A British man being held in Afghanistan is seriously unwell and in need of immediate hospital treatment due to “life-threatening” kidney issues, according to a non-profit group negotiating with the Taliban on his behalf.
Kevin Cornwell, 53, is one of three Britons detained in Afghanistan.
Scott Richards, co-founder of the UK-based Presidium Network, which is negotiating for two of the three men, told The National Mr Cornwell suffers from kidney issues, which have worsened significantly.
Mr Richards said they were aware Mr Cornwell was receiving “some degree of pain relief,” but only recently became aware of the severity of his condition.
“Both kidneys are in poor state, but his right kidney was meant to receive hospital treatment, and without doing so will occlude,” he said.
“Occlusion will lead to sepsis which would be fatal. Mr Cornwell is anticipated to require immediate hospital treatment subsequent to his release.
“We are now in a very different situation, where a misunderstanding is now directly life threatening, and the potential death of a foreign national over a misunderstanding, who was on a humanitarian mission, would have a severe impact on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
Mr Cornwell and an unnamed manager of a hotel for aid workers in Kabul were arrested following a search of their rooms in the Darya Village hotel in Kabul in January, when a pistol was discovered in a safe. The owner had a licence, which was produced.
“Over the past few weeks we have systematically addressed statements coming from Afghanistan, some understood to be official and others speculative,” said Mr Richards.
“We demonstrated first that Mr Cornwell worked for the UN and was a paramedic in response to statements that he was a journalist and in Afghanistan on other purposes.
“Last week we issued the license for the weapon along with a photograph of the pistol where serial numbers match. We have demonstrated consistently and supported by evidence that this is a misunderstanding.”
Mr Cornwell and the hotel manager, who wishes to remain anonymous, are being held alongside self-professed “danger tourist” Miles Routledge.
He recently returned to Afghanistan after being evacuated during a holiday in the country in 2021 when the Taliban returned to power.
Mr Routledge, 23, was reportedly arrested in March by Taliban fighters along with two Polish citizens.
In a post on social media, he said he had been arrested for withdrawing $1,000 from Western Union.
He has gained notoriety by travelling to dangerous countries and posting about it online.
The Presidium Network is not acting as a negotiator on his behalf.
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What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
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