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Afghanistan

Latest news and updates on Afghanistan, China relations and the Taliban's return to power after the 20-year war with the US and allies.

Capital

Kabul

Head of state

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

Head of government

Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada

Alatau in Kazakhstan is among the new future city projects in Central Asia that aim to tackle population growth and ageing infrastructure. Photo: Handout

China-Russia relations

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

Lack of Russian involvement in the mega-projects is seen as part of a broader structural shift as the region moves ‘closer to the world’.

11 Feb 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

China-India relations

Could India’s twin trade agreements set back its improving ties with China?

6 Feb 2026 - 4:45PMvideocam

Pakistan

Pakistan accuses ‘elements supported by India’ of organising Balochistan attacks

5 Feb 2026 - 6:17PMvideocam

Pakistan

Pakistan says it killed 145 ‘Indian-backed terrorists’ after Balochistan attacks

‘The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are in our custody, and some of them are Afghan nationals,’ the provincial chief minister said.

2 Feb 2026 - 11:24AMvideocam

Pakistani security officials stand guard on a road after militants launched coordinated attacks across Balochistan province, in Quetta, Pakistan on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Afghanistan after the US

61 die in Afghanistan, 110 injured, amid heavy snow and rain

The death toll could rise, authorities say, amid checks of affected regions and with over 450 homes completely or partially destroyed.

24 Jan 2026 - 9:38PM

Central Asia

Why are Afghan-Tajikistan border tensions such a headache for China?

A suicide bombing at a restaurant in Kabul is just the latest sign of how Chinese citizens can become caught up in the region’s instability.

24 Jan 2026 - 10:00AMvideocam

Donald Trump

UK’s Starmer slams Trump’s ‘insulting’ remarks on allies in Afghanistan

The US president had accused European troops of staying off the front lines, despite 457 British service ⁠personnel being killed in the war.

24 Jan 2026 - 4:49AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump (left) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries in Aylesbury, Britain, in September 2025. Photo: Reuters

Taliban

Video | Resistance museum changes under Taliban rule

The museum no longer has a ‘hall of fame’ gallery featuring portraits of mujahideen commanders, including some who fought against the ruling Taliban.

23 Jan 2026 - 4:18PM

India

Unrest in Iran complicates India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy

India views the current Iranian government as a ‘predictable counterweight’ against Pakistan’s influence, an analyst says.

22 Jan 2026 - 4:20PM

Terrorism

Video | Chinese victim of Kabul restaurant blast laid to rest

The Afghan branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber.

21 Jan 2026 - 3:40PM

Afghanistan: All stories

China urges Taliban to tighten security after suicide attack on restaurant in Kabul

Militant group Isis-K claimed responsibility for the attack in the Afghan capital, says it has placed Chinese nationals on its target list.

21 Jan 2026 - 4:20AMvideocam

Taliban security personnel stand guard at the scene of the attack in Kabul. Photo: AFP

Central Asia

Explosion at Chinese restaurant in Afghan capital kills 7

The Afghan branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber.

20 Jan 2026 - 4:54PM

India

‘Trump’s wrath’: India’s aim to diversify trade via Iran faces tariff threat

The 25 per cent tariff against countries that trade with Iran may curtail India’s plan to develop the Chabahar port in Iran.

16 Jan 2026 - 1:01AMvideocam

Central Asia

‘We miss our parents’: Afghanistan-Pakistan border closure leaves thousands in limbo

The colonial-era Durand Line has been largely closed since the October clashes that killed more than 70 people.

4 Jan 2026 - 11:58AM

A Taliban security personnel stands guard near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing at the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province on Monday. Photo: AFP

China-Africa relations

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Large-scale, China-backed projects entice contract workers to take up posts in some African nations, while political instability keeps others away.

21 Dec 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

Rail projects have been a long-standing area of cooperation between China and a number of countries in Africa. Photo: Xinhua

China’s soft power

From Labubu to blockbuster films, was 2025 the year of China’s soft power?

Chinese lifestyle brands and other cultural exports proved to be a hit around the world this year, here are some of our most notable stories.

21 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM

Donald Trump

Trump expands US travel ban and restrictions to include another 20 countries

The clampdown affects people seeking to travel to the US as visitors as well as those hoping to emigrate there.

17 Dec 2025 - 4:53PM

Hong Kong stock market

China grid-equipment maker Sieyuan eyes Hong Kong listing after 665% surge

Sieyuan plans to issue new H shares equal to up to 15 per cent of its outstanding stock, as the company fast tracks global expansion.

17 Dec 2025 - 6:00AM

Shenzhen-listed Sieyuan Electric, a grid-equipment maker whose shares have surged about 665 per cent over the past five years, is planning a secondary listing in Hong Kong. Photo: handout

Pakistan

India wary as US backs Pakistan with F-16 upgrades and mineral projects

Analysts say New Delhi faces an ‘uncomfortable truth’ as Washington and Beijing find rare common ground on stability in Pakistan.

16 Dec 2025 - 3:16PM

China-Africa relations

‘Concrete symbols’: China-built Ecowas HQ latest infrastructure gift to Africa

Beijing’s strategy to project influence through gifting prestigious presidential palaces and parliamentary buildings labelled ‘unique’.

13 Dec 2025 - 5:53PMvideocam

Pakistan

Opinion | How Pakistan’s rising confidence could shape a cooperative South Asia

If Gulf investment, Chinese strategic interest and Pakistani willingness align, the region could shift from confrontation to collaboration.

12 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses a special session of the National Assembly in Islamabad on May 7 after India and Pakistan exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier. Photo: AFP

Africa

Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

To truly harness their potential, countries across the continent seeking to industrialise must develop education and infrastructure in tandem.

9 Dec 2025 - 5:47PMvideocam

A woman walks her daughter to school in Eikenhof, South Africa, on August 24, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Diplomacy

Opinion | How China can ensure Tazara rail deal in Africa is a win-win

The Chinese-funded rail upgrade benefits Tanzania and Zambia while securing China a trade corridor and access to critical African minerals.

7 Dec 2025 - 5:38PMvideocam

Pakistan

5 killed in latest clash at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing

Each side has accused the other of launching ‘unprovoked’ attacks at the crossing between Chaman and Spin Boldak, in southern Afghanistan.

6 Dec 2025 - 7:52PM

United States

‘America First’ reimagined: new Trump strategy readjusts US global presence

The strategy shifts US foreign policy from its traditional global role, prioritising dominance in the Western Hemisphere and ending mass migration.

5 Dec 2025 - 8:45PM

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer holds a weapon during a protest outside an ICE facility on September 12. Photo: Reuters

Myanmar

Myanmar’s opium poppy growing at 10-year high amid civil war, turmoil

Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s main known source of illicit opium.

3 Dec 2025 - 4:59PM

Myanmar residents displaced by conflict work in an illegal poppy field in February. Photo: AFP

Central Asia

Afghan boy, 13, executes family’s killer in echoes of worst days of Taliban rule

The public execution, the 11th carried out since the Taliban seized power in 2021, has drawn global condemnation.

3 Dec 2025 - 1:51PM

United States

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

3 Dec 2025 - 10:16AM

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Afghanistan

As Central Asia builds ‘smart cities’ with China, is it moving away from Russia?

Lack of Russian involvement in the mega-projects is seen as part of a broader structural shift as the region moves ‘closer to the world’.

Could India’s twin trade agreements set back its improving ties with China?

Pakistan accuses ‘elements supported by India’ of organising Balochistan attacks

Pakistan says it killed 145 ‘Indian-backed terrorists’ after Balochistan attacks

‘The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are in our custody, and some of them are Afghan nationals,’ the provincial chief minister said.

61 die in Afghanistan, 110 injured, amid heavy snow and rain

The death toll could rise, authorities say, amid checks of affected regions and with over 450 homes completely or partially destroyed.

Why are Afghan-Tajikistan border tensions such a headache for China?

A suicide bombing at a restaurant in Kabul is just the latest sign of how Chinese citizens can become caught up in the region’s instability.

UK’s Starmer slams Trump’s ‘insulting’ remarks on allies in Afghanistan

The US president had accused European troops of staying off the front lines, despite 457 British service ⁠personnel being killed in the war.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Resistance museum changes under Taliban rule

The museum no longer has a ‘hall of fame’ gallery featuring portraits of mujahideen commanders, including some who fought against the ruling Taliban.

Unrest in Iran complicates India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy

India views the current Iranian government as a ‘predictable counterweight’ against Pakistan’s influence, an analyst says.

Video | Chinese victim of Kabul restaurant blast laid to rest

The Afghan branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber.

China urges Taliban to tighten security after suicide attack on restaurant in Kabul

Militant group Isis-K claimed responsibility for the attack in the Afghan capital, says it has placed Chinese nationals on its target list.

Explosion at Chinese restaurant in Afghan capital kills 7

The Afghan branch of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Kabul attack, saying it was carried out by a suicide bomber.

‘Trump’s wrath’: India’s aim to diversify trade via Iran faces tariff threat

The 25 per cent tariff against countries that trade with Iran may curtail India’s plan to develop the Chabahar port in Iran.

‘We miss our parents’: Afghanistan-Pakistan border closure leaves thousands in limbo

The colonial-era Durand Line has been largely closed since the October clashes that killed more than 70 people.

Chinese workers return to Africa as lucrative job opportunities beckon

Large-scale, China-backed projects entice contract workers to take up posts in some African nations, while political instability keeps others away.

From Labubu to blockbuster films, was 2025 the year of China’s soft power?

Chinese lifestyle brands and other cultural exports proved to be a hit around the world this year, here are some of our most notable stories.

Trump expands US travel ban and restrictions to include another 20 countries

The clampdown affects people seeking to travel to the US as visitors as well as those hoping to emigrate there.

China grid-equipment maker Sieyuan eyes Hong Kong listing after 665% surge

Sieyuan plans to issue new H shares equal to up to 15 per cent of its outstanding stock, as the company fast tracks global expansion.

India wary as US backs Pakistan with F-16 upgrades and mineral projects

Analysts say New Delhi faces an ‘uncomfortable truth’ as Washington and Beijing find rare common ground on stability in Pakistan.

‘Concrete symbols’: China-built Ecowas HQ latest infrastructure gift to Africa

Beijing’s strategy to project influence through gifting prestigious presidential palaces and parliamentary buildings labelled ‘unique’.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | How Pakistan’s rising confidence could shape a cooperative South Asia

If Gulf investment, Chinese strategic interest and Pakistani willingness align, the region could shift from confrontation to collaboration.

Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

To truly harness their potential, countries across the continent seeking to industrialise must develop education and infrastructure in tandem.

Opinion | How China can ensure Tazara rail deal in Africa is a win-win

The Chinese-funded rail upgrade benefits Tanzania and Zambia while securing China a trade corridor and access to critical African minerals.

5 killed in latest clash at Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossing

Each side has accused the other of launching ‘unprovoked’ attacks at the crossing between Chaman and Spin Boldak, in southern Afghanistan.

‘America First’ reimagined: new Trump strategy readjusts US global presence

The strategy shifts US foreign policy from its traditional global role, prioritising dominance in the Western Hemisphere and ending mass migration.

Myanmar’s opium poppy growing at 10-year high amid civil war, turmoil

Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s main known source of illicit opium.

Afghan boy, 13, executes family’s killer in echoes of worst days of Taliban rule

The public execution, the 11th carried out since the Taliban seized power in 2021, has drawn global condemnation.

US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The pause applies to people from nations that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June.

Video | Resistance museum changes under Taliban rule

Opinion | How Pakistan’s rising confidence could shape a cooperative South Asia