| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Tuesday, August 24, 2021 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. The U.N.'s top human rights official says she has credible reports of Taliban executions, New Zealand's Delta outbreak is spreading rapidly, and the Paralympics kick off in Tokyo | | | | | Today's biggest stories  A U.S. Marine calms a toddler during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, August 22, 2021 AFGHANISTAN Western forces at Kabul airport are working flat out to get people out of Afghanistan before an August 31 deadline, as U.S. President Joe Biden faces growing pressure to negotiate more time for the airlift of thousands of stranded people.
"Every foreign force member is working at a war-footing pace to meet the deadline," a NATO diplomat told Reuters.
The top U.N. human rights official said that she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including summary executions of civilians and restrictions on women and on protests against their rule.
Was it all worth it? - That's a question senior military leaders are grappling with following the collapse of the U.S.-trained and funded Afghan military, the Taliban's shockingly rapid takeover, a bungled evacuation of civilians from Kabul and the prospect of Afghans who helped Americans in the war being left behind to face reprisals from the Islamist militants in power.
As foreign governments, aid institutions and companies scramble to evacuate staff from Afghanistan, a crucial question is emerging: should they engage with the ruling Taliban or abandon years of investment in the country and 38 million Afghans?
|  U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trailed by reporters as she departs a meeting with fellow House Democrats at the Capitol in Washington, August 23, 2021
U.S.
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives postponed a vote to advance Biden's ambitious plan to expand social programs, as liberals and centrists remained at odds over which parts of his agenda should get priority.
Hawaii Governor David Ige urged residents and visitors to restrict travel to the state to essential business activities amid a surge in cases of COVID-19 in the islands.
A judge in the District of Columbia sentenced Enrique Tarrio, a leader of the right-wing extremist group the Proud Boys, to 155 days in jail for burning a Black Lives Matter flag and possessing a large-capacity ammunition magazine.
In his final public remarks as governor of New York on Monday, Andrew Cuomo complained about what he called the unfairness of the state investigation that concluded he sexually harassed women who worked for him.
Rescue teams with trained search dogs combed through destroyed homes and piles of debris for dozens of people believed missing in Tennessee after record downpours and flash flooding left at least 21 dead.
WORLD
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris accused Beijing of coercion and intimidation to back unlawful claims in the South China Sea, her most pointed comments on China during a visit to Southeast Asia which she said was critical to U.S. security.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has agreed to be the ruling political party's vice presidential candidate in next year's elections, the PDP-Laban party said, laying the groundwork for the leader to stay in power beyond his term.
Syrian army units aided by pro-Iranian militias have staged a major assault on an opposition enclave in the southern border city of Deraa in a bid to retake the last opposition stronghold in southern Syria.
New Zealand recorded its highest increase in COVID-19 cases since April 2020, as authorities warned this current outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus was like dealing with a whole new virus.
The 2020 Paralympic Games will kick off in Tokyo with the opening ceremony as Japan struggles with its worst COVID-19 outbreak so far, record daily cases and an overwhelmed medical system.
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