The UK retains "the right to exercise self-defense" after withdrawing from Afghanistan, the British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday.

Raab was speaking to British news channel ITV after British Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the UK could launch airstrikes against ISIS-K, the branch of the Daesh terrorist group in Afghanistan.

"Ultimately what this boils down to is that we've got to be able to play a global role in the global coalition to defeat Daesh, whether it's strikes, or whether it's moving troops or equipment into a particular country, at scale and at speed," Sir Mike said.

"If there's an opportunity for us to contribute I am in no doubt that we will be ready to -- that will be anywhere where violent extremism raises its head, and is a direct or indirect threat to the UK and our allies.

"Afghanistan is probably one of the most inaccessible parts of the world, and we're able to operate there."

Raab also pushed back against leaked US claims that it was the UK's evacuation efforts that helped lead to a bomb attack outside the airport in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, in which over 170 people died including 13 US service members.

Politico obtained leaked documents from the Pentagon in which it was reported that US Rear Admiral Peter Vasely, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, wanted to close a route to the airport known as Abbey Gate, but that it was left open to allow British evacuees through.

Speaking to Sky News, Raab said: "We co-ordinated very closely with the US, in particular around the ISIS-K threat which we anticipated, although tragically were not able to prevent.

"It is certainly right to say we got our civilians out of the processing centre by Abbey Gate, but it is just not true to suggest that, other than securing our civilians inside the airport, we were pushing to leave the gate open."

Raab added that he had an "excellent working relationship" with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken./aa

Authorities said the PKK terror group is suspected of a deadly explosion at a refugee camp in northern Iraq that killed two children.

The children died and three other people were injured in the explosion late Monday at the Qadia Camp in Zakho district of Dohuk province, according to TV channel Kurdistan 24, based in the KRG’s capital, Erbil.

Sivan Sindi, Zakho public security director, said that officials suspect the attack was carried out with a bomb trap by the PKK terror organization.

The explosion went off near the house of a security official and Sindi said the official [didn't disclose his name] had been threatened before by the PKK.

The PKK terror group increased activities in the northern Kurdish region after an agreement signed between the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) on Oct. 9, 2020, stipulated ending the PKK presence in Sinjar./aa

Consumer prices in the eurozone are projected to rise in August to 3% higher than the European Central Bank's 2% target, the bloc's statistics office announced on Tuesday.

Among the main components of euro-area inflation, energy is expected to have had the greatest annual rate in April with 15.4%, compared to 14.3% in July, according to the flash estimate by Eurostat.

This was followed by non-energy industrial goods (2.7%, compared with 0.7% in July); food, alcohol, and tobacco (2%, compared with 1.6% in July); and services (1.1%, compared with 0.9% in July).

In August, the highest complete set of harmonized indices of consumer prices (HICP) rate was posted by Estonia at 5%, while Malta saw the lowest with 0.3%.

The inflation figure in Germany, the euro zone's largest economy, is projected to see 3.4%.

France is expected to see 2.4%, Spain 3.3%, and Italy 2.6%.

The euro area/eurozone represents member states that use the euro as their single currency.​​​​​​​/agencies

  As a number of countries around the world administer a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, Kuwait’s Ministry of Health said it will also begin administering a third dose to at-risk groups by the end of September, a local newspaper reported.

Those eligible for the shot are the elderly, patients with organ transplants, cancer and chronic diseases. Although all those eligible for the shot will receive an appointment, it is optional.

The decision comes as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a few weeks ago that they have amended the emergency authorisation of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine so that high risk individuals can get a booster shot of the vaccine.

On the other hand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged countries to hold back on giving out booster shots at least until the end of September, as lower-income countries struggle and are experiencing shortages.

12-18 age group

With in-person learning in public schools set to resume on October 3 and in private schools on September 26, a health official revealed more than 300,000 students between the ages of 12 and 18 have been vaccinated.

During a televised address earlier this month, Minister of Education Dr. Ali Al Mudhaf said unvaccinated students above the age of 12 will need to present a negative PCR test every Sunday. The same rule applies to teachers and administrative staff who have not yet received a jab.

Vaccine progress

So far, Kuwait has achieved 70 per cent vaccination, according to the Minister of Health, Dr. Basel Al Sabah. It is not clear whether it means that 70 per cent of the total population is vaccinated or those eligible for the vaccine, meaning anybody above the age of 12.

With the vaccination campaign in full swing, it is expected that the Ministry of Health would have vaccinated everybody who is eligible and who have registered within a month./ Gulf News 

China has announced a ban on written exams for six and seven-year-olds.

It's the latest effort to try and relieve pressure on parents and students in a highly competitive education system.

Students used to be required to take exams from the first year of primary school, up until a university entrance exam at the age of 18.

But the education ministry said the pressure is harming the "physical and mental health" of pupils.

In a statement, the ministry said: "Exams are a necessary part of school education.... [but] some schools have problems like excessive exams, that cause excessive burden on students...this must be corrected."

The rules also limits the number of test and exams a school can set per term.

"First and second grades of elementary school will not need to take paper-based exams. For other grades, the school can organise a final exam every semester. Mid-term exams are allowed for junior high. Localities are not allowed to organise regional or inter-school exams for all grades of primary school," the Ministry of Education (MOE) added.

"Non-graduating junior high students are also not allowed to organise weekly tests, unit exams, monthly exams etc. Examinations disguised under various names like academic research is also not allowed."

Reaction on China's social media platform Weibo was mixed with some saying it was a step in the right direction to relieve pressure on children. Others questioned how schools will test and measure abilities without exams.

The announcement is part of wider reforms in China's education sector.

In July, Beijing stripped online tutoring firms operating in the country of the ability to make a profit from teaching core subjects.

The new guidelines also restricted foreign investment in the industry and disrupted the private tutoring sector which was worth around $120bn (£87bn) before the overhaul.

At the time, the move was seen as authorities trying to ease the financial pressures of raising children, after China posted a record low birth rate.

Education inequality is also a problem - more affluent parents are willing to spend thousands to get their children into top schools.

The country's obsession with education also affects property prices, with wealthier parents snapping up property in school catchment areas.

China's Ministry of Education has also banned homework for first graders this year, and limited homework for junior high school students to 1.5 hours a night, according to an AFP report.

 A mysterious metal monolith that appeared earlier this year in Turkey’s Sanliurfa province and was later revealed to be part of the unveiling of the country's National Space Program has popped up this time in Diyarbakir province. 

The metal slab has words carved in it in Gokturk script, the Old Turkic script, which mean “Look at the sky, see the moon.”

The monolith, which was placed near Zerzevan Castle for the promotion of an event set to be held in September in Diyarbakir, was met with astonishment by the local people.

The 2021 International Diyarbakir Zerzevan Sky Observation Event will be held on Sept. 2-4 at the 3,000-year-old Zerzevan Castle, which is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The monolith, which is considered a symbolic reflection of Turkey's vision for space, will remain in the region during the event.

The sky observation event, which has been held by TUBITAK National Observatory (TUG) in southern Antalya province for 22 years, will be held in Diyarbakir this year.

It will be attended by professional and amateur astronomers and will bring together more than a thousand astronomy enthusiasts from Turkey and around the world.

Many seminars, competitions and workshops related to astronomy will be held during the event as part of Turkey’s National Space Program aimed at increasing the interest of young people in space.

Monolith first found in Gobeklitepe

The three-meter (9.8-foot) tall metal pillar was found on Feb. 5 in the middle of an empty field in Gobeklitepe, home to the world’s oldest temple site, in Sanliurfa province.

Many curious people visited the site to view the metal pillar and wondered about its meaning.

It attracted international media coverage before disappearing on the morning of Feb. 9 as part of planned publicity for Turkey's new space program.

On Feb. 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that the mysterious monolith was part of the unveiling of Turkey's National Space Program./aa

Turkey is taking all measures to prevent an oil slick from Syria from spreading to the Karpas coast of Northern Cyprus, the Turkish vice president said Monday. 

"We are taking the necessary measures by mobilizing every means available that we have without giving any chance to the spill to turn into an environmental disaster," Fuat Oktay told Anadolu Agency.

The relevant ministries "rapidly" discussed the situation during the day, said Oktay, adding Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Ministry will take the necessary measures at sea and the Environment and Urbanization Ministry on the Karpas coast.

Stressing that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also following the developments closely, Oktay said: "We are in contact with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar and the TRNC authorities as well. The Turkish Embassy is [also] monitoring the matter closely."

Air and sea units of the Turkish Coast Guard Command plan to carry out flights to determine the current position of the slick in the sea, he added.

A delegation with the General Director of Environmental Management will also head to the TRNC on Tuesday, he said.

The aim is to control the slick in the open sea before it reaches the shore, he said.

"In this context, all relevant organizations are mobilized and are closely following the issue," he added.

"The progress of the oil leaking from Syria towards our island is closely being followed by the Prime Ministry, all relevant ministries and units in cooperation with the homeland Turkey," TRNC Prime Minister Ersan Saner said according to a statement by the Prime Ministry.

"No one should doubt that whatever is necessary will be done to prevent our country from being harmed by this spill," Saner added.

A crisis desk has been set up in the Prime Ministry to monitor the progression of the oil slick towards Cyprus.

A massive fuel oil leak occurred last week from a power plant in Baniyas, located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, according to naval tracking firm Tanker Trackers./aa

Turkey neutralized a total of 12 terrorists affiliated with the PKK and its Syrian branch, the YPG, in northern Iraq and Syria, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday.

Three PKK terrorists were neutralized in airstrikes by Turkish forces in northern Iraq, according to the ministry, who said the terrorists were detected through joint efforts by the Turkish Armed Forces and National Intelligence Organization.

They were neutralized in airstrikes in Iraq’s northern Metina region near the Turkish border, it added.

Turkish combat helicopters neutralized two other PKK terrorists in the same region of northern Iraq, the ministry said in a later statement.

Also, seven YPG/PKK terrorists were neutralized by Turkish commando units in areas in northern Syria liberated by Turkey's counter-terrorism operations, namely Peace Spring and Euphrates Shield.

Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

Turkish authorities use the word "neutralized" in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

The PKK terror group often uses bases in northern Iraq, just across Turkey’s southern border, to hide and plot terror attacks in Turkey.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot./aa

At least five rockets were fired at the Afghan capital Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on early Monday local time.

Local sources confirmed the rockets were fired but intercepted via defense systems installed at the airport.

Casualties are feared, but no immediate details were available.

US President Joe Biden had warned an attack was “very likely,” as the clock is ticking for the full withdrawal of US forces by the deadline, Tuesday, set by the Taliban, who took control of Kabul on Aug. 15./agencies