A Monthly Wrap Up of August

This August, we’ve had a whirlwind of current events. From the Olympics, to Afghanistan, to the sudden comback of Covid-19, it can be hard to keep up with what’s going on in the news. So here’s the five-minute version of everything you need to know about the current events that happened in August 2021.

Olympics: This year, The United States won the Olympics with a medal count of 39 gold medals, 41 silver medals, and 33 bronze medals adding up to 113 medals total. The competition for the most gold medals was tight, as The People’s Republic of China racked up 38 gold medals. China won 88 medals total and came in second place followed by Japan, Great Britain and the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee). Many new sports were added to the Olympics this year including skateboarding, surfing, karate, sports climbing, and softball/baseball. The Tokyo 2021 Paralympics also started on August 24, 2021 and will end on September 5. Right now, China is in the lead with an impressive 147 medals, followed by the RPC with 89, Great Britain with 86, and USA with 73. You can watch the Paralympics on NBC right now, and help cheer for your country (although, we admit - The Delphi is a bit biased towards Team USA). Also check out The Delphi’s article on mental health and the Olympics.

Afghanistan: The conflict in Afghanistan can be confusing to follow if you have do idea what went on before. On September 11, 2001, the terrorist group Al-Qaeda bombed the Twin Towers killing 3000 people, one of the most devastating events in American history. The Taliban were protecting Al-Qaeda and they refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden (Al-Qaeda’s leader). This was the start of the conflict with Afghanistan. In the following years the Taliban began to fall from power, especially as Hamid Karzai who previously led anti-Taliban groups became president. US troops were deployed to Afghanistan to help reconstruct, however they were quickly drawn into the fighting. Obama increased the number of troops in Afghanistan to 140,000 and Osama Bin Laden was also killed under his presidency. In 2014, the US began its withdrawal of US troops (the remaining troops were mostly there to focus on rebuilding security in Afghanistan). However, in 2015, the Taliban again launched a series of suicide attacks and bombings, and the parliament building in Kabul was attacked. On February 29th, 2020, the US and Taliban signed a peace agreement saying that the US would withdraw their 14 troops. In April 2021, President Biden sped up the removal of troops, saying that all troops would leave Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of 9/11. By August 15, 2021, the Taliban had captured Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul. As the first US troops left Afghanistan, people clung to the sides of the planes in a desperate attempt to get out of the country. They fell to their deaths as the plane took off. While the Taliban agreed to not make Afghanistan a base for any potential terrorist groups, people are uncertain about the future of the country, primarily towards Afghanistani women’s future. The Taliban were infamously strict with their rulings on what women could wear and do while they were in power. Many people fear the Taliban’s so-called “Islamic country” that provides little freedom to its women and enforces an extreme version of Islam. For now, the world holds its breath.

Covid-19 Updates: With many students returning face-to-face this school year, health officials were concerned whether or not it’d be safe for schools to reopen, especially with the Delta variant. Cases have been steadily going up since July 4th, and many people were anxious over whether or not it was safe to return. In Connally ISD, after two teachers passed away from the effects of COVID-19. They decided to shut down their schools until after the Labor Day weekend and reopen on September 7th. They plan to continue remote learning until they start in-person school again. Some school districts offer no virtual learning options at all while others offer remote learning to students in kindergarten to 6th grade, since the vaccine is only available for children age 12 and up. Governor Greg Abbot has also banned mask mandates in school, however it isn’t being enforced yet because of legal challenges. According to the Texas Tribune, “the Texas Supreme Court cleared the way — at least temporarily — for school districts to require people to wear masks in classrooms.” Texas has also said that schools must notify parents of any new COVID-19 cases in the school and has left other COVID safety protocols (besides masks) up to the district.

As a teenager, it’s hard to keep up with all the current events, while balancing school and a plethora of other activities. This proves especially difficult when many news sources aren’t exactly catered to students. However it’s still important to stay updated on what’s going on in the world, so that one day when history inevitably repeats itself, you’ll be able to make the connections. Let us know in the comments if there are any important events we missed, and we’ll see you next month!