Afghans waited in line for the Kabul passport department, in front of a mural warning against migration, in July.JIM HUYLEBROEK/NYT
“KABUL — Haji Sakhi decided to flee Afghanistan the night he saw two Taliban members drag a young woman from her home and lash her on the sidewalk. Terrified for his three daughters, he crammed his family into a car the next morning and barreled down winding dirt roads into Pakistan.
That was more than 20 years ago. They returned to Kabul, the capital, nearly a decade later after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban regime. But now, with the Taliban sweeping across parts of the country as U.S. forces withdraw, Sakhi, 68, fears a return of the violence he witnessed that night. This time, he said, his family is not waiting so long to leave.
‘I’m not scared of leaving belongings behind. I’m not scared of starting everything from scratch,’ said Sakhi, who recently applied for Turkish visas for himself, his wife, their three daughters and one son. ‘What I’m scared of is the Taliban.’
Across Afghanistan, a mass exodus is unfolding as the Taliban press on in their brutal military campaign, which has captured more than half the country’s 400-odd districts, according to some assessments. And with that, fears of a harsh return to extremist rule or a bloody civil war between ethnically aligned militias have taken hold.” Read more at Boston Globe
A child ate emergency food after being screened for malnutrition in Debub Health Centre in Southern Tigray in Ethiopia last week.UNICEF/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“UNITED NATIONS — Hunger is expected to rise in 23 global hotspots in the next three months with the highest alerts for ‘catastrophic’ situations in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region, southern Madagascar, Yemen, South Sudan and northern Nigeria, two U.N. agencies warned Friday.
The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program said in a new report on ‘Hunger Hotspots’ between August and November that ‘acute food insecurity is likely to further deteriorate.’
They put Ethiopia at the top of the list, saying the number of people facing starvation and death is expected to rise to 401,000 -- the highest number since the 2011 famine in Somalia -- if humanitarian aid isn’t provided quickly.” Read more at Boston Globe
“TOKYO — The chances of seeing Simone Biles compete again at the Tokyo Olympics are dwindling.
USA Gymnastics announced Biles' withdrawal from the floor exercise final Sunday, a day before it is to be contested. She had already withdrawn from the all-around, as well as the event finals for vault and uneven bars, which are scheduled for Sunday.
The last event final, for balance beam, is Tuesday, but a decision on her availability for it has yet to be made. Biles will be replaced in the floor final Britain’s Jennifer Gadirova.
Biles came to Tokyo as the biggest star of these Olympics, projected to win a record five gold medals. She pulled out of the team competition Tuesday after one event, saying mental health concerns were manifesting themselves in “the twisties,” a loss of air awareness.
Biles had attempted to do an Amanar, one of the most difficult vaults being done by women but second nature to Biles. But she fell out of the air one twist short, and barely got it to her feet. On her Instagram story Friday, Biles said she was still experiencing the ‘twisties’ but, unlike her previous experience with them, they were now affecting her on all four events rather than just vault and floor.” Read more at USA Today
“TOKYO – U.S. gymnast MyKayla Skinner, competing in place of Simone Biles, won a silver medal Sunday in women’s vaulting.
Only four Americans previously medaled in the event, including gold medalist Biles in 2016. Biles dropped out of the Tokyo final for mental health reasons and was replaced by Skinner in the eight-woman final at Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
Skinner, 24, competed first, scoring 14.916 after her Cheng (15.033) and Amanar (14.800) vaults.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won the gold medal at 15.083, adding to her all-around silver. The bronze went to South Korea’s Seojeong Yeo (14.733).” Read more at USA Today
“KAWAGOE, Japan — No previous major victory experience was necessary to win a gold medal at the Olympics. American Xander Schauffele proved it all weekend.
Schauffele, 27, has finished in the top 10 at all four majors in his young career (with top three finishes in every event but the PGA Championship). Now he's the second men's golfer alive with a gold medal, five years after Justin Rose of Great Britain won it in 2016 at the Rio Games, where the sport returned to the Olympic program for the first time in more than a century.
The sport's inclusion was predicated on the fact the best players in the world would participate. While the 60-man field for these Tokyo Olympics became diluted due to positive COVID-19 tests from top-10 players Bryson DeChambeau (United States) and Jon Rahm (Spain), several notable names vied for a medal.
And Schauffele stood on top at the end with a 4-under 67 in Sunday's final round to finish 18-under-par for the tournament.” Read more at USA Today
“TOKYO — Alen Hadzic, the U.S. fencer under investigation for sexual misconduct, said he confronted two of his teammates who on Friday wore pink face masks in an apparent protest of Hadzic being allowed to participate in the Olympics.
Hadzic, the alternate on the U.S. men’s epee team, wore a black mask during introductions while his teammates wore the pink masks.
"They never asked me for my side of the story," Hadzic told USA TODAY Sports. "They never asked for evidence or how I felt."
Hadzic, 29, was temporarily suspended in June by the U.S. Center for SafeSport after three women told investigators he committed sexual misconduct against them between 2013 and 2015, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.” Read more at USA Today
“Former president Donald Trump’s proved himself his party’s most powerful fundraiser in the first six months of the year, amassing a political treasure chest of $102 million by the end of June, according to filings made public on Saturday.
His aides said he had raised $82 million in that period, though some of the money came in the form of transfers from accounts soliciting funds last year.
The sums, which are extraordinary for an ex-president who has been booted off social media, testify to the power of Trump’s online donor base and the deep financial reservoir available to him if he chooses to seek the White House a third time. They also reveal how the former president has reaped financial rewards while claiming the election was stolen from him.
Since leaving office, Trump has continued to vigorously solicit donations from supporters, based mostly on false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. His reported haul eclipsed that of his party’s House and Senate campaign arms, and was outpaced only slightly by the Republican National Committee, which raised $84 million in the first half of the year.” Read more at Washington Post