KCNA: "Leader Kim Jong Il was awarded a diploma from the United Left Party of Venezuela on his birth anniversary. The diploma was conveyed on Feb. 14 to the DPRK ambassador to Venezuela bygeneral coordinator of the Federal Political Secretariat of the Party."

Stratfor: According to reports, India's army chief visited Bhutan on Feb. 6-7 to discuss strategic issues on the Doklam Plateau. The fact that the visit took place shows New Delhi is still working quietly to maintain its influence in the neighboring country.

Pakistan and Russian FMs N Moscow talks reiterated that there is no military solution to Afghan conflict and a negotiated settlement is only option for peace.They agreed that unchecked proliferation of Da'esh in Afghanistan, is a threat to peace in the entire region: statement

President Yameen has failed to gain numbers in Parliament to ratify the state of emergency; the state of emergency is illegal and void: Statement by Joint Opposition in Maldives

South Korea launches WTO trade challenge against U.S. duties

Kanpur: Rotomac Pens owner Vikram Kothari being taken for questioning by CBI earlier today

Hyderabad: Police have arrested two people D Nagendra and M Laxma Reddy who indulged in bank fraud with the help of fake documents and cheated amount of 1.5 crores from Andhra Bank, Marredpally Branch, Secunderabad

Maldives President Yameen extends state of emergency by 30 additional days. Refuses to pay heed to warnings by @MEAIndia

DPRK Reaper hackers have expanded beyond ROK targets to Japan and Middle East, according to @FireEye.

South Korea starts WTO complaint vs USA over anti-dumping duties

Maldives parliament approves extension of state of emergency by 30 days, opposition says approval for extension is illegal

Philippine leader bans news site from covering his events over 'fake news'

Bangladesh, Myanmar officials visit Rohingya trapped at border

Earthquake of magnitude 4.7 - 4km NNE of Jinping, China

Court in Bangkok grants a Japanese man sole custody of 13 children born through surrogate mothers amid increasing concerns on surrogacy in the country

German Ambassador to Pakistan visits CMH Sialkot, meets citizens injured by Indian shelling

At around 18:00 hours militants fired bullets and lobbed grenades at Malangpora water point outside Awantipora Air Force station, firing was retaliated by Defence Security Corps (DSC) guards. The militants ran away, no loss of life/property reported

North Korea poised to launch large-scale cyberattacks, says new report

Indonesia seizes record 1.6 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine

BSF trooper deployed on a Forward Defence Location in Tangdhar area of Kashmir sniped by Pakistan Army this evening. Gunshot wound is in stomach, condition believed to be serious. Being evacuated on foot right now

Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has tested positive for the banned substance meldonium at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the Russian Olympic Committee says

Lavrov: US and NATO military are trying to deny facts about the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan.

US Treasury Dep. seeking to fine Asian banks for their alleged involvement in working with Iran to bypass sanctions prior to the signing of JCPOA , Bloomberg reports.

Lavrov: we must prevent the infiltration of ISIS fighters from Afghanistan into Central Asia and Russia

Militants have fired upon guards at the Airforce station, Malangpora in South Kashmir's Pulwama district. Guards retaliated and militants have escaped. Massive search operation and cordon launched.

Militants fire at guards at Air Force station in Pulwama

Russia awaits US response on unidentified helicopters in Afghanistan - Lavrov

CBI has found a new farmhouse of Nirav Modi in Alibagh near Mumbai where searches are underway: Central Bureau of Investigation

President Duterte says palace just acted on the complaint of the South Korean firm which said it wasn't being allowed to complete the Navy frigate contract. He says this is what the palace does, act on complaints

Duterte: Philippines National Police chief Ronald Dela Rosa will have an extended term

Duterte: Just pay the right taxes, and you will be protected

South Korea wins gold in women's 3,000m relay short track

Duterte: I will give you time and space to talk about corruption

Duterte to businessmen: If you experience extortion and corruption, tell me about it

Russian Olympic Committee confirms curler tested positive for meldonium

President of the Philippines Duterte: My paradigm never shifted from being a mayor to being president

President Duterte says, prior to this event, he had a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim for a briefing with a CIA official

Afghan nomads trapped, hungry as Pakistan blocks access to grazing land

President Duterte leads the oath taking of the new officials of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce Philippines

Delhi: Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash's complaint letter to Police over yesterday's incident

It is important that Maldives quickly returns to the path of democracy and the rule of law so that the aspirations of Maldivian people are met and the concerns of the international community are assuaged: Indian MEA

After revocation of Emergency, democratic institutions including judiciary should be allowed to function independently and in fair and transparent manner in accordance with Constitution. Order issued by Maldives SC on 1 February 2018 should be implemented in letter and spirit: Indian MEA

State of Emergency declared in Maldives on 5 February 2018 comes to an end this evening. It is our expectation that the Government of Maldives will not be seeking extension of the State of Emergency so that the political process in Maldives can resume with immediate effect: Indian Ministry of External Affairs

Pakistan, Central African Republic and Afghanistan are the worst countries for newborns while Japan, Iceland and Singapore are the best, days @UNICEF

West Bengal: Left trade unions protest in Kolkata against central and state governments over various issues like unemployment, minimum wages, FRDI Bill etc. Heavy Police deployment in place

Meeting between Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and Home Minister Rajnath Singh underway in Delhi

Earthquake of magnitude 4.9 - 48km W of Manado, Indonesia

Ex-U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon elected to lead green growth body

Pakistan summons Indian Deputy High Commissioner and condemns the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian troops along line of control that killed an 8-year old boy yesterday

10 killed after an overloaded passenger vehicle skids off the road in east China's Jiangxi Province

Indonesia suspends infrastructure projects after string of accidents

Our Army responded to Pakistani operation and after intervention from our side Pakistani guns were silenced and since then there is no firing in the area. From 2 villages some people have been evacuated to safer locations and situation is normal: SSP Baramulla on ceasefire violation in Uri Sector yesterday

Yesterday there was unprovoked firing by Pakistan troops targeting civilian population in which 1 lady was injured. She was evacuated to hospital. 3 others people also sustained minor injuries who were locally treated: Imtiyaz Hussain, SSP Baramulla on ceasefire violation in Uri Sector

KCNA: "The world has witnessed the U.S. bluffing before the weak but being left helpless before the DPRK, a strong country. Trump's hysteric act will only reveal the servile face of the weak. Words will not work on the U.S. going reckless."

Chinese warships enter East Indian Ocean amid Maldives tensions

KCNA: "It is foolish to think of bringing to knees through 'maximum pressure' the DPRK that has risen as a world-level nuclear power and military power, the commentary jeers, and goes on:"

KCNA: "How hysterically Trump may run amuck, it is taken as nothing but as the shriek made by the mentally deranged man to get rid of the extreme uneasiness before his logic of strength no longer working and before the DPRK that has towered as a strategic state."

Pakistan condemns Indian ceasefire violations along LoC

Defeats in Middle East driving Islamic State fighters to Philippines - separatist

Police reaches Delhi Secretariat

Fire broke out at a factory in Patparganj Industrial area, 7 fire tenders at the spot

Koreas ex-president Lee's asset manager arrested

Lawyer opens fire outside a court, killing two rival lawyers in Lahore

Earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale struck Jammu and Kashmir at 12.41pm

Malaysian deputy minister says potholes fixed after photos of him 'praying' went viral

North Korea making progress on new nuclear reactor: report

South Korea to announce joint military drill plan with U.S. before April

Bajaur agency on road for killed student Ahmad shah of Karachi University demanding justice in his extra judicial killing

Budget 2018 a 'strategic and integrated financial plan' to build 'better future': Singaporean PM

President of the Philippines Duterte to let military decide on peace talks with Reds

Four killed as car plunges into sewerage nullah in Gujranwala

It was President Duterte who ordered the Presidential Security Group (PSG) to bar Rappler reporter @piaranada from entering Palace, Malacañang's internal house affairs head tells Ranada

South Korea, Slovenia sign social security agreement

Former US military commander warns against 'bloody nose' strike on North Korea

Nazarbayev orders about-turn on Latin alphabet - diacritics replace apostrophes

US President Donald Trump's son @donaldjtrumpjr arrives in Delhi. He is on a week-long visit to India, reports ANI

Kazakhs charged Kyrgyz MP with following criminal offenses: 1) moving large amount across customs border of Eurasian Economic Union of goods or items by person authorized to perform public functions); 2) participation in transnational organized crime group

Thai ex-PM Thaksin calls for party unity ahead of promised election

It appears that following SECDEF Mattis's visit to Jakarta a few weeks ago, US might be set to resume training Indonesian Army Special Forces (Kopassus)

Iwo-yama of Kirishma mountain range eruption warning level raised to "2"

UML, Maoist Centre to unify; party to be named Communist Party of Nepal

Rappler not allowed to enter New Executive Bldg in Malacañang. PSG barring Rappler's Malacañang reporter from entering premises

South Korean military to press ahead with joint drills with U.S. this year

South Korea to order Patriot missile defense upgrades: DAPA

KCNA: "The Trump group's racket for resuming the war exercises is a wild act of ruthlessly trampling even a small sprout of peace that has been seen on the Korean peninsula, and it is a provocative act of chilling the active efforts of the DPRK."

KCNA: "A typical example is the recent bluffing made by the U.S. charge d'affaires a.i. to south Korea, who at the instigation of the Trump group openly hinted that the joint military exercises with south Korea would be conducted as usual after the Winter Olympics."

KCNA: "Displeased with the atmosphere for detente being created on the Korean peninsula thanks to the peace-loving and proactive measure taken by the DPRK, the U.S. is openly going against it."

Trump Jr. will give a foreign policy speech in India

US and Thai marines slurp snake blood and eat scorpions in a jungle survival programme as part of the two nations' annual Cobra Gold war games

CBI arrests three more officers of Punjab National Bank in Rs 11,500 crore scam

150 held in Afghanistan for trying to smuggle drugs to India this year

2 Indian soldiers killed after eight-year-old Pakistani boy dies in cross-LoC firing: Pakistan Army

Karnataka: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal traveled in Kaveri Express from Mysuru to Bengaluru and interacted with other passengers

CGTN: M4.2 earthquake hits central Taiwan with a depth of 27km, according to CENC

Earthquake of magnitude 5.0 - 20km W of Su'ao, Taiwan

Singapore says it would impose a carbon tax from next year to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and make companies more competitive as global agreements on climate change take effect

India Dornapal - 12 Naxals detained.

Tricycle driver shot dead by men riding-in-tandem in Pagadian

Chhattisgarh: 12 naxals arrested from Dornapal Police Station limits in Sukma in a joint operation by District Reserve Guards and CRPF

A police officer was shot dead by a drug suspect during a buy-bust operation in Minglanilla town, south of Cebu, on Monday afternoon

India says Pakistan Army violates ceasefire at Mankote Sector in Mendhar, J&K. Indian Army retaliating effectively to the continuous ceasefire violations

North Korea offers condolences to Iranian leader over deadly plane crash

3 civilians have sustained injuries due to Pakistan Army firing after continuous ceasefire violation in Uri, Baramulla and are being evacuated to hospital. Heavy firing continues from both sides at LoC

Indian Army destroys Pakistan Army bunker while retaliating to ceasefire violation. Heavy casualties on Pakistan side likely. Ceasefire violation by Pakistan at LoC in Churanda Village of Uri, Baramulla of North Kashmir. Heavy firing still on from both the sides

India says Pakistan violates ceasefire in Uri Sector, heavy firing underway

Ministry of Home Affairs hands over the terror incident at SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, where Pakistan terrorist Naveed Jutt had escaped, to NIA for investigation. Based on the advice of MHA, 25 dreaded militants have already been shifted out from Kashmir jails till date

This is completely incorrect to say that our military troops are being sent to get involved in the Yemen war: Pakistani Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan

South Korea's Cha Min-kyu wins surprise silver in men's 500m speed skating

Pakistani PM Abbasi will address the National Assembly session today

Maharashtra: Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at a Gili showroom in Thane

Bangladesh says to meet with Myanmar on Rohingya trapped at border

Madhya Pradesh: A BSF Jawan allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in Border Security Force's Tekanpur Campus in Gwalior, police and BSF begin investigation

President Duterte says ban on deployment of workers to Kuwait stands. The ban will continue and it will extend to other countries, says Duterte

3 children killed in a fire which broke out in a hut in Chhatarpur's Bagota village, police present at the spot. Investigation underway

President Duterte calls on all nations: Filipinos are everywhere seeking livelihood. Can I please plead to you to please do not degrade them like animals. Don't treat them as slaves

President Duterte: A Filipino is a slave of nobody

Parliamentary chief calls for Slovenia's support for South Korea's peace efforts

President Duterte defends his dealings with China, Russia govts

President Duterte reiterates that PH rise is ours. At the same time, he downplays Chinese naming of features. He says the Chinese put "markers" in the area using Chinese characters

President Duterte's says China's structures in the West PH Sea are military bases. These are "intended against those whom China thinks will destroy them. America. Hindi tayo kasali diyan," he says

Two high-ranking Police officials from Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Interior anti-drug department arrested and charged with criminal offenses after getting caught with 8 kilos of marijuana.