South Asia

Mumbai’s crumbling buildings are a high-stakes game of rent, risk, and resilience

Despite Mumbai’s booming skyline, hundreds of dilapidated buildings teeter on the brink of collapse, housing families who choose to risk their lives rather than pay exorbitant rents.

Mumbai’s crumbling buildings risk lives as residents refuse to leave due to high rents and limited affordable housing, despite government warnings

4 hours ago

Malaysia to conduct ‘integrity audit’ after second sinkhole appears

28 Aug 2024 - 10:46PMvideocam

Pakistan vows to defeat terrorism aiming to ‘drive a wedge’ with ally China

28 Aug 2024 - 6:21PMvideocam

South Asia

Indian solar panels face US scrutiny for possible links to China forced labour

US Customs has detained nearly US$43 million worth of Indian electronics shipments since October 2022 under the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act, highlighting a new focus on enforcing the law.

27 Aug 2024 - 9:12PM

Workers clean photovoltaic panels inside a solar power plant in Gujarat, India. Photo: Reuters

South Asia

India’s Modi urges Putin for swift end to Ukraine war after Kyiv visit

Modi’s comments highlight India’s balancing act between Russia and the West, and come after his visit to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.

28 Aug 2024 - 3:29PM

Politics

India’s rape-murder case sparks calls for more women protection, strong policing

While reforms to tackle sexual crimes were introduced in recent years, such incidents against women remain prevalent in India.

27 Aug 2024 - 7:51PMvideocam

Politics

Call for lower caste winners in India’s beauty pageants sparks uproar

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has slammed Gandhi’s “divisive tactics” and said several top Indian leaders have lower caste roots.

27 Aug 2024 - 6:00PM

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Tamil actress Trisha Krishnan at a press conference in Mumbai in 2022. Photo: AFP

Politics

What Modi’s historic Ukraine trip means for India’s peacemaker role, Russia ties

The Indian prime minister’s visit marks a milestone, but New Delhi’s Moscow links will hamper its ability to influence the conflict.

27 Aug 2024 - 12:30PMvideocam

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky pay respects in Kyiv on Friday to the children killed amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Photo: India’s Press Information Bureau/Reuters

South Asia

60 dead as Pakistan’s Balochistan, home to China-led projects, hit by separatists

The attacks targeted police stations, railway lines, and vehicles on highways, with the Baloch Liberation Army claiming responsibility for the violence.

27 Aug 2024 - 7:13PMvideocam

South Asia

Two bus crashes in Pakistan leave at least 36 people dead, officials say

Two separate bus crashes in Pakistan on Sunday – one in Balochistan, one in Punjab – left at least 36 people dead and dozens more injured.

25 Aug 2024 - 10:06PM

South Asia

Bangladesh transit rail back on track after protest closure

Bangladesh’s metro railway in the notoriously congested capital Dhaka resumed on Sunday more than a month after it was closed.

25 Aug 2024 - 6:47PM

A metro train rides along a transit line in Dhaka on Sunday. Photo: AFP

South Asia

Roadside bomb in southwest Pakistan kills 2 children and a woman

A bomb attached to a motorcycle went off near a police office in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least three and wounding 15.

24 Aug 2024 - 11:48PM

An injured policeman receives medical treatment at a hospital following a bomb explosion near the police lines in Quetta, Balochistan province, Pakistan, on 24 August, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

South Asia

Floods send nearly 300,000 Bangladeshis into emergency shelters

Feni on the Indian border has been one of the worst-hit districts. Landslides and flooding have killed at least 42 people in both countries.

24 Aug 2024 - 5:46PM

Lifestyle & Culture

Singing statesman: Malaysia’s Anwar wins Indians’ hearts with Bollywood tribute

In a display of cultural diplomacy, PM Anwar Ibrahim serenaded a crowd in New Delhi, charming social media users with his ‘heartwarming’ performance.

24 Aug 2024 - 2:41PM

China

‘Deceit is not in our character’: India defence minister reaffirms US ties

Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin sign agreement to secure defence goods and services in the event of unexpected supply chain issues.

24 Aug 2024 - 8:05AM

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (left) and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just ahead of their meeting on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

South Asia

14 killed, 16 injured after bus with Indian pilgrims drives off Nepal highway

Among those pulled out of from the bus, 14 were declared dead and 16 were injured, with the rest still missing.

23 Aug 2024 - 6:30PM

The rescue operation after a bus carrying Indian pilgrims fell into a river near Nepal’s Abukhaireni town. Photo: AP

Politics

India shocked by report on rampant sexual abuse in Kerala’s film industry

The report comes after the horrific rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata earlier this month sparked protests across India

23 Aug 2024 - 5:00PMvideocam

South Asia

Nepal lifts TikTok ban imposed for disrupting social harmony

Restrictions on the Chinese-owned app were lifted after the new PM issued a directive for all social networking sites to be treated equally.

23 Aug 2024 - 5:47AMvideocam

Americas

Panama unveils deportation flights to China, India to stem US-bound migration

For years, would-be migrants from South America and beyond have sought to cross the dangerous Darién Gap jungle on their way to the US.

23 Aug 2024 - 1:45AMvideocam

A member of Panama’s Tactical Aeronaval Operations group watches as migrants are deported to Colombia from Panama City on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Politics

Indian doctor’s rape-murder threatens veteran political leader’s grip on power

Protests in Kolkata over the brutal murder of a doctor are intensifying pressure on West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, with critics questioning her administration’s ability to maintain law and order.

22 Aug 2024 - 6:05PMvideocam

Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of India’s West Bengal state, takes part in a protest rally to condemn the rape and murder of a doctor in her state’s capital, Kolkata, on August 16. Photo: AFP

South Asia

China, India among 35 countries added to Sri Lanka visa-free list

Tourists will be given 30-day visas under a six-month pilot programme that will start from October 1.

22 Aug 2024 - 4:06PM

South Asia

Pakistan charges man with cyberterrorism over misinformation that led to UK riots

The man is accused of spreading misinformation from YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 others on July 29 at a dance class.

23 Aug 2024 - 4:05PMvideocam

Middle East

28 killed as bus carrying Pakistan pilgrims crashes in Iran

The pilgrims had been on their way to Iraq to commemorate the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala.

21 Aug 2024 - 4:14PM