International - The Purbottar

25 Aug

E-visa must for Afghan nationals travelling to India: Home Ministry

editor0 CommentsInternationalAfghanistan, INDIA

All Afghan nationals must travel to India only on e-visa, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday. “Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by introducing the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-visa”, the MHA said in a statement. Earlier, the Centre had announced that it would “facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan” and said Hindus and Sikhs from the country will be given priority. Keeping in view some reports that certain…

25 Aug

Possible case of ‘Havana syndrome’ in Vietnam delays Vice President Harris’ visit

editor0 CommentsInternational

Vice President Kamala Harris’ flight from Singapore to Vietnam had to be pushed back several hours Tuesday over possible “Havana Syndrome” cases among US personnel in Hanoi. The US Embassy in Hanoi issued a statement blaming “a recent possible anomalous health incident” there for the three-hour delay of Harris’ flight. An “anomalous health incident” is a term the US government has used to describe so-called “Havana Syndrome” — a mysterious condition that includes dizziness, nausea, migraines and memory lapses and is sometimes preceded by a piercing sound. The condition got its name from a rash of health incidents first reported…

24 Aug

CIA Chief Held Secret Meeting Yesterday With Taliban In Kabul: Report

editor0 CommentsInternationalAfghanistan, Taliban

America's top spy held a secret meeting with the Taliban's de facto leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul on Monday in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the two sides since the militant group seized the Afghan capital, a media report said on Tuesday. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the UAE. CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul on Monday with Baradar in the highest-level…

23 Aug

1 Afghan guard killed, 3 injured in new ‘gunfight’ at Kabul Airport

editor0 CommentsInternationalAfghanistan, Taliban

A firefight broke out between unidentified gunmen, Western security forces and Afghan guards at the North Gate of 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 others were injured in the battle, which also involved US and German forces, the German military said on Twitter, without specifying whether the dead Afghan was one of the Taliban fighters deployed to guard the airport. The airport has been a scene of chaos since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital on Aug.…

21 Aug

Two children killed, Chinese national injured in blast targeting convoy in Pakistan’s Punjab

editor0 CommentsInternationalChina, PAKISTAN

A suicide bomb attack in Pakistan on a motorcade carrying Chinese personnel injured one Chinese national and killed two local children, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad said on Saturday."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 to the innocent victims in Pakistan," it said in a statement. The attack took place on Friday at the Gwadar East Bay Expressway project in Balochistan, the embassy said. Several wounded people were treated at a local hospital, it said. The embassy called on Pakistan's authorities…

20 Aug

U.S. not interested in trade pact: 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 US: UN document

editor0 CommentsInternationalAfghanistan, Taliban

The Taliban are going house-to-house searching for opponents and their families, according to an intelligence document for the UN that deepened fears Friday Afghanistan's new rulers were reneging on pledges of tolerance.After routing government forces and taking over Kabul on Sunday to end two decades of war, the hardline Islamist movement's leaders have repeatedly vowed a complete amnesty as part of a well-crafted PR blitz. Women have also been assured their rights will be respected, and that the Taliban will be "positively different" from their brutal 1996-2001 rule. But with thousands of people still trying to flee the capital aboard…

18 Aug

Taliban Meet Ex Afghan President Hamid Karzai In Talks To Form Government

editor0 CommentsInternational, worldAfghanistan

Taliban commander and senior leader of the Haqqani Network terrorist group, Anas Haqqani, has met former Afghan President Hamid Karzai for talks, a Taliban official said on Wednesday, amid efforts by Taliban to set up government. According to sources Karzai was accompanied by the old government's main peace envoy, Abdullah Abdullah, in the meeting, who declined to be identified.The Haqqani Network is an important faction of the Taliban, who captured the capital, Kabul, on Sunday. The network, based on the border with Pakistan, was accused over recent years of some of the most deadly terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. In the meantime,…

17 Aug

Russia says Afghan president fled with cars and helicopter full of cash – RIA

editor0 CommentsInternationalAfghanistan, Russia, Taliban

Russia's embassy in Kabul said on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, the RIA news agency reported. Ghani, whose current whereabouts are unknown, said he left Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban entered Kabul virtually unopposed. He said he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Russia has said it will retain a diplomatic presence in Kabul and hopes to develop ties with the Taliban even as it says it is no rush to recognise them…

16 Aug

Taliban declare `war is over` as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, top diplomats flee Kabul

editor0 CommentsInternationalAfghanistan, Taliban

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…