Top Pentagon leaders in the hot seat over Afghanistan withdrawal

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley set to testify before Congress. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Top Pentagon leaders in the hot seat over Afghanistan withdrawal [Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, left, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley talk before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 17, 2021.] Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP/File photo Afghanistan Top Pentagon officials are expected to face tough questions from Congress on Tuesday in their [first public testimony]( since the US completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan last month. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, followed by the [House Armed Services Committee]( on Wednesday. Gen. Frank McKenzie, who oversaw the withdrawal as head of US Central Command, is also scheduled to testify. Lawmakers are poised to press the officials on President Joe Biden’s rushed withdrawal, which they argue makes the US more vulnerable to terrorism. Milley will likely also be questioned about reports of [secret phone calls]( with his Chinese counterpart during the final months of the Trump administration. China Power cuts and blackouts have forced factories in China to slow production, or even close down, in recent days to avoid [exceeding limits on energy]( use that have been imposed by the government to promote efficiency. Economists and environmentalists say manufacturers used up this year’s quota faster than anticipated as [export demand started to rebound]( from the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation could further delay already backed-up global supply chains as Western countries head into busy holiday shopping seasons as well as slow down China’s economy. Power shortages have also hit the [major industrial and shipping hub]( of Guangdong in the south. Sweden A powerful explosion at an apartment building in Sweden’s second-largest city of Gothenburg has injured around 20 people, [four of them critically](, and forced the evacuation of hundreds more. Police suspect the blast was sparked by some type of explosive device, but have not yet confirmed the cause. Firefighters worked for hours [as fires spread to several apartments](. One resident said he saw people climbing over and [hanging from balconies](. Authorities are investigating the situation. In recent years, Sweden has faced growing problems with rival gangs using explosives and other violent weapons. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [How Haitians respond in times of deep crisis according to writer Edwidge Danticat]( [People displaced by gang violence occupy a school turned into a long-term shelter, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sept. 16, 2021.]( Credit: Rodrigo Abd/AP Many around the world are still processing the images of Haitian migrants being chased by border guards on horseback on the US-Mexico border, along with crowds packed with virtually no food or water under the international bridge in Del Rio. [Writer Edwidge Danticat told The World's Marco Werman]( that in conversations she's had with friends and family in Haiti, they, too, were shocked. "People are starting to arrive in Haiti now and are telling their stories, and many of them speak of that harrowing journey, some of them going to 10 countries and walking on foot across that Darién Gap," Danticat said. "And then many of them said they were woken up in the night and taken on a plane and then deported to Haiti, some of them shackled on the plane, not being able to hug their babies across the aisle, some have said." [Cambodia is now better vaccinated than many US states]( [A Buddhist monk, foreground, chants as local residents offer prayer during a ceremony to celebrate Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at Kob Srov pagoda on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Sept. 22, 2021.]( Credit: Heng Sinith/AP Cambodia’s population of 15 million people, when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations, is [far ahead of US states such as Alabama, Texas and Ohio](. Its full vaccination rate is on par with that of New York state. --------------------------------------------------------------- Double Take It's one thing to see the occasional raccoon rummaging through your trash can, but residents of Rome 🇮🇹now have a [wild boar invasion](. The animals are taking to the streets in search of food in the Eternal City's notoriously overflowing garbage bins. 🐗 And, the booming boar population has even become a line of attack in the city's upcoming local election. [Screenshot of a tweet from Want In Rome]( Credit: Courtesy of Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- - [Music as a tool for social healing in South Sudan]( - [Science behind volcanic eruption on the Canary Islands]( - [Mass expulsion flights to Haiti continue]( - [Switzerland says ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage]( - [Cambodia, one of Asia’s poorer nations, is now better vaccinated than many US states]( - [How will the US collect intelligence in Afghanistan?]( - [Prisoner swap reveals evolving diplomatic approach to China]( - [A hero returns to the Chinese motherland]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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