Category: World

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP): A firefight just outside Kabul’s international airport killed at least one Afghan soldier early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country. The airport shooting came as the Taliban sent fighters north of the capital to eliminate pockets of… Continue reading Gunfire at Kabul airport kills 1 amid chaotic evacuations

JAKARTA, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Former Indonesian social affairs minister Juliari Batubara has been sentenced to 12 years in prison over a multi-million dollar COVID-19 graft scandal, the Jakarta Corruption Court ruled on Monday. A judge said the former politician was found “convincingly guilty of corruption” after receiving 32.4 billion rupiah ($2.25 million) in kickbacks… Continue reading Ex-Indonesian minister jailed for 12 years in COVID-19 graft scandal

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP): A panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul’s international airport killed seven Afghan civilians in the crowds, the British military said Sunday, showing the danger still posed to those trying to flee the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The deaths come as a new, perceived threat from the Islamic State group… Continue reading British military: 7 Afghans killed in chaos at Kabul airport

BEIJING (AP): China will now allow couples to legally have a third child as it seeks to hold off a demographic crisis that could threaten its hopes of increased prosperity and global influence. The ceremonial legislature on Friday amended the Population and Family Planning Law as part of a decades-long effort by the ruling Communist… Continue reading China allows couples third child amid demographic crisis

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP): Tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan waited nervously on Saturday to see whether the United States would deliver on President Joe Biden’s new pledge to evacuate all Americans and all Afghans who aided the war effort. Meanwhile, the Taliban leader arrived in Kabul for talks with the group’s leadership on forming… Continue reading In Kabul, a fearful wait for US to deliver on evacuation vow

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban violently broke up a protest in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least one person as they quashed a rare public show of dissent. The militant group meanwhile met with former officials from the toppled Western-backed government. As officials work to shape a future government, the United Arab Emirates… Continue reading Taliban violently disperse rare protest, killing 1 person

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP): A Taliban spokesman promised Tuesday that the insurgents who overran Afghanistan in recent days would respect women’s rights and would not exact revenge, seeking to calm a wary population and skeptical world powers. In his first news conference, Zabihullah Mujahid, who had been a shadowy figure for years, doubled down on the… Continue reading Taliban vow to honor women’s rights but within Islamic law

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP): Thousands of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of Kabul’s international airport Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto an American military jet as it took off and plunged to death in chaos that killed at least seven people, U.S. officials said. The crowds… Continue reading US officials say 7 killed in Kabul airport evacuation chaos

LES CAYES, Haiti (AP): The death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti climbed sharply on Sunday, with at least 724 dead and a minimum of 2,800 injured. The updated figures from Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection follow a previous count of 304 dead. The office’s director, Jerry Chandler, said rescuers are continuing… Continue reading Death toll from Haiti earthquake rises to more than 700

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP): A Taliban official says the group will soon declare the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul. That was the name of the country under the Taliban government ousted by U.S.-led forces after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he… Continue reading Taliban to declare Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan