Follow all breaking news stories online at: www.majorcadailybulletin.es NATO pledges to speed evacuations from Afghanistan as criticism mounts London.— More than 18,000 people have Taliban conquered Afghanistan as U.S. and been flown out of Kabul since the Taliban other foreign troops were completing their took over Afghanistan’s capital, a NATO offi- withdrawal surprised even their own lead- cial said yesterday, pledging to redouble ers and has left power vacuums in many evacuation efforts as criticism of the West’s places. handling of the crisis intensified. The Taliban called for unity ahead of Friday Thousands of people, desperate to flee the prayers, the first since they seized power, country, were still thronging the airport, the calling on imams to persuade people not to official, who declined to be identified, told leave Afghanistan amid the chaos at the air- Reuters, even though the Taliban have urged port, protests and reports of violence. Saturday, August 21 2021 people without legal travel documents to go Residents in Kabul and four other major cit- 1.20€ · Founded 1962 · N.17078 · Passeig de Mallorca 9 A, home. ies said prayers appeared to have passed off Palma 07011 The speed with which the Islamist militant with incident, though attendance was low. RAFA NADAL BOWS OUT

ajorcan Rafa Nadal said yesterday problem or at least improve it in order to con- that he will end his 2021 season tinue to have options for the next few years,” early due to a left foot issue that Nadal said. M has been troubling him for a year, “I’m with the maximum enthusiasm and pre- ruling him out of this month’s U.S. Open. disposition to do whatever it takes to recover The world number four suffered a shock exit the best possible shape to keep competing for in Washington this month, where he kicked the things that really motivate me. off his lead-up to the final of the “I’m convinced that with the recovery of the year, and pulled out of the foot and obviously a very important daily ef- and the . fort... this can be achieved. I will work as hard “I wanted to inform you that unfortunately I as I can to make it happen.” have to end the 2021 season,” Nadal tweeted Nadal’s great rival and fellow 20-times Grand yesterday. Slam winner is also out of the The recurring issue flared up at the French U.S. Open and will be sidelined for many Open, where he fell to eventual champion No- months because he needs knee surgery. vak Djokovic in the semi-finals. It is the second straight year in which the duo “Honestly, I have been suffering much more will be out of the major, with Nadal than I should with my foot for a year and I need missing the previous edition due to COVID-19 Rafa, calls time on the season. to take some time... to find a solution to this concerns and Federer opting out due to surgery.

Anti-pollution protests in Spain after thousands of PROTESTS London police dead fish wash up on lagoon warn of two weeks of

ome 20 tonnes of dead fish have Residents began seeing dead fish and crusta- mon Pagan of the Pact for the Mar Menor pres- disruption washed up on the shores of one of ceans on Monday. “They are still washing up sure group. “It’s caused by an excess of fertilis- ● London’s police Europe’s largest saltwater lagoons in today. We calculate that some 20 tonnes have ers in the water...particularly from intensive warned yesterday that Spain, sparking protests against dete- died to date,” said Jose Luis Garcia, director of agriculture.” protests by environ- S mental activists riorating environmental conditions while lo- the World Wildlife Fund’s marine programmes High levels of phosphates and nitrates in the cal prosecutors opened an investigation. in Spain. While the regional government water cause huge blooms of algae to flourish. planned for the next Once a magnet for tourism and a sanctuary blamed the deaths on recent high tempera- These block out sunlight from penetrating the two weeks will cause for marine life, the Mar Menor in Murcia, on tures, ecologists have warned for years that water and reduce oxygen levels below the sur- disruption across the Spain’s southeastern Mediterranean coast, has runoff from nearby agricultural facilities and face, eventually suffocating the marine life. capital and will dis- seen fish stocks plummet in recent years, with pollution from urban development has se- Scores of protesters wearing ‘SOS Mar Me- tract officers from similar mass die-offs occurring in 2016 and verely degraded the water quality. nor’ t-shirts gathered on the shore and dealing with crime. 2019. “People call it the green soup,” explained Ra- chanted “We want solutions.”