Thursday, August, 19 2021

*) Three dead after anti-Taliban protests in Jalalabad Three people have been killed and more than a dozen injured after Taliban members opened fire during a protest against the group in Jalalabad. Meanwhile, former president Ashraf Ghani said he hopes to return home, after fleeing to the UAE but Washington said he is "no longer a figure in Afghanistan." US President Joe Biden said it was impossible to leave Afghanistan without chaos and that some soldiers may stay in Afghanistan past August thirty-first to evacuate Americans. *) Haiti quake death toll rises to 2,189 The death toll from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti has risen to 2,189 with 600,000 people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, local civil protection authorities said. Flooding and heavy rains over the past days interrupted efforts to search for survivors and help those left homeless or without food and water. International aid workers said hospitals in the areas worst hit by the quake are mostly incapacitated and that there is a dire need for medical equipment. *) Turkish President meets with UAE National Security Adviser Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks in Ankara with UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They discussed bilateral and regional developments and UAE investments in Turkey, Turkey’s Communications Directorate said. Turkey and UAE have been at loggerheads over regional issues, supporting opposite sides in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Mediterranean. *) Greek firefighters battle growing forest blaze near Athens Greek firefighters battled a wildfire raging through one of the last remaining pine forests near Athens, warning that homes could be at risk. More than 500 wildfires have broken out in recent weeks across the country, ravaging swathes of forest and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Like other countries across the Mediterranean region including Turkey and Tunisia, Greece has seen some of its highest temperatures in decades