World

(Reuters) – The Russian and British empires battled over Afghanistan in the 19th century, and the United States and the Soviet Union in the 20th.

(Reuters) – The U.S. drug regulator yesterday granted full approval to the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine – the first to secure such Food and Drug Administration validation – prompting President Joe Biden to make a fresh pitch to vaccine skeptics to get the shot to fight the relentless pandemic.

NEW DELHI/LONDON,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – From television screens and universities to the national parliament, Afghan women spent two decades battling to have their voices heard and their faces seen.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – New York City will require public school teachers and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Mayor Bill de Blasio said yesterday, part of a push to get more residents inoculated and slow the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

MAPUTO, (Reuters) – South Africa will extradite former Mozambique finance minister Manuel Chang to his home country, its justice department said yesterday, where a criminal trial over the $2 billion debt scandal that crashed its economy has now begun.

MEXICO CITY,  (Reuters) – Five workers were killed and six injured in Sunday’s fire on an offshore platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico operated by Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) that cut about a quarter of Mexico’s oil production, the company said on Monday.

KABUL,  (Reuters) – A firefight involving Western forces erupted at Kabul airport this morning when Afghan guards exchanged fire with unidentified gunmen, Germany’s military said, adding to the evacuation chaos as Washington faces pressure to extend its deadline to withdraw.

SINGAPORE,  (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said today during a visit to Singapore that the United States was focusing on evacuation efforts taking place in Afghanistan and that there would be plenty of time to analyse the context of the troop withdrawal.

MEXICO CITY,  (Reuters) – At least one person died and five more are missing due to a fire that erupted on an offshore platform run by Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in the southern Gulf of Mexico, the Mexican state oil and gas company said today.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The United States has enlisted the help of six commercial airlines to help transport people after their evacuation from Afghanistan as Washington seeks to step up the pace of departures of Americans and at-risk Afghans from Kabul.

PORT-AU-PRINCE,  (Reuters) – Haitian President Jovenel Moise began this year by warning that his country was a land of coups, conspiracy and murder.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Henri weakened to a tropical depression last night but was forecast to dump heavy rain across the U.S.

VILNIUS, (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Lithuania’s foreign minister on Saturday and agreed on “bilateral coordinated action” to help the country withstand pressure from China over its decision to develop ties with Taiwan, Lithuania said.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – Josephine Baker, the famed Black French-American singer and dancer, will be buried in Paris’ Pantheon mausoleum – one of France’s highest honours – said government minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher yesterday.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – Josephine Baker, the famed Black French-American singer and dancer, will be buried in Paris’ Pantheon mausoleum – one of France’s highest honours – said government minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher on Sunday.

KABUL, (Reuters) – The United States and Germany yesterday told their citizens in Afghanistan to avoid travelling to Kabul airport, citing security risks as thousands of desperate people gathered trying to flee almost a week after Taliban Islamists took control.

AMAGANSETT, N.Y., (Reuters) – The U.S. East Coast braced yesterday to take a direct hit from Hurricane Henri as it threatened to pound the region with fierce winds and heavy rains that could cause “life-threatening” storm surge and flooding, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended the country’s lockdown strategy to combat coronavirus outbreaks until at least 70% of population is fully vaccinated.

HONG KONG, (Reuters) – A council member of a professional group of solicitors in Hong Kong yesterday dropped his bid to seek re-election next week, citing fears for his safety and that of his family.

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – Moscow pledged retaliatory measures after a new set of sanctions imposed by the United States on a Russian ship and two companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday.