Taliban thank world for promised aid, urge US to show 'heart'
Kabul: The Taliban on Tuesday thanked the world for pledging hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency aid to Afghanistan, and urged the United States to show "heart" to the impoverished country.A...
No need for a third jab vaccine booster: study
Paris: Vaccines are effective enough at preventing severe Covid-19 that there is no current need for the general population to be given third doses, according to a report in The Lancet published...
Taliban to announce first members of new govt: official
Kabul: The Taliban were due to announce the first members of its new government late Tuesday, an official said. "It was agreed that we would announce a new government before a formal ceremony could be...
Afghan universities deserted as Taliban impose new rules
Kabul: 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...
Taliban claim total control over Afghanistan
Kabul: 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...
UAE loosens residency requirements with 'green visa'
Dubai: 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...
Major oil producers to uphold small output increase
The world's leading oil producers are expected to uphold a July deal to slowly boost output at a meeting on Wednesday, despite US pressure to go further. OPEC members led by Saudi Arabia along with...
UAE to resume visas for vaccinated tourists
The United Arab Emirates announced it will resume issuing visas to all tourists fully vaccinated against Covid from Monday, a month before Dubai hosts the delayed Expo 2020 trade fair.The move comes...
Slow Covid vaccination to cost global economy $2.3 tn: study
The slow rollout of coronavirus vaccines will cost the global economy $2.3 trillion in lost output, a report released Wednesday found.The Economist Intelligence Unit's study found that emerging and...
On 9/11, the deadliest attacks in history
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States that left nearly 3,000 people dead. The Al-Qaeda plane hijackings of September 11, 2001, were the first foreign attack on...
Afghanistan's media enters the unknown under Taliban rule
Kabul: Scores of journalists are among the tens of thousands of people trying to flee Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, fearful of violent reprisals from the militants.Despite their...
Biden hoping for Afghan airlift to end by Aug 31
US President Joe Biden said Sunday he was still planning to finalize the dramatic evacuation from Afghanistan by August 31 but left the door open to extending the deadline if necessary.In a televised...
Deadly firefight at Kabul airport as US boosts airlift
Kabul: Western security forces were involved in an exchange of fire with unidentified gunmen Monday at Kabul airport, as US President Joe Biden sought to speed up the chaotic evacuation of tens of...
Taliban co-founder Baradar in Kabul for talks
Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kabul on Saturday for talks on establishing a new "inclusive" government in Afghanistan, a senior official said.Other senior Taliban leaders...
Sri Lanka bans 'drunk driving' of elephants
Sri Lanka will issue captive elephants with their own biometric identity cards and ban their riders from drinking on the job under a wide-ranging new animal protection law.Many rich Sri Lankans -...
Sri Lanka announces lockdown for 10 days
Sri Lanka announced a 10-day lockdown starting on Friday night in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as surging infections and deaths overwhelm the island's health system.The Indian...
'Father of Sudoku' dead at 69
The man dubbed the "father of Sudoku" for his role in popularising the numerical brainteaser loved by millions, has died of cancer at 69, his Japanese publisher has announced.In a notice posted...
Kabul airport mobbed as people attempt to exit
US troops fired shots into the air and all commercial flights were cancelled at Kabul airport Monday as thousands of Afghans crowded onto the tarmac in the hope of catching any flight out after the...
Taliban in control of Afghanistan, panic in Kabul
The Taliban were in control of Afghanistan on Monday after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and conceded the insurgents had won the 20-year war. The astonishingly quick collapse of the...
Taliban want full power after return to Kabul
Kabul: Afghanistan's Taliban entered the capital Kabul on Sunday and Western-backed President Ashraf Ghani left the country, with the insurgents saying they were seeking complete power.Two officials...