Islamabad [Pakistan], Dec 14 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday departed for a one-day visit to Saudi Arabia with an aim to assuage the Kingdom's concerns regarding the upcoming Kuala Lumpur summit.

Kathmandu [Nepal], Dec 14 (ANI): At least three people have died in an overnight explosion in Dhanushadham of Southern Nepal.

New Delhi [India], Dec 14 (ANI): Speaker of Maldivian Parliament and former president Mohamed Nasheed said that a "large amount" of Chinese funds have gone into Maldives as projects, most of which have inflated prices and have led to the debt.

Islamabad [Pakistan], Dec 14 (Sputnik/ANI): US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad during his visit to Islamabad on Friday briefed Pakistani government officials on the latest developments in the Taliban peace talks, the US Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.

New Delhi [India], Dec 14 (ANI): Maldives former President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday said that controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik attempt to enter the Maldives recently was prevented as the government of the island nation does not want anyone to "preach" hatred.

New Delhi [India], Dec 14 (ANI): Maldives Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has affirmed that the governments of India and Maldives are "on the same page" and the future of ties between the two countries is "bright".

New Delhi [India], Dec 14 (ANI): Terming Citizenship (Amendment) Act an "internal issue" of India, Maldives Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed on Friday exuded trust in Indian democracy and said that the Bill was democratically passed through both the houses of the Parliament.

New Delhi [India], Dec 14 (ANI): Amid protests in northeastern states of India against the amended Citizenship Act, many countries including US, UK, France and Canada have issued travel advisories for their citizens asking them to "exercise caution" while travelling to the region.

New Delhi [India], Dec 14 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met Speaker of People's Majlis of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed.

New Delhi [India], Dec 14 (ANI): The United States has issued a travel advisory for its citizens to "exercise caution" while travelling to the states in North East India and the US government has temporarily suspended "official travel" to Assam, amid reports of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

New Delhi [India], Dec 13 (ANI): Maritime security is not the responsibility of one state and the cooperation of other countries is necessary, said Maldives Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed here on Friday.

New Delhi [India], Dec 13 (ANI): The 11th edition of Delhi Dialogue commenced with Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, giving a welcome speech at the ministerial meeting hosted by External Affairs Ministry (EAM) on Friday evening.

Islamabad [Pakistan], Dec 13 (ANI): In a development likely to raise eyebrows, Pakistani media on Friday reported that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's toxicology screening for poisoning might be ordered 'if no cause or cure is found of his unstable platelets.'

New Delhi [India], Dec 13 (ANI): Maldives' Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday and conveyed the "commitment of the leadership of the Maldives to its 'India First' policy" and to further strengthening the bilateral relations.

New Delhi [India], Dec 13 (ANI): India and the Maldives on Friday agreed to hold the meeting of Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, Countering Violent Extremism and De-radicalisation at an early date to strengthen cooperation required to combat the common threats arising from terrorism and radicalism.

New Delhi [India], Dec 13 (ANI): Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik wanted to enter The Maldives but his request was turned down by the government of the island nation.

New Delhi [India], Dec 13 (ANI): Speaker of People's Majlis of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday and reaffirmed his government's unwavering support to the 'India First' policy.

Islamabad [Pakistan], Dec 19 (ANI): The Special Court, which pronounced death sentence to Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday, has written in its 167-page detailed verdict that the body of the former military dictator would be dragged to and hanged at D-Chowk in Islamabad if he died before the execution of his death sentence.

New Delhi [India], Nov 19 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa at Hyderabad House.

Washington [US], Dec 19 (ANI): US President Donald Trump is confident that the Senate will not vote to impeach him after the House of Representatives voted in favour of the impeachment motion, the White House said in a statement.

August 03, 2020 5:57 PMBENGALURU (REUTERS) - Indian drugmaker Wockhardt Ltd will supply millions of doses of multiple CoviD-19 vaccines to the UK, including the one being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, it said on Monday (Aug 3).

August 03, 2020 5:36 PMALOR SETAR (AFP) - A British woman was jailed for 3½ years on Monday (Aug 3) after tearfully admitting she stabbed her husband to death during a fight on the Malaysian holiday island of Langkawi.

August 03, 2020 5:13 PMVIENTIANE (XINHUA) - Dengue cases in Laos have reached 4,256 with nine deaths since January, according to a report from the Lao Ministry of Health.

August 03, 2020 4:56 PMHONG KONG (REUTERS) - Hong Kong reported 80 new coronavirus cases on Monday (Aug 3), dropping below 100 infections for the first time in 12 days, as a team of Chinese officials began preparations for widespread testing in the global financial hub, which has seen a resurgence in cases.

August 03, 2020 4:55 PMPETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Malaysian government has decided to mandate the use of contact tracing app MySejahtera in all premises, said Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Monday (Aug 3).

August 03, 2020 4:32 PMMANILA (REUTERS) - The Philippine health ministry on Monday (Aug 3) confirmed 3,226 novel coronavirus infections and 46 additional deaths.

August 03, 2020 4:29 PMTOKYO (REUTERS) - Japan's multi-billion dollar campaign aimed at reviving domestic tourism is ill-timed and not the best use of taxpayer money, said Professor Yutaka Harada, a former central bank board member and vocal advocate of Premier Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" policies.

August 03, 2020 4:18 PMCOLOMBO (AFP) - A cat detained at Sri Lanka's main prison while allegedly trying to smuggle drugs and cell phone SIM cards has escaped, media reports said on Monday (Aug 3).

August 03, 2020 3:56 PMKATHMANDU/DHAKA (REUTERS) - Heavy rain in Nepal triggered landslides on Monday (Aug 3) that killed eight labourers at a construction site and two members of a family, taking the toll in floods and landslides to 177 since late May.

August 03, 2020 3:48 PMBEIJING (REUTERS) - China said on Monday (Aug 3) it will suspend its extradition agreement with New Zealand in response to Wellington suspending its existing extradition treaty with Hong Kong.

August 03, 2020 3:05 PMBENGALURU (REUTERS) - India's interior minister and the chiefs of two big states have been hospitalised with Covid-19 as the country's daily cases topped 50,000 for a fifth straight day on Monday (Aug 3).

August 03, 2020 2:57 PMKUALA LUMPUR - Lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun on Monday (Aug 3) claimed trial to three money laundering charges for receiving RM15 million (S$4.9 million) in illicit funds from former premier Najib Razak in 2014 and 2015.

August 03, 2020 2:50 PMThe state recorded 429 new cases and 13 more deaths in the past 24 hours.

August 03, 2020 2:38 PMBEIJING (AFP) - Thousands of Chinese beer lovers left their facemasks and virus worries behind to gather in large crowds and raise a much-needed glass as the annual Qingdao beer festival opened over the weekend.

August 03, 2020 2:07 PMSYDNEY (AFP) - A tourist snorkelling off Australia's pristine north-west coast was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition after being struck by a whale, medics said on Monday (Aug 3).

August 03, 2020 1:42 PMHANOI (REUTERS) – Vietnam is in the midst of a “decisive” fight against the novel coronavirus, the prime minister said on Monday (Aug 3), with the focus on Danang city where infections have appeared in four factories with a combined workforce of about 3,700 people.

August 03, 2020 12:34 PMHONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Hong Kong denied plans to harvest residents' DNA as part of a China-backed coronavirus-testing blitz, as deep political mistrust further complicates the city's efforts to contain its worst outbreak ever.

August 03, 2020 12:25 PMIn its editorial, the paper says that Bali's tourism industry lost an estimated Rp 48.5 trillion ($4.5 billion) between March and July, which is why the reopening is much-awaited.

August 03, 2020 12:15 PMIn her commentary, the writer says that while Congress seniors stressed that the party needed to correct its course, younger leaders close to Rahul Gandhi asked them to look back instead of blaming young Turks.

August 03, 2020 12:13 PMCOLOMBO (REUTERS) - Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hopes to tighten his hold on the nation's fractious politics in an election on Wednesday (Aug 5) that could elevate his brother and allow the two to change the constitution if they prevail.

August 03, 2020 11:05 AMWELLINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - New Zealand will not be proceeding with a quarantine-free travel zone with Australia any time soon as a coronavirus outbreak spreads in the state of Victoria, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.

August 03, 2020 10:52 AMTOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - After initial success, Japan is facing a reality check on the coronavirus.

August 03, 2020 10:47 AMHONG KONG (REUTERS) - The Hong Kong government's decision to postpone an election for the city's legislature by a year, by invoking emergency legislation after a spike in coronavirus cases, may be unlawful, the city's bar association said.

August 03, 2020 10:02 AMSRINAGAR (REUTERS) - The scars of last summer remain in Soura, an enclave that became a symbol of Kashmir's resistance to India's central government a year ago on Wednesday (Aug 5).

August 03, 2020 9:35 AMHONG KONG (NYTIMES) - When Tian Feilong first arrived in Hong Kong as demands for free elections were on the rise, he said he felt sympathetic toward a society that seemed to reflect the liberal political ideas he had studied as a graduate student in Beijing.

August 03, 2020 9:10 AMSHANGHAI (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - TikTok parent company ByteDance is exploring all possibilities and working around the clock to resolve its intensifying confrontation with US authorities, Chief Executive Officer Zhang Yiming told employees in a letter.

August 03, 2020 8:03 AMTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA (BLOOMBERG) - Kerala, the southern Indian state with development indicators comparable to the first world, will invest in training and exporting health workers with the aim of capitalising on their remittances, its Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said.

August 03, 2020 7:51 AMTANJUNG PINANG (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Riau Islands governor Isdianto has tested positive for Covid-19 four days after he was sworn into the office by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

August 03, 2020 7:51 AMPETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Four sub-districts in the Malaysian state of Kedah have been put under the "targeted enhanced move control order (MCO)" following the growing number of Covid-19 cases linked to the Sivagangga cluster in the state.

August 03, 2020 7:33 AMPETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is still alive and well, according to the management of his gallery.