Australian hostage released by Taliban
Australian Timothy Weeks and American Kevin King have been released by the Taliban as part of a stalled hostage swap deal, sources say.


Sri Lanka may struggle to form government
New Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa faces legal barriers in appointing a government because of a 2015 constitutional amendment that curtails his powers.


Sharif flown to London for treatment
Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been released from jail and flown to London for medical treatment.


US, South Korea disagree on defence costs
Talks between US and South Korean officials over how much Seoul should pay for hosting the US military have broken off following disagreement over the amount.


Murder charge for Bangladesh party members
Investigators have charged more than two dozen members of Bangladesh's ruling political party with murder following the death of a university student.


Sri Lanka's new president sworn in
Former defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president.


At least four hurt in Kabul blasts
Blasts targeting a military training centre in Kabul have injured at least four Afghan national army soldiers.


Kim Jong-un supervises air drills
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has supervised air force drills as the US and South Korea postpone their joint air drills to ease talks with Pyongyang.


Rajapaksa elected Sri Lankan president
Former defence chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been elected as Sri Lanka's new president.


Bangladesh gas pipeline blast kills seven
At least seven people were killed and eight injured when a gas pipeline exploded in the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong.


Deadly gas explosion in Bangladesh
A gas pipeline has exploded in the city of Chittagong, in Bangladesh, killing at least seven people.


Fmr wartime chief leads Sri Lanka election
Millions of Sri Lankans have voted to elect a new president to lead the country out of its deepest economic slump in over 15 years.