"There is a 90 per cent chance Herat city will collapse to the Taliban," fears one of the residents.

Residents say Taliban fighters took over the Ariana Afghan Speciality Hospital to treat those hurt.

"Thousands of people have not been able to get out for the last three days, the roads are all blocked," says counsellor.

Kashmir dispute is a "major threat to peace, stability, and security in the region", EU parliamentarians say in letter.

“This attack against the United Nations is deplorable and we condemn it in the strongest terms,” says UN's special envoy.

Delegation of Afghan journalists thanks Pakistan for playing a "facilitative role" in the Afghan peace process.

More heavy downpours are expected in the next few days.

“Pakistan has a vital role to play in using its influence with the Taliban," he says.

The premier reiterates his desire of "peace in Afghanistan" in a meeting with media representatives from across the border.

Washington has long viewed India as a key partner in efforts to blunt increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

"With respect to the human rights and democracy question ... we'll raise it and we'll continue that conversation," says official.

Experts say climate change has caused the annual deluge to increase in frequency and intensity.

Maharashtra state is being hit by the heaviest rain in July in four decades, experts say.

Authorities claim to have killed more than 260 Taliban fighters in the past 24 hours across several provinces.

Parts of India’s west coast received up to 594mm of rainfall over 24 hours, forcing authorities to evacuate people.

"Keeping a clandestine tab on dissenting voices is a long-standing textbook ploy of the RSS-BJP regime," FO spokesman says.

FO reaction comes after Indian foreign ministry spokesperson described the alleged abduction as “very shocking”.

The military inspection was the first of its kind in the country's history and involved testing of all weapons used by the army.

There was no official comment but local media quoted unnamed tax officials as saying they had “conclusive evidence of fraud”.

Muslims were barred from offering prayers in major mosques and were also unable to freely sacrifice bovines.