Pakistan To auction debt-hit national airlines to meet IMF bailout terms

Russian President Vladimir Putin begins a two-day visit to India on Thursday, seeking to revitalise Moscow’s energy and defence partnership with New Delhi at a time when Western pressure and shifting global oil flows have strained the traditionally close ties between the two countries.

A discreet round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Saudi Arabia`s Riyadh failed to produce any progress. with both sides holding firmly to their long-standing positions amid rising security and diplomatic friction. 

The sons of Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan have raised alarm over what they describe as an `information blackout` surrounding his wellbeing, saying authorities have provided no evidence for more than three weeks that he is still alive.

Maritime analysts are calling for deeper cooperation between India and Bangladesh to effectively manage unresolved jurisdictional complexities in the Bay of Bengal, even though a landmark UN tribunal ruling in 2014 formally settled the long-running maritime boundary dispute between the two neighbours.

Sri Lanka’s devastating floods and mudslides have claimed at least 159 lives, with officials warning that the toll could rise sharply as more than 200 people remain missing amid one of the country’s most severe weather disasters in decades.

Pakistan and Bahrain have pledged to further strengthen their bilateral partnership, with both countries expressing a firm commitment to expand cooperation in economic, defence, and political spheres during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s official visit to Manama on Wednesday.

UN human rights experts on Tuesday accused Indian authorities of committing `serious violations` during large-scale counter-terrorism operations launched after the 22 April attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead. 

Authorities in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya have imposed a night curfew along parts of the India–Bangladesh border in East Khasi Hills. 

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo to become the world’s largest city, with an estimated 41.9 million people living in its metropolitan area, according to a new United Nations assessment. Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka now ranks second with 36.6 million residents, reflecting one of the fastest urban population surges globally.

At least nine children and one woman were killed after Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes on a residential home in Afghanistan’s Khost province, the Taliban government said on Tuesday.

A coordinated suicide attack on the headquarters of Pakistan’s Federal Constabulary in Peshawar left six people dead on Monday, including three security personnel. 

Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey said she is listening to a wide range of stakeholders in Bangladesh and discussing how the Commonwealth can continue supporting its people at this important moment and in the years ahead.

Canada and India have agreed to revive negotiations on a long-delayed trade agreement, marking a significant step toward repairing bilateral ties that deteriorated sharply two years ago.

A Bangladeshi man was shot dead near the Sylhet border on Saturday night, in what authorities say was an attack carried out by members of India’s Khasi community. 

India’s hopes of promoting its homegrown Tejas fighter jet on the global stage suffered a major setback after the aircraft crashed during a flying display at the Dubai Airshow, in full view of international defence buyers and military delegations.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey will make her first official visit to Bangladesh from 20–24 November 2025. Her visit comes at a politically sensitive time, with Bangladesh navigating a transition under the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.