Thursday, June 24, 2021

Calls grow to evacuate Afghans to Guam as US troops leave, and New Zealand beat India in World Test final *) US urged to evacuate Afghan allies to Guam as troops leave With US and NATO forces facing a September 11 deadline to leave Afghanistan, pressure is mounting to evacuate thousands of Afghans who have helped US forces. Despite unusual bipartisan support in Congress, the Biden administration hasn't agreed to such a move. Some have suggested Guam, the US Pacific island territory that served a similar purpose after the Vietnam War. *) Air strike in Ethiopia’s Tigray kills dozens of people An airstrike hit a busy market in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray village of Togoga, killing at least 51 people, health workers have reported. Health workers added that soldiers blocked medical teams from travelling to the scene. The alleged airstrike comes amid some of the fiercest fighting in the Tigray region since the conflict began in November. *) Libya elections, removal of foreign forces agreed in Berlin talks The second Libya conference has ended in Berlin with a final declaration stressing the need for holding elections on December 24 and withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries. The participants reaffirmed their commitments first made at the Berlin conference in January 2020. Helped by the United Nations, Libya has over the past year made swift progress in addressing a decade of chaos and violence *) Apple Daily goes to final print after arrests, asset freeze Hong Kong's most vocally critical newspaper Apple Daily has said it is printing its last edition after a stormy year. This comes after it was raided by police who froze their assets and its tycoon owner and other staff were arrested under a new national security law. Its founder Jimmy Lai is facing charges under the new law for foreign collusion and is currently serving a prison sentence for his involvement in 2019 protests. And finally ... *) New Zealand trounce India to win inaugural World Test Championship New Zealand have defeated In