The annual Hajj pilgrimage performed by Muslims from around the world is beginning in Saudi Arabia, dramatically scaled back because of coronavirus. International visitors have been banned from making the journey to Mecca, to try to curb the pandemic. Only 10,000 pilgrims

A court in Malaysia has sentenced former PM Najib Razak to 12 years in jail after finding him guilty on all seven counts in the first of several multi-million dollar corruption trials. Najib had pleaded not guilty to the charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse

China's all-weather friend Pakistan has given a big jolt to the business ambition of Chinese tech firms in the country. In an unprecedented move, Pakistan now has blocked the Bigo Live streaming application and issued a "final warning" to video-sharing app TikTok over

China’s fearless disregard for international water laws has finally severed its ties with neighbouring countries in the South China Sea.  Recently, the Philippines publicly called on China to comply with the 2016 arbitral ruling which had ruled that China has no

  Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak has been found guilty of all seven charges in the first of several multi-million dollar corruption trials. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering, and abuse of power. The case against Najib, in

As the relations between two countries worsen, US has said that China has been engaging in massive illegal spying and influencing operations against US government officials and American citizens.  "The People's Republic of China has engaged for years in massive illegal

Much has been heard and reported on China’s treatment of its ethnic Uyghur population in Xinjiang province. But is it genocide? Omer Kanat believes it is so. In an exclusive chat with StratNews Global from his base in the US, Kanat says the leadership of the Communist Party of

India coronavirus cases have surged 14.35 lakh-mark, taking confirmed cases toll to 14,35,453, including 4,85,114 active cases, 9,17,568 recovered and 32,771 deaths, according to health ministry's figures released on Monday. According to the latest data, the total number of cases

American diplomatic staff have left their consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu, after a 72-hour deadline expired. China ordered the closure in response to the US closing the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, last week. Before Monday's deadline, staff were seen leaving the

Beijing has not only attempted to change facts on the ground in the South China Sea but is also seeking to gradually change the world's mind regarding its claims in the region, a Washington-based think tank has said. Nguyen Thuy Anh, who is a research fellow at the East Sea

Students for Free Tibet (SFT) - India organised a protest on the occassion of the 99th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). SFT Director, Rinzin said "Today we are here to protest against the Chinese Communist Party, specially the government itself, because

Pakistani ID cards were recovered from the bodies of terrorists killed in Afghanistan’s Kandahar, Khaama news agency reported. The development highlights Pakistan’s complicity in aiding Taliban to create unrest in Afghanistan. Security forces killed five terrorists in

A US federal court has charged a Standford University visiting researcher for visa fraud after she allegedly concealed her membership in the Chinese military, South China Morning Post reported. Song Chen was charged “in connection with a scheme to lie about her status as an

Pakistani drug syndicates are becoming active in J&K, says Intelligence. Intelligence sources said that the cross border narco-terror threat is becoming a major area of concern and the problem needs to be nipped in the bud. Intelligence agencies are raising alarm over Pakistani drug

With the enactment of national security law in Hong Kong, Japan is among several countries who have come forward to assist the citizens wanting to flee the city to save their lives. The NHK World-Japan has reported that the Japanese lawmakers are formulating plans to set up a

Wall Street’s movers and shakers are largely seen as part of the solution to the coronavirus-ravaged economy. Chastened by the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the great recession over a decade ago, they were forced to scale back businesses considered risky and clean up their balance

Chinese officials have reportedly ordered some Christians to smash the crosses on their churches and remove images of Jesus from their homes. Authorities have recently destroyed religious symbols by force in churches in multiple provinces, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei and Zhejiang,

A Singaporean man has pleaded guilty in the US to working as an agent of China, the latest incident in a growing stand-off between Washington and Beijing. Jun Wei Yeo was charged with using his political consultancy in America as a front to collect information for Chinese intelligence,

  Muslim prayers are being held in the iconic Hagia Sophia for the first time in 86 years after the reconversion of the Istanbul landmark into a mosque earlier this month. The Friday prayers took place two weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan controversially

India has reported its biggest spike of 49,310 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 12,87,945.  The country death toll from coronavirus also crossed 30,000 after 740 new fatalities. As of now, there are 4,40,135 active cases in the country