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Taliban Guard Airport as Most NATO Troops Leave Afghanistan

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban forces sealed off Kabul’s airport on Saturday to most Afghans hoping for evacuation, as the U.S. and its allies wound down a chaotic airlift that will end their troops’ two decades in Afghanistan.

Western leaders acknowledged that their withdrawal would mean leaving behind some of their citizens and many locals who helped them over the years, and they vowed to try to continue working with the Taliban to allow local allies to leave after President Joe Biden’s Tuesday’s deadline to withdraw from the country.

Although most of its allies had finished their evacuation flights, the U.S. planned to keep its round-the-clock flights going until the deadline, saying 113,500 people had been evacuated since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban claimed Kabul. Biden warned Saturday that commanders had told him another attack was “highly likely in the next 24-36 hours.”

Britain ended its evacuation flights Saturday, though Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to “shift heaven and earth” to get more of those at risk from the Taliban to Britain by other means.

Britain’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow, said in a video from Kabul airport and posted on Twitter that it was “time to close this phase of the operation now.”

“But we haven’t forgotten the people who still need to leave,” he said. “We’ll continue to do everything we can to help them. Nor have we forgotten the brave, decent people of Afghanistan. They deserve to live in peace and security.”

As the flow of planes leaving Kabul slowed, others arrived in locales around the world carrying Afghans who managed to secure places on the last evacuation flights, including in the Washington area, Philadelphia, Madrid, and Birmingham, England, among others. Some passengers were relieved and looking forward to starting new lives far from the Taliban, but others were bitter about having to flee.

In Spain, Shabeer Ahmadi, a 29-year-old journalist targeted by the Taliban, said the United States had doomed the work he and others had put into making Afghanistan a better place by allowing the insurgent group to reclaim power.

“They abandoned the new generation of Afghanistan,” Ahmadi said.

An evacuation flight to Britain landed with an extra passenger on Saturday after the cabin crew delivered a baby girl midair, Turkish media reported. The parents named her Havva, or Eve, and she was at least the fourth baby known to have been born to Afghan mothers who went into labor on evacuation flights.

Meanwhile, families of Afghans killed in Thursday’s suicide bombing at the airport by an Islamic State group affiliate continued burying their dead — at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members died in the attack. Among those killed was Belal Azfali, a 36-year-old contractor for a U.S.-funded project who had gone to the airport on his own, without his wife. His remains were so disfigured that he could only be identified when someone picked up the family’s repeated calls to the cellphone he had with him, relatives said.

The U.S. on Saturday released the names of the 13 Marines, Navy and Army personnel who were killed in the bombing. They included at least one of the Marines — recently promoted Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23 — who were seen in widely circulated photos cuddling Afghan infants they had temporarily rescued from the crush of the crowds outside the airport gates this month.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed Saturday that the group’s forces were holding some positions within the airport and were ready to peacefully take control of it as American forces flew out. But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby denied the claim.

The Taliban did deploy extra forces outside of the airport to prevent large crowds from gathering in the wake of Thursday’s bombing . New layers of checkpoints sprang up on roads leading to the airport, some manned by uniformed Taliban fighters with Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces. Areas where the crowds had gathered over the past two weeks in the hopes of fleeing the country were largely empty.

Officials said U.S. forces were taking every precaution at the airport, as there were concerns that IS, which is far more radical than the Taliban, could strike again. In his statement saying another attack was highly likely, Biden said a drone strike he ordered that killed what military officials described as two “high-profile” IS militants believed to have been involved in planning or facilitating attacks would not be his “last” response to Thursday’s suicide attack.

An Afghan who worked as a translator for the U.S. military said he was with a group of people with permission to leave who tried to reach the airport late Friday. After passing through three checkpoints they were stopped at a fourth. An argument ensued, and the Taliban said they had been told by the Americans to only let U.S. passport-holders through.

“I am so hopeless for my future,” the man later told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. “If the evacuation is over, what will happen to us?”

Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said Saturday that Afghans who had worked with American forces still were being allowed in.

According to a State Department spokesperson, 5,400 Americans and likely more have been safely evacuated from Afghanistan since Aug. 14, including nearly 300 Americans in the last day. Another 350 were still seeking to leave the country, and those were the only ones the department could confirm were still in Afghanistan.

As Tuesday’s deadline draws near and with the Taliban controlling nearly all of the country, hundreds of protesters, including many civil servants, gathered outside a bank while countless more lined up at cash machines. They said they hadn’t been paid for three to six months and were unable to withdraw cash. ATM machines were still operating, but withdrawals were limited to about $200 every 24 hours. Later Saturday, the central bank ordered commercial bank branches to open and allow customers to withdraw $200 per week, calling it a temporary measure.

The economic crisis, which predates the Taliban takeover, could give Western nations leverage as they urge Afghanistan’s new rulers to form a moderate, inclusive government and allow people to leave after Tuesday.

Afghanistan is heavily dependent on international aid, which covered around 75% of the toppled Western-backed government’s budget. The Taliban have said they want good relations with the international community and have promised a more moderate form of Islamic rule than when they last governed the country, but many Afghans are deeply skeptical.

The Taliban cannot access almost any of the central bank’s $9 billion in reserves, most of which is held by the New York Federal Reserve. The International Monetary Fund has also suspended the transfer of some $450 million. Without a regular supply of U.S. dollars, the local currency is at risk of collapse, which could send the price of basic goods soaring.

Biden has said he will adhere to a self-imposed Tuesday deadline for withdrawing all U.S. forces, and the Taliban have rejected any extension of the date. He and the leaders of other NATO allies said they would try to work with the Taliban to allow their nationals and Afghans who had worked with them to leave.

The Taliban has encouraged Afghans to stay, pledging amnesty even to those who fought against them, and has said commercial flights would resume after the U.S. withdrawal, but it’s unclear if airlines will be willing to offer service.

The U.S. and its allies have said they will continue providing humanitarian aid through the U.N. and other partners, but any broader engagement — including development assistance — is likely to hinge on whether the Taliban deliver on their promises of more moderate rule.

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Tech

NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Begin Historic Journey Around the Moon After Key Orion Engine Burn

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Earth's crescent is seen from a solar array camera on the Orion spacecraft on the first flight day of the Artemis II mission. Credit: NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (FNN) — For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts on a NASA mission are headed around the Moon after successfully completing a critical burn of the Orion spacecraft’s main engine.

The approximately six-minute firing of Orion’s service module engine Thursday — known as the translunar injection burn — accelerated the spacecraft and its crew beyond Earth’s orbit, placing them on a trajectory toward the Moon.

Aboard the spacecraft are NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

“Today, for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have departed Earth orbit,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy now are on a precise trajectory toward the Moon. Orion is operating with crew for the first time in space, and we are gathering critical data and learning from each step.”

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, beginning a planned 10-day test mission around the Moon and back.

Successful Launch and Spacecraft Activation

Shortly after reaching space, Orion deployed its four solar array wings, allowing the spacecraft to generate power from the Sun. The crew and mission controllers then began transitioning the spacecraft from launch to normal flight operations while checking critical onboard systems.

About 49 minutes into the flight, the rocket’s upper stage fired to place Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. A second burn propelled the spacecraft — named “Integrity” by the crew — into a high Earth orbit extending roughly 46,000 miles above the planet for nearly 24 hours of system testing.

Following the maneuver, Orion separated from the upper stage and began flying independently.

System Tests and Crew Operations in Space

During the early phase of the mission, the astronauts conducted a manual piloting demonstration to evaluate Orion’s handling capabilities using the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage as a docking target.

After the test, Orion executed an automated departure burn to safely move away from the stage. The propulsion stage later performed a disposal burn before re-entering Earth’s atmosphere over a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.

Before its re-entry, four small CubeSats were deployed from the rocket’s Orion stage adapter to conduct separate scientific missions.

Mission teams also transitioned communications to NASA’s Deep Space Network while the crew adjusted to the space environment. Astronauts completed their first rest periods, performed onboard exercise routines, restored the spacecraft’s toilet to normal operations and prepared the spacecraft for the translunar injection burn.

Lunar Flyby and Artemis Program Goals

The crew is scheduled to conduct a lunar flyby Monday, April 6, when astronauts will capture high-resolution images and make observations of the Moon’s surface — including portions of the lunar far side rarely seen directly by humans.

Although the far side will only be partially illuminated during the flyby, the lighting conditions are expected to cast long shadows across the terrain, highlighting ridges, slopes and crater rims that are difficult to observe under full sunlight.

After completing the flyby, the astronauts will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

The mission marks a major milestone for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts on increasingly ambitious missions to explore the Moon, advance scientific discovery, stimulate economic growth and prepare for the first crewed missions to Mars.

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Sports

Karolina Muchova Dominates Alexandra Eala 6-0, 6-2 at Miami Open to Advance

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Karolina Muchova Cruises Past Alexandra Eala in Straight Sets at Miami Open. Roman D. Garary / Florida National News

MIAMI, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — No. 14-ranked Karolína Muchová delivered a dominant performance at the Miami Open, defeating the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2.

The Czech star controlled the match from the opening game, racing to a 6-0 first-set victory before maintaining her aggressive play in the second set to close out the match in convincing fashion.

Muchova Takes Early Control

Muchova wasted little time asserting control, quickly building momentum and dictating play from the baseline. Her consistent groundstrokes and aggressive approach left Eala struggling to find rhythm throughout the match.

The 29-year-old Czech player dominated the opening set without dropping a game and carried that momentum into the second set, allowing just two games before sealing the win.

Karolina Muchova Cruises Past Alexandra Eala in Straight Sets at Miami Open. Roman D. Garary / Florida National News

Post-Match Reaction

Speaking in an on-court interview with Tennis Channel, Muchova said she focused on controlling the match against a dangerous opponent.

“I just wanted to control the game because I know she can be very dangerous, especially here where she had an amazing result last year,” Muchova said.

“So I tried to control the game, keep myself at the baseline and play aggressive — and it worked pretty well,” she added.

Alexandra Eala at Miami Open. Roman D. Garary / Florida National News

Impact on Eala’s Ranking

The loss marked Eala’s second defeat to a Czech player in two weeks. She previously fell to Linda Nosková in the Round of 16 at the Indian Wells Open on March 11.

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World

Regional Tourism Chief Links Caribbean Resilience to Agricultural Preservation at 54th Annual AgriFest

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ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands (February 17, 2026) — The future of Caribbean economic stability lies not in the boardroom but in the soil, declared Dona Regis‑Prosper, Secretary-General and CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), on Saturday.

Addressing a capacity crowd at the opening of the 54th annual AgriFest on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the region’s top tourism official delivered a powerful reminder that modern tourism success remains inseparable from the Caribbean’s agrarian roots.

Framing the three-day showcase of agriculture and technology as a reckoning with regional identity, Regis-Prosper challenged the idea that tourism should eclipse local production.

“Before there were hotels, airports, seaports (and) cruise ships, there was land, soil and cultivation,” she said. “Tourism really began in a garden.”

A foundation of identity

Regis-Prosper, whose career includes work on St. Croix-based energy projects in the 1990s, praised the U.S. Virgin Islands for sustaining agriculture as a core pillar of its social and economic fabric rather than treating it as a secondary industry.

“Here in St. Croix, agriculture is not a side story. It is the foundation of your global identity,” she said, referencing the historical legacies of St. Croix’s sugar, St. Lucia’s bananas, Jamaica’s coffee, and Trinidad & Tobago’s cocoa.

She noted that today’s travelers increasingly seek sensory authenticity over traditional luxury markers — a shift that places local farmers at the center of the tourism value chain.

“Visitors don’t always remember square footage, décor or thread counts,” Regis-Prosper said. “They remember taste, smell, storytelling — or, as I like to say, truth-telling. And they remember how they felt.”

Economic indicators: “Every room is filled”

That vision of agro-tourism was reinforced by real-time data shared by Jennifer Matarangas‑King, Commissioner of Tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands, who confirmed that AgriFest has become one of the Territory’s busiest tourism weekends.

“Outside of the Crucian Christmas Festival, Agrifest is the biggest weekend that we have,” Matarangas-King said. “Right now, every room is filled. You can’t get a rental car. I think people are probably sleeping on the beach at this point — so that’s good for us.”

She reported that three cruise ships were to deliver more than 8,000 visitors over the holiday weekend, joining thousands of residents and diaspora members, and emphasized that the Territory’s farm-to-table reputation is an authentic cultural asset rather than a marketing trend. “Farm-to-table is not a movement here,” said Matarangas-King. “It’s a way of life that spans generations.”

Policy and resilience

Governor Albert Bryan Jr. used the platform to call for a shift in how the Territory approaches land use, consumption and food security. Praising Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Louis Petersen for his long-standing leadership, the governor framed land ownership as a pathway to generational wealth and resilience.

“We all need to think think about how we live, how we eat and what we grow,” Bryan said. “Good food grows in the yard. Actually, everything grows here.”

He noted that his administration continues to acquire land specifically for preservation and agricultural use, urging young people to see the “garden” as a foundational asset.

The path forward

Referring to the CTO’s Reimagine Plan, which highlights sustainable and regenerative tourism, Regis-Prosper emphasized that technology must serve as an ally to strengthen long-term resilience. “Agriculture plus technology plus strategic foresight equals resilience,” she said. “And resilience is something that St. Croix knows well.”

Her closing message served as a regional directive: “Tourism should never replace the garden. Tourism should protect it.”

Prior to the opening ceremony, the CTO delegation — including Narendra Ramgulam, Deputy Director of Sustainable Tourism, and Marvelle Sealy, Executive Assistant and Office Manager — met with Governor Bryan, Commissioner Matarangas-King and RoseAnne Farrington, Deputy Commissioner of Tourism, to discuss regional cooperation and the expansion of agro-tourism linkages across the Caribbean.

L–R at Government House, St. Croix: Marvelle Sealy, Executive Assistant and Office Manager, Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO); Dona Regis-Prosper, CTO Secretary-General and CEO; RoseAnne Farrington, USVI Deputy Commissioner of Tourism and Deputy Chair, CTO Cruise Committee; Albert Bryan Jr., Governor of the USVI; and Narendra Ramgulam, Deputy Director of Sustainable Tourism, CTO
CTO Secretary-General Dona Regis-Prosper (right) presents a handcrafted salad bowl to Jennifer Matarangas-King, Commissioner of Tourism, U.S. Virgin Islands at Agrifest 2026.

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