Taliban militants capture sixth provincial Afghan capital
Taliban militants captured a sixth provincial Afghan capital on Monday, a lawmaker said, after they ousted Afghan security forces from border towns and trade routes as US-led foreign forces pull out. The Taliban, fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster, have stepped up their campaign to defeat the government as foreign forces […]
US says it is up to Afghans to defend country as Taliban take more territory
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. President Joe Biden has said the US military mission in Afghanistan will end on August 31, arguing that the Afghan people must decide […]
Gas cylinder explosion kills nine in Pakistan
At least nine people were killed and three others wounded when the gas cylinder in a van exploded in Gujranwala district of Pakistan’s east Punjab province on Sunday night. The van caught fire following the explosion, killing five people at the spot while four others succumbed to injuries in hospital, the report said. The injured […]
Saudi to start receiving Umrah requests from foreigners
Starting from Monday, Saudi Arabia will begin receiving requests to perform Umrah — an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — from foreign worshippers, the government announced. For concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic, only the vaccinated and the recovered will be provided with permissions, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Haj and Umrah as saying in […]
UN To Release Key Climate Change Report Today
A UN-appointed panel of experts is releasing a key report Monday summarizing the latest authoritative scientific information on climate change. The report will provide governments with up-to-date facts on the current impacts and future risks of global warming ahead of a UN climate summit in November in Glasgow. It will also examine how various options […]
Taliban seize two more Afghan provincial capitals in northern blitz
The Taliban captured two more provincial capitals on Sunday as they gained ground in their fight to take over Afghanistan’s cities after seizing much of the countryside in recent months. The insurgents have snatched up four provincial capitals since Friday in a rapid offensive that appears to have overwhelmed government forces. Kunduz and Sar-e-Pul in […]
Russia boosts arms supplies to Central Asia amid Afghan mayhem
MOSCOW/DUSHANBE: Russia has increased arms and military hardware supplies to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan amid fighting in Afghanistan, Interfax news agency quoted Russian military chief of staff Valery Gerasimov as saying on Thursday. Gerasimov, who was in Tashkent to attend joint Uzbek-Russian military drills near the Afghan border, provided no details such as what arms were being supplied. […]
Lightning kills 16 at wedding in Bangladesh
DHAKA: Several lightning bolts hit a Bangladesh wedding party within a few seconds on Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring the groom, officials said. The group had just left a boat at the riverside town of Shibganj to take shelter from the thunderstorm when the lightning struck, a government administrator for the town said. The […]
Attack targeting acting Afghan defense minister left 8 dead
Kabul: A bombing attack that targeted Afghanistan’s acting defense minister killed at least eight people and wounded 20, authorities said Wednesday. The deputy minister was not hurt in the attack claimed by Taliban insurgents. The blast went off late Tuesday in a heavily guarded upscale neighborhood of the capital of Kabul. It was followed by a […]
Deadly wildfire encircles Turkish power plant
HISARONU: Roaring blazes encircled a Turkish thermal power plant on Tuesday and forced farmers to herd panicked cattle toward the sea, as wildfires that have killed eight people raged for a seventh day. The nation of 84 million has been transfixed in horror as the most destructive wildfires in generations erase pristine forests and rich […]
