As a massive civilian evacuation effort comes to an end in Afghanistan, women, and girls who remain behind face an uncertain future. From classrooms to the workplace, the country has taken great strides towards gender equality since the Taliban was overthrown two decades ago. But as Floyd Cush reports, that progress is under threat.

We got more on this with Mariam Wardak. She's the founder of Her Afghanistan, an organization dedicated to the advancement of young Afghan women. She joins me from Washington DC.

#Taliban #WomensRights #GenderEquality

Oil firms have cut nearly all crude production in the Gulf of Mexico, as Hurricane Ida threatened major US offshore fields. Oil prices had soared to four-week highs on the shutdowns, but have now eased as Ida weakens to a tropical storm. More than a million people have lost power in New Orleans, after Ida swept through the city on the same day that Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years ago. Natasha Hussain reports.

#TropicalStorm #Ida #Louisiana #Katrina

Outdoor sports are back with a vengeance in the US, with Covid-19 restrictions being lifted and summer in full swing. One of them is the growing sport of river surfing - especially in the north western US state of Montana where water sports companies say business is booming. Motheo Khoaripe takes a look.

#RiverSurfing #Montana #OutdoorSports #Tourism

Nigeria's GDP grew by five percent in the second quarter, its fastest pace since 2014. That's after the coronavirus pandemic slammed the economy last year, with oil revenues falling and the output of other sectors being limited by lockdowns and other restrictions. The agriculture sector led gains but as Mobin Nasir reports, violence in the country's northeast is threatening to derail the recovery. For more on this, Agnes Gitau joined us from London. She's managing partner at GBS Africa, an advisory services firm focused on the continent's economic and political risk.

#Nigeria #GDP #Coronavirus #Oil

More than a dozen people have reportedly been killed when a series of explosions hit Kabul airport in a suspected suicide attack on Thursday. The blasts come after warnings from the US, UK and Australian intelligence agencies about an imminent terror attack, urging people to leave the area. More than 10- thousand foreign nationals and Afghans have been waiting at the airport to be evacuated, ahead of the full withdrawal of American troops on August 31st. The blasts, which have been confirmed by the Pentagon, were reportedly followed by gunfire. For more on this we spoke to economist and political scientist, Anwar-ul-haq Ahady. He is also Afghanistan's former Minister of Commerce & Industries. He joined us now from Kabul.

#Daesh #KabulBombBlast #Afghanistan #UStroops #Evacuation

Kamala Harris has accused China of bullying its Southeast Asian neighbours. It's the second time in two days that the US vice president has attacked Beijing for what she calls its 'unlawful' claims in the South China Sea. Harris is in Vietnam after wrapping up the first leg of her Southeast Asia tour in Singapore. Her visit is aimed at countering China's growing influence in the region. Natasha Hussain reports.

#KamalaHarris #USChinaRelations @SouthChinaSea

US President Joe Biden has praised lawmakers in the House of Representatives after they voted in fovour of advancing his multi-trillion dollar domestic agenda. The vote is the first step toward drafting Biden's 3.5 trillion dollar plan to expand social programs in the country. Lawmakers also agreed to vote on a one trillion dollar infrastructure bill which has already been passed by the Senate. Earlier this month, Biden signed an executive order with a goal of making 50% of new vehicles sold by 2030 zero-emission. But the widespread adoption of electric vehicles will require an accessible, nationwide network of charging stations. Kyoko Gasha has more. Joann Weiner, is an associate professor of economics and the Director of the Applied Economics graduate programme at the George Washington University. She joined us now from Washington DC.

#ElectricCars #InfrastructurePlan #JoeBiden

The World Bank has become the latest organisation to halt aid to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of the country. The financial institution says it's concerned about the country's development prospects, especially for women. The move follows similar announcements by the International Monetary Fund and many governments. And as Mobin Nasir reports, stopping aid could leave millions of Afghans facing starvation and severe economic hardships. For more, we spoke to Torek Farhadi in Geneva. He's a former adviser to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Afghan government.

#WorldBank #Afghanistan #EconomicAid

Mozambique is one of the world's poorest countries, and efforts to boost its economy suffered a major setback after the discovery in 2016 of a massive corruption scandal. Two billion dollars that were meant to help those most in need, were siphoned off. Now 19 former government officials, including those from the highest reaches of power, are on trial Mobin Nasir reports. For more on this, Agnes Gitau joined us from London. She's managing partner at GBS Africa, an advisory services firm focused on the continent's economic and political issues.

#Mozambique #StateFunds #Corruption

The Indian government has given the go ahead for the country to start administering the world's first DNA-based vaccine against COVID-19. The pharmaceutical firm producing the vaccine, Gennova, says its trials show a 67 percent efficacy against coronavirus. The technology behind the company's vaccine, is also used in shots made by drugmaker Pfizer, which recently had its vaccine fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to be used in the country. Mehmet Solmaz has more.

#India #DNAVaccine #COVID19