US to lift curbs from Nov 8 for vaccinated foreign travellers
WASHINGTON: The White House said on Friday it would lift Covid-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals effective Nov 8, ending historic restrictions that had barred much of the world from entering the United States. Announcing the starting date for the new rules on travel into and out of the country, White House spokesman […]
Turkey ready to help, but will not recognise Taliban
ANKARA: Turkey said on Thursday it was ready to help the Taliban overcome Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, but would not recognise its rule as it hosted the war-scarred country’s new leaders for the first time. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu received his acting counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi as the movement seeks to gain international legitimacy upon […]
46 killed, 41 injured as fire engulfs 13-story building in southern Taiwan
The death toll from a fire in southern Taiwan that engulfed a building overnight has further risen to 46 killed, according to local officials Thursday who said at least another 41 people were injured. The 13-story building caught fire around 3 a.m. on Thursday, fire officials in the city of Kaohsiung said. A fire department […]
Humanitarian crisis in focus as Italy hosts G20 Afghan summit
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will host a special summit of the Group of 20 major economies on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan, as worries grow about a looming humanitarian disaster following the Taliban’s return to power. Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan on Aug 15, the country — already struggling with drought and severe poverty […]
Taliban say US has agreed to provide humanitarian aid
ISLAMABAD: The United States has agreed to provide humanitarian aid to a desperately poor Afghanistan on the brink of an economic disaster, while refusing to give political recognition to the Taliban rulers, according to a statement released on Sunday. The statement came at the end of the first direct talks between the former foes since […]
10 injured in 2 drone attacks at Saudi’s King Abdullah airport
Ten people were injured in two explosives-laden drone attacks at King Abdullah airport in the southern Saudi city of Jizan late on Friday and early on Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said. The military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing forces of the ousted government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi […]
Cash airlifts planned to bypass Taliban, help Afghans
BRUSSELS: As desperate Afghans resort to selling their belongings to buy food, officials are preparing to fly in cash for the needy while avoiding financing the Taliban government, according to people familiar with the confidential plans. Planning for the cash airlifts is going ahead against the background of a rapidly collapsing economy where money is […]
Tensions with China highest in decades, says Taiwan minister
TAIPEI: Military tensions between China and Taiwan are at their highest in four decades, the island’s defence minister warned on Wednesday, adding Beijing would be in a position to launch a full-scale invasion in 2025. Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the self-ruled democratic island as its territory to […]
UN report warns of global water crisis amid climate change
GENEVA: More than five billion people could have difficulty accessing water in 2050, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, urging leaders to seize the initiative at the COP26 summit. Already in 2018, 3.6 billion people had inadequate access to water for at least one month per year, said a new report from the UN’s World […]
World leaders scramble to limit Pandora Papers damage
NEW YORK: World leaders were on the defensive on Monday after the release of millions of documents detailing how heads of state use offshore tax havens to stash assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Thirty five current and former leaders are featured in roughly 11.9 million documents leaked from financial services companies that include […]
