Asia

China Says Ready for ‘Friendly Relations’ with Taliban as Hardliners Wrest Afghanistan

BEIJING — China is ready to deepen “friendly and cooperative” relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country. Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, which spurred an advance by the Islamist hardliners across the country that saw […]

Asia

HRW Calls For UN Probe, Sanctions Over Bangladesh ‘Enforced Disappearances’

DHAKA — Human Rights Watch on Monday called for a United Nations probe into the alleged enforced disappearances of Bangladesh opposition activists, demanding sanctions on the officials found responsible. The rights watchdog released a report identifying 86 political activists, businessmen and student members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party who went missing over the past […]

Asia

Poisonous propaganda: Taliban says claims of girls being forcefully married to its fighters ‘baseless’

KABUL — The Taliban has called the claims of girls being forced to marry its fighters “baseless” and accused the Afghanistan government of running a “poisonous propaganda” against it. In a series of tweets, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said, “All those claims that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan forces people to marry their young girls […]

Asia

With Taliban in Kabul, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Leaves for Tajikistan

KABUL — Taliban insurgents entered Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Sunday and an official said President Ashraf Ghani had left the city for Tajikistan, capping the militants’ lightning push for power. A senior Afghan Interior Ministry official said Ghani had left for Tajikistan. Asked for comment, the president’s office it “cannot say anything about Ashraf Ghani’s […]