- Covid-19 testing facilities set up at airports for UAE-bound passengers
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has established rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing facilities at eight major airports in different cities including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Quetta, and Sialkot for passengers traveling to United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- ‘Stand behind my decision,’ says Biden on US withdrawal; blames Afghan army and leaders for ‘giving up’
Breaking his silence on the US pullout after scenes of bedlam dominated television news channels for days, Biden blamed the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan on Afghan political leaders who fled the country and the unwillingness of the US-trained Afghan army to fight the militant group.
He did not shy away from heaping criticism at the Western-backed government that was overthrown in Kabul, saying US troops could not defend a nation whose leaders “gave up and fled,” as did Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
- Ashraf Ghani fled with cars and helicopter full of cash: Russia
Russia’s embassy in Kabul said on Monday that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash and had to leave some money behind as it would not all fit in, the RIA news agency reported.
- Malala urges world leaders to take urgent action on Afghanistan
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she was deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, particularly the safety of women and girls, and called on Monday for world leaders to take urgent action.
Yousafzai said US President Joe Biden “has a lot to do” and must “take a bold step” to protect the Afghan people, adding she had been trying to reach out to several global leaders.
“This is actually an urgent humanitarian crisis right now that we need to provide our help and support,” Yousafzai said.
- Pakistan’s dollar bonds under selling pressure
Pakistan’s dollar-denominated bonds came under selling pressure on Monday as Taliban fighters overthrew the US-backed Ashraf Ghani government in Afghanistan to seize Kabul, with the prices of five, 10- and 30-year maturity papers dropping by 1.4 percent, 1.7pc, and 1.8pc, respectively.
- Poland recalls ambassador amid dispute with Israel
Poland’s government said on Monday that its ambassador to Israel will remain in Poland until further notice after Israel downgraded diplomatic ties with Warsaw and strongly criticised a new Polish law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors to reclaim property seized by the country’s former communist regime.
- Taliban won’t get access to US reserves
As US forces were evacuating Afghanistan’s capital after the Taliban’s swift takeover, the official said: “Any Central Bank assets the Afghan government have in the United States will not be made available to the Taliban.” The central bank’s gross reserves totaled $9.4 billion at the end of April, according to the IMF.
- 7 killed as desperate Afghans cling to plane
Thousands of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of Kabul’s international airport on Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto an American military jet as it took off and plunged to death in the chaos that killed seven people.
- Olympians Arshad, Talha get hefty cash prizes
Olympians javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem and weightlifter Talha Talib were honored on Monday by their parent department Wapda with an extravagant cash prize of Rs2.5 million each for giving an impressive performance at the recently-held Tokyo Olympics.
COVID-19 Updates
- With 3,221 new COVID-19 cases, 95 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours
- 87,423 COVID-19 cases are active in the country
- The total death tally of Covid-19 stands at 24,573
- 4,291 people recovered from Coronavirus in the last 24 hours
- The positivity rate of Covid-19 is recorded at 6.68%
- Over 207.1 million are infected globally
- More than 4.3 million have died due to the virus
- Over 170 million recovered from COVID-19
- India Covid-19 vaccinations near record, new infections at five-month low
- 774,859 Covid vaccines administered across Pakistan on Aug 16: NCOC
- Islamabad, AJK and GB collectively record 481 virus cases, 8 deaths
- 509 new cases detected in KP, 49 infections confirmed in Balochistan
- Punjab reports 968 new cases, 40 deaths
