US airstrike targets Islamic State member in Afghanistan
US forces hit back at the Islamic State on Friday, launching a drone strike against the terror group’s affiliate in Afghanistan – less than 48 hours after the devastating Kabul airport suicide bomb attack which killed at least 13 American service members and 169 Afghans and injured 200 others. In a statement, US Central Command said the operation targeted “planner” of ISIS-K, the group also known as the Islamic State Khorasan, which took credit for Thursday’s deadly attack. “The unmanned airstrike occurred in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. Initial indications are that we killed the target,” said Capt. Bill Urban of the Central Command. “We know of no civilian casualties,” he added.The strike took place a little after President Biden on Thursday evening vowed to “not forgive” and “not forget” those responsible for the attack, and said he had ordered US generals to plan retaliatory strikes on the group’s key assets. US forces are preparing for more terrorist attacks by ISIS that could include the use of car bombs and rockets against Kabul airport.
Republicans file impeachment articles
Two Republicans, Ralph Norman and Andy Harris, have filed a couple of impeachment articles against Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his “unsuccessful” handling of the evacuations from Kabul Airport, accusing him of failing to protect the lives of Americans. It is unlikely that they have a chance of success in a Chamber controlled by the Democrats, but the initiative risks undermining the image of the head of American diplomacy.
US agencies ‘divided’ on origins of COVID-19 pandemic
US intelligence agencies have said they were “divided” on how the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 first emerged, according to an unclassified report summary released on Friday. The agencies were instructed by US President Joe Biden to report on the possible origins of the virus but could not come to a conclusion. They agreed that the virus was not “developed as a biological weapon” and was likely not genetically engineered but remained split on other possibilities. The World Health Organization sent a team of international scientists to Wuhan to study the virus’ origins in January for 28 days but that report was criticised for the involvement of Beijing and the lack of raw information.
Robert Kennedy’s killer released on parole
The California Parole Board has granted Robert F. Kennedy’s killer, Sirhan Sirhan, release from prison 52 years after killing the former senator and favorite Democratic candidate for the White House. In the courtroom, the youngest of Robert Kennedy’s sons, Douglas, had lined up for Sirhan’s release. Sirhanis 77 years old and was sentenced to the gas chamber in 1969 and then commuted to a life sentence with the possibility of penalty discounts.
Bond film out next month… finally!
‘No time to die’, the long-awaited 25th James Bond film, will finally arrive in theatres on September 28 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It will be released in the UK and Ireland two days later, while in the United States it is scheduled for release on October 8. The fifth and final Bond movie with Daniel Craig will premiere at a festival for the first time: the 17th Zurich Film Festival. Never before has James Bond been in the official selection of a film festival.
Ronaldo returns to Manchester United
Manchester United have confirmed they have reached an agreement to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus. United have agreed to pay £12.8m for the 36-year-old, with the deal subject to personal terms, a visa and a medical. The English club tweeted: “Welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo”. In a note, it said everyone at the club was looking forward to welcoming Cristiano to Manchester and recalled that the Portuguese, five times winner of the Ballon d’Or, has won so far over 30 important career trophies, including five Champions League, four FIFA Club World Cups, seven national titles between England, Spain and Italy and a European title with Portugal. He has scored 118 goals in 292 games.
