Mexico sues US gunmakers over arms trafficking By: AFP on August 5, 2021Mexico said it filed a lawsuit against major US gunmakers in a Boston court on Wednesday over illegal cross-border arms flows that it blamed for fueling rampant drug-related violence. The Latin American nation, which has long faced pressure from the United States to curb narcotics smuggling, wants its neighbor to crack down on firearms trafficking […]
115 killed in military crackdown in Nigeria: Amnesty By: AFP on August 5, 2021Amnesty International on Thursday accused Nigerian security forces of using excessive force and killing at least 115 people in a crackdown on separatist agitators in the country’s restive southeast. Violence has flared in Nigeria’s southeastern states this year, claiming the lives of at least 127 police or members of the security services, according to the […]
US working on plan to reopen to fully-vaccinated foreigners By: AFP on August 5, 20210 The United States, which closed its borders to much of the world as the pandemic took hold, plans eventually to begin allowing fully vaccinated foreigners back in, a White House official said Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s administration, recognizing the importance of international travel, wants to reopen to visitors from abroad in a “safe and […]
Hundreds evacuated by sea as wildfire reaches Turkish power plant By: AFP on August 5, 2021Turkish rescuers on Thursday began evacuating hundreds of villagers by sea after a deadly wildfire engulfed the outer edges of a thermal power plant storing thousands of tonnes of coal. An AFP team saw firefighters and police fleeing the 35-year-old Kemerkoy plant in the Aegean province of Mugla as bright balls of orange flame tore […]
Taliban warn of more targeted attacks as Afghan forces defend besieged cities By: AFP on August 5, 2021The Taliban warned Wednesday of more attacks targeting Afghan government leaders, a day after the defence minister escaped an assassination attempt and as the insurgents fought to take control of a string of besieged cities across the country. A bomb-and-gun attack on Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi Tuesday night brought the war to the capital for […]
Pakistan says Afghans must compromise for peace settlement By: AFP on August 5, 2021Pakistan’s national security advisor said Wednesday that Afghanistan’s government and the Taliban must both compromise and reach a peace settlement as the insurgents make rapid gains amid a US troop withdrawal. Wrapping up a week of talks in Washington, Moeed Yusuf played down the level of influence on the Taliban played by Pakistan, which was […]
England to drop quarantine rule for fully jabbed arrivals from France By: AFP on August 5, 2021The UK government said late Wednesday it will ease English entry rules requiring arrivals from France to quarantine even if they are fully vaccinated, following its latest review of travel curbs. The change — which will come into effect at 4:00 am (0300 GMT) on Sunday — puts France back on England’s so-called “amber” list […]
US eyes Iran over ship ‘hijacking’ as tensions rise By: AFP on August 5, 2021The United States said Wednesday it suspected Iranian involvement in the alleged hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Oman as it vowed to work with Britain to respond to an earlier deadly attack it blamed on Tehran. Oman said that the Asphalt Princess, an asphalt and bitumen tanker, was involved in “a hijacking […]
Turkey pushes back at US plan to resettle Afghans By: AFP on August 5, 2021Ankara has criticised a US plan to use third countries such as Turkey to resettle thousands of Afghans who risk being targeted by Taliban insurgents over their US links. “It’s unacceptable to seek a solution to the problem in our country without our country’s consent,” the foreign ministry said in a statement issued late Tuesday. […]
Afghan forces face intense Taliban test as foreign troops leave By: AFP on August 4, 2021Taliban territorial gains have raised doubts about the Afghan military’s strength with foreign troops all but gone — a showdown between two very different forces in which experts say morale could be as decisive as equipment and personnel. It is not a conventional military engagement, but one that pits a large army — raised and […]