September 6, Monday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have left for Qatar in an apparent bid to boost diplomatic and security ties with the country, which has built relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Qatar hosts the Taliban’s political office, which serves as an international liaison facility for the group. Britain and Germany have also sent their top diplomats to Qatar to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and humanitarian support.
2. A portrait in Afghanistan honoring a Japanese doctor who contributed for may years to the country’s reconstruction, has been erased and replaced with words apparently praising Taliban rule. An NHK crew confirmed on Sunday that the mural of Nakamura Tetsu painted on a wall in Kabul, had been whitewashed.
3. A military unit in the West African nation of Guinea says it has detained the president, Alpha Conde, and seized power. Reuters and other media outlets reported that violent gunshots were heard in the capital, Conakry, on Sunday. They said the shots sounded in a district where government agencies are located. They added that many soldiers were seen on the streets.