Afghan clerics vow loyalty to Taliban, but no word on girls’ schooling on July 2, 2022Kabul: Thousands of Afghan clerics pledged loyalty to the Taliban Saturday, but ended a three-day meeting without recommendations on how the hardline Islamist group should govern the crisis-hit country. The men-only gathering was called to rubber-stamp the Taliban’s rule, and ahead of the meeting officials said criticism would be tolerated and they could also discuss […]
Rescuers scramble to reach Afghan quake survivors as foreign aid arrives on June 24, 2022Bermal, Afghanistan: Desperate rescuers battled against the clock and heavy rain Thursday to reach cut-off areas in eastern Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake killed at least 1,000 people and left thousands more homeless. Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, downing mobile phone towers and power lines while triggering rock and mudslides which […]
Iran Revolutionary Guards say intelligence chief replaced on June 23, 2022Tehran: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Thursday replaced its intelligence chief Hossein Taeb, who had held the position for more than 12 years, the Guards said in a statement. “The Guards’ chief Major General Hossein Salami appointed General Mohammad Kazemi as the new head of the IRGC Intelligence Organisation,” Guards spokesman Ramezan Sharif said […]
Rescuers scramble to reach Afghan quake survivors as foreign aid arrives on June 23, 2022Bermal, Afghanistan: Desperate rescuers battled against the clock and heavy rain Thursday to reach cut-off areas in eastern Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake killed at least 1,000 people and left thousands more homeless. Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east, downing mobile phone towers and power lines while triggering rock and mudslides which […]
US ‘saddened’ by Afghan earthquake, looks at aid on June 23, 2022Washington: The United States on Wednesday expressed sorrow over a devastating earthquake in Afghanistan and said it would look for ways to help, including through potential talks with Taliban rulers. “The United States is deeply saddened to see the devastating earthquake that took the lives of at least 1,000 people in Afghanistan,” said Jake Sullivan, […]
At least 40 killed in overnight Afghanistan earthquake: official on June 22, 2022Gardez, Afghanistan: A powerful earthquake in Afghanistan killed at least 40 people and injured 60 others in areas bordering Pakistan, with the toll expected to rise, officials said Wednesday. “We call on aid agencies to provide immediate relief to the victims of the earthquake to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe,” government spokesman Bilal Karimi tweeted after […]
Biodiversity conference moved from China to Canada: UN on June 21, 2022Montreal: A major biodiversity summit delayed due to the pandemic will be held in Montreal, Canada instead of China as planned, the UN said Tuesday, as Beijing continues with its strict zero-Covid policy. A group of around 195 nations are aiming to adopt a new global deal to arrest declining biodiversity and safeguard nature at […]
Veteran cameraman among five UK citizens released by Taliban on June 20, 2022London: The Taliban has freed a veteran television cameraman and four other British nationals held in Afghanistan for six months, his friends and former colleagues said on Monday. Peter Jouvenal was one of a “number” of Britons that the government in London in February said were being held by the Taliban. On Monday, UK Foreign […]
Strong quake hits eastern Taiwan: USGS on June 20, 2022Taipei: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Monday in Taiwan’s east, 38 kilometers south of Hualien city, the US Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake had an estimated depth of 10 kilometres, according to USGS, and struck at 09:05 local time (0105 GMT). A clip of a tranquil lakeside […]
Fate of Donbas rests in battleground Ukraine city: Zelensky on June 9, 2022Lysychansk, Ukraine: Ukrainian soldiers in Severodonetsk are fighting “one of the most difficult” battles against Russian troops since the start of the war, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding the fate of the whole Donbas region rests in the eastern city. Moscow’s forces are concentrating their firepower on the strategically important industrial hub as part of […]