S.African crowds rampage, hospital operations disrupted

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday he might order more troops onto the streets as the army and police struggled to quell days of looting and violence, while some citizens armed themselves to protect their property and businesses from the rampage.

Afghanistan on brink of humanitarian crisis: UN refugee agency

More Afghans are likely to flee their homes due to escalating violence, the U.N. refugee agency warned on Tuesday, as the Taliban take control of more territory in response to the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces.

Worst violence in years spreads in S.Africa as grievances boil over

Crowds clashed with police and ransacked or burned shopping malls in South Africa on Tuesday, with dozens reported killed as grievances unleashed by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma boiled over into the worst violence in years.

Anger mounts after 92 killed in Iraq COVID hospital fire

The death toll from a fire that tore through a coronavirus hospital in southern Iraq rose to 92, health officials said on Tuesday, as authorities faced accusations of negligence from grieving relatives and a doctor who works there.

Cuba sees biggest protests in decades as pandemic adds to woes

Chanting “freedom” and calling for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down, thousands of Cubans joined street protests from Havana to Santiago on Sunday in the biggest anti-government demonstrations on the Communist-run island in decades.

North Korea dismisses US humanitarian aid as ‘sinister scheme’

US humanitarian aid is a “sinister political scheme” to put pressure on other countries, a North Korean researcher said, after suggestions from US allies such as South Korea that coronavirus vaccines or other help could promote cooperation.

How Bodh Gaya averted an Ayodhya

The dispute over Ram’s birthplace in Ayodhya between Hindu extremists and Muslims, led to the destruction of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. But a similar problem over ownership of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya was amicably resolved in Bihar’s Bodh Gaya without violence or turmoil

Violence spreads to S.Africa’s economic hub in wake of Zuma jailing

Shops were looted overnight, a section of the M2 highway was closed and stick-wielding protesters marched through the streets of Johannesburg on Sunday, as sporadic acts of violence following the jailing of former South African President Jacob Zuma spread to the country’s main economic hub.

Gang boss wades into Haiti turmoil, sees conspiracy behind president’s killing

One of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders said on Saturday his men would take to the streets to protest the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, threatening to pitch the impoverished Caribbean country deeper into chaos.

Virgin Galactic’s Branson takes off for high-altitude launch into space

A twin-fuselage jet took off on Sunday carrying a Virgin Galactic rocket plane primed to soar more than 50 miles above the New Mexico desert with British billionaire Richard Branson aboard in the vehicle’s first fully crewed test flight to space.

Fire at Bangladesh factory kills at least 52

At least 52 people were killed, 20 injured and many more feared trapped after a massive fire raged through a juice-making factory in Bangladesh, officials said on Friday, the latest industrial fire accident in the country.

Foreign hit squad killed Haiti’s president: Police

Haiti’s national police force has claimed that two Americans and 26 Colombians were responsible for the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, while Taiwan has confirmed that 11 arrests were made at its diplomatic compound.

Taliban capture key border crossing as Biden defends Afghan withdrawal

The Taliban said Friday they had captured a key border crossing with Iran, hours after President Joe Biden issued a staunch defence of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Haiti police battle gunmen who killed president, amid fears of chaos

Haiti’s security forces were locked in a fierce gun battle on Wednesday with assailants who assassinated President Jovenel Moise at his home overnight, plunging the already impoverished, violence-wracked nation deeper into chaos.

Olympics bans spectators after Tokyo declares COVID-19 emergency

The Tokyo Olympics will take place without spectators, organisers said on Thursday, as a resurgent pandemic forced Japan to declare a coronavirus state of emergency for the capital that will run throughout the event.

Haitian president assassinated at home

Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his private residence overnight in a “barbaric act”, the government said on Wednesday, stirring fears of escalating turmoil in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Taliban fighters storm capital of northwestern Afghan province

Regional officials in northern Afghanistan said on Wednesday they had recaptured government buildings in a provincial capital after Taliban fighters stormed it overnight, taking over the police headquarters and sparking panic among residents.

Bangladesh extends lockdown as virus surge continues

Bangladesh is extending its current nationwide shutdown for seven more days to counter a rise in coronavirus infections, the government said on Monday.

Hundreds of Afghan security personnel flee into Tajikistan as Taliban advance

More than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the border into Tajikistan on Sunday after Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan, the Tajik border guard service said, while dozens of others were captured by the insurgents.

Next 2 days “critical” in Sydney’s struggle to quell Delta COVID outbreak

Australian authorities trying to stamp out an outbreak in Sydney of the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 said on Monday that the next two days would be “absolutely critical” in deciding whether to extend a stay-home order beyond July 9.

Indonesia ramps up oxygen output, dozens die amid scarcity

Indonesia has ordered oxygen makers to prioritise medical needs amid growing demand from COVID-19 patients, the government said on Sunday, following more than 60 deaths in a hospital where supply of the life-saving gas was almost exhausted.

Military aircraft with 85 passengers crashes in the Philippines

A Philippines military plane has crashed in Sulu province. So far, 40 people have been rescued, and 17 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage.

Two feared dead, twenty missing after deadly Japanese landslide

Rain hampered Japanese rescuers seeking 20 missing people on Sunday after landslides triggered by torrential rains hit the central city of Atami, killing at least two, Kyodo news agency said.

UAE bans citizens from travelling to India, Pakistan

The United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday a travel ban on citizens to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Namibia, Zambia, Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Africa and Nigeria, state news agency (WAM) reported.

US forces quit Bagram base in Afghanistan: Official

American troops pulled out of their main military base in Afghanistan on Friday, a US defence official said, under an agreement with the Taliban allowing for the withdrawal of all US forces from the country after a two-decade war.

Canadian village wiped out by fire amid extreme heat

An entire village in British Columbia, Canada was devoured by fire, which ignited shortly after the country’s all-time high temperature record was smashed amid a heatwave in the western part of the country.

Australia tightens lockdown amid Delta virus outbreak, vaccine chaos

Australia reported a slight rise in COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, while officials in several states tightened movement curbs and pushed for vaccinations to limit flare-ups of the highly infectious Delta variant.

Tigray forces seize regional capital, Ethiopian-led troops on the run

Tigrayan forces said they had Ethiopian government troops on the run around the regional capital Mekelle on Tuesday after taking full control of the city in a sharp reversal of eight months of conflict.

Indian map without Kashmir lands Twitter official in hot water

The head of Twitter in India is facing criminal charges after the internet service displayed a map of India that showed disputed regions as being separate from the country.

Bangladesh opens probe into deadly Dhaka building explosion

Authorities have launched an investigation into a deadly explosion that killed seven people in Dhaka, officials said on Monday.