Ghani suddenly and covertly abandoned the city on August 15 amidst the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces at the end of the 20-year war. “On the morning of that day, I had no inkling that by late afternoon I would be leaving,” Ghani told BBC radio. Ghani said that his national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, told him that his personal protection force was not able to shield him from the encroaching Taliban forces....

The deep reservoirs of good will America accumulated in East Asia during the cold war have not dissipated. The East Asian economic miracle (now reviving) could not have occurred without the stabilizing U.S. military presence, open American markets and the flow of investment, technology and ideas from American corporations. These reservoirs of good will are now sustained by continuing (if often unintentional) benign postures. The U.S. military presence remains crucial....

Dr. Shepherd: The first and most important step in getting HIV stabilized is to make sure that you have a good relationship with your healthcare provider. Today, after so much HIV research has been done, an undetectable viral load is possible. It really comes down to being consistent with your healthcare provider visits and making a commitment to taking your medication as prescribed. HIV is not what it used to be....

The emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, is raising some alarms about our ability to combat the virus and reach herd immunity. While mutations in the virus’ genetic material are expected, especially given the amount of time it’s circulated in our population, the potential vaccine-evading aspects of these variants has prompted public concern. The United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and Japan are all places where new strains developed, with some strains proving to be more transmissible and infectious than the original strain....

What Is Aspartame? Aspartame is a low-calorie artificial sweetener that can be used in place of sugar to sweeten: FoodsBeveragesDental productsGum It is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose), so much less is needed to produce the same sweetness level. Aspartame consists of amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, with a methyl group added to the phenylalanine to create a sweet taste. It is not a carbohydrate (saccharide) like regular sugars....

The Celta Vigo star endured a difficult time during his spell at Anfield, featuring just 14 times over the course of two seasons, and he is infamous for a corner kick he took against Chelsea as the Reds missed out on Premier League glory in 2013-14. How Chelsea profit from Juventus success Despite a disappointing tenure in England, the Spaniard is now looking to polish over his mistake, by sending Liverpool’s rivals Man United out of the Europa League, thus denying them automatic qualification to the Champions League....

Court documents indicate that Dave Halls, the film’s assistant director, handed Baldwin the prop gun and told him it was safe to use shortly before the deadly incident took place near Santa Fe, New Mexico on Thursday afternoon, according to The Associated Press. Neither Halls nor Baldwin were aware that the gun was loaded. Hutchins was struck in the chest and died soon after, while Souza, who was standing behind her, was injured with a shot to the shoulder....

The space rock that caused the dinosaurs’ extinction, known as the Chicxulub impactor, is thought to have slammed into our planet about 66 million years ago. The asteroid, around 10 kilometers wide, produced a blast equal to 100 million megatons that devastated the Gulf of Mexico region, triggered a mass extinction event and produced a crater around 180 kilometers across. Scientists have previously questioned where the Chicxulub impactor came from and how often impacts like it have occurred....

The Ghanaian is set for his second taste of the famous clash between the city rivals, 12 months after his first ended on a bad note. In October last year, the Black Star was substituted after just 25 minutes after a collision with home keeper Tomasz Kuszczak left him injured. ‘‘It’s like I’m out for a bit of revenge this time,’’ Adomah said, as reported by Express and Star....

The vaccine, which was created by British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, was approved for use in the U.K. in December and across the 27 member states of the European Union the following month. However, as shown in the Statista graphic below, countries including Austria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden have all suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine’s use over the past week, after reports that a small number of people had developed blood clots after receiving it....

Chris Correa initially was scheduled to be sentenced in a Houston court on April 11, the same day the Astros host the Royals and the Cardinals host the Brewers in their respective home openers. MORE: Every team’s greatest Opening Day performance Now, the Chronicle noted, “the Astros can enjoy the pomp without sharing a news cycle with the perp.” Correa, a former Cardinals executive, pleaded guilty to five felony counts for hacking into the Astros database....

Since the inception of the Sporting News Player of the Year award in 1936, it has been a rarity for a second baseman to be named the best in the game. It took until 1960 for Bill Mazeroski to win the award at the keystone sack, then another decade and a half went by before Joe Morgan went back-to-back in 1975 and 1976. The only other second baseman to win was Ryne Sandberg in 1984....

And why not? The Astros had led since the first inning and added a run in the top of the fourth. This postseason, teams that scored first were 27-7. But the Braves had some magic for their home crowd. After Austin Riley drove in a run later in that bottom of the sixth, Dansby Swanson and Jorge Soler hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh to put Atlanta on top....

The United States should offer a novel form of expedited American citizenship, what I call “protest asylum,” to those journalists and protesters who do not flee. This is distinct from political asylum, which offers protection to individuals in fear of political persecution who want to or have fled. Extending U.S. citizenship to journalists and protesters determined to stay in their home countries would allow the U.S. government to petition for their release if they are jailed for allegedly subversive acts....

Atalanta have not been in a European competion for 27 years and this is the first time they have come up against an English side. The Toffees, meanwhile, will be hoping to secure their first ever win in Italy to get life off to a good start in Group E. TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on BT Sport 2 and by stream via the BT Sport app....

“Thoughts and prayers” has become the go-to condolence after floods, mass shootings and a range of other natural and manmade disasters. Critics claim the phrase is too pat, and “may obstruct structural reforms intended to mitigate catastrophes,” according to economist Linda Thunström and sociologist Shiri Noy. Their study, published Monday, suggests that while for Christians, the remark is welcome—especially if it comes from a member of the clergy—atheists and agnostics were “prayer averse,” preferring to avoid religious sentiments in times of tragedy....

NCAA President Mark Emmert saw the need for a new constitution in August, after the Supreme Court ruled against the association and left it vulnerable to more legal challenges. The new constitution is Emmert’s first phase of transforming the NCAA in a way to give more power to schools and conferences, instead of the Indianapolis-based association. The NCAA released an 18 1/2-page draft of the constitution, cut down from 43 pages over the last three months of revisions, and focuses on the NCAA’s goals of athlete welfare more than the previous one....

Naturally, the news of the tragedy has generated numerous reactions on social media, including from sports stars, celebrities and politicians. Basketball great Shaquille O’Neal, who was Bryant’s teammate on the Los Angeles Lakers, wrote on Twitter: “There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board....

Alton Sterling was shot and killed by police officers outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La., on Tuesday morning. Philando Castile was killed in Falcon Heights, Minn., during a traffic stop on Wednesday evening. MORE: Sports world reacting to tragedies Colin Kaepernick compared Sterling’s death to lynchings. Ricky Jean Francois posted one of the most chilling photos — An American flag with streaks of blood that form silhouettes of people being lynched....

The ambidextrous pitcher appeared in four games after he was called up from Triple-A Nashville on June 5, allowing just one hit in 5 2/3 shutout innings. MORE: MLB’s all-time strikeout leaders | Craziest ballpark food Venditte signed a minor-league contract with the A’s in November and posted a 1.36 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 33 innings in Triple-A before getting the nod . Major League Baseball needed to add a rule to accommodate Venditte, whom the A’s call a “switch-handed pitcher....