US Finalizes Ban List for Chinese Chipmakers; Boosts Mexico Semiconductor Ties 
History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy? 
Turkey’s suppression of the Kurdish political movement continues to fuel a deadly armed conflict 
Rishi Sunak wants to cut the cost of ‘sicknote’ Britain 
China's Commerce Minister to Advocate EV Sector in Europe Amid Subsidy, Tariff Probe 
South Africa’s youth are a generation lost under democracy – study 
The politics stopping the UK from opening a youth mobility scheme with Europe 
How will US foreign policy affect Joe Biden’s chances of re-election in November? 
Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’ 
US election: two graphs show how young voters influence presidential results as Biden gets poll boost 
Evacuations from Afghanistan hit a pause in the past few months, with many Afghans looking to flee the country remaining. Qatar has recently come to an agreement with the insurgent group in restarting evacuations from the country.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Monday that Qatar has reached an agreement with the Taliban in operating two chartered Qatar Airways flights per week. This would allow thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals looking to flee the country in months since the US withdrawal back in August, with the Taliban rapidly taking control of Afghanistan afterward.
This follows a previous report last week that the US plans to restart evacuations and resettlement efforts again. Qatar has already been sporadically operating chartered flights from Kabul back in September. The flights stopped in December following a dispute with the insurgent group over which passengers are allowed on the flights.
The first evacuation flight took place on January 26 from Kabul bound for Doha, according to Reuters.
This also comes as Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visited Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House. Qatar’s role as an intermediary between Washington and the Taliban has been praised by US officials. The US announced back in November that Qatar would become its representative in Afghanistan.
The US and other western nations have been facing pressure to ramp up evacuations from Afghanistan, especially of Afghans who have worked for the foreign military forces and are at risk of reprisals from the insurgent group. Advocates said that thousands of Afghans who worked with the US military still remain in the country.
At the same time, the US announced that international banks may now transfer money to Afghanistan for humanitarian purposes, while aid groups are now allowed to pay teachers and healthcare workers at government-backed institutions without fear of breaching sanctions imposed on the insurgent group. The US Treasury Department provided guidance on sanctions exemptions that were issued back in September and in December for humanitarian work in Afghanistan.
The UN previously warned that more than half of the country’s population are facing extreme hunger, with the economy, education, and social services systems on the brink of collapse.
