Trump Signals Possible Harvard Deal Amid Ongoing Tensions 
Trump’s Greenland Ambition Sparks NATO Tensions, Trade War Fears, and Global Market Turmoil 
Minnesota U.S. Citizen Detained by ICE in Armed Raid Sparks Outrage and Civil Rights Concerns 
U.S. Plans NATO Staff Reductions, Raising Fresh Concerns Over Alliance Commitment 
Trump Criticizes NYSE Texas Expansion, Calls Dallas Exchange a Blow to New York 
Trump Says U.S. and NATO Will Reach Agreement on Greenland’s Future 
Syrian Government Consolidates Control as Kurdish Forces Withdraw from Key Regions 
Trump Signals Potential Role for Maria Corina Machado in Venezuela as U.S. Policy Tone Shifts 
Kazakh President Tokayev Accepts Invitation to Join Trump-Proposed “Board of Peace” 
Supreme Court Tests Federal Reserve Independence Amid Trump’s Bid to Fire Lisa Cook 
Trump Rejects Talks With Maduro Amid Election Interference Allegations 
Trump Administration Appeals Judge’s Order Limiting ICE Tactics in Minneapolis 
JD Vance and Wife Usha Announce They Are Expecting Fourth Child in July 
Trump Says $2,000 Tariff Dividend Possible Without Congress Approval 
Trump Threatens 200% Tariff on French Wine Over Macron’s Refusal to Join Peace Board 
Japan Government Bond Rout Deepens as Election Spending Fears Shake Markets 
Russia Says Ukraine Peace Talks With U.S. Show Progress 
A delegation of the Taliban arrived in Geneva this week to meet with NGOs and other officials. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also met with the delegation as they discussed the current crisis that Afghanistan is facing.
Al Jazeera reports Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that he met with the health minister of the Taliban government of Afghanistan for discussions on the current health and humanitarian crisis hitting the country. Ghebreyesus met with Qalander Ebad for the discussions Tuesday. This would be the second time the WHO chief and Ebad meet, with the two meeting during a visit to Kabul in September 2021.
“Despite some improvements since then, the health situation in Afghanistan is still dire and the acute humanitarian crisis is continuing to put lives at risk,” said the WHO chief.
“The acute need in Afghanistan is to deliver diagnostics to detect the COVID-19 virus, and in particular Omicron, as the number of cases is on the rise,” Ghebreyesus continued, also saying that he discussed the health needs of Afghans with Ebad, strengthening the system, emergency preparedness, and training in the workforce.
Ghebreyesus said that the WHO was supporting the COVID-19 response in Afghanistan, including the country’s polio and measles vaccination campaigns.
The Taliban delegation traveled to Switzerland at the invitation of the Geneva Call, an organization working to protect civilians in the midst of conflict. They are set to speak with Swiss ministry representatives as well as NGOs with human rights and the humanitarian crisis expected to be on the agenda of the talks.
The United Nations is looking to launch this month a new system to exchange millions of dollars in aid to Afghan currency in another effort to tackle the country’s humanitarian and economic crisis, according to Reuters. This also comes as international banks and financial institutions halted their financial assistance out of fear that it might breach sanctions imposed by the UN and the US on Taliban officials.
A note by the organization that was written last month, detailed a Humanitarian Exchange Facility that was described as “urgently needed.” The new effort comes as millions of Afghans are facing extreme hunger with their economy, social services, and education are on the brink of a collapse.
