U.S. Government Agrees to Review Frozen NIH Diversity Research Grants After Legal Challenge 
Trump Administration Audits Somali-Origin Citizenship Cases Amid Fraud Allegations 
Trump and Netanyahu Diverge on West Bank Policy Amid Rising Tensions 
Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Discussing Possible U.S. Troop Presence as Security Guarantee 
Najib Razak Files Appeal Against Latest 1MDB Corruption Conviction and 15-Year Sentence 
Salvador Nasralla Challenges Honduras Election Results Amid Fraud Allegations 
U.S. Questions Russia’s Claim of Ukrainian Drone Attack on Putin Residence 
FBI Surges Resources to Minnesota Amid Fraud Investigations Linked to Somali Community 
South Korea Prosecutor Alleges Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Abused Power for Bribes 
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Drone Plot Against Putin as Peace Talks Face New Strain 
U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Three Intellexa-Linked Executives Amid Spyware Controversy 
MSF Faces Possible Ban From Gaza as Israel Enforces New Aid Registration Rules 
China Conducts Largest-Ever Live-Fire War Games Around Taiwan Amid Rising Cross-Strait Tensions 
Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland Sparks U.N. Debate and Regional Tensions 
Peruvian Shamans’ New Year Ritual Predicts Illness for Trump, Fall of Maduro, and Global Political Shifts 
Bukele Signals Willingness to Extend Power as El Salvador’s Term Limits Are Scrapped 
Kremlin Says Ukrainian Drone Attack Hardens Russia’s Stance on Peace Talks 
The international community is increasingly reaching out to the Taliban in recent weeks as they seek to provide assistance to Afghanistan. Officials from western countries met with members of the insurgent group this week in Oslo to discuss Afghanistan.
The delegation of both western countries and the Taliban held a meeting in Oslo, Norway, for discussions centered on the humanitarian crisis Afghanistan is currently facing. The crisis worsened when the insurgent group took control of Afghanistan back in August 2021 at the heels of the US military withdrawal and evacuation efforts.
The Taliban held closed-door discussions with diplomats from the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, and the European Union Monday, as part of the three days of discussions. Prior to the meeting with diplomats, the insurgent group met with Afghan civil society members, including women activists and journalists. Human rights were on the agenda during their meeting.
This comes as the Taliban has demanded that the US unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets of nearly $10 billion. International monetary institutions have also halted payments to Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover. This has sent the country into a banking crisis and a near collapse of Afghanistan’s economy.
“We are requesting them to unfreeze Afghan assets and not punish ordinary Afghans because of the political discourse,” Taliban official Shafiiullah Azam told the Associated Press after the first day of the discussions.
“Because of the starvation, because of the deadly winter, I think it’s time for the international community to support Afghans, not punish them because of their political disputes,” added Azam. The official added that the discussions with the western countries were a step towards legitimizing the Taliban-backed Afghan government and that the discussions will help the international community improve the world’s impression of the new Afghan government.
In other related news, VOA reports that the Citibank accounts of the Afghan Embassy in Washington and two Afghan consulates in the US have been suspended for over a month. While the Afghan mission in Washington does not receive money from Kabul, it has gotten by through consular service fees. The consulates have been renewing expired passports but have run out of issuing new passports as checks can no longer be made out to the Afghanistan Embassy.
