Afghanistan
Afghanistan's disintegrating economy puts pressure on Taliban
There has been no legitimate government in Afghanistan since President Ashraf Ghani and most of his ministers escaped from Kabul on August 15. In the eight days since then, banks and money exchanges have remained shut and prices for basic commodities have surged. Economic activity has ground to a halt, the Wall Street Journal reported.
China hits out at US over Afghan withdrawal
China said that the US had used the rhetoric of a rules-based global order to defend its own "bullying, hegemonic behaviour", reports the BBC. "The US can wantonly conduct military intervention in a sovereign country and does not need to be responsible for the suffering of the people in that country," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press briefing.
Afghanistan: After UK, Spain warns that people will be left behind
Speaking to a prominent Spanish radio network on Tuesday, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said that the country will evacuate as many people as possible but there are people who will left behind due to the "dramatic" situation on the ground. "Not everyone would be evacuated before the 31 August deadline agreed with the Taliban," a report by the BBC quoted Wallace as saying.
Humanitarian crisis, global refugee body urges not to recognize Taliban
With an aim to counter the challenges posed by Afghan militia, an international body, the World Refugee & Migration Council (WRMC) has urged the global leaders to withhold the recognition of the Taliban's new government and access to financing. The ongoing situation in Afghanistan has brought focus to the war-torn people seeking refuge in several countries amidst their uncertain futures.
US President Joe Biden does not trust Taliban, says NSA Jake Sullivan
Sullivan’s comment comes a day after Biden said that the Taliban is seeking legitimacy and has made vows to change. The Taliban said that it will move away from its previous government of 2001, but Washington will see if "they mean or not.”
Ukrainian plane sent for evacuation hijacked in Kabul
"Last Sunday, our plane was hijacked by other people. On Tuesday, the plane was practically stolen from us, it flew into Iran with an unidentified group of passengers onboard instead of airlifting Ukrainians. Our next three evacuation attempts were also not successful because our people could not get into the airport," he said, Tass reported.
Alarm over anti-Taliban protests in Afghanistan
Symbols matter when it comes to expression of public sentiment and the Afghan flag became the rallying point. Within four days of the Taliban taking control of Kabul, many Afghans observed their traditional New Year on the day of Nowroz by flying their colourful national flag, removing the Taliban flag that is white with Quranic inscriptions.
Taliban are terrorists, we can talk about sanctions: Justin Trudeau
Talking to the press, Trudeau said that Canada has recognized the Taliban as terrorists for a long time. It is an organization that harbors terrorists, that’s why they are on the terrorism list, he added. The leaders of the G7 group – Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the USA will hold a meeting virtually on Tuesday.
'People in Kabul might start looting if banks stay closed'
With the return of the Taliban to Kabul on August 15, all banking activities were closed and they are still shut, Afghan media reported. An angry man, who waited to withdraw his money from Kabul Bank, said that there were no jobs and people had no money for buying bread. He said that people might start looting and other crimes if the banks stayed closed and commerce stopped, reports said.
Trade between Afghanistan, Pakistan increases by 50% after Taliban takeover
Afghanistan's chamber of commerce and industry said that despite the problems in transit, trade has gone up, local media reports said. Deputy of the chamber Khan Jan Alokozai said because of the closure of banks the problems in the transit sector are still visible but the exports of Afghanistan and imports of Pakistan have seen a rise. Meanwhile, members of Afghanistan's chamber of commerce and investment also met with the members of the Taliban on Monday, August 23, and shared the problems of the private sector and the Taliban assured to solve them.
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