The militants of the Taliban radical movement are active on 70 percent of the Afghan territory, fully controlling 4 percent of the nation and demonstrating presence in another 66 percent, a BBC study has found.
The Taliban are in full control of 14 districts of the crisis-torn state and have "an active and open physical" presence in a further 263, the results of the study published on Tuesday showed.
About 15 million of the Afghan citizens live in the areas either controlled by the radical movement or in the districts that are often targeted by Taliban's attacks, according to the broadcaster's research.
The BBC investigation has revealed that the number of districts with Taliban's presence has increased since the mission carried out by the United States and its allies in Afghanistan ended in 2014 and the foreign troops were formally withdrawn from the country.
Society's Child
© Danish Siddiqui / Reuters
According to Bloomberg News, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission have requested information from Apple as part of a probe into whether or not the company's not-so-helpful update violated securities laws. The inquiry is still in its early stages, according to the sources.
While consumers and even foreign governments - French authorities launched an investigation of their own in early January - have cried foul over the company's "planned obsolescence," the US government probe will focus on whether Apple misled investors about the performance of older phones.
© Global Look Press
An undercover reporter caught up with the landlord in Cardiff. He had advertised an annex on Craigslist for £650 ($920) per month, but said "a reduced deposit/rent" was available for "alternative payments."
"I don't want to suggest anything that makes you run a mile but I want to help you out," the landlord was recorded saying on an ITV hidden camera. "I don't know if you have heard of a sort of a friends-with-benefits sort of arrangement."
Because Saturday was Holocaust Memorial Day, some Twitter leftists apparently thought that Douthat's piece was promoting Nazism or attacking Jews. Canadian film producer and actress Nadine Van der Velde was especially perturbed:
Comment: The end result of this victim-based ideology is to burn everything to the ground, including the very structures that support the ideology.
© Instagram/@sighpoutshrug / Reuters
Oahu, Hawaii
Oahu, Hawaii
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) administrator Vern Miyagi stepped down Monday. "Gen. Miyagi, a respected military leader and honorable man, has taken full responsibility and submitted letter of resignation today," state Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Joe Logan, the Agency's military chief, said at a media conference.
He added that the employee who erroneously set off the missile alarm was sacked Friday. Retired Brig. Gen Bruce Oliveira, who is leading the probe, revealed that the employee who sent the island state into a frenzy of anxiety and panic has a history of mixing up trials and actual threats.
Comment: See also:
- 'This is not a drill': 'Mistake' puts Hawaii on alert over ballistic missile threat
- What happened during the false Hawaiian missile threat alert?
- Hawaiian official who caused false nuclear missile scare reassigned todifferent job
- Oops: Hawaii governor late in retracting false missile alert because he 'forgot' his Twitter login
- Confirmed: NBC News crew was inside bunker facility hours before it sent out the error missile alert
© ndrugua / Facebook
During a "swearing-in" ceremony in the center of the Ukrainian capital over the weekend, hundreds of new members swore allegiance to National Brigades and their agenda, which includes "patrolling", "protecting" and "cleansing our streets of the rot like alcoholics and drug addicts", as police looked on. The entire ceremony was captured on video and promoted on the Brigades' Facebook page.
© YouTube
Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand appeared to tone down her outrage when she was challenged about allegations of sexual assault against former President Bill Clinton, and recent revelations against Hillary Clinton.
Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand appeared to tone down her outrage when she was challenged about allegations of sexual assault against former President Bill Clinton, and recent revelations against Hillary Clinton.
Here's the video of the interaction:
© Rupty
"We demand the departure of the American forces for having trampled upon the blood of children and civilians," Al-Sheikh Qater Al-Samawad, a Member of Al-Obeid tribe in Al-Anbar told RT following the alleged strike.
At least eight Iraqis were reportedly killed and 20 wounded in the botched raid conducted by US-led coalition forces operating in Al-Anbar province, according to reports. Local police said civilians and police were wrongfully targeted by a Coalition air strike after Iraqi forces misidentified police vehicles as part of a terrorist convoy.
© Still from AP Video
26-year-old Zhang Dongdong gained popularity among netizens after he was videoed clearing a skywalk at the cliff on one of the Five Great Mountains of China, Huashan Mountain (Mount Hua) in northwest China's Shaanxi province, according to local media. It usually takes Zhang around an hour to get rid of the snow.
© Reuters/ Osman Orsal
Earlier in the day, the NTV channel reported that at least two people had been injured in southern Turkey's Reyhanli as a result of rocket fire from Syria. According to the channel, those injured were taken to a hospital, with no information on their condition available.
The Anadolu Agency later reported that an injured teenage girl had died in hospital from wounds sustained in one of the attacks, carried out by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party's (PYD) militants. One more civilian was reportedly injured, two houses and several cars were also damaged.
Comment: The first question is whether this data can be trusted since it comes from the Fake News BBC. But if true, the presence of the US military in Afghanistan for over a decade to "eradicate the Taliban" has clearly been an unmitigated failure. The Americans should take all their soldiers home and leave the country to be taken care of by the Afghani people.