Beijing's move comes in response to Washington's decision to sanction seven officials from the Hong Kong liaison office over allegedly infringing on the freedoms of the island's residents.

The Summer Olympics in Tokyo were originally set to take place in 2020 but had to be postponed in the spring of last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the past few weeks, the Taliban* has reportedly managed to seize key Afghan border crossings with Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan amid the ongoing exit from Afghanistan by US-led forces.

TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japanese Emperor Naruhito has welcomed a number of world leaders and US First Lady Jill Biden at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo ahead of the opening of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Kyodo news agency reported on Friday.

The Taliban* claims that it now controls nearly 90 percent of Afghanistan's border areas, including that with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran. The Afghan forces are currently involved in an intense fight with the Islamist insurgent group to re-take the entire Spin Boldak district at the Pakistan border.

Tensions between the US, China and Taiwan reached new levels under the Trump administration after Washington largely expanded its military support for the self-governing island. Since taking over the reins, the Biden White House has worked to avoid further escalations, all while maintaining its One-China policy.

Beijing does not recognise Ladakh as an Indian union territory and has conveyed to New Delhi on numerous occasions that China exercises sovereignty and administrative jurisdiction over the areas involved. The two countries have engaged in full-blown clashes at the eastern Ladakh border since June 2020.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said on Thursday that nearly half of the US military bases in Afghanistan were used to keep strategic tabs on the wider region.

The terrorist movement has made significant gains, securing most of the border crossings, ever since the US confirmed its plans to withdraw troops. Washington, however, insists on Kabul's ability to defend itself.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Taliban* controls approximately 90% of Afghanistan's border with neighbouring countries, Zabiullah Mujahid, the movement's spokesman, told Sputnik on Thursday.

The 69-year-old head producer of one of the biggest entertainment agencies in South Korea has reportedly “gifted” a luxury apartment to a foreign journalist. SM has declined to comment on the matter.

Several talented girls from a popular South Korean girl band have added summer vibes to the sizzling season with a new song.

The winners of the competition show “Road to Kingdom” are ready with new material.

The leader of a popular South Korean boy band showed off his new hairstyle in light of mandatory enlistment.

On Thursday, Andrey Rudenko said that Afghanistan's northern provinces are rapidly turning into a new hotspot as a result of the hasty withdrawal of US troops.

Flooding was precipitated by record rainstorms that swept through the province in the past several days, with Zhengzhou being the hardest hit. Power shortages and road collapses were also caused by the harsh weather.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - About half of the district centres in Afghanistan are under the control of the Taliban* movement, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Taliban* consider last weeks' negotiations with the Afghan government in Doha a "positive" development, hoping to resolve the disagreements through dialogue, Mohammad Naeem, the spokesman for the radical movement's political office, told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China is planning to release a second batch of nonferrous metals from its national reserves this month, the Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.

Researchers analysed ice samples that threw up viruses, most of which are unlike any that have been catalogued to date. The scientists created a new and ultra-clean method of analysing microbes and viruses in ice without contaminating them. The find is being thought of as a breakthrough in the study of glacier ice.