Conflict over Withdrawal Deadline
As the evacuation of foreign nationals and the Afghans who worked with them continues from Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, the clock is ticking. Just how much longer these planes will be able to take off and land is becoming a major bone of contention between the Taliban and western governments. The US had set next Tuesday, 31 August, as its deadline for the withdrawal, but is now wanting to extend that, something the Taliban says is just not going to happen. Speaking from Qatar, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, said any delay would be "a clear violation":
"No, we do not want to extend, because that is occupation. The occupation must come to an end. And they can have good relations with us. If they want, they can participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and they can have cooperation with Afghanistan, with the people of Afghanistan in a new chapter, in a new phase—that they can. I think they have a moral obligation to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, because they were involved in the destruction of Afghanistan, in the bloodshed in Afghanistan.”
Amid the uncertainty, groups of Afghan nationals continue to wait to be evacuated from Kabul. Many are being turned away from the airport by the Taliban who claim they do not have the right paperwork. They are being ordered to return home and get back to work, with assurances from the Taliban that there will be no reprisals for having worked for foreign governments.
Climate Protests Hit London
In London, dozens of climate activists have been arrested after blocking traffic near Leicester Square, chaining themselves to a car and a giant pink table in the middle of the street. Activists from the Extinction Rebellion group want an emergency response from governments and a mass move away from polluting industries. The group earlier rallied on London's Trafalgar Square and targeted the medieval Guildhall at the weekend. The Guildhall is the home of the City of London Corporation, which governs the city's historic financial centre. More protests are planned for the next two weeks.
Massive Storm Bears Down on New York
And, a stunning slow motion shot of lightning striking New York’s One World Trade Center has demonstrated the intensity of Tropical Storm Henri. It weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday but is gathering strength as it dumps rain and triggers flashfloods and power cuts as it moves up the eastern seaboard of the United States. It’s also threatening dangerous storm surges along the coast of New England and Long Island. More than 42 million people in the region are under a hurricane or tropical storm warning.
