international

24 Aug

CIA director held secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar: Report

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US Central Intelligence Agency chief William Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.The Monday meeting, which if confirmed will have been the highest-level encounter between the Islamist group and the Biden administration since the militants' return to power, came as efforts to evacuate thousands of people from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan became increasingly urgent. Burns is one of US President Joe Biden's most experienced diplomats; while Baradar, who headed the Taliban's political office in Qatar, is one of the top leaders in the regime that has taken power in Kabul.…

23 Aug

Gunfire at Kabul airport kills 1; Taliban mass near Panjshir

editor0 Commentsinternational

A firefight broke out between unidentified gunmen, Western security forces and Afghan guards at Kabul airport on Monday, Germany's armed forces said, as thousands of Afghans and foreigners thronged the airport, seeking to flee Taliban rule.One Afghan guard was killed and three were wounded in the battle at the airport's north gate, which involved U.S. and German forces, the German military said on Twitter. While the Taliban have deployed their terrorists outside the airport, where they have tried to help enforce some kind of order, there are Afghan guards helping U.S. forces inside the airport. One Afghan guard was killed…

21 Aug

Suicide Bomb Attack Kills 2 Children, Injures Chinese National In Pakistan

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A suicide bomber detonated his explosives on Friday close to a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province, killing at least two children and wounding three persons, including a Chinese, in the second such attack in over a month. The attack took place in the Baloch Ward area in Gwadar, the port city of strategic importance due to the presence of Chinese workers and investment, a senior government official and police said."The Chinese embassy in Pakistan strongly condemns this act of terrorism, extends its sincere sympathies to the injured of both countries, and expresses its deep condolences…

20 Aug

India Looks to Work with US on Market Access Issues: Piyush Goyal

editor0 CommentsBusiness, India, international

India will look at working with the US on market access issues to promote bilateral trade as Washington has indicated that it is not looking for a new trade agreement as of now, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He also said that Australia has shown significant interest to do an early harvest pact with India and exporters should share areas of their interest with the ministry. An early harvest with countries like Australia will help India engage with others on similar lines, Goyal said. "The US as of now has kind of indicated that they are…

20 Aug

Taliban ‘Intensifying’ Search For Afghans Who Helped U.S., UN Says

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The Taliban is intensifying a search for people who worked with US and NATO forces, a confidential United Nations document says, despite the militants vowing no revenge against opponents. The report — provided by the UN's threat-assessment consultants and seen by AFP — says the group has "priority lists" of individuals it wants to arrest. Most at risk are people who had central roles in the Afghan military, police and intelligence units, according to the document. The Taliban have been conducting "targeted door-to-door visits" of individuals they want to apprehend and their family members, the report says. The Taliban are…

19 Aug

Taliban Open Fire, Beat Up Women, Kids Outside Kabul Airport

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Taliban promised safe passage to the Kabul airport for people trying to flee the country, there have been incidents of violence at the checkpoints on airport roads. Photographs of women and children being beaten and whipped by the Taliban fighters have surfaced showing the brutal face of the insurgents. Reports of civilians – women and children – being beaten, houses being ransacked have been pouring in since August 15 – the day the Taliban seized control of capital Kabul. According to reports, the US troops who have taken over the control of the Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul on…

16 Aug

Taliban sweep into Afghan capital after government collapses

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The Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital Sunday after the government collapsed and the embattled president joined an exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners, signaling the end of a costly two-decade U.S. campaign to remake the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul’s abandoned presidential palace. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman and negotiator, told The Associated Press that the militants would hold talks in the coming days aimed at forming an “open, inclusive Islamic government.” Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate…

10 Aug

India played a constructive role in Afghanistan: Pentagon

editor0 CommentsIndia, international

India has played a constructive role in Afghanistan in the past, the Pentagon acknowledged on Monday. “India has played a constructive role in Afghanistan in the past in terms of training and other infrastructure improvements,” Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters at his daily news conference. “That kind of work, that kind of effort to help Afghanistan maintain stability and good governance is always welcome,” he said when asked about India-US cooperation on Afghanistan. Responding to a question, Kirby said the United States continues to have conversations with Pakistani leadership about the safe havens that exist along that border…

10 Aug

After UNSC maritime session, Pak threatens continued militarisation

editor0 CommentsBreaking News, India, international

Pakistan has threatened to continue militarising citing what it claimed was a “geo-strategic competition and the pursuit of military dominance by some states”, while mentioning India. After Monday’s high-level meeting on maritime security at the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Munir Akram sent a written statement to the Indian Mission to be included in the record of the session. India is the current President of the Council and the meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Akram asserted that “India has nuclearised the Indian Ocean and continues to induct advanced weapons systems and naval delivery platforms” with…

08 Aug

UK eases travel restrictions for Indians, compulsory institutional quarantine rule removed

editor0 CommentsIndia, international

The United Kingdom has moved India to the ‘Amber’ category, reopening travel visas for Indian citizens. The U.K. had placed India under the ‘Red’ category in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases that came along with a stringent quarantine requirement, which too will be relaxed under the new set of rules. A statement from the British High Commission informed that as part of the ‘Amber’ list, visitor visas will be available to Indian travellers, along with “other long-term visas that have remained open”. According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) all arrivals from India who have…