The Al-Qaeda has joined the Taliban in the group's offensive in the Panjshir valley, Ahmad Massoud's forces say, Al Arabiya reported. ....

The Taliban are not as strong as many believe they are, Panjshir resistance leader Ahmad Massoud has said. ....

The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, at a recent meeting with Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi (now appointed as the Minister of Transport), said Covid-19 is a matter of science and not to politicise it, despite the fact that evidence proves beyond all doubt that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has engaged in world politics using fake accounts and dismissing everything related to coronavirus as 'not their baby'. ....

Fighting is going on between Taliban fighters and the forces of a resistance front lead by Ahmad Massoud in the Panjshir province of Afghanistan. ....

The Taliban have said that Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada will be the leader under whom a prime minister or president will run the country, as per a report by Tolo News. ....

Japan has put on hold a batch of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine after a pharmacist saw several black particles in one vial of the vaccine. ....

Sri Lanka has declared an economic emergency, after a steep fall in the value of the South Asian country's currency caused a spike in food prices. ....

After the boundary row of last year, there was peace in bilateral ties between Nepal and India. There were high-level meetings and contacts between the two sides. But that seems to be fading away now. ....

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the people to remain alert as "anti-liberation forces", along with their associates, are still conspiring against the country, "taking assistance from abroad". ....

The UK government has formed a multi-million-dollar task force to carry out a massive clean-up operation to remove chewing gum from 87 per cent of the sidewalks in England. ....