logo
Taliban hint at releasing British couple

Taliban hint at releasing British couple

Express Tribune24-02-2025

The Taliban has told the BBC it will endeavour to release two British nationals who have been arrested and held in Afghanistan "as soon as possible".
Peter Reynolds, 79, and his wife Barbie, 75, were arrested on 1 February while returning to their home in the country's Bamiyan province.
An American national and an Afghan were also arrested alongside the couple, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Affairs said.
In a statement, Taliban official Abdul Mateen Qani said: "A series of considerations is being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible."
Earlier in London, their daughter urged the British government to do everything possible to secure their release. Speaking to Times Radio on Monday, Entwistle said her parents had initially kept in touch via text messages following their detention - assuring their four children that they were fine - before losing all contact three days later. (With additional input from Reuters)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pak delegation interacts with Chatham House
Pak delegation interacts with Chatham House

Business Recorder

time2 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Pak delegation interacts with Chatham House

LONDON: A high-level Pakistani parliamentary delegation, led by former Foreign minister and Chairman Pakistan People Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, engaged with eminent members of the British think tank, academia, and policymaking community at the prestigious Chatham House, one of the UK's leading think tanks focused on foreign and security policy issues. The closed-door discussion was held under the 'Chatham House Rules,' which is used around the world to encourage inclusive and open dialogue in meetings. Bhutto Zardari and other delegation members conveyed Pakistan's perspective on the recent escalation in South Asia while expressing serious concern about India's unprovoked military aggression that resulted in civilian casualties and posed a significant threat to regional stability. They underscored that India's actions constituted a clear violation of Pakistan's sovereignty, international law, and the United Nations Charter. The Pakistan delegation said that Pakistan's armed forces, with the full support of the people of Pakistan, had given a befitting response to India, demonstrating Pakistan's resolve to defend its sovereignty, and thwarting India's ambitions to set any new so-called 'normal' in the region. Bhutto Zardari strongly denounced India's unilateral and illegal suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. He warned that the weaponisation of water undermines international norms and sets a perilous precedent. He urged the international community to take notice of this alarming development and hold India to account for its actions. The delegation noted that the pending resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains the principal stumbling block to lasting peace and stability in the region. They urged the international community to support meaningful dialogue and ensure respect for international commitments and human rights. The other members of the delegation include Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr Musadik Masood Malik; Chairperson, Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and former Minister for Information and Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman; Chairperson, National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar; former Minister for Commerce, Defence and Foreign Affairs, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan; MQM's Parliamentary Leader in the Senate and former Minister for Maritime Affairs, Senator Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari, Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, former Foreign secretaries, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani and Ambassador Tehmina Janjua. Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK Dr Mohammad Faisal was also present during the round table conference. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg
Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg

Business Recorder

time3 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM/ASHDOD: Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a charity vessel carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which had tried to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip on Monday. The British-flagged yacht, Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel,' Thunberg, 22, said in a video released by the FCC, filmed before the vessel was captured. 'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.' The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the vessel was under Israeli control. Israel has called Thunberg an 'antisemite' and dismissed the aid ship as a stunt. 'The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,' the ministry wrote on X. All passengers were safe and unharmed, it later added: 'They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over.' Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who was also on board, posted on X that the crew had been 'arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.' A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. Israel's foreign ministry later distributed a photo showing Thunberg in a green hat and orange life vest, smiling while a soldier held out a sandwich. CREW ARRESTED The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza. 'The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,' it wrote. The Swedish foreign ministry said it was in contact with Israeli authorities. 'Should the need for consular support arise, the Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,' a Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a written statement to Reuters. French President Emmanuel Macron's office said the president has asked Israeli authorities to release the French nationals on board as soon as possible. The French and Spanish foreign ministries said they had requested consular protection for their citizens aboard. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. Katz said he had instructed that upon the boat's arrival at Ashdod port, the activists will be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which triggered the Gaza war. Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as 'state terrorism' and said it salutes its activists. Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching the militant group. The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the war which began when Hamas-led militants rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, and destroyed most of the homes of its 2.3 million residents. At the start of March this year, Israel also sealed off Gaza by land, letting no supplies in for three months, arguing that Hamas was diverting aid. Over the past two weeks it has let in some food to be distributed by an Israeli-backed group. Scores of hungry Palestinians have been killed trying to reach it. The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade.

Iran to submit counter N-proposal to US
Iran to submit counter N-proposal to US

Express Tribune

time5 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

Iran to submit counter N-proposal to US

Iran said on Monday it will soon present a counter-proposal on a nuclear deal with the United States, after it had described Washington's offer as containing "ambiguities". Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticised the US proposal as "lacking elements" reflective of the previous rounds of negotiations, without providing further details. "We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through (mediator) Oman once it is finalised," Baqaei told a weekly press briefing. "It is a proposal that is reasonable, logical and balanced, and we strongly recommend that the American side value this opportunity." Also on Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told state news agency IRNA that Iran's response "is a framework for agreement". "If we reach an understanding on this framework in principle, further extensive negotiations will begin on its details," he added. Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. The United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday began a Board of Governors meeting in Vienna that will last until Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear activities among other topics. "I call upon Iran urgently to cooperate fully and effectively with the International Atomic Energy Agency," said agency chief Rafael Grossi in his opening speech. "Unless and until Iran assists the agency in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues, the agency will not be in a position to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful," he added. Britain, France and Germany, the three European countries that are party to the 2015 deal, are currently weighing whether to trigger the sanctions "snapback" mechanism in the accord. The mechanism would reinstate UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance -- an option that expires in October. On Friday, Araghchi warned European powers against backing a draft resolution at the IAEA accusing Tehran of non-compliance, calling it a "strategic mistake". On Monday, Baqaei said Iran has "prepared and formulated a series of steps and measures" if the resolution is passed. "Without a doubt, the response to confrontation will not be more cooperation," he added.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store