the taliban says it will observe a peace agreement negotiated with the united states last year. the announcements, which includes a pledge to prevent al-qaeda from operating in afghanistan, follows face—to—face talks with the us in doha. lebanon has been hit by a nationwide power cut caused by the electricity grid shutting down. the authorities have blamed ongoing fuel shortages amid a severe economic crisis. electricity supplies are unlikely to resume before monday. taiwan's president tsai ing—wen has vowed to uphold democracy and freedom at home amid growing tensions with beijing, responding to a speech from president xijinping, saying that reunification with china is inevitable. she said there should be no illusions that time when these people would bow to pressure. ——no illusions that the