Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
The United States is negotiating with Kuwait and other countries whether they can host Afghans who supported the American war effort and could face Taliban revenge attacks if they stay in Afghanistan, America's top diplomat said Thursday.
During a visit to tiny, oil-rich Kuwait, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken did not announce any deal or disclose critical details about the process, such as who would be eligible for relocation or where they would be housed.
As American troops complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has come under heavy pressure to quickly evacuate Afghan interpreters, drivers and other workers who helped U.S. forces during the two-decade war and now find themselves at risk of retribution by the Taliban.
"The United States is committed to helping those who helped us during our time in Afghanistan over the last 20 years," Blinken said at a joint press conference with his Kuwaiti counterpart. "We're actively engaged in that process and notably in relocation planning for those brave Afghans and their families."
The evacuation planning, which could affect tens of thousands of Afghans, comes as the Taliban gain more ground throughout Afghanistan, seizing swaths of the countryside and fueling fears of a violent future. Civilian casualties surged in the first half of the year, according to a United Nations report.
Afghan allies have complained of a bureaucratic nightmare as they try to obtain the special immigrant visas offered to foreign nationals deemed to be in need of protection because of their cooperation with the U.S. government.
There are more than 18,000 visa applications pending, some for as long as nearly three years.
On Iran, Blinken dismissed criticism from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that America's "stubborn" stance was to blame for stalled negotiations over Tehran's now-tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Khamenei's apparent call for a more adversarial approach to the West on Wednesday came as his hard-line protege, President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, is set next week to become head of the country's civilian government.
Hopes for a quick revival of the accord, which granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, have faded further since the last round of indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in Vienna broke last month.
"I think we have clearly demonstrated our good faith and desire to return to mutual compliance with the nuclear agreement," Blinken said. "This process cannot go on indefinitely."
He added: "The ball remains in Iran's court."
Iran has rejected that assertion, insisting that because the U.S., under former President Donald Trump, scrapped the landmark 2015 deal, it should move first to lift its crippling sanctions.
Kuwait's foreign minister, standing beside Blinken, appeared to reject any suggestion it would be next to join the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements with Israel as its Gulf Arab neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, did last year.
"It is the whole struggle of the Palestinians, now over 73 years of ordeal," said Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah. "We truly do think that the only viable solution is a two-state solution. And if we lose focus of that, then it might be put into ... jeopardy."
The so-called "Abraham Accords" reversed the decades-long Arab policy of conditioning relations on a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and drew intense backlash from the Palestinians.
Blinken arrived in Kuwait City late Wednesday from India. He held high-level talks on military cooperation and regional security with Kuwait's ruling emir and other officials, addressed American diplomats and toured the country's Parliament -- a rarity in the neighborhood of Gulf Arab sheikhdoms.
Kuwait has been a staunch U.S. ally since the 1991 Gulf War expelled the occupying Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein. The country, slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, hosts some 13,500 American troops, most based at Camp Arifjan south of Kuwait City, and the forward command of U.S. Army Central.
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain says people living in Gaza are 'wasting' as famine concerns continue amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues the 'Team Canada' charm offensive to U.S. lawmakers and business leaders, Canada's ambassador to the United States downplayed the effect of another Trump presidency on Canada.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.