Briefly

AFGHANISTAN

Taliban accuses US of peace deal violation

The Taliban on Friday rejected Washington's accusations that it had not lived up to its promises in Afghanistan, in turn claiming the United States was "bombarding civilians". The US signed a landmark deal with the insurgents last year, agreeing to withdraw all of its troops from the country in return for security guarantees after a stalemate on the battlefield. The Pentagon said on Thursday that the Taliban are not meeting the promises they made in the peace agreement, including reducing violence and cutting ties with al-Qaida. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the new administration of President Joe Biden remains committed to the February 2020 peace agreement set in Qatar between the US and the Afghan insurgent group.

UNITED STATES

Six killed in Georgia liquid nitrogen leak

At least six people were killed and 12 hospitalized on Thursday after a suspected liquid nitrogen leak at a poultry plant in the US state of Georgia, police and fire services officials said. Five people died at the Foundation Food Group plant in Gainesville, about 100 kilometers northeast of Atlanta, and one died after being transferred to hospital, the officials said. Nicholas Ancrum, a spokesman for Foundation Food Group, said it appeared a nitrogen line had burst and the cause was under investigation. Of the 12 people injured, three were in critical condition, officials said. Nitrogen, typically an inert gas that becomes a liquid when supercooled, is widely used in frozen food processing plants.

Botticelli record set with $92m sale

A small painting by Sandro Botticelli sold at Sotheby's in New York on Thursday for $92.2 million, an auction record for the Renaissance master. The work, Young Man Holding a Roundel, from about 1475, depicts a young nobleman holding a round painting of a saint. It is one of just three portraits in private hands by the artist best known for The Birth of Venus and Primavera. The seller was the estate of the late real estate billionaire Sheldon Solow, who bought the work at Christie's in 1982 for nearly $1 million.

Agencies - Xinhua