Search results for: Asia

Taliban capture second and third largest Afghan cities, assault on Kabul expected

REUTERS 2021-08-14 10:56:19

Taliban insurgents have seized Afghanistan's second- and third-biggest cities, local officials said on Friday, as resistance from government forces crumbled and fears grew that an assault on the capit...

Taliban tighten grip on Afghanistan

REUTERS 2021-08-13 21:23:13

Taliban insurgents tightened their grip on Afghanistan on Friday, wresting control of the second-and third-biggest cities as Western embassies prepared to send in troops to help evacuate staff from th...

Philippines extends travel ban for Bangladesh over Delta concerns

REUTERS 2021-08-13 20:24:30

The Philippines will extend a ban on travellers from Bangladesh, India and eight other countries to the end of August because of concerns posed by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronaviru...

UN agencies warn of humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan

REUTERS 2021-08-13 17:13:00

UN agencies on Friday warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan as Taliban advances drive tens of thousands of people from their homes amid spreading hunger. Insurgents have taken control o...

India set for huge boost in Covid-19 vaccine supplies: Ruling party chief

Reuters 2021-08-13 13:11:55

India expects to get about 266 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in August as a simpler licencing process has helped the government secure far more than earlier expected, the president of Prime Minister...

Taliban capture Afghanistan's Kandahar as embassies evacuate staff

REUTERS 2021-08-13 11:46:56

The Taliban have captured Afghanistan's second biggest city of Kandahar, officials said on Friday, the biggest setback for the US-backed government since the insurgents launched a new offensive as US...

Global coronavirus cases cross 205 million

-- 2021-08-13 11:10:09

The overall number of global Covid cases has now surged past 205 million, an alarming figure that paints a bleak picture of the second wave of the pandemic in several countries. According to US-based...

US and Britain to evacuate embassies as Taliban advances in Afghanistan

REUTERS 2021-08-13 09:40:20

The Taliban claimed control over two of Afghanistan's biggest cities on Thursday, according to media reports, as the United States and Britain said they would send thousands of troops to help evacuate...

Taliban capture Ghazni city on road to Afghan capital

-- 2021-08-12 15:27:17

Taliban insurgents captured the city of Ghazni on Thursday, the ninth provincial capital they have seized in a week, as US intelligence said the capital, Kabul, just 150 km to the northeast, could fal...

Assam launches crackdown on drug trade as UN warns of Bangladesh-like crisis

-- 2021-08-12 13:46:10

A northeastern Indian state that has for years been a big transit point for illicit drugs originating in neighbouring Myanmar has launched a massive crackdown on the trade, seizing record amounts an...

US sees Pakistan as useful only to clean up mess in Afghanistan, says Imran Khan

REUTERS 2021-08-12 11:27:40

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the United States of seeing his country as useful only in the context of the "mess" it is leaving behind in Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting. Washing...

Sydney seeks to tighten virus curbs, Canberra to enter lockdown

Reuters 2021-08-12 10:34:26

Extra Australian military personnel may be called in to ensure compliance with lockdown rules in Sydney, the New South Wales state government said on Thursday, as the highly infectious Delta coronavir...

US intelligence says Taliban could take Afghan capital within 90 days

Reuters 2021-08-12 10:23:58

Taliban fighters could isolate Afghanistan's capital in 30 days and possibly take it over within 90, a US defence official cited US intelligence as saying, as the resurgent militants made more advance...

New Zealand plans to allow vaccinated travellers from early 2022

-- 2021-08-12 09:17:07

New Zealand plans to allow quarantine-free entry to vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries from early 2022, as it looks to open its borders again after nearly 18 months of pandemic-induced isol...

Indonesian army says has stopped 'virginity tests' on female cadets

-- 2021-08-11 20:17:42

The Indonesian army has ended a controversial practice of virginity tests on women who apply to become cadets, according to its chief of staff, a move welcomed by activists who have long campaigned ag...

Taliban control 65pc of Afghanistan, says EU official

-- 2021-08-11 10:49:44

Taliban insurgents tightened their grip on captured Afghan territory on Tuesday as civilians hid in their homes, and a European Union official said the militants now control 65 per cent of the country...

India begins evacuating its nationals from Afghanistan

UNB 2021-08-10 20:08:06

India has started evacuating its nationals from Afghanistan as the Taliban advance escalates in the war-ravaged country. In a tweet on Tuesday, the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif asked all its na...

US gives Myanmar $50m in aid as humanitarian crisis worsens

REUTERS 2021-08-10 19:54:42

The United States said on Tuesday it was giving Myanmar more than $50 million in aid as surging COVID-19 infections worsened a humanitarian crisis in the Southeast Asian country already reeling after...

Delhi police detain five for ‘raising anti-Muslim slogans’ during protest rally

-- 2021-08-10 13:07:12

Police in the Indian capital, Delhi, have detained five men for allegedly raising anti-Muslim slogans during a protest rally. Reports say Sunday's rally was held to protest against colonial laws,...

It’s up to Afghans to defend country as Taliban advances: US

REUTERS 2021-08-10 12:35:51

The United States said it was up to Afghan security forces to defend the country after Taliban militants captured a sixth provincial capital on Monday, along with border towns and trade routes. Presi...

Thai protest leaders detained ahead of ‘car mob’ rally

REUTERS 2021-08-10 11:53:01

Thai authorities have detained at least 11 leaders of the country's anti-government protest movement and deployed hundreds of police ahead of a planned demonstration on Tuesday involving a convoy of c...

Global Covid cases cross 203 million

-- 2021-08-10 11:46:03

The global Covid-19 caseload has now surpassed 203 million, as the ferocious second wave of the corona pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world amid mass inoculation efforts. The total case...

US, South Korea will face even greater threats for military drills, North Korea says

Reuters 2021-08-10 10:26:56

South Korea and the United States will face even greater security threats for going ahead with annual joint military drills due to begin this week, Kim Yo Jong, a powerful North Korean official and si...

China reports 125 more Covid cases

-- 2021-08-09 18:48:21

China reported 125 new Covid-19 cases on the mainland Monday, up from 96 cases a day earlier, in its latest outbreak of the disease. The wave is part of an expanding Covid-19 Delta variant outbreak i...

Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart must face antitrust investigation, Indian SC says

-- 2021-08-09 15:24:38

India's Supreme Court ruled on Monday that antitrust investigations into business practices of Amazon.com Inc and Walmart's Flipkart must continue, in a setback for the two e-commerce giants who had u...

Nagasaki marks 76th anniversary of US atomic bombing

-- 2021-08-09 15:21:53

Nagasaki on Monday marked the 76th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the Japanese city with its mayor urging Japan, the United States and Russia to do more to eliminate nuclear weapons. In his...

Heavy rain in China’s Sichuan causes economic losses, forces evacuation

-- 2021-08-09 11:26:13

More than 80,000 people have been evacuated because of heavy rains and floods in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, state media reported on Monday. Water levels at major rivers in the prov...

Taliban capture city of Kunduz

BBC 2021-08-08 19:38:32

The Taliban have captured the key northern Afghan city of Kunduz, one of the country's largest, after fierce fighting with government forces. A local official told the BBC all but the city's airport...

Global Covid cases cross 202 million

-- 2021-08-08 11:17:36

The global Covid-19 caseload surpassed the 202-million mark, as the second wave of the pandemic continues to wreck havoc across the world amid mass inoculation efforts. The total caseload and fatalit...

North Korea's Kim calls for relief campaign in areas hit by heavy rains

-- 2021-08-08 11:13:37

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has mobilised the military to carry out relief work in areas recently hit by heavy rains, state media said on Sunday, amid concerns over an economic crisis and food sho...