Wednesday, September 29, 2021

*) Top generals say they advised keeping troops in Afghanistan Top US generals have said that they recommended keeping several thousand troops in Afghanistan, contradicting President Joe Biden. In August, Biden said in an interview with ABC News that no military leader advised him to leave a small troop presence in Afghanistan. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said the withdrawal was a "strategic defeat" that left the Taliban back in power. *) North Korea says it test-fired new hypersonic missile North Korea has successfully tested a new hypersonic gliding missile, the state media reported on Wednesday. The missile was fired towards the sea off its east coast as Pyongyang called on the US and South Korea to scrap their "double standards" on weapons programmes to restart diplomatic talks. The KCNA said the development of the weapon system increases North Korea's defence capabilities, describing the hypersonic missile as a "strategic weapon". *) WHO chief sorry for sex abuse by Ebola workers in DR Congo WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has apologised after a damning report on allegations of rape and sexual abuse by workers sent to fight Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The report centred on accusations against local and international personnel deployed in the country to fight an Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020. Tedros said two senior staff members have already been placed on administrative leave. *) Kishida to become Japan's next PM after party vote Former foreign minister Fumio Kishida has won a race to lead Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He defeated popular vaccine chief Taro Kono in an unusually close race to succeed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Suga had decided to step down after just a year in office. And finally… *) Royals join cast of new Bond film for glitzy London premiere Britain's royals joined Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux and the cast of "No Time to Die" on the red carpet for the new Bond film's world premiere. The film, the 25th in the lo