KABUL: Two American prisoners were being held in custody in Afghanistan, a Taliban government spokesman said Wednesday, and an “exchange” for Afghans held in Guantanamo Bay had been discussed with the United States.
Zabihullah Mujahid did not name the US prisoners, but an American woman was among more than a dozen staff of an international NGO arrested by Taliban authorities last September, and aid worker Ryan Corbett has been custody in since 2022.
“We should be able to free our citizens in (an) exchange, as American citizens are important for them (the United States), just as Afghans are important for us,” Mujahid told a press conference in Kabul.
He said discussions over a prisoner exchange were held with US representatives during United Nations-led talks in Qatar.
The talks, which gathered UN officials, Taliban authorities and the special envoys to Afghanistan, ended on Monday.
“Two American citizens are imprisoned in Afghanistan,” Mujahid told the press conference, adding that Afghan prisoners were also held in the United States, including in the secretive US prison in Cuba.
“We have had discussions on their release with them (the United States) before. Afghanistan’s conditions should be accepted,” he said.
An American woman was among at least 18 staff of non-governmental organization International Assistance Mission (IAM) detained on accusations of carrying out Christian missionary work.
The UN in June warned Corbett’s “life could be at risk” and called for Taliban authorities to give him “immediate access to medical treatment for his deteriorating health.”
Dozens of foreigners have been detained by the Taliban authorities since the group’s return to power in August 2021.
Many countries, including the United States, warn against citizens traveling to Afghanistan, citing risks of wrongful detention, violence and kidnapping.
At least one Afghan prisoner remains in detention at Guantanamo Bay, Muhammad Rahim, whose family called for his release in November.
In February, two former prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay until 2017 were welcomed home to Afghanistan, more than 20 years after they were arrested.
Abdul Karim and Abdul Zahir had been transferred to Oman and held under house arrest until their release.
They were among hundreds of suspected militants captured by US forces and held in Guantanamo Bay.
US authorities faced accusations of torture and abuse against prisoners at the facility, where many were held without charge or the legal power to challenge their detention.
Most of the military prison’s inmates have been released over the years, including senior Taliban leaders.
The US government has said for years it is working to reduce the number of detainees and eventually shut down Guantanamo Bay, which lies on the island of Cuba but is under US jurisdiction.
Taliban discussed prisoner exchange with US: Afghan government
https://arab.news/c4krf
Taliban discussed prisoner exchange with US: Afghan government
- An American woman was among more than a dozen staff of an international NGO arrested by Taliban authorities last September
- Many countries, including the US, warn against citizens traveling to Afghanistan
Aramco joins NPO to support STEAM learning in Japanese schools
- STEAM Education is an approach to learning that uses science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics as access points
MACHIDA, Japan: In a significant move, Aramco Asia Japan (AAJ) and the non-profit organization ‘Code for Everyone’ have forged a partnership to champion STEAM education in public junior high and high schools in fiscal 2024.
STEAM Education is an approach to learning that uses science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics as access points to guide student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.
This pioneering project is poised to transform the landscape of STEAM education in public middle and high schools in Japan. It will not only equip 5,000 students with free hardware teaching materials but also empower them to develop skills and solve problems through practical learning, paving the way for a more innovative and critical-thinking future generation.
The kick-off ceremony was attended by 12 students from Minami Naruse Junior High School, educators, AAJ Representative Director Abdullah Jastaniah, Director of Code for Everyone and Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Faisal S Binzagr.
“Based on the idea that the real value of energy lies in being able to contribute to people’s progress and development, ‘Aramco STEAM Challenge’ reflects our goal of fostering innovation and critical thinking in youth,” AAJ Representative Director Jastaniah said.
“Through our partnership with Code for Everyone, we aim to inspire students with a passion for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics and acquire the skills they need to be active in the future. This collaboration is in full alignment with the goals of the Global Citizenship Strategy at Aramco.”
Code for Everyone Director TONEGAWA Yuta highlighted the pressing need for information education throughout Japan and underscored some of the challenges schools in Japan are grappling with, including difficulties in developing guidance, a lack of professionalism of teachers, and a shortage of teaching materials and reference materials.
“In particular, it is difficult to prepare hardware materials necessary for practical learning in public schools,” he said. “Through the signing of our partnership with AAJ, we hope it will provide students with classes where they can demonstrate their creativity independently.”
Aramco Asia Japan (AAJ) is the Japanese subsidiary of Saudi Arabian comprehensive energy and chemical company Aramco.
Trump congratulates UK’s Farage, ignores PM Starmer
- Farage is a long-standing ally of Trump
- Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party won the third largest vote haul
NEW YORK: Former US president Donald Trump celebrated the election of fellow populist Nigel Farage to Britain’s parliament on Friday, neglecting to mention the new prime minister, Keir Starmer.
Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party won the third largest vote haul, but under Britain’s electoral system it took just four seats while Starmer’s Labour party swept into office with a landslide.
“Congratulations to Nigel Farage on his big WIN of a Parliament Seat Amid Reform UK Election Success. Nigel is a man who truly loves his Country!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Farage is a long-standing ally of Trump, who has dubbed the divorced father-of-four “Mr Brexit” and previously said the British populist would have done a “great job” as the UK’s ambassador to Washington.
Farage is a champion of Brexit who was elected to parliament on his eighth attempt and has made no secret of his desire to take over the now-main opposition Conservative party, which was trounced at the polls by Labour.
“There is a massive gap on the center-right of British politics and my job is to fill it,” he said after a comfortable win in Clacton, eastern England.
The result bucks a rightward trend among Britain’s closest allies, with the far-right National Rally in France eyeing power and Trump looking set for a return in the United States.
Farage’s win will likely embolden the attention-grabbing populist figurehead in his long-term aim of staging a “takeover” of the Conservatives.
Millions of their voters appeared to have already switched their support to Reform, handing the Tories one of their worst-ever results.
An initial exit poll had caused a stir Thursday night after predicting Reform would secure 13 seats — far exceeding forecasts in the latter stages of the campaign that it would win just a handful of seats.
Labour’s Lammy aims for UK foreign policy reset, Reeves tasked with fixing economy
- The center-left Labour Party won a landslide victory in Thursday’s UK parliamentary election
LONDON: Labour’s David Lammy becomes Britain’s next foreign secretary pledging to reset relations with the European Union and push for a ceasefire in Gaza, while seeking to build ties with Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
The center-left Labour Party won a landslide victory in Thursday’s parliamentary election, ending 14 years of Conservative government and vowing to bring change to Britain.
While the six initial priorities promised in its election manifesto focussed on domestic matters, a long list of international issues awaits Lammy in his in-tray.
Labour has said long-term peace and security in the Middle East would be an immediate focus. It has committed to recognizing a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution.
Lammy, 51, traveled widely before the election, particularly to the United States, where he has been working to build ties with Republicans, after once writing in Time magazine that Trump was a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi sociopath.”
He has met Republican figures seen as candidates for roles in a Trump cabinet, including Mike Pompeo.
Lammy has strong links with leading Democrats and is a close friend of former President Barack Obama, a fellow Harvard Law School alumni.
COMMON CAUSE
In a speech during a visit there in May, Lammy said Labour would always work with the United States “whatever the weather and whoever wins” and he would seek to find “common cause” with Trump.
“I do not believe that he is arguing that the US should abandon Europe. He wants Europeans to do more to ensure a better defended Europe,” he said.
“Were his words in office shocking? Yes, they were. Would we have used them? No. But US spending on European defense actually grew under President Trump, as did the defense spending of the wider alliance, during his tenure.”
Lammy, the son of Guyanese immigrants, represents an inner-London constituency and has spent much of his political career campaigning for social and racial justice.
He supported Britain remaining in the European Union in the 2016 referendum. While Labour has promised Britain will stay outside the bloc, it wants to reset the relationship and seek to deepen ties, including through a new UK-EU security pact.
Lammy has previously described Marine Le Pen, a leading figure in France’s far-right National Rally (NR), as xenophobic and malevolent. Polls show her party is on course to win the most seats in the French parliamentary election but fall short of an absolute majority.
“France is one of Britain’s closest allies and we will work with whoever is elected. It is a democracy and it is up to the French people who governs them,” Lammy told reporters earlier this week. “We will wait to see what happens in the second round on July 7.”
FIRST FEMALE CHANCELLOR
Rachel Reeves became Britain's first female finance minister on Friday, and the one-time junior chess champion's opening gambit will be to try to spur growth without sacrificing the party's newly minted image of fiscal responsibility.
A former Bank of England economist, Reeves, 45, was tasked in opposition with mending relations with the business community that were strained under left-wing former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and pitching to voters that the party could be trusted with their money.
Appointed as Labour's finance policy chief in 2021 after a tricky start to new prime minister Keir Starmer's leadership, she has become synonymous with his approach of putting pragmatism ahead of ideology, and facing down those on the left who want a fiscally looser approach.
With Labour's dominant election victory confirmed on Friday, she will now have to navigate a tricky fiscal picture and boost growth quickly if promised increases in investment are to be delivered without tax rises.
She said it was the “honor of my life” and a “historic responsibility” to be the first woman to be appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, as Britain's top economics and finance policymaker is titled.
“We've waited a long time to have the chance to serve our country. We have got a credible plan now to deliver the change the country needs. Growing our economy is at the heart of doing that," Reeves told reporters on the sidelines of the party's manifesto launch in Manchester.
“The opportunity to be Britain's first female chancellor of the exchequer - that would give me immense pride, but also give me a huge responsibility: to pass on, to our daughters and our granddaughters, a fairer society. That's what I'm determined to do.”
Yvette Cooper becomes interior minister, known as home secretary, overseeing domestic security and policing.
Ed Miliband, who becomes Energy Security and Net Zero minister, led Labour into the 2015 election, which the party lost by an unexpectedly large margin that triggered his resignation.
He has since rebuilt his political career around environmental and climate-related issues.
Miliband will play a central role in delivering Labour's plan to make Britain a “clean energy superpower” through the creation of a publicly owned energy company with powers to invest in new green projects alongside the private sector.
Angela Rayner, who Starmer appointed as his deputy prime minister, will also serve as secretary for levelling up, housing and communities.
* With Reuters, AFP and AP
Modi to meet Putin, attend India-Russia summit after 2-year gap
- Talks on discharge of Indian nationals from Russian army expected during the trip
- Visit to change perceptions that there is a ‘drift’ in India-Russia ties, expert says
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Russia’s President Vladimir Putin next week, India’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday, amid Western efforts to isolate Moscow on the world stage over its invasion of Ukraine.
Modi will be in the Russian capital on July 8-9 for the 22nd edition of the annual India-Russia summit that has been hosted alternately by the two countries since 2000.
The last meeting was held in 2021, when Putin visited Delhi, and the next was due in Moscow in 2022. It did not take place following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February that year.
“The 22nd annual summit between India and Russia would provide an opportunity to the two leaders to review the whole range of bilateral issues, including defense, trade linkages, investment ties, energy cooperation, S&T (science and technology),” Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told reporters in Delhi.
Talks on the release of Indian nationals serving in the Russian army are also expected during the prime minister’s trip in the wake of reports that they have been sent to fight in the Ukraine war.
“The issue of early discharge of Indian nationals who have been misled into the service in the Russian army is also expected to figure in the discussions,” Kwarta said.
The last time Modi and Putin met in person was on the sidelines of the 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan. Modi skipped the SCO’s summit this week, so the meeting with the Russian president will be his first since the beginning of his third term in office.
It will also be his first bilateral visit since winning the general election last month.
“The annual summit between the two leaders is the highest mechanism to steer and drive cooperation between our two countries,” Kwarta said.
“They would also share perspectives on regional and global developments of mutual interest … (and) assess the status of bilateral engagements, groupings such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, G20, East Asia summit and the UN.”
New Delhi’s ties with Moscow span over seven decades. India has abstained from publicly criticizing Russia over the Ukraine war and did not join the slew of international sanctions slapped on it, despite pressure from Western countries, especially the US.
Russia is also India’s biggest crude oil supplier and the main source of its military hardware.
“Russia is a great power … It is a member of the Security Council with the veto and we in India remember that the veto has been exercised in our favor several times in the past,” said Nandan Unnikrishnan, who leads the Eurasia program at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
“Russia is the largest country in the world. It has a (large) number of natural resources, and we are an economy that is growing, and we will soon require much larger amounts of natural resources, so for a variety of reasons, Russia is important … and it plays an important role in maintaining multipolarity in Asia.”
On the other hand, India’s partnership with the West has been growing for the last 20 years, and it is a member of the Quad. The four-state strategic security dialogue, comprising also the US, Japan and Australia, was established to counter the increased regional economic and military influence of China — India’s rival, with whom relations have been tense since the 2020 deadly clashes on their 3,500-km Himalayan border.
Both Russia and the US are strategic partners for India and clearly siding with one of them could cost it the relationship with the other.
While Modi has not met Putin for the past two years, Unnikrishnan said a perception was emerging that there was a “drift” in India’s ties with Russia amid Western efforts to isolate Moscow on the world stage.
“Our relationship with the US has been growing rapidly, becoming closer and closer … It was giving rise to all kinds of speculation that distance from Russia is growing. I think the PM felt that now it’s time to remove such a perception,” he told Arab News.
“India has multiple partners, and it will not have a relationship based on dictation by any third party. It will maintain relationships depending on the national interest.”
Romanian court eases travel restrictions on influencer Andrew Tate
- The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship, are the highest-profile suspects facing trial for human trafficking in Romania
- “Andrew and Tristan are still determined to clear their name and reputation,” the brothers’ lead defense lawyer Eugen Vidineac said
BUCHAREST: A Romanian court ruled on Friday that Internet personality Andrew Tate can travel within the European Union without restrictions while he awaits trial on human trafficking charges, his lawyer said.
Tate was indicted in mid-2023 along with his brother, Tristan, and two Romanian women on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, accusations they have denied.
In April this year, the Bucharest court ruled their trial can start, a decision Tate has appealed.
Pending a ruling on his appeal, the four suspects had been banned from leaving Romania, but Friday’s court decision lifted the restriction for the European Union.
“My judges decided ... I’m allowed to leave Romania, so do we take the (Ferrari) SF90 to Italy, the (Maserati) MC20 to Cannes, the (Ferrari) 812 Competition to Paris, where do I go?” Tate said in a video posted on social media platform X.
The Tate brothers, both former kickboxers with dual US and British citizenship, are the highest-profile suspects facing trial for human trafficking in Romania and their case will be a test for Romania’s anti-organized crime prosecuting unit DIICOT.
The brothers were held in police custody during the criminal investigation from late December 2022 until April 2023 to prevent them from fleeing the country or tampering with evidence.
They were then placed under house arrest until August, when courts put them under judicial control, a lighter preventative measure.
“Andrew and Tristan are still determined to clear their name and reputation; however, they are grateful to the courts for placing this trust in them,” the brothers’ lead defense lawyer Eugen Vidineac said in a statement.
Romanian prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage.
They said the victims were then taken to properties outside the capital Bucharest, and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites that generated large financial gain.
Tate, a self-described misogynist, has gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics say denigrates women.
