War in Afghanistan (2001-present) The Taliban have captured major border crossings with Iran and Turkmenistan in a sweeping offensive across northern Afghanistan, officials say. The militants say they seized two key border towns – Islam Qala near Iran, and Torghundi bordering Turkmenistan. Video footage appeared to show Taliban forces taking down the Afghan flag […]
By Geeta Pandey BBC News, Delhi Last Sunday, dozens of Muslim women in India found they had been put up for sale online. Hana Khan, a commercial pilot whose name was on the list, told the BBC she was alerted to it when a friend sent her a tweet. The tweet took her to “Sulli […]
Lidia Kelly MELBOURNE, July 10 (Reuters) – Australia’s New South Wales state reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired coronavirus infections this year on Saturday, with authorities warning that worse may yet to come for Sydney, which is in a three-week hard lockdown. There were 50 new cases of community transmission in the country’s […]
UK oil firm Cairn Energy has gained the right to seize Indian state assets in France worth more than €20m (£17m) as part of a long-running tax row. A French tribunal ordered a freeze on about 20 properties in central Paris as Cairn increases pressure on the Indian government over disputed tax claims. Cairn said […]
Zika virus outbreak Health authorities in the Indian state of Kerala have declared a state of alert in all districts after reporting the state’s first case of Zika virus. Kerala Health Minister Veena George confirmed one case and said there were 13 other suspected infections. India reported a Zika outbreak in the western state […]
War in Afghanistan (2001-present) US President Joe Biden has defended his decision to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan, saying that US operations will end on 31 August. The fourth US president to oversee the war also defended the speed of the US withdrawal, saying it saved lives. Mr Biden’s speech comes as the Taliban […]
Soutik Biswas India correspondent For long, societies have been described as melting pots and salad bowls. The first encourage immigrants to fuse into a dominant culture; in the second, immigrants retain their own characteristics while integrating into a new society. India is apparently neither, according to a new study by US-based Pew Research Center. The non-profit […]
Dilip Kumar, one of India’s earliest and most famous film actors, has died in Mumbai at the age of 98. A veritable legend, Kumar acted in more than 65 films over nearly five decades, playing roles that ranged from the iconic to the endearing. He was admitted to hospital on 30 June after he complained […]
Thousands of activists, political leaders and Indian citizens have taken to social media to pay tributes to jailed tribal rights activist Stan Swamy who died at the age of 84. Many also expressed anger at the way he was jailed during Covid-19 and repeatedly denied bail. The Jesuit priest, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, was […]
By Frank Gardner BBC security correspondent Western intelligence chiefs are worried. They have good reason to be. The hurried departure this month of the remaining Western forces from Afghanistan, decreed by US President Joe Biden, has emboldened Taliban insurgents. In recent days they have seized one district after another, overrunning bases where demoralised government troops […]
