British troops return to the United Kingdom from Afghanistan, ending the evacuation process at the airport and the country's involvement in the war.
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August 28, 2021 (Saturday)
1.9 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
LGBT organization Rainbow Railroad says that it has received hundreds of requests for help, mainly from Afghan gay men. Exiled Afghan LGBT activist Nemat Sadat warned last week that under the Taliban, homosexual men will be hunted down. Sadat says that he alone has received over 250 requests from Afghan gay men requesting help in order to leave the country.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul warns Americans to leave the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul due to a "specific, credible threat". Additionally, U.S. president Joe Biden issues a warning of another attack on the airport in the next "24–36 hours".
Co-leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan and self-proclaimed president Amrullah Saleh criticizes the United States for its withdrawal and for its demand last year of releasing Taliban prisoners as part of the negotiations. Saleh says that the Taliban's rule "won't last long" and appeals to the European Union for support.
Disasters and accidents
Hurricane Ida moves toward the coast of the U.S. state of Louisiana as a potential Category 4, after impacting Cuba yesterday. The storm is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to reach New Orleans on Sunday. Mayor LaToya Cantrell orders centralized evacuations in the city.
Health and environment
New South Wales reports a record 1,035 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
The Philippines reports a record 19,441 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 1,935,700.
Sri Lanka receives a shipment of 300,000 doses of the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine donated from China's People's Liberation Army.
The Italian Ministry of Health announces that beginning from August 31, fully vaccinated British travellers will be able to scrap the five-day self-quarantine if they show a proof of negative PCR and Antigen test in the previous 48 hours and must have been at least 14 days after receiving a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Japanese health ministry confirms that two men died after receiving their second dose of the contaminated Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from one of three manufacturers. The ministry said that the cause of the deaths was still being investigated.
Politics and elections
Following the airstrike by the United States on August 27, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid condemned the attack saying they consider the airstrike a "clear attack on Afghan territory".
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