President Biden to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11
Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita breaks down the top stories around the world.
Video transcript
AKIKO FUJITA: In our worldview today, President Biden is set to officially announce the withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan. Biden expected to make that announcement around 2:00 this afternoon, before visiting Arlington National Cemetery. Under the plan, all US troops would leave Afghanistan no later than September 11. That would extend the US presence from that May 1 deadline set by former President Trump. More than 3,000 soldiers are currently based in the country. And the Taliban has already threatened to renew attacks on US and NATO personnel if foreign troops remain past that May deadline.
Iran's president says his country's decision to dramatically increase its uranium enrichment is a direct response to Israel's reported attack on a nuclear facility. The country announced it would increase uranium enrichment up to 60%. That would be the highest level. And that came days after an attack at Iran's nuclear facility destroyed a number of centrifuges and caused a blackout. Escalating tensions between Iran and Israel threaten to derail talks aimed at bringing the US back into the Iran nuclear deal. President Hassan Rouhani addressed Israel directly today, saying increased nuclear enrichment was, quote, "an answer to your evilness."
And the container ship that ran aground in the Suez Canal is stuck yet again. This time, an Egyptian court is impounding the Ever Given vessel, demanding its Japanese owner pay $900 million for the salvage operation and lost transit fees. The company's insurer says it has been negotiating in good faith with the Suez Canal authority. 25 crew members remain stuck on board. The giant container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal last month, bringing global trade in the Strait to a halt.
