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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

A man passes by buses destroyed in Tehran during recent unrest in Iran. Photo: Xinhua

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

21 Jan 2026 - 3:40PM

Afghanistan: All stories

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

21 Jan 2026 - 4:20AMvideocam

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

Taliban security personnel at the scene of the blast in Kabul. Photo: AFP

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

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

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (left) and army chief Syed Asim Munir (right) meet US President Donald Trump in Washington in September. Photo: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office/AFP

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

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

The Tanzania-Zambia railway in the Tanzania Mbeya region. Photo: Shutterstock

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

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

Gun violence in the US

National Guard shooting suspect pleads not guilty to murder from hospital bed

The judge ordered Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, held in custody without bond, citing the ‘sheer terror’ of the fatal ambush in Washington.

3 Dec 2025 - 6:37AM

Tributes are seen on Tuesday at the scene where two National Guard members were shot in Washington. Photo: EPA

China manufacturing

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

With many of their clients moving or building sites abroad, China’s factory owners are following suit, seizing a ‘last chance’ for new revenues.

11 Dec 2025 - 11:20AMvideocam

Banking & finance

Healthcare and tech to drive Asia-Pacific private equity deals amid slower growth

Asia-Pacific private equity managers are forecasting higher returns and fewer geopolitical risks than peers elsewhere, a new survey finds.

2 Dec 2025 - 2:00PM

United States

National Guard shooting suspect was ‘radicalised in US’, Noem says

Authorities believe Afghan immigrant embraced extremism after arriving in the US in 2021, leading to last week’s attack in Washington.

1 Dec 2025 - 3:48PM

United States

US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown

A US official says the immigration agency will ensure ‘every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible’.

29 Nov 2025 - 11:20AM

US federal agents working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detain immigrants and asylum seekers reporting for immigration court proceedings at a court in New York in July. Photo: TNS

United States

National Guard shooting suspect faces murder charge after 1 soldier dies

Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot in the alleged attack by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was described by Trump as ‘outstanding in every single way’.

29 Nov 2025 - 7:48AM

Rahmanullah Lakanwal is the suspect in the shooting of two US National Guard members. Photo: Reuters

United States

Trump vows to freeze migration from ‘Third World Countries’ after Washington attack

US president’s announcement follows the death of a National Guard member who was shot by an Afghan national.

28 Nov 2025 - 7:10PM

Gun violence in the US

Trump orders review of immigrant visas after National Guard attack

The sweeping new policy follows Wednesday’s attack in Washington by an Afghan national that has caused one death.

28 Nov 2025 - 11:46AM

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Afghanistan

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.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Chinese victim of Kabul restaurant blast laid to rest

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

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.

National Guard shooting suspect pleads not guilty to murder from hospital bed

The judge ordered Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, held in custody without bond, citing the ‘sheer terror’ of the fatal ambush in Washington.

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

With many of their clients moving or building sites abroad, China’s factory owners are following suit, seizing a ‘last chance’ for new revenues.

Healthcare and tech to drive Asia-Pacific private equity deals amid slower growth

Asia-Pacific private equity managers are forecasting higher returns and fewer geopolitical risks than peers elsewhere, a new survey finds.

National Guard shooting suspect was ‘radicalised in US’, Noem says

Authorities believe Afghan immigrant embraced extremism after arriving in the US in 2021, leading to last week’s attack in Washington.

US halts asylum cases after troop killing as Trump steps up migrant crackdown

A US official says the immigration agency will ensure ‘every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible’.

National Guard shooting suspect faces murder charge after 1 soldier dies

Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot in the alleged attack by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was described by Trump as ‘outstanding in every single way’.

Trump vows to freeze migration from ‘Third World Countries’ after Washington attack

US president’s announcement follows the death of a National Guard member who was shot by an Afghan national.

Trump orders review of immigrant visas after National Guard attack

The sweeping new policy follows Wednesday’s attack in Washington by an Afghan national that has caused one death.

Video | Chinese victim of Kabul restaurant blast laid to rest

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