Chinese fighter jets and warships simulated strikes on Taiwan today as they encircled the island during a second straight day of military drills that were launched in response to its president meeting the US House speaker.

As China launches three days of military drills around Taiwan, AFP looks at the history of relations between the self-ruled island and Beijing:

Seventy-one Chinese military aircraft crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait yesterday as China began drills around Taiwan in anger at President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

China sent warships and aircraft near Taiwan for a second day yesterday and said the island remains its “inseparable part”, after President Tsai Ing-wen angered Beijing by meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The Editors Guild of India is deeply disturbed by the government’s move to police news on social media through a self-appointed fact-checking unit, the industry body said yesterday, describing the new rules as draconian and akin to censorship.

India’s federal government asked states to identify emergency hotspots and ramp up-testing for Covid-19, after the country recorded its highest daily case count since September, a Reuters tally showed yesterday.

A court in junta-ruled Myanmar jailed a high-profile Christian pastor for six years yesterday on charges of terrorism and illegal assembly, his lawyer said.

Prabir Ghosh, who waged a lifelong battle against all forms of superstition, died at his apartment in Kolkata’s Dumdum-Motijheel area today

The Editors Guild of India is deeply disturbed by the government's move to police news on social media through a self-appointed fact-checking unit, the industry body said on Friday, describing the new rules as draconian and akin to censorship.

Pakistan's finance minister has cancelled a visit to Washington for spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, government officials said today, citing domestic political turmoil as the reason..Minister Ishaq Dar was scheduled to attend the meetings from April

China has imposed further sanctions on Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the United States, prohibiting her and family members from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, state media reported today..The sanctions, announced by China's Taiwan Affairs Office, also prohibit

Thousands of people have fled into Thailand following fierce fighting between Myanmar rebels and the military, Thai officials said yesterday.

Pakistan’s parliament yesterday rejected a Supreme Court order to conduct provincial snap polls, in the latest move in a power struggle between the government and the top court amid political and economic instability.

India and China broke into fresh diplomatic sparring yesterday, accusing each other of creating visa hassles for their journalists posted in New Delhi and Beijing. The exchange came days after India objected to China renaming or “standardizing” names of

China deployed warships through waters around Taiwan yesterday as it vowed a “firm and forceful” response to the island’s president meeting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

India and China broke into fresh diplomatic sparring today, accusing each other of creating visa hassles for their journalists posted in New Delhi and Beijing..The exchange came days after India objected to China renaming or "standardising" names of 11 locations in the eastern state of Aru

The Indian External Affairs Ministry today said it did not have any immediate response about Bangladesh issuing note verbale to the neighbouring country seeking information over media reports on West Bengal digging two more canals to divert Teesta waters

Fresh images from inside a crippled reactor at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant revealed heavy damage to its foundation and significant debris, its operator said.

Thailand’s main opposition Pheu Thai party yesterday confirmed the daughter of billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as one of its candidates to be prime minister in the kingdom’s upcoming election.

The United Nations told some 3,300 Afghan staff not to come to work in Afghanistan for the next two days after the Taliban authorities signalled on Tuesday that they would enforce a ban on Afghan women working for the world body.