South & Central Asia

US, Uzbekistan reaffirm commitment to Central Asia security

Bilateral exchanges underscore Tashkent's role as Washington's key partner in the region

Sri Lanka's first elephant orphanage marks golden jubilee

Activists fear repression returning to Uzbekistan 

Rubio highlights emerging terror threat in Afghanistan

US official doesn’t think it is a pre-9/11 landscape but adds there are places that create opportunity for groups such as al-Qaida and Islamic State

Half-billion people attend Hindu festival in India

Ordinary devotees, billionaires, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, politicians and Bollywood stars have attended

Taliban withdraw Afghanistan from International Criminal Court

Decision follows ICC chief prosecutor’s announcement last month, seeking arrest warrants for the reclusive Taliban supreme leader

Indian police seize books by Islamic scholar in Kashmir

Police in disputed Kashmir have raided dozens of bookshops and seized hundreds of copies of books by an Islamic scholar, sparking angry reactions by Muslim leaders

Kazakh officials voice support for US-Russia talks

Taliban confirm Pakistan’s new plan for swift mass eviction of Afghan refugees  

The plan targets nearly three million Afghans, including legal refugee families

Uzbekistan reports 2 inmate deaths within a week

Pakistan set to host first major cricket event in three decades

Thousands of police personnel will provide security

Insurgents kill seven bus passengers in southwestern Pakistan

Massacre occurred in Balochistan province hours after Pakistan's military claimed killing of 30 Islamist militants near Afghan border