The study calculated that countries which fail to vaccinate 60 percent of their populations by mid-2022 will suffer the losses, equivalent to two trillion euros, over the 2022-2025 period.

Five members of an all-girl Afghan robotics team arrived in Mexico on Tuesday evening, fleeing an uncertain future at home after the recent collapse of the US-backed government and takeover by the Taliban militant group.

The World Bank has suspended aid to Afghanistan, saying it is "deeply concerned" by the situation there, especially regarding women's rights, after the Taliban seized power, a bank spokesperson told AFP.

The coronavirus pandemic may have pushed as many as 80 million people in developing Asia into extreme poverty last year,

The UN human rights chief said on Tuesday that she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including "summary executions" of civilians and Afghan security forces who have surrendered.

Western forces at Kabul airport worked frantically on Tuesday to get people out of Afghanistan before an Aug. 31 deadline, as US President Joe Biden faced growing pressure to negotiate more time for the airlift of thousands trying to flee.

Less than a month into a COVID-19 vaccine booster drive, Israel is seeing signs of an impact on the country's high infection and severe illness rates fuelled by the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials and scientists say.

The Taliban have appointed a new finance minister, an intelligence chief, and an acting interior minister in Afghanistan, the Pajhwok news agency reported on Tuesday.

With thousands of desperate Afghans and foreigners massed at Kabul's airport in the hope of fleeing Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, US President Joe Biden is expected to decide as soon as Tuesday on whether to extend an August 31 deadline to airlift Americans and their allies to safety.

Thermocol could be the material of the future for construction of earthquake-resistant buildings, according to Indian scientists.

The Taliban were in position near the Panjshir valley and had retaken three districts in northern Afghanistan that fell to local militia groups last week, a spokesman said on Monday, though there were no confirmed reports of further fighting.

US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, speaking to reporters on Monday after a briefing by intelligence officials, said he thinks it is very unlikely the evacuation of Afghanistan will be completed by August 31 deadline.

Iran restarted exports of gasoline and gasoil to Afghanistan a few days ago, following a request from the Taliban, Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union said on Monday.

China reported no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 on Monday for the first time since July, a sign the current outbreak may be waning amid Beijing's 'zero-tolerance' stance and tough anti-virus measures across the country.

Bangladesh has called for peace in Afghanistan, security of its people, and quick evacuation of foreigners who got stranded following Taliban’s takeover on August 15 after the US withdrew troops.

Vice President Kamala Harris vowed "enduring engagement" in Asia on Monday, offering reassurances of Washington's commitment to the region following the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover.

Scores of firefighters backed by water-dropping aircraft battled a forest fire that broke out early Monday on the southern part of Greece's Evia island, less than two weeks after an inferno decimated its northern part.

India installed its first smog tower in New Delhi's Connaught Place today. The tower will purify 1,000 cubic meters of air per second within a radius of around 1 km.

As the Taleban advanced on the Afghan capital Kabul last week, one Chinese businessman’s account of doing business in the country made its rounds on Chinese social media.

A firefight broke out between unidentified gunmen, Western security forces and Afghan guards at the North Gate of Kabul airport on Monday, Germany's armed forces said, as thousands of Afghans and foreigners thronged the airport, seeking to flee Taliban rule.