Asia & Pacific

As it turns out, snake blood tastes just like normal blood, US troops say.

Google’s latest 3D rendered maps of four Taiwanese cities have inadvertently revealed the locations of key missile defense locations on the self-governing island, including a previously-secret Patriot missile base. Now, Taipei is rushing to push the tech giant to blur the maps over those sites.

The Hainan-based Coconut Palm Group’s ad, picturing voluptuous girls holding cans with the slogan “I drink from small to big”, has prompted public outrage on Chinese social media. The producer cancelled the commercial and replaced it with a call for women’s empowerment.

On 15 February 1989, the Soviet Army withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed, marking the end of the nearly decade-long Soviet-Afghan war. Sputnik looks back at the Soviet campaign, the consequences of which continue to affect Russia and all the parties involved in the Afghan peace process.

The Indian actress who has carved a niche in Hollywood was commenting on the sentiment of revenge among Indians after a Pakistan-based terror outfit claimed responsibility for Thursday's deadly suicide car bombing in India's Pulwama district that claimed the lives of 45 security personnel.

A bomb hit a paramilitary convoy on Thursday, killing 40 members of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Pulwama of Indian-controlled Kashmir. A Pakistan-based Islamist group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s deadly suicide car bombing in Pulwama of Jammu and Kashmir in India, in which at least 45 security personnel were killed and scores of others injured.

A suicide attack on an Indian military convoy on Thursday left dozens dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir. According to police, all 44 people in one of the buses in the convoy were killed in the attack, with another person from another vehicle also being killed in the blast, the IANS news agency reported.

Also, the romancing duo was seen sporting identical rings, giving rise to speculations of their relationship having taken a step forward towards engagement. Disha has acted in many Bollywood movies, some of which went on to do great at the box office.

The girl went missing on 4 February on her journey home from classes. On Monday, her bag and footwear were found in a bush near a coffee plantation estate, prompting police to question labourers working there. The violent nature of the crime has shaken the local population, leading to protests across the area.

India has withdrawn Most Favoured Nation status from Pakistan after a terrorist attack on a security personnel convoy killing 37 in Pulwama of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The decision was taken on Friday morning in a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday sent his condolences to the Indian counterpart, Ram Nath Kovind, after a deadly bomb blast in the Indian-run part of the disputed Kashmir region.

The UK Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier will go on its first mission this year through the disputed South China Sea, carrying US F-35 aircraft, the British Defence Secretary said this week.

The 28-year-old, who is studying law and teaching intellectual property, rose to global online fame after her students shared a photo of the lecturer standing in a black mini-dress in front of a class board. Her Instagram whetted netizens’ appetite for knowledge.

They modified the Supreme Court’s order against the businessman while uploading it online on the court’s portal.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton has warned other countries not to buy Venezuelan oil, saying that nations and firms that support “President Maduro’s theft will not be forgotten”.

A top-level cop in India’s Madhya Pradesh has claimed he is treating his father with Ayurveda, an ancient medicinal practice that traces its origin to India, while evidence suggests the father could be dead for over a month.

He took the extreme step because of harassment meted out to him by some people who were demanding money from him. The police, speaking to Sputnik, said that the person’s last video note was shared by him on the internet. Currently, the minute-long clip is no longer available.

At least 12 servicemen died, another 20 were seriously injured in a blast on a highway in the Pulvam area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Indian media reported on Thursday.

Although the youth love it, Valentine's Day is frowned up by many who hold on to non-Westernised ways of living life. To cater to the conservative belief system, an Indian lawmaker has suggested that the day be celebrated to commemorate "Kamadeva", the god of love in Hindu mythology.