Democratic senator presses Pompeo on removal of former US ambassador | TheHill - The Hill

Democratic Sen. Bob MenendezRobert (Bob) MenendezSenate confirmation drama highlights media hypocrisy Menendez calls on State to open investigation into delay in Ukraine aid As NFIP reauthorization deadline looms, Congress must end lethal subsidies MORE (N.J.) on Friday pressed Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoTrump's special envoy for Ukraine steps down Overnight Defense — Presented by Huntington Ingalls Industries — Pentagon chief says delay in Ukraine aid didn't hurt US security | Dems subpoena Pompeo for Ukraine documents | House for second time votes to block Trump emergency Democrats subpoena Pompeo for Ukraine documents MORE over the Trump administration’s dealings with Ukraine as well as the ouster of a former ambassador to the country earlier this year.

Menendez sent a letter to Pompeo on Friday questioning State Department official's interactions with Ukraine, including demanding answers about the ouster of U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch in May.

"Why was the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine recalled in May 2019? Did you approve that decision?" Menendez wrote in the letter, calling for the Trump administration official to explain what he described as a "perversion of U.S. foreign policy." 

NEWS: Yesterday’s #WhistleblowerComplaint confirmed @StateDept officials were on the line & briefed when President TrumpDonald John TrumpMcConnell challenger McGrath backs impeachment inquiry McConnell encouraged Trump to release transcript of Zelensky call: report Trump told Russian officials in 2017 he was unconcerned about Moscow's election interference: report MORE coerced a foreign leader to investigate his domestic political opponents.@SecPompeo owes the American people answers. Read my letter to him pic.twitter.com/UOOt9fMdwX

— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) September 27, 2019

Yovanovitch is among several key State Department figures who Democrats have scheduled depositions for next month as part of House Democrats' impeachment inquiry against Trump.

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The Associated Press reported that while Yovanovitch's resignation drew little attention when it happened earlier this year – with the State Department saying she was merely ending her term ahead of a scheduled exit – others in the diplomatic community were "appalled" by her removal.

The ambassador was mentioned in Trump's July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine that was integral to the start of a formal impeachment inquiry this week, with Trump telling the Ukrainian leader that Yovanovitch was "bad news" and "going to go through some things," according to a memo released by the White House.

Menendez praised the former U.S. diplomat on Twitter on Friday, saying her "service and sacrifice is emblematic of the countless career officials at the @StateDept who dedicate their lives to promoting American ideals and values, human rights, freedom, gender equality, and democracy."

Marie Yovanovitch's service and sacrifice is emblematic of the countless career officials at the @StateDept who dedicate their lives to promoting American ideals and values, human rights, freedom, gender equality, and democracy. https://t.co/TqYUDKV246

— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) September 27, 2019

The Democratic senator is requesting that Pompeo testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after a whistleblower complaint alleged several State Department and intelligence officials were briefed on Trump's Ukraine call, which has since become the center of mounting scrutiny surrounding the president's contacts with the country.

Menendez's letter contained more than a dozen questions to answer by Oct. 1 about contacts with Ukraine and the role of Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiGiuliani pulls out of event featuring Putin: reports The Hill's 12:30 Report: Pelosi attacks Barr over Ukraine call Feinstein calls for 'word-for-word' transcript of Trump call at heart of impeachment inquiry MORE — who said the State Department asked him to take a call from Ukraine — in the events.

“As Secretary of State, you are charged with carrying out foreign policy for the United States,” Menendez wrote in the letter. “Yet it appears that our policy with Ukraine was effectively outsourced to a private individual pursuing the personal vendettas of the President.”

He also tweeted: “My message to @SecPompeo: This should shake anyone who has taken an oath to support and defend our Constitution. Yet it remains unclear what, if anything, you and the State Department did in response to this unacceptable behavior.”

The House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released a declassified version of a whistleblower complaint that raises concerns about the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during which they discussed former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenMcConnell challenger McGrath backs impeachment inquiry McConnell encouraged Trump to release transcript of Zelensky call: report Trump told Russian officials in 2017 he was unconcerned about Moscow's election interference: report MORE and his son, as well as alleged "efforts to restrict access to records related to the call."

The phone call was the catalyst for Democrats to launch a formal impeachment inquiry against the president earlier this week.

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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/463487-democratic-senator-presses-pompeo-on-ouster-of-former-us-ambassador

2019-09-28 12:07:33Z
52780396206518

Afghanistan presidential election: All the latest updates - Aljazeera.com

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, the fourth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is seen as the frontrunner in the 14-man race, with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive, considered his main rival.

Security forces are on high alert due to threats from the Taliban to attack polling stations.

Here are all the latest updates:

Low turnout reported in parts of Afghanistan 

Voter turnout was low in certain parts of Afghanistan amid lingering concerns over security threats and logistical challenges.

Afghanistan elections: Alliances and rivalries ahead of vote

"In the city of Jalalabad [the capital of Nangarhar provincial], the turnout was low in the morning, until at least 10am. In the districts there are also fewer people than in previous elections," Nabiullah Baz, a member of parliament from the district of Chapliyar, told Al Jazeera.

"As the hours passed, I started to see more mobilisation among the people – hopefully, as the day goes on, more people will come out especially, as the heat starts to settle."

Obaid Ali, a Kabul-based analyst at Afghanistan Analysts Network, who visited several different voting sites in Takhar, said voting was relatively low in the northern province.

"In all of the polling centres I went to, the turnout has been extremely low. Even when compared to the parliamentary elections in [October] 2018".

Low turnout was also reported in Herat province.

Low voter turnout was reported across the country [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

Voters across Afghanistan cast their ballots

Afghans voted in presidential elections amid tight security.

Check out our photo gallery

Election extended by two hours

The Independent Election Commission extended voting by two hours, with polls now set to close at 5pm (12:30 GMT).

"There was always a contingency for the polling stations to be open to facilitate the last minute surge of people coming in to vote," Al Jazeera's Rob Mcbride reporting from Kabul, said.

"They were due to be close by now but they happen to be open for further two hours - it does seem as though it is giving people in other parts of Afghanistan a chance to vote if they have not already voted."

No contact with hundreds of polling centres

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it had lost contact with 901 of the country’s 5,373 polling centres.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang, head of the IEC secretariat, said the commission was not able to communicate with polling centers in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan, where telecom services were not active, local media TOLO News reported.

In addition, 464 polling centers in 17 provinces were closed, including 33 centres which lacked election materials, election commissioner Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah said.

'Trying to take my vote'

Shahla was not able to cast her ballot as IEC workers refused to help her cast a vote [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

A voter named Shahla said electoral workers at Naderia High School in Kabul's Kartei Parwan neighborhood refused her permission to cast her ballot because the system showed she had already voted.

"I've voted here before with the same ID. If I had already voted once today, why isn't my finger marked with ink?"

"I'm not illiterate, why would I do such a thing? They are trying to take my vote with a ridiculous, baseless claim," Shahla told Al Jazeera, expressing her anger and disappointment.

'In and out very quickly'

Mustafa Azizi said he did not face any problems voting at a school Chelsetoon, in west Kabul.

Mustafa Azizi, 27, voted at a school in Kabul's Chelsetoon area [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

"Everything was orderly, I was in and out very quickly," he said.

"I didn’t see anyone complaining but I've heard reports of issues at [Kabul's] Habibia [area]."

Problems reported with biometric devices

Dozens of people were turned away or had to wait for hours to vote at Kandahar’s Sayeed Jamaluddin High School due to problems with two biometric devices, according to reports.

Some 600 people were registered at this centre.

Similar issues were reported in Kunar province.

Afghan president hails landmark polls 

Ghani cast his ballot in Kabul, hailing the election as a sign of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.

"It is a moment of pride for me that a major part of the election expenses have been paid by the Afghan government," he said.

Ghani also stressed the need for fairness and urged election observers to monitor the process.

Ghani, right, casts his vote at Amani high school, near the presidential palace in Kabul [AP/Rahmat Gul]

Voting delays, heavy security

Independent Election Commission staff showed up late at a polling station in Kabul's Herati Masjed, delaying the voting process by almost an hour.

Shah Bolbol's name did not appear in the electoral roll and was turned back [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

At least four people were turned away after voting started amid problems with voters' names appearing in the electoral roll.

"The IEC is hiring incapable, illiterate people, this is why it's happening," Shah Bolbol, who waited for three hours to vote, told Al Jazeera.

He was asked to go to the IEC offices as his name did not appear on the voter list.

However, others were able to vote without any problems.

"The services were good, the security was good. I was very happy to go and vote. No one was afraid," Mohammd Wahid, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera.

Low turnout reported in Kabul

Reporting from a polling station in Kabul at 10am local time, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said the turnout appeared to be low compared with the 2014 presidential polls.

"Five years ago, when presidential elections were held there were lines of people here and now I have barely seen 200 people who have been voted here in the last two hour," he said.

"It's either because of the security situation or because people here become very disillusioned with the political situation. Five years ago, they were promised big changes, such as the economy and security will be improved, but none of that happened. So people here think if they vote it's going to be more of the same."

Birtley said there were reports of explosions in Kandahar and in the north of Kabul, while a mortar was reportedly fired in Helmand province.

Blast at Kandahar polling station wounds 15

At least 17 people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, a hospital official said, hours after the polls opened.

Naimatullah, the head of a regional hospital who only has one name, told AFP news agency that "15 people - all men - were injured and were brought to the hospital".

Voting under way across Afghanistan

Polls opened across Afghanistan in the country's fourth presidential election since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion.

Voting stations are scheduled to close at 5pm (12:30 GMT). 

Read more here.

Security tops voters' concerns

In the lead-up to the vote, the precarious security situation and the struggling economy seemed to be dominating voters' concerns.

"In Afghanistan, from the moment you wake up to when you put your head down to sleep, you are in danger," Kabul resident Farooq Saidzada said.

Read more here.

All you need to know about the polls

Who are the candidates? What are the main issues? What is being done to ensure security?

Go here to find out the answers to these questions - and much more.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/afghanistan-presidential-election-latest-updates-190928051301257.html

2019-09-28 11:42:00Z
52780394648753

Hong Kong protesters rebuild 'Lennon Walls' ahead of China National Day - CNBC

A man uses sticky notes to create an image on a new "Lennon Wall" by the government offices in the Admiralty area in Hong Kong on September 28, 2019, as activists mark the fifth anniversary of the "Umbrella Movement", a failed 79-day occupation that called for universal suffrage.

NICOLAS ASFOURI | AFP | Getty Images

Hong Kong protesters were rebuilding "Lennon Walls" of anti-government graffiti on Saturday as they marked the fifth anniversary of the "Umbrella" pro-democracy movement that gridlocked the territory for weeks.

A series of pro- and anti-Beijing protests is planned for the Chinese-ruled city ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China on Tuesday, including at the consulate of former colonial power Britain.

Anti-government protesters have attacked the legislature, Beijing's main Liaison Office, occupied the airport, thrown petrol bombs at police, vandalised metro stations and set street fires in more than three months of unrest.

Police have responded with tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets and occasional live rounds fired into the air.

"They are not our children," China supporter Yau Mei-kwang said of the frontline activists. "Because at this age, they should be studying, not running to the airport, hitting people, hitting the police, insulting people. That is not right."

A pro-democracy protester at one Lennon Wall who only gave his name as Wong defended the use of violence.

"We know that they will not listen if we rally in peace because we are not on the same level," he said.

Some Lennon Walls were torn down by pro-Beijing activists last weekend. The large mosaics of Post-it notes calling for democracy have cropped up in underpasses, outside shopping centres, at bus stops and universities and outside the Legislative Council.

The anti-government protesters are angry about what they see as creeping Chinese interference in Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula guaranteeing freedoms that are not enjoyed on the mainland.

China dismisses the accusation. It has accused foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, of fanning anti-China sentiment.

'NOT SURE WHEN PROTEST WILL END'

"Lennon Walls carry the spirit of civil disobedience from the Umbrella movement," said pro-democracy protester Kelvin Law, 24.

"I am not sure when this protest will end. Either we win or we lose. But aslong as we are united and fight, generation after generation, we can achieve democracy."

Protesters appealed to the British two weeks ago to rein in China and ensure it respects the city's freedoms. They plan to do so again on Tuesday.

Britain says it has a legal responsibility to ensure China abides by the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which lays out the "one country, two systems" arrangement.

At the same time, it is pinning its hopes on closer trade and investment cooperation with China, which since 1997 has risen to become the world's second-largest economy, after it leaves the European Union at the end of October.

The protests were sparked in June by planned legislation, since withdrawn, that would have allowed the extradition of suspected criminals to mainland China. But they have since expanded into a broader pro-democracy movement.

The student-led Umbrella protests that gridlocked the city for 79 days 2014 failed to wrest concessions from Beijing.

One of the leaders of those protests, the bespectacled Joshua Wong, 22, said on Saturday he will run for local district council elections in November.

"It's time to let Emperor Xi (Chinese President Xi Jinping) be aware that now is our battle," he told reporters. "...We stand in solidarity, we stand as one.

The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China marked the Umbrella anniversary with a statement denouncing the "accelerated erosion" of Hong Kong's autonomy.

"We call on the Hong Kong government to make the selection of the Chief Executive and the election of all members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage a priority and take concrete steps to strengthen Hong Kong's autonomy," it said.

Dan Garrett, a U.S. academic who gave evidence before the commission, said on Twitter he was not allowed to land in Hong Kong on Thursday for the first time in 20 years of visiting and living in the territory.

Various protests are expected on Saturday and Sunday, but the biggest are likely to be on Tuesday, marking the Oct. 1 anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Activists plan a mass rally from Victoria Park in the bustling Causeway Bay district to Chater Garden, a cricket pitch back in colonial days, in downtown Central.

Official festivities for National Day have been scaled back, with authorities keen to avoid embarrassing Beijing at a time when Xi is seeking to project an image of national strength and unity.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/28/hong-kong-protesters-rebuild-lennon-walls-ahead-of-china-national-day.html

2019-09-28 10:35:49Z
52780392157355

Afghanistan presidential election: All the latest updates - Aljazeera.com

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, the fourth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is seen as the frontrunner in the 14-man race, with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive, considered his main rival.

Security forces are on high alert due to threats from the Taliban to attack polling stations.

Here are all the latest updates:

No contact with hundreds of polling centres

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it had lost contact with 901 of the country’s 5,373 polling centres.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang, head of the IEC secretariat, said the commission was not able to communicate with polling centers in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan, where telecom services were not active, local media TOLO News reported.

In addition, 464 polling centers in 17 provinces were closed, including 33 centres which lacked election materials, election commissioner Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah said.

'Trying to take my vote'

Shahla was not able to cast her ballot as IEC workers refused to help her cast a vote [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

A voter named Shahla said electoral workers at Naderia High School in Kabul's Kartei Parwan neighborhood refused her permission to cast her ballot because the system showed she had already voted.

"I've voted here before with the same ID. If I had already voted once today, why isn't my finger marked with ink?"

"I'm not illiterate, why would I do such a thing? They are trying to take my vote with a ridiculous, baseless claim," Shahla told Al Jazeera, expressing her anger and disappointment.

'In and out very quickly'

Mustafa Azizi said he did not face any problems voting at a school Chelsetoon, in west Kabul.

Mustafa Azizi, 27, voted at a school in Kabul's Chelsetoon area [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

"Everything was orderly, I was in and out very quickly," he said.

"I didn’t see anyone complaining but I've heard reports of issues at [Kabul's] Habibia [area]."

Problems reported with biometric devices

Dozens of people were turned away or had to wait for hours to vote at Kandahar’s Sayeed Jamaluddin High School due to problems with two biometric devices, according to reports.

Some 600 people were registered at this centre.

Similar issues were reported in Kunar province.

Afghan president hails landmark polls 

Ghani cast his ballot in Kabul, hailing the election as a sign of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.

"It is a moment of pride for me that a major part of the election expenses have been paid by the Afghan government," he said.

Ghani also stressed the need for fairness and urged election observers to monitor the process.

Ghani, right, casts his vote at Amani high school, near the presidential palace in Kabul [AP/Rahmat Gul]

Voting delays, heavy security

Independent Election Commission staff showed up late at a polling station in Kabul's Herati Masjed, delaying the voting process by almost an hour.

Shah Bolbol's name did not appear in the electoral roll and was turned back [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

At least four people were turned away after voting started amid problems with voters' names appearing in the electoral roll.

"The IEC is hiring incapable, illiterate people, this is why it's happening," Shah Bolbol, who waited for three hours to vote, told Al Jazeera.

He was asked to go to the IEC offices as his name did not appear on the voter list.

However, others were able to vote without any problems.

"The services were good, the security was good. I was very happy to go and vote. No one was afraid," Mohammd Wahid, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera.

Low turnout reported in Kabul

Reporting from a polling station in Kabul at 10am local time, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said the turnout appeared to be low compared with the 2014 presidential polls.

"Five years ago, when presidential elections were held there were lines of people here and now I have barely seen 200 people who have been voted here in the last two hour," he said.

"It's either because of the security situation or because people here become very disillusioned with the political situation. Five years ago, they were promised big changes, such as the economy and security will be improved, but none of that happened. So people here think if they vote it's going to be more of the same."

Birtley said there were reports of explosions in Kandahar and in the north of Kabul, while a mortar was reportedly fired in Helmand province.

Blast at Kandahar polling station wounds 15

At least 17 people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, a hospital official said, hours after the polls opened.

Naimatullah, the head of a regional hospital who only has one name, told AFP news agency that "15 people - all men - were injured and were brought to the hospital".

Voting under way across Afghanistan

Polls opened across Afghanistan in the country's fourth presidential election since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion.

Voting stations are scheduled to close at 5pm (12:30 GMT). 

Read more here.

Security tops voters' concerns

In the lead-up to the vote, the precarious security situation and the struggling economy seemed to be dominating voters' concerns.

"In Afghanistan, from the moment you wake up to when you put your head down to sleep, you are in danger," Kabul resident Farooq Saidzada said.

Read more here.

All you need to know about the polls

Who are the candidates? What are the main issues? What is being done to ensure security?

Go here to find out the answers to these questions - and much more.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/afghanistan-presidential-election-latest-updates-190928051301257.html

2019-09-28 10:26:00Z
52780394648753

Afghanistan presidential election: All the latest updates - Aljazeera.com

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, the fourth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is seen as the frontrunner in the 14-man race, with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive, considered his main rival.

Security forces are on high alert due to threats from the Taliban to attack polling stations.

Here are all the latest updates:

No contact with hundreds of polling centres

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it had lost contact with 901 of the country’s 5,373 polling centres.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang, head of the IEC secretariat, said the commission was not able to communicate with polling centers in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan, where telecom services were not active, local media TOLO News reported.

In addition, 464 polling centers in 17 provinces were closed, including 33 centres which lacked election materials, election commissioner Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah said.

'Trying to take my vote'

Shahla was not able to cast her ballot as IEC workers refused to help her cast a vote [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

A voter named Shahla said electoral workers at Naderia High School in Kabul's Kartei Parwan neighborhood refused her permission to cast her ballot because the system showed she had already voted.

"I've voted here before with the same ID. If I had already voted once today, why isn't my finger marked with ink?"

"I'm not illiterate, why would I do such a thing? They are trying to take my vote with a ridiculous, baseless claim," Shahla told Al Jazeera, expressing her anger and disappointment.

'In and out very quickly'

Mustafa Azizi said he did not face any problems voting at a school Chelsetoon, in west Kabul.

Mustafa Azizi, 27, voted at a school in Kabul's Chelsetoon area [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

"Everything was orderly, I was in and out very quickly," he said.

"I didn’t see anyone complaining but I've heard reports of issues at [Kabul's] Habibia [area]."

Problems reported with biometric devices

Dozens of people were turned away or had to wait for hours to vote at Kandahar’s Sayeed Jamaluddin High School due to problems with two biometric devices, according to reports.

Some 600 people were registered at this centre.

Similar issues were reported in Kunar province.

Afghan president hails landmark polls 

Ghani cast his ballot in Kabul, hailing the election as a sign of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.

"It is a moment of pride for me that a major part of the election expenses have been paid by the Afghan government," he said.

Ghani also stressed the need for fairness and urged election observers to monitor the process.

Ghani, right, casts his vote at Amani high school, near the presidential palace in Kabul [AP/Rahmat Gul]

Voting delays, heavy security

Independent Election Commission staff showed up late at a polling station in Kabul's Herati Masjed, delaying the voting process by almost an hour.

Shah Bolbol's name did not appear in the electoral roll and was turned back [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

At least four people were turned away after voting started amid problems with voters' names appearing in the electoral roll.

"The IEC is hiring incapable, illiterate people, this is why it's happening," Shah Bolbol, who waited for three hours to vote, told Al Jazeera.

He was asked to go to the IEC offices as his name did not appear on the voter list.

However, others were able to vote without any problems.

"The services were good, the security was good. I was very happy to go and vote. No one was afraid," Mohammd Wahid, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera.

Low turnout reported in Kabul

Reporting from a polling station in Kabul at 10am local time, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said the turnout appeared to be low compared with the 2014 presidential polls.

"Five years ago, when presidential elections were held there were lines of people here and now I have barely seen 200 people who have been voted here in the last two hour," he said.

"It's either because of the security situation or because people here become very disillusioned with the political situation. Five years ago, they were promised big changes, such as the economy and security will be improved, but none of that happened. So people here think if they vote it's going to be more of the same."

Birtley said there were reports of explosions in Kandahar and in the north of Kabul, while a mortar was reportedly fired in Helmand province.

Blast at Kandahar polling station wounds 15

At least 17 people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, a hospital official said, hours after the polls opened.

Naimatullah, the head of a regional hospital who only has one name, told AFP news agency that "15 people - all men - were injured and were brought to the hospital".

Voting under way across Afghanistan

Polls opened across Afghanistan in the country's fourth presidential election since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion.

Voting stations are scheduled to close at 3pm (11:00 GMT). 

Read more here.

Security tops voters' concerns

In the lead-up to the vote, the precarious security situation and the struggling economy seemed to be dominating voters' concerns.

"In Afghanistan, from the moment you wake up to when you put your head down to sleep, you are in danger," Kabul resident Farooq Saidzada said.

Read more here.

All you need to know about the polls

Who are the candidates? What are the main issues? What is being done to ensure security?

Go here to find out the answers to these questions - and much more.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/afghanistan-presidential-election-latest-updates-190928051301257.html

2019-09-28 09:55:00Z
52780394648753

Hundreds of boys, men freed from torture building in Nigeria - NBCNews.com

LAGOS, Nigeria — Hundreds of boys and men have been rescued from a building in northern Nigeria where they had been beaten, starved, sexually assaulted and chained, police said Friday.

Visible marks on their bodies showed that some had been tortured, police spokesman Yakubu Sabo in Kaduna State told The Associated Press, as shocked authorities tried to track down the families of what appeared to be some 400 victims.

"The condition under which we found the victims was so dehumanizing, many of them were chained," Sabo said.

Police carried out the rescue on Thursday following a tip. It was not immediately clear what led to police being contacted, or how such a vast scope of alleged abuses managed to go unnoticed.

Local television footage showed most of the victims in very bad condition, with some walking with difficulty.

The building's owner told police the children had been brought by their families to learn the Quran or because they had problems such as drug addiction. But police said the place was not licensed to run any reformatory or educational program.

Some of the male students of "different nationalities" sit on the floor in chains outside a torture chamber on Sept. 26, 2019 in the Rigasa area of Kaduna in northern Nigeria after being rescued by police.AFP - Getty Images

The owner and six others who were said to be teachers have been arrested, the police spokesman said.

Boys can be seen begging on the streets in cities across largely Muslim northern Nigeria. They often are sent away by their families for Quranic training but then can be turned out into the streets by their new guardians to beg to earn their keep.

The newly discovered abuses, authorities said Friday, were another level entirely.

An aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, who comes from the north, earlier this year noted the widespread view that the "almajiri" learning system associated with begging was a "security challenge and a scar on the face of Northern Nigeria."

But the aide, Garba Shehu, rejected reports that the president had banned the system, saying a ban would need to follow due process and consultation with relevant authorities.

"Indeed, the federal government wants a situation where every child of primary school age is in school rather than begging on the streets during school hours," he said. "At the same time, we don't want to create panic or a backlash."

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2019-09-28 09:29:00Z
52780394885131

Afghanistan presidential election: All the latest updates - Aljazeera.com

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, the fourth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is seen as the frontrunner in the 14-man race, with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive, considered his main rival.

Security forces are on high alert due to threats from the Taliban to attack polling stations.

Here are all the latest updates:

No contact with hundreds of polling centres

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it had lost contact with 901 of the country’s 5,373 polling centres.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang, head of the IEC secretariat, said the commission was not able to communicate with polling centers in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan, where telecom services were not active, local media TOLO News reported.

In addition, 464 polling centers in 17 provinces were closed, including 33 centres which lacked election materials, election commissioner Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah said.

'Trying to take my vote'

Shahla was not able to cast her ballot as IEC workers refused to help her cast a vote [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

A voter named Shahla said electoral workers at Naderia High School in Kabul's Kartei Parwan neighborhood refused her permission to cast her ballot because the system showed she had already voted.

"I've voted here before with the same ID. If I had already voted once today, why isn't my finger marked with ink?"

"I'm not illiterate, why would I do such a thing? They are trying to take my vote with a ridiculous, baseless claim," Shahla told Al Jazeera, expressing her anger and disappointment.

'In and out very quickly'

Mustafa Azizi said he did not face any problems voting at a school Chelsetoon, in west Kabul.

Mustafa Azizi, 27, voted at a school in Kabul's Chelsetoon area [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

"Everything was orderly, I was in and out very quickly," he said.

"I didn’t see anyone complaining but I've heard reports of issues at [Kabul's] Habibia [area]."

Problems reported with biometric devices

Dozens of people were turned away or had to wait for hours to vote at Kandahar’s Sayeed Jamaluddin High School due to problems with two biometric devices, according to reports.

Some 600 people were registered at this centre.

Similar issues were reported in Kunar province.

Afghan president hails landmark polls 

Ghani cast his ballot in Kabul, hailing the election as a sign of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.

"It is a moment of pride for me that a major part of the election expenses have been paid by the Afghan government," he said.

Ghani also stressed the need for fairness and urged election observers to monitor the process.

Ghani, right, casts his vote at Amani high school, near the presidential palace in Kabul [AP/Rahmat Gul]

Voting delays, heavy security

Independent Election Commission staff showed up late at a polling station in Kabul's Herati Masjed, delaying the voting process by almost an hour.

Shah Bolbol's name did not appear in the electoral roll and was turned back [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

At least four people were turned away after voting started amid problems with voters' names appearing in the electoral roll.

"The IEC is hiring incapable, illiterate people, this is why it's happening," Shah Bolbol, who waited for three hours to vote, told Al Jazeera.

He was asked to go to the IEC offices as his name did not appear on the voter list.

However, others were able to vote without any problems.

"The services were good, the security was good. I was very happy to go and vote. No one was afraid," Mohammd Wahid, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera.

Low turnout reported in Kabul

Reporting from a polling station in Kabul at 10am local time, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said the turnout appeared to be low compared with the 2014 presidential polls.

"Five years ago, when presidential elections were held there were lines of people here and now I have barely seen 200 people who have been voted here in the last two hour," he said.

"It's either because of the security situation or because people here become very disillusioned with the political situation. Five years ago, they were promised big changes, such as the economy and security will be improved, but none of that happened. So people here think if they vote it's going to be more of the same."

Birtley said there were reports of explosions in Kandahar and in the north of Kabul, while a mortar was reportedly fired in Helmand province.

Blast at Kandahar polling station wounds 15

At least 17 people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, a hospital official said, hours after the polls opened.

Naimatullah, the head of a regional hospital who only has one name, told AFP news agency that "15 people - all men - were injured and were brought to the hospital".

Voting under way across Afghanistan

Polls opened across Afghanistan in the country's fourth presidential election since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion.

Voting stations are scheduled to close at 5pm (12:30 GMT). 

Read more here.

Security tops voters' concerns

In the lead-up to the vote, the precarious security situation and the struggling economy seemed to be dominating voters' concerns.

"In Afghanistan, from the moment you wake up to when you put your head down to sleep, you are in danger," Kabul resident Farooq Saidzada said.

Read more here.

All you need to know about the polls

Who are the candidates? What are the main issues? What is being done to ensure security?

Go here to find out the answers to these questions - and much more.

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/afghanistan-presidential-election-latest-updates-190928051301257.html

2019-09-28 08:55:00Z
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