World

Southeast Asia is on the brink of a “socio-economic crisis” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that could reverse decades of poverty reduction, the United Nations has warned. “The crisis threatens to destroy the livelihoods of Southeast Asia’s 218 million informal workers,” a U.N. policy brief released on Thursday said. “Without alternative income, formal social protection […]

India reported another record surge in daily COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the total to 1.64 million, as the government further eases virus curbs in a bid to resuscitate the economy, while also trying to increase testing. Infections jumped by 55,078 in the past 24 hours, while the death toll rose by 779 to 35,747, […]

Afghans offered prayers marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha Friday as a three-day ceasefire between Taliban and government forces began, with many hoping the truce will lead to peace talks and the end of nearly two decades of conflict. A car bomb that killed at least 17 people in the country’s east just hours […]

When Amir Hussein was finally allowed to leave the horrific migrant camp of Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos, it was supposed to be the end of a year-long odyssey. “After (experiencing) hell in Moria, we had not expected to find ourselves on the street in Athens,” says the 14-year-old Afghan boy, who has […]

Worn down by conflict, poverty and the pandemic, many Libyans are gloomy this year on the eve of the holy Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, or Eid al-Adha. A usually bustling annual sheep market on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli lies largely deserted, lambs bleating in their wire-mesh pens with few customers in sight. A […]

Faridah Bakti Yahra travelled alone to Mecca when she won the lottery of a lifetime to join this year’s hajj, the smallest in living memory, but her family is relishing the experience virtually. Thanks to her smartphone, and the 5G towers that loom over the holy city, the Indonesian housewife is sharing every step of […]