Crisis in Afghanistan

Taliban wrest control of the capital Kabul following withdrawal of US troops, Lionel Messi leaves Barça, Catalonia suffers a heatwave and a Catalan Covid vaccine is announced

August

August 1. After western troops started pulling out of Afghanistan, the Taliban advanced on Kabul as thousands sought to flee the country. The Afghan capital then became the scene of chaos as a terrorist attack on the airport killed almost 200 people and many of those trying to leave the country were left behind without any means of escape.

Crisis in Afghanistan Foto: JOSEP LOSADA.

2. The man hailed by many to be the world’s greatest footballer, Leo Messi, was forced to leave Barcelona just weeks after agreeing a five-year extension to his contract after the club acknowledged they could no longer afford to keep him on the wage bill. The Argentine bid a tearful farewell as he headed to Paris Saint Germain.

3. Catalonia was hit by a heatwave in August, with temperatures soaring to as high as 43ºC in some areas. The effects of the extreme weather forced 279 municipalities around the country to implement restrictions, including a camping ban and limitations on summer camp activities for children.

4. The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) authorised the clinical trial in humans of the PHH-1V vaccine against Covid-19. The coronavirus vaccine, the first from a company in Spain, was developed by the Catalan pharmaceutical firm, Hipra, based in Amer, in the province of Girona.