Laurie Bristow
Some 18,000 People Have Been Evacuated from Afghanistan since Taliban Takeover
Over 18,000 people were evacuated from Kabul airport since the Taliban took over the main Afghanistan city, a NATO official said. Taliban militants controlling access to the airport have fired shots into the air to disperse approaching crowds, BBC reported. Only in the past 24 hours some 5,000 people managed to escape through the airport, which is being run by specially deployed US troops.
Russia to Expel 23 British Diplomats and Closes British General Consulate in St. Petersburg
Russia announced that 23 British diplomats are now "persona non grata" and gave them a week to leave the country and also to close the British General Consulate in St. Petersburg, FOCUS quoted TASS as saying.