KSI takes a jab at Jake Paul for not allowing PRIME products during his boxing match: ‘He is so triggered by me’
KSI apparently criticized Jake Paul and called him 'insecure' after the latter banned PRIME products during his boxing match against Nate Diaz
2023-08-13 15:45
Bayern Munich enquire about Frenkie de Jong - Man Utd retain interest
Bayern Munich make an enquiry about the availability of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, a long-term target for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United.
2023-06-27 23:28
Blinken says US to consider visa restrictions over Ugandan anti-gay law
WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said his government would consider visa restrictions against Ugandan
2023-05-30 10:50
Vivica A. Fox's directorial debut aims to set a record straight
The subject of Vivica Fox's new project is grateful for her.
2023-10-21 00:25
Democrats and Republicans say they want to help Afghan veterans. So why haven’t they done anything?
The collapse of Afghanistan’s government at the hands of the Taliban forced thousands of the nation’s people to flee their homeland, including many of those who served as translators and other aides to US military forces. But in the more than a year and a half since, the United States has failed to offer immigration assistance to most Afghans who helped American forces, which would allow them to stay in the country on a more permanent basis. According to International Rescue Committee, the US admitted 76,000 Afghans as part of Operation Allies Welcome. In the United Kingdom, the government pledged to allow Afghans who assisted British forces to build a life in safety and security. Instead, many who have made the dangerous trip from Afghanistan to Britain have been told they face deportation. One pilot who served with distinction fled Afghanistan even as his wife and young family stayed behind, arriving in Britain in a small boat because there was no safe and legal route to escape the Taliban, since British and Nato forces left him and his squadron behind. Now he has been told by UK authorities that he faces being sent to Rwanda under a controversial immigration policy. “Everyone knew that one day the American and British armies would leave as they had supported us for a long time. But when the withdrawal came, our territorial leaders failed us,” the pilot, who is not named in order to protect his family, told The Independent earlier this year. The Independent is campaigning for the British government to give a home to those who fought with the UK against the Taliban. It has been backed by politicians of all parties, as well as religious leaders, senior military figures and celebrities including Sting and director Guy Ritchie. But the United Kingdom is not alone in its failure to fulfil the pledges made to those who assisted the war efforts. Despite broad bipartisan support in both houses of US Congress and from president Joe Biden, Congress has failed to live up to its commitments to Afghans despite supportive rhetoric. Most Afghans who came to America after the withdrawal of US military forces from the country, arrived on what is called humanitarian parole, wherein people who may be otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States are allowed to enter for humanitarian reasons. “And those folks have two years of parole, which is about to run out,” Shaun VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac and a US Navy veteran, told The Independent. “The issue with the parolees is that for every other population, where there's been a big influx like this, Congress has passed Adjustment of Status.” Adjustment of Status would allow people who were given humanitarian parole to adjust their status to that of a permanent resident. In the months following the collapse of the Afghan government and more Afghans entering the United States, a bipartisan group led by Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota sponsored the Afghan Adjustment Act. “It’s strongly supported by veterans [so] it should be must pass,” senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, told The Independent. “But there are all kinds of time pressures, a lot of competing issues.” Those competing interests meant the bill was not included in must-pass legislation like last year’s omnibus spending bill, the National Defense Authorisation Act, and an aid package to Ukraine, which means that many of the people given humanitarian parole risk losing their status by August, which marks two years since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan. Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told The Independent that the United States has had a double standard when it comes to Afghanistan and other nations enduring conflict. “I feel like we saw even in the outbreak of Ukraine, the difference between how things were expedited depending on country of origin,” she said. “And I believe that translators and many folks ... we should be really filling up the visa allotments that we have, and we have not yet.” Mr VanDiver explained that the Trump administration weakened parts of the immigration system like Special Immigrant Visas and created massive backlogs by weakening the resettlement programmes. “The impact that Afghans are feeling right now can be attributed to Stephen Miller and Donald Trump, the way that they purposely deconstructed the system for welcoming vulnerable people into our country and cares for their inaction,” he said. The legislation would need to pass through the judiciary committees in the US House and Senate. Senator Chuck Grassley, who last year served as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, opposed the legislation. Mr Grassley told The Independent that at the time he led the GOP on the committee, he was speaking for the concerns of other Republican senators. “I think it would be based on this issue of vetting,” he said. “I think that’s very important. You know, when we have 98 people across the border that haven’t been vetted and they’re on the terrorist watch list, I think we have to be very careful.” Since then, senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the co-sponsors of the Afghan Adjustment Act, has stepped up to ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said lawmakers may act on the Afghan Adjustment Act towards the end of the year when Congress must fund the government. “I think it’s important we keep our commitment to those who helped us in Afghanistan,” Mr Graham told The Independent, adding that he is not concerned about missing the August deadline. “I just want to try to rally the House and Senate around the concept that we need to do better, and that's very important,” he said. Since 2022, Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives, making it much harder to pass the legislation in the era of hyper-polarised government. While Mr Graham is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, representative Jim Jordan, a hardliner on immigration, now leads the House Judiciary Committee, making it even tougher for the bill to pass. “But that's okay,” Mr VanDiver said. “So long as we could get [house majority leader Steve] Scalise and [house speaker Kevin] McCarthy to be supportive, then we could do it.” Until then, Mr VanDiver has helped launch an Afghanistan Community Ambassadors Programme so any Afghan in the United States can sign up and get direct information about immigration. “It’s meant to ensure that every Afghan here has access to the same information,” he said. “So it’s not like you have to know somebody.” Read More Britain’s faith leaders condemn ‘heartless’ threat to send Afghan war hero to Rwanda Our government is blinded by an obsession that is morally repugnant Minister roasted over claim ‘hundreds of thousands’ of Afghans want asylum in UK Minister roasted over claim ‘hundreds of thousands’ of Afghans want asylum in UK Rail strikes could see injured veterans miss ‘vital’ reunion G7 urges China to press Russia to end war in Ukraine, respect Taiwan's status, fair trade rules
2023-05-20 19:59
Biden administration to target drugs for price negotiations to lower Medicare costs
President Joe Biden’s administration is set to announce the first prescription drugs being targeted by the U.S. government for price negotiations as part of an effort to lower Medicare costs
2023-08-29 12:26
Why did Adin Ross go bald? Controversial influencer Andrew Tate 'didn't even care'
On a live stream with Andrew Tate, Adin Ross tried to persuade the controversial figure that he actually shaved his head as promised
2023-06-26 19:20
Why Saudi's billion-dollar football binge is race against time
As star footballers line up to take Saudi money, it is easy to forget this is a phenomenon that stretches back decades. Only now, the...
2023-08-24 21:48
Kiwi house prices to descend further this year and rise next- Reuters poll
By Devayani Sathyan BENGALURU New Zealand house prices are forecast to drop further this year, pressured by higher
2023-06-01 05:20
5 takeaways from AP's series on health disparities impacting Black Americans
The Associated Press spent a year examining how racial health disparities have impacted generations of Black Americans
2023-05-23 12:59
6 of the worst ever rebrands as Elon Musk changes Twitter logo to X
People aren't best pleased with Elon Musk after he changed the Twitter logo to 'X'. On Sunday, the billionaire said he was looking to change Twitter's logo, tweeting: "And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds." In doing so, he unleashed a wave of criticism, with marketing professor Jean-Pierre Dube telling the BBC he thought it was a joke, asking why anyone would "throw away" such a recognised brand as Twitter's. Musk is extending the rebrand though, with plans to change the office sign. If the rebrand flops, Musk won't be the first to make a mistake. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Indeed, here are some other rebrands that failed to capture the public. 1. Royal Mail In 2001, UK postal operator Royal Mail decided to change its name to Consignia to stop it being associated solely with sending and receiving parcels. The introduction of the new name alone cost £1.5 million but it went down very badly. After around a year, the company reverted to its original name. The re-rebranding to Royal Mail reportedly cost the company a further £1 million. 2. Mastercard In 2016 Mastercard changed its logo and people weren't keen. So much so that Mastercard later decided to only use this new logo on corporate worldwide communications, and opted to keep their existing brand image. 3. Gap In 2010, the American clothing retailer Gap changed its logo, causing an immediate social media backlash. This backlash was so intense that Gap reverted to its original logo within just one week. 4. Weight Watchers In 2019 Weight Watchers renamed itself Wellness and Wellbeing to be more body positive. The new rebrand didn’t go well, drastically impacting the company’s bottom line, with a stock market earnings of less than half. Following the change, they reported a loss of 600,000 members. 5. Hershey's In 2009, the sweet chocolate confections company Hershey’s decided to rebrand. Sadly, their new logo looked like a smoking poo so make of that what you will. 6. Leeds United In 2018 Leeds United changed its logo and it was so unpopular over 77,000 people signed a petition to boycott the rebrand, causing a PR nightmare. Call us conservative, but maybe there is a case for keeping things as they are after all... Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-07-26 00:20
The Backlash To Netflix Doc Ladies First Proves Misogynoir Is Alive & Well In Hip-Hop
A day before the premiere of the Netflix documentary series Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop, dream hampton tweeted, “It is not lost on me, for instance, that we’re dropping our series on women in hip-hop the day after [Tory Lanez] was sentenced for shooting Meg [The Stallion], one of hip-hop’s biggest stars or that the ‘culture’ has spent a lot of time trolling her, not the actual troll.” The filmmaker ended with,”Happened to Dee [Barnes] 30 years ago,”
2023-08-19 01:58
You Might Like...
FBI, Capitol police testify in the trial of the man accused of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband
Buhai, Lee tied for third-round lead at the LPGA tournament in South Korea
Lyon misery continues as high-flying Brest held at Nice
Arsenal close to agreeing new contracts with star duo
Advanced Energy Unveils up to 4000 W Configurable Power Supply with 4X the Power Density of Conventional Products
Silvio Berlusconi's many court battles, one sole conviction
SEC fines Ole Miss $75,000 after fans throw debris on field
Who is Kimberly Mata-Rubio? Mother of Uvalde victim runs for mayor in special election
