WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military said Friday it had carried out a drone strike against a “planner” of the Islamic State-Khorasan, the group which claimed credit for the deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport. “The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangahar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target,” said Captain Bill Urban of the Central Command. “We know of no civilian casualties,” he added in a statement. © […]
International
Macron to attend Baghdad summit amid fears over IS
by Laurence Benhamou BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is among leaders set to attend a regional summit Saturday in Iraq, with the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and a deadly jihadist attack in Kabul overshadowing the meeting. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II are due at the Baghdad summit, while the foreign ministers of arch-foes Iran and Saudi Arabia will also be present. Organizers have been tight-lipped on the […]
Unvaccinated US school teacher spread Covid to 26 people
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An unvaccinated teacher at an elementary school in California spread the coronavirus to at least 26 other people, including 12 students in their classroom, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday. The health agency said the case highlights the importance of vaccinating school staff in order to protect young children who are not yet eligible for vaccines, as schools reopen amid a new […]
Biden says China still withholding ‘critical information’ on Covid origins
by Issam AHMED WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that China was withholding “critical information” on the origins of Covid-19 after the US intelligence community said it did not believe the virus was a bioweapon — but remained split on whether it escaped from a lab. The United States, however, does not believe Chinese officials had foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of the pandemic that has now claimed […]
Hurricane Ida makes landfall in southwest Cuba: weather service
HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Hurricane Ida made landfall Friday as a Category 1 hurricane on the southwestern coast of Cuba, the local meteorological service reported. Ida struck the town of La Coloma, in the province of Pinar del Rio, around 0030 GMT, with sustained winds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour, Cuba’s meteorology institute Insmet. It is expected to reach the United States Sunday as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, according to the […]
At least 20 dead after torrential rains in Venezuela
MÉRIDA, Venezuela (AFP) — The death toll from heavy rains that triggered mudslides and floods in western Venezuela has risen to 20, local authorities said Wednesday, with 17 other people missing. Nine states are in an “emergency” situation and more than 54,000 people have been affected by the downpours, Interior Minister Remigio Ceballos told state television. On Tuesday he warned it would continue to rain “for the next 10 days.” The hardest-hit areas are […]
New Zealand’s Ardern defends virus elimination policy
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern defended her “Covid zero” elimination strategy Thursday amid fears an outbreak of the highly transmissible Delta variant has rendered the previously successful policy ineffective. A Delta case emerged in Auckland last week, ending a six-month run without local transmission in New Zealand, one of the world’s last Covid-free zones. That infection has since ballooned into the largest cluster the country has recorded throughout the […]
Biden presidency shaken to core by Kabul bombings
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Eyes closing, voice cracking, Joe Biden physically reflected the terrible blow to his presidency from the slaying of 13 US service members during the desperate Kabul evacuation. Addressing the nation from the White House, Biden bowed his head for a moment of silence before taking questions from journalists pressing him on the bloody twist in the already tragic operation to shut down the […]
Pfizer/BioNTech ink vaccine deal with Brazil manufacturer
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Covid-19 vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech have joined forces with Brazilian pharmaceutical company Eurofarma to distribute doses in Latin America, the companies announced Thursday. Production will start next year and at full capacity will produce 100 million finished doses, the statement said. “Everyone — regardless of financial condition, race, religion or geography — deserves access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines,” Pfizer chief Albert Bourla said in the statement. “Our new […]
Trump, Republican lawmakers lash out at Biden after Kabul attack
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former president Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers lashed out at Democratic President Joe Biden on Thursday after 12 US troops were killed and 15 wounded in suicide bombings in Kabul. Trump, who has been sharply critical of Biden’s handling of the Afghan crisis, called Thursday’s suicide attacks in Kabul a “tragedy” and said they should have been prevented. “This tragedy should never have been allowed to happen, which makes […]
France seeks to evacuate ‘several hundred’ more from Kabul: Macron
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) — France is still seeking to evacuate hundreds more people from Afghanistan ahead of a looming deadline, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, warning of an “extremely risky” situation in the wake of blasts around Kabul airport. “We will do everything we can” to bring to France Afghan citizens and dual nationals who had been in its embassy and are currently outside the perimeter of the airport in 20 buses, Macron said […]
Spain working to evacuate ‘as many as possible’ from Afghanistan: PM
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday condemned the deadly attack outside Kabul airport and said Madrid was working to “evacuate as many people as possible” out of Afghanistan. “Spain strongly condemns the attack suffered today at the Kabul airport. Our heartfelt solidarity with the victims,” he said in a tweet. “The international community stands with the Afghan people, ensuring their rights and dignity. We are working to evacuate as many […]
