The group of 80 people, which includes adults and infants in addition to the 26 soccer players ages 14-16, had been trying to leave Afghanistan ever since the U.S. withdrawal, the Associated Press reported. They feared for their lives under the Taliban rule, not only because girls are forbidden to play sports, but also because they were advocates for girls and active community members. Late Sunday, the girls and their families landed in Lisbon, Portugal, where they were granted asylum, Robert McCreary, a former congressional chief of staff and White House official under President George W....

Tensions are running high over the August 31 deadline to evacuate refugees and nationals of G7 countries from the facility. Despite concerns from leaders to extend the deadline, President Joe Biden told his allies that “we are on pace to finish” the mission in Kabul by August 31. During a press briefing Tuesday, the Pentagon reiterated the U.S.’s commitment to the August 31 withdrawal mark after the Taliban said it would not extend the deadline....

In fact, he’s doubly excited. This is the second communication he’s gotten from Mullah Omar this year—after not one word since the U.S.-led 2001 invasion. (Although not all the information in this report can be independently verified, it came from sources who have proved reliable in the past, and the details are consistent with the established facts.) This January, Ghul Agha received an audiocassette of Mullah Omar praising the virtue of self-sacrifice....

Applications from Afghans for asylum climbed roughly 30 percent since February when the United States announced it would be pulling troops out of Afghanistan. According to the EU’s asylum office, over 4,648 applications were submitted in May; about half tend to be successful. “It’s important that we can help these people in Afghanistan, when possible, to return to their homes,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said. “We also need to help neighboring countries and support Afghanis and these neighboring countries in the region....

Before Ponsetto was arrested at her home in Piru, California on Thursday, she spoke with Gayle King about the incident, in which she was seen tackling the teenage son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold at a New York City hotel on December 26. Ponsetto falsely accused the teen of stealing her phone before she verbally—then physically—attacked him. Ponsetto was already facing backlash on social media for what some have claimed was the racial profiling of the teen....

“I’m always happy to meet with people, even if we have different views. @BillGates, if we get the chance, I’d love to explain exactly how much you’d pay under my wealth tax. (I promise it’s not $100 billion.)” read Warren’s tweet. She was responding to comments made by Gates to New York Times writer Andrew Ross Sorkin at a forum. “I’ve paid over $10 billion in taxes. I’ve paid more than anyone in taxes....

Not so much with the 8-1 Rams. What the Saints did to them in the Superdome on Sunday, the 45-35, six-touchdown, 487-yard beatdown that froze football America in its seat … that could not have been fun for anyone who had high expectations for the Rams’ defense. And in retrospect, it’s odd to think that the defensive power moves the Rams made in the offseason were universally considered the final pieces of the puzzle....

“We cannot let those killed in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, die in vain. Likewise for those so seriously wounded,” Trump said in a tweet early Monday morning in the wake of the two attacks. “We can never forget them, and those many who came before them. Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks,” said the president, before suggesting that lawmakers consider “perhaps marrying…this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform....

Aguero said last month that he has three months to show what he can do before City “decide if I have a place here or not”. The Blues moved quickly to stress that there was no intention of selling Aguero, and Pep Guardiola has always pointed out that the striker is key to his plans. Pep hails ‘best ever’ Aguero And when questioned about why the Argentine would feel he may be moved on, Guardiola said the striker knows the club want him to stay....

Aguero underwent keyhole surgery on his right knee in Barcelona earlier this week after he failed to fully recover from a heavy challenge by Ashley Young in City’s 3-2 derby defeat against Manchester United. United’s shock 1-0 loss to West Brom last weekend meant City wrapped up the Premier League title with five matches to spare and Aguero, who was named in the PFA Team of the Year, will not feature again at the Etihad Stadium until 2018-19....

The Argentine attacker makes a quick return after being injured in a car crash in Netherlands at the end of September. City to beat Stoke 3-0 - 6/1 Aguero was expected to be out of action for two to four weeks, but the 29-year-old was hopeful of getting back to full fitness sooner. City confirmed on Tuesday that Aguero participated in light training with team-mates not away on international duty, stating that the striker is “expected to gradually build up his fitness in the coming days as he edges towards a first team return”....

Menopausal employees will also be given private workspaces so that their working environment will not make their symptoms worse. Guidance and support resources will also be given. The human resources team will also have a “dedicated menopause champion.” Channel 4’s policy was announced right before World Menopause Day, which is October 18. The yearly event was designed to bring attention to midlife women’s health, according to the International Menopause Society....

“Freedom of speech” is a foreign phrase on the territory of the Russian Federation, and so the concept that different opinions can exist in a healthy, democratic society seems fantastic to most Russians. Thanks to the article’s authors, Russian propagandists are drinking champagne and rejoicing that the U.S. has finally changed its mind about its support for Ukraine. Thankfully, these Russian propagandists, just like the authors themselves, have a mistaken understanding of the current situation....

According to WJXT in Jacksonville, Fla., the public defender representing Fucci submitted a written not guilty plea, which was accepted by the court. The not guilty plea now moves Fucci’s scheduled arraignment in St. John’s County Court from June 10 to July 28, according to WJXT. Prosecutors previously upgraded the charges against Fucci and filed a motion to try the 14-year-old Florida boy as an adult with premeditated first-degree murder....

Officials identified the deceased men as Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss, 46, and Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30 on Wednesday. They were killed during the crash of a U.S. Bombardier E-11A aircraft in central Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, an area controlled by the Taliban. The cause of the crash is not yet known, but officials have said there was “no indication it was caused by enemy fire.” Voss, of Yuga, Guam, was assigned to the Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia....

Mark Visconi, 48, of Fairfax, Virginia, was jailed on Friday after he plead guilty to receipt of child pornography in October. He was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release in a federal court in Alexandria. Visconi used the anonymous Tor network to download child pornography, according to a news release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A forensic review of his laptop showed he had downloaded and viewed “numerous” pictures and videos of child pornography....

Because 9/11 was a breach in airport security, air travel was supposed to be fixed first. Americans are certainly paying to fix it, in time and money. The $3.4 billion spent on airport and airline security in 2005 represents a more than tenfold increase over 2000. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has federalized airport screeners and upgraded their training and vigilance. Cockpit doors are locked and hardened, and domestic pilots are allowed to carry guns....

“The flight was closed, the door to the aircraft was closed, the jetway was removed, and she was too late to make that flight,” says Paul Skellon, spokesman for Mesa Airlines, which operated the commuter flight for U.S. Airways. Gotbaum became upset and began screaming at the airline workers, according to the Phoenix Police Department. When a pair of officers tried to restrain her, she screamed at them, too. “I’m not a terrorist,” she said, according to a New York Daily News account, quoting an unnamed eyewitness....

PHOTOS: NFL players’ wives, girlfriends The Bengals quarterback and his wife welcomed their new baby boy Tripp to the world last week. But AJ oddly commanded Tripp’s birth with a movie reference that made Katherine laugh. Yes — her giggle forced the baby out. The 25-year-old QB described to ESPN.com a scene from the movie “World War Z,” in which Brad Pitt’s character tells another, who’s in pain, to “gut up....