2 Americans Held in Afghanistan Are Freed in Prisoner Swap
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2 Americans Held in Afghanistan Are Freed in Prisoner Swap

ByNews Polite

#news #newstoday #topnews #newsupdates #trendingnews #topstories #headlines In one of its final acts, the Biden administration secured the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan in a prisoner swap for a Taliban member imprisoned in the United States on narcotics charges. The Taliban government freed Ryan Corbett and William Wallace…

How Antony Blinken, America’s Top Diplomat, Became the Secretary of War
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How Antony Blinken, America’s Top Diplomat, Became the Secretary of War

ByNews Polite

#news #newstoday #topnews #newsupdates #trendingnews #topstories #headlines Making his final trip as America’s top diplomat last week, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrived in Paris, his former hometown, to a hero’s welcome. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, proclaimed Mr. Blinken “an eminent servant of peace” at a ceremony at the…

Opinion | Don’t Underestimate the Enduring Power of ISIS
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Opinion | Don’t Underestimate the Enduring Power of ISIS

ByNews Polite

#news #newstoday #topnews #newsupdates #trendingnews #topstories #headlines For 20 years, I’ve been studying Western recruits to domestic and transnational terrorist organizations. I’ve interviewed jihadis, white-nationalist terrorists and eco-terrorists to understand their motivations and to prevent future violence. In my view, the appeal of some of the most crucial elements that…

Emeralds for Sale: The Taliban Look Below Ground to Revive the Economy
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Emeralds for Sale: The Taliban Look Below Ground to Revive the Economy

ByNews Polite

#news #newstoday #topnews #newsupdates #trendingnews #topstories #headlines In a chilly auditorium in Afghanistan, heaps of freshly mined green emeralds glowed under bright table lamps as bearded gemstone dealers inspected them for purity and quality. An auctioneer asked for bids on the first lot, which weighed 256 carats. With that, the…

Afghanistan: Caught between climate change and global indifference | Climate Crisis

Afghanistan: Caught between climate change and global indifference | Climate Crisis

ByNews Polite

The world is facing a climate crisis, and few nations are feeling its impact more acutely than Afghanistan. It is currently ranked seventh on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index of countries most vulnerable and least prepared to adapt to climate change. Afghanistan’s population is caught in a vicious cycle…

Afghan opium cultivation bouncing back amid Taliban clampdown | News

Afghan opium cultivation bouncing back amid Taliban clampdown | News

ByNews Polite

Poppy planting remains far below pre-ban levels, United Nations reports, despite rise of 19 percent year on year. Afghanistan’s opium poppy cultivation grew in 2024 despite a Taliban-imposed ban, according to a United Nations report. Cultivation increased by an estimated 19 percent this year, the report published on Wednesday by…

Gender, nationality ‘sufficient’ to grant Afghan women asylum: Top EU court | Women’s Rights News

Gender, nationality ‘sufficient’ to grant Afghan women asylum: Top EU court | Women’s Rights News

ByNews Polite

The ruling follows Austria’s refusal to recognise the refugee status of two Afghan women. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that gender and nationality alone are “sufficient” for a country to grant asylum to Afghan women. The ECJ ruled on Friday that discriminatory measures adopted by the Taliban…

Gold Star families rip Biden’s remarks about 13 killed in Afghan withdrawal: ‘No idea what he’s saying’
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Gold Star families rip Biden’s remarks about 13 killed in Afghan withdrawal: ‘No idea what he’s saying’

ByNews Polite

Family members of the 13 US service members killed in the chaotic August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan were underwhelmed Tuesday by President Biden’s brief tribute to their loved ones before the United Nations General Assembly. Biden, 81, defended the fiasco as “a hard decision, but the right decision” during what…