Foreign
US drone strike kills 2 ISIS-K targets: Pentagon
August 29, 2021, 11:30 am
WASHINGTON – The Pentagon said on Saturday that two high-profile targets of ISIS-K, a local affiliate of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, were killed in a US drone strike on Friday. "Two high-profile ISIS targets were killed, one was wounded, and we know of zero civilian casualties," US Army… Read More
Coronavirus not developed as 'biological weapon': US intelligence
August 28, 2021, 6:11 pm
ANKARA –The coronavirus was not developed as a "biological weapon," according to a report by the US intelligence community (IC) on Friday. "The IC assesses that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, probably emerged and infected humans through an initial small-scale exposure that occurred… Read More
U.S. Florida judge rules school districts may issue mask mandates
August 28, 2021, 3:04 pm
WASHINGTON – A judge in the U.S. state of Florida ruled Friday that school districts in the state may issue mask mandates for students, dealing a blow to the effort by Governor Ron DeSantis and other officials to block such orders. Judge John Cooper of the Sunshine State's Second Judicial… Read More
US conducts airstrike on 'ISIS-K planner' in Afghanistan
August 28, 2021, 2:02 pm
WASHINGTON – The United States carried out a drone strike early Saturday on an "ISIS-K planner" in eastern Afghanistan, according to a US Central Command (Centcom) official. The senior terrorist for the Afghan affiliate of the Daesh/ISIS terror group is believed to be involved in organizing a… Read More
Bomb attacks outside Kabul airport claim dozens
August 27, 2021, 8:27 am
KABUL, Afghanistan/Washington - Multiple explosions shook Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Thursday, including two outside the airport serving the city, killing dozens and injuring over 100, according to media reports and Anadolu Agency's correspondent on the ground on Thursday. A BBC report citing… Read More
Japan halts use of 1.6M Moderna doses over contamination fears
August 26, 2021, 4:23 pm
ANKARA – Japan on Thursday suspended the use of about 1.6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine due to contamination. The decision has been taken as a precaution after the Health Ministry detected “foreign substances” in vials of the Moderna vaccine, according to Katsunobu Kato, chief… Read More
China contributes to APEC sub-fund on combating Covid-19
August 25, 2021, 6:42 pm
JAKARTA – China contributed US$1 million for creating a new Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) sub-fund on combating the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and fostering economic recovery to support initiatives that strengthen member economies' capacity to address impacts of the pandemic… Read More
US evacuates around 48,000 people from Afghanistan
August 24, 2021, 2:18 pm
US evacuates 48K people from Afghanistan since Aug. 14 ANKARA – The US has evacuated or helped evacuate around 48,000 people from Afghanistan since Aug. 14, the White House said Monday in a written statement. Over 10,900 people were evacuated from the capital Kabul over a 12-hour period Monday,… Read More
US FDA gives full approval to Pfizer Covid-19 vax
August 24, 2021, 10:59 am
CHICAGO – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine on Monday, nine months after it rolled off assembly lines under a special emergency use authorization. "The FDA's approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the… Read More
Nations unite to aid fleeing Afghans
August 21, 2021, 6:37 pm
ANKARA – With the Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in the capital with hopes of catching planes to western countries. In the days after seizing power, Taliban leadership assured the "peaceful transition of power" and has publicly disavowed any… Read More
US Covid-19 hospitalization rate for kids hits highest level
August 21, 2021, 4:26 pm
WASHINGTON – The Covid-19 hospitalization rates for children in the United States hit their highest levels ever, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was quoted by CNN on Friday. As for adults, every age group under 50 has also surpassed its previous record of hospitalization,… Read More
US advises booster shots 8 months after Pfizer, Moderna vax
August 19, 2021, 1:48 pm
WASHINGTON – The US recommended vaccine boosters on Wednesday for individuals eight months after completing the two-round Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA regiments. The booster distribution plan anticipates distribution beginning Sept. 20 following independent evaluation from the Food and Drug… Read More
Global new Covid-19 cases keep rising in last 2 months: WHO
August 19, 2021, 1:21 pm
GENEVA – The global number of new Covid-19 cases has been increasing for the last two months, as cases of the Delta variant have been reported in 148 countries, territories or areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a weekly overview report issued Wednesday. With over 4.4 million new… Read More
'Covering Covid-19 was the most difficult assignment'
August 18, 2021, 7:14 pm
NEW DELHI – When India was hit with a second devastating wave of Covid-19 earlier this year, at the forefront were photojournalists, who with the help of images told India's pandemic story to the world. On the eve of World Photography Day, which is being observed Thursday, Anadolu Agency spoke… Read More
Afghanistan war cost US more than $2-T, over 200K killed: report
August 18, 2021, 1:03 pm
CHICAGO, United States – With the US presence in Afghanistan rapidly winding down, the costs are being added up. A Costs of War project from the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University shows the US spent USD2.26 trillion for the war in Afghanistan from the fall… Read More
Unacceptable to let 'terrorist organization' overrun Afghanistan
August 17, 2021, 9:32 pm
GENEVA – It is unacceptable for states to stand on the sidelines as a UN Security Council listed terrorist organization overruns Afghanistan and commits acts that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, UN human rights experts said on Monday. The experts said international law… Read More
Malaysia's premier, Cabinet resign
August 16, 2021, 8:51 pm
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Malaysia’s king has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and told him to continue as caretaker until a successor is appointed, the royal palace announced on Monday. Muhyiddin becomes the country’s shortest ruling prime minister as he leaves after… Read More
Taliban surprised by speed of its takeover
August 16, 2021, 2:41 pm
ANKARA – The Taliban did not expect to achieve its goals in Afghanistan so quickly, the head of the group’s political bureau in Qatar said Sunday. "I must say that I did not expect that we would achieve such a success so quickly and so easily," Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said of the Taliban's… Read More
Afghan president leaves country, Taliban controls capital Kabul
August 16, 2021, 2:00 pm
KABUL – Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday night, while the Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul and took control of the presidential palace. Ghani confirmed on his Facebook page late on Sunday that he has left the country, saying the move was to prevent… Read More
Death toll from 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti rises to 1,297
August 16, 2021, 1:17 pm
SANTO DOMINGO – The death toll from the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday rose to 1,297, the country's civil protection agency reported on Sunday. A breakdown of the fatalities in terms of departments shows that 1,054 people were killed in Sud, 122 in Nippes, 119 in… Read More