An undersea quake, with a magnitude of 6.5, has jolted western Indonesia's West Java province, without triggering giant waves, the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said. The earthquake occurred at 23:29 Jakarta time (1629 GMT) on Saturday with its epicenter located 151 km s
Iraq’s parliament has passed a law criminalising same-sex relationships with a maximum 15-year prison sentence, in a move it said aimed to uphold religious values, but was condemned by rights advocates as the latest attack on the LGBTQ community in Iraq. The law adopted on Saturday aims to &
Five people were killed and 33 others injured by a strong tornado that hit Guangzhou, the capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, Saturday afternoon, local authorities said. The tornado hit Zhongluotan Town in the city's Baiyun District at approximately 3:00 pm., while the weather statio
India held the second phase of the world's biggest election on Friday amid lower voter turnout, compared to that of the previous phase. A total of 88 seats out of the 543 in the lower house of parliament went to the polls on Friday, with 160 million people eligible to vote across 13 states and fed
Commenting on Bangladesh’s economic growth, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said although the then ‘West Pakistan’ once considered ‘East Pakistan’ as a burden, independent Bangladesh has made tremendous strides in industrial growth. According to Shehbaz Sha
The vast amount of rubble including unexploded ordnance left by Israel’s devastating war in the Gaza Strip could take about 14 years to remove, a United Nations official said on Friday. Israel’s military campaign against Gaza’s ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has reduced
A baby girl who was delivered from her dying mother’s womb in a Gaza hospital following an Israeli airstrike has herself died after just a few days of life, the doctor who was caring for her said on Friday. The baby had been named Rouh, meaning Soul. Her mother, Sabreen Al-Sakani, was serio
Sri Lanka has approved a new law allowing the state to seize any proceeds from criminal activities, a cabinet spokesperson said on Friday. At a cabinet briefing, Sri Lanka’s Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana said the new law was proposed as part of efforts under the IMF programme to imp
Pakistan's economic indicators are showing positive signs, with an agenda of painful reforms and privatisation on track, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday, ahead of an IMF board meeting to decide on a $1.1 billion funding for the country. The prime minister said, in an address to
Individuals holding any type of visas are now permitted to undertake Umrah rituals, according to Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia. In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said, “Arrivals from anywhere and with any visa can perform Umrah with ease and comfort.” Umr
India began voting on Friday in the second phase of the world's biggest election, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rivals raise the pitch of the campaign by focusing on hot-button issues such as religious discrimination, affirmative action and taxes. Almost one billion people are eligible t
Armed soldiers loyal to a turncoat warlord patrol the streets of southeastern Myanmar's frontier town of Myawaddy, as troops of the ruling junta and rebels jostle for control of the outpost that handles more than $1 billion in border trade every year. The struggle for Myawaddy has highligh
A Myanmar rebel group has withdrawn its troops from a town along the Thai border following a counteroffensive by soldiers of the ruling junta from whom the rebels had this month wrested the key trading post, an official said on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Karen National Union (K
