Category: World
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Top US general in Afghanistan relinquishes command
KABUL: The top US general in Afghanistan relinquished command Monday at an official ceremony in the capital, the latest symbolic gesture bringing America´s longest war nearer to its end. At a time when the Taliban are making sweeping advances across the country, General Austin “Scott” Miller — the highest-ranked officer on the ground in Afghanistan…
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India pulls out diplomats, security staff from Kandahar consulate
KABUL: India has evacuated about 50 diplomats and security personnel from its consulate in Kandahar, the former Taliban bastion in southern Afghanistan, after days of intense fighting, officials and a security source said on Sunday. The insurgents claimed this week that they now control 85 per cent of Afghanistan, much of it seized since early…
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Billionaire Branson achieves space dream
SPACEPORT AMERICA: British billionaire Richard Branson flew into space Sunday aboard a Virgin Galactic vessel, a voyage he described as the “experience of a lifetime” — and one he hopes will usher in an era of lucrative space tourism. The mission”s success allowed the swashbuckling septuagenarian to one up fellow tycoon Jeff Bezos — who…
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Covid triggered biggest increase in hunger: UN
PARIS: The Covid pandemic caused an estimated 18 percent increase in the number of people facing hunger, a UN report released on Monday found, dealing a massive setback to efforts to ensure everyone has access to food. The world was already off track to achieve its goal of eradicating hunger by 2030, but the report…
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Lightning strikes kills 76 in India
NEW DELHI: Several people reportedly taking selfies near a historical fort in northern India were among nearly 80 killed by lightning strikes during the early stages of the annual monsoon season, officials said Monday. Deadly lightning strikes are common in the vast Asian nation during the June-September deluge, which bring respite from the summer heat…
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G20 ministers give green signal to global tax reform
VENICE: G20 finance ministers on Saturday gave their backing to a `historic` global deal to tax multinational companies more fairly and urged holdout countries to sign up. A framework for international tax reform, including a minimum corporate rate of 15pc, was agreed this month by 131 countries. But the endorsement by the 19 biggest economies…
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US ending ‘forever wars’ to focus on China, Russia
WASHINGTON: The United States will complete its troops pullout from Afghanistan next month to focus more on, what it considers, emerging threats from China and Russia. Fighting stateless terror groups like Al-Qaeda and Daesh consumed the US security establishment, and trillions of dollars, since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Biden predecessor Donald Trump came to…
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China condemns suppression as US expands economic blacklist
SHANGHAI: China said on Sunday it “resolutely opposes” the addition of 23 Chinese entities to a U.S. economic blacklist over issues including alleged human rights abuses and military ties. The Ministry of Commerce said in a statement the inclusion of the Chinese entities was a “serious breach of international economic and trade rules” and an…
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Virus variants threaten global recovery, G20 warns
VENICE, Italy: An upsurge in new coronavirus variants and poor access to vaccines in developing countries threaten the global economic recovery, finance ministers of the world’s 20 largest economies warned on Saturday. The G20 gathering in the Italian city of Venice was the ministers’ first face-to-face meeting since the start of the pandemic. Decisions include…
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G20 ministers gather to green light global tax reform
VENICE: Finance ministers from the G20 gathered on Saturday for a second day of talks in Venice, where they are expected to give the green light to a “revolutionary” deal to tax multinational companies more fairly. A framework for global tax reform, including a minimum corporate rate of 15 percent, was agreed by 131 countries…