Malaysia hunts for new PM

Malaysia’s king asked leaders from different parties to work together to address the economic and health woes facing the country, as he yesterday began a search to replace Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister. 
17 August 2021, 18:00 PM

India evacuates 170

An Indian air force plane has evacuated more than 170 people from Kabul, including India’s ambassador to Afghanistan, a government official says, as diplomats and civilians scramble to leave the country.
17 August 2021, 18:00 PM

Ghani in Oman!

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Afghanistan on Sunday,  is in Oman after Tajikistan denied landing yesterday.
17 August 2021, 18:00 PM

The picture that defines chaos

A photo shows more than 600 Afghans -- women, men, children and the elderly -- sitting packed on the floor of a cavernous US military plane, part of a dramatic airlift hours after Kabul fell to the Taliban. 
17 August 2021, 18:00 PM

Taliban says burqa not mandatory for women, hijab is

The Taliban gave the first indication on Tuesday since coming to power that they would not make the full burqa compulsory for women as they did when they last ruled Afghanistan.
17 August 2021, 16:20 PM

UN Special Rapporteur urges states to ensure safety of Afghan culture and heritage

A UN human rights expert warned of “cultural disaster” in Afghanistan after Kabul fell to Taliban forces, and urged states to provide urgent assistance to human rights defenders, including those working on women’s and cultural rights, as well as artists trying to flee the country.
17 August 2021, 16:01 PM

Taliban promises to respect press freedom in first briefing since takeover

Taliban has pledged cooperation with media within the cultural framework in their first press briefing after taking over.
17 August 2021, 15:49 PM

Iran says its embassy in Kabul remains open

Iran's embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul remains open and fully active, state media reported on Tuesday, a day after Tehran welcomed the "military failure" of its arch-foe the United States as it withdraws its forces from Afghanistan.
17 August 2021, 12:43 PM

Photo of packed US military jet evacuating 640 Afghans goes viral

A US military cargo plane, with the capacity to carry 150 people, evacuated some 640 Afghans from Kabul late Sunday.
17 August 2021, 09:19 AM

US must protect Afghan journalists as Taliban takes over: CPJ

The United States must do more to ensure the safety of Afghan journalists as the county falls under the control of the Taliban, including facilitating safe passage out of the country and providing emergency visas, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said.
17 August 2021, 09:05 AM

Malaysian king meets party leaders in hunt for new PM

Malaysia's king met political party chiefs Tuesday as the hunt began for a new prime minister, a day after the last leader quit.
17 August 2021, 08:35 AM

Taliban announces ‘amnesty’, says women should be in govt 'as per Shariah law'

Taliban announced Tuesday an “amnesty” across Afghanistan and urged women to join its government, trying to calm nerves across a nervous capital city that only the day before saw chaos at its airport as people tried to flee their rule.
17 August 2021, 06:30 AM

India introduces emergency e-visa for Afghans, pulls back envoy

India today said it was pulling back its ambassador to Afghanistan and his Indian staff from Kabul as part of the emergency evacuation in view of the situation there.
17 August 2021, 05:14 AM

Chaos, desperation at Kabul airport as Biden defends withdrawal from Afghanistan

Thousands of people desperate to flee Afghanistan thronged Kabul's airport on Monday after the Taliban seized the capital, prompting the United States to pause evacuations, as President Joe Biden confronted mounting criticism over the US withdrawal.
17 August 2021, 02:58 AM

German evacuation flight unable to land in Kabul, diverts to Tashkent

The first of three German evacuation planes en route to Afghanistan has diverted to the Uzbek capital Tashkent after it could not land at Kabul airport, a German general said on Monday.
16 August 2021, 19:16 PM

Saudi Arabia calls on Taliban to preserve lives, property

Saudi Arabia called on the Taliban and "all Afghan parties" on Monday to preserve lives and property, after the insurgents seized the capital Kabul.
16 August 2021, 18:05 PM

Chaos in Kabul

Panic, chaos and confusion gripped Afghanistan yesterday after the Taliban took control of Kabul following a lightning offensive that saw the country fall to the insurgents virtually unopposed.  
16 August 2021, 18:00 PM

Indonesia volcano erupts, blankets villages in ash

Indonesia’s most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted yesterday, belching a cloud of ash into the air as red lava flowed down its crater.
16 August 2021, 18:00 PM

Evacuating People from Afghanistan: Biman offered to run charter flights

Several charter flight companies have contacted Biman Bangladesh Airlines for its services to evacuate several thousand people, including Afghans who worked for the American troops, from war-torn Afghanistan. 
16 August 2021, 18:00 PM

Sri Lanka axes health minister

Sri Lanka’s president yesterday demoted the health minister who publicly endorsed sorcery and magic potions to battle Covid-19, as coronavirus infections and deaths hit record highs.
16 August 2021, 18:00 PM