Latest news with #Khalili
The Hill
23-06-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Exposure to wildfire smoke may negatively impact birth outcomes: Study
Exposure to wildfire smoke and heat stress both before and during pregnancy may be associated with adverse outcomes at birth, a new study has found. Such links were particularly pronounced when exposure occurred during the month before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy, researchers reported in the study, published in Environmental Science & Technology. 'We already know that poor air quality is associated with adverse health outcomes and that pregnant women and fetuses are especially vulnerable,' lead author Roxana Khalili, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern California, said in a statement. But Khalili and her colleagues were interested in understanding more, as the knowledge surrounding the specific of impacts of wildfire smoke during and prior to pregnancy is still limited, she explained. Among the adverse birth outcomes that the researchers observed were small-for-gestational-age babies: infants whose birth weights are below the 10th percentile of their expected weight based on gestational age. Lower birth weights place babies at a greater risk of health problems, from immediate issues like low oxygen levels to long-term difficulties that range from metabolic to cognitive to neurodevelopment impairments, per the study. Meanwhile, the researchers also found that residence in a climate-vulnerable neighborhood could increase the odds of a small-for-gestational-age birth, especially among women exposed to heat stress prior to conception. 'Where you live makes a difference in your health,' Khalili said. 'So does the timing of your exposure during or immediately before pregnancy.' To draw these conclusions, Khalili and her colleagues examined 713 births between 2016 and 2020, acquired from an ongoing database of pregnant women in Los Angeles, called the Maternal and Development Risks from Environment and Social Stressors (MADRES) cohort. They then used data from CalFIRE to identify the location, size and duration of each wildfire in Southern California during that same period. In addition, the researchers accessed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's hazard mapping system to assess smoke density associated with each fire. By applying sophisticated models to those calculations, they were able to estimate particle pollution exposure endured by MADRES participants. To measure heat stress — important due to pregnancy's impacts on body temperature regulation — Khalili and her colleagues relied on meteorological data that documented daily temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. The researchers also identified Los Angeles neighborhoods that were most vulnerable to climate risks via both state and federal indexes — enabling them to better assess the cumulative factors of heat, smoke and socioeconomic conditions. Going forward, Khalili expressed hope that the findings would help residents and policymakers cope with longer-lasting fire seasons. 'Understanding what's happening to women during wildfires and excessively hot days could help us identify protective measures, develop guidance, and plan interventions,' said Khalili. But she and her colleagues also stressed that future action would need to extend beyond simply measures that individuals can take, such as staying indoors and running air conditions. They therefore emphasized a need for a holistic approach that could increase the adoption capacity of relevant communities and thus strengthen their resilience in a changing climate. 'As the recent Los Angeles fires have demonstrated, infrastructure, socioeconomic, and health vulnerabilities can combine with excessive climate and environmental factors to magnify health risks,' senior author Rima Habre, director of USC's CLIMA Center, said in a statement. 'It is only by looking at the cumulative impacts of burdens communities are facing, now and into the future, that we can start to truly quantify health risks of climate hazards and target interventions to strengthen community resilience,' Habre added.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect starts brush fire in California state park while fleeing sheriff's deputies
A man with a sword fleeing Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies started a brush fire during his attempt to get away, authorities said. The wild sequence of events started when deputies received a report of a "suspect exhibiting odd behavior" on Wednesday at El Capitan Canyon Resort. While they were headed to the scene, the suspect tried to drive away on a dirt road, but his vehicle got stuck. The suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Simon Khalili from Woodland Hills, then disappeared into a nearby canyon, the Sheriff's Department announced in a news release. A few minutes later, flames erupted from the area, the department said. Around the time the fire broke out, deputies looking for the suspect learned he was allegedly armed with a sword — which would pose a danger to firefighters who needed to attack the fire before it raced out of control. With deputies as their protection, firefighters moved into the area to battle the flames while a helicopter dropped water on it from overhead, authorities said. A K9 unit was called in to help with the search and a helicopter oversaw the scene. Khalili surrendered himself to deputies around 7:30 p.m., about two hours after the chase began, and they turned him over to authorities with California State Parks. The fire was stopped at roughly 1 acre about 10 minutes after Khalili was captured. Khalili was booked into a county jail on suspicion of felony arson and misdemeanor trespassing, brandishing a weapon, and negligent fire setting, according to the Sheriff's Office. He's being held in lieu of a $75,000 bail. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CNN
06-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Pakistan issues deadline for Afghan refugees after Trump blocks US resettlement pathway
Shakoofa Khalili was waiting for her husband to return home with bread from the market when she heard their eight-year-old daughter scream from the balcony. The girl had seen police approach her father in the street outside their safe house in Pakistan's capital Islamabad and ran to confront them. '(She) cried and grabbed the policeman's hand begging him to let her father go,' Khalili told CNN, as she recounted what she thought was her worst fears coming true. The family fled Afghanistan in 2022 to escape the Taliban – militant fighters who filled a leadership vacuum left by the withdrawal of the US and its allies after a 20-year war. Now the family fears they'll be deported to Afghanistan, following US President Donald Trump's order to suspend the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), effectively locking out refugees worldwide who had been on a pathway to US resettlement. Soon after the executive order was signed, Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office drafted a three-stage repatriation plan for 'Afghan nationals bound for 3rd country resettlement.' The document, seen by CNN, calls for foreign missions to coordinate the relocation of Afghan nationals out of the capital Islamabad and its twin garrison city of Rawalpindi by March 31, 2025. If they're not removed by that date, they will be 'repatriated to Afghanistan.' The plan will impact Afghan nationals who fled to Pakistan fearing possible reprisals from the Taliban for their affiliations with the United States and NATO forces. Khalili is one of them. While living in Afghanistan, Khalili worked on a child abuse protection program funded by the US Embassy. She hoped to gain a US visa but ended up trapped in Pakistan, with few options to leave. 'For us, who worked alongside the United States, returning to Afghanistan is not just a risk – it is a death sentence,' Khalili told CNN. This time, her daughter's pleas to police worked, but although the father and child made it back to the safehouse they call home, Khalili's daughter has not spoken a word since. 'For two days, because of this terrible incident … my daughter fell into a deep silence. She didn't eat for two days. She talks and screams in her sleep at night,' said Khalili. Many Afghans who worked for the US but were unable to escape Afghanistan now live in hiding, in fear of their lives. Those in Pakistan are terrified of being killed on their return. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and IOM, the International Organization for Migration, said in a statement Wednesday those forced to return face retribution from the Taliban – especially ethnic and religious minorities, women and girls, journalists, human rights activists, and members of artistic professions. Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, a leading coalition of resettlement and veteran groups, says 10,000 to 15,000 Afghans are in Pakistan waiting for visas or resettlement in the US. In a post on X, VanDiver said the pause in the USRAP disproportionately affects Afghan women in Pakistan, leaving them without work, legal protections and without hope. 'Since the fall of Kabul, Afghan women have been systematically erased from public life —banned from education, work, and even basic freedoms for many, USRAP was the only viable path to safety. With the pause, that door has slammed shut,' he said. According to the document seen by CNN, Pakistan's intelligence agencies are expected to coordinate with the Prime Minister's Office to monitor and implement the relocation plan. Pakistan's Interior Ministry released a statement to CNN confirming that 'all illegal foreigners including Afghans are to be deported back to their countries of origin under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP).' It urged countries sponsoring Afghan nationals for resettlement to complete the process quickly, or 'the sponsored Afghans will be deported.' The document also threatens to deport Afghans holding an Afghan Citizen Card, another form of registration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan issued almost a decade ago. The US embassy and Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to CNN's question about the coordination between authorities to date. Pakistan is home to one of the world's largest refugee populations – most of them from Afghanistan. But the country has not always welcomed Afghan refugees, subjecting them to hostile living conditions and threatening deportation over the years. According to the UNHCR, more than 3 million Afghan refugees, including registered refugees and more than 800,000 undocumented people are living in Pakistan. Many fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. A new generation went to Pakistan in the aftermath of September 11 attacks, ebbing and flowing during the near two decades of conflict that followed. The Taliban's return to power in 2021 following the United States' chaotic withdrawal sparked another wave of some 600,000 refugees. Pakistan began a fresh crackdown on Afghan refugees in November 2023 to pressure the Taliban to do more to curb militant attacks launched from Afghanistan. According to the UNHCR, 800,000 Afghan nationals have since left Pakistan. The crackdown on those who are neither registered with the UNHCR nor awaiting resettlement to a third country is continuing in phases, with thousands of Afghans sheltering in safehouses and slums hoping to resist repatriation to their home country. Khalili continues to hide with her husband and child in Islamabad, and her despair continues to mount. She told CNN of the risks she and others have taken 'to support the United States' mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders and allies.' According to Khalili 'the Taliban views us as enemies, and we face the grim reality of arrest, torture, or death if we are forced back.' 'This suspension (of the visa program) denies us the shelter and protection we were promised, leaving us vulnerable to unimaginable consequences and at the mercy of the Taliban.'
CNN
06-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Pakistan issues deadline for Afghan refugees after Trump blocks US resettlement pathway
Shakoofa Khalili was waiting for her husband to return home with bread from the market when she heard their eight-year-old daughter scream from the balcony. The girl had seen police approach her father in the street outside their safe house in Pakistan's capital Islamabad and ran to confront them. '(She) cried and grabbed the policeman's hand begging him to let her father go,' Khalili told CNN, as she recounted what she thought was her worst fears coming true. The family fled Afghanistan in 2022 to escape the Taliban – militant fighters who filled a leadership vacuum left by the withdrawal of the US and its allies after a 20-year war. Now the family fears they'll be deported to Afghanistan, following US President Donald Trump's order to suspend the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), effectively locking out refugees worldwide who had been on a pathway to US resettlement. Soon after the executive order was signed, Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office drafted a three-stage repatriation plan for 'Afghan nationals bound for 3rd country resettlement.' The document, seen by CNN, calls for foreign missions to coordinate the relocation of Afghan nationals out of the capital Islamabad and its twin garrison city of Rawalpindi by March 31, 2025. If they're not removed by that date, they will be 'repatriated to Afghanistan.' The plan will impact Afghan nationals who fled to Pakistan fearing possible reprisals from the Taliban for their affiliations with the United States and NATO forces. Khalili is one of them. While living in Afghanistan, Khalili worked on a child abuse protection program funded by the US Embassy. She hoped to gain a US visa but ended up trapped in Pakistan, with few options to leave. 'For us, who worked alongside the United States, returning to Afghanistan is not just a risk – it is a death sentence,' Khalili told CNN. This time, her daughter's pleas to police worked, but although the father and child made it back to the safehouse they call home, Khalili's daughter has not spoken a word since. 'For two days, because of this terrible incident … my daughter fell into a deep silence. She didn't eat for two days. She talks and screams in her sleep at night,' said Khalili. Many Afghans who worked for the US but were unable to escape Afghanistan now live in hiding, in fear of their lives. Those in Pakistan are terrified of being killed on their return. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and IOM, the International Organization for Migration, said in a statement Wednesday those forced to return face retribution from the Taliban – especially ethnic and religious minorities, women and girls, journalists, human rights activists, and members of artistic professions. Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, a leading coalition of resettlement and veteran groups, says 10,000 to 15,000 Afghans are in Pakistan waiting for visas or resettlement in the US. In a post on X, VanDiver said the pause in the USRAP disproportionately affects Afghan women in Pakistan, leaving them without work, legal protections and without hope. 'Since the fall of Kabul, Afghan women have been systematically erased from public life —banned from education, work, and even basic freedoms for many, USRAP was the only viable path to safety. With the pause, that door has slammed shut,' he said. According to the document seen by CNN, Pakistan's intelligence agencies are expected to coordinate with the Prime Minister's Office to monitor and implement the relocation plan. Pakistan's Interior Ministry released a statement to CNN confirming that 'all illegal foreigners including Afghans are to be deported back to their countries of origin under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP).' It urged countries sponsoring Afghan nationals for resettlement to complete the process quickly, or 'the sponsored Afghans will be deported.' The document also threatens to deport Afghans holding an Afghan Citizen Card, another form of registration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan issued almost a decade ago. The US embassy and Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to CNN's question about the coordination between authorities to date. Pakistan is home to one of the world's largest refugee populations – most of them from Afghanistan. But the country has not always welcomed Afghan refugees, subjecting them to hostile living conditions and threatening deportation over the years. According to the UNHCR, more than 3 million Afghan refugees, including registered refugees and more than 800,000 undocumented people are living in Pakistan. Many fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. A new generation went to Pakistan in the aftermath of September 11 attacks, ebbing and flowing during the near two decades of conflict that followed. The Taliban's return to power in 2021 following the United States' chaotic withdrawal sparked another wave of some 600,000 refugees. Pakistan began a fresh crackdown on Afghan refugees in November 2023 to pressure the Taliban to do more to curb militant attacks launched from Afghanistan. According to the UNHCR, 800,000 Afghan nationals have since left Pakistan. The crackdown on those who are neither registered with the UNHCR nor awaiting resettlement to a third country is continuing in phases, with thousands of Afghans sheltering in safehouses and slums hoping to resist repatriation to their home country. Khalili continues to hide with her husband and child in Islamabad, and her despair continues to mount. She told CNN of the risks she and others have taken 'to support the United States' mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders and allies.' According to Khalili 'the Taliban views us as enemies, and we face the grim reality of arrest, torture, or death if we are forced back.' 'This suspension (of the visa program) denies us the shelter and protection we were promised, leaving us vulnerable to unimaginable consequences and at the mercy of the Taliban.'
Saudi Gazette
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Pakistan issues deadline for Afghan refugees as Trump blocks US resettlement pathway
ISLAMABAD — Shakoofa Khalili was waiting for her husband to return home with bread from the market when she heard their eight-year-old daughter scream from the girl had seen police approach her father in the street outside their safe house in Pakistan's capital Islamabad and ran to confront them.'(She) cried and grabbed the policeman's hand begging him to let her father go,' Khalili told CNN, as she recounted what she thought was her worst fears coming family fled Afghanistan in 2022 to escape the Taliban – militant fighters who filled a leadership vacuum left by the withdrawal of the US and its allies after a 20-year the family fears they'll be deported to Afghanistan, following US President Donald Trump's order to suspend the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), effectively locking out refugees worldwide who had been on a pathway to US after the executive order was signed, Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office drafted a three-stage repatriation plan for 'Afghan nationals bound for 3rd country resettlement.'The document, seen by CNN, calls for foreign missions to coordinate the relocation of Afghan nationals out of the capital Islamabad and its twin garrison city of Rawalpindi by March 31, they're not removed by that date, they will be 'repatriated to Afghanistan.'The plan will impact Afghan nationals who fled to Pakistan fearing possible reprisals from the Taliban for their affiliations with the United States and NATO is one of living in Afghanistan, Khalili worked on a child abuse protection program funded by the US Embassy. She hoped to gain a US visa but ended up trapped in Pakistan, with few options to leave.'For us, who worked alongside the United States, returning to Afghanistan is not just a risk – it is a death sentence,' Khalili told time, her daughter's pleas to police worked, but although the father and child made it back to the safehouse they call home, Khalili's daughter has not spoken a word since.'For two days, because of this terrible incident ... my daughter fell into a deep silence. She didn't eat for two days. She talks and screams in her sleep at night,' said Afghans who worked for the US but were unable to escape Afghanistan now live in hiding, in fear of their lives. Those in Pakistan are terrified of being killed on their the UN Refugee Agency and IOM, the International Organization for Migration, said in a statement Wednesday those forced to return face retribution from the Taliban – especially ethnic and religious minorities, women and girls, journalists, human rights activists, and members of artistic VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, a leading coalition of resettlement and veteran groups, says 10,000 to 15,000 Afghans are in Pakistan waiting for visas or resettlement in the a post on X, VanDiver said the pause in the USRAP disproportionately affects Afghan women in Pakistan, leaving them without work, legal protections and without hope.'Since the fall of Kabul, Afghan women have been systematically erased from public life —banned from education, work, and even basic freedoms for many, USRAP was the only viable path to safety. With the pause, that door has slammed shut,' he to the document seen by CNN, Pakistan's intelligence agencies are expected to coordinate with the Prime Minister's Office to monitor and implement the relocation Interior Ministry released a statement to CNN confirming that 'all illegal foreigners including Afghans are to be deported back to their countries of origin under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP).'It urged countries sponsoring Afghan nationals for resettlement to complete the process quickly, or 'the sponsored Afghans will be deported.'The document also threatens to deport Afghans holding an Afghan Citizen Card, another form of registration for Afghan refugees in Pakistan issued almost a decade US embassy and Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to CNN's question about the coordination between authorities to is home to one of the world's largest refugee populations – most of them from Afghanistan. But the country has not always welcomed Afghan refugees, subjecting them to hostile living conditions and threatening deportation over the to the UNHCR, more than 3 million Afghan refugees, including registered refugees and more than 800,000 undocumented people are living in fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. A new generation went to Pakistan in the aftermath of September 11 attacks, ebbing and flowing during the near two decades of conflict that Taliban's return to power in 2021 following the United States' chaotic withdrawal sparked another wave of some 600,000 began a fresh crackdown on Afghan refugees in November 2023 to pressure the Taliban to do more to curb militant attacks launched from to the UNHCR, 800,000 Afghan nationals have since left crackdown on those who are neither registered with the UNHCR nor awaiting resettlement to a third country is continuing in phases, with thousands of Afghans sheltering in safehouses and slums hoping to resist repatriation to their home continues to hide with her husband and child in Islamabad, and her despair continues to mount. She told CNN of the risks she and others have taken 'to support the United States' mission as interpreters, contractors, human rights defenders and allies.'According to Khalili 'the Taliban views us as enemies, and we face the grim reality of arrest, torture, or death if we are forced back.''This suspension (of the visa program) denies us the shelter and protection we were promised, leaving us vulnerable to unimaginable consequences and at the mercy of the Taliban.' — CNN a
