International

NEW DELHI: Leaders of the five-nation BRICS club (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for settling the situation in Afghanistan through peaceful means. The declaration at the virtual summit held through video conference said the leaders also sought an “inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue so as to ensure stability, civil peace, law and …

KABUL: Some 200 passengers, including US citizens, left Kabul airport on Thursday, on the first flight carrying foreigners out of the Afghan capital since a US-led evacuation ended on Aug 30. The flight to Doha comes as the Taliban continue their transition from insurgents to governing power, less than a month after they marched into Kabul and ousted former president …

BERLIN: Police on Thursday searched the German finance and justice ministries in connection with an investigation into hushed-up reports of money laundering, in a potentially damaging case ahead of this month’s election. The raids were part of a probe into the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the anti-money laundering section of Germany’s customs authority, prosecutors in the city of Osnabrueck said …

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook and iconic eyewear brand Ray-Ban on Thursday launched their new smart glasses, the latest effort in a tricky, niche market but which the social media giant sees as a step toward its future. The “Ray-Ban Stories” shades can take pictures and video upon the wearer’s voice commands, and the frames can connect wirelessly to Facebook’s platform through …

NEW YORK: Two decades after its destruction in the Sept 11 attacks, the work to rebuild the World Trade Centre complex remains incomplete. Two planned skyscrapers, a performing arts centre and a church are still unfinished at the site, which plays host on Saturday to the annual ceremony honoring nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks. Visitors to the commemoration …

SAN FRANCISCO: Google on Wednesday ramped up cloud collaboration tools for businesses, expecting “hybrid” work routines to remain even after the pandemic has ended. The internet titan competes with Microsoft, Zoom, Facebook and others with online services that employees can use to collaborate remotely. Tech giants turned to their own tools after abandoning campuses early in the pandemic, which fueled …

MOSCOW: A Russian minister died on Tuesday while trying to save a filmmaker who slipped from a cliff during training exercises in the Arctic, officials said. Emergencies minister Yevgeny Zinichev, who previously served in President Vladimir Putin’s security detail, is the first Russian cabinet member to die on duty. He was lauded by senior government officials and the Russian leader …

RAMALLAH: Israeli troops have arrested at least six relatives of Palestinians who broke out of a high-security jail, a local watchdog said on Wednesday amid protests in support of the escapees. The six Palestinians staged their jailbreak on Monday through a hole they had dug under a sink in a Gilboa prison cell in northern Israel — reportedly using a spoon. …

Hong Kong: China, Germany and Japan offered a lukewarm reception on Wednesday to the Taliban’s provisional government in Afghanistan, following the group’s lightning seizure of Kabul last month. Taliban leaders filled all the top posts in Tuesday’s government list — which had no outsiders and no women — while an associate of the group’s founder was named prime minister and the interior …

DUBAI: Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul as Taliban forces reached the outskirts of the city last month, apologised on Wednesday for the abrupt fall of his government but denied that he had taken millions of dollars with him. In a statement posted on Twitter, Ghani said he had left at the urging of his security team who …