GENEVA/KABUL: Abdul Saboor escaped poverty and instability in Afghanistan three years ago with his wife and three children and found work in neighboring Iran. Now he has returned home, despite the fact that life there has not improved.
His job at a grocery store in the central Iranian city of Isfahan brought in about 280 dollars a month, enough to support his family. But the Iranian rial took a dive last year and his employer cut his wages to less than 100 dollars a month.
“The economic situation in Iran is really bad,” said the 28-year-old. “Wages have gone down since last year and a lot of families had to return to Afghanistan.”
Afghans began moving to Iran in large numbers after the Soviet invasion in 1979 and they continued to migrate for work through decades of conflict, sending money to relatives back home that helped bolster Afghanistan’s struggling economy.
In 2017, there were approximately 2.5 million to 3 million Afghans in Iran, according to Iranian government estimates cited by the United Nations.
That number could be cut in half by the end of this year. More than 770,000 Afghans left Iran last year as the currency faltered and an extra 570,000 are expected to go this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in January.
Iran’s economy has been squeezed since President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran last year after pulling out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
US officials have said the sanctions are intended to pressure Iran to negotiate over what they say are its aggressive missile program and regional policy; critics say they hurt ordinary people and entrench hard-line rulers.
The rial lost approximately 70 percent of its value last year before recovering slightly, disrupting Iran’s foreign trade and helping boost annual inflation fourfold to nearly 40 percent in November. Currency fluctuations and the unstable economy have led to sporadic street protests since late 2017.
An IOM report in January noted that a big jump in the number of Afghans returning from Iran last year was “largely driven by recent political and economic issues in Iran including massive currency devaluation.”
Afghans typically took harsh, labor-intensive jobs in Iran and their departure will mean higher production costs, said Saeed Leylaz, a Tehran-based economist and political analyst.
Under pressure
Over the past year, many Afghans in Iran have sought advice about returning from the office of Grand Ayatollah Mohaghegh Kabuli — a senior Afghan religious leader based in the holy city of Qom, according to an administrator in the office who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.
“With the crash of the value of the rial, staying in Iran has become very difficult for Afghan migrants,” he said. “They are under pressure.”
Naim, 18, followed the path of two of his older brothers and came to Iran from Afghanistan when he was only ten years old but quickly managed to find work in construction in Tehran.
The work was backbreaking and his family faced hardship: one brother lost four fingers in a construction accident in Tehran.
But he persevered, because he could make more money than at home, and eventually got a job as a doorman at a multi-story apartment complex in Tehran.
Last year, as the economic situation in Iran began to deteriorate, one of his older brothers decided he could no longer support his wife and six children and moved back to Herat in western Afghanistan.
“My brother’s wife and children were hungry and this currency has no value so they went back,” Naim said.
His brother started working in agriculture and has been able to open a small shop in Herat with his earnings. He is now pushing Naim to come home from Iran, a trip that he and approximately 150 friends and extended family are planning to take in two months.
“We work and we work and for what?” Naim said. “We have to go back.”
He could face an uncertain future once he returns.
“The economic opportunities in Afghanistan are no longer there. It’s not like there’s a lack of opportunities in Iran and new opportunities in Afghanistan,” said Sarah Craggs, IOM’s senior program coordinator for Afghanistan, who is based in Kabul. “There are no opportunities in either country really.”
Afghans have long sought better lives in other countries and a lack of jobs in Iran could also boost numbers trying to head further west to Europe.
The latest drop in remittances from Iran is already having an impact on the economies of the Afghan provinces of Herat, Badghis and Ghor, an IOM report said in January.
Abdul Saboor now earns about 130 dollars a month working at a restaurant in Herat.
“Life was much better in Iran but since the financial crisis, it was difficult to survive so we had to come back despite all the hardship here,” he said. “I was the lucky one and found a job while thousands of others are jobless.”
Afghanistan feels impact of Iran’s economic isolation
Afghanistan feels impact of Iran’s economic isolation
Wife of jailed former Malaysian PM Najib Razak acquitted in latest graft case
- Rosmah Mansor faced 12 charges of money laundering and five charges of failing to declare her income
- Rosmah was sentenced to 10 years in jail on separate graft charges in September 2022 but has appealed
Rosmah Mansor, 73, faced 12 charges of money laundering involving 7.1 million ringgit ($1.6 million) and five charges of failing to declare her income between December 4, 2013, and June 8, 2017.
High Court judge K. Muniandy struck out all 17 charges, saying they lacked “probity, propriety and legality” and ordered a “discharge amounting to an acquittal,” according to a copy of the decision seen by AFP.
The Attorney-General’s office said it would appeal against the decision, Malaysian media reported.
Rosmah was sentenced to 10 years in jail on separate graft charges in September 2022 but has appealed against that conviction and remains free on bail.
She was charged in that case with seeking and receiving bribes for helping a company secure a solar power project for rural schools in the Malaysian section of Borneo island during her husband’s rule.
Rosmah has long been criticized by Malaysians for her reported vast collection of designer handbags, clothing and jewelry, acquired on overseas shopping trips.
Her collection of luxury items came under the spotlight after police raids on their family home in 2018 following her husband’s election defeat.
It drew unflattering comparisons with former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos and contributed to accusations that the ousted ruling establishment had lost touch with economically struggling and middle-class Malaysians.
Najib is serving a six-year jail term for corruption related to a massive financial scandal at sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
He has filed an appeal to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest and a hearing has been fixed for January 6.
The 1MDB scandal, allegedly involving billions of dollars siphoned from the now-defunct state company, sparked investigations in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.
France’s Macron in cyclone-hit Mayotte to assess devastation
- Officials have warned that the death toll from the most destructive cyclone in living memory could reach hundreds, possibly thousands
- Emmanuel Macron is expected to land in Mayotte around Monday morning, and will be traveling with ‘a very small delegation’
His visit to the French overseas territory comes after Paris declared “exceptional natural disaster” measures for Mayotte late Wednesday night to enable swifter and “more effective management of the crisis.”
Officials have warned that the death toll from the most destructive cyclone in living memory could reach hundreds – possibly thousands – as rescuers race to clear debris and comb through flattened shantytowns to search for survivors.
“The tragedy of Mayotte is probably the worst natural disaster in the past several centuries of French history,” Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said.
Macron is expected to land in Mayotte around 10:30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT), and will be traveling with “a very small delegation” to minimize the use of law enforcement resources needed elsewhere on the archipelago.
He will spend part of the day there, and will come with “four tons of food and health aid, as well as rescue workers,” the French president said in a post on social media platform X early Thursday.
After an “aerial reconnaissance of the disaster area,” Macron will go to the Mamoudzou hospital center, according to an itinerary released Wednesday, to “meet with the health care staff and the patients being treated.”
He will also visit a neighborhood razed by the storm, meet with Mayotte officials, and is expected to outline a reconstruction plan.
A preliminary toll from France’s interior ministry shows that 31 people have been confirmed killed, 45 seriously hurt, and 1,373 suffering lighter injuries.
But officials say the toll could rise exponentially.
Located near Madagascar off the coast of southeastern Africa, Mayotte is France’s poorest region.
Besides declaring “exceptional natural disaster measures,” authorities have also imposed a nightly curfew to prevent looting.
Cyclone Chido – which hit Mayotte on Saturday – was the latest in a string of storms worldwide fueled by climate change, according to meteorologists.
Experts say seasonal storms are being super-charged by warmer Indian Ocean waters, fueling faster, more destructive winds.
An estimated one-third of Mayotte’s population lives in shantytowns whose flimsy, sheet metal-roofed homes offered scant protection from the storm.
At Mamoudzou hospital center, windows were blown out and doors ripped off from hinges, but most of the medics had taken to sleeping at their battered workplace on Wednesday as Chido had swept their homes away.
“It’s chaos,” said medical and administrative assistant Anrifia Ali Hamadi.
“The roof is collapsing. We’re not very safe. Even I don’t feel safe here.”
But staff soldiered on despite the hospital being out of action, with electricians racing to restore a maternity ward – France’s largest with around 10,000 births a year – to their proper state.
“The Mamoudzou hospital suffered major damage... Everything is still functioning, but in a degraded state,” said the hospital’s director Jean-Mathieu Defour.
In the small commune of Pamandzi, sheet metal and destroyed wooden structures were strewn as far as the eye could see.
“It was like a steamroller that crushed everything,” said Nasrine, a Mayotte teacher who declined to give her full name.
With health services in tatters, and power and mobile phone services knocked out, French Overseas Minister Francois-Noel Buffet on Wednesday night declared “exceptional natural disaster” measures for Mayotte.
Under a new emergency system for overseas territories, the measures will hold for a month, and can be renewed every two months after that.
It will “enable the local and national authorities to react more quickly while streamlining certain administrative procedures,” Buffet said.
Much of Mayotte’s population is Muslim, whose religious tradition dictates that bodies be buried rapidly, meaning some may never be identified.
Assessing the toll is further complicated by irregular immigration to Mayotte, especially from the Comoros islands to the north, meaning much of the population is unregistered.
Mayotte officially has 320,000 inhabitants, but authorities estimate the actual figure is 100,000 to 200,000 higher when taking into account undocumented migrants.
French military planes have been shuttling between Mayotte and the island of La Reunion – another French overseas territory to the east that was spared by the cyclone.
A “civilian maritime bridge” was launched between both island groups, said Patrice Latron, the prefect in La Reunion.
As of Wednesday, more than 100 tons of food was to be distributed.
“We’re moving to a phase of massive support for Mayotte,” he said, adding that around 200 shipping containers with supplies and water would arrive by Sunday.
South Korea’s acting president to veto opposition-sponsored bills, deepening political strife
- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo assumed since the National Assembly voted to suspend Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential powers over his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law
SEOUL: South Korea’s acting leader said Thursday he would veto a spate of contentious bills sponsored by the main opposition party, deepening political strife in the wake of parliament’s impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The ruling and opposition parties have been bickering over how much authority Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s No. 2 official, has assumed since the opposition-controlled National Assembly last Saturday voted to suspend Yoon’s presidential powers over his short-lived Dec. 3 martial law. The Constitutional Court is to determine whether to formally dismiss the conservative Yoon as president or reinstate him.
Law enforcement authorities are also separately investigating whether Yoon’s martial law enforcement amounted to rebellion. Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several other military commanders have already been arrested over the case. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party earlier considered impeaching Han as well for failing to stop Yoon’s martial law declaration, but shelved the idea after he became acting leader.
Four of the six bills to be vetoed by Han were meant to introduce greater state financial assistance programs for the country’s agriculture and fisheries industries.
The most contentious bill is the Grain Management Act, which would require the government to buy surplus rice if the price drops too sharply to protect the country’s farming industry and promote its food sovereignty. Han said the bill would cause “immense” financial burdens on the government and eventually lead to further drops in rice prices.
Another controversial bill is the National Assembly Testimony Appraisal Act, which would give lawmakers more power to request people to attend parliament hearings and submit documents. Under the proposed legislation, individuals could no longer decline such requests by citing the protection of trade secrets or personal information.
The Democratic Party said the bill is necessary to determine the full details of Yoon’s martial law decree. But Han said the bill would likely infringe upon people’s privacy and that there are concerns among business leaders that key technology and company secrets could be leaked.
“I’m heavy-hearted because I’ve asked the National Assembly to discuss and act on the six bills again at a time when we desperately need cooperation among the government and the ruling and opposition parties,” Han said in televised comments at the start of a Cabinet Council meeting on Thursday. “But the government should make a responsible decision that prioritizes the principles of the Constitution and the future of our country.”
Democratic lawmaker and spokesperson Noh Jongmyun quickly criticized Han, warning him “not to cross a line,” adding, “We’ll immediately drag him down if he’s found to have collaborated with the rebellion.”
Observers earlier speculated the Democratic Party would reconsider impeaching Han if he vetoed the bills.
Another source of contention between the rival parties is whether Han has the right to appoint three vacant justices’ seats at the Constitutional Court, as filling the vacancies could affect the court’s decision on Yoon.
The martial law enactment lasted only six hours, but it caused huge political turmoil in South Korea and set off alarms from its neighbors and diplomatic partners. Yoon sent hundreds of troops to the National Assembly to block its vote on his decree. But many lawmakers managed to enter a parliament hall and unanimously voted it down, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift it.
Philippines president says legal experts to consider clemency requests for convict Veloso
- Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after being found with 2.6 kg of heroin concealed in a suitcase
- She said she was an unwitting drug mule, but she was convicted and sentenced to death, prompting an outcry in the Philippines
MANILA: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said legal experts would consider clemency requests for Mary Jane Veloso, who had been sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking before the two countries reached a deal for her repatriation this week. Veloso, 39, had received a last-minute reprieve from execution by firing squad for drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2015. After years of negotiations, she returned to Manila on Wednesday to serve the remainder of her sentence.
“We’re aware of the request for clemency from her representative, of course, and from her family,” Marcos told reporters on Thursday.
“We leave it to the judgment of our legal experts to determine whether the vision of clemency is appropriate.”
Indonesia did not set any conditions on the return of Veloso, Marcos said.
“We are still far from that,” Marcos said when asked about clemency. “We still have to have a look at really what her status is.”
Veloso, a former domestic helper and mother of two, was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after being found with 2.6 kg (5.73 lb) of heroin concealed in a suitcase.
She said she was an unwitting drug mule, but she was convicted and sentenced to death, prompting an outcry in the Philippines. Veloso was repatriated days after the five remaining members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring were sent back to Australia from Indonesia.
US repatriates 3 Guantanamo Bay detainees, including one held 17 years without charge
- The transfers come as rights groups push the Biden administration to end the detention of more than a dozen other men held there without charge
WASHINGTON: The US has transferred two Malaysian detainees at the Guantanamo Bay US military prison to their home country, after they pleaded guilty to charges related to deadly 2002 bombings in Bali and agreed to testify against the alleged ringleader of that and other attacks, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The transfers, and the repatriation Tuesday of a Kenyan man who’d been held at Guantanamo for 17 years without charge, come as rights groups and others push the Biden administration to end the detention of more than a dozen other men held there without charge, and amid uncertainty over the incoming Trump administration’s plans for Guantanamo.
Prosecutors say Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep worked for years with Encep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, an Indonesian leader of Al-Qaeda affiliate Jemaah Islamiya. That includes helping Nurjaman escape capture after Oct. 12, 2002 bombings that killed 202 people at two night spots in Bali, US officials said.
The two men entered guilty pleas to conspiracy and other charges in January. Their transfer comes after they provided testimony that prosecutors plan to use in the future against Nurjaman, the alleged mastermind, the Pentagon said in a statement.
Nurjaman is in custody in Guantanamo awaiting resumption of pre-trial hearings in January involving the Bali bombings and other attacks.
The two Malaysian men’s transfers leave 27 detainees in custody at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay. President George W. Bush set up a military tribunal and prison after the Sept. 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the US
Bin Lep’s Texas-based lawyer Brian Bouffard told Australian Broadcasting Corp. it was unclear when his client might be released into the Malaysian community.
“I know that he will be monitored by Malaysian authorities. There’s not going to be any opportunity for him to get in trouble even if he were inclined to want to get in trouble. That’s not what he wants,” Bouffard said.
Of the 202 killed in the attack, 88 were Australians. Australian survivors and victims’ families were critical of the prospect of the Malaysians being freed.
A bomb killed two members of Tim Weatherald’s Australian rules football team who he had been on vacation with in Bali.
“The thing for me is they showed no remorse. From my point of view, if they showed a bit of remorse, and a bit of care but they almost seem proud of what they have done. So I have no issue with them not ever seeing the light of day again,” he told Seven Network television in Australia.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office said in a statement she had conveyed to the United States and Malaysia “our close interest in this matter.”
“While the arrangements for the transfer are a matter for the Malaysian and US governments, we have sought assurances from the Malaysian government that the individuals will be subject to ongoing supervision and monitoring,” the statement said.
At peak, Guantanamo detained hundreds of men, most Muslim, in the US military’s “war on terror” after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Just two of the men at Guantanamo are serving sentences. US prosecution of seven others currently facing charges has been slowed by legal obstacles — including those presented by the torture of the men in their first years under CIA custody — and logistical difficulties.
On Tuesday, US authorities repatriated a Kenyan man, Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, after 17 years at Guantanamo without charge.
His release leaves 15 other never-charged men awaiting release. The US says it is searching for suitable countries willing to take them. Many are from Yemen, a country split by war and dominated by an Iranian-allied militant group.
Amnesty International urged President Joe Biden to end the detention of those never-charged men before he leaves office. If not, the rights group said in a statement, “he will continue to bear responsibility for the abhorrent practice of indefinite detention without charge or trial by the US government.”