WORLD
Prominent Iraqi cleric reverses decision to boycott Oct polls
In a televised speech on Friday, al-Sadr said that he had received a paper on reforms in the country pledged by the political parties, calling him to return to the elections, reports Xinhua news agency. "We received the reform paper from politicians we trust, and we found it to be in accordance with our aspirations," al-Sadr said. "We will participate in the elections with determination to save and reform Iraq from corruption," he added.
21 killed in Bangladesh boat capsize
A passenger, Ali Akhter Rizvi, told IANS that the boat left the Champaknagar ghat of Vijaynagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district at around 4.30 p.m. on Friday evening. It was heading to Anandabazar ghat of Sadar upazila. The collision took place in the Laisca Beel area after which the boat overturned and sank, Rizvi added.
Parole recommended for Robert F. Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan
The recommendation on Friday came after the late Senator's sons, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Douglas Kennedy, supported the 77-year-old Palestinian convict's release during his 16th appearance before the parole board, a CNN report said. Sirhan has been incarcerated at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since May 1969 after being convicted of first-degree murder and assault with intent to murder.
Guns fall silent for now in Panjshir as talks with Taliban begin
According to news emerging from Panjshir, both the groups had their first direct talks on Wednesday and Thursday, which, so far, have remained inconclusive. The dialogue was held in Charikar, the capital of Parwan province, neighbouring Panjshir.
Kabul bombings: The knives are out as Biden loses face
"With the Kabul blasts, he (Biden) will have a tough job at hand (in stabilising the situation), especially as expectations from his people were high (after he defeated former President Donald Trump). The Afghanistan debacle shows that neither has he managed to keep his home front happy nor the global community," an analyst told India Narrative.
NATO countries end evacuation mission from Kabul, 4 to 5 days ahead of Aug 31 US deadline
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News: "We will process those people that we have brought with us, the 1,000 people approximately inside the airfield now. And we will seek a way to continue to find a few people in the crowd, where we can, but overall the main processing has now closed and we have a matter of hours."
UN Security Council condemns attacks near airport in Kabul
Through a press statement, the members of the Security Council condemned "in the strongest terms the deplorable attacks," which were claimed by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, an Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Xinhua news agency reported.
Concerns for Pakistan rise with Kabul twin blasts
Islamabad has been in the grip of an intense of "triumphalism" as the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops but "deep down" there are concerns as it could once again be in the spotlight for its direct links with terror outfits. Pakistan based think tank Tabadlab estimated a cumulative real GDP loss of approximately $38 billion
Kabul security head Khalil Haqqani was designated as terrorist by US
In 2011, Mike Mullen, then top US military officer, had told the Congress that the Haqqani network was a "veritable arm" of the ISI, Pakistan's main intelligence service, NBC reported. The Taliban group was never designated by the US government as a terrorist organisation, but the Haqqani network, which has close ties to al-Qaeda and Pakistani intelligence, has long held that distinction.
Islamist terrorists among evacuees leaving Kabul?
There is growing concern among the western allies that Islamist terrorists may have successfully infiltrated the thousands of Afghans and other foreigners, and some of them may have actually boarded planes for Europe and the US. The concern is sourced from Pentagon, and no less than US President Joe Biden remarked on Sunday that "terrorists may seek to exploit the situation and target innocent Afghans or American troops".
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