The new Taliban government said on Tuesday it hoped to build on the “good progress” made in talks with the former US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmai Khalilzad and was optimistic about moving forward with his successor Tom West. Khalilzad’s departure as the top US envoy for Afghanistan was announced …

At least 24 people died and more than a dozen were missing after landslides and flash floods triggered by several days of heavy rain hit northern India, officials said Tuesday. Forecasters have also warned of more downpours in the coming days in the southern state of Kerala where floods have …

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 summit in Rome in person this month due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, but will take part in it via video link, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. The Kremlin said Putin informed Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi about his plans …

A World Health Organization-led program to ensure poorer countries get fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments aims to secure antiviral drugs for patients with mild symptoms for as little as $10 per course, a draft document seen by Reuters says. Merck & Co’s experimental pill molnupiravir is likely …

Portuguese and Spanish authorities have seized 5.2 tons of cocaine from a sailboat on the high seas and arrested three suspects, in Portugal’s largest drug bust in 15 years and a world-record haul from a sailboat, police said on Monday. With the cocaine bales piled up behind him at a …

Poachers in Vietnam have shot dead five critically endangered langurs, a type of monkey killed for bushmeat and traditional medicine, state media said Tuesday. Rangers and police found the dead gray-shanked douc langurs during a regular patrol of forests in Quang Ngai province. Restricted to the forests of central Vietnam, …

The United States military on Tuesday condemned North Korea for a suspected ballistic missile launch and called on the country to “refrain from any further destabilizing acts.” “We are aware of the North Korean ballistic missile launch this morning into the Sea of Japan and are consulting closely with the …

The European Commission’s chief executive warned Poland on Tuesday that its challenge to the supremacy of European Union law called into question the very foundations of the 27-nation bloc and could not go unpunished. Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled last week that parts of EU law are incompatible with the Polish …

Japan on Tuesday kicked off its first official day of campaigning ahead of the Oct. 31 general election, with a media poll showing support for the ruling party easing, in a blow for recently installed prime minister Fumio Kishida. Support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was at 38.8 …

Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso on Monday declared a state of emergency in the country grappling with a surge in drug-related violence, and ordered the mobilization of police and military in the streets. “Starting immediately, our Armed Forces and police will be felt with force in the streets because we are …

A group of 10 military vessels from China and Russia sailed through a narrow strait separating Japan’s main island and its northern island of Hokkaido on Monday, the Japanese defense ministry said on Tuesday. It was the first time Japan, which closely monitors military exercises in its region, has confirmed …

New Zealand recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic on Tuesday as a Delta-variant outbreak that dashed the nation’s “Covid Zero” hopes showed no signs of easing. Health authorities announced 94 new virus cases, exceeding the previous daily record of 89 set in …

An earthquake struck off the Greek island of Karpathos early on Tuesday, shaking towns and cities across the eastern Mediterranean, witnesses and media said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage, however. “Really felt that one… Lasted for 30 seconds,” a witness in Lindos, Rhodes, said in …

The speaker of the Czech upper house has said that the country’s president Milos Zeman is unable to carry out his duties, having spent a week in intensive care, and is unlikely to return to office in the coming weeks. Speaking on Monday, Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil told reporters that …

Turkey’s lira sank to a new all-time low beyond 9.3 versus the dollar on Monday and analysts saw little reprieve ahead given what one called expectations of an “irrational” interest rate cut later this week. The worst performer in emerging markets this year, the Turkish currency touched a low of …

Azerbaijan accused rival Armenia at the UN’s top court on Monday of laying landmines as part of a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” despite the end of last year’s war. Both countries have lodged tit-for-tat cases at the International Court of Justice seeking emergency measures against alleged racial discrimination, with Armenia …

Iraq recorded 1,559 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said today, Monday. The daily epidemiological report on the COVID-19 situation stated that 29 COVID-19 deaths were registered today. On the other hand, 2,851 patients achieved full recovery. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Iraq, …

The Iraqi Intelligence Services said on Monday they had arrested a senior member of an ISIS-linked militant group that has carried out several attacks in the country. The arrest, according to a statement by the Iraqi Intelligence Services, was a culmination of an intelligence-led transborder security operation. The arrestee was …

Just weeks after AUKUS was hailed as a game-changer in Western efforts to contain China, we now see reports of Beijing testing hypersonic missiles. It’s clear that the US should underestimate China at its peril in the arms race. Over the weekend, a report appeared in the Financial Times – …

Five aides and allies of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy were set to go on trial on Monday for allegedly misusing public money and cronyism, adding to the former head of state’s legal problems. Sarkozy’s former chief of staff Claude Gueant and ex-advisor and consultant Patrick Buisson are among those …