Briefly

AFGHANISTAN

Last 400 of Taliban inmates leaving jails

The Afghan government has begun releasing the last Taliban prisoners from a final batch of 400 who the militants want freed before they agree to start peace negotiations, a security agency spokesman said on Friday. The government agreed on Sunday to release the 400"hard-core" prisoners after consulting a grand assembly of elders and other community leaders, known as a Loya Jirga. Disagreement over the release of the prisoners, who include some of those accused in connection with some of Afghanistan's bloodiest attacks, has delayed negotiations for months as the United States withdraws troops under a deal signed with the Taliban in February.

BELARUS

Authorities ready for 'constructive dialogue'

Belarus is ready for "constructive and objective dialogue" with its foreign partners on events related to the presidential election and its aftermath, the BelTA news agency quoted Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei as saying on Friday. In a phone call between Makei and his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis, "the Belarusian side noted its readiness for a constructive and objective dialogue with foreign partners to discuss all issues related to the developments in Belarus during the election campaign and after it", the agency reported. The authorities have released hundreds of people in an attempt to calm down protests.

DPRK

Nation won't accept aid after flood losses

Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said although his country suffered serious damage from a recent flood, it would not accept outside assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday. According to the report, more than 39,000 hectares of rice fields were damaged by the flood in the country. Meanwhile, the top leader appointed Kim Tok-hun as the new premier of the country. Kim Tok-hun was the parliamentary budget committee chief before the new appointment.

UNITED STATES

Apple, Google drop game over payments

Apple and Google dropped the popular game Fortnite from their app stores after the game's developer introduced a direct payment plan that bypasses their platforms. Apple and Google both take a 30 percent cut from in-app revenue purchases in games, which has long been a sore spot with developers. Fortnite is free, but users can pay for in-game accouterments like weapons and skins. Its developer, Epic Games, said on Thursday that it was introducing Epic Direct payments, a direct payment plan for Apple's iOS and Google Play. Apple and Google said the service violates their guidelines.

Xinhua - Agencies