Japan's defence ministry said on Sunday that a submarine believed to be from China was spotted in waters near its southern islands, as maritime tensions persist in the Pacific.

Afghanistan marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 in muted fashion yesterday with the Taliban firmly in charge, two decades after being ousted for hosting the architects of the US attacks.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for an injection of cash into Afghanistan to avoid an economic meltdown that would spark a “catastrophic” situation for the Afghan people and be a “gift for terrorist groups.”

War-weary residents of Kabul expressed anger and feelings of betrayal by the United States on Saturday, as the world marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that prompted a U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the toppling of its Taliban rulers.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will resume flights from Islamabad to Kabul next week, a spokesman for the airline told AFP Saturday, becoming the first foreign commercial flight service to the Afghanistan capital since the Taliban seized power last month.

The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan is at risk of “total breakdown” if the international community does not find a way to keep money flowing into Afghanistan despite concerns over the Taliban government.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday offered to introduce political reforms including new laws to prevent defections and limit the term of a premier to 10 years, in an effort to win opposition support for his leadership.

Myanmar troops killed several members of a local “defence force” in a day of clashes, the junta said yesterday, with local residents and media reporting at least 10 dead.

At least 20 people have been killed in fighting between militias and Myanmar's ruling military, a witness and local media said on Friday, in the worst violence since opponents of the junta called this week for a "people's defensive war".

Japan's popular coronavirus vaccination minister, Taro Kono, announced his candidacy on Friday to lead the ruling party and, by extension, become the next prime minister, highlighting his image as an outspoken reformer with a conservative streak.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today filed her nomination papers for the September 30 Bhabanipur assembly by-poll she must win to retain her executive post.

Afghan staff of the United Nations are being increasingly subjected to harassment and intimidation since the Taliban came to power last month, the UN special envoy on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said on Thursday.

The Taliban was businesslike, "professional" and cooperative in facilitating the latest evacuation of US nationals from Afghanistan, the White House said Thursday.

The Taliban have accused the US of violating the peace deal the two signed in 2020, for keeping its new interior minister Sirrajudin Haqqani on the US terror list.

The Taliban have promised a more inclusive government this time after seizing power. However top posts of new government have been handed to veteran leaders who played key roles in their notoriously brutal 1996-2001 rule. While much remains opaque, here is what is known about their policies on key issues so far:

Two Afghan journalists were beaten in police custody this week after covering a protest by women in Kabul where they were detained by the Taliban, their editor said.

Two hundred Americans and other foreigners who remain in Afghanistan are set to depart the war-ravaged country on charter flights from Kabul on Thursday after the new Taliban government agreed to their evacuation, a US official said.

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul as Taliban forces reached the outskirts of the city last month, apologized on Wednesday for the abrupt fall of his government but denied that he had taken millions of dollars with him.

World powers yesterday urged the Taliban to act on their promises, saying they are monitoring developments in Afghanistan after the Islamist group announced a hardline interim government drawn exclusively from its inner echelons.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday accepted his party’s nomination to run for vice president in next year’s election, pushing ahead with a plan criticised by rivals as an attempt to maintain his grip on power.