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World Bank halts aid to Afghanistan, ‘deeply concerned’ on prospects for women

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The World Bank has become the latest international organization to pause aid disbursements to Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover.

The Islamic militant group has controlled the Afghan capital of Kabul for more than a week now. It marked the collapse of the country’s government as U.S. and allied troops withdraw from the war-torn country after 20 years.

“We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country’s development prospects, especially for women,” a spokesperson for the World Bank told CNBC via email.

“We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation in line with our internal policies and procedures. As we do so, we will continue to consult closely with the international community and development partners,” the same spokesperson said.

The World Bank had committed more than $5.3 billion for development projects in Afghanistan.

The International Monetary Fund decided last week to also block the Taliban from accessing financial resources. The Washington-based institution wants some clarity regarding the future government in Kabul before making its funding available again.

There’s a similar stance from Germany and the wider European Union, who have also frozen development funds to the Middle Eastern nation in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

“The future development assistance has to be condition-based. It always is condition-based, linked to fundamental values, human rights, and of course women’s rights. And it is self-speaking that the development assistance of the future has also to be strictly condition-based,” Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, said Tuesday at a press conference.

She added that the EU has 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) set aside for the next seven years for Afghanistan. “It is frozen until we have solid guarantees and credible actions on the ground that the conditions are being met,” she said.

However, the EU announced on Tuesday it was stepping up its aid for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan from 50 million euros this year to 200 million euros. The idea is to prevent a severe humanitarian shock from the unfolding situation on the ground.

“This will help meet the urgent needs of Afghans both in Afghanistan but also of course in the neighboring host countries,” von der Leyen also said.

The EU is keen to support nations bordering Afghanistan, such as Pakistan and Iran, to prevent an acute refugee crisis.

European leaders are willing to rehome some refugees from Afghanistan, but it wants to stop a massive influx similar to what the region witnessed in 2015 and 2016 in the wake of the conflict in Syria.

Following an emergency G-7 leaders video call on Tuesday, the U.K. and Canada committed to take in about 20,000 refugees each.

World Bank halts aid to Afghanistan, ‘deeply concerned’ on prospects for women

The World Bank has become the latest international organization to pause aid disbursements to Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover.

The Islamic militant group has controlled the Afghan capital of Kabul for more than a week now. It marked the collapse of the country’s government as U.S. and allied troops withdraw from the war-torn country after 20 years.

“We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country’s development prospects, especially for women,” a spokesperson for the World Bank told CNBC via email.

“We have paused disbursements in our operations in Afghanistan and we are closely monitoring and assessing the situation in line with our internal policies and procedures. As we do so, we will continue to consult closely with the international community and development partners,” the same spokesperson said.

The World Bank had committed more than $5.3 billion for development projects in Afghanistan.

The International Monetary Fund decided last week to also block the Taliban from accessing financial resources. The Washington-based institution wants some clarity regarding the future government in Kabul before making its funding available again.

There’s a similar stance from Germany and the wider European Union, who have also frozen development funds to the Middle Eastern nation in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

“The future development assistance has to be condition-based. It always is condition-based, linked to fundamental values, human rights, and of course women’s rights. And it is self-speaking that the development assistance of the future has also to be strictly condition-based,” Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, said Tuesday at a press conference.

She added that the EU has 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) set aside for the next seven years for Afghanistan. “It is frozen until we have solid guarantees and credible actions on the ground that the conditions are being met,” she said.

However, the EU announced on Tuesday it was stepping up its aid for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan from 50 million euros this year to 200 million euros. The idea is to prevent a severe humanitarian shock from the unfolding situation on the ground.

“This will help meet the urgent needs of Afghans both in Afghanistan but also of course in the neighboring host countries,” von der Leyen also said.

The EU is keen to support nations bordering Afghanistan, such as Pakistan and Iran, to prevent an acute refugee crisis.

European leaders are willing to rehome some refugees from Afghanistan, but it wants to stop a massive influx similar to what the region witnessed in 2015 and 2016 in the wake of the conflict in Syria.

Following an emergency G-7 leaders video call on Tuesday, the U.K. and Canada committed to take in about 20,000 refugees each.

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Events

Ethiopian Embassy reportedly bans visa on arrival for Nigerians

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The Ethiopian embassy has reportedly suspended visas on arrival for Nigerians with immediate effect.

Ethiopian Airlines, in a memo sent to travel partners on Tuesday, October 4, said passengers are to obtain their Visa at the Ethiopian embassy in Abuja before embarking on any trip to the country, DailyTrust reports.

According to the report, the airlines said, “Please be informed that effective immediate No More Visa on Arrival for Nigerian citizens.

Passengers are to obtain their visa at the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja before traveling.

Please note that: Passengers transiting overnight in Addis Ababa are not affected by the ban. E.g. passengers having layover in Addis to travel the next morning to Zanzibar, Seycheles, Lusaka, Lilongwe, Harare, Cape Town, etc are not affected by the ban and do not need transit visa for their trips.”

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China Detects First Human Case Of H3N8 Bird Flu

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April 27, (THEWILL) – China has confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu, but health authorities say there is a low risk of widespread transmission among people.

H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002, after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs, and seals, but has not previously been detected in humans.

April 27, (THEWILL) – China’s National Health Commission, said a four-year-old boy, living in central Henan province, tested positive for the strain after being hospitalised earlier this month with a fever and other symptoms.

The boy’s family raised chickens at home and lived in an area populated by wild ducks, the NHC said in a statement.

The boy was infected directly by birds and the strain was not found to have “the ability to effectively infect humans”, the commission said.

It added that tests of the boy’s close human contacts found “no abnormalities.”

The NHC said the boy’s case was a “one-off cross-species transmission, and the risk of large-scale transmission is low.”

It warned the public to nevertheless stay away from dead or sick birds and seek immediate treatment for fever or respiratory symptoms.

Avian influenza occurs mainly in wild birds and poultry. Cases of transmission between humans are extremely rare.

The H5N1 and H7N9 strains of bird flu, detected in 1997 and 2013, respectively, have been responsible for most cases of human illness from avian influenza, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

Human infections of zoonotic, or animal-borne, influenzas are “primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, but do not result in efficient transmission of these viruses between people”, according to the World Health Organisation.

In 2012, H3N8 was blamed for the deaths of more than 160 seals off the northeastern coast of the United States after it caused deadly pneumonia in the animals.

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$148,000 fraud: Nigeria extradites suspected Yahoo Boy to U.S.

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The Federal Government has extradited a wire fraud (locally known as Yahoo Yahoo) suspect, Adedunmola Gbadegesin to the United States where he is wanted in a case of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Gbadegesin, who was arrested in Nigeria on September 2, 2021, is alleged to have defrauded an American lady living in Kentucky, of over $148,000

The US intends to prosecute Gbadegesin for offences allegedly contravening Title 18, US Code, Section 1349 and 1956 (h).

If convicted abroad, Gbadegesin could face a maximum jail term of 20 years.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed this in a statement by its spokesman Wilson Uwujaren.

Uwujaren said Gbadegesin’s extradition was coordinated by the EFCC, following a request from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

This in turn followed a February 11, 2022 Order by Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/765/21.

The suit granted a request to extradite the suspect to the United States to answer to criminal charges bordering on romance scam, wire fraud and money laundering.

Upon arriving in the United States, the suspect is billed to appear before a United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, where two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering have been filed against him.

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