Madrid (AFP) – With Real Madrid hoping to sign Kylian Mbappé, coach Carlo Ancelotti agrees that Paris SG’s French striker “is a great player”, but declines to comment further on the possible transfer ahead of their La Liga match against Betis Sevilla.
Minna (Nigeria) (AFP) – Nigerian schoolchildren kidnapped from an Islamic seminary three months ago are reunited with their parents after their gunmen captors freed them from forest hideouts.
Washington (AFP) – An Afghan refugee who fled the Soviet invasion in 1987 and set up afresh in Washington, DC organizes a donation center with the help of local volunteers. “It was hard just to watch on TV and just be idle,” says Fatima Popal.
Istanbul (AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey has held its first talks with the Taliban in Kabul, adding that Ankara is still assessing the Islamist group’s offer to run the Afghan capital’s airport.
Chaman (Pakistan) (AFP) – Afghans cross into Pakistan at the Chaman border crossing as thousands desperately try to flee following the Taliban takeover. Amjad says he left because he had no work once the Taliban took over, and couldn’t “even earn money to feed our children”.
Rome (AFP) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that Russia condemns the twin suicide bombings at Kabul’s airport and expresses condolences to the families of those who died. The blasts near Kabul airport on Thursday killed at least 85 people, including 13 US servicemen, and were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.
Maiduguri (Nigeria) (AFP) – In northern Nigeria dozens of fighters from jihadist group Boko Haram have been handing in their weapons, seeking reintegration into society. The government claims the credit, though the full reasons are less clear. And not everyone is ready to accept them back into the fold.
Guadalajara (Mexico) (AFP) – The Guadalajara Zoo, in Mexico, welcomes two manatees from the Caribbean, with the intention of raising awareness for the protection of the species, currently endangered because of pollution and fishing techniques.
Veracruz (Mexico) (AFP) – Over 131,000 children in Mexico have lost a mother, father or both to the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Lancet medical journal. The grief and anxiety make returning to school a challenge for bereaved families.
US President Joe Biden pledges to hunt down the perpetrators of the suicide bombings in Kabul that killed 12 American troops. “We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay,” Biden says from the White House.
Houston (AFP) – Having fled the Taliban, Mohammad is ready to start a new life in Texas. But the former US government translator’s heart aches when he thinks about his relatives left behind in Afghanistan. “Brothers, mother, sister — always we think about them.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemns the “heinous” attack outside Kabul airport on people seeking evacuation from Afghanistan that left at least six dead.
