General news

• Biden says ‘I stand squarely behind my decision’ after Taliban takes Kabul – live

  16-08-2021 23:58
  
  President acknowledges his decision would be criticized by many but says he would not ‘shrink from my share of responsibility’Biden faces biggest crisis of presidency over botched withdrawalFollow Afghanistan live news 10.58pm BST State Dept spokesman Ned Price gave a briefing moments after Joe Biden addressed the nation from the White House. The news was ominous. He said that US citizens who currently remain in Kabul should not travel to the airport. There have been scenes of pandem
  
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• 'He should answer to Afghan people': Reporter gets emotional during question

  16-08-2021 23:55 via cnn.com
  
  Afghan reporter Nazira Karimi makes an emotional plea to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby at the Pentagon briefing after the Taliban's taking of Kabul.
  
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• Afghan reporter's emotional question during Pentagon briefing

  16-08-2021 23:55 via cnn.com
  
  Afghan reporter Nazira Karimi makes an emotional plea to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby at the Pentagon briefing after the Taliban's taking of Kabul.
  
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• First-ever water cuts declared for Colorado River in historic drought

  16-08-2021 23:47 via cnn.com
  
  The federal government on Monday declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, triggering mandatory water consumption cuts for states in the Southwest, as climate change-fueled drought pushes the level in Lake Mead to unprecedented lows.
  
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• 'I stand squarely behind my decision': defiant Biden defends withdrawal from Afghanistan – video

  16-08-2021 23:44
  
  Joe Biden defended his decision to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan even after Taliban forces took Kabul, saying: 'I stand squarely behind my decision.' Striking a defiant tone, the US president admitted the situation in the country had deteriorated faster than anticipated, but said it showed there would never be a good time to withdraw US forces. 'American troops cannot and should not be dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,' Biden said. 'We gave them
  
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• Swiss researchers calculate pi to new record of 62.8tn figures

  16-08-2021 23:39
  
  Supercomputer calculation took 108 days and nine hours – almost 3.5 times as fast as previous recordSwiss researchers have calculated the mathematical constant pi to a new world-record level of exactitude, hitting 62.8tn figures using a supercomputer.“The calculation took 108 days and nine hours,” the Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences said in a statement. Continue reading...
  
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• Haiti braces for storm as officials fear quake death toll could rise

  16-08-2021 23:15
  
  Tropical depression could pass over areas already hit by Saturday’s quake that killed at least 1,419Medical teams and aid workers were racing to save lives and provide food and shelter on Monday amid fears that the official death toll from Saturday’s earthquake could rise further and a tropical depression bore down on the crisis-stricken Caribbean country.The official death toll rose on Monday to 1,419, and at least 6,000 were injured by the 7.2-magnitude quake – a tremor even
  
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• The White Lotus review – a magnificently monstrous look at how the other half live

  16-08-2021 23:05
  
  Rich guests – including a spaced-out Jennifer Coolidge – rub shoulders with downtrodden workers on a holiday from hell, in Mike White’s superb satire about inequalityThe White Lotus is Big Little Lies with another two and a half turns of the screw – an equally sumptuously set miniseries with a mystery fatality at its heart. But this time, its subject is the monstrousness of affluence rather than mere snobbery.We open with newlywed Shane (Jake Lacy) batting away questions
  
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• Bob Dylan accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old in 1965

  16-08-2021 23:00
  
  A lawsuit, filed Friday, alleges the Nobel laureate plied a girl with drugs and alcohol and abused her over six weeks in 1965A new lawsuit alleges that Bob Dylan, the Nobel-winning folk singer-songwriter, plied a 12-year-old girl with drugs and alcohol before sexually abusing her in 1965.The lawsuit alleges that the Times They Are A-Changin’ singer “befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff”, identified in Manhattan supreme court papers, obtained by
  
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• 5 days: The key dates that led to a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

  16-08-2021 22:57 via nbcnews.com
  
  They lost the country 20 years ago. In a matter of months the Taliban has regained control. Scroll through to see their swift advance.
  
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• 'Why do they have to cover their face?': Clarissa Ward presses Taliban commander on Afghan women's rights

  16-08-2021 22:53 via cnn.com
  
  CNN's Clarissa Ward describes life inside Afghanistan's capital Kabul as Taliban fighters swarm the streets after entering the city's presidential palace after former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
  
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• Clarissa Ward presses Taliban commander on women's rights

  16-08-2021 22:53 via cnn.com
  
  CNN's Clarissa Ward describes life inside Afghanistan's capital Kabul as Taliban fighters swarm the streets after entering the city's presidential palace after former President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
  
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• Chaos in Kabul as Taliban take power and thousands try to flee

  16-08-2021 22:51 via cnn.com
  
  Hundreds of people poured onto the tarmac at Kabul's international airport desperately seeking a route out of Afghanistan on Monday, after the Taliban's sudden seizure of power sparked a chaotic Western withdrawal and brought to a crashing end the United States' two-decade mission in the country.
  
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• Chaos descends on Kabul's international airport

  16-08-2021 22:51 via cnn.com
  
  Hundreds of people poured onto the tarmac at Kabul's international airport desperately seeking a route out of Afghanistan on Monday, after the Taliban's sudden seizure of power sparked a chaotic Western withdrawal and brought to a crashing end the United States' two-decade mission in the country.
  
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• Taliban take over Afghanistan: What we know and what's next

  16-08-2021 22:15 via feeds.foxnews.com
  
  The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.
  
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• Biden puts blame on Afghan political leaders and armed forces

  16-08-2021 22:14 via cnn.com
  
  President Joe Biden will address the crisis in Afghanistan from the White House on Monday afternoon as he faces mounting questions about his administration's apparent failure to prepare for the collapse of that nation's government.
  
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• Raab: pace of Taliban takeover 'caught everyone by surprise' – video

  16-08-2021 22:06
  
  Britain will use all the means at its disposal, including sanctions and diplomacy, to hold the Taliban to account in Afghanistan, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said.In his first public appearance since the crisis began, Raab said that 'everyone was caught by surprise by the pace and the scale of the Taliban takeover', in which Kabul fell to the Islamist group over the weekend. Britain, which had initially committed 600 members of the armed forces to evacuate British nationals and former British
  
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• Excerpts from new book detail Trump's final days in office

  16-08-2021 21:40 via cnn.com
  
  CNN's Jamie Gangel previews a new book from journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa detailing the final days of Trump's presidency and the transition to the Biden administration.
  
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• Biden returns to White House ahead of address on Afghanistan

  16-08-2021 21:40 via cnn.com
  
  President Joe Biden will address the crisis in Afghanistan from the White House on Monday afternoon as he faces mounting questions about his administration's apparent failure to prepare for the collapse of that nation's government.
  
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• Air raid sirens sound in Israel after rocket fired from Gaza

  16-08-2021 21:01 via feeds.foxnews.com
  
  Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israel on Monday after a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip, the first since the 11-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in May.
  
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• Two new wildfires in Greece trigger evacuation alerts for villages

  16-08-2021 20:48
  
  No injuries have been reported but Greek media said a few buildings had been damagedFanned by strong winds, two large new wildfires have erupted in Greece, triggering evacuation alerts for villages south-east and north-west of Athens – only days after blazes consumed large tracts of forest north of the Greek capital.No injuries have been reported but Greek media said a few buildings had been damaged. Continue reading...
  
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• 'Almost comical': Sciutto criticizes Biden adviser over Afghanistan answer

  16-08-2021 20:32 via cnn.com
  
  CNN's Jim Sciutto reacts after President Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan calls the withdrawal from Afghanistan a "successful drawdown."
  
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• Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sues over NASA awarding moon landing contract to SpaceX

  16-08-2021 20:31 via cnn.com
  
  Blue Origin filed a federal lawsuit Friday to challenge a NASA moon landing contract awarded solely to rival company SpaceX, upping the ante in an already tense standoff over the multibillion-dollar lunar lander program.
  
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• WWII vet jumps from a plane on his 100th birthday

  16-08-2021 20:25 via cnn.com
  
  Tom Rice, a US paratrooper during World War II, jumped from a restored D-Day plane and landed on a beach in his hometown to celebrate his 100th birthday.
  
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• Polish appeals court overturns ruling against Holocaust historians

  16-08-2021 20:09
  
  Case has raised questions about freedom to research Poland’s wartime pastA Polish appeals court has overturned a ruling against two leading Holocaust historians accused of defamation, in a closely watched case that raised questions about the freedom to research Poland’s second world war past.The civil case was brought against Prof Barbara Engelking and Prof Jan Grabowski for a book they co-edited about the complicity of Catholic Poles in the genocide of Jews during Nazi Germany&rsquo
  
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• Afghan woman finds herself in limbo amid Kabul airport chaos

  16-08-2021 20:04 via feeds.foxnews.com
  
  With hundreds of Afghans rushing the tarmac of Kabul’s international airport desperate to flee the return of the Taliban, a young Afghan woman stood in limbo between two worlds.
  
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• Geronimo the alpaca’s future to be decided at hearing, says vet

  16-08-2021 20:01
  
  Defra agrees to hearing with owner of UK alpaca, which has twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosisAn alpaca that faces being destroyed after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis has been given a temporary reprieve, the animal’s vet has said.The government had twice turned down requests to save Geronimo, but Dr Iain McGill said the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) had now agreed to a hearing with owner Helen Macdonald. Continue reading...
  
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• Cooling consumerism could save the climate | Letters

  16-08-2021 19:23
  
  Bill Kingdom says the battle against Covid provides lessons in how to cut consumption to ease global warming. Plus letters from Sue Dalley, David Hughes and Dave HunterIn Adam Tooze’s article (By pushing for more oil production, the US is killing its climate pledges, 13 August), he surmised that economic activity and fossil fuel consumption are hardwired together. It may be more that economic activity and energy consumption are hardwired together – and thus the need to move to renewa
  
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• Flooding death toll in Turkey climbs to 72, dozens missing

  16-08-2021 19:14 via feeds.foxnews.com
  
  Rescuers recovered more bodies Monday from the severe flooding that devastated parts of Turkey's Black Sea coast last week, bringing the death toll to 72, officials said.
  
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• Afghans who clung to departing US plane fall to their death in chaos that left 7 dead: officials

  16-08-2021 19:11 via feeds.foxnews.com
  
  At least seven individuals have been killed in the chaos at Kabul's international airport on Monday as thousands of Afghans desperately attempt to flee the Taliban's capture of their country, according to senior military officials speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press.
  
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• Cambridgeshire sinkhole: Locals crack up at The Butts' hole

  16-08-2021 19:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A hole in a road called The Butts causes amusement on social media after police issue a warning.
  
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• Swift Taliban takeover proves US and UK analysis badly wrong

  16-08-2021 19:04
  
  Analysis: Joe Biden and Boris Johnson five weeks ago claimed Afghan government would not fall so easilyDesperate crowds at Kabul airport as Afghans try to escape Taliban – latest updatesJoe Biden could not have been clearer: a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was “not inevitable”, the US president said on 8 July. Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, was equally confident – “there is no military path to victory for the Taliban” – he told MPs earlier that
  
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• Tesla is under investigation because its cars keep hitting emergency vehicles

  16-08-2021 19:01 via cnn.com
  
  Federal safety regulators are investigating at least 11 accidents involving Tesla cars using Autopilot or other self-driving features that crashed into emergency vehicles when coming upon the scene of an earlier crash.
  
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• Japan’s economy bounces back as Covid restrictions ease

  16-08-2021 18:48
  
  Economic output defies expectations to expand in Q2 – but analysts warn of contraction riskCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageJapan’s economy recovered strongly in the second quarter to join the turnaround seen across G7 countries as the easing of lockdown restrictions sent consumers rushing to the shops.Beating the expectations of City analysts, the world’s third largest economy also capitalised on global trade’s return to health with a sur
  
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• Desperate Kabul deals with new Taliban rulers: 'It’s like Saigon on steroids'

  16-08-2021 18:38 via feeds.foxnews.com
  
  Throughout the city, according to Fox journalists on the ground, Taliban fighters were seen on the streets, walking and patrolling, driving around in government vehicles, going home to home, basically making their presence known.
  
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• Why this primal fear could be key to changing the minds of the unvaccinated

  16-08-2021 18:37 via nbcnews.com
  
  Given the impending crisis, policymakers are raising the stakes by using the threat of exclusion to tap into a primal fear that is deeply imprinted on our collective psyche.
  
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• Haiti earthquake: Tropical Depression Grace a concern for recovery efforts with forecasts of heavy rain

  16-08-2021 18:35 via feeds.foxnews.com
  
  Tropical Depression Grace threatens to hamper recovery efforts in Haiti after a devastating earthquake claimed the lives of thousands as the system is forecast to dump inches of rain across the island. 
  
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• Hakainde Hichilema: The Zambian 'cattle boy' who became president

  16-08-2021 18:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  After six attempts, Hakainde Hichilema has finally become president of Zambia.
  
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• Scaling walls, climbing a plane: Chaos in Kabul as Taliban take over

  16-08-2021 18:21 via nbcnews.com
  
  Scenes of turmoil in Kabul as Taliban take over
  
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• US legend Carli Lloyd to retire from soccer

  16-08-2021 18:16 via cnn.com
  
  Carli Lloyd, who is one of the most successful players in the history of the United States Women's National Team (USWNT), is to retire from professional football.
  
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• Biden's mismanagement underscores 20 years of failed policy by US and its allies

  16-08-2021 18:09 via cnn.com
  
  • President to return to White House for address on Afghanistan
  
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• Tokyo Paralympics: Sport-by-sport guide

  16-08-2021 18:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Twenty-two sports will feature in the Tokyo Paralympics - find out more about them all here.
  
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• Malala: 'Futures of Afghan child refugees aren't lost'

  16-08-2021 18:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nobel peace laureate, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012.
  
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• Title, cover and details of Bob Woodward's new Trump book revealed

  16-08-2021 18:00 via cnn.com
  
  First it was "Fear," then it was "Rage," now it is "Peril." That is the title of the highly-anticipated third book about President Trump from legendary journalist Bob Woodward, this time written with co-author Robert Costa, a Washington Post national political reporter.
  
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• Being a better listener for your loved ones might protect their brain health, study finds

  16-08-2021 17:51 via cnn.com
  
  Having good listeners in your life might help your brain be more resilient in the face of any future age- or disease-related changes, a new study has found.
  
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• Suez Canal: T. rex stuck on Ever Given arrives at golf course

  16-08-2021 17:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The dinosaur model is finally installed at golf course after months on board the Ever Given.
  
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• China, Pakistan and Russia set to increase Afghanistan influence

  16-08-2021 17:48
  
  Analysis: three countries have all signalled a readiness to engage with Taliban authorities to some degreeAfghanistan live news: desperation as Afghans try to fleeRegional powers will see their influence increase dramatically in Afghanistan as the US executes a hasty, haphazard withdrawal and the Taliban return to power after 20 years.Russia, Pakistan and China have all signalled a readiness to transition smoothly into engaging with Taliban authorities with varying levels of enthusiasm. Continue
  
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• Pop star Kris Wu arrested in Beijing on suspicion of rape

  16-08-2021 17:46
  
  Singer earlier denied accusation made by teenager that he had sexually assaulted her while she was drunkThe Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu has been arrested on suspicion of rape in a high-profile case that followed an accusation that the singer had sexually assaulted a 17-year-old while she was drunk and lured young women into sexual relationships.The prosecutor’s office of the Beijing district of Chaoyang said in a one-sentence statement that Wu’s arrest was formally approved but
  
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• Joe Biden is facing a crisis of competence

  16-08-2021 17:46 via cnn.com
  
  At the heart of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign was a single word: competence.
  
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• Hate speech inquiries launched in France over antisemitic protest banners

  16-08-2021 17:44
  
  Police looking into placards seen at demonstrations against Covid health passFrench prosecutors have launched hate speech and incitement of violence investigations into antisemitic banners seen at demonstrations against the country’s coronavirus health pass, which is now required for many daily activities.At recent anti-health-pass demonstrations, protesters have brandished placards featuring syringes forming swastikas, wearing yellow stars or carrying banners bearing the word “Qui?&
  
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