Category Archives: South and Central Asia

‘A leader of the world’: south-east Asian countries open to Putin pivot

Posted on by

Only Singapore has imposed sanctions, while others have been receptive to Moscow’s offers of friendship

The head of Myanmar’s military junta beamed with joy as he shook hands with Vladimir Putin this week. “We would call you not just the leader of Russia but a leader of the world because you control and organise stability around the whole world,” Min Aung Hlaing said.

His remarks came as Putin claimed in a defiant speech that European efforts to isolate Russia would fail: instead, he would pivot to Asia.

Continue reading...

Indian and Chinese troops pull back from disputed Himalayan border area

Posted on by

Forces disengaging in Gogra-Hot Springs area as peace talks since 2020 clashes carry on

Indian and Chinese troops have begun to pull back from another disputed Himalayan border area, as peace talks between senior military officials after deadly clashes in 2020 continue.

The two defence ministries confirmed troops were disengaging from respective sides in the area of Gogra-Hot Springs, in a move “conducive to the peace and tranquillity in the border areas”.

Continue reading...

‘A revolution is coming’: Pakistani artist says floods must be catalyst for change

Posted on by

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, grandson of Pakistan’s hanged reforming prime minister, saw devastation and desperation after recent floods

A Pakistani artist whose work centres on the Indus River delta, its wildlife and the climate crisis has told of his return to his home village and seeing the devastation its swollen waters had brought.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who is named after his grandfather, the former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, said he met people fearful for what the future may bring and heard the sound of houses collapsing into the water.

Continue reading...

Tajikistan ‘rounding up and deporting Afghan refugees’

Posted on by

UN refugee agency urges authorities to end forced deportations as families say they are too scared to leave their homes

The Tajikistan authorities are rounding up Afghan refugees and forcing them to cross the border back into Afghanistan, despite some having been granted asylum in other countries.

According to reports from Tajikistan’s 10,000-strong Afghan refugee community, people are being picked up off the street and houses raided in a spate of recent round-ups of Afghan families, who have been sheltering in the country since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

Continue reading...

Boris Johnson accused of intelligence tipoff that led to British Sikh’s alleged torture in India

Posted on by

Labour raises questions in the Commons over Johnson’s alleged actions as foreign secretary in the case of activist Jagtar Singh Johal

Labour has accused Boris Johnson of authorising the sharing of intelligence that led to the imprisonment and alleged torture of a UK-based Sikh activist in India.

A Foreign Office minister refused to confirm or deny Johnson’s alleged involvement – during his time as foreign secretary – in the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, who has been detained for five years without trial.

Continue reading...

Pakistan’s monsoon rains threaten world heritage site of Mohenjo-daro

Posted on by

Curator of site says several walls built nearly 5,000 years ago have collapsed and repairs are under way

In flood-stricken Pakistan, where an unprecedented monsoon season has killed hundreds of people, the rains now threaten a famed archaeological site dating back 4,500 years.

The ruins of Mohenjo-daro, located in southern Sindh province near the Indus River, and a Unesco world heritage site, are considered among the best preserved urban settlements in south Asia. They were discovered in 1922, and mystery still surrounds the disappearance of its civilisation, which coincided with those of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Continue reading...

Hundreds of Hazaras killed by ISKP since Taliban took power, say rights group

Posted on by

Human Rights Watch says Taliban is failing to protect Shia minority from violent attacks on mosques, schools and workplaces

Hazara communities in Afghanistan are being targeted in violent attacks by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan, with more than 700 people killed in 13 attacks in the past year, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

In the report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Taliban of doing little to protect Hazara and other religious minorities from suicide bombings and deadly attacks, and failing to provide adequate medical care and assistance to victims and their families, despite pledging to do so when they took power in August 2021.

Continue reading...

Pakistan’s biggest lake may burst banks after draining attempts fail

Posted on by

Lake Manchar on verge of causing more flooding, says local official, as third of country already underwater

Pakistan’s biggest lake is on the verge of bursting its banks after attempts by authorities to drain it in a controlled way failed, a senior local official has warned.

In a last-ditch effort to avoid a catastrophe, officials breached Lake Manchar on Sunday, a move they acknowledged could displace up to 100,000 people from their homes but would also save densely populated areas from floods.

Continue reading...

Two Russians among those killed in suicide attack near Kabul embassy

Posted on by

Moscow says two embassy staff killed and several people injured, as Afghan official says attacker was shot dead

A suicide bomber struck near the Russian embassy in Kabul, killing two staff from the diplomatic mission and wounding several other people, the foreign ministry in Moscow has said.

In the first attack targeting a foreign mission since the Taliban seized power in August last year, the bomber struck on Monday near the entrance of the embassy’s consular section.

Continue reading...

Historic Yangon villa where Aung San Suu Kyi was held for 15 years under threat

Posted on by

Ousted leader’s estranged brother has won a court case allowing villa, considered a symbol of democracy in Myanmar, to be sold

The future of the lakeside villa in which Aung San Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest is feared to be in jeopardy, after a court ruled in favour of her estranged brother, allowing the property to be sold.

The colonial-style house at 54-56 University Avenue, which stands besides Yangon’s Inya Lake, is – for many in Myanmar – a symbol of the country’s struggle for democracy.

Continue reading...

Cyrus Mistry, billionaire ex-chairman of Tata Sons, dies in India car crash

Posted on by

Prime minister Narendra Modi calls 54-year-old’s death ‘a big loss’ as politicians and business leaders express shock after accident near Mumbai

Cyrus Mistry, an Indian-born Irish businessman and former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, has died in an accident after his car crashed into a road divider in western India, police said. He was 54.

The crash occurred on a river bridge in Maharashtra state’s Palghar district near Mumbai on Sunday, police officer Prakash Gaekwad said.

Continue reading...

Pakistan authorities breach lake to save other areas from floods

Posted on by

Up to 100,000 people will be displaced from homes by Lake Manchar after waters reached dangerous levels

Authorities in flood-hit Pakistan have breached the country’s largest freshwater lake, displacing up to 100,000 people from their homes but saving more densely populated areas from gathering flood water, a minister said.

Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan’s northern mountains have brought floods that have affected 33 million people and killed at least 1,290, including 453 children. The inundation, blamed on climate breakdown, is still spreading.

Continue reading...

Rich nations owe reparations to countries facing climate disaster, says Pakistan minister

Posted on by

Sherry Rehman, the country’s climate change minister, insists rich polluters must pay their due as country is hit by devastating floods

Rich polluting countries which are predominantly to blame for the “dystopian” climate breakdown have broken their promises to reduce emissions and help developing countries adapt to global heating, according to Pakistan’s minister for climate change, who said reparations were long overdue.

Close to 1,300 people are dead and a third of Pakistan is under floodwater after weeks of unprecedented monsoon rains battered the country – which only weeks earlier had been suffering serious drought.

Continue reading...

Pakistan appeals for ‘immense’ international response to floods

Posted on by

Unprecedented flooding in the country during monsoon season has left at least 1,265 people dead

Pakistan has appealed to the international community for an “immense humanitarian response” to unprecedented flooding that has left at least 1,265 people dead.

According to initial government estimates, the rain and flooding have caused $10bn (£8.7bn) in damage.

Continue reading...

Calls for arrest of Sri Lanka’s ousted president after return

Posted on by

Rights groups say Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled in July amid protests, should be brought to justice on a number of charges

The deposed Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is facing calls for his arrest after returning home from self-imposed exile under the protection of the government that took charge when he fled.

Rajapaksa fled the island country under military escort in July when a huge crowd stormed his official residence after months of angry demonstrations against his government.

Continue reading...

Gotabaya Rajapaksa: ousted former president returns to Sri Lanka

Posted on by

Rajapaksa touched down in Colombo seven weeks after he fled the extraordinary protests triggered by an economic meltdown that many lay at his feet

Sri Lanka’s former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country in July after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his home and office in a display of anger over the country’s economic crisis, has returned to the country after seven weeks.

Rajapaksa flew into Colombo’s Bandaranaike international airport early on Saturday from Bangkok via Singapore. After being welcomed by lawmakers in his party, Rajapaksa left the airport in a motorcade heavily guarded by armed soldiers.

Continue reading...

Ex-UK ambassador and her husband jailed for a year in Myanmar, reports say

Posted on by

Vicky Bowman and Htein Lin were arrested last week accused of violating immigration laws

Britain’s former ambassador to Myanmar and her husband, a prominent artist, have been sentenced to one year in prison by the country’s military-controlled courts, reports say.

Vicky Bowman, who was the ambassador in Myanmar from 2002 to 2006, and her husband, Htein Lin, a veteran democracy activist, were arrested last week in Yangon and accused of violating immigration laws.

Continue reading...

Aid continues to arrive in Pakistan as deaths from floods pass 1,200

Posted on by

Planes bring food, medicine and tents to disaster zone, with officials blaming floods on climate change

Planes carrying fresh supplies are forming a humanitarian air bridge to flood-ravaged Pakistan as the death toll passed 1,200, officials have said with families and children at special risk of disease and homelessness.

The ninth flight from the United Arab Emirates and the first from Uzbekistan were the latest to land in Islamabad overnight as a military-backed rescue operation elsewhere in the country reached more of the 3 million people affected by the disaster.

Continue reading...

Urgent aid appeal launched as satellite images show a third of Pakistan underwater

Posted on by

Humanitarian workers expect conditions to worsen as monsoon rains continue and say millions face a terrible winter

Aid workers have appealed for urgent donations to fight the “absolutely devastating” impact of flooding in Pakistan, as new satellite images appeared to confirm that a third of the country is now underwater.

As the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched an appeal to raise funds for the 33 million people affected, the European Space Agency released stark images based on data captured by its Copernicus satellite.

Continue reading...

Appeal for UK aid as worst floods in Pakistan’s history leave 6 million in urgent need

Posted on by

Disasters and Emergency Committee urges British public to give whatever they can

An urgent appeal has been launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee for donations in Pakistan, where at least 1,000 people have been killed by floods described as the worst in the country’s history.

“The scale of these floods has caused a shocking level of destruction – crops have been swept away and livestock killed across huge swathes of the country,” said the DEC’s chief executive, Saleh Saeed.

Continue reading...