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Taliban claims soon to be recognized by world

By
IFP Media Wire
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In front of a Taliban flag, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaks at at his first news conference, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. For years, Mujahid had been a shadowy figure issuing statements on behalf of the militants. Mujahid vowed Tuesday that the Taliban would respect women's rights, forgive those who resisted them and ensure a secure Afghanistan as part of a publicity blitz aimed at convincing world powers and a fearful population that they have changed. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Mujahid, the deputy minister of information and culture, has said that representatives of a number of countries have visited Afghanistan and they (the Taliban) have also sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General for recognition.

Mujahid added that this is their right to be recognized and stated that the leaders of the Taliban are busy talking with the UN.

It has been more nearly 45 days since the Taliban took over entire Afghanistan but they are not yet recognized by any country.

Respecting human and women’s rights, forging an inclusive government, and not allowing Afghanistan to be safe haven for terrorism and extremism are the conditions put by the international community for recognizing the Taliban.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has promised to be implementing all these, but none of them seems to be implemented yet.

On the other hand, the US has frozen nearly ten billion dollars of Afghanistan’s assets in its banks which can lead to an economic and humanitarian crisis if not unfrozen.

Russian official: US no longer ‘global hegemon’

By
IFP Media Wire
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US Forces

The US failed in Afghanistan because it miscalculated its own abilities and wanted to install its social model in a foreign land, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, has told RT.

“What happened in Afghanistan with the rushed withdrawal and fleeing of the puppet government is a consequence of America’s destructive policies, as it tried to impose its social development model on Afghanistan,” Naryshkin stated.

The spy chief added the blame for how the situation unfolded should be shared by the whole US intelligence community, including the CIA, as well as the State Department and the White House’s office of the national security advisor.

“I am also convinced that the US leadership had all the intelligence about the situation on the ground and potential developments. They didn’t take into account one thing – their own capabilities. They didn’t want to face the truth, if you will. And the truth is that the US is no longer capable of playing the role of the global hegemon, which it had assigned itself,” he stressed.

The US led the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 shortly after then-president George W. Bush declared a global campaign against terrorism in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks on American soil. At the time, the international community predominantly assumed that US troops would have the situation under control, Naryshkin said.

“The US and NATO military presence has been viewed as a solid barrier for the terrorist threat that didn’t allow it to spread further to Eurasia. Unfortunately, it wasn’t true,” the head of the SVR noted.

“The Americans withdrew, fled from Afghanistan, and we now see the ruins they left behind: a devastated economy, terrorists roaming free, deepening conflicts between different ethnic groups, increased drug and gun trafficking,” he added.

At the same time, Naryshkin reiterated the SVR’s commitment to partnership with other national spy agencies.

“We genuinely value the cooperation we have with our partners from the CIA when it comes to fighting global terrorism,” he noted, expressing hope that the changing situation in Afghanistan would “provide our American partners with a good opportunity to reassess their current threat rankings.”

The Taliban reconquered nearly the whole of Afghanistan in a matter of weeks, while the planned withdrawal of US forces was reaching its final stage. The militants’ sweeping offensive culminated with the capture of Kabul on August 15.

In July, President Joe Biden hailed the US-trained Afghan Army as a capable fighting force and expressed confidence that the UN-backed Afghan government would survive after the Americans left. In reality, the Afghan military largely dissipated in the face of the Taliban onslaught and the country’s capital fell with little or no resistance. The militantss seized a large stockpile of military hardware, including high-tech, US-made weapons and gear.

The fall of Kabul prompted chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport, as locals swarmed the tarmac in the hope of escaping the reestablishment of Taliban rule.

Western countries launched hectic last-minute evacuations of their nationals and Afghan helpers. The airlifts were completed shortly before the last American troops left Afghanistan on August 30.

Social Democrats win German election, eyes on coalition talks

By
IFP Media Wire
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The SPD, led by Olaf Scholz, secured 25.7% of the vote, while the CDU-CSU bloc, helmed by Armin Laschet, got 24.1%, according to preliminary figures.

This translates into 206 seats for the SPD in the federal parliament, also known as the Bundestag, and requires the party to enter into coalition talks to secure the 162 seats it needs to get a majority.

The process is expected to take weeks or even months with Merkel to remain at the helm of the country in a caretaker majority until a power-sharing deal is struck.

Scholz, who said the vote gave his party “a very clear mandate to ensure now that we put together a good pragmatic government for Germany”, will be hoping to strike what has been referred to “traffic light” coalition with the Greens and the pro-business liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

The Greens secured their best score ever in a federal election, coming in third with 14.5% of the vote. That gives them 118 seats in the Bundestag. The FDP came behind them with 11.5% of ballots to take 92 seats.

But, despite getting its worst-ever result in a federal contest, the Union bloc said it too would reach out to smaller parties to discuss forming a government.

Laschet, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state who outmaneuvered a more popular rival to secure the nomination of Merkel’s Union bloc, had struggled to motivate the party’s base and suffered a series of missteps.

“Of course, this is a loss of votes that isn’t pretty,” Laschet stated of results that looked set to undercut by some measure the Union’s previous worst showing of 31% in 1949. But he added that with Merkel departing after 16 years in power, “no one had an incumbent bonus in this election.”

Laschet told supporters that “we will do everything we can to form a government under the Union’s leadership, because Germany now needs a coalition for the future that modernises our country.”

Laschet, whose union bloc got 196 seats, will be courting the same parties as Scholz, although the Greens have expressed a preference for the SPD.

Voters also seem to favour Scholz’s traffic light coalition, according to a YouGov poll released during the night. And 43% believe that Scholz, the country’s current finance minister, should become the next chancellor of Europe’s largest economy.

The other option is a repeat of the outgoing “grand coalition” of the Union and Social Democrats that has run Germany for 12 of Merkel’s 16 years in power, but there was little obvious appetite for that after years of government squabbling.

“Everyone thinks that … this ‘grand coalition’ isn’t promising for the future, regardless of who is No. 1 and No. 2,” Laschet said, adding, “We need a real new beginning.”

The “grand coalition” took six months to build after the 2017 election, leading to political paralysis in Germany, especially on the European issues.

Both the SPD and the centre-right have said they are aiming for a conclusion before Christmas.

“Germany will take over the G7 presidency in 2022,” Laschet noted, which is why a new government must “come very quickly”.

The Free Democrats’ leader, Christian Lindner, appeared keen to govern, suggesting that his party and the Greens should make the first move.

“About 75% of Germans didn’t vote for the next chancellor’s party,” Lindner said in a post-election debate with all parties’ leaders on public broadcaster ZDF.

“So it might be advisable … that the Greens and Free Democrats first speak to each other to structure everything that follows,” Lindner added.

Green leader Annalena Baerbock insisted that “the climate crisis … is the leading issue of the next government, and that is for us the basis for any talks … even if we aren’t totally satisfied with our result”.
While the Greens improved their support from the last election in 2017, they had higher expectations for Sunday’s vote.

The Left Party was projected to win only 4.9% of the vote and risked being kicked out of parliament entirely. The far-right Alternative for Germany — which no one else wants to work with — received 10.3%. This was about 2 percentage points less than in 2017, when it first entered parliament.

Due to Germany’s complicated electoral system, a full breakdown of the result by seats in parliament is still pending.

Source: Euro News

Taliban urges airlines to resume Afghan flights

By
IFP Media Wire
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The Taliban’s foreign ministry spokesman, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, stated the absence of international flights has left many Afghans stranded abroad and prevented others from traveling for work and study.

“As the problems at Kabul International Airport have been resolved and the airport is fully operational for domestic and international flights, the [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] assures all airlines of its full cooperation,” Balkhi noted.

Some airlines like Pakistan International Airlines have recently begun offering limited international flights in and out of Afghanistan, though the prices for tickets are significantly higher than they usually are.

The Kabul international airport was the site of the suicide bombing that killed dozens of Afghans and 13 U.S. service members during the final evacuations from the country after the Taliban took control. The airport has since been reopened with the help of teams from Qatar and Turkey.

The Taliban’s appeal for resumed international flights comes as it seeks to gain legitimacy and recognition on the international stage. The global community has thus far refrained from recognizing the militant group, which implemented strict policies when it ruled Afghanistan in the 90’s.

Source: Reuters

Five Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank

By
IFP Media Wire
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President Mahmoud Abbas’s Office has strongly condemned the murder of five Palestinians early Sunday morning by the Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem and Jenin, and held the Israeli government fully responsible for the escalation.

“These crimes are the latest in a series of [Israeli] violations and field executions against our people. The continuation of this policy will lead to an explosion of the situation and to more tension and instability,” said the President’s Office in a statement.

The Presidency urged the international community to take action to stop the escalation by holding war criminals to account.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has also urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite its investigation of the Israeli war crimes, and to finally hold Israeli war criminals to account.

In a statement commenting on Israel’s assassination of five Palestinian citizens, the ministry announced that “this massacre is a new episode in the continuous series of [Israeli] crimes and field executions against our people, which amount war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is an integral part of the crime of ethnic cleansing practiced by successive Israeli governments”.

It described the latest killings as “a translation of the positions and statements made publicly by Israeli officials to spread the culture of hatred, racism, occupation, hostility to our Palestinian people and denial of their just and legitimate national rights”.

“The continuing Israeli crimes prove once again the credibility of the important speech delivered by President Mahmoud Abbas before the UN General Assembly, especially with regard to the demand for the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities towards the suffering of our people living under occupation,” the statement added.

The ministry affirmed that the Israeli government and all of its organs bear full responsibility for any consequences that may result from the latest crime.

Long queues at UK petrol stations amid fuel crisis

By
IFP Media Wire
-

But the transport secretary has said there would be no fuel queues if motorists filled up as normal as he accused a haulage group of triggering the “manufactured situation”.

Speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday programme, Grant Shapps insisted there was “plenty of fuel” and urged the public to be “sensible” as some retailers were forced to shut their pumps and ration sales in the face of long lines at petrol stations for a third day.

The supply crisis has been caused by a shortage of fuel tanker drivers.

The cabinet minister’s comments came as the government announced a temporary visa scheme that will allow 5,000 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers to be brought in from abroad on three-month contracts to keep supermarket shelves stocked with turkeys in the run up to Christmas and tackle fuel delivery problems.

However, business leaders have already warned the package of measures “will not be enough”.

Shapps added, “I think the important thing to know is that within the country, at the six refineries and 47 storage facilities, there is plenty of fuel, there is no shortage of fuel within the country.”

“So the most important thing is actually that if people carry on as they normally would and fill up their cars when they normally would, then you won’t have queues and you won’t have shortages at the pump either,” he continued.

The transport secretary also rounded on a haulage trade body, which he said had helped “spark” the crisis through “irresponsible briefings” to the public and claimed it was “desperate to have more European drivers undercutting British salaries”.

Although Shapps did not name the group, The Mail on Sunday reported a government source stating the Road Haulage Association was “entirely responsible for this panic and chaos”.

Denying the government had ignored warnings for months about a looming driver shortage, Shapps stated, “Let’s not pretend this is a UK-specific problem, it’s not.”

“In Europe, for example in Poland, the shortage is 123,000 drivers, so there isn’t just one simple new point to axe off, there isn’t one simple solution to this, but we have, despite having had shortages, managed to ensure that petrol was still getting to petrol stations, food getting to the shops,” he added.

“I’m afraid there has been some pretty irresponsible briefing out by one of the road haulage associations, which has helped to spark a crisis, and that’s very, very unhelpful, it’s counterproductive,” he noted.

“I know that they’re desperate to have more European drivers undercutting British salaries, I know that’s been their ask all along,” he continued.

“We actually think that it’s important that this country can train people, that people can do a proper day’s work, that they’re paid properly for that work, and that the long-term solution cannot be undercutting British salaries and having a constant vicious cycle of not being able to train people here and employ them on decent salaries,” he said.

Shapps added, “We need to ensure that people are reassured now that this rather manufactured situation has been created, because there’s enough petrol in the country.”

Pressed over who had caused it, he said, “There was a meeting which took place about 10 days ago, a private meeting in which one of the haulage associations decided to leak the details to media, and that has created, as we have seen, quite a large degree of concern as people naturally react to those things.”

“The good news is there is plenty of fuel, the bad news is if everyone carries on buying it when they don’t need it then we will continue to have queues,” he continued.

“We just appeal to people to be sensible, fill up when you normally would,” he noted, adding that “we’ve got this big package in place today in order to help alleviate the pressure and we ask people to do their part”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggested visas could be needed for 100,000 lorry drivers, rather than the 5,000 announced by ministers, to tackle the shortage.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, “We have to issue enough visas to cover the number of drivers that we need.”

But some European lorry drivers do not think many will think it is worth coming to the UK just for three months.

Imran Mustafa, who moved to Barcelona from Pakistan eight years ago and has been a haulage driver for three years, said, “It’s a temporary visa and it’s for a very small time period.”

Mehmet Ozalp, a 28-year-old driver from Mersin in Turkey, who has recently moved to Germany, added, “I would only move for at least six months and above. If you’re moving thousands of kilometres, it shouldn’t be just for three months.”

Iran’s President: Tehran won’t give in to bullying

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Raeisi made the comment while receiving the credentials of Britain’s new ambassador to Tehran Simon Shercliff on Sunday.

He said Iran is an independent country in the real sense of the word and that this is not merely a claim.

Raeisi urged the British ambassador to explain this to the British officials given that he has a good command of Persian language.

The Iranian president said Iran wants to cooperate with all countries but this cooperation must be based on mutual respect.

Raeisi added that Iran will not accept wrong statements from anyone.

The president noted that today, the issue of human rights has turned into a political ploy to deal a blow to the world nations.

Addressing the British ambassador, Raeisi said, “We are duty bound to respect human rights based on our religious beliefs and you know too well how the self-styled defenders of human rights treat their own people”.

Simon Shercliff also said this is his second visit to Iran in the past 20 years and that his mission is to improve ties between Iran and Britain with a positive and constructive view.

Shercliff added that he hopes a new chapter opens in the Anglo-Iranian relations and he will acquit himself properly to this end.

Iran and Britain are divided over a host of issues including the UK’s £400 million debt to the Islamic Republic over the non-delivery of tanks in 1979.

The shipment stopped because of the Islamic Revolution’s victory in Iran. The tanks were already paid for when the contracts were cancelled. Iran has ever since demanded its money back.

Russia: U.S. trying to split Intl. community into Cold War-style blocs

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the US’ idea to convene a “Leader’s Summit for Democracy”, stating it would split the international community into “us and them”.

Speaking during the fifth day of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Lavrov ripped into the current US foreign policy, accusing Washington of trying to split the international community into Cold War-style blocs.

In August, US President Joe Biden floated the idea to convene a “Leader’s Summit for Democracy” – and this, according to Lavrov, is a glaring example of this divisive policy.

“The participants, of course, will be determined by Washington, that claims the right to determine a country’s degree of compliance with democratic standards. In its essence, this initiative – quite in the spirit of the Cold War and launches a new ideological crusade against all dissent,” Lavrov stated.

Despite the US administration’s claims that Washington does not want to split the world into ideology-based blocks, such events only serve to prove it is indeed its goal, Lavrov suggested.

“In reality, the ‘Summit for Democracy’ will become a step towards splitting the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’,”he stressed.

The proposed summit is expected to take place on December 9 and 10, with the US-selected leaders of the ‘democracies’ convening for the virtual conference. The stated goals of the event have been extremely vague, with the White House describing it as “as an opportunity for world leaders to listen to one another and to their citizens, share successes, drive international collaboration, and speak honestly about the challenges facing democracy”.

Harris: Treatment of Haitian migrants evoked ‘times of slavery’

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Harris made her comments during an appearance on ABC’s “The View”, describing how the move reminded her of tactics “used against the Indigenous people of our country” and “used against African Americans during times of slavery”.

“Human beings should not be treated that way,” Harris added, referring to photos and videos of Border Patrol agents chasing and grabbing migrants.

Earlier this week, Harris said that she was “deeply troubled” by the way the Haitian migrants were treated.

“I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into what is going on there. But human beings should never be treated that way, and I’m deeply troubled about it,” she stated at the time.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced a probe into Customs and Border Protection agents’ treatment of Haitian migrants following outrage over the videos and photos.

Amid backlash over the images at the border, the Joe Biden administration also announced Thursday that it had temporarily suspended the use of horse patrols in Del Rio, Texas.

Iran repatriating thousands of illegal Afghan refugees daily

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The Director General for Foreign Nationals Affairs of Khorasan Razavi province, neighboring Afghabnistan, Mohamamd Taghi Hashemi said Iranian authorities are now returning 2,000 Afghans to their country each day via the Dogharoun border crossing.

The crossing is in the Iranian border city of Taybad. Hashemi said Afghan nationals are now in 15 Iranian provinces.

He added illegal Afghans arrested in 9 provinces are repatriated through the Dogharoon crossing while those apprehended in the six other provinces are deported to Afghanistan via the Sistan and Balouchestan border. Hashemi noted that these Afghans are deported at the order of the Iranian Judiciary.

Tens of thousands of Afghans fled to Iran after the Taliban’s takeover of their country last month. Many of them entered Iran illegally. Iran has hosted millions of Afghans over the past few decades. But now it says only those who enter the country legally can stay.

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