Afghanistan
The World Bank is trying to release $500M from a frozen aid fund for Afghanistan, according to an exclusive report from the Reuters news agency. The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) is worth a total of $1.5bn. Afghanistan is crippled by an economic crisis that has left 38 million people facing severe levels of hunger, according to the UN. But huge amounts of aid money meant for the country were withheld after the Taliban took control. The Afghan central bank’s $9bn in reserves, most of which are held in the US, were also frozen. “We’re driving the country into the dust,” a source familiar with efforts to free up the ARTF money told Reuters.
More from Al Jazeera here. (Reuters’ own piece is paywalled)
Honduras
It looks like the conservative National Party is about to lose power in Honduras after 12 years. Leftist opposition leader Xiomara Castro has taken what appears to be an insurmountable lead as ballots from Sunday’s poll are counted. Castro, a former first lady who has run three times before, will become the country’s first female president.
More from AP here.
Barbados
At the stroke of midnight Tuesday, Barbados became the world’s youngest republic, removing Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as its ceremonial head of state. The Queen’s son, Prince Charles, attended a ceremony at which the Royal Standard flag was lowered and Dame Sandra Mason was inaugurated as the country’s first president.
More from AFP here.