US companies including Airbnb Inc and Walmart Inc are lending a hand to the people of Afghanistan after the recent collapse of the US-backed government and takeover by the Taliban militant group.

The World Bank has suspended aid to Afghanistan, saying it is "deeply concerned" by the situation there, especially regarding women's rights, after the Taliban seized power, a bank spokesperson told AFP.

The Canadian province of British Columbia will require patrons of non-essential businesses such as restaurants and movie theatres to be vaccinated against Covid-19 from September 13, the government said on Monday.

Walmart on Tuesday launched a delivery service for other merchants throughout the United States, an announcement that comes as sellers scramble to secure deliveries ahead of the all-important holiday shopping season.  

Oil prices soared and stocks rebounded Monday on bargain-buying after last week’s retreat, with traders riding a wave of renewed optimism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered pensioners get $135 in a bid to drum up support ahead of parliamentary elections next month that could see the unpopular ruling United Russia party struggle.

US homes for sale were in short supply and expensive in July, but Americans continued buying, according to industry data Monday showing sales rose for a second straight month.

Asian stocks rose on Tuesday on an extended bounce on Wall Street as investors drew comfort from full approval granted to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and on easing worries of an imminent tapering of stimulus by the Federal Reserve.

A dispute within the Democratic party has stalled US President Joe Biden’s massive spending plans for the United States as Congress postponed a key vote on the measures Monday.

Overseas businesses selling colourful handwoven rugs and vivid handblown glass from Afghanistan are concerned for their suppliers as the Taliban’s takeover of the country threatens those with links to the West.

Asia’s robust economic recovery from last year’s coronavirus low is losing momentum as a surge in Covid-19 cases sees shops empty again and factories close, dimming prospects for corporate profit growth after a blockbuster half year.

Iran said on Monday it is ready to ship more fuel to Lebanon if needed, a day after the leader of Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah group said more vessels carrying Iranian fuel would sail soon to help ease the country’s fuel shortage. 

PayPal is launching a new service enabling its customers in the UK to buy, hold and sell cryptocurrency.

The government of Papua New Guinea and US oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp plan to resume talks on the P’nyang natural gas project, nearly two years after negotiations broke down , Oil Search Ltd, a partner on the project, said Monday. 

Dubai’s residential property market is on a steady course, with prices expected to rise modestly over the next couple of years, according to a Reuters poll of housing analysts who say property prices there will remain affordable during that time. 

AB Volvo said on Monday it had struck a deal to buy a heavy duty truck subsidiary of Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC) for about 1.1 billion Swedish crowns ($125.7 million) to make trucks in the world’s biggest vehicle market. 

Yemen will receive about $665 million worth of reserves from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday which will help ease an acute economic and humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country, the fund’s regional representative for Yemen said.

Igor Sechin, chief of oil giant Rosneft, has told the Kremlin that carbon border taxes like the European Union’s could inflict far greater damage to Russia’s economy than sanctions, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Monday.

Economic growth in Germany could miss projections this year and the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic may put unexpected strain on the economy in the autumn, the Bundesbank said in a monthly report on Monday. 

Chinese bourses have halted more than 40 initial public offerings (IPOs) in Shanghai and Shenzhen amid a regulatory probe into several intermediaries in the deals, according to official exchange disclosures.