South Asia

Afghan Taliban to Host Female Pakistan Minister for Bilateral Talks

A high-level Pakistani delegation will visit Afghanistan on Tuesday to discuss with the ruling Islamist Taliban cooperation in trade, education, investment, regional connectivity and security. Officials in Islamabad said Monday that Hina Rabbani Khar, the female Pakistani minister of state for foreign affairs, will lead the daylong meetings with leaders …

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Pakistan Taliban Announce Resumption of Nationwide Terror Attacks 

An outlawed alliance of militant groups waging terrorism in Pakistan declared Monday that it had ordered fighters to resume nationwide attacks, ending an already shaky “unilateral cease-fire” with the government. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, said the decision to unleash the violence was taken in …

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World Cup Workers’ Families Left Behind in Nepal

Thousands of migrant workers died building World Cup and related structures ahead of the 2022 Qatar games and VOA photojournalist Yan Boechat visits with families of the fallen in Nepal. For more on these families, watch VOA’s documentary, “Cause of Death: Migrant Workers and the 2022 Qatar World Cup.”

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Pakistan Launches Polio Drive 

Pakistan authorities said they are launching a five-day polio drive to eradicate the crippling disease from the country. Officials said 100,000 healthcare workers begin working Monday to vaccinate 13.5 million children under the age of five across 36 high risk districts, including Islamabad, the capital. “Our aim is to ensure …

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Pakistan Arrests Senator Over Anti-Military Tweets  

Authorities in Pakistan arrested an opposition senator Sunday for launching what they said was a “highly obnoxious campaign of intimidating tweets” against the country’s outgoing military chief and other officers. Azam Khan Swati, who represents the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the upper house of parliament, was picked up …

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India’s Top Court to Consider Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

Four years after India’s Supreme Court scrapped a law criminalizing gay sex, it has agreed to hear petitions seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages, raising hopes of securing another significant right for the country’s LGBTQ community. One of the two petitioners is a gay couple based in Hyderabad who held …

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Tidy Japanese Fans Clean Up at World Cup

The sight of Japanese fans at a World Cup bagging trash after a match — win or lose — always surprises non-Japanese. Japanese players are famous for doing the same in their team dressing room: hanging up towels, cleaning the floor, and even leaving a thank-you note. The behavior is …

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Ousted Pakistan PM Says Party to Quit Provincial Legislatures 

Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan said Saturday that his party has decided to resign from several regional legislatures in the latest twist in months of political turmoil in the country. Khan made the unexpected political move while addressing tens of thousands of supporters of his opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) …

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UN Experts Denounce Taliban Treatment of Women as Crime

The Taliban treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan may amount to a crime against humanity and should be investigated and prosecuted under international law, a U.N. team of experts said Friday. The Taliban promptly rejected the allegation. The statement by the U.N.-appointed experts followed a confirmation from the Taliban …

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