AFGHANISTAN: The acting head of the United Nations‘ mission to Afghanistan told the Taliban administration’s acting economy minister to reverse a decision to ban female NGO workers during a meeting, according to a statement on Monday. “Millions of Afghans need humanitarian assistance and removing barriers is vital,” UNAMA said in the statement, adding that UNAMA’s […]
South Asia
Ex-Maldives leader gets 11 years for money laundering, bribe
MALE: A court in Maldives on Sunday found a former president guilty of money laundering and accepting a bribe and sentenced him to 11 years in prison.The Criminal Court of Maldives also ordered Abdulla Yameen to pay a fine of $5 million.The court found Yameen guilty of accepting money for leasing an island owned by […]
‘We are treated worse than animals’: Afghan women speak out against university ban
NEW DELHI: Despite initially promising to respect the rights of women and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their interpretation of Islamic law since they seized power in Afghanistan last year, and have all but erased women from public and educational life. Systematic oppressionThe hardline Islamist regime has banned girls from middle school and high […]
‘Dressed like they were going to a wedding’: How Taliban justified banning women from universities
NEW DELHI: The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has defended its recent decision to ban women from universities, stating that the institutions were allowing genders to “mix freely” and subjects were being taught that “violated the principles of Islam”. The ban was announced on December 20 by minister of higher education Nida Mohammad Nadim, who has […]
Bikini Killer: Nepal to release ‘Serpent’ serial killer Charles Sobhraj | World News
KATHMANDU: French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, responsible for multiple murders of young foreigners in the 1970s across Asia, was set to be released from prison on Friday, jail authorities and his lawyer said.Sobhraj, 78, whose life was chronicled in the successful Netflix/BBC series “The Serpent”, was due to be deported to France within 15 days, […]
Have to sue Nepal: Sobhraj after release
KATHMANDU: Charles Sobhraj, a convicted killer who police say is responsible for a string of murders in the 1970s and 1980s, was released from a Nepal prison on Friday after nearly two decades behind bars.The French national, 78, is suspected of killing more than 20 Western backpackers on the “hippie trail” through Asia, usually by […]
Charles Sobhraj: Serial killer Charles Sobhraj released from Nepal prison | World News
NEW DELHI: Notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj was released from a jail in Nepal on Friday, following an order from the country’s Supreme Court earlier this week.Sobhraj (78) served more than 18 years in prison after being convicted for the murder of two American tourists in 1975.He was released on grounds of advanced age and […]
Pakistan Taliban News: Cross-border attacks, untenable policy: Why Pakistan-Taliban ties are going from bad to worse | World News
NEW DELHI: A little over a year ago, Pakistan appeared to have a firm grip on the internal affairs of Afghanistan after Taliban‘s hostile takeover of the country. This was clear from Pakistan’s direct involvement in the government formation process when then ISI chief Faiz Hameed visited the war-torn country to broker truce between warring […]
Taliban bans women from universities in Afghanistan
KABUL: Women were banned Tuesday from private and public universities in Afghanistan with immediate effect and until further notice, a Taliban government spokesman said Tuesday, the latest edict cracking down on their rights and freedoms. The decision was announced after a meeting of the Taliban government. It marked a further blow to the rights of […]
Nepal court orders release of serial killer Charles Sobhraj
NEW DELHI: Nepal’s top court ordered on Wednesday the release of Charles Sobhraj, the French serial killer, who was responsible for a string of murders across Asia in the 1970s.The Supreme Court ruled Sobhraj, 78, who has been in prison in the Himalayan republic since 2003 for murdering two North American tourists, should be freed […]