Kabul delays Taliban prisoner release plan
KABUL: The Afghan government has postponed its plan to release Taliban prisoners, a senior official said on Saturday, throwing a precarious peace process between the insurgents and Kabul into deeper crisis. President Ashraf Ghani recently announced that the authorities would free 1,500 militants as a “gesture of goodwill” before negotiations begin, in an attempt to […]
Trump says he’s likely to be tested for COVID-19 after repeat exposure
President Donald Trump said Friday he will “most likely” be tested for the novel coronavirus, as questions swirled about why he, his top aides and his family weren’t doing more to protect themselves and others after repeated exposure to COVID-19. Trump has now had multiple direct and indirect contacts with people who have tested positive […]
‘Will Be Available’: Pakistan After PM Modi Proposes SAARC Video Conference On Coronavirus
Pakistan has said it will participate in a video conference of SAARC member countries proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 5,000 people globally. Prime Minister Modi reached out to the eight-member regional grouping on Friday and pitched for a video conference among the leaders of […]
US President Donald Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus pandemic
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday over the coronavirus outbreak, invoking the Stafford Act to open the door to more federal aid for states and municipalities. “I’m urging every state to open emergency operations centers,” Trump said at a press conference in the Rose Garden. The declaration allows the government to marshal […]
Canada PM Justin Trudeau’s wife tests positive for coronavirus
Justin Trudeau’s wife has tested positive for novel coronavirus, his office said late on Thursday, while assuring the public the Canadian prime minister is fine. Canada’s leader and his 44-year-old wife announced on Thursday they were self-isolating while she was tested for coronavirus after a public event. “Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The […]
WHO declares COVID-19 disease to be a pandemic
The coronavirus outbreak was Wednesday declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), whose chief expressed his “deep concern” over “alarming levels of inaction” in combating the virus spread. WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of cases outside China had increased 13-fold over the past two weeks However, he clarified that […]
Afghan government to release Taliban prisoners as UN backs push to end war
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is preparing to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners in coming days, according to a decree viewed by Reuters on Tuesday, as the United Nations backed a U.S.-led push to end Afghanistan’s 18-year war. The two-page decree signed by Ghani, which requires all released Taliban prisoners to provide “a written guarantee to not […]
US starts troop pullout, seeks end to Afghan leaders’ feud
The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the US military said on Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. The US-Taliban deal signed on February 29 was touted as Washington’s […]
China’s Xi pays first visit to virus epicentre Wuhan
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Wuhan on Tuesday for his first visit to the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic since the crisis erupted in January — a major sign that officials believe the outbreak is under control. Xi’s unannounced visit comes as unprecedented quarantine measures that have sealed off Wuhan and the rest of […]
15 million put under lockdown in northern Italy
ROME: A quarter of the Italian population was in lockdown on Sunday as the government took drastic steps to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus sweeping the globe, while Iran recorded another 49 deaths and the national airline suspended flights to Europe. Italy’s COVID-19 death count is now 233, more than any other country […]
