1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: Good morning everyone, Welcome to the Daily OS. It is 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:06,280 Speaker 1: the first day of spring. Welcome to the warmer weather, 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,719 Speaker 1: but the news is not that warm. Zara is going 4 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: to talk us through the COVID nineteen stats and then 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: we're going to do a deep dive into what happens 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: now in Afghanistan after the last US boots and lifted 7 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 1: off the ground. Yesterday, Zara hit us up with the 8 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: COVID stats with me. 9 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 2: Yesterday there were again over a thousand new cases in 10 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 2: New South Wales, one hundred and sixty four to be exact. Sadly, 11 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 2: there were also three deaths reported. It does seem like 12 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 2: we have rolling guests at the press conferences these days. 13 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 2: And yesterday was Michelle Dowd, who's the manager of the 14 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 2: Intensive care unit at Liverpool Hospital and she described what 15 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 2: the intensive care units are looking like understressed currently. 16 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 3: These patients are some of the sickest we've ever seen. 17 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 3: They require so much support and monitoring and physical care. 18 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 3: We're in layers of ppe sometimes for hours at a time. 19 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 3: This is really physically hard work. 20 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 2: Over in Victoria there were seventy six locally acquired cases 21 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 2: yesterday and Premier Dan Andrews made clear that lockdown will 22 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 2: not be lifting, but outlining the idea of thresholds, which 23 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 2: we're waiting to understand a bit more about today. The 24 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 2: ACT recorded thirteen locally acquired cases yesterday and expectedly the 25 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 2: lockdown was extended, So that's for another two weeks, ending 26 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 2: on Friday, September seventeen. 27 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: We're going to talk about this in more depth later 28 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: in the podcast. But yesterday, the US withdrew its final 29 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: troops from Afghanistan, almost twenty years after the US and 30 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 1: its allies invaded the nation. Celibratory gunfire rang out in 31 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: Kabul after the completion of the US withdrawal that ended 32 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: the longest war in US history. The final flight took 33 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: off yesterday under heavy security following duel attacks claimed by 34 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: isis K during the two week evacuation operation. 35 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 2: We reported on this one yesterday and there was quite 36 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 2: a strong reaction to it. Harvey Norman told investors yesterday 37 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 2: that it's paid back six million dollars in job keeper 38 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 2: subsidies to the ATO. This comes after the business reported 39 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: a fifteen percent increase in revenue to nine point seven 40 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 2: billion and a seventy eight percent increase in adjusted profit 41 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 2: in the last year. It should be said, however, that 42 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 2: reports do indicate that Harvey Norman claimed over twenty two 43 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 2: million dollars in job keeper subsidies, and earlier in the year, 44 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 2: Jerry Harvey indicated that Harvey Norman would not be returning 45 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: these job keeper subsidies. 46 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: And today's good news. One of the most damaging types 47 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: of petrol, leaded petrol, is now no longer available at 48 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: any petrol station on Earth. This came after the last 49 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: country to use it, Algeria, finally stopped selling it in 50 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: petrol stations. Officials claims that the end of the use 51 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: of leaded petrol will prevent more than one point zero 52 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: million premature deaths a year. 53 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 2: Yesterday was a pretty remarkable day as the last US 54 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,799 Speaker 2: military planes left Kable's airport. This marks the end of 55 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 2: the US military presence in Afghanistan, and that of course, 56 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 2: was a twenty year war. 57 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: In the last few weeks, the efforts have been mainly 58 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: focused on airlifting thousands of US citizens and vulnerable Afghans 59 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: as the country fell to the Taliban. A cent zara 60 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: and image yesterday of the actual last US soldier A 61 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: grainy night vision image, and it was a pretty remarkable 62 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: moment to think that this war that we have grown 63 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: up with. You know, I'm twenty six, so I was 64 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: only six years old when nine to eleven happened is 65 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,519 Speaker 1: now over. For the first time since two thousand and one, 66 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: there are no US troops in Afghanistan. 67 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 2: In the last couple of weeks, we have been speaking 68 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 2: about Afghanistan a lot, and that's because we've seen allied 69 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 2: forces facilitating mass evacuations. Of course, we know that this 70 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 2: comes after the Taliban took over Afghanistan and Kabul fell. 71 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 2: The US facilitated the evacuation of over one hundred and 72 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 2: twenty thousand people, but still up to two hundred and 73 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 2: fifty Americans and thousands of Afghan allies were still attempting 74 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 2: to leave the country, according to reports. We do know 75 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 2: that in recent days there have been attacks. These have 76 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 2: been claimed by isis K, which is an affiliate group 77 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 2: of the Islamic State, but it's put the evacuation efforts 78 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 2: at extreme risk. So the US did not push out 79 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: its withdrawal date, despite some of the allies requesting that 80 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 2: be the case. 81 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: We got some comments yesterday from the Centcom Central Command 82 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: Commander General Kenneth Mackenzie He said that not only was 83 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: the Kabul airlift the largest civilian evacuation mission ever executed 84 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: by the US military, but he acknowledged that there was 85 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: a lot of heartbreak associated with the departure and that 86 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: we did not get everybody out that we wanted to 87 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: get out. Quite a powerful quote. The Taliban took to 88 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,799 Speaker 1: Twitter after the last US plane left, tweeting, the last 89 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: American occupier withdrew at twelve o'clock and our country gained 90 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: its full independence. Praise and gratitude be to God. 91 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 2: The last couple of weeks have been extremely dramatic. We 92 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 2: have seen loss of civilian life and also the Taliban 93 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 2: taking over Afghanistan wake quicker than it seems Intel would 94 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 2: have indicated. So what happens in Kabul. 95 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 1: Now, So as we just heard from the Taliban, Afghanistan, 96 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: in their eyes, is now an independent country. The Biden 97 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: administration has made a point that they expect the Taliban 98 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: to still let people who want to leave Afghanistan do so. However, 99 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: Secretary of State Anthony Blincoln had this to say about 100 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: how much weights they're putting on the Taliban's words going forward. 101 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 4: Any engagement with the Taliban, like government in Kabul will 102 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 4: be driven by one thing only our vital national interests. 103 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,599 Speaker 4: If we can work with a new Afghan government in 104 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 4: a way that helps secure those interests, including the safe 105 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,600 Speaker 4: return of Mark Freerix, a US citizen who has been 106 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 4: held hostage in the region since early last year, and 107 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 4: in a way that brings greater stability to the country 108 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:48,359 Speaker 4: in region and protects the gains of the past two decades, 109 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 4: we will do it, but we will not do it 110 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 4: on the basis of trust or faith. Every step we 111 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 4: take will be based not on what a Taliban like 112 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 4: government says it does to live up to its commitments. 113 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: Now, it's worth noting that President Biden said there are 114 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:10,160 Speaker 1: no diplomats left in Afghanistan, so there's no clear diplomatic relationship. 115 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: The closest outpost will be in Doha, and that's where 116 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: they're going to be conducting all of their diplomatic operations. Interestingly, 117 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 1: the one area where the US and the Taliban are 118 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 1: totally aligned is on the threat posed by the Islamic 119 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:27,799 Speaker 1: State militants. That's isis K. We're talking about the group 120 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: that claims responsibility for the attack at Kabul Airport last week. 121 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: One other aspect about Afghanistan that we don't necessarily think 122 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,280 Speaker 1: about straight away is the fact that there are now 123 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: changes to the airspace. So if you're on your way 124 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: to Europe from some parts of Asia and you're flying 125 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: in a commercial plane over Afghanistan, that space has now 126 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: been notified to pilots that it's uncontrolled airspace. 127 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 2: And although the Taliban has come out publicly and said 128 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 2: that they will support women in this new Afghan society, 129 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 2: there are still concerns for many women and girls in 130 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 2: Afghanistan who face a future possibly without any of their rights. 131 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 2: We're now under two weeks away from the twentieth anniversary 132 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 2: of nine to eleven, so we can expect to see 133 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 2: the US's role in this war and Australia's to be 134 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 2: examined quite carefully, especially during this time. 135 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: There's lots of things we could say about the season 136 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,119 Speaker 1: of winter that we've just had. It being a quiet 137 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: news cycle is not one of them. To catch up 138 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: with every part of the news, follow us on Instagram 139 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: at the Daily os. It's where over two hundred thousand 140 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: Australians get their news every day and we'd love to 141 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: see you on there.