Afghanistan marks one year since Taliban takeover

The country faces a humanitarian crisis and rollback in women’s and minority rights. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Afghanistan marks one year since Taliban takeover [Taliban fighters celebrate one year since they seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, in front of the US Embassy, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2022.] Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Afghanistan Monday marks one year since the [Taliban took over Afghanistan]( for a second time. The takeover came after a chaotic US military withdrawal after 20 years of war. Thousands of Afghans rushed to Kabul International Airport to flee the country as cities fell to the insurgent group. The country now faces a [humanitarian crisis]( and a rollback of women’s and minority rights. Meanwhile, a decision by Western nations to freeze national assets from the Taliban has contributed to the economic crisis. Egypt At least 40 people, including children, died in a [fire at a Coptic Orthodox church]( in a working-class neighborhood of Egypt’s capital Cairo on Sunday. Most of them were a result of smoke inhalation and an ensuing stampede. Witnesses say they saw several trapped people jumping from upper floors of the building to try to escape the flames. Around a dozen others were injured, along with four policemen involved in the rescue effort. An initial investigation by police pointed to an [electrical short-circuit](, but the cause of the fire is still unclear. United States Author Salman Rushdie has been taken off a ventilator and is [recovering from severe injuries]( at a hospital, after being repeatedly stabbed on Friday while giving a lecture in New York. The controversial writer has lived for decades under threat. The [suspected attacker]( was identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar from New Jersey. Rushdie’s fourth novel, "The Satanic Verses," about the Quran had drawn condemnation from Muslims around the world who found it to be offensive and sacrilegious. Iran’s former leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had issued a religious decree in 1989 calling for Rushdie's death. In response to Friday’s attack, Tehran officially blamed Rushdie and "his supporters" for the assault and denied any connection to it. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Brazilians sign letter and rally in ‘defense of democracy’]( [People march in support of two manifestos defending the nation's democratic institutions and electronic voting system, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 11, 2022.]( Credit: Bruna Prado/AP A million Brazilians have signed a letter in ["defense of democracy"]( in anticipation of turmoil surrounding the upcoming presidential election in October. President Jair Bolsonaro has been questioning whether the vote, in which he is running for a second term, will be fair. Critics say he is laying the groundwork to challenge the results. [Surfing scientists in Spain are hunting down microplastics]( [Carlota Mateu, right, and fellow student Mireia Gonzalez, bring the microplastics trawler net to shore for inspection.]( Credit: Gerry Hadden/The World ​​​​​​​Plastic is being found in just about every corner of the planet, even [through the high seas](. But getting a better understanding of what's going on, where the plastic waste comes from and what it is can still be challenging, especially along shallow coastlines. Now, scientists in Spain are trying to find solutions. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot The Biden administration is planning to plant more than [one billion trees](. They’ll be placed on millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands across the western US. Wildfires, insects and other effects of climate change have devastated forests, and rising temperatures have prevented them from regrowing naturally. The Department of Agriculture says it will need to quadruple the number of tree seedlings from nurseries to cut through the current backlog. 🌲 [A burned hillside where crews are planting seedlings including Giant Sequoia in Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest outside Springville, Calif., April 26, 2022.] [Credit: Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP/File photo]( In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.