Two migrants were the first asylum seekers to be returned by the US to Mexico following the reactivation of the "Stay in Mexico" policy, a migrant group said Thursday.

The two men arrived Wednesday at a border crossing that connects Ciudad Juarez in Mexico with El Paso, Texas under the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a Trump-era policy that was recently reinstated by the Biden administration, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday.

“After being received by Mexican immigration authorities and obtaining the proper immigration documentation, they underwent COVID-19 tests and were transferred by IOM staff to one of the shelters in the city,” it said.

The MPP program allows officials to send non-Mexican migrants to Mexico to await US immigration court hearings.

Although US President Joe Biden pledged to end the program that was a signature immigration policy of former President Donald Trump, a federal judge in Texas ordered the administration to revive the policy. The ruling was ratified weeks later by the US Supreme Court.

Since the program was instituted in 2019 and until January 2021, more than 71,000 people, including at least 16,000 children and 500 infants, have been placed in the program and ended up in border cities with high rates of violence, including Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) put in changes for its reimplementation on Dec. 2 and said migrants would be provided with transportation in Mexico to attend court hearings.

DHS specified that accompanied minors, permanent residents, those with criminal records or health problems would not qualify for the program.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that although DHS put in place changes to "improve humanitarian components," the administration still feels the program is "inhumane."

​​The IOM urged that the program be terminated as soon as possible saying it is "inhumane and contrary to international law."/aa

The omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread to seven more countries on the African continent, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.

During a weekly press briefing, Africa CDC director John Nkengasong said: “Seven more countries – Uganda, Zambia, Senegal, Tunisia, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe – have reported the new variant over the past one week.”

The omicron variant has now spread to 11 countries in Africa, he said, adding last week it was only confirmed in South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, and Nigeria.

According to Nkengasong, a Cameroonian virologist, Africa has so far recorded 8.7 million COVID-19 cases and 24,000 deaths.

“The case fatality rate is still around 2.5%, which is very stable,” he said, adding there were a few exceptions as countries like Somalia, Sudan, and Egypt reported a case fatality rate of 5%.

He said 12 countries, including South Africa, have seen a fourth wave of the COVID-19 virus, while Mauritius was experiencing the 5th wave.

Between Nov. 29 and Dec. 5, a whopping 98,000 new cases have been reported on the continent, accounting for an average increase of 88% from the previous week, Nkengasong said, and added that 79% of the new cases came from Southern Africa, 14% from North Africa, 3% from East Africa and 2% each from Central and West Africa.

The continent has so far procured 245.2 million doses of vaccines, of which 131.9 million (56.77%) have been administered.

According to the Africa CDC website, 10.95% of Africans were partially vaccinated, while 7.35% were fully vaccinated./aa

At least one person died after a fire erupted at the headquarters of Tunisia’s Ennahda party on Thursday.

The party confirmed the fatality in a statement on Facebook but did not identify the victim.

Ali Laarayedh, Ennahda’s deputy head and a former prime minister, was wounded when he jumped to safety from the second floor, according to party leader Noureddine Bhiri.

Abdelkarim Harouni, speaker of the party’s Shura Council, also suffered injuries in the blaze.

However, both officials are now in stable condition, Bhiri added.

Videos circulating on social media showed smoke rising from the building in the capital Tunis as firefighters and paramedics rushed to rescue people.

Bhiri said the fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors.

He said there was no information available yet on the cause of the fire.

“We don’t know if this fire was an act of arson or not,” he added.

Tunisian authorities are also yet to comment on the cause of the blaze or the casualties and damage it caused in the Ennahda headquarters./aa

An increase in the amount of microplastics in the Mediterranean Sea poses a threat to marine life, as well as human health, according to an expert.

"Microplastic pollution in the Mediterranean is increasing by the day and is one of the most important problems in the Mediterranean," marine biologist Ahmet Erkan Kideys told Anadolu Agency at the 22nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, also known as COP22, being held in Turkey's resort city of Antalya.

While a large item of trash can lead to the death of a single aquatic animal, the numerous shavings released in the form of microplastics as a piece of debris dissolves can be consumed by a myriad of organisms, from plankton to whales, and accumulate in their bodies through the food chain, said Kideys, a faculty member at Middle East Technical University (ODTU) in Turkey.

"We find microplastics in the stomachs and gut of most of the fish we analyze, as well as in mussels. Microplastics can also pass on to people who consume fish or mussels," he said, noting that most of the garbage that finds its way into the sea is carried there via rivers.

Underlining that besides governments, individuals must also take on important responsibilities to combat the microplastics problem, Kideys said that in order to protect the Mediterranean Sea, more of the coast needed to be placed in marine protected zones.

Invasive species

Another major problem for the Mediterranean is the rise in invasive species, which often travel there by sticking to the bottom of ships or via the Suez Canal, said Kideys.

"It is very difficult to prevent this. But, the transportation of new species has to be stopped somehow," stressed Kideys, pointing out the importance of developing scientific research-based measures to prevent invasive species from arriving.

"If native species disappear, the ecosystem will deteriorate," he said.

COP22

Kideys underlined the importance of COP22, which will end on Friday, amid efforts to solve the problems facing the Mediterranean Sea.

He said that with environmental projects recently launched by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and first lady Emine Erdogan on waste and marine waste minimization, Turkey had the potential to be an international leader.

The most important aspect of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), established in 1975 as a multilateral environmental agreement, was that it brought 25 coastal countries together to take measures and decisions on their common sea basin, said Kideys.

Underlining that issues concerning the sea could only be resolved if all coastal countries took joint action, the scientist said that the MAP had achieved progress in implementing solutions to problems related to pollution in the Mediterranean.

While some problems have been solved, new ones have also emerged, noted Kideys adding that the biggest issue that climate change was the biggest problem that the world currently faces and could trigger an unprecedented decline in marine biodiversity.

Environment ministers and delegates from 21 Mediterranean countries, as well as EU and UN representatives, are attending COP22, which is held every other year.

The convention constitutes a multilateral legal framework for the protection of the marine and coastal environment, and sustainable use of resources in the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Program (UNEP/MAP) is a regional cooperation platform established as the first regional action plan under the UNEP Regional Seas Program.

Although the Mediterranean covers just 1% of the global ocean surface, it is home to more than 17,000 marine species, corresponding to some 4%-18% of the world's known marine species.

In 1975, 16 Mediterranean countries and the European Community adopted MAP, and Turkey became a party to the convention in 1982.​​​​​​​/aa

The British prime minister and his wife welcomed their second child on Thursday.

Boris and Carrie Johnson's spokesperson announced the birth of a healthy baby girl at a London hospital.

"Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support," the statement said.

Carrie Johnson gave birth to a baby boy in a London hospital in April 2020, the first child for the couple who married in May this year.

Johnson has four children with his ex-wife Marina Wheeler, a child born in 2009 from an affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre, and now two children with his current wife./aa

The Council of the EU has approved the establishment of a new European Union Agency for Asylum, the EU institution announced on Thursday.

The new EU asylum agency will support member states in managing asylum applications after transforming and boosting the already existing European Asylum Support Office.

“Having a fully-fledged EU asylum agency is an important step in the building of our common EU asylum policy,” said Ales Hojs, the Slovenian interior minister representing the turning presidency of the Council of the EU.

“This agency will be able to provide quick, tangible support to member states wherever needed,” he added.

The institution will help member states with training and exchange of information, as well as by sending personnel in case of a request from a reserve of 500 experts, including interpreters, case handlers, and reception specialists.

The EU asylum agency will develop standards across the EU for handling and deciding asylum applications, and will also be responsible for monitoring the functioning of national asylum systems.

The agency will also be tasked to assist resettlement of refused applicants in non-EU countries.

Last September, the European Commission had proposed a new pact on migration and asylum, mainly focusing on returns, pre-entry checks, and partnerships with third countries to prevent migration flows.

The agency was one of the recommendations from the reform package based on a proposal from 2016.

The decision of the council gave the final green light for the legislation after the European Parliament approved it last month following the political deal the two institutions reached in June.

Last year, the EU member states granted international protection to over 280,000 people./aa

Despite some positive steps toward reducing carbon emissions, air pollution is still a serious issue around the world, especially in Asia, as the continent hosts the top 10 most polluted cities worldwide.

According to reports and live rankings on air quality, Asian countries, especially those in South Asia, top the list and experts note that this is a result of human-caused drivers of air pollution such as a high dependence on fossil fuels.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Shibayan Raha, South Asia senior digital organizer for 350.org, an international environmental organization addressing the climate crisis, said that burning of biomass and plastics plays a role in low air quality on the continent as well as lax regulations on industrial emissions, but one of the leading reasons is the region’s dependence on fossil fuels, especially coal for electricity production.

"Asia hosts the top 10 most polluted cities worldwide, with the highest concentration of dangerous PM2.5 particles... Combined with rapid industrialization, urbanization and congestion, air pollution is becoming an increasingly significant threat to human health in the region," Raha noted.

Mentioning the effects of rapid developments in Asian cities that led to escalating air pollution in recent decades, he cited WHO reports that of the seven million people who die from air pollution every year, two-thirds are in Asia.

'Second most important risk factor for health'

Touching on the last year's air quality report which showed that out of the top 50 cities in the world with the poorest air quality, 42 are in South Asia, Raha underlined that there is a need for promising steps regarding phasing out fossil fuels as air pollution becomes the second most important risk factor for health in South Asia.

"Governments in South Asia have to phase out fossil fuels -- coal, gas and oil -- to avert the twin crises of air pollution and climate change," he said.

Giving an example, he pointed out that Bangladesh "suffers some of the world’s highest air pollution levels" and its capital Dhaka "faces enormous air pollution challenges."

"This is attributed to an increased number of vehicles, high levels of construction involving the use of wood and coal-fired furnaces for brickmaking, as well as the existence of coal-fired power plants in the country," Raha said.

Despite some positive developments and commitments on the issue, however, he noted that countries like China, Japan, and South Korea continue to fund overseas coal-fired power plants.

Noting that fossil fuel use is a common factor for the increase in air pollution in general, Raha stressed that transitioning to renewable energy sources would play a huge role in minimizing the "crisis" in the region.

Role of mining, oil, and gas industries

Also speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sisilia Nurmala Dewi, Indonesia team leader at 350.org, noted that in addition to burning fossil fuels, some development projects led by the mining, oil, and gas industries also play a "significant role" in the air quality conditions in Asia in general and especially in Indonesia.

"This is compounded by other issues such as high population density in large cities such as Jakarta, where air pollution levels consistently exceed the safety levels deemed by the WHO, and where there is a proportionally high number of diesel-based vehicles in use," she said.

She went on to say that forest and peatland fires caused by land clearing for palm oil plantations also exacerbate poor air quality conditions and have disastrous impacts on health in Indonesia and even neighboring countries.

"It is estimated that current air quality levels will reduce the life expectancy of Indonesians by 2.5 years on average, and 7 to 8 years for Jakartans," Dewi noted.

Reiterating that the threat of air pollution to human health has always been an issue for decades, however, she highlighted that recently it has become more prevalent in urban centers, "as intra-migration and economic dynamics have led to dramatically increased urban populations and the expansion of cities around the world."

'Transition away from fossil fuels is a must'

While Bangladesh and Pakistan have the worst air quality in Asia and around the world, the Indonesian capital Jakarta consistently ranks as one of the most polluted cities in Asia, said Dewi.

She said there are currently 10 coal-fired power plants in and around Jakarta, and along with the significant impacts on air quality, this also negatively affects farming, fishing, and other work activities.

"First and foremost, countries must transition away from economies that depend on fossil fuels towards renewable-energy-based sources of energy," she said.

Touching on countries like China, Japan, and South Korea, which continue their overseas coal-fired power plants projects, especially in developing countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh, she stressed that this makes it more difficult for countries to shift to renewables.

"As long as governments and financial institutions in richer countries in Asia continue to finance fossil fuel developments elsewhere, there will be limitations on the incentives for governments to enact transformative energy policies at home," Dewi added.

As of Dec. 9 at 0600GMT, the top 10 list consisted of all South Asian cities -- three each from China and India, two from Pakistan and one each from Afghanistan and Vietnam, according to Swiss-based AirVisual, an organization that ranks the world’s cities according to an Air Quality Index./aa

The “Israeli” health system was involved in the disappearance of Yemeni descent children in the 1950s for adoption by wealthy “Israeli” families, a report published by the “Israeli” daily Haaretz revealed on Thursday.

Quoting a document compiled by the “Israeli” Health Ministry, not officially published so far, the newspaper stated that “Israeli” doctors, nurses, and caregivers were involved "in taking the children and acting as middlemen in their adoptions, sometimes in exchange for money”.

The report cited racist justifications for the taking away of the children from their biological parents such as "backward immigrants from Middle Eastern and North African countries" as well as alleging such taking of the children was in the "best interests of the children."

The issue known as the Yemenite children affair, which has been hogging headlines in “Israel” over the past many years, refers to the disappearance of babies of Jewish immigrants who had arrived in “Israel” from Yemen.

Haaretz, however, said the report doesn't include testimonies or details or data on the scope of the phenomenon, yet, it is to be "the first official reference by a ministry" in the scandal that "haunted “Israel” for many decades."

The officials - at the Health Ministry - who drafted the document have recommended action and “promote an apology on behalf of the health system for the involvement of medical professionals in this affair”.

They have also asked for a one-time payment compensation to the families of the babies.

According to the newspaper, the document provided details about the ways the babies were taken away and then informed the biological parents of the death of their babies without providing death certificates or details about the place of burial.

The newspaper added that the “Israeli” government has been working since February on a "reparation plan for the families of disappeared children" where the plan does not include official recognition of the case but recognition to "the families' suffering”./agencies

The Afghan interim government has arrested over 670 militants of Daesh/ISIS, also known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP or ISIS-K), during the last three months, the Taliban spokesman said, adding that there is no place for these terrorists in Afghanistan.

During an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, the interim government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that 25 hideouts of the terrorist group have also been destroyed in Kabul and Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province.

“Daesh is no longer a big threat in Afghanistan. It was a small group that has now been dismantled in Kabul and Jalalabad,” Mujahid claimed.

He accused the former government of Ashraf Ghani of strengthening Daesh/ISIS in Kabul and Nangarhar province in order to use them against the Taliban.

Mujahid is also the acting deputy minister of culture and information of the Taliban's interim government in Afghanistan.

Daesh/ISIS carried out several attacks after the Taliban took over Kabul in mid-August, including two deadly bombings in Shia mosques in the northern Kunduz and southern Kandahar provinces that killed nearly 100 people and wounded dozens of others in October this year.

“Initially, when we entered Kabul (in mid-August this year), there was no security and communication system, and that helped Daesh to carry out attacks and target mosques, and public places to spread fear among the civilians,” the Taliban spokesman said, adding that the vacuum provided them an opportunity to target civilians.

Mujahid was referring to the deadly bombing carried out by Daesh/ISIS in August near the Hamid Karzai Airport in the capital Kabul. At least 170 Afghans, including women and children, were killed and over 150 others wounded in the attack targeting a crowd of people who wanted to leave the country after the Taliban takeover.

“Earlier, Daesh had the support of former government forces but now we have destroyed their hideouts as these terrorists have no place in Afghanistan because the Afghan people have rejected their ideology,” Mujahid said, adding the arrested people are in jail and the government will deal with them under the Sharia law.

US to release Afghan funds

Responding to a question regarding the ongoing economic crisis in Afghanistan, Mujahid said the US had blocked their assets in August causing the economic crisis.

“The US move to freeze our assets was an act against international law,” he said.

However, he hoped that after the recent meeting of Afghan acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi with the US officials in Doha, Qatar, Washington will release their funds soon.

“Recently, our leaders met with the US officials in Doha and they assured us of releasing our funds,” he said, hoping the Taliban government will overcome the current economic crisis soon.

The US government has blocked over $9 billion of the Afghan Central Bank’s reserves, and many donors and organizations, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, have halted payments since the Taliban swept to power on Aug. 15.

Several countries, including China, Russia, Pakistan, and Qatar, have called on the US to allow Afghanistan to access its foreign reserves, but there have been no positive indications so far.

Taliban recovers $20M

Mujahid accused the former government officials of shifting millions of dollars from the country and said the Taliban recovered millions of dollars from the houses of former officials who fled the country.

“Our Mujahideen (fighters) recovered over $20 million from the presidential palace and houses of former top officials of the Ashraf Ghani government and deposited that money in the central bank,” Mujahid said.

In August, the Afghan Central Bank said it has received more than $12 million in cash and gold bricks found from the residences of former government officials, including former Vice President Amrullah Saleh.

Foreign interference

The Taliban government once again rejected the demand to form an inclusive government with the participation of former officials and called it “an interference in their country's internal affairs”.

Responding to a question on if some Western countries demanded the Taliban adjust some representatives of the previous government in their Cabinet in order to be recognized, Mujahid said some countries are talking about an inclusive government but such demands are an interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.

“If they [the Western countries] want to bring back them [previous government representatives] they would face public reaction and anger,” he said and added that Afghans know how to run their country.

He added the Taliban have already constituted an inclusive government that included representatives from all ethnic groups, including Tajiks, Baloch, Turkmens, Nuristanis, Uzbeks, and a number of other ethnic groups.

“[Can] Anyone show us an example in the world where opposition figures also occupy positions in the power,” Mujahid said./aa

In its attempts to withstand the “diplomatic boycott” of the Winter Olympics, China on Thursday called for the “depoliticization of sports.”

“Sports have nothing to do with politics,” said Wang Wenbin, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman.

“The Winter Olympic Games is not a stage for political posturing,” Wang said as Beijing is set to host the world’s biggest winter games next February.

The US, UK, Canada, and Australia have, however, said they will not send any officials to represent their nations at the opening ceremony of the games. The ban does not apply to their sportspersons.

Wang called on these countries to “demonstrate a more united Olympic spirit instead of undermining the Olympic cause,” Chinese public broadcaster CGTN reported.

“They will have to pay the price for this mistake,” he said, referring to the countries that will not send their officials to the Winter Olympics.

The spokesman tried to fend off any “ripple effect” due to the diplomatic offensive by the US and its allies.

“It’s not worth worrying whether there are ripple effects from individual countries,” Wang said. “We will see the success of the Games no matter whether their officials will come.”

He said many heads of state, government officials, and members of royal families have registered to attend the Beijing 2022./aa