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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday saluted Albania, Canada, Chile, Mexico and Uganda for agreeing to take in Afghans being evacuated in a major airlift after the Taliban victory. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by telephone with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who announced Sunday just as the Taliban were taking over Kabul that he had agreed to a request to accept hundreds of Afghans temporarily on their way to […]
by Michael Mathes WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A man who threatened to set off a bomb on Washington’s Capitol Hill surrendered to police Thursday, ending an hours-long standoff that rattled lawmakers still shaken by January’s pro-Trump insurrection. The incident triggered evacuations and a massive police response, and sent jolts of anxiety through a city that has spent months on alert, as political tensions soared following the deadly US Capitol riot. The suspect, an apparent […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Three US senators from different political affiliations and different parts of the country said Thursday they have tested positive for the coronavirus. The lawmakers, who were vaccinated, are among the 71 members of Congress to be diagnosed with Covid-19 since the beginning of last year, according to the nonpartisan group GovTrack. “I’ve tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19. I feel good but will isolate per docs instructions,” Senator […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Alex Gorsky will step down as chief executive of Johnson & Johnson in January, ceding the role to longtime company executive Joaquin Duato, the health care giant announced Thursday. Gorsky, the CEO since 2012, is stepping aside “due to family health reasons,” according to a company press release, which said he will stay on as executive chairman. Gorsky oversaw development of the company’s one-shot Covid-19 vaccine. His tenure also […]
by Patrick FALLON Agence France Presse SUSANVILLE, United States (AFP) — A wildfire that erupted outside California’s state capital just a few days ago had exploded to cover 54,000 acres by Wednesday, an eight-fold increase in 24 hours. At least two people had to be airlifted to hospital as the Caldor Fire tore through a small town around 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Sacramento. Thousands of people have been told to seek safety, with […]
by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will make Covid-19 booster shots available to all American adults beginning next month, as his administration warned that vaccines are showing a declining effectiveness against infection. The move comes as scientists and health experts grapple with how to beat back the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus, and follows extensive debate over whether a third injection […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Afghanistan’s return to Taliban rule following the withdrawal of US forces shows Taiwan needs to be “stronger and more united” in ensuring its own defense, President Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday. Democratic Taiwan’s 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion from authoritarian Beijing which views the island as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize it. Washington remains Taiwan’s most important unofficial ally and is bound […]
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden is being called everything from reckless to incompetent over the panicky retreat from Afghanistan, but the White House has a different portrayal: a leader who simply dared to make the tough calls. The Democrat is taking a pounding, including from some in his own party, for the extraordinary meltdown in Kabul. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, facing journalists for the […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military has evacuated more than 3,200 people from Afghanistan so far, including 1,100 on Tuesday alone, a White House official said. “Today, US military flights evacuated approximately 1,100 US citizens, US permanent residents, and their families on 13 flights,” the official said, adding: “Now that we have established the flow, we expect those numbers to escalate.” The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said that the […]
by Paul HANDLEY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Tuesday that the Taliban had promised that civilians could travel safely to the Kabul airport as the US military stepped up its airlift for Americans and Afghans fleeing the Islamist group. Some 11,000 people with US nationality remain inside the country, including diplomats, contractors and others, according to the White House, most waiting to be evacuated after the Taliban […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Air Force said Tuesday it was investigating how civilians were killed as they tried to cling to an aircraft departing Kabul’s airport amid chaotic scenes sparked by the imminent seizure of the Afghan capital by the Taliban. Investigators are reviewing footage of what appears to be at least two Afghans plummeting from an airborne C-17 transport Monday as well as videos and social media posts related to […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Republican governor of Texas, who has been a forceful opponent of mask mandates, has tested positive for Covid-19, his office said Tuesday, one day after attending an indoor public event. Greg Abbott, who is fully vaccinated, “has been testing daily, and today was the first positive test result,” said a statement from his spokesman Mark Miner. “The Governor will isolate in the Governor’s Mansion and continue to test daily,” […]
