Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said security is ensured in the country and the safety of foreign nationals is also ensured…reports Asian Lite News
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advised British nationals against travelling to Afghanistan, TOLO News reported.
According to an FCDO statement, there is a “significant risk of detention of British nationals” and “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks” in Afghanistan during the month of Ramadan.
The statement read, “You should not travel to Afghanistan. Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. There is a heightened threat of terrorist attacks in or around religious sites and during religious events and celebrations, such as the month of Ramadan.”
“The security situation in Afghanistan is volatile. There is an ongoing and high threat of terrorist attacks throughout Afghanistan, including around airports. There is a significant risk of detention of British nationals,” the statement added.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, however, said security is ensured in the country and the safety of foreign nationals is also ensured, as per TOLO News.
Mujahid said: “We assure that there is no threat to any foreign national in Afghanistan. There are dozens of institutions, embassies and international institutions in Afghanistan and even tourists, they are living in Afghanistan, they are traveling, and there have been no security threat to anyone and will never be.”
Some political analysts have meanwhile asked the Taliban to do more to assure the security of foreign nationals in the country.
A political analyst Salim Paigir said: “The Islamic Emirate should listen to all the demands of the eastern and western countries and chose a correct and rational policy towards the world.”
“They [the Islamic Emirate] should convince western and neighboring countries that Afghanistan will never be a threat to the countries of the region,” said Sayed Moqadam Amin, a political analyst, as per TOLO News.
Earlier, the US State Department asked its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan. (ANI)
UK inflation is already in double-digits and forecast to strike 13 percent in the coming months due to runaway energy bills…reports Asian Lite News
Britain announced a vast 80-percent hike in electricity and gas bills, in a dramatic worsening of the cost-of-living crisis before winter as the country awaits a new leader.
Regulator Ofgem said its energy price cap, which sets prices for consumers who are not on a fixed deal with their supplier, will in October increase to an average £3,549 ($4,197) per year from the current £1,971.
Worse is expected to come in January, when Ofgem next updates its cap, with average bills predicted to top £5,000 — or more.
“The increase reflects the continued rise in global wholesale gas prices, which began to surge as the world unlocked from the Covid pandemic and have been driven still higher to record levels by Russia slowly switching off gas supplies to Europe,” Ofgem said.
The announcement sparked outcry from charities which said financially-squeezed households faced one of the “bleakest Christmases” for years.
UK inflation is already in double-digits and forecast to strike 13 percent in the coming months due to runaway energy bills.
Inflation is at its highest level since 1982, with industrial action over pay growing, and the country is predicted to enter recession later this year.
The near-doubling in the energy cap will likely tip millions into fuel poverty, forcing them to choose between heating or eating, anti-poverty experts say.
“We know the massive impact this price cap increase will have on households across Britain and the difficult decisions consumers will now have to make,” said Ofgem boss Jonathan Brearley.
“I talk to customers regularly and I know that today’s news will be very worrying for many.”
The rampant cost-of-living has dominated the race between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to succeed Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Political opponents have accused him of leading a zombie government and doing nothing to address the problem since his resignation in July.
Household and business consumers, energy suppliers and opposition politicians said urgent action is needed to avoid putting the most vulnerable in desperate situations.
A University of York study recently estimated two-thirds of UK households are at risk of fuel poverty by next year.
But Johnson, who has been on holiday twice in recent weeks, has promised to leave major fiscal decisions to his successor.
The winner will not be announced for another 10 days.
Inflation drives Pound near a 37-year low
It’s starting to look like nothing can stop the British pound from sinking to new lows.
With talk about inflation surpassing 18 per cent next year and families across the country likely to be pushed into energy poverty this winter, the UK’s economic woes are getting worse by the day. The consensus among traders is that the Bank of England will have no choice but to force the economy into a severe recession and cause widespread job losses to rein in price pressures.
It’s put historic lows for the pound within reach. The currency is trading around $1.18, less than 4 US cents away from its weakest level since 1985 against the dollar, underscoring the challenges facing the British economy and the next prime minister. The BOE is already forecasting a five-quarter recession starting later this year.
“Is there more downside? Yes, absolutely,” said Geoff Yu, senior currency strategist at Bank of New York Mellon Corp. “Even if things improve, sterling can’t return to where it was in the past of $1.40 or $1.45. That’s going to be very hard to achieve.”
ChartThe surge in power prices is feeding through financial markets through higher inflation forecasts, leading traders to believe that the BOE will have to be more aggressive. Money markets now show expectations for benchmark interest rates to rise 4.25 per cent next year, the highest since 2008. That’s drive up bond yields as well, with 10-year rates climbing to 2.59 per cent.
Theoretically, higher rates should lead to a stronger currency. But for the UK right now, it’s the opposite. The belief among investors is that further aggressive hikes in borrowing costs — needed to bring down price growth — would deepen Britain’s economic malaise, leaving the country worse off compared with the US and the euro region.
“Rates aren’t always going to be enough to support a currency when the growth-inflation trade off is this bad,” said Kit Juckes, chief currency strategist at Societe Generale SA in London.
UK inflation hit a 40-year high of 10.1 per cent year-on-year last month, and Citigroup Inc. has said it could surge past 18 per cent in January. More than half of UK households risk being pushed into energy poverty this winter by soaring bills, according to consultancy Baringa Partners.
Yields on UK short-end benchmark bonds — which are the most sensitive to changes in monetary policy — are poised to climb by a record this month. Two-year yields have risen 111 basis points, raising borrowing costs to 2.82 per cent, the highest since the global financial crisis in 2008.
The same court in June had sentenced two British nationals, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, as well as Moroccan Brahim Saadoun, captured in Donbas, to death…reports Asian Lite News
Three Britons held by rebels in Ukraine and accused of being mercenaries will stand trial in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, media reports said. John Harding, Dylan Healy, and Andrew Hill were members of Ukraine’s Azov Battalion and captured in Mariupol.
On Monday, the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People’s Republic said it will review a criminal case against the three Britons, as well as two other men from Sweden and Croatia.
The court however did not mention the date of a hearing and said that the format of hearings were yet to be determined.
The breakaway region’s Prosecutor General’s Office said the Britons have “refused to cooperate with investigators and testify”, while the Swedish citizen has “rejected the accusations of fighting for the Ukrainian army as a mercenary”, reports TASS News Agency.
The same court in June had sentenced two British nationals, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin, as well as Moroccan Brahim Saadoun, captured in Donbas, to death.
Condemning Monday’s development, the British Foreign Office said it was in constant contact with Ukraine to support its efforts to get all the Britons released, the BBC reported.
“We condemn the exploitation of prisoners of war and civilian detainees for political purposes and have raised this with Russia.”
While Harding, a former serviceman originally from Sunderland, had fought alongside Ukrainian forces since moving to the country in 2018, Hill has been fighting with Kiev’s International Legion.
Meanwhile, Healy had been volunteering in Ukraine as an aid worker when he was captured at a checkpoint in April, alongside Paul Urey who died in July while being held by Russian-backed separatists, reports the BBC.
Robert Jenrick, the member of parliament for the district where Aslin’s family live, said the proceedings were akin to a “Soviet-era show trial”…reports Asian Lite News
Two Britons and a Moroccan who were captured while fighting for Ukraine were sentenced to death on Thursday by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), one of Russia’s proxies in eastern Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.
The court found the three men – Britons Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner and Moroccan Brahim Saadoun – guilty of “mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR”, the Interfax news agency quoted a court official as saying.
The three men were captured while fighting for Ukraine against Russia and Russian-backed forces after Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Their lawyer said they would appeal against the decision.
Britain slammed the court’s decision as a “sham judgment.”
“I utterly condemn the sentencing of Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner held by Russian proxies in eastern Ukraine,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Twitter. “They are prisoners of war. This is a sham judgment with absolutely no legitimacy.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said that, under the Geneva Conventions, prisoners of war were entitled to combatant immunity and they should not be prosecuted for participation in hostilities.
Robert Jenrick, the member of parliament for the district where Aslin’s family live, said the proceedings were akin to a “Soviet-era show trial”.
During the proceedings, the three men were held in a cage with black bars, guarded by soldiers with their faces covered and wearing arm-bands with the pro-Russian “Z” symbol, before being asked to stand while the verdict was read to them, a video from the courtroom published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed.
The hasty trial was held largely behind closed doors.
Less than 24 hours before the verdict was handed down, Pinner and Saadoun had pleaded guilty to actions aimed at the violent seizure of power, a video shared from the court by the RIA Novosti news agency showed. Aslin appeared to have pleaded guilty to a lesser charge involving weapons and explosives.
“The evidence presented by the prosecution in this case allowed the court to pass a guilty verdict, not to mention the fact that all the defendants, without exception, pleaded guilty to all charges,” judge Alexander Nikulin told reporters at the court after handing down the verdict.
“When passing the verdict, the court was guided not only by the prescribed norms and rules, but also by the most important, unshakable principle of justice. It was that which made it possible to take this complex and difficult decision to apply an exceptional measure of punishment in the form of the death penalty,” he added.
The DPR is one of two breakaway Russian-backed entities in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine that Russia says it is fighting to liberate from Ukrainian forces.
Three days before launching its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russia recognised them as independent states in a move condemned by Ukraine and the West as illegal.
Britain does not recognise the DPR and Britain has not publicly engaged with local officials over the case.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that should London raise the case directly with the DPR, this might amount to de facto recognition of the region’s independence.
British nationals have also been warned not to expect consular support or help with evacuating in the event of a Russian military incursion, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
British nationals in Ukraine are being told to leave the country now while commercial means are still available.
“The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority, which is why we have updated our travel advice,” a spokesperson of UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said.
“We urge British nationals in Ukraine to leave now via commercial means while they remain available,” the spokesperson added.
British nationals have been warned not to expect consular support or help with evacuating in the event of a Russian military incursion.
For British nationals who require assistance, consular support is still available via 24 hour helpline: +380 44 490 3660 (from Ukraine) or +44 (0) 1908 516666 (from the UK).
The Foreign Office also advised British people who choose to remain in Ukraine to keep their departure plans under constant review, and ensure their travel documents are up to date.
The new development comes after US State Department had urged Americans currently in Ukraine to leave the country “now”, citing what it said was “increased threats of Russian military action” against Kiev.
“Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and Covid-19; those in Ukraine should depart now via commercial or private means,” read an updated advisory posted on the State Department’s website.
The US has been releasing intelligence which it claims is proof that Russia is prepared to mount a military aggression against Ukraine any time now, but Moscow has accused Washington of “hysteria” over tensions near KIev.
Direct engagements between the US and Russia have yielded little substantial progress, with the Kremlin saying the White House failed to address its key security concerns.
Multiple media outlets reported that President Joe Biden will speak to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over telephone on Saturday, moving up a Kremlin-proposed schedule from February 14.
Boris holds virtual meeting
Prime Minister Boris Johsnon held a virtual meeting with the leaders of the US, Canada, Italy, Poland, Romania, France, Germany, the European Council, the European Commission and NATO to discuss the situation in Ukraine on Friday evening.
The Prime Minister told the group that he feared for the security of Europe in the current circumstances.
He impressed the need for NATO Allies to make it absolutely clear that there will be a heavy package of economic sanctions ready to go, should Russia make the devastating and destructive decision to invade Ukraine.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Warsaw with the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
Johnson added that President Putin had to understand that there would be severe penalties that would be extremely damaging to Russia’s economy, and that Allies needed to continue with efforts to reinforce and support the Eastern frontiers of NATO. He urged the leaders to work together to deliver economic and defensive support to Ukraine.
The leaders agreed that if President Putin deescalated, there was another way forward, and they pledged to redouble diplomatic efforts in the coming days.
The German Foreign Ministry said it is taking the case “very seriously”, according to the report…reports Asian Lite News.
A British man, who works at the Embassy in Berlin, was arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for Russia, according to media reports.
The accused – named only as David S – allegedly passed documents to Russian intelligence “at least once” in exchange for an “unknown amount” of money, the BBC reported.
The arrest was made in Potsdam outside Berlin on Tuesday and his home and workplace have been searched.
The German Foreign Ministry said it is taking the case “very seriously”, according to the report.
“Spying on a close ally on German soil is absolutely unacceptable and we are in full solidarity with our British friends,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was quoted as saying.
According to a statement, the arrest was the result of a joint UK-German investigation.
The BBC reported that MI5 and other UK agencies, as well as British police, had been working with the Germans to learn as much as they could about the alleged activity.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest of a 57-year-old British national in Germany, as well as the involvement of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
UK Foreign Office has warned that specific methods of terrorist attacks are evolving and there is a high threat of kidnapping throughout Afghanistan, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Amid a surge in violence by Taliban in Afghanistan post US drawdown, the United Kingdom on Friday (local time) advised its citizens to leave the country because of the “worsening security situation”.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) released Afghanistan travel advice and said, “all British nationals in Afghanistan are advised to leave now by commercial means because of the worsening security situation.”
It added that the UK citizens should contact the embassy to confirm their departure plans.
“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Specific methods of attack are evolving and increasing in sophistication. You should note an overall increased threat to Western interests in Kabul. There is a high threat of kidnapping throughout the country,” FCDO said in a statement.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab
On Friday, the Taliban killed Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of Afghanistan’s government media centre in the capital Kabul, just days after an assassination attempt on the country’s acting defence minister.
Earlier this week, a Taliban bombing attack targeted Afghanistan’s acting defence minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi.
However, Afghanistan acting Defence Minister later informed that he and his family are safe following a “terrorist attack” on his residence in Kabul.
The Taliban has increased their attacks against civilians, Afghan defence, and security forces.
In the past few weeks, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence as the Taliban has intensified their offensive against civilians and Afghan security forces with the complete pullback of foreign forces just a few weeks away.
At risk journalists will be relocated
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Afghan journalists who work for the British media will be allowed to relocate to the UK if they are under “imminent threat” from the Taliban.
Afghan soldiers patrol with their military vehicles during an operation in Almar district of Faryab province, northern Afghanistan. (Xinhua_Azorda) (zjy_IANS)
In a letter to UK media organisations, Dominic Raab said cases would be considered “on an exceptional basis”, the BBC reported.
The news outlets in UK had earlier urged No 10 to treat Afghan journalists the same as the British Army’s Afghan interpreters. It comes as top Afghan media officer was killed by the Taliban on Friday.
Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of Afghanistan’s media and information centre, was shot dead as he was leaving a mosque in his car in the Afghan capital of Kabul. The Taliban said he had been “punished for his deeds”.
Meanwhile, the United States on Friday strongly condemned the assassination of Dawa Khan.
Speaking at the press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “On behalf of the government, I strongly condemn the assassination of Dawa Khan Menapal, the director of Afghan govt media information centre. His murder follows the bombing attack in Kabul earlier this week that targeted the acting Afghan Defence minister.”
Dawa Khan had served as head of the Afghan government’s media wing in Kandahar in 2015 and worked as deputy presidential spokesman from 2016 to 2020.
“If Tabilan claims to want international legitimacy, these actions are not going to get them the legitimacy they seek. They don’t have to stay on this trajectory. They could choose to devote the same energy to the peace process as they’re to their military campaign,” Psaki said.
“We strongly urge them to do so. This is what Afghan people so urgently need, deserve after decades of war. It is very much in Afghanistan’s neighbours interest to invest renewed energy into a peace process that promotes a peaceful Afghanistan and stable region,” she added. (ANI)
After several months, millions of Britons are enjoying new freedoms, such as indoor entertainments, hugs with loved ones besides foreign holidays, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
As UK has further eased lockdown and resumed international travel to select countries on Monday, thousands of Britons have begun taking holidays to countries including Portugal and Israel – which are on the government green list.
Also, pubs, bars and restaurants in England have reopened indoors, while indoor entertainment resumed, including cinemas, museums and children’s play areas.
For the first time in months, millions of people have been enjoying new freedoms – such as indoor pints, hugs with loved ones and foreign holidays- under new ease of restrictions.
Meanwhile, travellers from England, Scotland and Wales are jetting off to some countries in what the crisis-hit tourism industry hopes is the start of a recovery, the BBC reported.
So far, 12 countries have been added to the government’s green list, including Portugal and Israel, without isolating on their return.
The chiefs of British Airways and Ryanair told BBC that confidence was returning.
However, majority of tourist destinations remain on the amber and red lists, meaning travellers must quarantine when they get back.
Bookings also remain well down on pre-pandemic levels, it was reported.
@C – By Tim Green from Bradford, UK
Meanwhile, another 1,979 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,452,756, according to official figures released Monday.
The country also reported another five coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,684. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
The latest data came as the lockdown further eased on Monday across Britain despite concerns over risks posed by coronavirus variants, especially the one first detected in India.
Also on Monday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in giving lawmakers an update on the country’s latest coronavirus situation that Britain has been engaged in a race between the virus and the vaccine and as a nation, “we’ve taken huge steps forward,” he said.
While there can be “further careful progress” taken today, with the easing of restriction, “we must all stay vigilant,” he said.
There are fewer than 1,000 people in hospital with COVID at the moment and on average there are nine deaths a day, he added.
Vaccine calls amid variant fears
The Ministers is stepping up calls for people – especially those living in hotspots of the Covid-19 variant first found in India – to accept a vaccination as soon as they are offered one, the BBC reported.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said anyone who is unsure to “look at…Bolton” – where he said most people in hospital with Covid were eligible for a jab but refused it.
Hancock told the House of Commons on Monday that 86 local authorities now have five or more cases of the Indian variant, with 2,323 confirmed cases across the UK.
But amid concern over rising numbers of India variant cases, the government has warned its next review of social distancing rules may be delayed.
According to the Times newspaper, the government is said to be considering contingency plans for local lockdowns if the variant cannot be brought under control.
A review of further easing of the restrictions is set to take place by the end of May. But the prime minister’s official spokesman warned yesterday that the Indian variant “could pose a threat to this process” and that the government’s decision would be based on the “latest data”.
The government’s plan was to end all remaining restrictions on social contact by 21 June, which could face some delay. (with inputs from ANI/Xinhua)
