South Asia

A bomb explosion in northwest Pakistan along the Afghanistan border has killed five security personnel, the Pakistani military said Thursday. The three paramilitary soldiers and two police officers were conducting a “cordon and search operation” in Bajaur district late Wednesday when an improvised explosive device hit them, the military’s media wing said in a statement. There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but …

India celebrated the milestone of administering one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, marking a key turnaround in a drive that got off the ground slowly earlier this year. India is the second country after China to reach the one billion mark in its immunization program. “India scripts history. …

North Korea has conducted eight missile launches this year. The latest was this week’s test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile. But South Koreans, who have the most to lose from a conflict with North Korea, aren’t overly concerned. Every North Korean missile launch can feel intense. North Korean missile footage …

An international Russia-hosted meeting Wednesday pressed the Taliban to form a “truly inclusive” government in Afghanistan and called for the United Nations to convene a donor conference as soon as possible to help avert a humanitarian catastrophe facing the war-torn country. The huddle, known as the Moscow format consultations on …

Russia has lauded the efforts of Afghanistan’s Taliban government to improve the national security and political situation but stressed the need for the Islamist group to ensure inclusivity in its governance to achieve a stable peace in the war-torn country.    Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the remarks Wednesday while …

Among all the challenges facing Afghanistan, the most enduring is its position as the world’s leading producer of opium. Growing, cultivating, and selling the by-products of the indigenous poppy plant is entwined into Afghanistan’s economy & culture. And it has created an opium addiction crisis in Afghanistan. Before the U.S. …

Nearly 40 people have died and more are missing after flooding struck India’s northern Uttarakhand state officials said Wednesday. Video from the area shows rivers overflowing their banks and some villages partially submerged, Reuters reported. Rescue workers searched through the night to evacuate people and recover bodies. At least 28 were killed in the town of Nainital, while …

Former Afghan prosecutors at the Bagram prison’s legal and justice center – where thousands of Taliban and other militants were detained – say they are now in danger. VOA’s Waheed Faizi has the story.  

The Taliban’s acting interior minister, listed as a global terrorist by the United States, has hosted a ceremony in Kabul to honor suicide bombers responsible for the killings of thousands of U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan.  Sirajuddin Haqqani, who carries a $10 million U.S. bounty for any information leading …

Afghan businesswomen say that they have been forced to close their businesses as the Taliban have imposed a ban on women working outside. Yalda Baktash has the story. Script writer: Roshan Noorzai