Asia

• Indonesia / Malaysia / Singapore: health of millions at risk from forest fires 27 August 2026
  Forest fires across the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra have created hazardous smoke threatening the health of 3.4 million people in seven provinces. Thousands have sought medical assistance for respiratory problems, while schools have closed in badly affected areas. The health ministry has distributed more than 260,000 masks, and…
• Nepal / Tibet: flash floods kill hundreds, hundreds more are missing 27 August 2026
  At least 359 people have been killed and hundreds remain missing after a catastrophic flash flood and mudslide struck the Nepal-Tibet border region. The disaster hit Rasuwa early on 26 August after a glacial collapse triggered a powerful debris flow. Nepalese authorities have reported 826 people missing, including hundreds of…
• Pakistan: criticism as fourteen newborn babies die in Islamabad hospital fire 27 August 2026
  At least fourteen newborn babies have died after a fire swept through a mother and child unit at a large public hospital in Islamabad. The blaze reportedly began when an air-conditioning unit caught fire on the third floor. Many of the fourteen who died were in incubators or receiving oxygen,…
• Afghanistan: Christians continue to follow Jesus despite risks 21 August 2026
  Five years after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, Christians continue to practise their faith secretly amid severe danger. Christian fellowship has to be quiet and informal because discovery can bring persecution from authorities, relatives and neighbours. Converts may lose their property, livelihoods and family relationships, while some will face…
• Gaza: Israel admits responsibility for killing five-year-old girl in 2024 21 August 2026
  The Israeli military has acknowledged for the first time that its troops fired at the car carrying five-year-old Palestinian Hind Rajab, who was killed with six relatives in Gaza in 2024. Hind initially survived and spent hours pleading by telephone for rescuers to reach her. An ambulance dispatched by the…