While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 30
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General Mark Milley responds to questions during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the war in Afghanistan on Sept 29, 2021, in Washington.
PHOTO: REUTERS
US 'lost' the 20-year war in Afghanistan, says top US general
The top US general conceded in a stark admission on Wednesday that the United States "lost" the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
"It is clear, it is obvious to all of us, that the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted, with the Taliban in power in Kabul," General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee.
"The war was a strategic failure," Milley told a committee hearing about the US troop pullout from Afghanistan and the chaotic evacuation from the capital Kabul.
Milley listed a number of factors responsible for the US defeat going back to a missed opportunity to capture or kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora soon after the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan.
Slovenia suspends Johnson & Johnson vaccine after death
Slovenia on Wednesday suspended vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson after a 20-year-old woman died of a brain haemorrhage and blood clots just days after getting the jab.
The death came after the authorities told civil servants they had to be vaccinated by the end of the month, leading to a pick-up in demand.
Thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Ljubljana on Wednesday evening to protest against the government's health policy.
Gone before she has: Merkel commemorative teddy bears sell out
A German toymaker is producing a batch of commemorative teddy bears to mark the end of Angela Merkel's time as chancellor, and they have sold out before she has even left office.
The handmade bears come complete with their hands resting in the "Merkel rhombus", the chancellor's trademark pose with thumbs and fingers lightly bracing together that have become a symbol of her calm leadership.
With a €180 price tag (S$280), the toys are not cheap but Hermann says the cost reflects the hours of work that goes into making the bears, which sport Merkel-style hair and are dressed in her habitual trousers-and-jacket combination.
Rolls Royce announces fully electric car for late 2023
Rolls-Royce on Wednesday announced its first fully electric car, the "Spectre", will be available in late 2023, the luxury BMW group brand adding that all its vehicles will be electric by 2030.
"This is not a prototype. It's the real thing, it will be tested in plain sight and our clients will take first deliveries of the car in the fourth quarter of 2023," said chief executive officer Torsten Mueller-Otvoes.
"I am proud to announce that Rolls-Royce is to begin the on-road testing programme for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first - and finest - super-luxury product of its type," he added.
Olympics: Beijing Games only with spectators from mainland China
Tickets for the Beijing 2022 winter Olympics will be sold to spectators from mainland China only, while unvaccinated athletes must spend 21 days in quarantine ahead of the Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
Organisers of the Beijing Games have informed the IOC's Executive Board 2022 of the principles to deliver "safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as scheduled," the committee said.
The Beijing Games start on Feb 4. While acknowledging disappointment among international fans who will not be able to attend, the IOC welcomed the decision to have Chinese spectators after the Tokyo games in July were held with empty stadiums due to Covid-19 precautions.
