International

16,000 evacuated from Kabul airport in past 24 hours: Pentagon

AFP

Around 16,000 people were evacuated over the past 24 hours from Afghanistan through the Kabul airport, the Pentagon said Monday, as the US speeds toward completing its airlift by an August 31 deadline.

General Hank Taylor told reporters that 61 military, commercial and charter flights involving a number of countries flew out from Hamid Karzai International Airport in the 24 hours to 3:00 am Monday (0700 GMT) carrying people escaping the country after the Taliban seized power.

Of the total evacuated that day, 11,000 were taken out by the US military airlift operations, Taylor said.

Taylor said the number of people relocated from Afghanistan since July on US flights hit 42,000, with 37,000 of those since the intense airlift operations started on August 14 as the Taliban moved to take Kabul.

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That includes “several thousand” US citizens, and thousands of Afghans who worked for US forces, who had applied for or received special immigrant visas, and Afghans seen as at risk to Taliban attacks for their work in non-governmental organizations, the media, and other jobs, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.

Kirby said focus remains on getting US evacuation operations done by the August 31 deadline set for the US pullout from the country by President Joe Biden.

That would require withdrawing the 5,800 US troops who have essentially run airport operations and maintained security since August 14, as well as large amounts of equipment brought in to support their mission.

German, British and French officials said Monday that evacuations on their part could continue after August 31, and said they want the US force to stay in place to help the international airlift.

On Tuesday leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations will meet virtually on Afghanistan.

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“Whether or not the US can be persuaded to stay is a matter for the prime minister (Boris Johnson) tomorrow in the G7 meeting,” British armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News.

Britain currently chairs the G7, also comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Kirby did not categorically rule out Washington extending the deadline, although the Taliban have said they will hold the US to it.

For the United States, Kirby said, “The goal is to get as many people out as fast as possible.”

“The focus is on trying to do this as best we can, by the end of the month,” he said.

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Internacionales

Parliament approves national celebration for Venezuela’s first saint

Venezuela will declare a National Day of Celebration on the date set for the canonization of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, following its approval by Pope Francis on Tuesday, the National Assembly (AN) announced on Thursday. The chavista-controlled Parliament passed a resolution marking this occasion as a historic milestone.

According to the approved decree, this decision follows 75 years of anticipation from the Venezuelan people, who have long awaited the official recognition of the miraculous virtues of this revered figure.

The National Assembly also endorsed efforts to promote the life and legacy of Hernández, who will become Venezuela’s first saint. Additionally, a relic of the “Doctor of the Poor” (1864–1919) will be placed in the National Pantheon in Caracas, where Simón Bolívar’s remains rest.

The legislative body celebrated the upcoming canonization as a tribute to a man who dedicated his life to serving others, spreading a message of hope and love.

International

Colombian Education Minister fails master’s thesis for lack of rigor

Colombia’s Minister of Education, José Daniel Rojas, failed his master’s thesis due to a lack of theoretical rigor, according to the National University, a decision that sparked widespread criticism and mockery on Wednesday.

Local media quickly picked up the news, while social media users flooded platforms with jokes, asking, “What’s the ultimate irony for an Education Minister?”

Rojas’ thesis on “Guaranteed Employment in Colombia” for his Master’s in Economic Sciences was graded as failed due to “theoretical weaknesses and lack of conceptual rigor,” the National University (UNAL), the country’s most prestigious public institution, stated in a press release.

“Additionally, the student’s responses to the questions posed during the defense were not considered satisfactory,” the statement added.

International

Trump announces 25% tariffs on EU products, including cars

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that tariffs on European Union (EU) products will be set at 25% across the board.

“We will announce them very soon, and they will be 25% in general terms, applying to cars and all kinds of things,” he stated during his first cabinet meeting at the White House.

Trump reiterated his grievances against the EU, claiming that the bloc “does not accept [U.S.] cars or [U.S.] agricultural products.”

“They take advantage of us in a different way than Canada or Mexico,” he added. The Republican president once again cited the U.S. trade deficit with Europe at “$300 billion,” a figure the European Commission disputes, estimating it at €150 billion ($157 billion) in goods, and only $50 billion when factoring in the U.S. trade surplus in services.

“The EU was designed to screw the United States. That was the goal, and they succeeded. But now I’m the president,” Trump said, adding that European countries might consider retaliating, but “they won’t.”