Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday accused Hazara Shia protesters of blackmailing him, as they refused for a sixth day to bury the bodies of miners killed in a brutal attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

A Pakistani court yesterday sentenced a militant leader accused of plotting the 2008 Mumbai attacks to five years in jail for terror financing.

India today said it sees international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19 particularly with its neighbours as “its duty.”

Bangladesh has reiterated the importance of resolving outstanding bilateral issues with Pakistan, including an official apology from Pakistan for the genocide it committed during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.

Nepal’s top court today will begin hearings on petitions challenging Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s sudden decision to dissolve the parliament, a move that has triggered public outrage and has been labelled unconstitutional.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami says in a tweet that the country’s “cherished partner Bangladesh” has no cause for alarm over receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on time because India always prioritises its neighbours.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on Sunday that killed 11 miners from Pakistan’s minority Shi’ite Hazaras in Baluchistan province.

Serum Institute of India (SII), the Indian manufacturer of the AstraZeneca/Oxford coronavirus vaccine, has said it intends to concentrate on meeting India’s own immediate demand in the next two months before exporting to other interested countries.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has expressed his optimism that Bangladesh’s expectations from India will be met as the two countries maintain a strong and a very friendly relationship.

India granted emergency approval to Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN but faced questions after taking the step without publishing efficacy data for the homegrown coronavirus vaccine.

Twenty-one people were killed and at least 20 others injured when the roof of a shelter at a cremation ground collapsed in Muradnagar district of Uttar Pradesh in India today.

The World Health Organization today welcomed India's approval of two Covid-19 vaccines of Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech and said it would help "strengthen" its fight against the pandemic in South East Asia.

In a proposal regarding the Rohingya issue and other human rights situation in Myanmar placed before the 75th General Assembly of the United Nations, China and Russia yet again took stance in favour of Myanmar while India abstained from voting.

Experts at India’s drug regulator have recommended emergency-use approval for the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and another developed locally by Bharat Biotech and a state-run research body, the government said.

India today began a nationwide dry run to check the preparedness for vaccinating people against Covid-19 and plug possible gaps in logistics, as the country with the second highest number of infections waits for the final approval of the jabs for an estimated 30 crore people to start with.

Singapore and neighbouring Malaysia have scrapped plans for a high-speed rail line after failing to agree on changes, officials said yesterday, finally abandoning a costly and long-troubled project.

In a significant decision, India today gave the green signal to the export of its surface-to-air missile Akash in the first initiative for export of big-ticket defence platforms.

Over 100 retired senior civil servants and diplomats urged the Hindu nationalist leader of Uttar Pradesh state to repeal a new law criminalising forced religious conversion of brides, warning in an open letter that it risked fuelling communal tensions.

India tonight announced lifting of the ban on onion exports with effect from January 1.

Authorities in India’s northern state of Punjab are investigating whether protesting farmers were disrupting power supply to hundreds of telecom towers amid protests over new farm laws.