China and Russia called on the US on Tuesday to release $7 billion of Afghanistan's foreign reserves that were frozen when the Taliban seized control of the country a year ago.
Washington does not want the money to be used to bankroll the Taliban, which vanquished western-backed forces in August 2021 following a 20-year conflict.
US President Joe Biden has ordered that half of the funds be used to create a trust to compensate victims still seeking relief for the 9/11 attacks, which were planned by Al Qaeda operatives working in Afghanistan under the Taliban's protection.
At the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Geng Fhung, China's deputy ambassador to the UN, called for the “full” and “swift” return of the frozen assets to help “alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the humanitarian suffering of the Afghan people”.
And Anna Evstigneeva, Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, said the US should give the money back “immediately”.
The US government this month established a $3.5bn foundation to help address the unfolding economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan while keeping the funds out of the Taliban's hands.
Taliban celebrate anniversary of withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan — in pictures
Senior US diplomat Jeffrey DeLaurentis stressed to the council that no country that is “serious about containing terrorism in Afghanistan would advocate giving Taliban ready access to $3.5bn in Afghan central bank assets”.
More than a year since the Taliban's return to power, western nations are growing increasingly alarmed over the group's enforcement of hardline religious laws.
Before the Security Council meeting, Norway circulated a draft press statement condemning the Taliban’s decision to ban girls from attending high school.
But diplomatic sources say that negotiations over the draft statement were strained because China and Russia insisted on a product that included text referring to Afghanistan’s frozen bank assets.
The differences between China and Russia and other members could not be resolved, and the press statement was not issued.
Markus Potzel, the UN's deputy special representative for Afghanistan, told the council that while there have been some positive developments since the Taliban took power last year, “they have been too few and too slow and are outweighed by the negatives”.
“I am afraid that patience is running out by many in the international community regarding a strategy of engagement with Afghanistan's Taliban,” he said, according to AFP.
Afghan women protest against Taliban's decision to shut girls' schools — video
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
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.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
