US and Nato troops are leaving Afghanistan as its security crisis worsens.
US and Nato troops are leaving Afghanistan as its security crisis worsens.
US and Nato troops are leaving Afghanistan as its security crisis worsens.
US and Nato troops are leaving Afghanistan as its security crisis worsens.

Europe handed 10-point plan to help Afghan refugees as security crisis mounts


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

Europe must prepare for a worsening crisis in Afghanistan by admitting vulnerable refugees and ending deportations to the country, charities said.

A 10-point list of demands issued by NGOs called on European nations to reconsider failed asylum claims because of the deteriorating security position.

It said Nato member states should immediately give residency to Afghan civilians who helped foreign troops during the 20-year war.

Fears are growing for the safety of Afghan civilians amid a rapid Taliban advance as the US-led coalition withdraws its last troops from the country.

The UN’s refugee agency estimates that 270,000 Afghans have been displaced within the country’s borders since January.

The Red Cross said on Tuesday that civilians were paying a steep price for the conflict. Many people had been wounded in the fighting, placing pressure on hospitals already battling Covid-19, it said.

“Access to health care is among the most pressing humanitarian needs everywhere in the country,” said Eloi Fillion, the head of a Red Cross delegation in Afghanistan.

Turkey said this week it had detained about 1,500 illegal migrants, most of them Afghan, near its border with Iran.

Many displaced Afghans live in Iran and Pakistan, and the coalition of NGOs including Save the Children and Germany’s Pro Asyl said the number of resettlement places available for them in Europe should be increased.

They said European countries should review failed asylum applications for Afghans in light of the increased risk of violence and persecution.

Courts and immigration agencies were urged to update their information for Afghanistan to take the Taliban’s advance into account.

Afghan refugees sit in a truck after being collected by Turkish border troops. AFP
Afghan refugees sit in a truck after being collected by Turkish border troops. AFP

Concern is growing over the fate of local staff such as interpreters who fear their work for Nato troops could make them vulnerable to the Taliban.

Former German soldiers are raising funds for Afghan staff and a group of MPs wrote to Chancellor Angela Merkel telling her to ensure their safety.

Germany said it had admitted hundreds of local staff, while Washington said this week that about 2,500 Afghans would be taken to a US army base.

Countries are under pressure to halt the deportation of Afghans already within their borders.

The government in Kabul recently told European countries to stop deportations for three months because of the growing security crisis.

Sweden last week followed Finland in saying that deportations would be stopped. But other countries have yet to do the same.

The charities said European countries should “immediately cease deportations to Afghanistan due to the security situation”.

They said Europe should stop trying to identify so-called safe areas of the country to which people could be deported.

EU members can deny asylum applications if they believe that people can safely move to another part of their home country.

They must be able to travel there safely, with a reasonable expectation of being able to settle there without persecution.

But the NGOs told European countries they should not use this provision because “there is no safe area or city” in Afghanistan.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
UAE squad

Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.

UAE tour of Zimbabwe

All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Schedule:

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

if you go

The flights

Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.

The hotel

Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850

 Events and tours

There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com

For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art. 

More information

For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com

The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor

Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000

Engine 3.5L V6

Transmission 10-speed automatic

Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km

If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Joy%20Ride%20
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MATCH SCHEDULE

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)

Liverpool v Roma

Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)

Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26

Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Updated: July 21, 2021, 12:10 PM