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What Are the Most Interesting Themes in Fictional Writing About Thailand?
What Are the Most Interesting Themes in Fictional Writing About Thailand?
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3 Million Afghans in Pakistan Being Forced to Leave
Forced to Leave: The Uncertain Future of 3 Million Afghans in Pakistan Pakistan is moving forward with plans to expel 3 million Afghan refugees from the country, marking the latest phase of a controversial crackdown on undocumented foreigners. The deadline for voluntary departures from the capital, Islamabad, and neighboring Rawalpindi expired on Monday, leaving many Afghans in limbo. The mass deportations are part of a broader campaign that began in October 2023, targeting those living in Pakistan illegally. Human rights groups, the United Nations, and the Taliban government have criticized the initiative, warning of the consequences for vulnerable Afghan refugees. Many of them had fled Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, fearing persecution due to their work with the U.S. government, international aid agencies, and media organizations. Arrests and forced removals were scheduled to start on Tuesday but have been delayed until April 10 due to Eid al-Fitr celebrations, according to government documents obtained by the Associated Press. Over the past 18 months, around 845,000 Afghans have left Pakistan, but officials estimate that approximately 3 million still remain. Among them, 1.3 million hold Proof of Registration cards, granting them temporary legal status until June 30, while another 800,000 have Afghan Citizen Cards. However, an additional 1 million Afghans are living in the country without any documentation. Authorities have vowed to ensure that once deported, Afghans will not be allowed to return. Those with Afghan Citizen Cards were ordered to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi by March 31 or face forced removal. Even Afghans awaiting resettlement in third countries, including the United States, were given the same deadline. The government has promised to coordinate with foreign embassies to facilitate the resettlement process, but if that fails, they too will be deported. For many Afghans, this crackdown has created painful dilemmas. Omaid Khan, a 30-year-old Afghan Citizen Cardholder, must leave Pakistan under the new rules, while his wife, who holds a Proof of Registration card, can stay until June 30. Their two children, however, have no legal documentation from either country. “I am from Paktia province, but I have never been there and I am not sure about my future,” Khan said. Nazir Ahmed, a 21-year-old born in Quetta, faces a similar predicament. His only connection to Afghanistan is through his late father, yet he is being forced to leave behind the only home he has ever known. “How can we go there?” he asked. “Few people know us. All our relatives live in Quetta. What will we do if we go there? We appeal to the Pakistani government to give us some time so we can go and find out, at least get some employment.” The uncertainty surrounding children born in Pakistan to Afghan parents, as well as families where one parent is Pakistani and the other Afghan, has raised further concerns. Officials have indicated that social welfare staff will be available to assist with such cases, though the specifics remain unclear. The Taliban government has protested Pakistan’s actions, calling the deportation policy arbitrary and urging a more coordinated approach. “We have shared our problems with them, stating that unilaterally expelling refugees is neither in their interest nor ours,” said Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Refugee Ministry. “It is not in their interest because expelling them in this way raises hatred against Pakistan. For us, it is natural that managing so many Afghans coming back is a challenge. We have requested they should be deported through a mechanism and mutual understanding so they can return with dignity.” To manage the mass deportations, Pakistan has set up two transit stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province—one in the Nasir Bagh area of Peshawar and another in Landi Kotal, near the Torkham border crossing. However, with thousands of families facing uncertainty about their legal status and future, the situation remains volatile. The crisis has been further complicated by changes in U.S. refugee policy. Many Afghans approved for resettlement in the U.S. through special programs are now stuck after President Donald Trump paused refugee admissions in January. This has left around 20,000 Afghans in a state of limbo, with no clear path forward. As Pakistan moves ahead with its deportation plans, the fate of millions of Afghans remains uncertain. Many are being forced to leave behind communities and lives they have built over decades, returning to a country they barely know or fear to return to at all. Based on a report by NBC News 2025-04-02 -
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Behind the Curtain: How Biden’s Decline Shaped Harris’s Role
Democratic Party officials and White House staffers were well aware of former President Joe Biden’s frailties long before he ultimately decided to step away from his reelection campaign in the summer of 2024. Exclusive excerpts from the upcoming book Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House by The Hill senior political correspondent Amie Parnes and NBC News senior national politics reporter Jonathan Allen provide insight into the extensive efforts taken to manage concerns about Biden’s age and the contingency planning in place should he withdraw or even pass away in office. “It shows what we had to do to prepare with the unique circumstances we had, which was an eighty-plus-year-old president who was running,” an involved party official stated, according to Parnes and Allen. Biden’s age was a looming issue from the moment he launched his campaign in April 2023. Despite public assurances from Democratic leaders that he was fully capable of winning and serving another term, internal worries persisted well before his disastrous debate performance in June 2024 against then-candidate Donald Trump. While officials dismissed Republican allegations about Biden’s declining cognitive abilities, some privately feared they were relying too heavily on a president who “at best, had long since lost his fastball,” as the authors noted. One of the earliest signs of concern came from Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a former 2020 presidential candidate. Swalwell reportedly became alarmed after a conversation with Biden at the White House picnic in June 2023. According to the book, Biden did not immediately recognize Swalwell, prompting the congressman to remind the president of personal details to jog his memory. As Biden’s campaign continued, further signs of his struggles surfaced. During the G7 summit in Italy, he arrived exhausted, and in many sessions, his aides observed his fatigue. To mask the visible effects of aging, a makeup artist was enlisted to work on Biden’s appearance before public events and even Zoom calls with staff. However, while he rarely missed these cosmetic preparations, he sometimes canceled briefings that followed. In the aftermath of his debate against Trump, additional measures were taken to assist Biden. At a fundraiser at New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s residence, he required fluorescent tape to guide him through the venue and used a teleprompter even when addressing a small group. Despite these efforts, he frequently lost his train of thought during his remarks. Yet, those closest to Biden remained unwavering in their support for his reelection bid. White House counselor Steve Ricchetti and longtime Biden strategist Mike Donilon were described as “one hundred percent in,” while First Lady Jill Biden was reportedly “a thousand percent” behind the decision. “At the end of the day, I don’t think anyone in that inner circle was presenting the president any contrary advice that this thing is not going to be easy or maybe this is not the best thing for the Democratic Party,” an insider revealed. Some, however, viewed Biden’s decision to run again as a critical mistake. One close friend of both Biden and former President Barack Obama described his reelection bid as the “original sin” of the 2024 election, blaming his inner circle and family for not steering him away from another run. With Biden’s vulnerabilities evident, quiet preparations for a possible successor began behind the scenes as early as 2023. A staffer for Vice President Kamala Harris kept a spreadsheet tracking Republican federal judges that Trump had not yet appointed. The purpose was to ensure that, in the event Harris had to assume the presidency unexpectedly, she could be sworn in by someone seen as more credible to Republicans. Harris, however, was unaware of this list at the time. When Biden’s debate performance raised new doubts, Harris had to decide how to address it publicly. Campaign aides initially crafted talking points emphasizing a “slow start, stronger finish,” but Harris found this messaging unconvincing. Instead, she pivoted to drawing a sharper contrast between Biden and Trump. “It was a slow start. That’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate that point,” she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “I’m talking about the choice in November. I’m talking about one of the most important elections in our collective lifetime.” Based on a report by The Hill 2025-04-02 -
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Starmer Defends Human Rights Lawyers Amid Deportation Controversy
Starmer Defends Human Rights Lawyers Amid Deportation Controversy Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has defended human rights lawyers who have blocked deportations of foreign criminals and illegal migrants, stating that they are simply fulfilling their professional duty. Speaking at the first global summit on organised immigration crime, Starmer emphasized that the legal system depends on lawyers representing their clients, regardless of personal beliefs. "No, lawyers are employed to represent people, and they represent them, whether they agree with them or don’t agree with them," he said when asked whether his past as a human rights barrister made him “part of the problem.” He insisted that the legal system would break down without such principles. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that Labour is reviewing the use of human rights laws, particularly Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which allows migrants to claim deportation would violate their right to family life. However, she reassured that the government would not withdraw from the ECHR, warning that such a move could undermine international cooperation against people smuggling gangs. "There is a review under way at the moment that is looking at the application of Article 8 in some particular cases where we have disagreed with the conclusions that were reached in the courts," Cooper stated. She stressed that remaining in the ECHR has helped the UK secure agreements with France and Germany to combat illegal migration. Germany plans to introduce stricter penalties for those who help migrants reach the UK, while France will pass laws enabling officers to stop small boats in shallow waters. The discussion follows several high-profile cases where illegal migrants and convicted foreign criminals have used human rights laws to avoid deportation. These include an Albanian criminal who remained in the UK after claiming his son had an aversion to foreign chicken nuggets and a Pakistani paedophile who was jailed for child sex offences but was allowed to stay because his deportation was deemed “unduly harsh” on his children. Legal experts believe that if the government wants to curb legal challenges to deportations, it will need to introduce legislation reaffirming the primacy of UK law over the ECHR rather than simply issuing new guidance. The Prime Minister is expected to outline proposals in an immigration White Paper ahead of the local elections in May. At the summit, Starmer also signaled openness to new approaches for handling failed asylum seekers, including sending them to third countries such as the western Balkans. He confirmed that the government is exploring an EU proposal for "return hubs," where migrants would be sent after exhausting all avenues of appeal. "The principal approach that we take is that we will look at anything that works. Obviously that’s got to be consistent with international law, and it’s got to be cost-effective," Starmer said. Under the plan, Britain would pay partner countries to accept failed asylum seekers. The Netherlands is currently negotiating with Uganda about setting up a return hub, a model that has been endorsed by both the European Union and the United Nations International Organisation for Migration. The hubs would allow the UK to deport failed asylum seekers from countries considered unsafe for direct return, such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia. Those from safe countries, including Vietnam, Pakistan, and India, could be held temporarily while arrangements were made for their deportation. Starmer and Cooper also expressed willingness to consider an Italian proposal for offshore asylum processing camps in Albania, where claims would be assessed before migrants were either accepted into the UK or rejected. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended her government’s model, stating in a recorded message at the summit that "Governments should not be afraid to imagine and build innovative solutions." She claimed that initial skepticism over her offshore processing approach had turned into broad support, leading the EU to propose return hubs in third countries. "This means that we were right and that the courage to lead the way has been rewarded," she added. Starmer has abandoned the previous Conservative government's plan to send illegal migrants and asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing and resettlement. He argued that Labour inherited a disorganized border enforcement system that had allowed people smugglers to exploit weaknesses and bring thousands of illegal migrants into the UK. He criticized the previous administration for poor coordination between policing, border forces, and intelligence agencies, which he claimed made Britain "a soft touch" for illegal migration. "Smugglers took this as an open invitation," he said, vowing to strengthen enforcement and explore new solutions to curb illegal crossings. Based on a report by The Telegraph 2025-04-02
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