Milad went to Kabul's airport with his wife, three children and documents for a new life in the United States (US), but left with his hopes in ruins after witnessing a suicide bomber kill dozens around him.Twin attacks on Thursday claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group targeted US troops overseeing a frenzied evacuation effort at the airport as well as the masses of Afghans seeking to flee their own country.The explosions tore through a crowd at the perimeter of the airport, leaving som

Japan will halt the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna's COVID vaccine after reports of contamination in several vials, drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry said Thursday.Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it had "received reports from several vaccination centres that foreign substances have been found inside unopened vials"."Upon consultation with the health ministry, we have decided to suspend the use of the vacc

Vice President Kamala Harris launched a new broadside against China as she ended her Southeast Asian tour in Hanoi Thursday, warning the United States (US) would continue to push back against Beijing's claims in disputed Asian waters.The comments came on the final day of a regional trip in which Washington has sought to reset relations in Asia after the turbulent Donald Trump years and stress its commitment to Southeast Asian allies.During the trip, Harris had already accused Beijing twi

"William" is refusing to take a coronavirus vaccine because he fears Indonesia's military will use the country's inoculation programme to poison him and wipe out his fellow Papuans. Decades of conflict, racism and human rights abuses are fuelling COVID conspiracy theories among his neighbours at a time when their breakaway region is facing a renewed threat from the pandemic."I won't take a vaccine if it's brought here by Indonesia," William, wh

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:Origins Research 'Stalled'Scientists charged by the United Nations (UN) with tracking down the origins of COVID-19 say the search has "stalled" in a comment in the journal Nature, warning that "the window of opportunity for conducting this crucial enquiry is closing fast".The statement comes less than two weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO), in a bid to revive the probe, urged China to hand ov

Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday the United States (US) would find new ways to "raise the pressure on Beijing", accusing China of bullying in hotly disputed Asian waters for the second time in two days.Harris made the comments as she began a visit to Vietnam to stress US commitment to Asia, a trip that critics have slammed as tone-deaf given the parallels with the superpower's evacuations from Saigon and Kabul.During a meeting with Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc,

Taiwan has rolled out a domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine to the public, with President Tsai Ing-wen receiving her first dose at a Taipei hospital to demonstrate her confidence in the safety of the jab.Made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp., the vaccine was given emergency approval by regulators in July using a shortcut that prompted fierce opposition from parts of Taiwan’s medical and scientific community.

United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Vietnam Tuesday after an "anomalous health incident" in Hanoi delayed her flight from Singapore, the US embassy said, an apparent reference to the so-called "Havana syndrome" that has sickened diplomats in several countries.Harris is in Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia trip where she is seeking to rally regional allies as the US' superpower status takes a hit over Afghanistan.She was due to depart Singapore

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will run for vice president in next year's elections, his party said Tuesday, after months of speculation about whether he would seek to stay in power.Duterte, who was elected to the top job in 2016 and is barred under the constitution from seeking another term, has previously flagged the possibility of contesting the country's second-highest office. "President Rodrigo Roa Duterte agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamour of

As the number of recorded coronavirus infections in the United Kingdom (UK) rises again, three people talked about their experiences of catching COVID despite having been fully vaccinated, and how it affected their daily lives.Clare Jenkins, 44, from Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, contracted COVID this month after her 13-year-old daughter became infected at a party.“The four of us in the house isolated when she tested positive and were all clear when her isolation period finished, but then four d