International
Russia accuses US of forcing Afghans on Central Asia
AFP
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that US forces are “pawning off” Afghans fleeing the Taliban to neighbouring Moscow-allied Central Asia.
During a visit to Hungary, Lavrov said the United States is trying to convince “several Central Asian countries” to take in Afghans who previously worked with US forces in the now Taliban-controlled country.
He alleged that Washington tells the countries the Afghans will only be there temporarily.
“They say it’s for a few months because they need time to make them visas,” Lavrov said at a press conference with his Hungarian counterpart in Budapest.
“Afghans who worked with US forces were probably security checked inside out. Why do you need two more months to give these people a visa?” he asked, accusing the United States of a lack of respect for Central Asian nations.
Around 1,500 Afghans have crossed into neighbouring Uzbekistan after the Taliban takeover and are living in tents near the border, according to the Afghan embassy in Tashkent.
Lavrov’s comments come after Russian leader Vladimir Putin complained last week about Western countries trying to place Afghan refugees in Central Asian countries “before obtaining visas to the United States or other countries.”
Putin has warned against an influx of refugees from Afghanistan, saying militants could enter Russia under the guise of seeking asylum.
Several former Soviet republics in Central Asia share a border both with Afghanistan and Russia, allowing potential militants to reach the country, he told officials on Sunday.
Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new leadership in Kabul.
The Kremlin said Tuesday it was “attentively watching” the “disagreements” on whether to extend an August 31 deadline for the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
International
Random attack in NYC Subway: Man pushed onto tracks and struck by train
A man is in critical condition after being pushed onto the tracks and run over by a moving train at a subway station in New York City on Tuesday, according to the city’s police, who are treating the incident as a random attack.
The attack occurred around 1:30 p.m. local time at the 18th Street station on the 1 line, allegedly as the train was entering the Manhattan station. At that moment, a man wearing a hood and face mask, who had been captured on station cameras moments earlier, pushed another man who was standing on the platform and apparently did not know him.
International
Trinidad and Tobago Declares State of Emergency Amid Surge in Criminal Activity
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago announced on Monday that the country has been declared in a state of emergency due to the increase in criminal activity.
The declaration was made by President Christine Kangaloo on the advice of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, in response to the escalation of criminal activity that poses a serious threat to public safety, in accordance with the country’s Constitution.
The country has recently witnessed a rise in gang-related violence. In one incident, five people were killed in an attack in Laventille, a suburb of the capital city, Port of Spain, local media reported.
International
Azerbaijan claims Russian air defense hit plane before crash, investigation promised
Azerbaijan stated on Monday that Russia promised to identify and punish those responsible for the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which Baku claims was hit by Russian air defense systems before crashing in Kazakhstan on December 25.
Azerbaijan’s Attorney General, Kamran Aliev, said in a statement that the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrikin, informed him that “intensive measures were taken to identify the culprits and hold them criminally accountable.”
Russia also promised to “conduct a thorough, exhaustive, and objective investigation” into the incident, in addition to the investigations being carried out in Kazakhstan, where the plane crashed, the Azerbaijani prosecution added.
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