LONDON: One of the UK’s programs to house Afghan refugees has resettled just four people since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August last year, The Independent reported.
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, one of two UK government programs for the urgent relocation of vulnerable Afghan refugees, aimed to resettle 5,000 people in Britain within its first year of operation.
However, Home Office data shows that while about 6,500 Afghans had been welcomed as part of a second scheme — the Afghan Relocation Assistance Policy — only four had been resettled as part of ACRS.
The more successful ARAP targeted Afghans who worked with and supported British military operations during the country’s near two-decade civil war.
ACRS, which launched in January, aims to help Afghans who “assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, freedom of speech, and rule of law,” the government said.
Unlike ARAP, the scheme receives referrals for vulnerable Afghans directly from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Due to safety issues within Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, many of the potential targets of the scheme have already fled to neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Iran.
They have since been left in limbo, however, awaiting responses from the UK government amid warning calls from the UNHCR.
A former high-ranking Afghan prosecutor who has resided in Pakistan since the fall of Kabul has been unable to relocate to the UK despite having family members there.
He said: “I am constantly terrified; I am worried that I will go to jail. I don’t know what is going to happen.”
His lawyer, Deena Patel, said that the prosecutor’s case had been referred to the UNHCR but that progress has been slow.
She added: “The number of four Afghans (relocated through ACRS) is highly believable. The prosecutor’s case was a strong case on merit.
“He should have been relocated under pathway two, but he’s been waiting months on end.
“This is just taking way too long. The UNHCR have to do a refugee assessment in each case, if they are not even speeding up this process then they are not going to make a referral to the Home Office.
“We know the crisis that this is causing — a large proportion of those arriving (in the UK) illegally are Afghans. What can you do if there is no legal route?”
The opposition Labour Party’s shadow immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock, said: “Britain owes a debt of gratitude to courageous Afghans who served British interests in Afghanistan, and it is a debt that must be honored.
“UN figures show that since last summer at least 160 Afghans have been killed through reprisal attacks.”
The government “must urgently clear the asylum backlog at home, while working more effectively with the UNHCR to keep the promise they made last autumn to bring vulnerable Afghans to safety,” he added.
Mary Atkinson, campaigns officer at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, described the latest Home Office ACRS figures as “disgraceful.”
She added: “We shouldn’t allow this government to get away with its shameful abandonment of the Afghan people — we need a fully functioning Afghan resettlement scheme now.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has made one of the largest commitments to support Afghanistan of any country and, so far, we have brought more than 22,800 vulnerable Afghans to safety.
“However, the situation is complex and presents us with significant challenges, including safe passage out of the country for those who want to leave and who are eligible for resettlement in the UK.”
UK refugee scheme resettled just 4 Afghans since Taliban takeover, data shows
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UK refugee scheme resettled just 4 Afghans since Taliban takeover, data shows
- Program aimed to resettle 5,000 vulnerable people during first year of operation
- Second policy for Afghans who supported the UK military has helped 6,500 people
Philippines sees 500% increase in HIV cases among young people
- More than 148,000 active cases recorded in the country
- HIV testing, treatment are free in state-run facilities
MANILA: The number of young Filipinos infected with HIV has increased by 500 percent, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Tuesday, as he called for a national public health emergency to be declared.
The Philippines has been facing the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Western Pacific region due to the continuous rise in infections.
Health officials have been recording around 56 new cases daily since the beginning of April, a total of 5,101. The latest figure is approximately 50 percent higher than during the same period last year.
“We’ve seen a 500 percent increase in HIV cases among those aged 15 to 25. In fact, the youngest person diagnosed was just 12 years old, in the province of Palawan,” Herbosa said in a video statement.
“Based on our data, we now have the highest number of new cases in the Western Pacific region. What’s frightening is the high number of new cases among our youth.”
The Philippines saw a 543 percent increase in new infections between 2010 and 2023, according to the UNAIDS global report released in November.
There are currently 148,831 active HIV cases in the country, which has a population of 117 million.
While the spread of HIV has slowed drastically in many parts of the world since the epidemic’s peak in 1995, infections have been rising steeply for over a decade in the Philippines. Officials recorded 48 daily cases on average last year, compared to 21 in 2014.
The government has warned that if the current trend continues, the number of people living with HIV could more than double.
“If we don’t stop the increase in HIV cases, we could reach over 400,000 people living with HIV … It would be better to declare a public health emergency or national emergency for HIV, so that the entire society and government can work together in this campaign to reduce new cases,” said Herbosa.
Though screening for the virus and treatment is free in state-run clinics, stigma surrounding HIV continues to be a major barrier for many Filipinos.
Only 55 percent of those living with the virus in the Philippines have been diagnosed, according to government data, while only 66 percent of those are on lifesaving antiretroviral therapy.
“Some people are afraid to get tested,” Herbosa said. “We now also have HIV self-test kits in the Philippines, and I hope these self-test kits are used, especially to address the stigma.”
Saudia’s budget carrier Flyadeal to launch flights to India next year
- Up to 6 new destinations in India will be added in first year of operations, CEO says
- Flyadeal plans to have 5-10% of its total traffic coming from India
NEW DELHI: Saudi budget carrier Flyadeal is planning to launch flights from the Kingdom to India next year, its CEO said, as industry leaders gathered in New Delhi for the International Air Transport Association’s annual summit.
Established in 2017, Flyadeal is a subsidiary of the Saudi national flag carrier, Saudia. Headquartered in Jeddah, the airline primarily serves domestic routes and has, over the past few years, expanded to international destinations in the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa.
It currently reaches some 35 destinations. Another five or six will be added in India soon.
“We’re planning to launch flights from the Kingdom to India next year,” Flyadeal’s CEO Steven Greenway told Arab News on the sidelines of the IATA meeting on Monday.
“We’re talking about five to six (destinations) in our first year alone — so quite a lot, and mostly secondary cities ... Our sister carrier Saudia will remain in Delhi and Mumbai. We’re looking at the secondary cities.”
While he expects the airline’s upcoming India operations to address mostly labor traffic, tourists are a growing group too, as Saudi Arabia is heavily investing in tourist destinations.
In the past few years the Kingdom has seen significant developments at its eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, eco-friendly and luxury resorts on the Red Sea coastline, and entertainment and sports complexes.
With their vast promotion, also involving Bollywood stars, more and more Indians are willing to visit Riyadh, Jeddah, or AlUla.
“You’ve got a country which is now open for business, which is now deploying key strategic initiatives that are going online — the Red Sea resorts and so forth. That will bring tourism,” Greenway said.
“I would like to think that we could probably have anything between 5 and 10 percent of our total traffic coming from India over the next couple of years.”
Tourism is booming in Saudi Arabia under the Vision 2030 diversification plan, with the sector expected to contribute 10 percent of the gross domestic product.
The Saudi Tourism Authority announced last year that it expected India to become its key inbound market, with 7.5 million Indian travelers visiting the Kingdom by 2030.
Germany’s Merz says court ruling will not stop migration crackdown
BERLIN: Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday a court ruling that German authorities acted unlawfully when border police expelled three Somali asylum seekers could restrict his government’s migration crackdown but would not stop it altogether.
People would continue to be turned away at the German border, he said.
A Berlin administrative court said on Monday the expulsion of the three unnamed Somalis, who were sent back to Poland after arriving at a train station in eastern Germany, was “unlawful.”
It said the asylum application should have been processed by Germany under the European Union’s so-called Dublin rules that determine which country is responsible for processing a claim.
The ruling was a setback for Merz’s government, which won a federal election in February after promising a crackdown on migration that has caused concern in neighboring countries.
The court ruling has “possibly further restricted the scope for maneuver here,” Merz told a local government congress. “But the scope is still there. We know that we can still reject people.”
“We will, of course, do this within the framework of European law, but we will also do it to protect public safety and order in our country and to relieve the burden on cities and municipalities,” he said.
Migration is among German voters’ biggest concerns and a backlash against an influx of new arrivals has contributed to a rise in the popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which came second in February’s election.
It is a big shift since Germany’s “Refugees Welcome” culture during Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015 under Merz’s conservative predecessor, Angela Merkel.
Merz’s government issued an order in May to reject undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, at Germany’s borders.
Monday’s ruling was seized on by critics as evidence that Merz’s migration policy was unworkable.
“The administrative court has determined that Dobrindt’s policy of rejecting asylum seekers is unlawful, contrary to European law, and now the Federal Ministry of the Interior should really start thinking about how to finally put an end to this nonsense,” Karl Kopp of the pro-immigration advocacy group Pro Asyl told Reuters.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended the expulsions, saying he would provide the court with justifications for banning entry.
Mongolia PM resigns after anti-corruption protests
- Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday saying: “It was an honor to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs"
ULAANBAATAR: Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday following weeks of anti-corruption protests in the country’s capital.
The landlocked democracy in northern Asia has battled deep-seated corruption for decades, with many arguing that wealthy elites are hoarding the profits of a years-long coal mining boom at the expense of the general population.
Frustrations have flared since last month as public suspicions over the supposedly lavish lifestyles of the prime minister’s family have fueled persistent demonstrations in the capital Ulaanbaatar.
Oyun-Erdene announced his resignation on Tuesday after losing a confidence vote among lawmakers, according to a parliamentary statement.
“It was an honor to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs,” he said after the result of the secret ballot was announced to parliament.
He will remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor is appointed within 30 days.
Dozens of young people gathered on the square outside the parliament building on Tuesday, holding white placards reading “Resignation is easy” — a popular slogan at recent protests.
Several voiced pride that they had taken a stand against what they described as deeply embedded corruption and social injustice.
“The youth protest has achieved great results. I’m so proud of the future of Mongolia,” participant Unur Sukhbaatar, a 37-year-old political economy researcher, told AFP.
“The public wants more stable governance with ethical politicians... protesting and unifying our voice for systemic change (shows) that Mongolian democracy is alive,” he told AFP.
Some counter-protesters — overwhelmingly older than their pro-opposition counterparts — have also turned out to support Oyun-Erdene in recent weeks.
Julian Dierkes, a Mongolia expert at Germany’s University of Mannheim, said he “(didn’t) expect any successor to adopt substantially different policies” from Oyun-Erdene, including on corruption.
His ouster “may mean the resurgence of factional politics in his party” after years of comparative stability at the top of Mongolian politics, Dierkes told AFP.
Oyun-Erdene has denied the corruption allegations, and in an address to parliament before the vote, blamed “major, visible and hidden interests” for waging an “organized campaign” to bring down the government.
He had also warned of political instability and economic chaos if forced out of power.
But it was not enough as only 44 lawmakers voted to retain confidence in him, with 38 against.
That did not reach the 64-vote threshold required from the 126-seat parliament, prompting Oyun-Erdene to stand down.
The move pushed the country’s fractious political scene into further uncertainty.
Mongolia had been ruled by a three-way coalition government since elections last year resulted in a significantly reduced majority for Oyun-Erdene’s Mongolian People’s Party (MPP).
But the MPP evicted the second-largest member, the Democratic Party (DP), from the coalition last month after some younger DP lawmakers backed calls for Oyun-Erdene’s resignation.
DP lawmakers walked out of the parliamentary chamber during the confidence ballot.
Munkhnaran Bayarlkhagva, a political analyst and former adviser on Mongolia’s National Security Council, said protesters had effectively helped force a vote on “the legitimacy of the (country’s) political system.”
“The Mongolian Generation Z showed they are willing and able to be a politically engaged, mature and active electorate,” he told AFP.
“The Mongolian political establishment had no choice but to comply to retain popular support.”
Sandwiched between regional giants China and Russia, Mongolia was a communist state during the Cold War, but has transformed into a democracy since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since Oyun-Erdene took power in 2021, Mongolia’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index has dropped.
Concerns over the economy and rising living costs have also stoked unrest.
The protests against Oyun-Erdene began in May following accusations of lavish spending by his son, whose fiancee was reportedly seen with expensive gifts on social media.
“Parliament showed they can put the public interest above party needs,” small business owner Erchissaran Ganbold, 28, told AFP at Tuesday’s protest.
“This demonstration is a strong reminder for politicians to be accountable and transparent in the future.”
Bali drug trial of three Brits facing death penalty begins
- Indonesia hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling and has previously executed foreigners
DENPASAR: The trial of three British nationals accused of smuggling cocaine or taking part in a drug deal on Indonesia’s popular island of Bali began Tuesday, with all facing the death penalty in a nation with some of the world’s toughest narcotics laws.
Indonesia hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling and has previously executed foreigners, but has upheld a moratorium on the death sentence since 2017.
Jonathan Christopher Collyer, 38, and Lisa Ellen Stocker, 39, were arrested on February 1 after being stopped at Bali’s international airport with 17 packages of cocaine that weighed nearly a kilogramme, according to public court records.
They appeared in court alongside Phineas Ambrose Float, 31, who was allegedly due to receive the packages and arrested a few days later.
The heaviest punishment for taking part in a drug transaction is also the death penalty under Indonesian law.
An AFP journalist at the court said the hearing began Tuesday. A verdict was not expected until a later date.
The British embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has moved in recent months to repatriate several high-profile inmates, all sentenced for drug offenses, back to their home countries.
Frenchman Serge Atlaoui returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed a deal to repatriate him on “humanitarian grounds” because he was ill.
In December, Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines.
It also sent the five remaining members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring, who were serving heavy prison sentences, back to Australia.
According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, 96 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, before Veloso’s release.
