Says ‘we feel ashamed when we look towards them’

After a high-octane campaign, India today goes into the second phase of voting in the marathon seven-phase general election as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term on the back of issues such as growth, welfare and Hindu nationalism.

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is among individuals being investigated in connection with a graft probe involving his sons, the head of Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said yesterday.

New Delhi said yesterday it does not attach any value to a US State Department report critical of human rights in India, and called it deeply biased.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s response to the Calcutta High Court order scrapping the job of 26,000 teachers, was a resounding election message.

India’s Election Commission (EC) said yesterday it has sought responses from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress on alleged violations of polls rules by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.

New Delhi said on Thursday it does not attach any value to a US State Department report critical of human rights in India, and called it deeply biased

Says Indian external affairs ministry

Malaysia's nearly 100-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is being probed in a graft investigation involving his two sons, the head of the country's anti-corruption body said Thursday

Thailand issued fresh warnings about scorching hot weather on Thursday as the government said heatstroke has already killed at least 30 people this year

Extreme heat scorched parts of South and Southeast Asia yesterday, prompting schools across the Philippines to suspend classes and heat warnings in the Thai capital.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday returned to China on his second visit in a year, as the United States ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi yesterday claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had panicked after seeing the Congress’ “revolutionary” manifesto. “So did you like the Congress manifesto? You must have seen that the Prime Minister has panicked. It is a revolutionary manifesto,” Gandhi said while speaking at Social Justice conclave organised by the Congress in New Delhi.

The Taliban government has entered its first talks with the United Nations, donors and non-governmental organisations over the impact of climate change in Afghanistan, organisers said Wednesday

Thai authorities issued an extreme heat warning for Bangkok on Wednesday, urging people to stay indoors for their own safety as temperatures soared

A Korean woman was persuaded to invest 70 million won ($50,770) after seeing a deepfake video of what appeared to be Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, according to local reports on Tuesday

A Delhi court yesterday extended the pre-trial detention of Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal until May 7 in a corruption case, the legal news website Live Law reported.

Amid a debate on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that “Congress wants to snatch women’s Mangalsutra,” the Prime Minister reiterated yesterday that he had put the truth before the country that Congress is hatching a deep conspiracy to snatch your property and distribute it to its special people.

The Maldives will press on with Chinese-backed construction and evict Indian troops from the strategically placed atoll nation, President Mohamed Muizzu’s office said yesterday, two days after his party’s stunning parliamentary victory.

Myanmar junta troops have moved back into a vital border town they were ousted from by an alliance of ethnic rebels and anti-junta fighters this month, military sources told AFP yesterday.