World News Roundup: Japan Finds Another Moderna Flask Suspected of Containing Foreign Substance; Taliban say they have surrounded Afghan resistance fighters, call for peace, more

Here is a summary of the news in the world.

Japan finds another Moderna vial suspected of containing foreign substance

Japan has reported a new case of contamination involving Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, the fourth such incident in less than a week, threatening to slow the country’s spray inoculation campaign. Kanagawa Prefecture said on Tuesday that several black particles in a Moderna vaccine vial were found when testing for foreign substances before use, and it has put the rest of the batch on hold.

Taliban say they have surrounded Afghan resistance fighters, call for peace

The Taliban have surrounded the only remaining province that resists his rule, a senior official said on Wednesday, calling on the rebels to negotiate a settlement with the group. Since the fall of Kabul on August 15, the mountainous Panjshir is the only province to have resisted the Islamist group, although there has also been fighting in the neighboring province of Baghlan between the Taliban and local militias.

New era for Afghanistan begins with long lines and rising prices

As Kabul ushered in a new era of Taliban rule, long lines in front of banks and skyrocketing prices in bazaars underscored the daily worries its people now face after the city’s spectacular takeover there. at two weeks. For the Taliban, growing economic woes appear to be their greatest challenge, with a sinking currency and rising inflation adding to the misery of a country where more than a third of the population lives on less than $ 2 a day. .

Biden promises security aid when first meeting Ukrainian Zelenskiy

President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday and a US official said he would offer strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russian aggression, as well as a pledge to provide $ 60 million in funding. ‘security assistance. The two leaders, in their first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office in January, are expected to discuss their differences over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which Ukraine fears will be used by Russia as a a geopolitical weapon, among others.

Israel opposes US plan to reopen Jerusalem embassy as “unsettling”

Israel said on Wednesday that a US plan to reopen its consulate in Jerusalem, which has traditionally been a base for diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians, is a “bad idea” and could destabilize the new government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. President Donald Trump’s previous administration signaled its support for Israel’s claim to Jerusalem as the capital by moving the US embassy to Tel Aviv and subsuming the consulate in that mission.

With Kabul airport closed, fearful Afghans rush to border

Thousands of people trying to flee Afghanistan rushed to its borders on Wednesday amid an administrative vacuum after the Taliban takeover left foreign donors unsure of how to respond to a looming humanitarian crisis. Islamist militia focused on maintaining banks, hospitals and government machinery after the final withdrawal of US forces on Monday that ended a massive airlift of Afghans who had helped Western countries during the war 20 years old.

For Putin, the US incursion into Afghanistan only ended in tragedy

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the US military intervention in Afghanistan had only resulted in tragedies and loss of life on all sides and showed that it was impossible to impose foreign values ​​on others. nations. Speaking to teenagers at an educational institution in the Russian Far East, Putin made it clear that he considered the American approach to a country once invaded by the Soviet Union was deeply flawed.

Canada’s ‘hellish summer’ puts climate change at the forefront of elections

Canadians are demanding decisive action from leaders to tackle climate change after a summer of extreme weather conditions that heightened environmental concerns, making it the number one issue in September’s snap election, poll data shows. For many Canadians, 2021 is the year the climate crisis hit their home. A “heat dome” burned down Canada’s most westerly province, British Columbia, in June, shattering national temperature records, contributing to more than 500 deaths and heralding the start of the third worst season of the world. provincial forest fires.

Rescue boat highlights plight of migrants as Mediterranean arrivals skyrocket

A wooden dinghy carrying 19 African migrants is so heavily loaded that it almost takes water on its sides in the open sea off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The two babies on board are crying. The dinghy, stuck in the Mediterranean with its apparently broken outboard motor, is just one of the boats helped by volunteers from the Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms in recent days amid an increase in arrivals at Lampedusa .

Analysis: Withdrawal from Afghanistan prompts EU to relaunch rapid reaction force

The chaotic withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan has shown that the European Union must intervene militarily in a crisis without relying on American troops, senior EU officials have said. Two decades after EU leaders first agreed to build a 50,000 to 60,000-strong force but failed to make it operational, EU states are once again aiming to create a “first entry force” of 5,000 men. They want an agreement on its design by March 2022.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)