A woman holds a child at a camp for displaced people in Kabul. AP
A woman holds a child at a camp for displaced people in Kabul. AP
A woman holds a child at a camp for displaced people in Kabul. AP
A woman holds a child at a camp for displaced people in Kabul. AP

Red Cross prepares for half a million Afghans to flee


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

Red Cross workers in Europe are preparing for more than 500,000 refugees to flee Afghanistan amid fears that a harsh winter will compound the country’s woes.

The charity said Afghanistan faces an “alarming humanitarian emergency” as Taliban rule and a dire economic scenario pushes people to leave.

It said a worst-case scenario used by aid workers was that 515,000 people could leave Afghanistan before the end of the year.

Humanitarian workers expect busy migration routes to Europe as asylum seekers look for refuge.

“Many Afghans could cross international borders in the coming months,” said Xavier Castellanos, an under-secretary general at the Red Cross.

“Winter is approaching and we know it can be harsh … we need to prepare to provide them with protection and humanitarian assistance.”

He said drought, food shortages, healthcare problems, the coronavirus pandemic and “restrictive social norms” could force people to leave.

Despite presenting a moderate image, the Taliban have moved to restrict women and bring back harsh punishments such as amputation since returning to power.

Western countries have set women’s rights as a condition of co-operation with the Taliban, whose regime is not recognised internationally.

Children collect food and recyclable materials from waste near the airport in Kabul. AFP
Children collect food and recyclable materials from waste near the airport in Kabul. AFP

The European Union plans to help Afghanistan’s neighbours to absorb refugees to prevent a migration crisis in Europe.

While some Afghans were flown out of Kabul during the Nato airlift, others who worked for western forces were left behind.

Hundreds of Afghans have arrived in Greece this year, more than from any other country.

Others arrived in Bosnia-Herzegovina where humanitarian workers are dealing with the flow of arrivals.

The Red Cross said it needed more than 24 million Swiss francs ($25.9m) to provide humanitarian assistance for at least the next year.

It said the priority was to provide aid for Afghanistan’s neighbours including Pakistan, Iran and Tajikistan.

“Afghanistan faces an alarming humanitarian emergency and a worsening economic crisis, both likely to be further exacerbated by the approaching winter season,” the charity said.

“Access to banking services has been severely constrained, with cash flow crippled.

“A rapid deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan could result in catastrophic consequences for vulnerable Afghans and could lead to further internal and cross-border displacement.”

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Brief scores:

Manchester City 3

Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'

Bournemouth 1

Wilson 44'

Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)

Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
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Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent

Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent

Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent

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War

Director: Siddharth Anand

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor

Rating: Two out of five stars 

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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(Penguin Random House)
 

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MATCH INFO

Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
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Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)

Cinco in numbers

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50

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1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

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How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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The low down

Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films

Director: Namrata Singh Gujral

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark

Rating: 2/5

HOW TO WATCH

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Updated: September 29, 2021, 1:51 PM`