Blinken estimates 1,500 Americans may still await evacuation from Afghanistan
The Hindu
4,500 Americans have been evacuated so far
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan, a figure that suggests this part of the US-led airlift could be completed before President Joe Biden's Tuesday deadline. Untold thousands of at-risk Afghans, however, are struggling to get into the Kabul airport. Mr. Blinken on Wednesday said the State Department estimates there were about 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan when the airlift began August 14, and that about 4,500 of them have been evacuated so far.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.