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world news Diamars 31 augustus 2021

EU takes US off safe travel list; backs travel restrictions

(AP) — The European the temporary restriction on the beginning of the year and
Union recommended nonessential travel to the EU opened its borders to fully
Monday that its 27 nations for fully vaccinated travel- vaccinated travelers from the
reinstate restrictions on ers.” U.S. earlier this month.
tourists from the U.S. be- The United States remains
cause of rising coronavi- The EU also removed Israel, on Britain’s “amber” travel
rus infections there. Kosovo, Lebanon, Montene- list, meaning that fully vacci-
gro and North Macedonia nated adults arriving from the
The decision by the Euro- from the list. U.S. to the U.K. don’t have
pean Council to remove the to self-isolate. A COVID-19
U.S. from a safe list of coun- The EU has no unified CO- test is required three days be-
tries for nonessential travel VID-19 tourism policy and fore arrival in the U.K. and
reverses advice that it gave in national EU governments another test is needed two
June, when the bloc recom- have the authority to decide days after arriving.
mended lifting restrictions whether they keep their bor-
on U.S. travelers before the ders open to U.S. tourists. Meanwhile, the United
summer tourism season. Possible restrictions could States has yet to reopen its mine the countries for which over the last 14 days.
include quarantines, further own borders to EU tourists, restrictions should be lifted,
The guidance is nonbinding, testing requirements upon despite calls from the bloc the European Council said Last week in the U.S. new
however, and U.S. travelers arrival or even a total ban on for the Biden administration that “reciprocity should also coronavirus cases averaged
should expect a mishmash of all nonessential travel from to lift its ban. Adalbert Jahnz, be taken into account on a over 152,000 a day, turning
travel rules across the conti- the U.S. the European Commission case by case basis.” the clock back to the end of
nent. spokesperson for home af- January, and the number of
More than 15 million Ameri- fairs, said Monday that the The European Council up- hospitalized COVID-19 pa-
“Nonessential travel to the cans a year visited Europe EU’s executive arm remained dates the safe travel list based tients was around 85,000, a
EU from countries or enti- before the coronavirus crisis, in discussions with the U.S. on criteria relating to corona- number not seen since early
ties not listed (...) is subject and new travel restrictions administration as both sides virus infection levels. It gets February.
to temporary travel restric- could cost Europe billions. have so far failed to find a re- reviewed every two weeks.
tion,” the council said in a ciprocal approach. The threshold for being on U.S. coronavirus deaths have
statement. “This is without The recommendation the EU list is having not more been over 1,200 a day for sev-
prejudice to the possibil- doesn’t apply to Britain, In addition to the epidemio- than 75 new COVID-19 cas- eral days, seven times higher
ity for member states to lift which formally left the EU at logical criteria used to deter- es per 100,000 inhabitants than they were in early July.

Rockets fired at Kabul airport in waning hours of US pullout

(AP) — Islamic State abuses in areas under Taliban witnesses said. That neigh-
militants fired a volley of All day Monday, U.S. military control despite pledges to re- The extremist group is far borhood is about 3 kilome-
rockets at Kabul’s rapidly cargo jets came and went de- store peace and security. more radical than the Tal- ters (under 2 miles) from the
emptying international spite the rocket attack, which iban, who captured most of airport. No injuries were re-
airport on Monday, with did not hurt anyone. The In the last 24 hours, the Afghanistan in a matter of ported.
just hours left before a Taliban released a video shot American military evacuated days. The two groups have
deadline for U.S. forces from the airport’s grounds, about 1,200 people on 26 fought each other before, and Five rockets targeted the air-
to withdraw at the end of saying the Americans had C-17 flights, while two coali- the Taliban have pledged to port, said Navy Capt. Bill Ur-
America’s longest war. removed or destroyed most tion flights flew out 50 oth- not harbor terrorist groups. ban, a U.S. military spokes-
of their equipment and that ers, the White House said. man. A defensive weapon
The Pentagon is tight-lipped troop numbers were far low- The Taliban tightened their known as a C-RAM — a
about final operations and er. “It looks like today will be The two-week airlift has security cordon around the Counter-Rocket, Artillery
has not specified when the the last day,” one of the un- brought scenes of despera- airport after the attack, clear- and Mortar System — target-
withdrawal will be complet- identified fighters said. tion and horror. In the early ing away massive crowds of ed the rockets in a whirling
ed ahead of Tuesday’s dead- days, people desperate to flee Afghans who were desper- hail of ammunition, he said.
line. But spokesman John With the departure of the Taliban rule flooded onto the ate to flee the country in the The system has a distinct,
Kirby told reporters “there is last of its troops, the U.S. is tarmac and some fell to their waning days of the U.S.-led drill-like sound that echoed
still time” for Americans to ending its 20-year war with deaths after clinging to a de- airlift. Taliban fighters are through the city at the time
join a massive airlift that has the Taliban back in power. parting aircraft. On Thurs- now stationed along a fence of the attack.
allowed more than 116,000 Many Afghans remain fearful day, an Islamic State suicide near the main runway.
people to leave since the Tal- of them or further instability, attack at an airport gate killed An IS statement, carried by
iban swept back into power and there have been sporadic at least 169 Afghans and 13 A crowd quickly gathered the group’s Amaq media
two weeks ago. reports of killings and other U.S. service members. Monday around the remains outlet, claimed the militants
of a four-door sedan used fired six rockets.
in the rocket attack. The
car had what appeared to be The White House said Presi-
six homemade rocket tubes dent Joe Biden was briefed
mounted in place of its back on the rocket attack.
seats.
“The president was informed
“I was inside the house with that operations continue un-
my children and other fam- interrupted at HKIA, and
ily members. Suddenly there has reconfirmed his order
were some blasts,” said Jaiud- that commanders redouble
din Khan, who lives nearby. their efforts to prioritize do-
“We jumped into the house ing whatever is necessary
compound and lay on the to protect our forces on the
ground.” ground,” the statement said,
using an acronym for Kabul’s
Some of the rockets landed airport.
across town, striking resi-
dential apartment blocks,