UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the severe gender-based discrimination faced by women in Afghanistan. During a recent event focused on women’s inclusion in the country’s future, he described it as a “deep crisis”. The UN chief criticized new laws that strip Afghan women and girls of their rights, le...
Bangladesh’s Army has officially permitted female soldiers to wear hijab with their uniforms. This approval was granted on September 3. It aims to support willing female personnel who wish to express their religious identity while serving. Women officers were previously not discouraged from wearing hijab, so there was no “ban” or “restrictio...
ISTANBUL (AA) – China has asked its citizens to leave Israel amid heightening tensions over Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza and bombing of southern Lebanon. A statement by the Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv said the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border was “highly tense, military conflicts occur frequently, and the local security situation in Israel [&h...
China has sentenced an Uyghur prison guard to seven years in prison for revealing sensitive information about political prisoner Ilham Tohti. Gopur Abdurreshid was arrested for disclosing details of Tohti’s harsh treatment by Chinese authorities, including his solitary confinement and poor health. Tohti is an economist and prominent advo...
ANKARA (AA) – The Muslim-majority Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, southern Philippines, is preparing for the first democratic elections after the region got autonomy. The elections are expected to be held in 2025. Analysts say it marks a significant milestone in its journey toward autonomy. Bangsamoro, a region nestled in the ...
ISTANBUL (AA) – A recent study by Kobe University researchers in Japan has identified new protein variants that could explain why some people burn fat more effectively during exercise, offering potential pathways to obesity treatment. The research, led by endocrinologist Ogawa Wataru, found that two variants of the protein PGC-1α, known ...
Pakistan has reportedly promised China a military base in the strategic port city of Gwadar, which is crucial to Beijing’s Belt-and-Road Initiative. The city is vital for China’s westward economic expansion, reducing its reliance on the South China Sea for trade routes. Despite previous resistance, Pakistan’s economically wea...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Malaysia has condemned the weaponization of communication devices amid explosions in Lebanon which killed at least 32 people in two days. Expressing “grave concern” over explosions of pager devices, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said such incidents “undermine Lebanon’s security, stability and sovereignty.” At least 32 peopl...
Uyghur activists are praising President Joe Biden’s proposal to limit an exemption which allows some Chinese imports potentially made using Uyghur forced labor to bypass US customs checks. The loophole allows products that are under $800 to go through. The proposed executive order would restrict items like textiles from Chinese fast-fas...
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday that his government will fulfill its promise to restore the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, which was stripped of its autonomy and downgraded into a federally ruled territory in 2019. Modi was addressing his maiden election rally in Kashmir, a disputed t...
