Asia

Afghan Adviser At U.S. Embassy Says There's Been No Contact From Kabul

7:31am August 25, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Fawad Nazami, the political counselor at the Embassy of Afghanistan, about how his job has changed since the Taliban took control of the Afghan government.

Japan's COVID-19 Cases Rise As Paralympic Athletes Descend On Tokyo

7:21am August 25, 2021

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Motoko Rich, the Tokyo bureau chief of The New York Times, about Japan hosting the Paralympic Games amid the pandemic. The Tokyo Olympic Games ended earlier this month.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Office of Government in Hanoi, Vietnam, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021.

World News

Harris Says The U.S. Will Provide Vietnam 1 Million More Vaccine Doses

6:48am August 25, 2021

by The Associated Press

The vice president made the announcement during her trip to Southeast Asia. It's part of the Biden administration's push to strengthen its alliances in the region to counter China's influence

Activists Focus On Getting As Many Afghans Out Of Afghanistan As Possible

6:41am August 25, 2021

by Michele Kelemen

Afghans who worked with international forces and organizations are fleeing the country by the thousands, raising concerns about a brain drain that could affect Afghanistan for years to come.

'Seeing Ghosts' Navigates The Melancholia Of Loss — Of People, Places And Identities

6:16am August 25, 2021

by Kristen Martin

While this book would not exist without Kat Chow's grief — while Chow would not be the person she is now without that grief — her project here aims for more than just mapping her primal anguish.

News Brief: Afghan Evacuations, Asylum-Seekers Ruling, House Passes Budget Plan

6:11am August 25, 2021

Biden says Aug. 31 remains the deadline for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan. The Supreme Court orders the "Remain in Mexico" policy reinstated for asylum-seekers. A Democratic budget stalemate ends.

British and Canadian soldiers stand guard late Sunday near a canal as Afghans wait outside the foreign military-controlled part of the airport in Kabul, hoping to flee the country following the Taliban's military takeover of Afghanistan.

2 Congressmen Make 'Secret' Trip To Kabul Amid U.S. Withdrawal Chaos

9:43pm August 24, 2021

by Alana Wise

The two congressmen, a Republican and a Democrat, are now casting doubt on an Aug. 31 withdrawal timeline.

CIA Director William J. Burns, seen here in his office in Langley, Va., met Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, according to a U.S. official.

CIA Chief And Taliban Leader Meet As Taliban Demand Aug. 31 U.S. Withdrawal

6:15pm August 24, 2021

by Greg Myre

The talks between CIA Director William Burns and Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar come as an Aug. 31 deadline looms for the end of the U.S. airlift and withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Vice President Harris (center) speaks with U.S. personnel as she departs Tuesday from Singapore on her way to Vietnam.

VP Harris' Flight Delayed After Possible 'Havana Syndrome' Incident In Hanoi

5:40pm August 24, 2021

Harris' trip from Singapore to the Vietnamese capital was delayed by roughly three hours. The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi reported "a recent possible anomalous health incident" that affected embassy staff.

The White House Briefed Congress On The Afghanistan Pullout. Here's What Was Said

4:34pm August 24, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Washington Rep. Adam Smith, Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, about briefing the Biden administration gave to Congress about the withdrawal from Afghanistan.