Asia

India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held in Delhi

The third round of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) was held here on Wednesday, with the leaders of the two countries expressing their commitment to strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

2025-08-13T11:22:50.352413+00:00 IST

Pakistan forms committee to fast-track Afghan PoR repatriation

Pakistan has formed a joint committee of police and intelligence agencies to identify and repatriate Afghan nationals holding PoR cards. The plan includes voluntary returns starting immediately, formal deportations from September 1, transit arrangements, complaint redressal, and monitoring through the Foreign Nationals Security Dashboard (FNSD), Dawn reported.

2025-08-13T09:33:45.197780+00:00 IST

UN urges Pakistan to strengthen disaster preparedness

UNOCHA has urged Pakistan to strengthen disaster risk strategies as heavy monsoon rains threaten floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods in vulnerable regions, including Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan. The report highlights climate change, droughts, and past flood losses, stressing the need for early warnings and community resilience.

2025-08-13T08:57:59.678818+00:00 IST

Afghan women face "increasingly untenable" restrictions: UN Women

UN Women warns that Afghan women face worsening restrictions, risking exclusion from public life. Dozens of UN female staff were threatened in May, while women activists urge the Islamic Emirate to allow education and work opportunities. Many women struggle to earn livelihoods under ongoing restrictions, Tolo News reported.

2025-08-13T08:51:15.553031+00:00 IST

Karachi–Makran passenger coaches halted at Uthal

Passengers indicated that thousands of travellers, including the elderly, children, women, and the ill, are left stranded in extreme heat and should be allowed to continue to their destinations. They noted that while travellers were previously subjected to lengthy delays at various checkpoints under the guise of security checks, the current travel ban has exacerbated the situation, leading to further distress.

2025-08-13T08:30:33.296215+00:00 IST

Shisper glacier flood hits PoGB, blocks Karakoram Highway

Flooding from the Hunza Shisper Glacier in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan has blocked the Karakoram Highway, damaged homes, farmland, and infrastructure, and stranded travellers. Over 50 labourers narrowly escaped rising waters, while residents face shortages of essentials. Officials warn the disaster, the worst since 2018, may worsen.

2025-08-13T07:42:55.914074+00:00 IST

55,000 displaced and 400,000 trapped under curfew in Bajaur

Around 55,000 people have been displaced and 400,000 trapped under curfew in Bajaur due to a military operation. Opposition lawmaker Nisar Baz criticised the lack of government support, called for lifting the curfew, and urged a committee to address the law and order situation.

2025-08-13T07:39:25.714997+00:00 IST

Pak: Public hospitals in Sindh struggle under mounting crisis

Public hospitals in Karachi face severe shortages of beds, ventilators, and staff, forcing long waits for treatment. Patients from across Sindh and Balochistan overcrowd major hospitals due to inadequate district facilities, leaving many units non-operational and essential equipment lacking.

2025-08-13T07:20:50.008224+00:00 IST

Taiwan proposes stricter rules for citizenship restoration

Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has proposed new restrictions on the restoration of citizenship to individuals originally from Taiwan who later obtained Chinese identity documents, Focus Taiwan reported.

2025-08-13T07:06:11.768625+00:00 IST

Fisherman deported from Sri Lanka returns home, confirms Indian High Commission

One Indian fisherman has been deported from Sri Lanka and has reached India, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said on Wednesday.

2025-08-13T06:58:40.057572+00:00 IST

Pakistan's trade deficit soars 44 pc in July

Pakistan's trade deficit surged by a staggering 44 per cent in July, driven by a sharp increase in imports, raising fresh concerns about the country's economic situation, which is already in a crisis, The Express Tribune reported.

2025-08-13T06:12:39.033441+00:00 IST

South Korea: Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee arrested

The former first lady of South Korea and wife of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, has been arrested in connection with allegations of stock manipulation, election interference, and bribery, Yonhap News Agency reported on Wednesday.

2025-08-13T05:51:19.757355+00:00 IST

Over 30,000 “illegal Afghans” repatriated from Pakistan

Over 30,000 illegal Afghan nationals have been sent back from Quetta division to Afghanistan since July 31. Authorities are conducting daily operations to repatriate remaining undocumented Afghans, involving local leaders and ensuring special care for women and children during the process, officials said.

2025-08-13T05:42:21.170461+00:00 IST

50 militants killed in 4 days in Balochistan: ISPR

Just a day after the US Department of State designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), the Pakistan Armed Forces stated that it had killed at least 50 militants over four days in the Zhob district of Balochistan, the Dawn reported.

2025-08-13T05:14:15.561958+00:00 IST

Pakistan: Experts urge advocacy for Sindh’s HPV vaccine success

Sindh plans an HPV vaccination campaign for girls aged 9 to 14 to prevent cervical cancer, with strong support from global partners. Health experts stress early vaccination and public awareness as key to success, while challenges remain in reaching out-of-school girls, Dawn reported.

2025-08-13T04:38:09.292535+00:00 IST

PMD warns heavy rains may trigger floods in Pakistan

The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast heavy rains across the country from August 17, warning of flash floods, urban flooding and landslides. Since late June, floods have killed 312 people and injured 740, according to the NDMA.

2025-08-13T03:18:53.702824+00:00 IST

UNICEF trains 200 Afghan girls amid education ban

UNICEF launched a six-month vocational training in Herat for 200 girls aged 15-25 deprived of education. The program, supported by Japan, teaches sewing and carpet weaving to empower Afghan girls amid ongoing restrictions, says Khaama Press.

2025-08-13T02:36:06.579117+00:00 IST

Taiwan detects Chinese military activity around its territory

Taiwan's Ministry of Defence detected 14 Chinese aircraft, six Chinese naval vessels operating around its territorial waters as of 6 am (local time) on Wednesday.

2025-08-13T01:56:14.917528+00:00 IST

US suspects Russian involvement in breach of Federal Court system

Investigators have found evidence suggesting Russia's involvement in a recent breach of the US federal court document system, which contained highly sensitive records with information that could reveal sources and people charged with national security crimes, the New York Times reported, citing several people who briefed on the breach.

2025-08-13T01:31:42.776623+00:00 IST

Enemy can’t snatch even single drop of water: Pakistan PM

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday claimed that any attempt to stop the flow of water into Pakistan is in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty, and would be met with a "decisive response".

2025-08-13T00:48:46.766197+00:00 IST

Singapore ministerial delegation arrives in Delhi for ISMR

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Finance Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and a Ministerial delegation from Singapore arrived in New Delhi for the 3rd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) on Wednesday.

2025-08-12T23:30:26.304622+00:00 IST