KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday (Jan 27) that deputy prime minister Rabi Lamichhane had stood for election with invalid citizenship papers, annulling his status as a lawmaker and effectively removing him from office. Lamichhane became deputy prime minister for home affairs – heading…

TOKYO: Japan’s health ministry will soon decide whether to make abortion pills available for the first time after the proposal cleared a major hurdle with endorsement by a government panel on Friday (Jan 27). Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks, but a…

Myanmar’s ruling junta on Friday (Jan 27) announced tough requirements for parties to contest an election this year, including a huge increase in their membership, a move that could sideline the military’s opponents and cement its grip on politics. Myanmar’s top generals led a coup…

TOKYO: Japan’s government will drop its recommendation to wear masks indoors and downgrade its medical classification for COVID-19, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday (Jan 27). The changes, effective from early May, will classify the disease on the same level as the flu, down…

AHMEDABAD, India: Police in India on Friday (Jan 27) charged 10 people with homicide in connection with the collapse of a colonial-era footbridge last year that killed at least 135 people, a top official told Reuters. The 145-year-old suspension bridge in the town of Morbi…

The Chinese foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. “Given the domestic compulsions … in China and their economic interests in the region, the PLA would continue to build up its military infrastructure and skirmishes would also get frequent which may or…