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by Didier Lauras DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar said the Taliban have demonstrated “pragmatism” and should be judged on their actions as the undisputed rulers of Afghanistan, but stopped short of announcing formal recognition of the Islamists. Qatari Assistant Foreign Minister Lolwah al-Khater told AFP in an exclusive interview that it would be up to the Afghans to determine their future, not the international community. Doha was the central intermediary between the Taliban, who opened […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it was lifting a ban on travel to three countries including the UAE after imposing the restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19. The kingdom would reopen on Wednesday its land, sea and air ports to the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Argentina, the official SPA news agency reported, citing an interior ministry source. The UAE, and especially Dubai, is a key leisure destination for […]
by James EDGAR KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban announced their government on Tuesday, with a UN-blacklisted veteran of the hardline movement in the top role, weeks after they swept to power and toppled the US-backed president. But as the Taliban transitions from militant force to governing power of Afghanistan, security officials grappled with a growing number of protests against its rule, with two people shot dead in the western city of Herat. Mullah Mohammad […]
by James EDGAR KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban on Tuesday fired shots into the air to disperse crowds who had gathered for an anti-Pakistan rally in the capital, the latest protest since the hardline Islamist movement swept to power last month. The Islamists have yet to announce a government, but Afghans — fearful of a repeat of the group’s previous brutal reign between 1996 and 2001 — have staged small, isolated demonstrations in cities […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has agreed to buy 150 million doses of Novavax’s coronavirus vaccine, with Japanese firm Takeda expecting to manufacture the formula for distribution early next year, the drugmaker said Tuesday. The cost of the deal was not announced, and it is contingent on the vaccine being approved in Japan. Takeda will be in charge of carrying out local clinical trials. So far, Japan has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca jabs, […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea has test-fired a homegrown submarine-launched ballistic missile, a report said Tuesday, as it seeks to build up its forces to defend itself from the nuclear-armed North. Pyongyang has long sought to develop submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology, and showed off four such devices at a military parade overseen by leader Kim Jong Un in January, with state media KCNA calling them “the world’s most powerful weapon”. But while […]
by Emmanuel DUPARCQ KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Universities in Kabul were almost empty on the first day of the Afghan school year, as professors and students wrestled with the Taliban’s restrictive new rules for the classroom. The Taliban have promised a softer rule than during their first stint in power from 1996-2001, when women’s freedoms in Afghanistan were sharply curtailed and they were banned from higher education. This time, the hardline Islamist group have said […]
by James EDGAR Agence France Presse KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — The Taliban on Monday claimed total control over Afghanistan, saying they had won the key battle for the Panjshir Valley, the last remaining holdout of resistance against their rule. Following their lightning-fast victory in mid-August over the former Afghan government’s security forces and the withdrawal of US troops after 20 years of war, the Taliban turned to fighting the forces defending the mountainous Panjshir […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Monday “strongly” condemned the Taliban’s military offensive against holdout fighters in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley, as the Islamist group claimed it had taken control of the area. “The news coming from Panjshir is truly worrying. The assault is strongly condemned,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters. © Agence France-Presse
by Taha Saleh with Shatha Yaish in Dubai TAEZ, Yemen (AFP) — Dozens of children kneel in an outdoor, makeshift classroom at the start of the school year in Yemen, where coronavirus and a brutal war have left them facing a bleak future. The youngsters in the impoverished Arab country’s third city of Taez make do and learn as best they can, seven years into a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and forced […]
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday called for a dialogue with the Taliban as the hardline Islamists finalise a new government that will set the tone for their rule in Afghanistan. “We simply have to talk to the Taliban about how we can get people who have worked for Germany out of the country and bring them to safety,” Merkel told a new conference in North Rhine-Westphalia state. “They are the […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — The UAE announced a new visa Sunday allowing foreigners to work in the country without being sponsored by an employer, loosening residency requirements in an attempt to boost economic growth. Foreigners in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates are generally only given limited visas tied to their employment, and long-term residency is difficult to obtain. But those holding the new “green visa” will be able to work without company sponsorship, […]
