Asia News Wrap: Pak-Afghan main border crossing reopens, and more

Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

Pakistan and Afghanistan reopen main border crossing

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday reopened their main border crossing after clashes between the security forces of both sides led to its closure for nearly a month. The Torkham border crossing, the main artery for travel and trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan, will be initially opened for trade, Pakistan government official Riaz Khan Mehsud told the press. People will be allowed to cross on foot from Friday.

Qureshi Badlon, head of the media department for Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, said the two sides had agreed to reopen the crossing and resume transit trade. The crossing has been closed since February 21 after clashes erupted. In the skirmishes, the two sides used mortars and rocket fire after Afghan forces objected to Pakistan's construction of a border outpost.

Thousands evacuted after floods hit Malaysia

More than 10,000 people in Malaysia have been evacuated from their homes amid heavy flooding. The country's Johor Disaster Management Committee said that about 10,763 people had been evacuated from their homes as of 8 a.m. on March 21, more than double the number recorded just 10 hours earlier.

"The victims from 3,018 families have been sent to temporary flood relief centers in Johor Baru, Kota Tinggi, Kluang, Pontian, and Kulai. A total of 98 temporary flood relief centers have opened in the five affected districts as of 8 a.m. on (March 21)," the disaster management committee said in a statement. The floods come ahead of Hari Raya (Eid al-Fitr) celebrations.

China's CERES-1 rocket sends 8 satellites into preset orbit

China's CERES-1 commercial rocket put eight satellites into the 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit on Monday. The carrier rocket, CERES-1 Y10, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:07 p.m. on March 17 on a mission dubbed "Auld Lang Syne." It delivered five satellites, including the Yunyao-1 55-60 and the AIRSAT-06 and -07 satellites.  

Yunyao-1 is a series of commercial meteorological satellites developed by Tianjin-based Yunyao Aerospace, aiming to form a constellation of 90 satellites. The recently launched satellites are equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System occultation detection payloads to collect atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure and ionospheric electron density data. The constellation's objective is to establish a real-time global atmospheric and ionospheric detection system to enhance weather forecasting and support various industries. Yunyao Aerospace plans to provide meteorological forecast information, with updates every 20 minutes or better, to Belt and Road partner countries.

Indian police order curfew after violence over tomb

Authorities clamped an indefinite curfew on parts of the Indian city of Nagpur on Tuesday after more than a dozen police officers were hurt in clashes sparked by a Hindu group's demand for the removal of the tomb of a 17th-century Mughal ruler.

Monday's violence in the central Indian city damaged many vehicles and injured several people, including at least 15 police personnel. Police said in a statement that members of the group, the Vishva Hindu Parishad, burned an effigy of Emperor Aurangzeb and his tomb as they chanted slogans demanding its removal from the nearby city of Aurangabad.

Thailand to cut tourists' visa-free stays to 30 days

Thailand plans to halve the number of days it allows foreign tourists to stay without visas to 30 days as the Southeast Asian nation cracks down on travelers exploiting the waiver to engage in illegal business, according to Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong.

The reduction from 60 to 30 days has reportedly been agreed in principle by various ministries in an attempt to curb the misuse of its visa exemption scheme, after the Association of Thai Travel Agents raised concerns over the growing number of foreigners illegally engaged in working in the country.

(Cover: Truckers carrying goods for cross-border trade wait at the closed border crossing in Toorkham, Afghanistan, February 25, 2025. /CFP)