Afghanistan future government
A senior Taliban official says talks are underway in Qatar about a future Afghan government including its name and structure. The Taliban’s political deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said the talks are taking place in Doha. He said Taliban delegates there, are in contact with the international community and political parties within Afghanistan. Inside the country, the Taliban have declared a general amnesty for all government officials and urged them to return to work. The group took over Afghanistan on Sunday after it captured the capital. Kabul’s takeover followed the capturing of other key cities by the Taliban in course of a week.
Afghanistan evacuation
Military flights have resumed evacuating foreign diplomats and civilians from the Afghan capital Kabul. The resumption comes after Kabul airport was cleared of people desperate to flee the Taliban takeover of the capital. On Monday, the airport saw chaotic scenes in which US forces fired at crowds to make way for American military transport planes to take off. At least five people died on the runway. The Taliban took control of Kabul on Sunday without fight.
Japan Covid curbs
Japan is set to expand its coronavirus restrictions as cases surge in the capital Tokyo and elsewhere. The curbs will include extending the state of emergency in worst-hit areas by nearly two weeks to September 12. The emergency restrictions will also expand to cover almost 60 percent of Japan’s population. On Monday, Tokyo announced nearly 3,000 new infections in 24 hours. The city on Friday also registered a record high of around 5,800 daily cases. The new measures are expected to cost Japan’s economy nearly eleven billion dollars and claim 66,000 jobs.