International

28-08-2021 JERUSALEM/ KABUL: As Western troops race to evacuate as many people as possible and get out of Afghanistan by August 31, the US pull-out deadline, an Israel-based organization said it is working to evacuate Afghans on private flights from Kabul airport. The organization is chartering private flights to Kabul …

28-08-2021 WUHAN/ BEIJING: Arriving at the gate to the Hubei Wildlife Rescue Centre on the east side of the Chinese city of Wuhan near its famous lakes, you can hear the continuous squawking of birds and a cacophony of noises from the other animals inside. On the building to the …

27-08-2021 WASHINGTON/ KABUL: President Joe Biden has promised to hunt down the jihadists behind an attack in Kabul which killed at least 90 people – including 13 US troops. Biden warned the US would “not forgive” the perpetrators. The twin blasts, claimed by a local branch of Islamic State (IS), …

27-08-2021 BEIJING/WASHINGTON: China has criticized the United States of “politicizing” efforts to trace the origin of the coronavirus, demanding without any evidence that American labs be investigated, ahead of the release of a U.S. intelligence report on the virus. The U.S. report is intended to resolve disputes among intelligence agencies …

27-08-2021 BERLIN: Angela Merkel, the leader of the free world, is wrapping up a historic 16 years in power with an uncertain legacy at home and abroad. In office so long she was dubbed Germany’s “eternal chancellor”, Merkel, 67, leaves with her popularity so resilient she would likely have won …

27-08-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON: Suicide bombers struck the crowded gates of Kabul airport with at least two explosions on Thursday, causing a bloodbath among civilians, killing four US marines among 73 and effectively shutting down the Western airlift of Afghans desperate to …

26-08-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON: At least 13 people have been killed in two powerful explosions outside Kabul’s international airport, a Taliban official has said, amid a huge and chaotic evacuation effort from Afghanistan. A “complex attack” on Thursday at the airport in …

26-08-2021 TOKYO: Japan has suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after reports of contamination in several vials, drug-maker Takeda and the health ministry has said. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, on Thursday said …

26-08-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Afghans on Thursday hurried to escape Taliban rule, but Western officials said the group had made assurances that some evacuations would be permitted after next week’s US withdrawal deadline. Over 80,000 people have been evacuated since August 14, but …

26-08-2021 CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp has rolled out yet another feature for app users, WABetaInfo reported Monday. This updated feature is the new sound effects for recording WhatsApp voice messages. A Twitter post by WABetaInfo, containing an acknowledgement for the changes by a WhatsApp user, shows a comparison of the new and old …