Taliban take Kandahar, Herat in major Afghanistan offensive
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban captured two major Afghan cities, the country's second- and third-largest after Kabul, and a strategic provincial capital on Thursday, further squeezing the embattled government just weeks before the end of the Ame...
Rush of troops to Kabul tests Biden’s withdrawal deadline
WASHINGTON (AP) — The last-minute decision to send 3,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan to help partially evacuate the U.S. Embassy is calling into question whether President Joe Biden will meet his Aug. 31 deadline for fully withdrawing combat forces. The...
Extra COVID vaccine OK’d for those with weak immune systems
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators say transplant recipients and others with severely weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge.
Venezuelan government, opposition leaders meet in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Representatives of President Nicolás Maduro and the Venezuelan opposition on Friday showed eagerness to find a common path out of their country’s political standoff, meeting in neutral territory for formal dialogue for the first time...
The Latest: Australia capital’s lockdown until no more virus
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s capital Canberra will remain locked down until there are no more COVID-19 infections in the city, a government leader said on Friday.
New Zealand loses its precious ‘Rings’ series to Britain
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has long been associated with “The Lord of the Rings” but with the filming of a major new television series suddenly snatched away, the nation has become more like Mordor than the Shire
Extra COVID vaccine OK’d for those with weak immune systems
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators on Thursday said transplant recipients and others with severely weakened immune systems can get an extra dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to better protect them as the delta variant continues to surge.
Official: Canada sending special forces to close Afghan embassy in Kabul
TORONTO — Canadian special forces will deploy to Afghanistan where Canadian embassy staff in Kabul will be evacuated before closing, a source familiar with the plan told The Associated Press. The official, who was not authorized to talk publicly about...
Migrants find themselves stranded abroad by new US policy
EL CEIBO, Guatemala (AP) — Shortly after crossing the border in south Texas with her 5-year-old daughter, Karla Leiva of Honduras found herself on a chartered U.S. government flight, learning midair that she was headed to the provincial capital of
Phoenix police chief suspended over dismissed protest cases
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams was given a one-day suspension after lawyers hired by the city issued a report that heavily criticized her agency’s role in a now-discredited gang case against demonstrators last fall at a protest