Asia

A 20-year-old Ghanaian-British national has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to smuggle 19.4kg of Loud, a high-grade strain of cannabis, into Nigeria. The suspect was intercepted on Thursday, April 3, during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight …

Following their 2-0 victory over Bahrain, Japan became the first country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, the USA and Mexico, with three days remaining in the Asian Zone qualifying competition. Leading Group C by a wide margin, the team coached by Hajime Moriyasu is guaranteed …

Pakistani security forces announced the release of 155 hostages, while 27 assailants were killed in an ongoing operation to rescue passengers held hostage after a train ambush in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. The militants, affiliated to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for taking another 214 passengers …

Guinness World Records has officially recognized a 108-year-old Japanese woman as the world’s oldest professional barber. Shitsui Hakoishi, who turns 109 this year, says she plans to retire when she turns 110, saying she can no longer take as many customers as before because of knee pain. After earning her …

Six newborn babies have frozen to death in the Gaza Strip due to the cold weather in the war-torn enclave, a Palestinian health official said. “Six infants have died of cold in Gaza,” Marwan al-Hams, director general of field hospitals in Gaza, said. He appealed for access to electric generators …

On Tuesday, China announced that it would impose new tariffs on US imports in retaliation for Washington’s recent increase in tariffs. The new measures include a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as 10% tariffs on crude oil, agricultural machinery, large vehicles, and pickup trucks. These …

It was good news for Ethiopia at the Dubai Marathon on Sunday as their athletes dominated the leader board. Bute Gemechu secured the men’s title with a time of 02:04:51. The 23-year-old newcomer, has only competed in a handful of international races so far. Meanwhile, in a dramatic women’s finish …

A new strain of the mpox virus, identified as clade Ib, has just been detected in China as the carrier was a foreign national who had traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), giving rise to four other cases among close contacts. Chinese health authorities report that this new …

At least 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 are injured after a major earthquake struck the mountainous Tibet region of southern China on Tuesday, according to reports. The earthquake struck the town of Xigaze, in the Xizang autonomous region, Tibet’s local name, at 9:05 am local time (01:05 …

Japanese woman, recognized as the world’s oldest person by Guinness World Records, has died aged 116 in a nursing home in the city of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, according to reports. She became the oldest person in the world after Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera passed away in August 2024 at …