Afghan leader rejects foreign interference
Afghanistan’s president on Sunday rejected foreign interference as the United States and the Taliban appear to be closing in on a peace deal without the Afghan government at the table.
President Ashraf Ghani spoke during the Muslim holiday of Eid al- Adha and as U. S. and Taliban negotiators continue their work in the Gulf nation of Qatar, where the insurgents have a political office.
Speaking after the Eid prayers, Mr. Ghani insisted that next month’s presidential election is essential so that Afghanistan’s leader will have a powerful mandate to decide the country’s future after years of war.
“Our future cannot be decided outside, whether in the capital cities of our friends, nemeses or neighbors. The fate of Afghanistan will be decided here in this homeland,” he said. “We don’t want anyone to intervene in our affairs.”
U. S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is seeking a peace deal by Sept. 1, weeks before the vote. The two sides are expected to agree on the withdrawal of some 20,000 U. S. and NATO troops in return for Taliban guarantees that Afghanistan would not be a base for other extremist groups.
Guatemalans cast votes
Guatemalans on Sunday cast their votes in a presidential election that will determine the future of a nation plagued by years of political scandal, where a recent surge in migration has laid bare the monumental challenges ahead.
Former first lady Sandra Torres and former prisons director Alejandro Giammattei are competing for the next four- year term. The election comes at a crucial moment — as Guatemala prepares for the possible implementation of a “safe third country” agreement with the U. S., a plan touted by the Trump administration but with potentially grave consequences for a country whose own citizens are fleeing in droves.
Guatemala is the leading country of origin of migrants and asylum seekers apprehended at the U. S.Mexico border.
Both presidential candidates — Mr. Giammattei of the right- wing Vamos party and Ms. Torres of the centrist National Unity of Hope ( UNE) party — outlined plans to keep people from wanting to leave, through a mix of job- creation and social programs.
Escaped convict caught
A Tennessee convict suspected of killing a corrections administrator before escaping prison on a tractor was captured Sunday seven hours after homeowners recognized him on their outdoor surveillance camera, authorities said.
Curtis Ray Watson put his hands up and was arrested as he came out of a soybean field Sunday in the west Tennessee community of Henning, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said at a news conference. The capture ended a five- day manhunt.
The field is 10 miles from the prison Watson escaped from Wednesday and near a home where he was seen on a surveillance camera earlier Sunday, Mr. Rausch said. The homeowners called police after one of them recognized Watson from police- issued photos.
Typhoon toll up to 33
The death toll from a powerful typhoon that hit southeastern China rose to 33 on Sunday, as rescue workers used rubber dinghies to evacuate stranded people as swift currents swept past homes.
China’s emergency broadcasting network said that 16 people were still missing in Zhejiang province, where 32 died. It reported one more death in neighboring Anhui province.