Taliban celebrate defeating the United States in Afghanistan - CNA

Their victory came after Biden withdrew nearly all American troops, then was forced to send back about 6,000 more to conduct the airlift.

Biden said he would address the nation on Tuesday in Washington, as his critics continued to savage him for his handling of the withdrawal.

"We can't fight endless wars, but the scope & consequence of Biden's failure here is staggering," Republican Senator Rick Scott said.

Biden's top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was able to offer little more than stern words for the Taliban.

"Any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned," Blinken said, as he announced the United States had suspended its diplomatic presence in Kabul and shifted its operations to Qatar.

AIRPORT UNCERTAINTY

All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handle their first few days with sole authority over the country, with a sharp focus on whether they will allow free departure for those wanting to leave - including some foreigners.

Blinken said a small number of US citizens remained in the country - "under 200" but likely closer to just 100. Britain says the number of UK nationals inside Afghanistan are in the "low hundreds".

Many thousands of Afghans who had worked with the US-backed government over the years and fear retribution also want to get out.

Western allies have voiced heartbreak in recent days that not all Afghans who wanted to flee could get on the evacuation flights.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Monday, requiring the Taliban to honour a commitment to let people freely leave Afghanistan in the days ahead, and to grant access to the UN and other aid agencies.

Talks are ongoing as to who will now run Kabul airport, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Tuesday was of "existential importance", because it is a lifeline for aid.

The Taliban have asked Turkey to handle logistics while they maintain control of security, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not yet accepted that offer.

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2021-08-31 14:59:00Z
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COVID-19: Australia strikes vaccine swap deal with Singapore as cases surge - CNA

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2021-08-31 12:37:20Z
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Japan criticised after C-130 plane leaves Kabul with one passenger - Yahoo Singapore News

Refugees disembark from a US air force aircraft after an evacuation flight from Kabul at the Rota naval base in Rota, southern Spain, on 31 August 2021. - Japan was heavily criticised for evacuating just one passenger on its C-130 aircraft. (AFP via Getty Images)

Japan has been criticised for evacuating just one passenger on its C-130 aircraft from Kabul on 27 August, instead of more than 500, according to local reports.

The Kyodo News identified the Japanese national on the flight as Hiromi Yasui, 57, who ran a business in Kabul and was also a stringer for the outlet’s Kabul bureau.

Tokyo has come under scrutiny for its poor evacuation plans, which were underscored by this C-130 flight last week.

However, the newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that Japan’s ASDF was also able to evacuate 14 Afghan government officials a day before, at the request of the United States.

They were evacuated by the ASDF from Kabul and then flown to Pakistan.

Japan had dispatched three aircraft for the evacuation mission, believing that 500 Japanese nationals, as well as several hundred local Afghans working for the Japanese embassy and Japan International Cooperation Agency, would be evacuated.

Buses manned by American troops were reportedly gathering those evacuees on Thursday when a powerful suicide bomb exploded at the perimeter of Kabul’s International airport, killing more than 170 people.

Japanese officials have refused to give details about the exact number of Japanese nationals still in Afghanistan.

“Upon considering the local situation and relevant countries’ movement, we’ve decided to move our personnel in Afghanistan to a nearby country temporarily,” Japan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The spokesperson added: “We will continue to do our utmost to ensure the safety of Japanese nationals and local staff, and to provide assistance for their evacuation.”

On Monday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling on the Taliban to allow safe passage for those seeking to leave Afghanistan.

As the last US troops left Kabul, the Central Command head General Kenneth McKenzie said that “73 aircraft that were already at the Kabul airport were “demilitarized” and that “those aircraft will never fly again... They’ll never be able to be operated by anyone.”

The Japanese defence minister, Nobuo Kishi on Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of the Self-Defense Forces from the rescue mission.

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Final UK troops pulled out of Kabul

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2021-08-31 10:16:36Z
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Singapore to send 500000 Covid-19 vaccines doses to Australia in swop deal | THE BIG STORY - The Straits Times

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2021-08-31 10:10:24Z
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China calls for US to be investigated for civilian deaths in Afghanistan - South China Morning Post

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1. China calls for US to be investigated for civilian deaths in Afghanistan  South China Morning Post
2. China holds firm on Xinjiang as neighbouring Afghanistan poses security concerns  Yahoo Singapore News
3. Chinese foreign minister tells top United States diplomat world must “positively guide” Taliban  TODAYonline
4. Afghanistan's neighbours brace for a grim future: Statesman columnist  The Straits Times
5. China urges nations to ‘actively guide’ Taliban government  The Guardian
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2021-08-31 04:00:20Z
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U.S. Military Releases Haunting Image Of Last Soldier To Leave Afghanistan - Yahoo Singapore News

The Defense Department on Monday released an image of the last American soldier leaving Afghanistan, signaling the end of the nation’s longest war.

That distinction goes to Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, who was photographed boarding an Air Force C-17 in Kabul:

The official time of departure was 3:29 p.m. EDT Monday, or 11:59 p.m. in Kabul.

Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who leads U.S. Central Command, said more than 123,000 civilians had been evacuated from Afghanistan by the U.S. and its allies since Aug. 14, one of the largest airlift operations in history.

“Tonight’s withdrawal signifies both the end of the military component of the evacuation but also the end of the nearly 20-year mission that began in Afghanistan shortly after Sept. 11, 2001,” McKenzie said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that 100 to 200 U.S. citizens remain in Afghanistan who wish to leave and that diplomatic efforts are underway.

“The military phase is over, but our desire to bring these people out remains as intense as it was before,” Blinken said.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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2021-08-31 03:42:29Z
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Australia to receive 500000 Covid-19 vaccine doses in swop deal with Singapore - The Straits Times

CANBERRA/SINGAPORE - Australia will receive 500,000 doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine from Singapore this week, with Canberra returning the same quantity later in the year, the leaders of both nations said on Tuesday. 

The vaccine swop deal will allow Australia, which is struggling to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases, to accelerate its vaccination programme. 

"We need to vaccinate the whole country and we need for those doses to go from one end of the country to the other and for them to be taken up," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

"This will greatly assist the national vaccination program as it brings in two important age groups into the program — the 16- to 29-year-olds, which have already begun this week — and, of course, the 12- to 15-year-olds," Australian Broadcasting Corp reported him as saying.

Mr Morrison thanked Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for helping facilitate the swop.

Mr Lee, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, said: "Our two countries enjoy a warm and long-standing friendship, and this is another example of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."

"Glad to support their efforts to get Australians vaccinated as soon as possible. Countries must be united in the battle to quell the pandemic, so that we can all move into the new normal. Singapore is ready to do our bit."

Singapore's Covid-19 vaccination rate reached the milestone of 80 per cent of the population having received two doses as at Sunday (Aug 29).

In a statement, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "This arrangement will enable both countries to support each other in optimising our respective schedules for vaccinating our populations against Covid-19."

MFA noted the benefit Australia providing the same quantity of vaccines back to Singapore at a later date, "after we have drawn down on our existing supplies vaccinating the rest of our population, including new incoming long-term pass holders as we open up our society and economy.

"These returned doses would come in more useful for Singapore then, potentially as booster doses for specific segments of our population that could benefit from such boosting."

"Throughout the pandemic, both countries have been sharing best practices in our respective efforts to combat Covid-19, and have been working together to keep markets open and supply chains functioning globally."

With just under 28 per cent of Australia’s population fully vaccinated, compared with 80 per cent in Singapore, several states and territories have had to implement strict lockdowns as cases soared, hitting businesses and the domestic economy.

Capital city Canberra on Tuesday extended its hard lockdown by a further two weeks, and Victoria, the country’s second most populous state, is expected to soon follow suit.

Canberra has been in lockdown for three weeks after a spate of cases believed to have spread from New South Wales, the epicentre of Australia’s Covid-19 outbreak.

Earlier this month, Australia secured 1 million Pfizer doses from Poland, which were directed to Sydney to help vaccinate younger age groups in hotspot areas, ABC said.

“We are bending the curve down and are getting on top of the outbreak. However, it is a slow process and it will take more time,” Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr told reporters in Canberra.

On Tuesday, Canberra reported 13 new cases in the past 24 hours. New South Wales reported 1,164 new infections, down slightly from a record 1,290 cases the day prior.

Victoria, which has been in lockdown for five weeks, on Tuesday reported 76 new locally acquired coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, up marginally from 73 cases reported the previous day.

State Premier Dan Andrews said too many people remain unvaccinated to significantly ease restrictions, but that Victoria would outline a plan on Wednesday to reduce curbs as vaccination levels rise.

Australia has recorded nearly 54,000 Covid-19 cases and 1,006 deaths since the start of the pandemic, still lower than the caseload and death toll in most comparable nations.

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2021-08-31 03:12:55Z
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