Wednesday, August, 18 2021

*) Taliban allowing 'safe passage' from Kabul in US airlift The White House said the Taliban had promised that civilians could travel safely to the Kabul airport as the US military stepped up its airlift for Americans and Afghans. A White House official said some 3,200 people have been evacuated by the US military so far. Washington wants to complete the exodus before its August 31 withdrawal deadline. *) Tropical storm halts Haiti quake recovery efforts Haitian officials raised the death toll from a deadly weekend earthquake to 1,941 and the number of injured to 9,900. Tropical Storm Grace has forced a temporary halt to rescue efforts, lashing the country with 38 centimeters of rain. Officials said the magnitude 7.2 earthquake destroyed more than 7,000 homes and damaged nearly 5,000, leaving about 30,000 families homeless. *) Iran ups uranium enrichment to 60 Iran has established a process to accelerate production of highly enriched uranium. International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi informed IAEA member states that Tehran was boosting capacity to enrich uranium up to 60 percent at its Natanz enrichment plant. The move takes Iran closer to the 90 percent purity level needed for use in a nuclear weapon. *) Investigators say Bolivia security forces committed 'massacres' An independent group has accused Bolivia's security forces of carrying out "massacres" during social unrest around the disputed 2019 elections. Clashes between rival supporters and opponents killed at least 37 people after Evo Morales won an unconstitutional fourth term as president in an election. The report by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts also highlights political polarisation surrounding Morales’ changing of the constitution and racism against his Indigenous followers. And finally ... * ) Nuclear scientists hail US fusion breakthrough Nuclear scientists using lasers have generated a huge amount of energy from fusion, possibly offering hope for the development of a new clean energy source.