The first talks between the US and Taliban leaders since the withdrawal of American troops in August have concluded in Doha.
The talks in Qatar focused on containing extremist groups, the evacuation of US citizens and humanitarian aid.
US officials said that while the group would be judged by its actions, talks had been "candid and professional".
The US insists the meeting does not amount to recognition of the Taliban.
In a statement issued on Sunday night, the Taliban claimed that the US had agreed to begin to provide humanitarian aid to the country.
"US representatives stated that they will give humanitarian assistance to Afghans and will provide facilities for other humanitarian organisations to deliver aid," the group said.
It added that it will "cooperate with charitable groups in delivering the humanitarian assistance to those deserving transparently, and will facilitate the principled movement of foreign nationals".
However, the US has yet to formally confirm this claim.
Spokesperson Ned Price said that the two sides had discussed the provision "of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people," without providing further details.
"The US delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners, as well as human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society", he said.
Nonetheless, the Taliban's spokesperson in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, told the Associated Press that the regime is "able to tackle Daesh independently".
Mr Shaheen's comments come after an ISIS-K suicide bomb attack on a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz killed at least 50 people on Friday in the deadliest attack since US troops left the country.
More than 100 others were injured in the blast at the Said Abad mosque, used by the minority Shia Muslim community.
Following Ms Tsai's National Day address in Taipei, a range of was weaponry was displayed, including missile launchers, armoured vehicles, fighter jets and helicopters.
Ms Tsai said her country would not "act rashly", but added: "There should be absolutely no illusions that the Taiwanese people will bow to pressure."
She also repeated an offer to talk to China on the basis of parity.
Image:The military honour guard during National Day celebrations
Beijing, however, said Ms Tsai's speech had "incited confrontation" and insisted the two countries must be "reunified".
Waiting nine hours to respond to her comments, China said: "This speech advocated Taiwan independence, incited confrontation, cut apart history and distorted facts.
"The independence provocation by the Democratic Progressive Party (Tsai's ruling party) authorities is the source of tension and turbulence in cross-strait relations and the greatest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
On Saturday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said reunification with Taiwan "must be realised", adding that it could be done peacefully.
But surveys show the Taiwanese people are overwhelmingly in favour of the status quo.
Germany’s outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel, paid a final official visit to Israel amid differences between the allies on the key issues of Iran’s nuclear programme and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Merkel said on Sunday that Germany remains committed to reviving the international nuclear agreement with Iran – a step Israel vehemently opposes.
She also said Germany believes a two-state solution remains the best way to end Israel’s decades-long conflict with the Palestinians.
“I think that on this point, even if at this stage it seems almost hopeless, the idea of a two-state solution should not be taken off the table, it should not be buried … and that the Palestinians should be able to live securely in a state,” Merkel said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
She also said Israeli settlement construction on occupied territories sought by the Palestinians was unhelpful.
Bennett, a former settler leader who opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, quickly pushed back.
“Based on our experience, the meaning of a Palestinian state means that very likely there will be established a terror state, roughly seven minutes from my house and from almost any point in Israel,” he said.
Calling himself a “pragmatic man”, he instead said he was prepared to take steps on the ground to improve living conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
‘Terrorism is the occupation’
Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, who oversees relations with Israel, responded angrily. “The worst form of ‘terrorism’ is the occupation, not the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he wrote on Twitter.
It was one of the few disagreements between the close allies during Merkel’s two-day visit, which caps a 16-year term marked by near unwavering support for Israel.
Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, criticised Merkel for regarding Israel’s 54-year occupation as “temporary”.
“Maintaining this fiction has allowed the Merkel government to avoid dealing with the reality of apartheid and persecution of millions of Palestinians,” he said in a statement.
During her leadership, Merkel repeatedly professed Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security and said she was confident that Germany’s next government – to be determined in lengthy coalition talks following an inconclusive election last month – would take a similar stance.
“I am optimistic that every German government, including the one that follows mine, will feel committed to Israel’s security, and I think any successor who becomes German chancellor will see it that way,” she said.
Merkel increases the eternal flame at the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem [AFP]
Merkel backs nuclear deal
Much of the agenda was expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear programme. While the two leaders both promised to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, they voiced different approaches on how to do that.
Germany was a leading player in the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran. The accord fell apart after then-President Donald Trump, with Israel’s support, withdrew from the agreement in 2018. The Biden administration has been trying to revive that deal – known as the JCPOA – over Israeli objections.
“I never considered the JCPOA to be ideal, but it’s better than having no agreement,” Merkel said. She said the situation is “very difficult” as Iran continues to enrich uranium. “We are facing critical weeks around this question,” she said.
Israel considers Iran its greatest enemy, citing the country’s military presence in neighbouring Syria and its support for hostile fighter groups across the region. It accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons – a charge Iran denies – and says a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an existential threat to Israel.
“There is no point in trying to appease the Iranians. They interpret conciliation as a weakness,” Bennett said, accusing Iran of trying to delay while it moves forward with its weapons efforts. ”This is a critical point in time, and Germany’s position is particularly important.”
Merkel also made a stop at Israel’s national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, where she laid a wreath in memory of the six million European Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II.
“After the crimes against humanity of the Shoah [Holocaust], it has been possible to reset and to re-establish relations,” Merkel said.
It was “moving” that Israel had come to trust post-war Germany, but this “trust always has to prove itself”, she added.
Czech President Milos Zeman has been taken to hospital amid political upheaval after a surprise opposition win in parliamentary elections.
The 77-year-old is a heavy smoker and former heavy drinker who uses a wheelchair and suffers from diabetes.
He was due to lead talks on forming a new government after Saturday's vote.
Prague's Central Military Hospital director said Mr Zeman was in intensive care for complications from a known condition.
"We know the diagnosis precisely, which allows us to target treatment," director Miroslav Zavoral said, but added that he would not give any further details per the president's request.
Mr Zeman's office has previously said he is suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, after spending eight days in hospital last month.
The president was taken to hospital from the presidential chateau outside the capital Prague on Sunday morning, shortly after a meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
Footage broadcast by Czech media show staff holding up his head as he entered the hospital.
When President Zeman spent eight days in hospital in September, journalists asked the president's mercurial spokesman Jiri Ovcacek for an official explanation. For two days there was no response. Finally, the silence was broken with the following cryptic tweet:
"I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about": Psalm 3, 5-7.
It is fair to say that the Czech journalistic community - some of whom are blacklisted by the president's office - has developed a certain degree of scepticism at the official statements emanating from Prague Castle.
For weeks we have been told September's visit was a scheduled one, to treat exhaustion and dehydration.
But last week several media outlets - including the country's public broadcaster, Czech Radio - quoted seven independent sources familiar with his condition who said he was suffering from ascites, a build-up of abdominal fluid usually associated with cirrhosis of the liver. Mr Zeman has been a heavy drinker throughout his life.
Mr Ovcacek released a statement dismissing the claims as lies and disinformation, motivated by political activism and hatred of Mr Zeman.
But distressing footage of the president being wheeled into hospital - apparently unconscious, his head held up by a bodyguard and his wife and daughter with him - will do nothing to allay public concerns, at a time of political vacuum.
Prime Minister Babis and his populist ANO party had sought re-election on Saturday after four years in power. But they were beaten in the poll by the centre-right coalition Spolu (meaning Together), which took 27.8% of the vote compared to ANO's 27.1%.
Spolu has announced talks with the liberal Pirates/Mayors coalition known as PirStan to form a government. Together the two groups control 108 of the parliament's 200 seats.
However President Zeman said before the election he would pick the winner of the largest individual party, not coalition, to form the next government.
Because ANO took the most votes of any one party, this would be Prime Minister Babis - an ally of President Zeman's.
The president announced his plan to vote for the billionaire prime minister ahead of the poll. Due to his ill health however, a ballot box had to be brought to him so he could take part in Saturday's election.
According to Reuters news agency, the Czech constitution grants the lower house of the parliament the authority to appoint the prime minister if the presidential position is vacated.
A controversial figure, Mr Zeman is known for making divisive remarks and using strong language. In June he was sharply criticised for calling transgender people "disgusting".
Iraqis headed to the polls for an early election billed as a concession to anti-government protests but one expected to be boycotted by many voters who distrust official promises of reform.
Polls opened at 7:00am (04:00 GMT) on Sunday but few voters turned up early at one polling station at a school in the centre of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
“I have come to vote to change the country for the better, and to change the current leaders who are incompetent,” said Jimand Khalil, 37, who was one of the first to cast her vote. “They made a lot of promises to us but didn’t bring us anything.”
Security was tight in the capital, with voters searched twice at the entrance to polling stations.
Airports have been closed until dawn on Monday across Iraq, where despite the government’s declaration of victory over the ISIL (ISIS) group in late 2017, sleeper cells continue to mount attacks.
“Iraqis should have the confidence to vote as they please, in an environment free of pressure, intimidation and threats,” the UN mission in Iraq said ahead of the polls.
Polls remain open until 6:00pm, with preliminary results expected within 24 hours of closing. Dozens of election observers deployed by the European Union and the United Nations were set to monitor the vote.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi cast his ballot early in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone.
“This is an opportunity for change,” he said.
“Get out there and vote, change your reality, for Iraq and for your future,” urged al-Kadhimi, whose political future hangs in the balance, with few observers willing to predict who will come out on top after the lengthy backroom haggling that usually follows Iraqi elections.
Analysts have predicted a record-low turnout for the polls, held a year early in a rare concession to the youth-led protest movement.
Dozens of anti-government activists have been killed, kidnapped or intimidated over the last two years, with accusations that pro-Iran armed groups, many of which are represented in parliament, have been behind the violence.
Reporting from Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed said the expectations of low turnout are widely based on disillusionment among people, especially the youth.
“Most of the disillusioned are those who rose up against corruption and mismanagement in 2019 in what is known as the Tishreen [October] revolution,” he said.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in October 2019 to express their anger at corruption, unemployment and crumbling public services, and hundreds lost their lives in protest-related violence.
The protests have largely fizzled out as anger has given way to disillusion.
“The people are boycotting the elections because they say it is not bringing any change; it is still producing the same old parties despite the fact that the same old parties have been reshuffling their candidates,” Abdelwahed said.
“Nothing will change. This election will be won by the same factions that people protested against,” 45-year-old Baghdad day labourer Mohammed Kassem, who did not intend to vote, told the AFP news agency.
(Al Jazeera)
‘Musical chairs’
At least 167 parties and more than 3,200 candidates are competing for Iraq’s 329 seats in parliament, according to the country’s election commission.
Iraqi elections are often followed by months of protracted negotiations over a president, a prime minister and a cabinet.
A new single-member constituency system for electing Iraq’s politicians is supposed to weaken the power of the traditional blocs largely based on religious, ethnic and clan affiliations.
But most analysts believe it will make the political process even less accountable.
Officials say a new voting law, also a response to protester demands, will help independent, pro-reform candidates, but that will depend on turnout.
Many Iraqis say they will boycott the vote. They view the democratic system ushered in after the US invasion as flawed and serving only the political parties that have dominated the state since then.
(Al Jazeera)
The electoral commission said it expects to publish preliminary results within 24 hours of the close of polls.
It will likely take longer for the balance of power to emerge as the leading factions compete for the support of a larger number of independents.
The Fateh Alliance, the bloc representing many Iran-backed Shia militias, is expected to retain its share of seats.
The list of populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr, already the largest in the outgoing parliament, is expected to make gains but not enough to dominate the Shia camp.
“The election will likely result in another fragmented parliament, followed by opaque, corrupt horse-trading among factions to form the next government,” said researchers Bilal Wahab and Calvin Wilder in an analysis published by the Washington Institute.
“Few expect this election to amount to more than a game of musical chairs, and the (October 2019 protest) movement’s core demands – curbing systemic corruption, creating jobs and holding armed groups accountable – are unlikely to be met.”
A plane carrying skydivers has crashed shortly after take off in central Russia on Sunday, killing 16 people and injuring six, the Emergencies Ministry said.
The aircraft had 20 parachutists and two crew members on board when it came down near the city of Menzelinsk, some 600 miles east of Moscow.
Six people were pulled alive from the wreckage and remain in a serious condition, the Health Ministry said.
Image:Emergency specialists were called to the crash site of the L-410 plane in the Republic of Tatarstan. Pic: Russia's Emergencies Ministry via Reuters
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. The RIA agency cited local authorities as saying one of the engines could have failed.
Photographs of some of the parachutists on board posing in the gear or with a plane were circulated on the REN TV channel and on social media.
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The L-410, a Czech-made twin-engine short-range transport aircraft, was owned by an aeroclub in the city of Menzelinsk, the TASS news agency reported.
The state-run Cosmonaut Training Facility has suspended its ties with the aeroclub pending an investigation, according to a source cited by TASS.
Russian aviation safety standards have been strengthened in recent years but accidents continue to happen, particularly in remote regions.
Merkel increases the eternal flame at the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem [AFP]
(Al Jazeera)
(Al Jazeera)