Anger mounts after 92 die in fire at Covid ward in Iraq
NASSIRIYA: The death toll from a fire that tore through a coronavirus hospital in southern Iraq rose to 92, health officials said on Tuesday, as authorities faced accusations of negligence from grieving relatives and a doctor who works there. More than 100 people were injured in the blaze on Monday night in Nassiriya, officials said. […]
Taliban fighters surround Ghazni, ‘situation critical’
Taliban fighters have surrounded the city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan, taking over civilians’ homes to fight security forces, officials said on Monday, the latest urban centre under threat from the insurgents. The offensive was the latest on a provincial capital as the Taliban make a fresh push to surround cities and gain territory, emboldened […]
35 die in fire at Iraqi Covid ward
NASIRIYAH: At least 35 people died in a fire in the Covid isolation ward of a hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah on Monday. “The death toll from the fire that ripped through the Covid isolation ward in Nasiriyah stands at 35, with five wounded, including two in critical condition,” Haydar al Zamili, […]
Record heatwave torments millions in US, Canada
LOS ANGELES: Millions of people across the western United States and Canada were hit on Sunday by a new round of scorching hot temperatures, with some roads closed, train traffic limited and new evacuations ordered. In Canada, with wildfires continuing to spread — including 50 more blazes erupting in the past two days — the […]
Taliban say they control 85pc of Afghanistan
KABUL: Taliban officials said on Friday the insurgent group had taken control of 85 per cent of territory in Afghanistan, and international concern mounted over problems getting medicines and supplies into the country. Afghan government officials described the assertion that the Taliban controlled most of the country as part of a propaganda campaign launched as […]
Taliban capture Afghan border crossing with Iran
KABUL: Taliban fighters seized control on Thursday of a key district in western Afghanistan that includes a major border crossing with Iran, according to Afghan security officials, as the militia continued their rapid military advances around the country. In the last week, the Taliban have overrun areas bordering five countries — Pakistan, China, Iran, Tajikistan […]
Trump announces suits against Facebook, Twitter and Google, claiming bias
Former United States president Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he is filing suits against three of the country’s biggest tech companies: Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as their CEOs. Trump said he was serving as lead plaintiff in the class-action suits, claiming he has been wrongfully censored by the companies. “We’re demanding an end […]
Oxygen emergency in Indonesia
JAKARTA: Indonesia said on Tuesday it was importing emergency oxygen from neighbouring Singapore as hospitals crumbled under the weight of Covid-19, with the Delta variant continuing to wreak havoc around the globe. Faced with the threat of the highly infectious strain which continues to exact a heavy toll in human tragedies and to disrupt sports […]
Taliban seize key Kandahar district after fierce fighting
The Taliban have captured a key district in their former bastion of Kandahar — the latest area to be seized since US troops began their final withdrawal — after fierce night-time fighting with Afghan government forces, officials said on Sunday. The insurgents have pressed on with their campaign to capture territories across Afghanistan’s rural areas […]
Biden says ‘no’ final pullout in next few days
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Friday said there is no plan for an imminent withdrawal of the final US troops in Afghanistan. “No. We’re on, we’re on track exactly as to where we expect to be,” he told reporters at the White House, following growing speculation the final contingents were due to leave within the […]
