Chinese woman jailed for reporting on Covid in Wuhan to be freed after four years

A Chinese citizen journalist who has been in prison for four years after reporting on the early days of the Covid-19 epidemic in Wuhan is due to be released on Monday.

Kuwait forms new government headed by Ahmad Abdullah Al-Sabah

Kuwait formed a new cabinet headed by Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Sabah, according to a royal decree issued Sunday.

Philippines calls for Chinese diplomats to be expelled for disinformation

The Philippine national security council on Friday called for Chinese diplomats to be expelled from the country for what it called a malicious disinformation campaign that had breached local laws and diplomatic protocols.

Man who received first pig kidney transplant dies

The first man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation, the hospital which carried out the procedure has said.

PoJK: Awami Action Committee vows to persist in protests amid security force crackdown

The Awami Action Committee in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) has vowed to continue protests amid a police crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in Muzaffarabad.

U.S. eyes curbs on China’s access to AI software behind apps like ChatGPT

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is poised to open up a new front in its efforts to safeguard U.S. artificial intelligence from China and Russia.

’I want India to be capital of South East Asia,’ says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed that he would want India to be the capital of South East Asia, and emphasised that India’s progress poses no threat to anyone and as India progresses, the burden of the world reduces.

Chinese network behind one of world’s ‘largest online scams’

More than 800,000 people in Europe and the US appear to have been duped into sharing card details and other sensitive personal data with a vast network of fake online designer shops apparently operated from China.

UAE and India on track to hit $100bn non-oil trade

The UAE and India will surpass the $100 billion non-oil trade target by 2030, with increasing aviation links between the two countries seen as a potential catalyst.

Astronomers finally detect a rocky planet with an atmosphere

Astronomers have searched for years for rocky planets beyond our solar system with an atmosphere - a trait considered essential for any possibility of harboring life. Well, they finally seem to have located one. But this hellish planet - apparently with a surface of molten rock - offers no hope for habitability.

Luis Rubiales to stand trial over World Cup kiss

The former head of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, will stand trial for sexual assault over his unsolicited kissing of Women’s World Cup player Jenni Hermoso.

U.S. claims COVID-19 emerged from lab Incident in China

A U.S. congressional subcommittee examining the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic has reviewed classified documents that, according to them, suggest the virus accidentally leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic asserts that these documents also indicate an attempt by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to obscure the details of the incident.

Amid strained ties, Maldives Foreign Minister on three-day India visit from Wednesday

Amid strained ties between the two countries, Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer has announced his official visit to India from May 8-10. During his India visit, the Maldivies Minister will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and hold discussions in deepening the India-Maldives longstanding partnership, the Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.

Australian PM Albanese says China military air incident unacceptable

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday it was unacceptable for Australian defence personnel to be put at risk in international airspace by the Chinese military as they took part in an operation to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

Australia raises minimum savings for student visa, warns on fake recruitment

Australia said on Wednesday it would raise the amount of savings international students will need to get a visa and warned several colleges of fraudulent student recruitment practices, as part of efforts to rein in record migration.

70-year-old man arrested for marrying 13-yr-old girl in Swat

In Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, police have apprehended a 70-year-old man for marrying a 13-year-old girl, an act deemed illegal and deeply concerning, ARY News reported.

Israeli military takes control of vital Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt

The Israeli military took control of the vital Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday, pushing into the southern Gazan town after a night of air strikes and as prospects for a ceasefire deal hung in the balance.

Indian airlines to carry 50 pct of international traffic by 2028, says Crisil Ratings

Indian airlines, carrying international passenger traffic originating from, terminating in, or transitioning through India, are expected to witness a surge of 50 percent by fiscal 2028 from the current 43 percent in 2024, according to Crisil Ratings.

UKPNP condemns heavy troop deployment against peaceful protests in PoK

The top leadership of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) expressed serious concern over the recent militarization of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in a joint statement released on Sunday.

Australia boosts ties with Philippine military as South China Sea tensions rise

Australia has agreed to boost its security cooperations with the United States, Japan and the Philippines, in response to China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, reported Voice of America (VOA).

US warns of new nuclear threat from China WaPo

The US regards China’s plans to deploy floating nuclear reactors that could power military facilities as a threat to regional security, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Panama election: Voters to choose president after front-runner sentenced

Panamanians are voting in a general election which has been overshadowed by the disqualification of the man who was leading in the polls.

Trudeau’s false narrative grabs US attention, threatening India relations

A recent report in the U.S.-national daily, the Washington Post, alleges that a plot to kill Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, wanted on terror charges in India, was ordered by the previous chief of the Indian Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), with official sanction from senior intelligence officials tied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inner circle.

Apple CEO Tim Cook delighted with double-digit growth in India, sets revenue records

According to Apple’s chief financial officer Luca Maestri, the company has achieved a six-month revenue record not only in India but also in several other emerging markets including Latin America, West Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Turkey.

China’s property crisis leaves trail of ghost cities in Malaysia and Cambodia

Malaysia’s Forest City and Cambodia’s Sihanoukville have suffered immensely from China’s property sector crisis. From the half-finished structures of Forest City in Johor, Malaysia, to the desolate shores of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, the narrative of China’s real estate giants reflects unbridled ambition and dire consequences. Both locales are now labeled as ghost cities.

Xi Jinping to visit Europe for first time in 5 years

From May 5 to 10, China’s President Xi Jinping will make state visits to France, Serbia, and Hungary – his first trip to Europe since the pandemic began. The world has changed quite a bit since 2019, when Xi was last in Europe, and Europe’s approach to China is no exception.

Tensions grow as China ramps up global mining for green tech

Earlier this year, Ai Qing was woken up in the middle of the night by angry chants outside her dormitory in northern Argentina.

AstraZeneca admits for first time its COVID vaccine can cause rare side effect

AstraZeneca has admitted in court for the first time that its COVID jab can cause a deadly blood clotting side effect.

Four officers shot dead, four wounded, in North Carolina home siege

Four law enforcement officers have been fatally shot and four others were wounded while serving a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina, officials say.

Modi’s spies plotted to assassinate dissident

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was enjoying the pomp and circumstance of a White House state visit last year his spy chiefs were plotting to assassinate a leading dissident on American soil, according to U.S. and Indian security officials.