North America

HOUMA, La. (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic claimed Kendall Duthu’s job as a cook at a jambalaya restaurant. Then Hurricane Ida claimed his house.

The 26-year-old resident of Dulac, Louisiana, is now living out of his car with his girlfriend after Ida roared ashore a week ago Sunday, splintering homes in its path. Now he doesn’t know what’s next.

On Saturday, Duthu collected a container of red beans and rice from volunteers in nearby Houma who handed out ice, water and meals to shell-shocked storm survivors. He stopped to eat inside his Infiniti, its windshield shattered.

MIAMI (AP) — Funeral director Wayne Bright has seen grief piled upon grief during the latest COVID-19 surge.

A woman died of the virus, and as her family was planning the funeral, her mother was also struck down. An aunt took over arrangements for the double funeral, only to die of COVID-19 herself two weeks afterward.

“That was one of the most devastating things ever,” said Bright, who also arranged the funeral last week of one of his closest friends.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Veteran-led rescue groups say the Biden administration’s estimate that no more than 200 U.S. citizens were left behind in Afghanistan is too low and also overlooks hundreds of other people they consider to be equally American: permanent legal residents with green cards.

Some groups say they continue to be contacted by American citizens in Afghanistan who did not register with the U.S. Embassy before it closed and by others not included in previous counts because they expressed misgivings about leaving loved ones behind.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Sept 4 (NNN-TELESUR) — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that at least 540,000 children in Haiti are at risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea in the earthquake aftermath.

“Severe conditions in southwestern Haiti where over half a million children lack access to shelter, drinking water, and hygiene facilities – are rapidly increasing the threat of acute respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, cholera and malaria,” UNICEF explained.

SAN SALVADOR, Sept 4 (Reuters) - El Salvador's top court has ruled that the country's president can serve two consecutive terms, opening the door for incumbent Nayib Bukele to stand for re-election in 2024.

Issued late on Friday, the ruling was handed down by judges appointed by lawmakers from Bukele's ruling party in May after they had removed the previous justices, a step that drew strong criticism from Washington and other foreign powers.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that he will soon travel to Qatar and then Germany over the Afghanistan issue.

"On Sunday, I'll be traveling to Doha, where I'll meet with Qatari leaders to express our deep gratitude for all that they're doing to support the evacuation effort," Blinken told reporters during a press briefing.

In Germany, Blinken will meet with his German counterpart Heiko Maas and hold a ministerial meeting on Afghanistan with over 20 countries that "have a stake in" relocating and settling Afghans.

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least 50,000 Afghans are expected to be admitted into the United States following the fall of Kabul as part of an “enduring commitment” to help people who aided the American war effort and others who are particularly vulnerable under Taliban rule, the secretary of homeland security said Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday directed the declassification of certain documents related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a supportive gesture to victims’ families who have long sought the records in hopes of implicating the Saudi government.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s governor and legislative leaders on Friday requested $16.7 million in state money to help resettle Afghan refugees in the state.

The request to use general fund money to help those fleeing the Taliban takeover signals “that California stands ready to assist those in need,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “As the nation’s most diverse state, we don’t simply tolerate diversity, we celebrate it.”

LAPLACE, La. (AP) — Giant trees knocked sideways. Homes boarded up with plywood. Off-kilter street signs.

Less than a week after Hurricane Ida battered the Gulf Coast, President Joe Biden walked the streets of a hardhit Louisiana neighborhood and told local residents, “I know you’re hurting, I know you’re hurting.”