This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images made or published by Associated Press photographers in the Middle East, Afghanistan & Pakistan Region between Aug. 12-18, 2021. This week’s selection includes scenes from across the region, where the Taliban’s swift advance on Afghanistan followed the American retreat from the country two decades after their invasion. Wildfires outside of…
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s two most populous states on Thursday recorded new benchmark highs in COVID-19 infections. New South Wales reported a record 681 cases in the latest 24-hour period, mostly in Sydney. The previous record for the most populous state was 633 cases set on Wednesday. Neighboring Victoria reported 57 new cases in its capital Melbourne. It was the…
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — CANBERRA, Australia — Australia had evacuated the first 26 people, including Australian and Afghan citizens, from Kabul since the Taliban overran the Afghan capital, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday. An Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft landed at an Australian military base in the United Arab Emirates with the 26 who included a…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s first coronavirus outbreak in six months has grown to seven people. The announcement Wednesday came a day after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern imposed a strict lockdown after the first case was reported. The lockdown is for at least three days for the country and at least a week for the cities of Auckland and…
The Taliban fighters who rolled into Afghanistan’s capital and other cities in recent days appear awestruck by the towering apartment blocks, modern office buildings and shopping malls. When the Taliban last seized power, in 1996, the country had been ravaged by civil war and the capital was in ruins. Afghanistan has been transformed in the two decades since the U.S.-led invasion drove the militants from power. A new generation has come of age under a Western-backed government more open to women’s rights, technology and economic development. Many now fear those gains will be rolled back, even as the Taliban have signaled greater moderation.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand has detected its first community transmission of the coronavirus in months, triggering urgent meetings among top lawmakers. Health officials say the positive case was found in Auckland on Tuesday afternoon and has no known link to outside the country. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promised a tough approach, including possible lockdowns, for any outbreaks…
Senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi is said to be in the Afghan capital negotiating with Kabul’s political leadership, including Abdullah Abdullah, who once headed the country’s negotiating council, and former President Hamid Karzai. That is according to an official familiar with the talks and who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the…
WASHINGTON — Dozens of nations from around the world are calling on all involved in events in Afghanistan to respect and facilitate the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country. More than 60 nations released a joint statement Sunday night citing what they call “the deteriorating security situation” in Afghanistan. The statement says that those…
SYDNEY — Australia’s most populous state on Monday reported its worst day of the pandemic with 478 new COVID-19 infections and seven deaths. The previous record daily tally in New South Wales was 466 new cases reported on Saturday. Two of the dead had taken a single dose of a two-shot vaccine. The rest were unvaccinated, New South Wales Premier…
