Taliban: Persons who worked with foreign forces safe in Afghanistan

People who worked for foreign forces in Afghanistan will be safe and should not leave the country as the foreign forces withdraw, Taliban forces assured in a statement on Monday.

Pakistani train smashes into derailed carriages; Over 36 killed

A train in Pakistan smashed into the derailed carriages of another train on Monday, killing at least 36 people, government officials said. It was the latest accident highlighting the perilous state of a more-than-165 year old railway system.

Amazon founder Bezos to fly into space

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced Monday he will fly into space next month on the first human flight launched by his Blue Origin rocket firm.

COVID-19 outbreak builds in Myanmar near Indian border

A new outbreak of COVID-19 is growing near Myanmar’s northwestern border with India, bringing the sharpest increase in cases since the military coup in February led to a collapse in health services and the testing programme.

Australia finds highly infectious Delta variant in virus outbreak

Australia’s Victoria state authorities said on Friday they had detected the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 virus variant for the first time in the latest outbreak in Melbourne, stoking concerns of a major spike in cases.

Organiser of HK Tiananmen Square massacre vigil arrested

An organiser of a vigil in Hong Kong on the anniversary of the brutal 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has been arrested, local media reported Friday.

India orders 300 mln COVID-19 shots before approval

India’s government signed its first purchase order for unapproved COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, a day after it faced criticism from the top judiciary about a bungled vaccine rollout that has left millions of people vulnerable.

Iran dampens hopes for early agreement in nuclear dispute

Iran has dampened hopes of an early agreement in its nuclear dispute with the United States.

China reports first possible human case of bird flu

A 41-year-old man from eastern China could be the world’s first human infection of the H10N3 strain of bird flu, according to the country’s health agency, adding that the risk of transmission was low.

US to hand Bagram base to Afghan forces in 20 days, says official

The US military will hand over its main Bagram Air Base to Afghan forces in about 20 days, an official said Tuesday, as Washington presses on with withdrawing the last of its troops from the country.

Biden halts oil drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday said it would suspend oil and gas leases that were handed out in an Alaska wildlife refuge during the final days of the Trump administration pending an environmental review.

Ugandan minister escapes assassination, daughter, driver killed

Gunmen opened fire at a car carrying a Ugandan government minister in an attempted assassination on Tuesday, wounding the former army commander and killing his daughter and driver, the military and local media said.

Netanyahu opponents grapple to form cabinet before deadline

Israeli politicians worked against the clock Tuesday to overcome final hurdles to building a coalition that would end the record rule of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

WHO approves China’s Sinovac Covid jab

The World Health Organization on Tuesday approved the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use -- the second Chinese jab to receive the WHO’s green light.

China allows couples to have three children: state media

China has relaxed its family planning policy to allow couples to have a maximum of three children after a census showed its population is rapidly ageing, state media Xinhua reported Monday.

Netanyahu could be ousted in days: Rivals move to unseat him

Far-right party leader Naftali Bennett threw his crucial support on Sunday behind a “unity government” in Israel to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what would be the end of a political era.

New Zealand, Australia play down differences on China

New Zealand and Australia downplayed policy differences on China Monday, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern denying Wellington was taking a soft stance on human rights to avoid offending its largest trading partner.

Netanyahu’s ‘kingmaker’ rival agrees to join coalition to unseat him

Far-right party leader Naftali Bennett threw his crucial support on Sunday behind a “government of change” in Israel to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what would be the end of a political era.

Thousands rally against president’s Covid policies in Brazil

Brazilians took to the streets in dozens of cities in their thousands on Saturday to protest against the Covid policies of President Jair Bolsonaro and his government.

Vietnam detects hybrid of Indian and UK Covid-19 variants

Authorities in Vietnam have detected a new coronavirus variant that is a combination of the Indian and UK Covid-19 variants and spreads quickly by air, it’s health minister said on Saturday.

UN to investigate possible war crimes during Israel-Gaza war

The UN Human Rights Council issued strongly-worded criticism of Israel and Hamas on Thursday, and its members decided to launch a probe into possible war crimes committed during the recent military escalation in the region.

US planning to evacuate Afghan interpreters: Top US General

‘Defence One’ and the BBC reported Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley saying the US was planning to evacuate Afghans whose work with the US had placed them in danger of being killed by the Taliban after U.S. and coalition forces complete their withdrawal.

South Asia crosses 30 million Covid-19 cases

Coronavirus infections in the South Asia region surpassed 30 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally of official data, led by India which is struggling with a second Covid-19 wave and a vaccine shortage across the region.

Nine dead, thousands homeless, as cyclone batters Covid-ravaged India

Thousands of people were homeless Thursday after a cyclone battered Covid-ravaged India and neighbouring Bangladesh, killing nine people including four children.

Mali military frees President, prime Minister

Mali’s interim president and premier have been released, a military official said Thursday, three days after they were detained and stripped of their powers in what appeared to be the country’s second coup in nine months.

Courts go up in flames during protests in Colombia

After about a month of protests in Colombia, the law courts in Tulua have been destroyed in a fire, presumably as a result of arson.

Fears grow, detained Belarusian journalist subject to torture

Fears grew on Tuesday that the Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich, who was detained in Minsk after his plane was forcibly rerouted, has been subject to torture while in custody.

Cyclone batters eastern India, 1.2 million seek shelter

Heavy rains and howling winds lashed eastern India on Wednesday as the Covid-stricken country’s second cyclone in as many weeks roared towards the coast, forcing more than 1.2 million people to seek shelter.

WhatsApp Sues Indian government over new social media rules

WhatsApp has reportedly filed a legal case against the Indian government over a new set of social media rules that just took effect, asking a Delhi court to declare one guideline an unconstitutional privacy violation.

Two Israelis stabbed, Palestinian assailant killed in Jerusalem

A Palestinian stabbed and wounded two Israelis, one of them a soldier, and was then shot dead on Monday near a flashpoint area of East Jerusalem that has been the focus of Palestinian protests, emergency services said.