United News of Bangladesh

More than a year after the Taliban takeover that saw thousands of Afghans rushing to Kabul’s international airport amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, Afghans at risk who failed to get on evacuation flights say they are still struggling to find safe and legal ways out of the country. Among those left behind is a 49-year-old interpreter who worked for a NATO contractor in 2010 accompanying convoys in Kandahar. Only six days after the Taliban reached the capital last August, they came looking for him. “They come to my house and they threatened my son and my wife (when) I was not at home. They (then) destroy my office,” he told AP via WhatsApp referring to the place where he taught English. He asked that his name not be revealed for security reasons. This month, he was interrogated by the Taliban again for more than two hours. During the chaotic days of the U.S. pullout, he had tried several times to reach Kabul Airport but, like many, failed to get through massive crowds made even more dangerous by attacks around the airport that killed dozens. He then tried to leave Afghanistan by crossing the land border with Pakistan but was stopped by the Taliban who demanded $700 per person to cross — money he did not have. To make matters worse, his passport is no longer valid. Like millions of Afghans, he’s also been impacted by the country’s economic freefall, caused in part by international sanctions and vanishing foreign aid. “We eat once a day,” the interpreter said. Still, he continues hoping he and his family will leave Afghanistan at some point. “I never give up because of my future and my children future,” he said. Since their return to rule, the Taliban have been trying to transition from insurgency and war to governing, with the hard-liners increasingly at odds with the pragmatists on how to run a country in the midst of a humanitarian and economic crisis. But a year on they have so far failed to gain international recognition. Initial promises to allow girls to return to school and women to continue working have been broken. Those who have failed to evacuate include interpreters and drivers but also women journalists, activists and athletes who say they cannot live freely under a Taliban-led government. The U.S., together with other Western nations, hastily evacuated more than 120,000 people, both foreign nationals and Afghan citizens, in August last year. Some 46,000 Afghans who remained in the country after Aug. 31 have since applied for U.S. humanitarian parole, according to the Migration Policy Institute. But only 297 have been approved so far. Because there is no longer a U.S. consulate in Afghanistan, asylum-seekers must make their way to other countries with consular services for in-person interviews. The list of obstacles to getting out of Afghanistan is extensive, starting with the difficulty in obtaining passports as offices repeatedly close due to technical problems. “Today, the vast majority of Afghans don’t have access to legal identity, meaning if they need tomorrow to be able to get to safety legally, they can’t,” said Nassim Majidi, co-founder and executive director of Samuel Hall, an independent think tank that conducts research on migration and displacement. Majidi was speaking at a seminar organized by the Migration Policy Institute looking at the situation of Afghans in Afghanistan and abroad a year after the withdrawal. Read: Taliban: 2 civilians killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan Around 2,000 Afghans and their families who worked with NATO, its agencies, and member countries were among those evacuated from Kabul according to the military alliance. But the evacuations were organized by individual member countries. NATO, as an organization, had no repatriation plan. Evacuations from third countries are still happening, although sporadically. Earlier this month a plane carrying nearly 300 Afghans who had collaborated with the Spanish government landed in Madrid. Germany and France also have continued to work on evacuation cases, Majidi said. But thousands of Afghans are still living in limbo in third countries including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo and Albania while they wait for their applications to be processed for resettlement to the United States and Canada. Though life-saving for many, the evacuations also fractured families. Among them is that of an Afghan journalist who asked to remain anonymous, fearing for the safety of her relatives in Kabul. “It was really difficult to leave everything behind in an hour,” she told the Associated Press in a phone interview from her new home in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, which she moved into after months of living in a temporary refugee shelter. The government of the Netherlands had called her on Aug. 26 offering a single spot on an evacuation flight. Her relatives told her she needed to save herself first if she wanted to help them. A year later, three of her family members have recently managed to get evacuated to France, she said. But despite repeated family reunification requests to the Netherlands and other European countries, the majority of her siblings remain in Kabul, living across the street from a police station now in Taliban hands. On June 17 one of her older brothers was allegedly beaten to death by Taliban forces on the street after he was found carrying a photo of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance that fought the Taliban, she said. Days later, she said, the men showed up at the family’s home and forced them to sign a death certificate that stated he had died of “natural causes.” The AP was unable to independently verify her claims. With most of her family still in Afghanistan and many bureaucratic hurdles to face in the Netherlands, it has been difficult to start a new life, she said.   “Until now it is just darkness.”

North Korea on Thursday said it found four new fever cases in its border region with China that may have been caused by coronavirus infections, two weeks after leader Kim Jong Un declared a widely disputed victory over COVID-19. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said health workers were conducting genetic tests on the samples taken from four people in the Ryanggang Province who exhibited fevers to confirm whether they were caused by the “malignant epidemic.” The North often uses that term, along with “malignant virus,” to describe COVID-19 and the coronavirus. Authorities immediately locked down the areas where the fever cases emerged and plan to maintain tight restrictions and quarantines until health workers determine the cause of the illness. “(Health authorities) pay attention to the fact that those with fever had not been infected by the malignant epidemic,” KCNA said. The country’s emergency anti-virus headquarters dispatched “talented epidemiological, virology and test experts to the area" and is taking steps to "trace all persons ... connected with the suspect cases, and persons going to and from the relevant area and keep them under strict medical observation,” the report said. North Korea said there have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases in any part of the country since Aug. 10 when Kim declared victory over the virus and ordered preventive measures eased, just three months after the country acknowledged an outbreak. Read:North Korea claims disputed victory over virus, blames Seoul While Kim claimed that the country’s success against the virus would be recognized as a global health miracle, experts believe the North has manipulated disclosures on its outbreak to help him maintain absolute control. The victory statement signals Kim’s aim to move to other priorities, including a possible nuclear test, experts say. After admitting to an omicron outbreak of the virus in May, North Korea reported about 4.8 million “fever cases” across its mostly unvaccinated population of 26 million but only identified a fraction of them as COVID-19. It claimed just 74 people have died, which experts see as an abnormally small number considering the country’s lack of public health tools. Kim’s declaration of victory over COVID-19 during a national meeting in Pyongyang was followed by a combative speech from his powerful sister, who said Kim had suffered a fever himself while steering the anti-virus campaign and laid dubious blame against South Korea while vowing deadly retaliation. North Korea claims that its initial infections were caused by anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets and other items carried across the border by balloons launched by South Korean activists, a claim the South has described as “ridiculous” and unscientific. There are concerns that Kim Yo Jong’s comments portend a provocation, possibly a nuclear or missile test or even border skirmishes. There are also worries that the North may try to stir up tensions as South Korea and the United States hold their biggest combined military training in years to counter the growing North Korean nuclear threat. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which involves aircraft, tanks and warships, continues in South Korea through Sept. 1. Diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang to defuse the nuclear standoff has stalled since 2019 over disagreements in exchanging crippling U.S.-led sanctions against the North for the North’s denuclearization steps.

Jailed Malaysian ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak returned to court Thursday for a second corruption trial over the pilfering of the 1MDB state fund, two days after he began a 12-year prison term for graft. Najib, 69, became Malaysia's first leader to be imprisoned Tuesday after the country's top court rejected his final appeal in his first graft case linked to the looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund. His incarceration comes four years after his election ouster over the scandal and was celebrated by many citizens as justice served. Wearing a dark blue suit, red tie and face mask, Najib sat impassively in the dock without handcuffs as the hearing began. He was earlier brought into the court complex in a tinted police vehicle under heavy security to avoid a crowd of media waiting to catch a glimpse of him. The current trial began in August 2019 and is the most significant as it ties Najib directly to the 1MDB scandal that has prompted investigations in the U.S. and several other countries. Prosecutors allege Najib pilfered billions of dollars from 1MDB through an “elaborate charade” and then sought to cover his tracks. Najib says he was misled into believing it was a donation from the Saudi Arabia royal family. Najib faces four charges of abusing his power to obtain 2.3 billion ringgit (more than $700 million in the exchange rate at the time) from 1MDB between 2011 and 2014, and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of abuse of power and up to five years for each of the money laundering charges. Read: Malaysia top court upholds ex-PM Najib's graft conviction 1MDB was a development fund that Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators allege more than $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates through layers of bank accounts in the U.S. and other countries to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art works and jewelry. The scandal led to the ouster in 2018 general elections of Najib’s United Malays National Organization, which had been in power since the country’s independence from the British in 1957. The new government opened investigations into 1MDB that were stifled under Najib’s rule, and blocked Najib and his wife from leaving the country. Najib faces dozens of charges of criminal breach of trust, graft, abuse of power and money laundering in a total of five criminal cases linked to 1MDB. His wife and other senior government officials have also been hauled to court for corruption. Najib was found guilty in 2020 of seven charges of corruption for illegally receiving $9.4 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. The country's top court affirmed the decision on Tuesday, sending Najib straight to prison to begin his sentence. Najib has insisted he was misled by fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho and other bankers into believing the funds entering his personal accounts were an Arab donation. Low, who was identified by U.S. investigators as the mastermind in the pilfering of the fund, is wanted in both the U.S. and Malaysia but has been in hiding.

Hainan island in the South China Sea says it will become China's first region to ban sales of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars to curb climate-changing carbon emissions. Sales of fossil fuel-powered cars will be banned by 2030 and electric vehicles promoted with tax breaks and by expanding a charging network, the Hainan provincial government said in a “Carbon Peak Implementation Plan.” The announcement comes as China struggles through its hottest, driest summer in decades, which has wilted crops and shrunk rivers and reservoirs used for generating hydropower. Read: China and US spar over climate on Twitter “By 2030, the whole province will ban sales of fueled vehicles,” according to the plan, which was released Monday. A deputy Chinese industry minister said in September 2017 that Beijing was working on a plan to stop making and selling gasoline- and diesel-powered cars, but the government has yet to release details. Hainan aims to have electric vehicles account for 45% of its vehicles by 2030, the plan said. It said cities would develop “zero-emissions zones” where fossil fuel-powered vehicles would be banned. The ruling Communist Party is promoting electric cars to help clean up China’s smog-choked cities and gain an early lead in a growing industry. China accounted for more than half of last year’s global electric car sales.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. According to Japanese media reports, Modi is likely to fly down to Tokyo for Abe's state funeral slated to take place at Nippon Budokan on September 27. The former Japanese PM was assassinated by a former Navy personnel while giving a campaign speech in the  city of Nara on July 8. He was pronounced dead hours later at a hospital where he was airlifted to. The same day, India declared a one-day national mourning -- which was observed a day later, as Prime Minister Modi took to social media to express his "shock" at the assassination of "one of my dearest friends". "I am shocked and saddened beyond words at the tragic demise of one of my dearest friends, Shinzo Abe. He was a towering global statesman, an outstanding leader, and a remarkable administrator. He dedicated his life to make Japan and the world a better place," Modi wrote. Read: Modi, Maldivian Prez launch Gr Male connectivity projects, seal 6 deals PM Modi has also lauded 67-year-old Abe for his "immense contribution to elevating India-Japan relations to the level of a Special Strategic and Global Partnership". "Today, whole India mourns with Japan and we stand in solidarity with our Japanese brothers and sisters in this difficult moment. As a mark of our deepest respect for former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, a one day national mourning shall be observed on 9 July 2022," he wrote. Recalling his association with Abe, Modi wrote that he had got to know him "during my tenure as Gujarat CM and our friendship continued after I became PM". "His sharp insights on economy and global affairs always made a deep impression on me." "During my recent visit to Japan, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Abe again and discuss many issues. He was witty and insightful as always. Little did I know that this would be our last meeting. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the Japanese people," the Indian PM wrote.

An Islamabad court Tuesday summoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan to appear next week to answer contempt charges over his verbal threats to a judge at a weekend rally. Police meanwhile registered another case against him on charges of defying a ban on rallies in Islamabad. The latest development indicated that Pakistan’s government is stepping up pressure on Khan, who has been holding mass rallies, seeking to return to power. Separately, police raided overnight the apartment of Khan’s close aide Shahbaz Gill in the Pakistani capital, and took him away in handcuffs for interrogation. A conviction against Khan, who is to appear before the Islamabad High Court on Aug. 31, would mean disqualification from politics for life since under Pakistani law, no convicted person can run for office. It is the second time that Khan — a former cricket star turned Islamist politician — faces contempt charges. After elections in 1993, he was summoned but pardoned by the Supreme Court after describing the conduct of the judiciary as “shameful" and saying it did not ensure free and fair elections. Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader from Khan's opposition Tehreek-e-Insaf party, told The Associated Press that Khan's team would examine the summons but that in their opinion, the Islamabad High Court lacks the authority to try Khan for contempt of court. Legal experts say Khan has limited options and could avoid a conviction if he apologizes for his remarks against Judge Zeba Chaudhry on Saturday, when he told her to “get ready for it, we will also take action against you.” Read: Pakistan's government steps up pressure on ex-PM Imran Khan Also on Tuesday, Islamabad police registered another case against Khan and 16 other leaders from his party on charges of defying a ban on disruptive rallies in Islamabad on Saturday. The latest developments came two days after authorities filed terrorism charges against Khan, escalating political tensions in the country. In New York, meanwhile, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was aware of the terrorism charges against Khan and that he “urges calm, lowering of tensions and respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms” in Pakistan. Khan, who came into power in 2018 and was ousted in April in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, could face from several months to 14 years in prison, the equivalent of a life sentence, on the terrorism charges. Gill, Khan's close aide taken Tuesday for interrogation, has been charged with treason for his recent anti-army remarks during a show on the private ARY TV in which he urged soldiers and officers to disobey “illegal" orders from military leaders. The charge carries the death penalty under a sedition act that stems from a British colonial-era law. ARY TV remains off-air in Pakistan following that broadcast. Since his ouster, Khan has alleged — without providing evidence — that Pakistan's powerful military took part in a U.S. plot to oust him. Washington, the Pakistani military and the government of Khan's successor, Shahbaz Sharif, have all denied the allegation. Sharif's government is unhappy with Khan over his threats and although courts usually pardon offenders if they apologize, some politicians have been convicted in the past for disobeying or insulting judges. Ahsan Bhoon, a lawyer who heads the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, welcomed the proceedings against Khan, saying no one should be allowed to insult a judge or damage the reputation of the judiciary. Khan came to power promising to break the pattern of family rule in Pakistan. His opponents contend he was elected with help from the powerful military, which has ruled the country for half of its 75-year history.   Since his ouster, Khan has also demanded early elections and vowed to oust Sharif's government through “pressure from the people."

India on Tuesday sacked three Air Force officers after they were inducted by a court of inquiry set up to probe the "accidental firing" of a supersonic missile into neighbouring Pakistan in March this year. A BrahMos missile that was "accidentally" fired on March 9 from an Air Force base in the northern Indian state of Punjab landed inside Pakistan’s Punjab province. In a statement on March 11, the Indian Defence Ministry said, "On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level court of enquiry." Read: Police break up Muslim gathering in Kashmir, dozens detained More than six months on, the Defence Ministry held the three Air Force officers responsible for the "misfire" of the Brahmos missile, with a strike range of 400kms, and sacked them, sources said. In fact, a day after the "accidental firing", Pakistan’s military spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar said, “On 9 March, at 6.43pm, a high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory..." "From initial course, it deviated and entered Pakistan territory and fell in Pakistani territory, causing some damage to civilian installations, but no loss of life was reported," he had said. India and Pakistan are arch rivals and have fought at least three major wars since 1947 over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

With China's biggest freshwater lake reduced to just 25% of its usual size by a severe drought, work crews are digging trenches to keep water flowing to one of the country's key rice-growing regions. The dramatic decline of Poyang Lake in the landlocked southeastern province of Jiangxi had otherwise cut off irrigation channels to nearby farmlands. The crews, using excavators to dig trenches, only work after dark because of the extreme daytime heat, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. A severe heat wave is wreaking havoc across much of southern China. High temperatures have sparked mountain fires that have forced the evacuation of 1,500 people in the southwest, and factories have been ordered to cut production as hydroelectric plants reduce their output amid drought conditions. The extreme heat and drought have wilted crops and shrunk rivers including the giant Yangtze, disrupting cargo traffic. Fed by China’s major rivers, Poyang Lake averages about 3,500 square kilometers (1,400 square miles) in high season, but has contracted to just 737 square kilometers (285 square miles) in the recent drought. As determined by water level, the lake officially entered this year’s dry season Aug. 6, earlier than at any time since records began being taken in 1951. Hydrological surveys before then are incomplete, although it appears the lake may be at or around its lowest level in recent history. Along with providing water for agriculture and other uses, the lake is a major stopover for migrating birds heading south for the winter. Read: China and US spar over climate on Twitter A wide swath of western and central China has seen days of temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in heat waves that have started earlier and lasted longer than usual. The heat is likely connected to human-caused climate change, though scientists have yet to do to the complex calculations and computer simulations to say that for certain. “The heat is certainly record-breaking, and certainly aggravated by human-caused climate change,” said Maarten van Aalst, director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre in the Netherlands. “Drought is always a bit more complex.” The “truly mind-boggling temperatures roasting China” are connected to a stuck jet stream — the river of air that moves weather systems around the world — said Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth, Massachusetts. She said a an elongated area of relatively high atmospheric pressure parked over western Russia is responsible for both China’s and Europe’s heat waves this year. In China’s case, the high pressure is preventing cool air masses and precipitation from entering the area. “When hot, dry conditions get stuck, the soil dries out and heats more readily, reinforcing the heat dome overhead even further,” Francis said. In the hard-hit city of Chongqing, some shopping malls have been told to open only from 4 to 9 p.m. to conserve energy. Residents have been seeking respite in the cool of air raid shelters dating from World War II. That reflects the situation in Europe and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, with high temperatures taking a toll on public health, food production and the environment.

The Pakistani government on Tuesday stepped up pressure on former Prime Minister Imran Khan who has been holding mass rallies, seeking to return to office, with an Islamabad court poised to launch contempt proceedings over his verbal threats to a judge at a weekend rally. Meanwhile, police raided the apartment of Khan's close aide Shahbaz Gill overnight in the Pakistani capital, and took him away in handcuffs for interrogation. The developments came two days after authorities filed terrorism charges against Khan, escalating political tensions in the country. In a speech at a rally on Saturday, Khan vowed to sue police officers and a female judge, Zeba Chaudhry, and alleged that Gill had been tortured after his initial arrest earlier this month. Khan, who came into power in 2018 and was ousted in April in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, could be disqualified for life from politics if convicted of insulting Chaudhry. The terrorism charge against him could carry anything from several months to 14 years in prison, the equivalent of a life sentence. Gill has been charged with treason for his recent anti-army remarks during a show on the private ARY TV in which he urged soldiers and officers to disobey “illegal" orders from military leaders. The treason charge against Gill carries the death penalty under a sedition act that stems from a British colonial-era law. ARY TV remains off-air in Pakistan following that broadcast. Read: Police file terrorism charges against Pakistan's Imran Khan Since his ouster, Khan has alleged — without providing evidence — that Pakistan's powerful military took part in a U.S. plot to oust him. Washington, the Pakistani military and the government of Khan's successor, Shahbaz Sharif, have all denied the allegation. The latest trouble for Khan started at Saturday's rally when he criticized Chaudhry, saying: “You also get ready for it, we will also take action against you. All of you must be ashamed.” Sharif's government is unhappy with Khan over his threats and although courts usually pardon offenders if they apologize, some politicians have been convicted in the past for disobeying or insulting judges. It was unclear whether Khan would attend Tuesday's court hearing or send his lawyer. Ahsan Bhoon, a lawyer who heads the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, welcomed the proceedings against Khan, saying no one should be allowed to insult a judge or damage the reputation of the judiciary. Khan came to power promising to break the pattern of family rule in Pakistan. His opponents contend he was elected with help from the powerful military, which has ruled the country for half of its 75-year history. Since his ouster, Khan has also demanded early elections and vowed to oust Sharif's government through “pressure from the people."

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak sought Tuesday to remove Malaysia's top judge from the final appeal against his 12-year prison sentence in a graft case linked to the massive looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund, saying she may not be impartial. In a new twist, Najib said in his application that the husband of Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat, who is leading a five-member Federal Court bench, had been critical about his leadership over the 1MDB scandal. In his affidavit read out in court his lawyer, Najib said Zamani Ibrahim had, in a Facebook post right after Najib's ouster in 2018 general elections, concluded that Najib “had siphoned sovereign government funds" into his personal account. Najib said this was “highly disturbing" as it was likely that Zamani influenced Maimun's view on his alleged culpability. As such, the court's findings may be seen as “tainted with bias, and the public perception of the independence of the judiciary will be in doubt," Najib said in his application. Prosecutors accused Najib of making the application in bad faith to delay the conclusion of his final appeal. Also read: Malaysia's ruling party wins big again in state polls Najib, 69, would become Malaysia’s first former prime minister to be imprisoned if his appeal fails. He has maintained he is innocent and has been out on bail pending his appeals. His latest move came after the Federal Court last week rebuffed several attempts by Najib to delay the hearing. It rejected his attempt to introduce new evidence that could spark a retrial on allegations of bias by the high court judge who sentenced him in 2020. The court also refused to postpone the hearing for Najib’s newly appointed lawyers to prepare for the case. Najib’s new lead counsel, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, then asked to withdraw himself as he wasn’t given time to prepare but the court denied his request. Hisyam then said he would not make any new submissions in the appeal. Najib has protested that his right to a fair hearing was at stake as he was left with no effective counsel or proper representation in such a case. The hearing then began Thursday. The prosecution ended their arguments Friday, and his defense is due to start Tuesday. But at the start of the hearing, Hisyam told the Federal Court the defense has made an application to recuse Maimun and for a new panel to hear the appeal. He said there was a real danger of bias on Maimun's part that would cause her not to be objective and impartial. Maimun, Malaysia's first female chief justice appointed in 2019, has come under attack on social media from Najib’s supporters. Police arrested a man over the weekend in connection with death threats made against Maimun. Hundreds of Najib's supporters amassed outside the court in a show of support. Also read: Manpower export to Malaysia resumes after four-year gap 1MDB was a development fund Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates. Najib was found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for illegally receiving $9.4 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the U.S. and several other countries and caused the downfall of Najib’s government in 2018 elections. Najib faces a total of 42 charges in five separate trials linked to 1MDB, and his wife is also on trial on corruption charges. Still, Najib remains politically influential. His United Malays National Organization leads the current government after defections of lawmakers caused the collapse of the reformist government that won the 2018 polls.