Month: August 2021

U.S. allies say they have no choice but to follow the American timetable and withdraw their troops from Afghanistan by August 31, despite fears that not everyone will get out in time.Several NATO allies are evacuating their citizens from Kabul airport, including eligible Afghans who worked alongside them and who are now desperate to flee. Britain, which holds the rotating presidency of the G-7 group of advanced economies, called an emergency virtual summit of the group Tuesday to discuss the crisis. Many G-7 leaders implored U.S. President Joe Biden to extend the August 31 deadline for the withdrawal of American troops. Sorry, …

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The British government is considering plans to release beavers back into the wild across England some four centuries after the dam-building mammals became extinct in Britain. The proposals, described as a cautious step toward establishing a native beaver population, would see the animals allowed to be introduced if strict criteria were met along with an assessment of their impact on the surrounding land and other species. It comes after a successful five-year trial on the River Otter in Devon, a rural county in southwest England, concluded a family of beavers had a beneficial effect on the local ecology in what was the …

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Poland’s prime minister said Tuesday that Belarus was purposely encouraging migrants from the Middle East to enter Poland to destabilize the European Union.”Our eastern neighbor is trying systematically, and in an organized way, to destabilize the political situation,” Mateusz Morawiecki said during a visit to the eastern town of Kuznica.About 3,000 migrants, some of them from Iraq and Afghanistan, have attempted to enter Poland from Belarus this month, The Associated Press reported. Poland is denying them entry and on Monday said it would build a fence to keep them out.The Polish government said Tuesday that it had provided tents, blankets and power …

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U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in Syria say they are increasingly concerned about a wave of Turkish drone attacks against their commanders in northeast Syria.Turkey reportedly carried out dozens of airstrikes last week, including several with unmanned aerial vehicles, against positions belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led military alliance that has been a major U.S. partner in the fight against the Islamic State group, also known as IS or ISIS.Turkey views the SDF and its main element, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), as an extension of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a militant group given a terrorist designation …

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The European Union and Britain are looking to Turkey to become a hub to process Afghan refugees seeking sanctuary in Europe. Turkey is rejecting the call.The Turkish government is dismissing calls from Europe for it to become a hub to process Afghan refugees. Government spokesman Omer Celik said Monday that with Turkey already hosting nearly five million refugees, mainly from the Syrian civil war, it can take no more.Celik says Turkey does not have a capacity to take in one more refugee. He said Turkey is not a refugee camp nor is it a transit point.Celik’s comments were in response …

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Charlie Watts, the self-effacing and unshakeable Rolling Stones drummer who helped anchor one of rock’s greatest rhythm sections and used his “day job” to support his enduring love of jazz, has died, according to his publicist. He was 80.Bernard Doherty said Tuesday that Watts “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.”“Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation,” Doherty said.Watts had announced he would not tour with the Stones in 2021 because of an undefined health issue.The …

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Turkish women gathered outside the Afghan consulate in Istanbul to show their solidarity with Afghan women and to condemn the Taliban’s treatment of women. VOA’s Umut Colak has filed this report narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.Camera: Umut Colak Produced by: Umut Colak  …

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Six years ago, more than 1.2 million migrants from many parts of the world fled to Europe, traveling hundreds or thousands of kilometers to seek a new life in a crisis that has left deep political scars.  Is the continent about to experience another refugee crisis, as millions of Afghans try to escape the Taliban? Several European leaders have voiced such fears in recent days. In a televised address on August 16, French President Emmanuel Macron said “dealing with those fleeing the Taliban would need an organized and fair international effort.”  “Europe alone cannot assume the consequences of the current situation,” …

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In the aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Russia is looking south with a wary eye to see how it can benefit from a situation fraught with opportunity and risk.Although it officially labels the Taliban a terrorist organization, Russia has engaged with their leaders for years, even inviting them to Moscow.As Western nations view the United States and NATO’s exit with concern, worried that women and girls, in particular, will suffer repression under the Islamist group, Moscow has struck a softer tone.“There is no point in panicking,” Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told an emergency meeting of the U.N. …

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