Asia

A national dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines, where 622 people have died of the mosquito-borne disease since January and millions more are at risk. From the start of the year to July 20, there have been more than 146,000 cases recorded — a 98% increase from the …

At least 18 people were killed and over 100 others, including women and children, were injured in a car bomb explosion in Kabul on Wednesday morning, according to the Public Health Ministry. The blast targeted police headquarters in the west of Kabul during rush hour on Wednesday morning, TOLOnews said. …

Fifty-seven people have died and more than 18,000 have sought hospital treatment since July 29, when Japan was blanketed by an extreme and unrelenting heatwave. The government announced the startling figures on Tuesday, revealing that the number of people hospitalized has tripled from the previous week. Those aged 65 and …

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution gives special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. India controls the southern portion of Kashmir, a region that has historically been hotly contested between India and Pakistan. The Indian government has moved to scrap Article 370 of the national constitution, which grants …

Thousands of Indian students and visitors were fleeing Indian-controlled Kashmir on Saturday after the government ordered tourists and Hindu pilgrims visiting a Himalayan cave shrine “to curtail their stay” in the disputed territory, citing security concerns. Hundreds of Indian and foreign visitors, including some Hindu pilgrims, congregated outside the main …

US officials claim Washington has intelligence that the son and possible successor of Osama bin Laden have been killed, NBC reports. As of yet, the officials have provided few additional details. Three US officials who requested anonymity told NBC that Hamza bin Laden – son of terror leader and founder …

A powerful blast targeting a senior police officer in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has killed at least five people and injured a further 38, six of whom are in serious condition. Two security personnel died in the blast, which also left numerous women and children injured. It remains unclear whether it …

The Chinese government announced Wednesday that it will suspend a program allowing solo tourists from 47 cities to visit Taiwan, amid rising cross-strait tensions. In a statement, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism said the travel ban would come into force on August 1, effectively banning all individual leisure travel …

At least 18 people were killed and several injured when a small military plane crashed into a residential area near the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi. Five crew members and 13 civilians were among the dead, rescue services said. The aircraft was on a training flight when it crashed and set …

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have refused to return to Myanmar unless they are recognized as an ethnic group, refugee leaders told officials from Myanmar on Sunday as new talks began to return the Rohingya. A Myanmar military campaign in retaliation for insurgent attacks in 2017 resulted in 730,000 Muslim Rohingyas …

A volcano erupted near Indonesia’s third-biggest city of Bandung on July 26, sending ash several hundred meters into the air and triggering warnings for people to stay away. Broadcasters showed footage of cars and motorbikes driving away from Tangkuban Parahu on roads covered by ash. The disaster mitigation agency said …

Sri Lankan police have not found enough evidence to prove that Islamic State (IS) terrorists were directly involved with the Easter Sunday bombings, the chief investigator said on Wednesday, even though the group had claimed responsibility. The attacks on churches and hotels in Colombo and in the east killed more …

China warned on Wednesday that it was ready for war if there was any move toward Taiwan’s independence, accusing the United States of undermining global stability and denouncing its arms sales to the self-ruled island. The Pentagon said this month the U.S. State Department had approved sales of weapons requested …

The death toll from severe flooding in parts of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh rose to more than 300 on Monday, even as heavy rains are starting to ebb and water levels started to recede in some of the worst-affected areas. Heavy rains and overflowing rivers swamped vast swathes of eastern …

South Korea says its jets fired warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday. Officials said the plane twice violated the airspace over the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands, which are occupied by South Korea but also claimed by Japan. South Korea’s Ministry of Defence said it …

  Riot police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Hong Kong following a large pro-democracy rally in the city. Officers charged demonstrators who threw objects at police lines. The clashes came after marchers ignored a designated finish line, continuing on to China’s central government offices. Mass …

At least eight people have been killed after a bomb detonated near university premises in Afghanistan’s capital on Friday, officials said. Wahidullah Mayar, the Health Ministry spokesman, wrote on Twitter that another 33 people were wounded in Friday’s explosion. Reports said the blast took place near Kabul University’s southern entrance. …

At least a dozen people have been killed and about 90 others wounded when Taliban militants attacked police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar. Baheer Ahmadi, the Kandahar governor’s spokesman, said on Thursday that 12 people had been killed, including nine civilians and three police officers. Another 89 were …

At least 33 people are dead and dozens injured after a man set fire to an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto, officials say. Police said the 41-year-old suspect broke into the Kyoto Animation studio on Thursday morning and sprayed petrol before igniting it. The suspect has been …

Media coverage of recent clashes between demonstrators and police in Hong Kong has focused on acts of police violence, but overlooked footage shows at least one instance in which protesters brutally beat a cowering riot cop. A short video clip shared on Twitter captured a harrowing moment from Sunday’s demonstration …