UN headquarters attacked in western Afghanistan

The main U.N. compound in the capital of the western Afghan province of Herat was attacked by “anti-government elements” on Friday and at least one security guard was killed, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.

Japan widens emergency over ‘frightening’ spike

Japan said on Friday it will expand states of emergency to three prefectures near Olympic host Tokyo and the western prefecture of Osaka, as COVID-19 cases spike in the capital and around the country, overshadowing the Summer Games.

Over 100,000 children in Tigray could die of hunger: UNICEF

The United Nations children’s agency said on Friday that more than 100,000 children in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray could suffer life-threatening malnutrition in the next 12 months, a 10-fold increase to normal numbers.

UN warns of Afghan civilian deaths from Taliban offensives

The United Nations warned Monday that Afghanistan could see the highest number of civilian deaths in more than a decade if the Taliban’s offensives across the country are not halted.

1 dead 16 injured in German chemical plant explosion

One person has died and at least 16 are injured after a blast occurred at a disposal centre in Leverkusen’s Chempark. Locals have been told to stay inside and close doors and windows as smoke billows above the city.

Indian state deploys 4,000 commandos after border killings

India’s Assam state said Tuesday it will deploy 4,000 commandos to guard its border with a rival state after six police officers were killed in a gun battle between the feuding neighbours.

Southern Europe battles wildfires as north cleans up after floods

Wildfires burned in regions across southern Europe on Monday, fuelled by hot weather and strong winds, as some northern countries cleaned up after a weekend of torrential rain and flooding.

Tensions high in Tunisia after president suspends parliament

Tensions spread on the streets and divisions dominated the political scene in Tunisia on Monday, after President Kais Saied’s decision to sack the prime minister and suspend parliament.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan at record level - UN

Nearly 2,400 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in May and June as fighting between Taliban insurgents and Afghan security forces escalated, the highest number for those two months since records started in 2009, the United Nations said on Monday.

Russian navy can carry out ‘unpreventable strike’: Putin

The Russian navy can detect any enemy and launch an “unpreventable strike” if needed, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday, weeks after a UK warship angered Moscow by passing the Crimea peninsula.

Australians may face longer lockdown after “reckless” mass protests

Australia’s New South Wales logged its second-highest daily increase of the year in locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Sunday amid fears of a wave of new infections after thousands of people joined an anti-lockdown protest.

More than 160,000 protest in France against stricter pandemic rules

Around 161,000 people protested in Paris and several other cities in France on Saturday, objecting to new regulations introduced to contain the coronavirus pandemic, even as case numbers rise. Some 11,000 people demonstrated in Paris, according to the Franceinfo television channel, citing the Interior Ministry.

As Taliban advances, Afghan military overhauls war strategy

Reeling from a surge in battlefield losses, Afghanistan’s military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure, Afghan and U.S. officials say.

Australian states squabble as NSW seeks COVID vaccine priority

Australia’s largest state of New South Wales on Friday urged the federal government to divert vaccine doses to Sydney, the epicentre of a flaring COVID-19 outbreak, raising objections from other states desperate for protection from the virus.

At least 112 dead in India as rains trigger floods, landslides

At least 112 people have died in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, authorities said on Friday, after torrential monsoon rains caused landslides and flooded low-lying areas, cutting off hundreds of villages.

At least 25 dead in severe flooding in China

The heaviest rains in decades have caused massive flooding in the central Chinese metropolis of Zhengzhou.

Former top aide admits plotting to oust Johnson from office

Describing Boris Johnson being PM as “terrible for the country,” Dominic Cummings has revealed that he and other Downing Street aides had plotted to oust him from office just weeks after their landslide December 2019 election win.

India reports 3,998 Covid deaths after state data correction

India reported its highest death toll in a month on Wednesday - at nearly 4,000 - after its richest state reconciled its death count with 3,509 previously unreported fatalities, the health ministry said.

Global quest underway to speed COVID-19 vaccine trials

Scientists are working on a benchmark for COVID-19 vaccine efficacy that would allow drugmakers to conduct smaller, speedier human trials to get them to market and address a huge global vaccine shortage.

UK PM resisted 2nd lockdown as ‘most dying over 80’: Ex-aide

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sought to avoid a second lockdown last autumn, arguing that most of those dying were over 80, according to his former aide-turned bitter foe Dominic Cummings.

India’s deaths during pandemic 10 times official toll: Study

The number of excess deaths in India during the coronavirus pandemic could be 10 times higher than the official toll from the disease, research published on Tuesday said.

US, allies accuse China of global cyber hacking campaign

The United States and a coalition of allies accused China on Monday of a global cyber hacking campaign that employed contract hackers, specifically attributing a large Microsoft attack disclosed earlier this year to actors working on Beijing’s behalf.

Turkey condemns top EU court’s headscarf decision

The Turkish government has condemned a decision by the European Union’s top court that leaves the door open for employers in the bloc to enforce headscarf bans on their workforce.

‘It’s terrifying’: Merkel shaken as flood deaths rise to 188 in Europe

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the flooding that has devastated parts of Europe as “terrifying” on Sunday after the death toll across the region rose to 188 and a district of Bavaria was battered by the extreme weather.

Indonesia reports record number of doctor deaths from COVID-19

Deaths of doctors from COVID-19 in Indonesia rose sharply in the first half of July, according to the profession’s association, as the Delta variant of the coronavirus fuelled a surge in infections across the country.

Delta variant cases among fully vaccinated people cause worry in Australia

The highly contagious Delta variant has caused the biggest threat to Australia’s coronavirus disease (Covid-19) response in months as the number of fully vaccinated people catching the infection is rising. A nurse at Westmead Hospital in New South Wales and a worker at the Brisbane international airport are reported to have Covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated against the disease, according to The Guardian.

Floodwaters still rising in western Europe, death toll over 110

More than 1,000 people were missing in flood-stricken regions of western Germany and Belgium on Friday, where waters were still rising with the death toll already well over 100 and communications in some areas cut.

WHO proposes fresh mission to China and lab audits

The World Health Organization has proposed a second phase of studies in China into the origins of the coronavirus, including audits of laboratories in Wuhan, but there is no sign yet that Beijing would accept a further international probe, diplomats said.

Sydney extends lockdown as COVID-19 outbreak nears 900 infections

Australian authorities extended a lockdown in Sydney on Wednesday by at least 14 days after three weeks of initial restrictions failed to stamp out the biggest outbreak of COVID-19 this year in the country’s largest city.

EU unveils sweeping climate change plan

European Union policymakers on Wednesday unveiled their most ambitious plan yet to tackle climate change, aiming to turn green goals into concrete action this decade, and in doing so lead the way for the world’s other big economies.