The latest short-form news audio from FSN Bureaus worldwide
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he now believes there may be only around a thousand US citizens in Afghanistan who still require evacuation.
He says around four and a half thousand have already left…..but only a week ago the White House was estimating there could be three times that number of Americans in the country.
The State Department now says an official who told members of Congress today that as many as four thousand Americans are waiting to be evacuated "mis-spoke".
And the Secretary of State, like other Biden administration officials, says those Americans in Afghanistan bear some responsibility for their own plight.
IN: "For many years…."
OUT: "….in leaving"
DUR: 35 seconds
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0826blinken-americans.mp3
He said the US will provide assistance to any American or Afghan who get left behind after the US military operation wraps up next week, and he said efforts are underway to try and ensure that Kabul airport remains open after the US and international forces leave.
At times in the briefing he appeared emotional and physically spent by the turmoil of the last 12 days.
IN: "Like many of you…."
OUT: "….into this effort"
DUR: 36 seconds
Delta Airlines plans to charge employees who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19 an extra two hundred dollars a month.
The announcement from one of America's biggest airlines comes amid a wider push by companies to try and get more workers vaccinated.
US correspondent Ira Spitzer reports.
IN: In a letter...
The Pentagon says that as US military operations in Afghanistan wrap up ahead of President Biden's August 31st deadline, it will prioritize the evacuation of military personnel and equipment over remaining civilians at Kabul airport.
Around 400 US troops have already been flown out of the country, though Pentagon officials still can't say how many American citizens require evacuation.
Speaking to reporters, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.
IN: "We will…."
OUT: "….to move out"
DUR: 25 seconds
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0825kirby-prioritize.mp3
He conceded that some would-be evacuees from the US and its partner nations are encountering Taliban obstacles getting to the airport, and that also some Afghans are being blocked even though they have the paperwork necessary to board US military flights.
IN: "You know…."
OUT: "…as advertised"
DUR: 30 seconds
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0825kirby-taliban.mp3
On Tuesday President Biden claimed continuing Taliban co-operation was essential if the evacuation is to be complete by the end of the month.
Among those urging him to extend the operation….many European leaders….and the Republican leader in the US Senate, Mitch McConnell.
IN: "The President…."
OUT: "…our Afghan allies".
DUR: 16 seconds
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0825afghan-mcconnell.mp3
He spoke on Fox News.
The UK is in a race against time to airlift thousands more Afghans out of Kabul, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to convince President Joe Biden to extend the deadline for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
The US military will leave the country by August 31st, meaning most evacuations are set to end by the weekend.
From London, Benji Hyer reports.
IN: We will use every hour
OUT: SOC
DUR: 42 secs
Intro;
51 evacuees from Afghanistan have arrived in Uganda aboard a chartered flight.
Uganda's Foreign Affairs Ministry says the evacuees include men, women, and children.
And have been checked into a hotel near Uganda's Entebbe International Airport.
Michael Baleke has more…
IN: The evacuees...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 00.42secs
http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0825afghanrefugees-mb-generic.mp3
Intro:
WHO's Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan says India may be entering the endemic stage of COVID-19.
Infections rates have remained relatively low in the past two months after a devastating second wave in May.
But officials in New Delhi are still concerned as Ishan Garg reports.
IN: India's been
Movie directors in Hong Kong are condemning government proposals for a film censorship law. The government says the legislation will ban the screening of films deemed to support or glorify acts that could endanger national security.
Richard Kimber reports from Hong Kong.
IN: The new legislation
OUT: Richard Kimber, Hong Kong
DUR: 0.45
Japan is set to expand a state of emergency as rising COVID-19 cases threaten to overwhelm hospitals. The measures would cover almost half of the country's 47 prefectures.
Phoebe Amoroso reports from Tokyo.
IN: "The minister ..."
Airbnb has pledged to provide free housing for 20-thousand Afghan refugees. CEO Brian Chesky says the program will begin immediately.
Silicon Valley Correspondent Rachel Silverman has this report from San Francisco.
IN: Calling the
OUT:SOC
DUR: 33
GENERIC: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0824airbnb-rs-generic.mp3