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) between South Korea and the US and said doing so would make the Northeast Asian region unstable. The group, announced during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the US last …