BEIJING: Health regulators in five countries are examining a prenatal test that collects the DNA of women and foetuses for research, while some doctors that promoted it and clinics that sell it say they were unaware the company that produces it also conducts research with the Chinese

At least 41 people have died in Indonesia after a fire broke out at an overcrowded prison on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta. The blaze broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morning at Tangerang jail, when most of the prisoners were asleep. There were 122 inmates staying in

The Taliban have named Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund to lead their new interim government, nearly three weeks after the group seized control of the country. Mullah Akhund is on a UN sanctions list and is the longtime head of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body Rehbari

CAIRO: A court in Egypt on Sunday sentenced eight foreigners and two Egyptians to death on charges of smuggling in over two tonnes of heroin by sea, a judicial source said. Authorities seized the drugs brought in via the Red Sea, worth around 2.5 billion pounds ($159 million), in 2019.

New Delhi: The covert and overt influence operations carried out by the Communist Party of China (CCP) in cultivating, funding, and sponsoring institutions, including the media and individual opinion-makers, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, revealed a report by think-tank

Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh has said that after abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 there is a visible change in every field including completion of unfinished projects, implementation of centrally sponsored schemes, infrastructure

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hit by gravel thrown by protesters during a campaign stop. He was returning to his bus after visiting a brewery when he was struck by small stones. He was not injured. Mr Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August, in the hope of

The Taliban have declared victory over the province of Panjshir northeast of the capital Kabul, the final pocket of territory which has remained outside their rule. The group posted footage online of their fighters raising their flag there on Monday. Resistance fighters however said

Kabul: In Afghanistan, sales of hijab and burqa increased after the Taliban announced that only women wearing the hijab will have access to education and work. Women started buying head and body coverings out of fear that the Taliban would hunt down and beat them up if they were seen

Panjshir province, the last bastion of resistance forces in Afghanistan, was bombed by Pakistani Air Force drones, reports said on Sunday. Former Samangan MP Zia Arianjad was quoted as saying by Aamaj News that Pakistani drones have bombed Panjshir using smart bombs. Earlier on Sunday

Top US General Mark Milley on Saturday (local time) said he believed it was likely that conditions for a future "civil war" could develop in Afghanistan following the US troops' withdrawal. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley told Fox News during an interview

Taiwan has said a large incursion of Chinese military jets flew into its air defence zone on Sunday. The defence ministry said 19 aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered its so-called air defence identification zone (ADIZ). Taipei has been complaining for

The Taliban claim they are in complete control of the Afghan province of Panjshir, the final pocket of territory which remains outside their rule. There's been heavy fighting in the valley, which is north of the capital Kabul, with the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF)

A new contender poised to join the race to succeed Japanese leader Yoshihide Suga could become the country's first female prime minister, as former communications minister Sanae Takaichi intends to declare her candidacy for the top post in the ruling party, Nikkei has learned.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, attacks on Pakistan's security posts along the Afghan border have increased in the past few days, a media report said. Despite claims by Pakistani authorities that the Pak-Afghan border was fully secure, instability on the Afghan side

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: In a first, raw wool is being turned into yarn locally in Jammu and Kashmir to boost the woollen carpet industry. Over the years, raw wool was being sent to other states to process it into yarn which increased its cost. With Jammu and Kashmir

Kabul [Afghanistan]: Businesses in Afghanistan have been hampered due to the recent disruption in the country's banking system.   A number of industry officials and factory owners said they are unable to withdraw money from their accounts and therefore cannot pay their daily

Taliban officials have broken up a demonstration by dozens of women in Kabul demanding rights following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. The group say the Taliban targeted them with tear gas and pepper spray as they tried to walk from a bridge to the presidential palace. But the

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is to dispatch six Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft to Japan for joint exercises in the coming months as the two nations seek to strengthen their security and diplomatic ties under the four-nation Quad pact. Analysts suggest it is no coincidence that Tokyo was

China which has been criticising the US for abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan without bringing stability to the war-torn country had publicly endorsed America’s plan in which the US will see 2,500 of 4,500 troops withdrawn by mid-January and all soldiers by mid-year. China which