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The Taliban have killed at least 10 Afghan soldiers during heavy clashes to capture a provincial capital, and assassinated a top official in the capital, Kabul. The militants intensified fighting on the outskirts of the provincial capital Sheberghan on Friday. At least 10 Afghan soldiers and a commander of armed …

The so-called Dixie Fire, which broke out on July 14 in the Sierra Nevada mountains some 160 miles (257.5 km) north of Sacramento, had burned across 432,813 acres (175,153 hectares) as of Friday afternoon, becoming one of the largest wildfires in state history. The flames roared through the historic mining …

Family members of the victims of the September 11 attacks have asked President Joe Biden to stay away from the memorial events this year unless he upholds a pledge to declassify documents that they contend will incriminate the Saudi government in the attacks. People who were directly impacted by the …

North Korea continued developing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the first half of 2021 in violation of international sanctions and despite the country’s worsening economic situation, according to an excerpt of a confidential United Nations report seen by Reuters on Friday. The report by a panel of independent …

Israeli forces continue to crack down on anti-settlement protests in the occupied West Bank, killing a Palestinian young man and injuring tens of others. The Palestinian health ministry said that Imad Ali Dweikat, 37, was shot in the chest by Israeli forces in the flashpoint town of Beita, south of …

Family members of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks are opposing U.S. President Joe Biden’s participation in memorial events unless he declassifies government documents that they contend will show Saudi Arabian leaders supported the attacks. The victims’ family members, joined by first responders and survivors of the attack, released a …

At least one person has died in Greece as wildfires continue to spread, forcing thousands to flee in Greece and Turkey. A 38-year-old man in northern Athens died after being hit by a falling utility pole, the Greek health ministry said. In neighbouring Turkey, wildfires described as the worst in …

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern about China’s growing nuclear arsenal during a meeting with foreign ministers of Asian countries and partner nations, the State Department said on Friday. Addressing a virtual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which groups more than two dozen countries, Blinken …

The Taliban captured an Afghan provincial capital and assassinated the government’s top media officer in Kabul on Friday, dealing twin high-profile blows to the Western-backed administration. A police spokesman in southern Nimroz province said the capital Zaranj had fallen to the hardline Islamists because of a lack of reinforcements from …

A man with a knife stabbed four passengers on an underground train in Tokyo on Friday, and was arrested by police after fleeing, the train company and news reports said. NHK public television said two of the four passengers were seriously injured. It said the suspect left his knife behind …

The highest constitutional authority in France ruled in favor of controversial measures for a COVID-19 “health pass” Thursday, along with compulsory vaccination for health care workers. With the decision by the Constitutional Council, the precautions drawn out in a recently passed health crisis bill will go into effect on Monday, …

China has strongly criticized the United States’ recent offer of a temporary “safe haven” to people from Hong Kong, describing the move as “violently intervening” in the semi-autonomous city’s internal affairs. China’s Foreign Ministry Office in Hong Kong made the remarks in a statement on Friday after the administration of …

An official from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has condemned Britain and the European Union (EU) for their incitement and hypocrisy campaigns concerning developments in the southwestern province of Dara’a, describing them as futile attempts to ease pressure on terrorists operating in the region. “The Syrian Arab …

The two Asian neighbours, engaged in an intense border standoff since 2020, have reached an agreement on the Gogra Post. The breakthrough came during the 12th military commander-level talks on 31 July. In a joint press statement, the two countries agreed to pull back troops from other friction points to …

Save the Children says 700,000 children under five are among the 2.3 million children affected by crisis. At least 2.3 million children and youth are going hungry in northeastern Nigeria where escalating violence has forced farmers to flee their fields and put the region on the brink of critical food …

Hospital admission from prison comes days before 79-year-old is due to attend the resumption of a long-running corruption trial. South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma, jailed for contempt of court last month, has been admitted to a hospital outside prison for “medical observation”, according to officials. “Everyone who is detained, …

A Russian court gave the brother of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny a one-year suspended sentence on Friday for inciting people to break COVID-19 restrictions, his lawyer Nikos Paraskevov said on Twitter. Oleg Navalny was detained in January as part of a broad crackdown on his brother’s allies. He was initially …

The Japanese city of Hiroshima has marked the 76th anniversary of the first atomic bombing by the US that killed over 140,000 people, as its mayor called world leaders to join efforts for the total elimination of nuclear weapons. “Nuclear weapons, developed to win wars, are a threat of total …

Tunisia’s interior ministry has put under house arrest a senior official of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party which opposes the president’s seizure of governing powers, one of his colleagues said on Friday. Anouar Maarouf is the most prominent member of the party to be targeted since President Kais Saied dismissed …

From time to time, a body floating down the river separating Ethiopia’s troubled Tigray region from Sudan was a silent reminder of a war conducted in the shadows. But in recent days, the corpses became a flow. Bloated, drained of color from their journey, the bodies were often mutilated: genitals …