PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan -- At least one policeman was killed and two others were injured as a blast rocked Pul-e-Khumri city, the capital of northern Baghlan province on Saturday, provincial police spokesman Ahmad Jawed Basharat said.

The blast took place at around 10:00 a.m. local time in Karkar area, a village in the Police District 2 of Pul-e-Khumri city, killing one police officer on the spot and injuring two others, the official said.

Basharat blamed the Taliban group for organizing the blast, saying the Taliban militants wanted to terrorize the people by organizing terrorist attacks.(Afghanistan-Blast)

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MANILA -- Seven people were killed in a Philippine Air Force (PAF) helicopter crash in the southern Philippines on Saturday, the military confirmed.

The military said that among the dead were the two pilots of a UH-1 "Huey" aircraft that crashed around 2:30 p.m. local time in a village in Bukidnon province.

The military helicopter was on a resupply mission when it crashed due to engine failure, the military added. Aside from the two pilots, all the five other crew members on board were also killed.(Philippines-Helicopter Crash-Deaths)

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JAKARTA -- Indonesia recorded 14,224 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the highest single-day rise since the outbreak of the virus, bringing the country's total cases to 896,642, the Health Ministry said.

The ministry also reported 283 more fatalities, bringing the country's coronavirus death toll to 25,767. (Indonesia-COVID-19)

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NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide vaccination drive on Saturday to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the day as many as 300,000 recipients would receive their first shot of the vaccine at 3,006 sites set up across the country. Around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at each session site on the inaugural day.

Speaking on the occasion, Modi said a total of 30 million people would be given the vaccine in the first phase of vaccination, and nearly 300 million would be reached out by the end of the second phase.(India-COVID-19 Vaccination)

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ISLAMABAD -- An expedition from Nepal scaled K2, the second highest peak of the world for the first time in winter on Saturday, Seven Summit Treks, the company which organized the expedition, said on Twitter.

"We did it, believe me we did it - journey to the summit never done before. The Karakorum's 'Savage Mountain' been summited in most dangerous season: WINTER. Nepalese Climbers finally reached the summit of Mt. K2 (Chhogori 8,611m) this afternoon at 17:00 local time," the post read.

Speaking to Xinhua, Karar Haidari, secretary general of Alpine Club of Pakistan, a non-governmental organization working for promotion of mountaineering and adventure tourism in Pakistan, said the 10-member Nepalese team was the first one to reach the summit of 8,611 meters in winter.(Pakistan-Nepalese Mountaineer) Enditem

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