Three separate Kabul explosions kill 5, wound two: Afghan police
Three separate explosions in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday killed at least five people and wounded two others, a police official said, amid a surge in violence in the war-torn country. Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said the first two explosions took place 15 minutes apart and a third targeting a police vehicle took place two […]
Nato holds post-Trump talks as Afghanistan decision looms
BRUSSELS: Nato defence ministers met on Wednesday for their first talks since US President Joe Biden took office, looking to reboot ties after four years of tensions under Donald Trump. Key on the agenda at the two-day virtual conference is the future of Nato’s 9,600-strong support mission in Afghanistan after Trump sidelined allies and struck […]
Taliban call on US to honour withdrawal deal
KABUL: The Taliban on Tuesday urged the US to honour a landmark withdrawal deal under which all foreign troops would exit Afghanistan in the coming months, even as violence continues to rage in the war-ravaged nation. In an 11-point statement, the insurgent group called for the Americans to stick to the agreement ironed out in […]
AstraZeneca’s vaccine gets UN approval for emergency use
TORONTO: The World Health Organisation has granted an emergency authorisation to AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, a move that should allow the UN agency’s partners to ship millions of doses to countries worldwide as part of a UN-backed programme to tame the pandemic. In a statement Monday, the WHO said it was clearing the AstraZeneca vaccines made […]
Myanmar, Burma And Why The Different Names Matter
This week, the military upended years of quasi-democratic rule in Myanmar, with soldiers taking control of the country in a carefully orchestrated coup. The military said the seizure of power was necessary because the government had failed to act on its unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in November elections, which the party of the country’s […]
Erdogan hints at moves to draft new Turkish constitution
ANKARA; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday it may be time for Turkey to adopt a new constitution, feeding speculation that he could seek a way to extend his rule. Erdogan, 66, has governed Turkey as prime minister or president since 2002, cementing his control over the nation of 83 million people and surviving […]
UN chief calls for regulating social media companies
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations chief has called for global rules to regulate powerful social media companies like Twitter and Facebook. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he believes it shouldn’t be a company that has the power to decide whether, for example, then president Donald Trumps Twitter account should be closed, as a questioner asked. […]
Israel’s top general hints at ‘operational plans’ against Iran
JERUSALEM: Israel’s top general said on Tuesday that its military was updating its operational plans against Iran and that any US return to a 2015 nuclear accord with Tehran would be “wrong”. The remarks are an apparent signal to US President Joe Biden to tread cautiously in any diplomatic engagement with Iran. Such comments by […]
Joe Biden To Reinstate Covid-19 Travel Restrictions; South Africa Included Amid New Variant Concerns
President Joe Biden on Monday will formally reinstate Covid-19 travel restrictions on non-US travellers from Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders, according to two White House officials. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the order, also confirmed Sunday that South […]
Biden picks transgender woman as assistant health secretary
WASHINGTON: President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf […]
