US, Taliban scramble to rewrite draft on troop withdrawal

US, Taliban scramble to rewrite draft on troop withdrawal

Agencies Taliban and US negotiators are scrambling to rewrite a draft agreement that will outline the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan as well as detail a verifiable Taliban guarantee to fight terrorism ahead of a summit Sunday in Qatar. Officials familiar with the talks, but not authorized to speak about them, say […]

Two persons shot dead at Lahore airport in Pakistan

Two persons shot dead at Lahore airport in Pakistan

Agencies Lahore : Two persons were shot dead and another was injured at Pakistan’s international airport in Lahore city by unidentified attackers on Wednesday, police said, causing panic among passengers within the lounge.The incident occurred around 10 am (local time) when the victims were returning from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah. They were gunned down […]

Airstrike kills 40 migrants in Tripoli: Libyan officials

Airstrike kills 40 migrants in Tripoli: Libyan officials

Agencies Benghazi : An airstrike hit a detention center for migrants early Wednesday in the Libyan capital, killing at least 40 people, a health official in the country’s UN-supported government said. The airstrike targeting the detention center in Tripoli’s Tajoura neighborhood also wounded 80 migrants, said Malek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry. Merset […]

At least 53 wounded as powerful car bomb rocks Kabul

At least 53 wounded as powerful car bomb rocks Kabul

Kabul: Dozens of people were wounded with fatalities feared as a powerful car bomb rocked Kabul early Monday and gunmen battled special forces in an area housing military and government buildings, officials said. The rush-hour explosion sent a plume of smoke into the air above the Puli Mahmood Khan neighbourhood of the Afghan capital and shook […]

US, Taliban to open Doha talks in fresh bid to end war

US, Taliban to open Doha talks in fresh bid to end war

AP   / Islamabad  :  A fresh round of talks between the U.S. and the Taliban is to begin in Qatar, just days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington is hoping for an Afghan peace agreement before September 1. Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, tells The Associated Press […]

UN Security Council urges dialogue, end to US-Iran tensions

UN Security Council urges dialogue, end to US-Iran tensions

United Nations : The UN Security Council on Monday called for dialogue and measures to end tensions in the Gulf, but Iran rejected talks with the United States after President Donald Trump imposed fresh sanctions. In a unanimous press statement drafted by Kuwait, the council condemned recent attacks on oil tankers, calling them a threat […]

Iran-US trade barbs ahead of new sanctions

Iran-US trade barbs ahead of new sanctions

AFP/Tehran The United States on Monday was due to tighten sanctions on Iran as the two countries traded barbs in a tense standoff sparked by Washington’s withdrawal from a nuclear deal. Both nations say they want to avoid going to war, but tensions have spiralled as a series of incidents, including attacks on tankers and […]

US bars civilian flights over Iran-controlled airspace

US bars civilian flights over Iran-controlled airspace

Washington: The US has barred the commercial airlines of the country from flying over the Iran-controlled airspace amid heightened military activities and political tensions in the region. The warning order from the US Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday came after Iran shot down an American high-altitude surveillance drone that was said to be flying near […]

UN calls for ‘prompt and thorough’ probe into Morsi’s death

UN calls for ‘prompt and thorough’ probe into Morsi’s death

Agencies The UN human rights office has called for a prompt and thorough probe into the death of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, a day after he collapsed and died inside a Cairo courtroom on Tuesday. “Any sudden death in custody must be followed by a prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation carried out by […]

US Deploys 1000 More Troops To Middle East Amid Tensions With Iran

US Deploys 1000 More Troops To Middle East Amid Tensions With Iran

Agencies WASHINGTON — Amidst an escalation of tensions with Iran, the US has approved the deployment of 1,000 additional troops in the Middle East for “defensive purposes” to address air, naval and ground-based threats. The announcement by Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan came hours after Iran said it would surpass the uranium-stockpile limit set by […]