The evacuations in Afghanistan continue after the Taliban came to power
The evacuations from Afghanistan are expected to continue all weekend after President Joe Biden vowed on Friday to evacuate “any American” in Afghanistan who wants to leave the country. Evacuation flights paused for “a few hours” on Friday due to processing delays. Around 5,700 people were evacuated by military transport aircraft on Thursday alone. These include 350 U.S. citizens, family members, special immigrant visa applicants and their families, and other vulnerable Afghans, according to a White House official. About 2,000 people were flown on each of the previous two days. But while tens of thousands of people nervously wait for departure, a video from Thursday shows the tense, chaotic scene outside Kabul airport as fighters fire guns into the air over a crowd. It gives cause for concern about the use of violent force against civilians who flocked to the airport in the Afghan capital to flee in desperation.
Do you prefer to listen? Check out the 5 Things podcast:
Henri expected it to turn into a hurricane before hitting the northeast
Henri, now churning up the Atlantic as a tropical storm, was slated to turn into a hurricane by Saturday and had his sights set on the northeast. The storm could hit land as a hurricane between Long Island, New York and Cape Cod, Massachusetts on Sunday, possibly the first major hurricane to land in New England in years. The storm brought back memories of Hurricane Bob, which hit Cape Cod 30 years ago and lost power and running water for days. Bob was the last hurricane to hit Cape Cod and the islands. Henri’s winds were at 70 mph when it spun about 550 miles south of Montauk Point, New York at 5 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Broadway shows are officially returning to New York City on Sunday
Broadway shows are finally returning to New York City for the first time after closing on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – with plenty of restrictions on stars and theatergoers, including vaccinations. “Pass Over,” a modern, contemporary retelling of “Waiting for Godot,” featuring two black friends looking for a better life, will be the first show to reopen. After a few weeks of previewing, “Pass Over” will officially debut on Sunday at the Wilson Theater on Sunday. Casts and crews are happy to see colleagues and audiences, but nerves also permeate the air when the community remembers the terrible surge New York faced last year and the threat posed by the Delta variant is great. Broadway star Nick Cordero’s death in July 2020 after months of battling COVID is still ongoing.
Sha’Carri Richardson rides the Tokyo Olympics 100 meter medalist
Fans missed a potentially incredible 100m race at the Tokyo Olympics this year due to Sha’Carri Richardson missing. The American track star, who was disqualified from the Tokyo Games on Saturday after failing a drug test for marijuana, will compete against the Jamaican sprinters who will compete in the 100-meter race in Tokyo at a large gathering in Eugene, Oregon have overcome. The Prefontaine Classic race includes six of the eight women who contested the 100 meter final in Tokyo. The race will be a return to the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, home of this year’s Olympic Trials. .
A ‘disturbing moon’ will light up the sky this weekend
Look up at the sky on Sunday to catch a glimpse of a full moon that will be both a “disturbing moon” and a “blue moon”. Although the moon officially becomes full on Sunday at 8:02 a.m. ET, it will still appear very large on both Saturday and Sunday evenings. Look at the southeastern sky after sunset each of these nights for a glimpse of the rising disturbing moon, said the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Why is he called Störmond? “The full moon in August was traditionally referred to as the storm moon because the giant sturgeons of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were easiest to catch during this summer time,” the Almanac said. It will also be a “blue” moon: if there are four full moons in a single season (summer in this case), the third is considered a blue moon.
