August 26, Thursday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1. The coronavirus vaccination drive at more than 800 sites across Japan may be disrupted after foreign substances were found in some vials of the Moderna vaccine. Japan’s health ministry on Thursday decided to halt the use of about 1.63 million doses of the Moderna vaccine that were manufactured in the same factory in Spain at around the same time as the contaminated vials. 2. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says efforts to help evacuate Americans and Afghan partners trying to leave Afghanistan will continue past August 31. Blinken held a news conference on the situation on Wednesday, one day after President Joe Biden said the U.S. intends to meet the end-of-August deadline for pulling its troops out of Afghanistan. 3. Japanese swimmer Yamada Miyuki has made history. The 14-year-old won silver in the women’s 100 meter-backstroke. She’s now the youngest athlete to win a medal for Japan at the Paralympics. Yamada was born without arms and has mobility challenges, so she normally uses an electric wheelchair.