Search results for: Asia

Sydney Covid-19 cases to 'rise substantially'

Reuters 2021-08-17 11:09:24

Covid-19 cases are set to "rise substantially" in Sydney in the coming weeks despite a prolonged lockdown, authorities said on Tuesday, warning soaring infections have already put hospitals under enor...

Taliban made Kabul safer than it had been under Ghani, Russia says

-- 2021-08-17 10:37:06

Russia's ambassador to Afghanistan praised the Taliban's conduct on Monday and said the group, still officially designated a terrorist organisation in Russia, had made Kabul safer in the first 24 ho...

Malala urges world leaders to take urgent action on Afghanistan

Reuters 2021-08-17 10:36:34

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she was deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, particularly the safety of women and girls, and called on Monday for world leaders to take u...

Taliban’s real test begins, says 20-year war victor Abdul Ghani Baradar  

FE ONLINE DESK   2021-08-16 18:38:32

Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban leader freed from a Pakistani jail on the request of the US less than three years ago, has emerged as an undisputed victor of the 20-year war, writes The Guardian. Wh...

Russia says Ghani fled with cars, helicopter full of cash

REUTERS 2021-08-16 18:01:03

Russia's embassy in Kabul said on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit...

Taliban in Afghan capital Kabul start collecting weapons from civilians

REUTERS 2021-08-16 16:50:21

Taliban fighters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, started collecting weapons from civilians on Monday because people no longer need them for personal protection, a Taliban official said. "We understand...

Afghan military jet crashes in Uzbekistan: Report

Reuters 2021-08-16 15:32:29

An Afghan military jet has crashed in Uzbekistan, an Uzbek news website reported on Monday, citing sources and images shared via messaging apps. The Afghan government collapsed on Sunday and the Tali...

Malaysia's king keeps Muhyiddin as interim premier after resignation

REUTERS 2021-08-16 15:11:04

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has handed his resignation to the king but will stay on as interim premier, the palace said on Monday, after months of political turmoil culminated in the los...

Afghanistan’s illegal opium, heroin trade prove to be a boon for Taliban

-- 2021-08-16 14:09:57

The United States spent more than $8 billion over 15 years on efforts to deprive the Taliban of their profits from Afghanistan's opium and heroin trade, from poppy eradication to airstrikes and raids...

Witnesses say at least five killed at Kabul airport

REUTERS 2021-08-16 13:47:18

At least five people were killed in Kabul airport as hundreds of people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the Afghan capital, witnesses told Reuters. One witness said he had seen the bodies of f...

Malaysian PM Muhyiddin quits after failing to get majority support

-- 2021-08-16 13:42:28

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigned less than 18 months into his tenure Monday, becoming the country’s shortest-ruling leader after conceding that he lost majority support to gove...

More than 60 countries call for allowing Afghans, others to leave Afghanistan

REUTERS 2021-08-16 11:33:25

More than 60 countries issued a joint statement saying Afghans and international citizens who want to leave Afghanistan must be allowed to depart and added that airports and border crossings must rema...

Airlines reroute flights to avoid Afghan airspace

REUTERS 2021-08-16 10:29:51

Major airlines are rerouting flights to avoid Afghanistan airspace after insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as US-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled on Monday t...

Afghan president Ghani says he left country to avoid bloodshed

-- 2021-08-16 10:14:30

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Sunday he had left the country to avoid bloodshed as the Taliban entered the capital Kabul. In a post on his Facebook page, Ghani said he had faced a difficult d...

Ashraf Ghani, who failed to make peace with Taliban

REUTERS 2021-08-16 09:54:55

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the presidential palace in Kabul on Sunday to the insurgent Taliban fighters who had toppled his government in a matter of weeks, saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed...

Taliban declares 'war is over' after taking control of presidential palace in Kabul

-- 2021-08-16 08:58:23

The Taliban declared the war in Afghanistan was over after insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul as US-led forces departed and Western nations scrambled on Monday to evacuate the...

Taliban enter Presidential palace in Kabul, want full power

-- 2021-08-15 23:29:44

Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents entered Kabul on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani left the country and the U.S. Embassy said the capital's airport, where diplomats, officials and other Afghans had fled...

Afghan President Ghani leaves for Tajikistan, says interior ministry official

REUTERS 2021-08-15 20:42:32

Taliban insurgents entered Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Sunday and an official said President Ashraf Ghani had left the city for Tajikistan, capping the militants' lightning push for power. A senio...

Jalali may head Afghan interim govt

-- 2021-08-15 18:48:16

Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic and former Afghan interior minister, is likely to be named to head an interim administration in Kabul, three diplomatic sources said on Sunday as Taliban fighters...

Taliban wants peaceful transition of power

-- 2021-08-15 18:41:13

The Taliban expect a peaceful transition of power in the next few days, a spokesman said on Sunday, as the insurgents reached Afghanistan's capital Kabul with little resistance, reports Reuters. ...

Malaysia PM Muhyiddin to resign after losing parliamentary majority

-- 2021-08-15 16:35:11

Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will resign on Monday, news portal MalaysiaKini reported, after he lost his majority due to infighting in the ruling coalition. The resignation, if confirme...

Afghan ministers prepare for ‘peaceful transfer of power’ as Taliban surround Kabul

-- 2021-08-15 16:26:28

An acting Afghan interior minister has appeared on a video of Tolo News - a local television station - to state that the government is preparing for a ‘peaceful transfer of power’ to...

Taliban enter Afghan capital Kabul as US diplomats evacuate by chopper

REUTERS 2021-08-15 14:59:24

Taliban insurgents entered the Afghanistan capital Kabul on Sunday, an interior ministry official said, as the United States evacuated diplomats from its embassy by helicopter. The senior official to...

Lebanon fuel tank explosion leaves at least 22 dead

-- 2021-08-15 14:03:52

At least 22 people were killed and 79 injured when a fuel tank exploded in northern Lebanon early on Sunday, the health minister said. Military and security sources said that the army had seized a fu...

Modi praises health workers on Independence Day for helping India fight Covid

-- 2021-08-15 13:12:21

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised healthcare workers and scientists for helping India fight Covid-19 as the country celebrated 75 years of independence. Mr Modi also paid tributes t...

Afghan government focuses on protecting capital as Taliban takes Jalalabad

REUTERS 2021-08-15 11:08:22

Taliban insurgents took control of the key eastern Afghanistan city of Jalalabad without a fight on Sunday, leaving the territory controlled by the crumbling government to little more than the capital...

Taliban now near Kabul, Afghan president in urgent talks

REUTERS 2021-08-14 20:02:52

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani held urgent talks with local leaders and international partners on Saturday as Taliban rebels pushed closer to Kabul, capturing a town south of the capital that is...

Sydney lockdown fines raised as Australia faces 'worst' pandemic situation

REUTERS 2021-08-14 14:13:58

Australia will increase fines to people breaching lockdown rules in the state of New South Wales as it battles a record jump in local Covid-19 infections and Sydney, the state capital, heads into its...

American troops arrive in Afghan capital to help evacuations

-- 2021-08-14 14:02:05

American troops have flown into Kabul to help evacuate embassy personnel and other civilians in the Afghan capital, a US official said on Saturday, a day after Taliban insurgents seized the country's...

Malaysia’s rival parties, key ally reject plea for support from PM

-- 2021-08-14 13:42:41

Malaysia's opposition parties and a key ally have rejected a plea for support from embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in exchange for political and electoral reforms, urging him to resign immed...