On Sunday, the Taliban completed their takeover of Afghanistan by entering Kabul…reports Asian Lite News.
Germany is set to provide 10 million euros (USD 11.7 million) for a program to support people in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said.
The German Foreign Ministry will provide 10 million euros ($11.7 million) for a program to support people in Afghanistan, Sputnik quoted Foreign Minister Heiko Maas as saying on Wednesday.
“We are looking into the period after the evacuation, I spoke about this with representatives of German human rights organizations… These days, many representatives of NGOs, science and culture addressed us. In recent years, they have maintained a close partnership with civil society (in Afghanistan) which they would like to continue to support,” Maas said.
“To ensure this, we are creating a support fund for those who campaigned for human rights, freedom of science and culture, we want to expand specific protection programs for Afghanistan… and we are allocating immediately 10 million euros for this,” he added.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday described the Taliban’s Afghanistan takeover as “bitter, dramatic and terrible”.
During a televised news conference Merkel said, “This is a particularly bitter development. Bitter, dramatic and terrible…it is terrible for the millions of Afghans who have worked for the freedom of a society,” CNN reported.
On Sunday, the Taliban completed their takeover of Afghanistan by entering Kabul. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country to prevent what he described as bloodshed that would occur if militants had to fight for the city. Most countries have reduced or evacuated their diplomatic missions in the Central Asian country following the events. (ANI)
It will also extend help to those in Afghanistan who are at risk, including “many courageous women”, said Steinmeier, who was previously foreign minister…reports Asian Lite News.
Germany on Tuesday temporarily halted development aid for war-torn Afghanistan. The country’s development minister said work was underway to evacuate all those individuals from Afghanistan, including local development officials and NGO workers, who want to leave following the Taliban’s swift return to power.
“State cooperation on development is suspended for the time being. We are working at a pace to evacuate from Afghanistan, those local development officials and NGO workers who want to leave,” Development Minister Gerd Mueller said in an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper.
Earlier in the day, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said chaotic scenes at Kabul airport where thousands of desperate Afghans gathered to flee the country were shameful for the “political West”.
Calling the Afghanistan crisis a “human tragedy for which we share responsibility”. Steinmeier said Germany is duty-bound to “do everything it can to bring our people, and all Afghans who stood for years by their side, to safety”.
It will also extend help to those in Afghanistan who are at risk, including “many courageous women”, said Steinmeier, who was previously foreign minister.
“The failure of the years-long efforts to build a stable and viable society in Afghanistan raises fundamental questions for the past and future of our foreign policy and military engagement,” he said.
German forces were deployed for almost two decades in Afghanistan as part of the US-led NATO operation.
The 150,000 men and women sent by Germany at various points over the years made it the second biggest contributor of NATO troops there, after the United States.
Germany withdrew its last troops at the end of June following Washington’s decision to leave the country.
Taliban’s take over ‘terrible’, says Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday described the Taliban’s Afghanistan takeover as “bitter, dramatic and terrible”, a media report said.
During a televised news conference on Monday, Angela Merkel said, “This is a particularly bitter development. Bitter, dramatic and terrible…it is terrible for the millions of Afghans who have worked for the freedom of a society,” CNN reported.
“We need to make sure that the many people who have big worries and concerns have a secure stay in countries neighbouring Afghanistan. We should not repeat the mistakes of the past when we did not give enough funds to UNHCR and other aid programs, and people left Jordan and Lebanon toward Europe,” CNN quoted her as saying.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on Saturday said that it’s alarmed by the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The refugee agency expressed its concerns about the impact of the conflict in Afghanistan on women and girls.
Some 80 percent of nearly a quarter of a million Afghans forced to flee since the end of May are women and children.
Nearly 4,00,000 were forced from their homes since the beginning of the year, joining 2.9 million Afghans already internally displaced across the country at the end of 2020, the UNHCR added.
The Taliban on Sunday took control of the presidential palace in Kabul soon after Asharaf Ghani fled Afghanistan.
On Monday, Biden put the blame for the current situation on the Afghan leaders, saying they gave up and fled the country so the military collapsed.
“I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years I have learned the hard way that there was no good time to withdraw US forces and that’s why we are still there,” he said.
“We were clear-eyed about the risk. We planned for every contingency that this did unfold more quickly than we anticipated. Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country so the military collapsed,” he added.
We will have to talk with Taliban: EU foreign policy chief
The European Union (EU) foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has said there are many lessons to be learned over Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover, adding that the EU will have to talk with the Taliban as it has won the war.
“The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them,” Borrell said after an emergency video conference of EU foreign ministers on Tuesday afternoon, adding that this does not mean moving quickly to officially recognize the Taliban’s government, Xinhua reported.
“I just said that we have to talk with them about everything, even to try to protect women and girls. Even for that, you have to get in touch with them,” Borrell said.
“We have to get in touch with the authorities in Kabul, whatever they are,” Borrell noted, “in order to engage in a dialogue, as soon as necessary, to prevent a humanitarian and a potential migratory disaster.”
Borrell added that any cooperation by the EU with the new government of Afghanistan “will be conditioned on a peaceful and inclusive settlement and respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including women, youth and persons belonging to minorities,” as well as respect for other commitments such as fighting against corruption and preventing the use of Afghan territory by terrorists.
He said the new reality in Afghanistan comes 20 years after the beginning of the military operation launched by the United States with the support of NATO in October 2001. The original military and political commitment, which is to destroy the Al-Qaeda terrorist group, shifted to the nation-building of a modern state in Afghanistan.
“The first part of the mission succeeded, and the second did not,” he said.
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.
The Czech Republic’s railway inspectorate has launched an investigation into the crash…reports Asian Lite News.
A high-speed Western Express Service train which connects the cities of Prague and Munich crashed near the Czech Republic-German border killing at least three people and injuring dozens.
According to the Czech transport minister, the express train from Munich heading to Prague went through a stop signal and hit a commuter train bound for the town of Domazlice.
Authorities, however, said it was unclear if this was due to driver error or a technical glitch.
Both drivers were killed, as well as one woman passenger, the BBC reported.
Rescue teams, helicopters and ambulances were sent to the scene near Milavce, close to the border with Germany, as the tragedy unfolded shortly after 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
Footage posted on social media showed crushed carriages and debris strewn across the tracks.
The Czech Republic’s railway inspectorate has launched an investigation into the crash.
Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlicek said one of the trains failed to stop at a signal and collided with the other train.
US, Germany reach deal on Nord Stream 2 issue
e PIc credit @potus
The 1,230-km gas pipeline, expected to be completed next month, would bring 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, reports Asian Lite News
The US and Germany have announced an agreement on the issue of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, an effort to reduce the risk that the contentious project could pose to Ukraine.
The 1,230-km gas pipeline, expected to be completed next month, would bring 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
A senior State Department official told reporters during a phone briefing on Wednesday that Washington and Berlin had profound differences over the Nord Stream 2, while the allies agreeing on measures to reduce the risk that the project would pose to European energy security and Ukraine.
“Should Russia attempt to use energy as a weapon or commit further aggressive acts against Ukraine, Germany will take action at the national level and press for effective measures at the European level, including sanctions, to limit Russian export capabilities to Europe in the energy sector, including gas,” according to a US-Germany joint statement.
Both countries acknowledged that gas transit via Ukraine to continue beyond 2024 serves the interests of Ukraine and Europe, said the statement.
“Germany commits to utilise all available leverage to facilitate an extension of up to 10 years to Ukraine’s gas transit agreement with Russia.”
Under their agreement, Germany and the US will also promote at least $1 billion investment for Ukraine to support its energy transition, efficiency, and security.
“These measures represent a significant commitment by Germany supported by the United States, to push back against Russian malign activities and to advance a more secure and sustainable energy future for Ukraine and other frontline NATO and EU countries,” said the senior official.
As a sign of support for Kiev, the White House announced earlier in the day that President Joe Biden will host his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on August 30.
The US has long claimed that the Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical manoeuver by Moscow that will undermine Ukraine’s role in transiting energy to Europe and increase European dependence on Russian gas.
Germany and Russia insisted that the project is purely commercial.
The agreement came days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to the White House last week, when President Biden said that the two allies are developing practical measures to ensure energy security in Europe.
Some Republican lawmakers however, criticized the joint agreement.
James Risch, a Republican senator from Idaho, said the agreement “is full of promises and assurances, but offers little in the way of meaningful measures to address the key national security threats Nord Stream 2 poses to US allies and interests”.
The Biden administration repeatedly stressed that the project was over 90 per cent completed when it assumed office to defend its position.
Citing the importance of relations with Germany and the difficulty to stop the nearly completed pipeline, the Biden administration in May waived sanctions against a company behind the pipeline project and its German CEO, which led to opposition from bipartisan lawmakers.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a press conference with the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. Picture by Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street
German Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled a relaxation of quarantine rules for fully-vaccinated Britons after a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, reports Asian Lite News
Angela Merkel, during her final visit to UK as German Chancellor, said that double-jabbed people should be able to travel from the UK to Germany without quarantining “in the foreseeable future”, media reported.
After her meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Merkel said her country was “continuously reviewing” its Covid travel restrictions, according to BBC report.
The two leaders have agreed on a number of steps to further enhance the bilateral relationship, including holding annual joint Cabinet meetings, reinforcing cultural links and expanding youth exchanges.
Boris Johnson walks with Angela Merkel at the Prime Ministers country residence Chequers. Picture by Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street
In a press conference following their talks at Chequers, the prime minister’s Buckinghamshire residence, the two leaders spoke about trade and post-Brexit relations.
Answering to a question whether Britons who have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine should expect to be able to travel to Germany, Merkel said Germany had adopted restrictions in response to the Delta variant, which she said was now spreading “very rapidly” in her country.
“But as you know we are reviewing continuously our travel restrictions and we think that in the foreseeable future those who have received double jabs will then, according to our classification – and now Britain obviously is a high incidence area – will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine,” BBC quoted Merkel as saying.
The Queen receives Chancellor Merkel (Source twitter@RoyalFamily)
“At the beginning we didn’t have much experience with this variant but we’re dealing with it,” she added. “And that is a continuous learning process… we have to adjust time and again to the most recent developments.”
The two leaders also discussed the need for countries to take ambitious steps towards cutting carbon emissions ahead of the UK-hosted COP26 Summit and for richer countries to help developing nations boost economic growth in a clean way.
Meanwhile, Johnson reiterated the need for a permanent arrangement on the Northern Ireland Protocol that protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and safeguards Northern Ireland’s place in the UK.
She also virtually addressed a meeting of the UK cabinet – the first foreign leader to do so since President Clinton in 1997.
Meanwhile, Germany has lifted its Covid-19 travel warnings for high risk areas with an infection rate above 50 cases per 100,000 people.
The Federal Foreign Office confirmed on Wednesday that travel warnings for countries with a particularly high incidence rate, above 200, as well as for Covid-19 variant areas will however remain in force. Non-essential tourist travel to countries classified as risk areas is still discouraged.
Affecting more than 80 countries worldwide, the “improvement of the epidemiological situation in Germany and large parts of Europe, the advancing vaccinations and the introduction of the Digital COVID Certificate (DCC)” made the lifting possible, the Foreign Office noted.
Germany maintained a contingent of around 1,100 troops before starting the drawdown in May….reports Asian Lite News
The last of the remaining German troops have left Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of deployment in the war-torn country, Defence Minister said Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
The German Defence Minister said in a tweet that the last Bundeswehr soldiers “left Afghanistan safely” on Tuesday evening, reports TOLO News.
She thanked the more than 150,000 troops who have served there since 2001 and said that “they can be proud of this mission”.
Germany maintained a contingent of around 1,100 troops before starting the drawdown in May.
The country deployed its forces in the wake of the deadly 9/11 attacks in 2001, according to a DW News report.
The first troops arrived in Kabul in January 2002.
Over 150,000 German soldiers have been stationed in Afghanistan since, the report added.
Since US President Joe Biden announcement of the pullout of troops on May 1, the American military has completed more than half of the withdrawal.
Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Chahar Dara district of Kunduz province, Afghanistan, Jan. 16, 2018. The Kunduz province, as well as neighboring Baghlan and Takhar provinces, have been the hotbeds of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to attack the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region. (Xinhua/Ajmal Kakar/IANS)
Italy hands over Herat’s camp
As Italy has completed its troop exit from Afghanistan, the control of the Herat’s airport and the military camp was handed over to Afghan forces.
Herat was under the control of the Italian military for the last 20 years.
On July 1, Italian forces pulled out their military equipment as well as destroyed some of them, TOLO News reported citing Afghan military officials. They also destroyed a large number of armoured vehicles and heavy weapons while evacuating the camps.
Major General Sayed Emal Pacha, the commander of an Afghan air force division, said “In terms of military equipment, nothing was left for us from the Italians”.
Meanwhile, Herat Governor Abdul Saboor Qane said, “We pledge that our security and defence forces across Afghanistan are ready to defend our country and the people in the western zone and in Herat.”
Commenting on the situation, Abdul Shaheer Salehi, the director of Herat airport, informed that all aviation services are being carried out by the professional cadres of Khawja Abdullah Ansari airport. “There have been no problems at all at the airport following the withdrawal of foreign forces and flights are being carried out normally and regularly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Germany also completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan.
Germany’s decision came nearly after 20 years of mission in the country. A contingent of around 570 soldiers was called back from Afghanistan.
Both Germany and Italy de-escalated their militaries from the region to mark their non-engagement in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s ‘Resolute Support’ mission.
Their decision to pull out the troops came in April following the US plans to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by September 11. (IANS/ANI)
England ends its 55-year wait for a knockout victory over Germany. Raheem Sterling and Hary Kane scored a goal each as England reached the quarter-finals of the ongoing Euro Cup after defeating Germany 2-0, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Riding on goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, England defeated Germany 2-0 in a Round of 16 match at the European Football Championship — Euro 2020 — to advance to the quarter-finals here on Tuesday.
Sterling scored in the 75th minute, converting a a low cross from Luke Shaw. Kane and Jack Grealish played the ball out wide to Shaw, whose low cross went straight to Sterling who slotted the ball in.
England were not yet as eleven minutes later — in the 86th — Kane converted a cross from Grealish.
Shaw moved up from the midfield and charged forward. He played the ball wide to Grealish, whose low cross was headed home by Kane from the edge of the six-yard box
“We knew we needed to put in a big performance against a very good German side and I thought we done that today,” Sterling later told BBC.
“Scoring for your country is always special and it is definitely a special moment for me… I celebrated and for half a second I thought ‘Don’t let it be offside’. I am really happy it went in and I am really happy we got the win,” he added.
According to BBC report, the win was secured with another moment of significance four minutes from time when captain Harry Kane, who had once again struggled to influence the game, headed in from substitute Jack Grealish’s perfect delivery for his first goal of Euro 2020.
England were again thankful for the brilliance of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who has yet to concede a goal in the tournament and saved crucially from Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in each half, while Thomas Muller missed a glorious chance to equalise before Kane struck.
England now face Ukraine in the quarter-finals in Rome on Saturday after they scored a last-minute winner in extra time to beat Sweden.
This was England’s first knockout win over Germany at Wembley since 1966.
England had only ever won one knockout tie in European Championship history, the quarterfinal shootout victory over Spain at Euro ’96.
There will still be questions about England coach Gareth Southgate’s team selection and persistence with Kane when he managed only a touch in the opposition penalty area in the first half. And it was a bad one, taking a ball too far past Manuel Neuer while trying to go around the goalkeeper.
#Euro2020: Prime Minister Boris Johnson celebrates Harry Kane's goal during England's knockout match against Germany.
Also, England captain and striker Kane has come in for some criticism during Euro 2020, failing to get onto the score sheet, or even playing a good game, in all three of England’s group games, and he touched the ball just twice in the opening 30 minutes, according to a report from the CNN.
Meanwhile, England and Germany players all took a knee as one amidst huge cheers and applause at the Wembley stadium, the Indian Express reported.
England have been consistently taking a knee before each match to help tackle racism. In contrast, Germany have not kneeled before their games but goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer had said that this was discussed in the dressing room before ahead of Tuesday’s knockout tie.
At their summit, the EU’s heads of state and government will discuss, among other things, the progress of the Covid vaccination campaign and the global distribution of vaccines…reports Asian Lite News.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended patent protection for Covid-19 vaccines in a government statement in the Bundestag or the lower house of Parliament.
“A politically enforced release of patents is, in my opinion, the wrong way to go,” Merkel said on Thursday.
She said she was convinced that “we need to increase the production of vaccines on the basis of licenses as quickly as possible”.
The world will “continue to depend on vaccines being developed in the future”, Merkel said in the German government’s statement on the June 24-25 European Council meeting in Brussels.
“This will only succeed if the protection of intellectual property is not overridden but is preserved.”
At their summit, the EU’s heads of state and government will discuss, among other things, the progress of the Covid vaccination campaign and the global distribution of vaccines.
Merkel emphasised that the decision to jointly procure vaccines in Europe was right.
“Anything else might have given some member states short-term advantages but would have severely disrupted life in the internal market.”
Till date, more than 27.8 million people in Germany had been fully vaccinated, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 33.5 per cent, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
More than 43.4 million people received at least one vaccine dose.
“The pandemic can only be defeated globally and the key to this is vaccination,” Merkel stressed.
It is therefore important that the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) aim to distribute 2.3 billion vaccine doses to the developing countries by 2022.
Caution against Delta variant
Although the current infection situation in Germany was “encouraging,” Merkel called for further caution over the Covid-19 crisis during her last government question session in the Bundestag.
“Even if the third wave has been impressively broken, the pandemic is not over yet,” said Merkel. “We are still on thin ice.” Keeping distance, hygiene and the use of protective masks in certain situations were still “important protective measures and will remain important,” she added, Xinhua reported.
Germany’s incidence rate of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days continued to fall to 7.2 on Wednesday, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). A week ago, the country’s seven-day incidence rate stood at 13.
Merkel highlighted the threat posed by the spreading of coronavirus mutations. “We must not now lightly risk what we have achieved together,” said Merkel.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives at Cornwall for G7 Summit (Photo: twitter@G7)
On Friday, President Joe Biden met Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G7 Summit at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, England, reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House on July 15, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
“Chancellor Merkel’s visit will affirm the deep bilateral ties between the US and Germany,” Psaki said in a statement on Friday.
“The leaders will discuss their commitment to close cooperation on a range of common challenges, including ending the Covid-19 pandemic, addressing the threat of climate change, and promoting economic prosperity and international security based on our shared democratic values,” she added.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson speak with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Eden Project during the G7 leaders Summit. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
The announcement came as Biden is on his first foreign trip as President.
On Friday, he met Merkel at the G7 Summit at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, England.
The relationship between the two allies was strained under the previous Donald Trump administration over burden-sharing and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project between Germany and Russia.
Calling Berlin’s “delinquency” on military spending, Trump had ordered to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany.
Biden reversed the pullout decision in February.
US President Joe Biden is currently at UK for the G7 summit. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street)
Last month, the Biden administration waived sanctions against a company and its CEO behind the pipeline project, citing the importance of relations with Germany and the difficulty to stop the nearly completed pipeline.
The 1,230-km Nord Stream 2 pipeline is designed to pump natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea and deliver 55 billion cubic metres annually.
Both Germany and Russia point out that the project is purely economic, while the US calls it a geopolitical manoeuver by Russia.
