Afghanistan: The latest update
One: President Joe Biden addressed the nation and laid out a defense for his decision to pull out of Afghanistan. He also announced: “This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. It’s about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries.” The Guardian has key excerpts and you can watch the entire speech here. Also read: Hours before Biden’s address, Reuters published excerpts of the last conversation between ex-Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and Biden.
Two: An Afghan interpreter rescued then Senator Biden from a snowstorm in Afghanistan in 2008. He is in hiding, and has been trying for over a year to leave the country. He sent out an open appeal to Biden: “Hello Mr. President: Save me and my family. Don’t forget me here.” White House spokesperson Jen Psaki responded: “We will get you out, we will honor your service, and we're committed to doing exactly that.” Point to note: The US has left behind the majority of interpreters and the 20,000 who had applied for special immigrant visas.
Three: Not left behind: service dogs who worked with the US military. The Pentagon was accused by a number of animal rescue organisations of simply abandoning the dogs in crates at the airport. The Pentagon indignantly denied the charge:
“Photos circulating online were animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under the care of the U.S. military... All our working dogs left with their handlers. We would not leave them behind. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous.”
Four: The US made special and secret arrangements with the Taliban to get out its citizens. The fighters “escort[ed] clusters of Americans” to the airport—where they entered via a “secret gate.” We have no comment on this.
Five: Given this new-found chumminess, the Taliban is demanding that the US establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul: “We have communication channels with them, and we expect them to reopen their embassy in Kabul, and we also want to have trade relations with them.”
A good read: CBS News has the story of Afghan Paralympians Hossain Rasouli and Zakia Khudadadi who made it to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo—flying out just last week. No, they didn’t win any medal, but in this case, just being there was victory enough.
A near-ban on abortion in Texas
The most restrictive anti-abortion law went into effect in the state yesterday—when the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal to block it. Here’s what the law says:
- It prohibits doctors from performing abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected—which is around six weeks. FYI: As per the Roe v. Wade ruling, abortion is legal during the first trimester under federal law.
- However, it does not require the state government or its officials to enforce the law—since that would become a constitutional matter.
- Instead, it deputizes private individuals to sue anyone who performs the procedure or “aids and abets” it.
Now this is the really, really crazy bit:
“The patient may not be sued, but doctors, staff members at clinics, counselors, people who help pay for the procedure, even an Uber driver taking a patient to an abortion clinic are all potential defendants. Plaintiffs [those who sue], who need not have any connection to the matter or show any injury from it, are entitled to $10,000 and their legal fees recovered if they win. Prevailing defendants are not entitled to legal fees.” [emphasis added]
Abortion providers warned that the law “would immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access in Texas—barring care for at least 85%” of abortion patients in the state—and will force “many abortion clinics ultimately to close.” No, this isn’t the nineteenth century. This is Texas. PS: Next month, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not Roe v. Wade is constitutional. Also read: NPR on how this appalling law will be enforced in practice—and what it will signal to other states. (New York Times)
Three Covid-related things
One: The WHO is monitoring a new variant B.1.621—which is now called Mu. No, this isn’t the same as C.1.2. out of South Africa—which apparently has a dizzying number of mutations. Mu was first identified in Colombia and has been classified as a ‘variant of interest’ due to “a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape.” (NDTV)
Two: Brazilian researchers have identified a molecule in the venom of the jararacussu pit viper that may become a powerful weapon in fighting Covid. It inhibits the virus’s ability to multiply in monkey cells by 75%—by attaching itself to a virus enzyme essential for its reproduction. There’s also good news for the snakes: The molecule can be synthesized in a laboratory. As the lead researcher made clear: “We’re wary about people going out to hunt the jararacussu around Brazil, thinking they’re going to save the world ... That’s not it! It’s not the venom itself that will cure the coronavirus.” (Reuters)
Three: A week ago, Japan suspended the use of about 1.63 million Moderna doses due to contamination. Now, Moderna has recalled three batches after an investigation revealed stainless steel contaminants in some vials: “The most probable cause of contamination was related to friction between two pieces of metal in the machinery that puts stoppers on the vials.” (Reuters)
A good related read: Washington Post has an excellent report on exactly what breakthrough infections—when you get Covid despite being jabbed—feel like.
A spreading oil spill in Syria
A tank filled with 15,000 tons of fuel at Syria's largest refinery has been leaking since August 23 on the coastal city of Baniyas. It covers around 800 square kilometres (309 square miles)—an area around the size of New York City. And it is around 7 km from the Cypriot coast. According to locals, the Syrian authorities have been doing a terrible job of cleaning up the spill: “The government only sent teams with sponges and water hoses; they do not have the capacity to deal with this.... you cannot clean the sea with sponges.” But Cypriot and Turkish authorities are springing into action—with Cyprus erecting a 400 metre barrier to prevent the oil slick from reaching its shores. (CNN)
In other terrible enviro news: A new report warns that one in three trees face extinction in the wild. And at least 17,500 tree species are at risk—twice the number of threatened mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles combined. Also: 142 species have already vanished, while 442 are on the very edge of extinction—with fewer than 50 trees remaining. Experts say the findings are an urgent call for action. BBC News has more.
Speaking of bad weather...
One: It’s pouring in Delhi—which received 112.1 mm rainfall in a single day, the highest in 12 years and a 19-year record for September. The result: severe flooding and traffic jams. See astonishing clip below. NDTV has more visuals.
Two: A very chi-chi Dolce & Gabbana open-air fashion show in Venice was rudely interrupted by a serious hail storm. Both the designers and the attendees—including Vin Diesel, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Lopez—had to run for cover. Vogue has a detailed report on the disaster, and you can watch the mayhem below.
The boss loves a narcissist
A new paper by Italian researchers shows that self-promoting and self-centred employees thrive at the workplace—often leaping up the career ladder. It found that a highly narcissistic person progressed 29% faster in their career to the position of CEO compared to the average candidate with similar qualifications. And this was true for family and non-family businesses. Why this is worrying: “the narcissists’ rapid promotion could mean they lack the necessary experience to carry out their responsibilities—which could exacerbate the effects of their rash and dishonest decision making.” BBC News has more on how employers can protect themselves from making the wrong hire—and how you can protect yourself from a narcissistic boss.
Two very big things to see
A very booty-ful plane: The world’s largest aircraft is a gigantic airship called the Airlander 10—originally designed in 2010 by the US military as a way to provide surveillance in Afghanistan. But its military career turned into a deadend and it is planning to make a commercial comeback—as a new luxury air cruise to and from the North Pole. Why it’s a perfect candidate: The plane can stay aloft for up to five days at a time—and fly as low as 100 feet above the ground, traveling at the speed of a bike. Oh, did we mention that it looks like a gigantic butt from a certain angle? CNN has more details and photos.
A very big dinosaur: ‘Big John’, the largest triceratops dinosaur ever discovered by paleontologists will be sold by a Paris auction house in late October—and could fetch up to 1.5 million euros ($1.77 million). See him in the Reuters report below.
