Follow the latest updates on Afghanistan here
The deadline for foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan will not be extended beyond the current deadline of August 31, a Taliban official has said.
The US has suggested that its forces may have to remain in the country beyond that date to fly Americans out of the capital Kabul.
But the Taliban are opposed to any delay spokesman and spokesman Suhail Shaheen said there would be consequences if foreign forces stayed longer.
“It's a red line. US President Joe Biden announced that on 31 August they would withdraw all their military forces, so if they extend it that means they are extending occupation while there is no need for that,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
“If the US or UK were to seek additional time to continue evacuations, the answer is no. Or there would be consequences.
“It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation, it will provoke a reaction."
Since the Taliban seized control of the country on August 15, Washington and its allies have flown about 28,000 people out of Afghanistan.
The US military has said it can fly more than 9,000 people out of Kabul every day.
The US has either flown or aided efforts to take about 42,000 people out of Afghanistan since the end of July, the official said.
The US is currently running Kabul airport and is co-ordinating the international evacuation effort.
“We see no reason why this tempo will not be kept up,” Mr Biden said on Sunday.
“What I’m not going to do is talk about the tactical changes we’re making to make sure we maintain as much security as we can.
“We have constantly, how can I say it, increased rational access to the airport, where more folk can get there more safely.
"It’s still a dangerous operation, but I don’t want to go into the detail of how we’re doing that.”
He later said the Taliban had been "co-operative in extending some of the perimeter" at the airport.
He could hold discussions about keeping US forces in Afghanistan beyond this month.
“Our hope is we will not have to extend, but there are going to be discussions, I suspect, on how far along we are in the process,” he said.
Australia is willing to support an extension to the withdrawal deadline if Washington backed the move, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Monday.
The UK Defence Ministry has released footage of British and US forces working together to keep Kabul airport secure as the evacuation effort continues.
On Sunday, troops were seen patrolling the perimeter as crowds of Afghans waited outside the airport's walls.
It also released an image of dozens of exhausted Afghans boarding a Royal Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.
British military personnel have been helping Afghans who are eligible for be relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, the ministry said.
On Monday, Japan said it would send a military aircraft to Afghanistan to bring back its citizens.
More military transport planes are expected to be arrive to repatriate Japanese and Afghans who worked at the Japanese embassy or with Japanese missions, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato.
“This transportation is an urgent humanitarian measure to evacuate our nationals in such an exceptional situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said it was unable to deliver 500 tonnes of medical supplies to Afghanistan because of flight restrictions at Kabul airport.
The shipment, which includes surgical equipment and childhood pneumonia treatments, was scheduled to be delivered this week.
“Now that the airport is closed to commercial flights, we can no longer get them in,” WHO spokeswoman Inas Hamam told Reuters.
The WHO has called for empty aircraft to divert to its storage centre in Dubai to collect the supplies before picking up people fleeing Afghanistan.
Biden faces backlash
Mr Biden has faced criticism at home and abroad over the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan saying on Monday that ISIS could be active near Kabul airport.
Republicans in Congress have increased their condemnation of Mr Biden’s response to the crisis in Afghanistan.
“If the Taliban is saying that Americans can travel safely to the airport, then there is no better way to make sure they get safely to the airport than to use our military to escort them,” Joni Ernst, a senator for Iowa and a military veteran, told ABC.
Ryan Crocker, who served as US ambassador to Afghanistan under presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama, told CBS that Mr Biden’s management of the withdrawal was catastrophic and unleashed a “global crisis".
Vice President Kamala Harris was also given plenty of reminders of the situation in Kabul during her visit to Singapore.
She faced several questions about the Biden administration's response during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Ms Harris said that while there “will be and should be a robust analysis of what has happened", the focus had to be on efforts to help “American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and vulnerable Afghans, including women and children".
“We cannot be in any way distracted from what must be our primary mission right now, which is evacuating people from that region who deserve to be evacuated,” she said.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. THE%20SPECS
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The five pillars of Islam
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Wonka
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
Book%20Details
%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EThree%20Centuries%20of%20Travel%20Writing%20by%20Muslim%20Women%3C%2Fem%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEditors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiobhan%20Lambert-Hurley%2C%20Daniel%20Majchrowicz%2C%20Sunil%20Sharma%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndiana%20University%20Press%3B%20532%20pages%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Info
What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
