WORLD

Pak refuses to accept more Afghan refugees
IANS -
Yusuf said that if a civil war erupts in Afghanistan, the asylum seekers should not be pushed towards Pakistan, according to media reports. The NSA and Faiz Hameed, head of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had embarked on a visit to the US for discussions over Afghanistan and bilateral issues. While Hameed has left Washington, Yusuf is still in the US.
US reports highest daily Covid cases since Feb 2021
IANS -
According to the update on Saturday, a total of 101,171 new cases were reported across the country on July 30, reports Xinhua news agency. The new figure brought the seven-day average daily increase of cases to 72,493, also the highest since mid February. As of Sunday morning, the country's overall infection tally has increased to 34,974,823, while the death toll stood at 613,133.
Rockets hit Kandahar airport, flights suspended
IANS -
"The initial information found Taliban militants fired three rockets at the Kandahar International Airport and two of them struck the runway late Saturday night," the official told Xinhua news agency."Local authorities were inspecting and trying to repair and reopen the runway as soon as possible," the official said, adding that there were no casualties.
Death toll in Afghanistan flash floods reaches 113
IANS -
The floods occurred on July 28 as a result to heavy rains in Kamdish district, reports TOLO News. "Some are still missing, while 12 km of road has been destroyed and 173 houses were totally damaged," State Minister on Natural Disaster Management Ghulam Bahauddin Jailani said on Saturday. Some lawmakers from the province said the flood-affected residents need urgent assistance.
World Heritage Committee closes Fuzhou session, adds 34 new heritage sites
IANS -
AS the session ended on Saturday, the latest inscriptions, which include 29 cultural sites and five natural ones, bring the total number of sites on Unesco's World Heritage to 1,154, reports Xinhua news agency. Among the newly added sites is "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" in Fujian, which brings the number of world heritage sites in the country to 56.
Airstrikes kill 37 militants in Afghanistan
IANS -
"Acting on a tip-off, the fighter planes struck a convoy of Taliban rebels in Dasht-e-Lili area and Murghab village on Saturday, killing 37 insurgents and injuring 14 others," the official told Xinhua news agency. A number of arms and ammunition as well as 13 motorbikes and some vehicles of the militant group were also destroyed in the sorties, the official said.
WHO members oppose politicisation of Covid-19 origin tracing: Report
IANS -
"The one consistent thing we've heard from all countries has been 'let's not politicise the science,' and the next thing that happens is the science is politicized," Ryan said. "So what we want to do for all parties, and everybody is calling for this, there's widespread agreement amongst all our member states, let's not politicise the process," the Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.
Turkey shocked by wildfires amid claims of sabotage
IANS -
Over 70 wildfires have been reported since Wednesday across the country. Scorching heat and strong winds have fanned the fires in different regions as 4,000 firefighters battled the blazes, aided by helicopters and planes, local media have reported. Around 100 firefighters and over 80 civilians were injured, mostly from smoke inhalation, emergency authorities have announced.
Pak army's deployment on frontline alongside Taliban in Afghanistan exposed
IANS -
In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Khan had vehemently denied that Pakistani soldiers and other "fighters" have crossed the Durand line into Afghanistan in support of the Taliban. "Absolutely nonsense" the former cricketer asserted when quizzed on whether Islamabad had provided boots on the ground in support of the Taliban inside Pakistan. Recently the Afghan security forces say that they have killed many Pakistani soldiers.
Disturbing videos show Taliban enforcing Sharia in parts of Afghanistan
IANS -
Disturbing videos and photos circulating on social media show the Taliban torturing and killing people in Afghanistan as the extremist group has been seizing territories after international troops began withdrawing from the country in May 2021. In one of the video clips on Twitter, several men are seen gathered around a man, picking up stones and repeatedly throwing them at him as he tries to save himself.
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