Trump says he will help Afghans stuck in UAE
'I will try to save them, starting right now,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there.
The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the US-backed government during the final stages of the US-led withdrawal. Canada agreed in 2022 to resettle about 1,000 of the Afghans still held in the UAE after a US request. It is unclear how many remain in the Gulf country. Nearly 200,000 Afghans have been brought to the US by former President Joe Biden's administration since the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Kabul.
Refugees include family members of Afghan-American US military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
17 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Asian stocks slip from highs, dollar gains as markets brace for crucial week
TOKYO: Asian shares eased from highs on Friday, with Japanese markets retreating from a record peak, as investors locked in profits ahead of a crucial week that includes U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff deadline and a host of central bank meetings. The dollar gained against the yen after bouncing off a two-week low on Thursday, helped by some firm U.S. economic data, while Japan's currency was weighed down by political uncertainty amid media reports Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will step down. Benchmark Japanese government bond yields hovered just below the highest since 2008. Japan's broad Topix index, which had jumped more than 5% over the previous two sessions to reach an all-time high, pulled back 0.7%. The Nikkei slipped 0.5% from Thursday's one-year high. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.5% and mainland Chinese blue chips declined 0.2%. Australia's equity benchmark declined 0.5%. At the same time, U.S. S&P 500 futures added 0.2%, after the cash index edged up slightly to a new record closing high overnight, buoyed by robust earnings from Google parent Alphabet. The tech-heavy Nasdaq also marked a record high. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe edged down 0.1%, but remained just below an all-time peak from Thursday. The index is on course for a 1.3% weekly advance, buoyed in large part by optimism for U.S. trade deals with the European Union and China, following an agreement with Japan this week. Next week, in the U.S. alone, investors need to contend with Trump's August 1 deadline for trade deals, a Federal Reserve policy meeting, the closely watched monthly payrolls report, and earnings from the likes of Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft. The Bank of Japan has its own policy announcement on Thursday, and Prime Minister Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party holds a meeting the same day. That's after the European Central Bank held rates steady on Thursday, pausing its easing campaign as it waits to assess any impact from U.S. tariffs. The euro ended the session down 0.2% against a buoyant dollar, and was little changed on Friday at $1.1743 . The U.S. currency advanced 0.3% to 147.37 yen , adding to Thursday's 0.4% gain. Trump kept the pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell to cut rates after a rare presidential visit to the central bank on Thursday, although he said he did not intend to fire Powell, as he has frequently suggested he would. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields edged down to 4.39% on Friday, effectively erasing an advance on Thursday. Equivalent Japanese government bond yields eased 0.5 basis point to 1.595%, just off this week's high of 1.6%, a level last seen in October 2008. JGB yields have been rising on concerns the political scale is tilting more towards fiscal stimulus, after big gains for opposition parties backing consumption tax cuts in Sunday's upper house election. Pressure is building on the more fiscally hawkish Ishiba to quit after his coalition lost its majority in the vote, after doing the same in lower house elections last October. Gold was flat at around $3,368 per ounce, keeping it on course for a 0.5% rise this week. Brent crude futures gained 0.3% to $69.35 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures added 0.2% to $66.18 per barrel.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Iran defends enrichment right
Iran on Thursday reaffirmed its right to enrich uranium, saying it was "unshakable", on the eve of key talks with European powers threatening to reimpose nuclear sanctions. Friday's meeting, set to take place in Istanbul, will be the first since Israel's mid-June attack targeting key nuclear and military sites in the Islamic republic sparked a 12-day war. The United States joined its ally Israel in the offensive, striking three Iranian nuclear facilities overnight between June 21 and 22. "Especially after the recent war, it is important for them to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran's position remains unshakable, and that our uranium enrichment will continue," said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. "We will not give up this right of the Iranian people," he said, quoted by Tasnim news agency. The hostilities between Iran and Israel broke out just two days before Tehran and Washington were set to resume negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme. Britain, France and Germany — alongside China, Russia and the United States — are parties to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which placed major restrictions on its atomic activities in return for the gradual lifting of UN sanctions. However, in 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement during Donald Trump's first term as president and reimposed its own sanctions. Britain, France and Germany maintained their support for the 2015 accord and sought to continue trade with Iran, meaning UN and EU sanctions were not reinstated.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Dar-Rubio talks to focus on regional tensions
Listen to article Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to hold talks in Washington on Friday, the Foreign Office confirmed, saying bilateral ties, regional and international issues as well as India-Pakistan relationship would top the agenda. "I can confirm that the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, and the entire range of issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as important regional and global issues including the situation in the Middle East, and Iran will be discussed," Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters on Thursday at the weekly briefing. "Exchange of views will also take place on the Pakistan-India question, for which we remain grateful for the role played by the US in de-escalation of tensions leading to ceasefire," he added. The meeting between Dar and Rubio is part of renewed efforts by the two sides to revive the structured dialogue between Pakistan and the US. The Biden administration completely ignored Pakistan and there had been no or little contacts at the level of foreign ministers. However, contrary to expectations, bilateral ties between Pakistan and the US have seen a positive turnaround since President Donald Trump began his second term. Pakistan's cooperation to arrest one of the masterminds of Abbey Gate Bombing in Kabul in August 2021 led to the rapprochement. President Trump in his maiden address praised Pakistan's counterterrorism efforts. What brought the two countries further close was the India-Pakistan conflict in May following the Pahalgam attack. While Pakistan acknowledged the Trump Administration's positive role in brokering the ceasefire, India kept challenging the US claims. Pakistan in order to make further inroads at the White House nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous leadership and peace efforts in the subcontinent. Regarding reports of the US-Pakistan dialogue including discussion on Jammu & Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the Spokesperson confirmed these issues remain central to Pakistan's diplomatic agenda and are expected to be raised in the DPM/FM's meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Asked about President Trump's recent remarks about credit for defusing a near-nuclear crisis in South Asia, Khan said: "We have repeatedly acknowledged the role of friendly nations, including the US. The facts of that crisis are well known." When asked, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan engages with all countries in good faith, and would continue to invite India to come to the negotiating table and move towards a peaceful settlement of disputes. "But the key question is for India to decide what kind of policy it wants to adopt. As far as Pakistan is concerned, our position is very clear. We have, multiple times, acknowledged and thanked the US intervention and the role it played in the de-escalation of the recent crisis," Shafqat said. "But again, it is for India to decide the route it wants to take, the policy it wants to adopt. Diplomatic engagement is not a favor extended by one country to another; it is in the common interest of both countries and of regional stability and global peace," he added. Meanwhile, the spokesperson described Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's recent visit to Afghanistan as "very successful," saying it reflected the steady positive momentum in bilateral relations. Shafqat said the visit should be seen in the broader context of improving ties, citing the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister's visit to Kabul on April 19, 2025, as a "watershed moment." "There is a steady positive momentum in interactions, and the quality of relations has significantly improved. Both sides are working to further solidify the diplomatic gains, maintaining and accelerating this positive momentum," Khan said. The spokesperson emphasized that the interior ministry's agenda primarily focused on security and counterterrorism — issues that remain a key part of discussions between the two neighbors. "We have repeatedly reiterated what kind of relations we want with Afghanistan. However, one of the stumbling blocks is the sanctuaries enjoyed by terrorists there," the spokesperson noted. He added that Pakistan had conveyed its concerns to Kabul, and the Afghan side was showing "receptivity" to these issues. "The technical discussions are ongoing. I cannot go into specifics, but in political terms, the visit was very successful," Khan said. Highlighting the broader context of ties, the Foreign Office maintained that cooperation in the security sector must be viewed as part of the overall positivity and improvement in relations between the two "brotherly neighboring countries".
