Asia

India warns Pak of ‘painful consequences’ over nuclear war rant

"We have seen several statements and reports regarding the continuing pattern of reckless warmongering and hateful comments from Pakistani leadership against India," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly briefing.

2025-08-14T11:22:31.336592+00:00 IST

785 enforced disappearances recorded in first half of 2025: Paank

Baloch National Movement's human rights department, Paank, made a chilling revelation of the dangers being faced by Baloch activists in Pakistan. It said on Thursday that in the first 6 months of 2025 alone, Paank documented 785 enforced disappearances and 121 killings.

2025-08-14T10:32:31.873833+00:00 IST

Protests erupt across PoGB as police, lawyers, and locals voice grievances

The sit-in conducted by the PoGB police outside the Chief Minister's House has now reached its third day. The police are demonstrating to urge the authorities to raise their allowance in line with the budget for 2025-26. Officers from other districts, including those assigned to protect Chinese nationals in Chilas, also joined the sit-in in Gilgit.

2025-08-14T09:36:06.785035+00:00 IST

Exiled Tibetan artists resent removal of artworks due to China

Exiled Tibetan artists and activists on Thursday have strongly condemned the removal of Tibetan and other diaspora artworks addressing themes of state violence, authoritarian partnerships, and grassroots resistance from an international exhibition at Thailand's Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) due to reported pressure from Beijing officials.

2025-08-14T09:04:55.731473+00:00 IST

15 million primary-age girls out of school globally: UN

15 million primary-age girls around the world are currently out of school, as systemic gender discrimination continues to hinder equal access to education for girls and young women globally, a new report by UN Women revealed on Wednesday.

2025-08-14T08:15:27.665366+00:00 IST

Pakistan steps up crackdown on undocumented Afghan migrants

Pakistani authorities have ramped up a sweeping crackdown against undocumented Afghan migrants in Peshawar, detaining large numbers of individuals without valid legal documents, Khaama Press reported, citing local officials.

2025-08-14T07:31:09.339712+00:00 IST

Zardari slams Pakistani PM over 'Shehbaz speed' in Lahore

Tensions within Pakistan's ruling coalition surfaced on Wednesday as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari publicly criticised Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for failing to deliver on development promises in Karachi, accusing him of applying a double standard between the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, Geo News reported, citing The News.

2025-08-14T06:56:24.065504+00:00 IST

ISKCON provides aid to Hindu families in Bangladesh

ISKCON has arranged compensation and complete rehabilitation for 18 families affected by attacks on Hindu homes in Bangladesh's northern Gangachara Upazila of Rangpur district, ISKCON said in a statement.

2025-08-14T05:53:00.507631+00:00 IST

Pakistan reintroduces Anti-Terrorism Act

The National Assembly of Pakistan passed the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2024, restoring the provision of preventive detention for individuals suspected of terrorism, The Express Tribune reported on Tuesday.

2025-08-14T04:57:15.060854+00:00 IST

Flood cuts off Pakistan's Karakoram Highway

A glacial lake outburst flood in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) severely damaged the Karakoram Highway (KKH) on Wednesday, stranding hundreds of tourists and travellers, while authorities in the Punjab Province issued evacuation orders for areas along the Sutlej River due to looming flood threats from intense monsoon activity, the Dawn reported.

2025-08-14T04:28:04.375728+00:00 IST

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to arrive in Dhaka

Dar was initially scheduled to visit Bangladesh on April 27, following the visit of Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch. However, the visit was postponed due to heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

2025-08-14T03:48:49.093564+00:00 IST

China ups military incursions around Taiwan

Taiwan's Ministry of Defence detected eight Chinese aircraft, two Chinese naval vessels operating around its territorial waters as of 6 am (local time) on Thursday.

2025-08-14T01:49:59.295382+00:00 IST

South Korea's ex-First Lady to face special counsel questioning

Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the country's former first lady, is scheduled to face questioning by a special counsel team on Thursday,

2025-08-13T23:57:09.943950+00:00 IST

Independence Day celebrations in Pak's Karachi turn deadly

The incidents occurred across the city, with the young girl hit by a stray bullet in Azizabad and a man named Stephen killed in Korangi. At least 64 others suffered gunshot wounds in the citywide incidents, Geo News reported.

2025-08-13T23:24:24.125689+00:00 IST

If you cave in to a bully...: Ex-diplomat on India-US tariff row

"If you cave in to a bully, then the bully will increase his demands," Swarup told ANI, warning that yielding to such demands would only invite more pressure.

2025-08-13T21:05:03.972008+00:00 IST

Singapore key partner in India’s Act East Policy: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said that Singapore is a key partner in India's Act East Policy, MAHASAGAR Vision and Indo-Pacific Vision and the two countries have a strong partnerships in the areas of trade, investment, defence, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

2025-08-13T18:18:21.247799+00:00 IST

"Short-term": Vikas Swarup on reset in US-Pak relations

Former diplomat Vikas Swarup has described the United States' current relationship with Pakistan as a short-term, tactical arrangement driven largely by financial interests, while stressing that US-India ties remain strategic in nature.

2025-08-13T16:31:31.225152+00:00 IST

Getting into bed with Pakistan ‘strategic mistake’ for US

Former diplomat Vikas Swarup on Wednesday warned that the US is making a "strategic mistake" by strengthening ties with Pakistan, a country closely aligned with China, a strategic competitor of the US.

2025-08-13T16:02:27.034957+00:00 IST

Jaishankar highlights tourism, trade, tech at FAITH conclave

He emphasised that the government is paying increasing attention to the value of this connection, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the use of the three T's - Tourism, Trade, and Technology - as benchmarks to assess foreign relationships.

2025-08-13T15:05:38.982033+00:00 IST

'US tariffs pressure tactics to get India to sign on dotted line'

There are three reasons US President Donald Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods including his "being miffed that India has not acknowledged his role" in cessation of hostilities with Pakistan following Operation Sindoor, former diplomat Vikas Swarup has said, noting that if there is positive outcome of Alaska talks, Russia sanctions will be off the table.

2025-08-13T14:01:22.834591+00:00 IST

Chile Embassy celebrates Abhay K’s book on poetry

Ambassador Angulo highlighted the deep-rooted literary connections between India and Latin America, emphasising the role of literature in strengthening mutual understanding. Addressing the event, Juan Angulo said, "There is a very strong connection rooted in the past. Many Indian and Latin American authors have taken inspiration from each other. Going forward, literary festivals, whether in India like those in Jaipur or Kolkata or across Latin America, will continue to foster these exchanges and help people understand each other better."

2025-08-13T13:00:49.355926+00:00 IST