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Taliban Investigating Report That Islamic State Fired Rockets Into Tajikistan
Afghanistan's Taliban-led government says it is investigating reports that rockets have been fired into Tajikistan from Afghan territory.
The Islamic State (IS) extremist group said earlier on May 8 that it had fired eight rockets from Afghanistan into the territory of neighboring Tajikistan, according to an Afghan media report.
The Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) news agency quoted an IS press release claiming the militants had fired the rockets from the Khawaja Ghar district of Afghanistan's Takhar Province toward unspecified military targets in Tajikistan on May 7.
In a statement, however, Tajikistan said bullets, not rockets, were fired accidentally into Tajik territory during a firefight on the Afghan side of the border between Taliban forces and IS militants.
The press center of the State Committee for National Security said border troops have been put on alert but added that the situation at the border "is considered stable and under control" after "bullets accidentally crossed the territory of our country."
No casualties were reported. Neither account could be verified independently and there was no confirmation by the Taliban.
The local IS affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), is a foe of the Taliban militants who took over Afghanistan in August following a blitz offensive amid the withdrawal of U.S.-led international troops.
IS-K has claimed responsibility for a series of recent bombings, the worst of which was an attack last month on a mosque and religious school in the northern province of Kunduz that killed at least 33 people.
With reporting by AIP
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Which Countries Have Relations With The Taliban's Unrecognized Government?
No country in the world formally recognizes the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, where the extremist group seized power in 2021.
But some countries operate embassies in Kabul and have accepted diplomats appointed by the Taliban, which controls Afghan missions in some 14 nations in the region.
Russia is the latest country that is set to expand diplomatic ties with the militants. Moscow appears poised to delist the Taliban from its list of terrorist groups.
"This could be a step toward the Taliban gaining regional legitimacy," said Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.
Many countries have tied recognition to the Taliban establishing an inclusive government, ensuring women's rights, and breaking ties with extremist groups -- issues that the militants have refused to budge on.
But Afghanistan's neighbors, concerned about security, trade, migration, and drug trafficking, have been more open to establishing ties with the Taliban, said Smith.
The militants face major hurdles in gaining international legitimacy, and many Afghan missions around the world are still run by diplomats appointed by the former internationally recognized Afghan government.
But the hard-line Islamist group appears to be making headway in its strategy to gain recognition from countries in Afghanistan's backyard.
Russia is one of the few countries that has maintained its embassy in Kabul. In April 2022, Russia handed over the Afghan Embassy in Moscow to the militants, becoming the latest country to accredit Taliban-appointed diplomats without officially recognizing the Taliban-led government. Commenting on removing the Taliban from Russia's list of terrorist organizations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 28 that Moscow should "build relations" with the group.
In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping formally accepted the credentials of a Taliban-appointed ambassador, becoming the first head of state to do so. The Chinese Foreign Ministry clarified the move did not mean Beijing officially recognized the Taliban-led government. But the militants celebrated the move as a major diplomatic victory.
The Taliban gained control of the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad in October 2021. It was one of the first Afghan missions the group took over after regaining power. Pakistan is a longtime ally of the Taliban, although the sides have fallen out recently over the militants' alleged support for the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan extremist group.
Tehran also kept its embassy in Kabul open after the Taliban seized control of the capital. Iran formally handed over the Afghan Embassy to the Taliban in February 2023. Former foes, Iran and the Taliban have forged close ties despite sporadic border clashes.
New Delhi reopened its embassy in Kabul last year. But Afghan diplomatic missions in India are in limbo as diplomats appointed by the former Afghan government have tried to stave off Taliban attempts to take over the embassy and two consulates.
In December, Astana removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist groups. That came months after Kazakhstan accepted a new Afghan ambassador appointed by the Taliban.
Tashkent engaged the Taliban soon after the militants returned to power. In February, the Taliban appointed a diplomat to take charge of the Afghan Embassy in the Uzbek capital.
Ashgabat accepted a Taliban ambassador in March 2022. The sides have worked closely on regional energy and transport projects. But there have been sporadic tensions and border clashes.
The Taliban controls the Afghan consulate in the eastern Tajik city of Khorog. But the embassy is run by the ambassador appointed by the ex-Afghan government. Tajikistan is the only neighboring country to publicly oppose the Taliban's return to power, and Dushanbe has hosted some of the leaders of the National Resistance Front, an anti-Taliban resistance group.
Baku officially reopened its embassy in Kabul in March, following through on a pledge made last year. But it is not clear if there are any Taliban diplomats present in Azerbaijan.
The Afghan Embassy in Ankara is controlled by the ambassador appointed by the ex-Afghan government. But the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, is run by the Taliban. Several exiled Afghan political leaders are believed to reside in Turkey, including former Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum.
Doha has hosted a Taliban political office since 2013. The Qatari capital was the scene of negotiations between Taliban and U.S. officials that paved the way for the complete withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan in 2021. Qatar has engaged with the Taliban at the highest level and remains a key international interlocutor for its government, which controls the Afghan Embassy in Doha.
Saudi Arabia
Riyadh maintains an embassy in Kabul and continues to offer consular services for Afghans, thousands of whom work in the kingdom as laborers. After the Taliban takeover, Riyadh helped establish an Organization of Islamic Countries mission in Kabul. It is unclear if the Taliban controls all Afghan diplomatic missions in the oil-rich country.
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi also maintains an embassy in Kabul. The Taliban has appointed diplomats to the Afghan Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai.
Distrustful Of The Taliban, A Growing Number Of Afghans Ditch Banks
An increasing number of Afghans are taking out their money from banks and closing their accounts, a trend spurred by mistrust in the unrecognized Taliban government and concerns about the country's bleak economic outlook.
The Taliban takeover in 2021 triggered a cash and banking crisis. The militants were hit with international sanctions, and the country cut off from the global financial system and crucial foreign aid. Billions in the central bank's foreign reserves were frozen.
The economic meltdown forced some of the 12 state-owned and commercial banks to close, while others worked at limited capacity. Caps were placed on how much people were allowed to withdrawal from banks.
While the economy has somewhat recovered, Afghanistan is still in the grips of a devastating humanitarian crisis, mass unemployment, and rising poverty. And trust in the formal banking system has collapsed.
Experts say Afghans closing their bank accounts has helped further constrain the money supply in the country and placed further stress on the economy.
Cut off from the international banking system, more Afghans are also turning to hawala, an informal system of lenders.
'Concerning Trend'
Afghan banks lost around 11 percent of their customers from December 2022 to December 2023, according to the World Bank.
Among them was Ahmad, a resident of the western city of Herat. He said he closed his bank account after repeatedly trying and failing to transfer money inside the country.
"This indicates that the banks have failed," Ahmad, who only goes by one name, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "They have become untrustworthy."
Baseer, a resident of Kabul, also recently closed his bank accounts. He said he lost confidence in the banks after they enforced limits on how much of his own money he could withdraw.
"Bank employees used to harass and abuse us when we asked for our own money," he told Radio Azadi.
The Taliban initially set a weekly withdrawal limit of $200 for individual bank accounts. In December, the Taliban-run central bank increased the cap to $1,000.
A commercial bank employee in Kabul, who requested anonymity, said that strict controls over how much money account holders can withdraw has damaged banks' reputations.
The employee told Radio Azadi that banks' inability to return depositors' money made them "worthless" in customers' eyes.
According to the World Bank's 2017 Global Findex database, only 15 percent of Afghan adults had an account at any financial institution, a figure that has plummeted since the Taliban takeover.
The World Bank said in a report published in April that the banking sector since 2020 has lost around 25 percent of its total asset base, which it said signaled a "concerning trend for an already small industry."
"The banking sector is experiencing considerable strain from dwindling assets and deposits," the report said, adding that this has "spurred a greater dependence on cash and non-traditional payment methods, further tightening the money supply and aggravating economic downturn and deflation."
Azarakhsh Hafizi, an economist and former head of the Afghanistan International Chamber of Commerce, said that a modern economy is "incomplete without a banking system."
"Countries where banks can channel their customers' deposits to economic investments, such as building businesses and industry, are better off," he added. "When you do not have enough deposits in the banks, you cannot give loans to people [and businesses] that need them."
Sanctions And Islamic Banking
The strain on banks has been compounded by international sanctions.
Afghan banks have been cut off from the world's dominant financial transaction network, SWIFT, greatly inhibiting the Taliban government's ability to conduct trade.
It has also made it difficult for individuals and businesses in Afghanistan to transfer money and make payments.
Without access to SWIFT, Afghans are increasingly turning to the informal transfer system known as hawala, which uses individual brokers rather than banks. The system is difficult to trace and has been used by armed groups.
The Taliban's shift to Islamic banking has also hampered the banking sector, experts said.
Islamic banking, first developed in the 1970s in the Gulf states, prohibits the practice of lending money with interest. Like conventional banks, Islamic banks make their profits by loaning money to customers. But whereas a bank loans with interest, Islamic banks do so through buy-and-sell transactions.
In March, the Taliban appointed a committee to review laws for Afghanistan's central bank and the commercial banking sector.
The Taliban has said that Islamic banking prohibits "earning income through interest on investments, loans, or deposits."
In its recent report, the World Bank said the "banking sector's role as a financial intermediary is significantly hampered by the mandatory transition to Islamic Finance."
Flooding Kills 10 Members Of Same Family In Northeast Afghanistan
Flooding from heavy rainfall swept through a remote village in northeast Afghanistan, killing 10 members of a single family. Local Taliban officials in Badakhshan Province told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that four bodies had been recovered, and rescuers were searching for more after the May 26 flooding overnight. Mohammad Akram Akbari, the head of the provincial Anti-Disaster Department said a number of villages were hit by the flooding. In Baghlan, about 300 kilometers north of Kabul, Taliban officials said that 40 houses had been destroyed by flooding. The impoverished country has suffered a series of catastrophic floods this year. To see the original article by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.
The Azadi Briefing: Deadly Floods Worsen Hunger Crisis In Afghanistan
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
Flash floods that have ravaged Afghanistan in recent weeks have exacerbated the hunger crisis in the country, aid agencies said.
Hundreds of people have been killed, thousands of homes destroyed, and thousands of hectares of farmland wiped out by the floods in northern Afghanistan since May 10.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) has warned that flooding is likely to intensify in the months ahead, with a major impact on food security.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said flood-affected areas are "hunger hot spots, most of which are already in crisis levels of food insecurity."
Why It's Important: Survivors of the floods have said they urgently need help.
"We need shelter and water," Tora Khan, a resident of Baghlan, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Drinking water is very scarce because many wells were destroyed."
Relief organizations have struggled to deliver aid to at least 80,000 people affected by the floods, most of them in the provinces of Baghlan and Ghor.
Without help, there are fears that some Afghans are likely to succumb to disease or starvation.
"We are in dire need of water," said Mohammad Yaser, a resident of Baghlan, who added that some local charities had sent them some food and clean water.
"But we don't know how long until we run out," Yaser told Radio Azadi. "Maybe today or tomorrow."
The UN estimates that nearly 24 million Afghans out of a total population of 40 million need humanitarian assistance this year. The WFP said almost 16 million Afghans are acutely food insecure.
What's Next: Afghanistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to climate change. Experts say extreme weather events, including floods and droughts, are spurred by climate change and likely to increase.
The Taliban's unrecognized government is internationally isolated and international humanitarian funding for Afghanistan has been declining.
That is likely to make the country ill-equipped to prepare for and react to major natural disasters.
What To Keep An Eye On
Turkish Airlines has resumed flights to Afghanistan. The airline suspended air travel to the country in the wake of the Taliban's takeover in 2021.
Turkish Airlines said on May 21 that it will operate four flights from Istanbul to Kabul each week.
"I am jubilant," said Muska, a Kabul resident whose extended family lives in Turkey. "Now I can visit them, and they can visit us."
Last year, Fly Dubai became the first major airline to resume flights to Afghanistan. Air Arabia, another low-cost airline in the United Arab Emirates, also restarted flights soon after.
Why It's Important: Turkish Airlines flights will make it easier for members of the Afghan diaspora, which numbers around 6 million, to visit their homeland.
The flights will also help the isolated country connect with the rest of the world. Istanbul is a major international aviation hub.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at email@example.com
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
- By Reuters
Islamic State Claims Attack In Afghanistan That Killed 3 Spaniards
The Islamic State militant group on May 19 claimed responsibility for an attack by gunmen on tourists in Afghanistan's central Bamiyan Province. Three Spanish tourists were killed and at least one other was injured in the May 17 attack, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said. Abdul Matin Qane, spokesman for the Taliban-led government's Interior Ministry, said four people had been arrested over the attack. In addition to the three foreign tourists, one Afghan citizen was killed, and four foreigners and three Afghans were injured, according to Qane. Bamiyan is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the remains of two giant Buddha statues that were blown up by the Taliban during its previous rule in 2001.
'We Are Scared': Afghan Community, Foreign Students Warned To Stay Off Bishkek Streets
An Afghan refugee in Bishkek says he fears for his safety after violent mobs attacked foreigners in the Kyrgyz capital. The assault was allegedly directed at international students and migrants. Victims have said Pakistani and Indian students were targeted.
- By Reuters
50 Dead In Heavy Rain, Floods In Central Afghanistan
At least 50 people are dead following a fresh bout of heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, an official said on May 18. Mawlawi Abdul Hai Zaeem, head of the information department for the central Ghor Province, told Reuters there was no information about how many people were injured in the rain spell that began a day earlier, which had also cut off many key roads to the area. Zaeem added that 2,000 houses were completely destroyed, 4,000 partially damaged, and more than 2,000 shops were under water in the province's capital, Feroz-Koh.
At Least 4 Killed In Attack On Foreign Tourists In Afghanistan
At least four people were killed in an armed attack on a group of foreign tourists at a market in Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan on May 17, according to government and security sources.
Taliban-led Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qane was quoted by AFP as saying that 11 people were shot and that four of them, including three foreigners, died. Among the other seven victims were four foreigners and three Afghans, he added.
But a Taliban security source told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi that the attack left eight people dead.
The source, who asked not to be named, told RFE/RL that five Afghan civilians and three foreigners were shot dead. The governor of Bamiyan did not respond to RFE/RL's requests for additional information about the shooting.
Qane said the foreigners were tourists but did not provide their nationalities.
Hospital sources quoted by AFP said preliminary information indicated that three Spanish nationals were killed, and that the wounded were from Norway, Australia, Lithuania, and Spain.
A spokesman for the Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed to Reuters that Spanish nationals were among the victims in the attack. The spokesman said the total number of victims had yet to be confirmed.
Security forces have arrested four people in connection with the attack, Qane said.
The Taliban government "strongly condemns this crime, expresses its deep feelings to the families of the victims, and assures that all the criminals will be found and punished," Qane said in a statement.
Afghanistan has been attracting more and more tourists since improvements in security following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of international forces.
The Bamiyan region is home to many members of the mainly Shi'ite Hazara ethnic minority. The historically persecuted religious minority has been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State extremist group, which considers them heretics.
In 2001, the Taliban blew up the giant, centuries-old Buddha statues that were carved into cliffs at Bamiyan. The statues once stood alongside caves, monasteries, and shrines that are among the tourist attractions in the province.
Before blowing up the statues, the hard-line Islamist group declared them "false idols." Their destruction has been called the "cultural crime of the century."
With reporting by AFP
Intense Border Clashes Between Taliban, Pakistan Cause Deaths, Destruction
At least one Taliban border guard and one Pakistani soldier have been killed and several more injured in the latest border clashes between them.
The clashes continued into the early hours of May 17 after they first erupted five days ago. Pakistani and Taliban forces targeted each other in several places along the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktia and Khost, which borders Pakistan's western Kurram district.
Most of the casualties occurred on May 15 when one Pakistani soldier was killed and six more injured after a Taliban rocket hit their post, according to official sources in the country. The Taliban also acknowledged the death of one of its fighters.
"Intense shooting is spreading a wave of fear among locals," Imran Ali, a Pashtun tribal leader in Kurram, told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal on May 17.
Sameer Khan, a resident of the Teri Mangal area straddling the border, said that locals are moving to safer regions after mortar shells landed in civilian homes.
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, a Taliban official in eastern Afghanistan, said they are collecting information on the human and material losses in the fighting.
The clashes erupted on May 13 after Pakistani forces began repairing the barbed-wire fence it first erected in 2017 to demarcate the Durand Line border, which no government in Afghanistan has formally recognized after it was first drawn by the British Empire in India in 1893.
Relations between Afghanistan's Islamist rulers and Pakistan have been tense since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Islamabad blames the Taliban for sheltering the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TPP), a longtime ideological and organizational ally of the Taliban.
The recent tensions were partly flamed by an alleged Pakistani air strike in the southeastern Paktika Province, reportedly targeted by the Pakistani Taliban.
On May 12, at least seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and two more injured in two separate militant attacks in Pakistan's North Waziristan district, which borders Paktika.
Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, director of news at the Khorasan Diary, a website tracking militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, says the Taliban blames Islamabad's border fence for the tensions. At the same time, Pakistani authorities allege that the TTP is exploiting the border to infiltrate Pakistan with the help of the Taliban.
"Unlike previous Afghan regimes led by Karzai and Ghani, which largely relied on verbal criticisms over border issues, the Taliban has resorted to force," he said, referring to former Afghan presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani.
He said that the clashes have severely disrupted trade between the two countries, wreaking havoc among the Pashtun border communities in the two countries.
"Border tensions not only disrupt trade but also undermine trust," he said. "This underscores the pressing need for a peaceful resolution to this long-standing dispute."
But both the Taliban and Islamabad have been silent over the clashes, which experts say might indicate a complete breakdown in their relations.
The Azadi Briefing: New Leaks Reveal The Luxury Dubai Properties Of Ex-Afghan Officials
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
Leaked data has revealed that some officials of the former Western-backed Afghan government own luxury properties in Dubai.
The Dubai Unlocked project, a joint investigation by more than 70 media outlets, named 10 ex-officials or their relatives as holders of multimillion-dollar apartments, houses, or villas in Dubai.
They include former parliament speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani and his son, Ajmal Rahmani. The pair own more than $15 million in real estate in Dubai, according to the documents.
Others named in the leaks include ex-intelligence chief Asadullah Khalid, who owns a villa worth around $5.4 million, and the brother and son of Mohammad Qasim Fahim, the late former defense minister and vice president, who own luxury properties worth more than $4.6 million.
Former ministers Amirzai Sangin, Atiqullah Baryalai, Ratib Popal, a cousin of ex-President Hamid Karzai, and former Ambassador Ahmad Wali Masud also own expensive Dubai properties, according to the leaks.
Why It's Important: After the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the first Taliban regime, Washington allocated billions of dollars for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
Many ex-Afghan officials and U.S. contractors, some of them members of the new Afghan political elite, were accused of skimming some of those funds.
The Dubai Unlocked project has revealed that at least some of them purchased luxury properties in the United Arab Emirates.
The leaks have put the spotlight on the widespread corruption that was endemic under former Afghan administrations.
"Corruption was one of the factors that led to the collapse of the republic," Khan Zaman Amarkhel, an Afghan anti-corruption expert, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
What's Next: It is unclear if all the former U.S. contractors and Afghan officials named in the leaks and accused of corruption will be held accountable.
In December, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Rahmanis for "misappropriation of millions of dollars."
In January, the Rahmanis filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C. But in April, a court rejected their efforts to lift the Treasury sanctions until the case was settled.
The lawsuit revealed that the Rahmanis continue to hold Cypriot passports and own more than $212 million worth of real estate in Germany.
What To Keep An Eye On
The emergency situation in areas of Afghanistan hit by flash floods that have killed hundreds of people remains dire, according to rescuers and aid organizations.
Relief efforts have been hampered by the floods, which have made many roads inaccessible to trucks transporting food, medicine, and tents.
Twenty-five of the country's 34 provinces have been affected by the recent floods, which were triggered by heavy rains on May 10. The northern province of Baghlan, where more than 300 people have died, remains the worst-affected region.
Some of the flood victims in Baghlan said they have received little help.
They include the family of Mohammad Alam, a resident of Baghlan. "The flood didn't last long, but it came over me like a mountain," he told Radio Azadi. "It took my son and wife. We have lost a total of six people."
Why It's Important: Thousands of people continue to be displaced and urgently need food, shelter, and medicine.
International groups and Taliban officials have warned that the death toll could rise significantly. Hundreds of people are missing and feared dead.
The flash floods have exacerbated the devastating humanitarian crisis in the country, making thousands of people homeless and robbing many in agricultural areas of their livelihoods.
That's all from me for now.
Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at firstname.lastname@example.com
Until next time,
Abubakar Siddique
If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
Taliban's Drug Ban, Heavy-Handed Tactics Fuel Deadly Protests In Northern Afghanistan
Afghanistan's northern province of Badakhshan has been the scene of violent protests against the Taliban in recent weeks.
The rare demonstrations have been fueled by the militant group's forceful enforcement of its ban on illicit drugs, a lifeline for tens of thousands of impoverished farmers.
The Taliban has violently clamped down on the rallies, shooting and killing several protesters and rounding up dozens of locals.
The anti-Taliban rallies, observers say, reveal the anger at the hard-line Islamist group's unpopular policies and its use of heavy-handed tactics to crush dissent.
"This is an alarm bell for the ruling Taliban," said Nazifa Haqpal, a British-based Afghan researcher. "The Taliban's despotic governance based on brute force is not working."
Nearly three years after the Taliban seized power, the group has shown little interest in "understanding [Afghans'] issues or adopting appropriate policies" to address them, said Haqpal.
'Anger And Protests'
Protests broke out on May 3-4 in Badakhshan's Darayim and Argo districts after Taliban forces tasked with clearing poppy crops clashed with farmers. Locals said the Taliban opened fire and killed two people.
The Taliban sent a delegation to negotiate with the farmers and later said calm had been restored.
But on May 13, protests again erupted in the Argo district. The Taliban responded with brute force, killing two people and wounding more than a dozen others, locals said.
"People did not want their crops to be destroyed," Shamsuddin Mubarez, a resident of the Argo district, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
When locals protested, Mubarez said, the Taliban responded by using force. That created "more troubles," he said.
Kalimullah Humsukhan, a resident of the Darayim district, told Radio Azadi that the Taliban's forced eradication of poppy fields triggered "anger and protests" in the district earlier in May. He said locals resented the militants' violent tactics.
'Little Or Nothing'
Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women, waged a brutal crackdown on dissent, and monopolized power.
The group's extremist policies have angered Afghans and made its unrecognized government an international pariah.
The Taliban's 2022 drug ban has significantly reduced the production of opium. But the group has failed to provide farmers with alternative livelihoods and crops, pushing many deeper into poverty amid a devastating economic and humanitarian crisis.
Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the Taliban's ban on narcotics has hit farmers in mountainous areas such as Badakhshan particularly hard, because they have smaller and less productive farms.
"Farmers do not have large stockpiles and little or nothing in reserve to sell," he said.
Smith said "the only answer [for farmers] now will be nonfarm employment" because alternative crops cannot replace opium, whose price has skyrocketed in recent years.
'Afghan Spring'
The deadly protests in Badakhshan are not isolated.
On May 9, the Taliban killed at least four people after a rally in the eastern province of Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan.
The militants ordered locals to vacate their homes to make way for the construction of a customs clearing facility. Locals resisted the demolition and blocked a major highway. The Taliban responded by firing on the crowd.
Smith said it was not a coincidence that there has been unrest in Nangarhar and Badakhshan, which contributed significantly to the ranks of the armed forces of the former Western-backed Afghan government.
"Now the survivors from those defeated forces are suffering high levels of unemployment," he said.
Badakhshan is also a predominately ethnic Tajik region and was once a bastion of resistance to the Taliban in the 1990s. The Taliban is mostly made up of Pashtuns.
Haqpal said the protests are evidence of the "political and legal consciousness" that was formed in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the Taliban's first regime.
The Taliban could face an "Afghan Spring" if such "protests get organized and spread," she said.
- By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and
- Will Tizard
'It Took All My Family': Afghan Survivors Recount Fierce Flash Flood
Victims of flash floods in northern Afghanistan say they have lost family and homes since heavy rains first struck the region on May 10. Thousands have been made homeless and hundreds are dead with just as many still missing, according to authorities. Many survivors are still awaiting tents, food aid, and medical care.
'There's Nothing Left': Victims Of Devastating Afghan Floods Struggling For Survival
Sabzinah survived the devastating flash floods that have ripped through northern Afghanistan and left hundreds dead and missing.
But the mother of three is now struggling to keep her family alive as international aid groups battle to deliver medicines, blankets, and food to affected communities, most of them in Baghlan Province.
"We don't have anything," Sabzinah, whose home in Baghlan's Barka district was washed away in the floods, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "We're hungry and thirsty."
"We haven't received a tent yet," she added. "My leg was injured, but the doctor could only give me a tablet for the pain."
Sabzinah is among the tens of thousands of people affected by the flash floods triggered by heavy rains on May 10. Deadly floods have also been reported in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Ghor, and Faryab in recent days.
At least 315 people have been killed in Baghlan alone, according to the United Nations, which added that around 1,600 people were injured and hundreds more were still missing as of May 12. Nearly 3,000 homes were washed away, the world body said.
Rescuers and aid organizations are in a fight against time to reach affected communities.
The World Health Organization said on May 12 that it had delivered 7 tons of medicines and emergency kits to stricken areas. But relief efforts have been hampered by the floods, which have made most of Baghlan inaccessible to trucks.
Some flood victims say they have received little help.
"Some people were able to pull themselves from the floods," Khoda Dad, a resident of Barka district, told Radio Azadi. "But now, everyone is homeless. We need food and also blankets to survive the nights."
Shamsullah, a volunteer in Baghlan's Nahrin district who only goes by one name, said the flash floods were unprecedented.
"There's nothing left after these floods," he told Radio Azadi. "If you look around, you will think that no one lived here."
As rescuers and locals search for the hundreds of people missing, aid organizations have warned that the death toll from the floods in Baghlan could rise sharply.
The floods have worsened the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, already the world's largest, where millions of people are on the verge of starvation.
In March and April, heavy rains and floods killed over 100 people and injured scores in central and eastern Afghanistan.
Hayatullah Rasooli, head of the World Food Program office in northeastern Afghanistan, said on May 13 that the floods in Baghlan had ravaged a region where most people "already faced emergency levels of hunger" and deprived them of their main livelihoods -- agriculture.
"The damage is enormous," said Din Mohammad, a farmer in Baghlan's Dana-e Ghoari district, adding that the floods had destroyed vegetable crops on more than 1,000 acres of farmland.
Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by Faiza Ibrahimi of RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
- By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi and
- Will Tizard
Deadly Flash Floods Hit Northern Afghanistan
Emergency crews continue scrambling to rescue victims of massive flash floods in remote areas of northern Afghanistan, where hundreds have died. Torrents caused by heavy rainfall have struck communities in Baghlan Province, the worst-hit area, and thousands of homes have been destroyed in Badakhshan, Takhar, Ghor, Faryab, and other provinces.
- By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi,
- AP and
Search For Survivors Continues Following Deadly Flash Flooding In Northern Afghanistan
Rescue crews are searching for victims in hard-to-reach areas of northern Afghanistan, where at least 300 people have died in flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
Search For Victims Under Way As Death Toll Hits 315 In Afghan Flooding
Emergency crews battled the elements as they searched for victims in hard-to-reach areas of northern Afghanistan, where at least 315 people have died in flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall. The Taliban, Afghanistan's de facto rulers, on May 12 said at least 1,630 people were injured in Baghlan Province, the worst-hit area, and more than 2,660 homes destroyed. Badakhshan, Takhar, Ghor, Faryab, and other provinces have also been hit by the flooding. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that the UN and "its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.
Aid Workers Say Death Toll Over 300 From Flooding In Northern Afghanistan
The latest wave of flooding in northern Afghanistan from heavy seasonal rains has left more than 300 people dead and many more injured and more than 1,000 homes destroyed, according to UN World Food Program (WFP) officials.
The WFP figure is twice the death toll reported hours earlier on May 11 by a spokesman for the Taliban-led government's Interior Ministry.
Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qaniee told Reuters that at least 135 people were injured.
Baghlan Province was initially said to be among the hardest-hit areas, but officials added Badakhshan, Ghor, and Herat provinces to that list.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid expressed "profound sorrow" and cited a "grievous toll" in those four regions.
He also cited "extensive devastation" and "significant financial losses."
The Taliban Defense Ministry said on May 11 that air forces were evacuating stranded residents in Baghlan and had transported some to military hospitals.
The Taliban-led government is recognized only by China, although a number of countries work with those authorities in many cases to help alleviate the humanitarian hardships that have continued since the Taliban captured most of the country in mid-2021 as U.S.-led international troops withdrew and the UN-backed government fled.
With reporting by Reuters
Afghan Policemen Killed In Blast During Mission To Eradicate Poppy Crops
Three policemen were killed and five others injured when a bomb exploded near a police convoy on a mission to destroy illegal poppy crops in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan region, the country's Taliban rulers said on May 8. Spokesman Ehsanullah Kamgar said explosives had been placed on a motorcycle when they were detonated. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Protests broke out on May 3-4 in the region when the Taliban attempted to forcefully eradicate the poppy crop. The Islamist group banned poppy cultivation in April 2022 after returning to power in August 2021. Afghanistan is the world's top producer of the poppy, from which opium and heroin are developed. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.
'One-Party Rule': Taliban Wages Crackdown On Political Parties
The Taliban is widening its crackdown on dissent by targeting political parties in Afghanistan.
The extremist group banned all political parties last year. But in recent months, the Taliban has clamped down on parties still deemed to be active.
Among the high-profile targets is the Hezb-e Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, one of Afghanistan's most notorious ex-warlords and a former militant leader.
The move comes as the Taliban intensifies its efforts to stifle opposing voices in Afghanistan, where scores of journalists and activists have been jailed since the militants' takeover in 2021.
'Bad Policies'
Hekmatyar signed a peace deal with the former Afghan government in 2016, under which he was granted security and a government-funded residence in the capital, Kabul.
The 76-year-old initially welcomed the Taliban's resumption of control in Afghanistan. But he has grown increasingly critical of the group, which has monopolized power, severely curtailed women's rights, and stamped out the free press.
In March, the Taliban forced Hekmatyar out of his government-funded residence and barred him from holding his Friday sermons. Members of his party were then prevented from meeting with him in his new residence in the capital.
In April, a TV station owned by Hezb-e Islami was shut down. Barya TV mainly aired Hekmatyar's speeches and sermons.
"Totalitarian regimes deeply believe in one-party rule," said Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer of politics at the American University of Afghanistan and Hekmatyar's grandson.
Hezb-e Islami and the Taliban are both hard-line Islamist groups that are mostly made up of Pashtuns.
"Some Taliban followers revere Hekmatyar and agree with his criticism of the group's bad policies, which the Taliban leader sees as a threat to his authority and the group's unity," Baheer said.
In August 2023, the Taliban formally banned all political parties in Afghanistan in a decree issued by Justice Minister Abdul Hakim Sharai.
Sharai, during a gathering in March, reiterated that "parties have no place in our political system." He added that "even mentioning the name of a party is a crime."
The minister also claimed that the Taliban had shown "full respect" to Hekmatyar.
'Sacred Duty'
Hameed Hakimi, an Afghanistan expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank, said the ban on political parties is aimed at preventing any future political opposition.
"The disenfranchisement and disarming of Hekmatyar sends a signal to those like him," said Hakimi.
Under the Taliban's theocratic system, spiritual leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, who is the "Amir ul-Momineen," or the leader of the faithful, has the final say on all important matters.
The Taliban sees "Afghans as subjects of Islamic law," said Hakimi, adding that obedience to Akhundzada is seen as Afghans' "sacred duty."
"It is detrimental to the future of Afghanistan," Hakimi said. "And detrimental to any sense of pluralism."
Isa Ishaqzai, president of the Afghanistan National Congress party, said the Taliban is "terrified" at the prospect of Afghans raising their voices for "justice, human rights, and national interests."
"Political parties can inform people," Ishaqzai told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
Iran Seeks To Tighten Crackdown On Afghan Refugees
Iran says it has expelled some 1.3 million foreigners over the past year, highlighting a significant crackdown by the government on unauthorized migrants, primarily Afghan refugees.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told a press briefing that the efforts to regulate foreign nationals needs to be bolstered with legislative reforms to tighten border controls and prevent any future influx of unauthorized migrants.
"To stop unauthorized nationals from entering Iran, it is necessary to amend the relevant laws in parliament," Vahidi said in an indication the government doesn't plan to heed calls from human rights groups to ensure a fair immigration policy.
Vahidi added that "effective" laws must be enacted to deal with expelled individuals who have managed to re-enter Iran after being deported. He did not elaborate.
Iranian officials typically use the term "unauthorized nationals" to refer to Afghan refugees and Vahidi's statement is seen as an indication that the government plans to continue with its efforts to deport those who have fled the Taliban regime.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, Iran currently hosts around 3.4 million foreign refugees, with Afghans comprising the largest single group. The agency requested $114 million in aid for Iran last year to support refugee management, of which Tehran had received over $26 million by mid-2023.
This year, the refugee agency has sought $110 million in aid for Iran, with commitments from several countries, including Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, and Germany, to cover part of the sum.
Iran ranks alongside Turkey as one of the top host countries for refugees globally. The issue of Afghan migration has regained prominence following the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, leading to an increase in the number of refugees seeking safety outside their home country.
Recent government estimates suggest significant discrepancies in the number of unauthorized Afghan nationals in Iran, with figures ranging from 500,000 to 1.2 million, according to last year's assessment by the head of the National Immigration Organization.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
- By AP
Taliban Rejects Claims Of Afghan Involvement In Recent Attacks In Pakistan
The Taliban has rejected claims of Afghan involvement in recent attacks in Pakistan, calling it "irresponsible and far from the reality." Pakistan's military said on May 7 that a suicide bombing which killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver in March was planned in neighboring Afghanistan and that the bomber was an Afghan citizen. Major General Ahmad Sharif, a spokesman for Pakistan's army, has said that four men have been arrested. Enayatullah Khawarazmi, a spokesman for the Taliban's Defense Ministry, said in a statement on May 8 that "blaming Afghanistan for such incidents is a failed attempt to divert attention from the truth of the matter and we strongly reject it."
To read the original story by AP, click here.
Pakistan Says Afghan-Based Extremists Killed 5 Chinese Engineers
Pakistan's military has again accused Kabul of providing sanctuary for militants, alleging on May 7 that a March 26 suicide bombing that killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver was planned in neighboring Afghanistan. Major General Ahmad Sharif, a Pakistani Army spokesman, said the bomber was an Afghan citizen. He said members of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- a radical Islamist group designated as a terrorist organization by Washington -- are based in Afghanistan and have been conducting regular attacks inside Pakistan. Sharif alleged that Pakistan has shared "concrete evidence" with the Taliban government on the issue but that it hasn't been acted upon. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, click here.
- By Ray Furlong
Muddy Floodwaters Surge Through Afghan Villages
Surging brown waters were seen cascading through rural houses and shops in Afghanistan's Ghor Province in the latest flooding to hit the country. Taliban authorities say more than 1,000 families were forced from their homes by heavy rains in recent days. The calamity comes after Afghanistan also suffered heavy flooding that claimed more than 100 lives in March and April.
Locals Protest After Taliban Crackdown Roils Northeast Afghan Province
Residents of two remote districts in the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan have demanded more accountability and better treatment from the authorities after a Taliban crackdown on protests killed at least two people.
Protests broke on May 3 and 4 in the Darayim and Argo districts when the Taliban attempted to forcefully eradicate the poppy crop. The hard-line Islamist group banned poppy cultivation in April 2022 after returning to power in August 2021.
"People are willing to cooperate in eradicating their opium crops peacefully," Shamsuddin Mubarez, a young activist in Argo, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi on May 6.
"People responsible for destroying the poppy crops should be locals from Badakhshan," he added while outlining their demands.
A resolution adopted by the residents of Argo also demands that Taliban authorities arrest and punish the perpetrators of the shooting that killed Abdul Basit, 23, a local farmer.
In Darayim, a resident speaking on condition of anonymity said that residents refused to talk to a Taliban delegation made up of provincial officials on May 5.
Nizamuddin, a farmer in Darayim's Qarlaq village, was killed. Three more protesters were injured after the Taliban fighters attempted to quell the protest that erupted after they began destroying the poppy crop on May 3.
"People want the Taliban government to hear our voice," a resident of Darayim told Radio Azadi. "But they acted dictatorially and didn't listen to us."
Abdul Matin Qane, the spokesman for the Taliban-led Interior Ministry, told the BBC that local demands for prosecuting the Taliban security forces responsible for the killings in Badakhshan were "completely justified."
The Taliban government has appointed its army's chief of staff, Fasihuddin Fitrat, a native of Badakhshan, to head a delegation to negotiate with the protesting farmers in the province.
In a purported audio message on May 6, he urged locals to "urgently" end their protests because their agitation would be seen as a rebellion, which could prompt the Taliban to send security forces to quell any unrest.
At least one person was killed in similar protests in Badakhshan last year.
The Taliban ban has pushed the price of illicit opium in Afghanistan to $1,000. But it has pushed tens of thousands of impoverished farmers to extreme poverty because poppies were the best cash crop in the arid, mountainous country.
The Talibans internationally isolated government has so far failed to attract any significant international aid or investments to help Afghan poppy farmers.
Russia Inches Toward Marriage Of Convenience With Taliban In Terror Fight
Shortly after the Taliban seized power, Russia addressed the question of whether it was time to review the militant group's status as a terrorist organization.
"It is very important to see what the Taliban's first steps in governing Afghanistan will be like," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 30, 2021. "Conclusions can be formed after this."
Two and a half years later -- despite the Taliban's failure to deliver on its promises to form an inclusive government, adhere to basic human rights norms, and prevent Afghan territory from becoming a safe haven for transnational extremist groups -- a mutual enemy appears to be forcing a decision.
Since a deadly terrorist attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group near Moscow on March 22, Russia has increasingly talked up its relationship with the Taliban, which is battling the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) offshoot in Afghanistan that is believed to have carried out the attack.
While the Taliban's government is globally unrecognized, Peskov said last month that Moscow has to resolve "pressing issues" that demand increased dialogue with the militant group, whose leaders are "actually the ones in power in Afghanistan."
Considering the importance Russia places on Afghanistan in maintaining regional security in the face of a rising IS-K threat, boosting engagement with the Taliban holds benefits for Moscow, observers say.
Alec Bertina of Militant Wire, a research outlet that tracks militant groups, says that Russia removing the Taliban from its terror blacklist could be the beginning of a "marriage of convenience."
"As much as it's kind of an amusing idea for Russia and the Taliban to get cozy, it's in their security interest to do so right now," Bertina said. "Given the mutual security threat, and that the Taliban can be used basically to take the hits and casualties that come with fighting IS, it's sort of a no-brainer."
When it emerged in Afghanistan a decade ago, IS-K staged attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its targets included Western forces in Afghanistan as well as the Taliban, which opposed the former Afghan government and vied with IS-K for influence among the dozens of extremist groups active in the country.
Since the Taliban took over, IS-K has maintained pressure on the Taliban, whose rule it rejects, and has worked to "make life as difficult as possible" for its de facto government, said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington.
Its attacks against the Taliban, religious minorities, and foreign targets in Afghanistan were designed to "undermine the Taliban's legitimacy in order to convince the Afghan people that the Taliban is unable to provide peace and security in the country," Kugelman told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
IS-K has also openly challenged its rival in a sophisticated propaganda campaign, mocking the Taliban government's desire to be recognized by the international community and accusing it of adhering to an "ignorant" brand of Islam.
The group has also increasingly expanded its reach further abroad, including with deadly attacks in Iran, Russia, and Central Asia, a major recruiting ground for IS-K fighters.
"Its main bases are still in Afghanistan, most of its attacks are in Afghanistan, but this is a regional affiliate of Islamic State that has increasingly global goals," Kugelman said of IS-K.
As evidenced by the recent attack on a concert venue that killed more than 140 people and injured hundreds more -- the deadliest terrorist attack on Russian soil in two decades -- Moscow has reason to treat the IS-K with urgency and to forge greater cooperation with one of the group's main adversaries.
"Russian outreach and concessions to the Taliban are likely meant, at least in part, to signal Moscow's confidence in the Taliban's ability to degrade the IS-K threat," Kugelman told RFE/RL in written comments.
The Taliban was designated as a terrorist organization by Russia in 2003, two years after it was pushed from power by U.S.-led forces.
After returning to power, the Taliban initially dismissed the IS-K threat and has insisted that the group is not active on Afghan soil, even as it consistently developed its capabilities to confront the group and destroyed IS-K cells.
Most recently, in April, the Taliban reportedly ordered the creation of a special military unit to fight the IS-K.
But "whatever the Taliban has done against IS-K, it hasn't stopped IS-K from being able to conduct external operations in other countries," Bertina said, noting that it has proved incapable of preventing IS-K's recruitment efforts.
That, Bertina said, has led Russia and other countries to discuss "whether it may be of interest to help [the Taliban] out a little bit in their fight."
Moscow's de-listing of the Taliban from its terror blacklist, Bertina said, could pave the way for Russia to potentially "start giving the Taliban resources to better fight IS-K."
Bertina says he envisions a situation in which the Taliban would bear the brunt of the fighting on the ground in Afghanistan, with Russia providing intelligence. Russia would be unlikely to "be too vocal" about direct raids on IS-K in Afghanistan, "considering the uncomfortable history Russia has regarding counterterrorism operations when it comes to countries like Afghanistan."
Kugelman also sees value in Russia cooperating with the Taliban on the counterterrorism front, citing the Taliban's "willingness and capacity to carry out scorched-earth ground campaigns against IS-K."
Russia, while bogged down in its war against Ukraine, could potentially offer the Taliban "arms, money, and even training and advising to help the Taliban do more damage against the IS-K," Kugelman said.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
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Synopsis: | During WWII, troublesome allied POWs are thrown by the Nazis into an escape-proof camp, where they join forces in a single mass break for freedom. One of the great war movies, with a superb ensemble cast and lots of excitement. The story was true, based on the novel by Paul Brickhill. McQueen performed most of the stunts himself, against the wishes of director Sturges. Followed by a made for TV movie 25 years later. |
Directed by: | John Sturges |
Producer(s): | James Clavell, John Sturges, United Artists |
Cast: | Tom Adams, Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum, James Donald, Gordon Jackson, Hannes Messemer, John Leyton, Nigel Stock, Jud Taylor, Hans Reiser, Robert Freitag, Karl Otto Alberty, Angus Lennie, Robert Graf, Harry Riebauer |

subset: commoncrawl


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Still wondering about a few things? Here's a list of our most frequently asked questions of our affiliate managers ‒ find the information you need!
General Affiliate Questions:
What is BreakThru.com? BreakThru.com is a personals network of 16 different sites that caters to all kinds of people, interests, and desires -- with over 8 million active members worldwide (and growing every day!). BreakThru.com has been a leader in online personals since 1996, making us one of the oldest and most established of its kind on the Internet. What is BreakThru.com's affiliate program? BreakThru.com's affiliate program is an easy-to-join system that enables Webmasters to earn monthly paychecks by promoting one or more of the sites within our diverse network. How much will I earn? Our affiliate program is the HIGHEST PAYING ANYWHERE, with many affiliates making 75 cents per click or up to 100% of every premium membership. Our monthly payout is over $500,000, with some of our best affiliates making over $30,000 per month. So the amount you earn is up to you, the more traffic you send, the more money you will make. Does it cost anything to become an affiliate? No. It costs absolutely nothing to become an affiliate. In fact you can start earning money almost immediately, because it takes just a few minutes to sign up, and only a bit longer to put our banner or descriptive text link onto your web page. Does my site qualify for your Partner programs? As long as you have a site that does not contain or promote illegal activity or materials, you are welcome to become one of our Affiliate Partners. We have no minimum traffic level for you to worry about. What is the difference between the Click-through, Per Member, Per Order, and Percentage Affiliate programs? We have different rates and programs for each of our sites. The details are listed on each site. 1. The Click-through Program pays you a variable number of cents per unique click-through depending upon which site you're promoting and the quality of traffic you send from your site to ours. 2. The Per Order Program pays you a fixed amount for any order placed on our site, regardless of order type or length of the membership. 3. The Per Member Program pays you a fixed amount for each person who signs up for a free membership. 4. The Percentage Program pays you a percentage of initial premium membership fees plus a bonus for each free signup. What does it mean to co-brand a site? BreakThru.com provides its affiliates the opportunity to "co-brand" their site. This means that when one of your viewers clicks one of our banners, they'll end up on a BreakThru.com site, but they'll see your prominently placed logo and site name. This bolsters your credibility as a legitimate service, not just another fly-by-night Internet business. Can I earn money by referring other websites to sign up under my account? The broker program allows you to refer other webmasters to our affiliate programs. When a webmaster uses your link to signup to advertise Adult FriendFinder, we will pay you a percentage of that webmaster's earnings. Please contact us to find out more. Do you accept non-English traffic? Yes. Sites that are not written in English are accepted, as long as they abide by our Affiliate Terms of Use. I wish to join the affiliate program but my country is not listed in the drop down menu. What do I do? Due to past negative experiences with affiliates from certain countries, affiliates from those countries not listed on the affiliate sign up page will not be able to join our affiliate program.
My Affiliate Account:
How do I check on the number of clicks and/or sign-ups I have sent?All stats are updated daily and can be checked online. Your stats page will reflect the progress of your account as well as give you information regarding payment status. We have also added graphs on the stats page to help you view your performance trends and earnings in a snap! How do I post a banner on my site? To post a banner on your web site please follow these steps:
Tax Information:
What are the tax requirements? If you are approved to participate in [site] affiliate, we are required to collect certain information from you for tax purposes. For U.S. payees, this includes U.S. tax I.D. numbers or Social Security numbers. International affiliates need to submit Internal Revenue Service form W-8 and/or Form 8233, or certify that they do not have a US presence. Your tax information can be submitted from the site after you log in. What information will I need to submit taxes as a foreign individual? If you're planning to submit taxes as a foreign individual, you'll need to be prepared with the following information:
Checks and Payments:
How much money do I have to earn before I am eligible to receive a check? All affiliates must meet a $50 threshold requirement minimum worth of accrued commissions in order to receive a check. If you do not meet the threshold, your accrued commissions for that month will simply roll over to your next month's earnings. If you have not earned or accrued referral fees in at least the amount of the Commission Payment Floor of $50 dollars in the one year prior to any given calendar month, then we reserve the right, to charge you on the first day of such calendar month or thereafter an account maintenance fee in an amount up to $50 per year. The account maintenance fee charged will be deducted from your unpaid accrued referral fees, and will be equal to the lesser of $50 or the amount of unpaid accrued referral fees in your account. When will I get paid? Gemisys, our third-party check vendor, will cut checks and mail them directly to you twice a month. Please refer to the "Webmaster Notes" section on your stats page for updates on your check processing status.Thank You! My account was converted to a percentage payout. Why? It is stated on our affiliate agreement that if your traffic produces less than 1 free signup in 20 visitors, or 1 paying membership in 25 free signups, your account may be converted retroactively to a "percentage payout" account. Affiliates not meeting these ratios will be converted at the end of each month. By taking these measures we ensure it will be a win-win for both parties involved. I had money in my account before I was converted, and now it is gone. Do I still get it? Once your account is converted, your traffic is recalculated under the new payout. The previous amount in your balance is adjusted to reflect what is earned under the new payout. I have not received one of my checks posted on my stats page. What should I do? If you have not received a check, please first verify that the address you entered during enrollment is correct and then email our Affiliate Team. Please be sure to include your affiliate ID number, the site you are affiliated with, the month and the amount of the check in question, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. What do I do if I receive a check with the incorrect information on it? First, you will need to send the check back to: Medley.com Incorporated Attn: Affiliate Marketing Department 220 Humboldt Ct, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Secondly, send an email to our Affiliate Team to request a new check. Please be sure to edit your contact information so we can reissue a check with the correct information. You can expect to receive a new check within a few weeks. If I have more than one affiliate account, can you combine my checks into one? Yes, you will receive a consolidated check for each of your payable affiliate accounts. Can I have my checks deposited directly into my account? No, we are not able to offer any special delivery or direct deposits for monthly payments at this time.
My Statistics Page:
How do I access my statistics page? To access your stats page please follow these steps: 1. Go to the site you are affiliated with. 2. Click on the "affiliates" page link at the top of the page. 3. Click on the "Affiliate Login" link and sign into your account using your affiliate ID number and password. 4. Click on the Stats link in the list of programs. How do I change the information in my profile? To edit your contact information you have entered during enrollment, including payment information, please: 1. Log in to your affiliate account. 2. Click on Account Information. 3. Click on the link that says "Click here to update your information. To ensure that the information on your check is correct and sent to your current address, please make all changes before the first of the month. If I forgot my password or affiliate ID number, what do I do? To receive your password or affiliate ID number, you'll need to email our Affiliate Marketing Team and provide as much of the following information as possible: your affiliate ID number, company name, the site you are affiliated with, and the contact information of the person who signed up to become an affiliate. How often is my statistics page updated? We update your stats page daily. Please note, your stats are not real time and will not reflect new members immediately. However, we are currently developing real time credit card processing software which will allow you to keep better track of your orders and earnings. How long does it take for new free members to show up on my stats page? Before you receive credit for users that join as free members, their memberships must first be approved. This basic screening process takes about 1 to 2 business days. It appears that not all of my orders are showing on my stats page. What happened? All orders must be approved before they will show up on your stats and you are given credit. Expect some of these orders to not be approved due to any of the following reasons: 1. The credit card number supplied was incomplete, invalid, or not accepted. 2. There was a typo on the order form. 3. The credit card order was denied. 4. The credit card was reported as lost or stolen. 5. The order was a duplicate. What is the difference between "# Orders" and "# Members" columns, on my stats page? The "# Orders" column tracks how many people have come from your site and signed up as a paying member. The "# Members" column tracks the people who have signed up as free members. How does BreakThru.com track visitors from my site? When you sign-up as an affiliate you'll be given a unique affiliate ID, which is the same as the number at the end of your tracking URL that you use to link to our site. We use this ID to tell us where a referral has come from in order to credit that account ID accordingly. If you forget to include your ID in a referral URL, there is no way to be accurately credit your account, and you will not be paid for that portion of your traffic.
What forms of promotion can I use? The majority of our affiliates promote BreakThru.com by placing our banners on their sites, but you may also join chat rooms, online clubs, etc. We strongly encourage you to remember chat room rules- it is better to simply talk about the benefits of meeting people on our site instead of just posting a URL. Please review our spam policy within our Affiliate Agreement. I just logged into my account and it was banned. Why? BreakThru.com does not condone cheating or spamming of any nature. Any accounts suspected of cheating or reported for spamming are immediately banned and all payment voided. Extreme steps must be taken to protect our company and legitimate affiliates. Typical affiliate causes include: 1. People emailing us that your affiliate ID was used in spamming activities. 2. Creation of fake accounts. 3. High chargeback rates (7% or greater). 4. Other inappropriate actions. What is considered spam? Spam is considered to be any attempt to deliver unsolicited bulk mail over the Internet. Almost all spam is commercial advertising. Potential target lists are created by scanning Usenet postings, stealing Internet mailing lists, or searching the Web for addresses. Such information is gathered with automated searches to retrieve email addresses for spamming. Do you allow blind links? Yes, you may send traffic any way you like, blind text links, thumbnail links, or you can use our proven banner, and text links. Contacting BreakThru.com's affiliate team: BreakThru.com Afflilate Program Manager
445 Sherman Ave, Ste. T Palo Alto, CA 94306 US only: (800) 388-0760 Non US: (650) 289-3167 Email BreakThru.com Affiliate Marketing Team


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What's new in Joomla 2.5
From Joomla! Documentation
(Redirected from What's new in Joomla 1.6)
The principal changes introduced in Joomla 1.6 are:
- New Access Control System - Allows site administrators control over who can view and manage content.
- Unlimited Depth Organizational Model - Gives site administrators and content creators user-defined category levels that allow for the creation of a category tree with as many or as few levels for organizing articles and other content as needed.
- One-Click Extension Updates - Allows users to keep sites secure and controlled by simplifying the process of updating extensions.
- Semantic XHTML Layouts - Provides a better baseline for content presentation.
The following is a more complete list of changes.
- Consistent UI
- Consistent Features
- Richer sample data
- IE 7+, Firefox 3.x, Safari 4.x
- MySQL 5.0.4 (allows for wide varchars)
- Menu Changes
- Submenu consistency
Toolbar Features[edit]
- Save
- Save & Close
- Save & New
- Save as Copy
- Expired session will return to the page you were on when you got logged out (can be hit and miss)
- Most search filters allow you to search for a record id via [ id:123 ]
- "Parameters" are now referred to as "Options"
- Template Styles
- Integrated Trash Management
- Consistent archive support for most content
- Extension Installer Improvements
Module Enhancements[edit]
- Publish up and down
- Add option to display on all pages "except" selected
- Expanded Category System
- 404 Page Redirection
- Better Menu Management
- Alternative layouts for content, modules and menus (taken from the home template)
New Templates[edit]
- Atomic
- Beez2
- (Administrator) Bluestork (replaces Khephri)
- (Administrator) Hathor
- Legacy layer in Milkyway
- Backend supports layout overrides
- New Modules
- New Plugins
- Content Languages
- User Login Permissions
- Activate selected users from the user list now (and filter)
- Administrator registration approval
- Polls component removed
- New codemirror editor
SEO Improvements[edit]
- Meta decription and keywords for categories
- Articles can change the page title and page header separately
Global Configuration[edit]
- Add site name to titles
- Default Access Level
- Set Metadata Language (buggy)
- Unicode Aliases
- Cookie domain and path
- User Setting moved to User Manager -> Options
- Media Settings moved to Media Manager -> Options
- Server Timezone now a location, not an integer offset
- New Global Permissions tab
User Manager[edit]
- Can activate a user from the list now
- User can be assigned to multiple groups
- Manage user groups
- Manager content access levels
Media Manager[edit]
- Flash uploader fixed
Menu Manager[edit]
Menus List[edit]
- Rebuild button to press when you brick the menu
- Clicking the menu name brings up the menu items list rather than going into Edit Menu. To edit the menu, click on the check box next to the name and click on the Edit icon in the toolbar.
Items List[edit]
- Menus support the language filter
- Default now called Home
- Home is now clickable in the menu item list
- A separate home can be set for different languages
New batch operations[edit]
- Set access level
- Copy or move to another part of this or another menu
Edit Item[edit]
- Improved "Type" selector with human readable view and layout names
- Note field added
- New window target
- New Language assignment
- New Template style
- Ability to add & edit Module assignments from this page
- Ability to create alternative menu items with customised parameters
- Ability to create multiple alternative layouts for one template
- Link title attribute
- Link CSS style
- Menu image is changed to a modal selector
- CSS class for page heading
- Page meta description
- Page meta keywords
- Robots options
Articles Manager[edit]
- Frontpage is now referred to as Featured
- Article manager uses submenu to quickly skip between articles , categories and featured
- Sections and categories are now merged.
Articles List[edit]
- "Missing move and copy; filter by author"
- New column to show language
- Filtering by language available
Article Edit[edit]
- Created by user now selected by modal popup
- New ability to set the page title from the article
- Define create, delete, edit and publishing permissions
Archived Articles[edit]
- In 1.5, Archived Articles had to first be changed to Published or Unpublished before update.
- In 1.6, an Article with an Archived Status *can* be changed without changing the State first.
Category List[edit]
- Nested view
- Filtering on language
Edit Category[edit]
- New note field
- Section replaced with ability to assign a parent category
- Ability to assign content language
New Options (not previously available in 1.5)[edit]
- Assign alternate layout
- Define create, delete, edit and publishing permissions
- Meta description
- Meta keywords
- Alternative page title
- Meta author
- Meta robots
Banners list[edit]
- Missing copy toolbar button
- New archive toolbar button
- New columns to show meta keywords, purchase type and language
- New filtering by client and language
Edit Banner[edit]
- New type toggle for Image or Custom (dynamically changes the available form fields)
- New alt text field for image
- New language field
New Options[edit]
- Ability to set the created date
- Ability to set start and finish publishing times
- Ability to set the purchase type
- Ability to track impressions
- Ability to track clicks
- Use own prefix ?
- Tags renamed to meta
- Contacts
- Messaging
- Newsfeeds
- Search
- Weblinks
- Redirect
Extensions Manager[edit]
- Module mgr
- Plugin Mgr
- Template Mgr
- Language mgr
Templates Manager[edit]
- Options - allows you to enable/disable the tp=1 feature
- Auto create linked contact when creating new user ??
Access Controls[edit]
- Introduction
- User Groups
- Access Levels
- Permission Layers
- How Permissions are Inherited
- How to debrick your site
- MySQL 5.0.4 (allows for wide varchars)
- IE7+, Firefox 3+, Safari 4+
- Focus on code consistency
- Focus on code reduction
Usage of PHP Native Functions where possible, for example:
- JXMLElement extends the native SimpleXML class
- JDate extends the DateTime class
- Native INI parser to load languages
Removed features[edit]
- ADODB compatibility methods in database classes
- DOMIT (unsupported XML library)
- Legacy mode (includes global $mainframe, etc)
- JTemplate (based on patTemplate)
- patTemplate (templating engine)
- PDF support
- PEAR libraries (due to license incompatibilities)
- phpgacl
- PHP 4.0 and 5.0 compatibility files
- XStandard Editor
Deprecated Features[edit]
- JController::_acoSection
- JController::_acoSectionValue
- JController::authorize()
- JController::setAccessControl()
- JDatabase::stderr()
- JDate::offest
- JDate::setOffset()
- JDate::toFormat() - use JDate::format() instead
- JException::toString()
- JFactory::getXMLParser()
- JHtmlBehavior::mootools() - use JHtmlBehavior::framework instead
- JHtmlGird::access()
- JHtmlImage::administrator - use JHtml::image instead
- JHtmlImage::site - use JHtml::image instead
- JHtmlList::accesslevel()
- JHtmlList::specificordering() - use JHtml::_('list.ordering')
- JHtmlList::category()
- JHtmlSelect::optgroup() - see JHtmlSelect::groupedList()
- JLanguage::_parseLanguageFiles - renamed to parseLanguageFiles
- JLanguage::_parseXMLLanguageFile - renamed to parseXMLLanguageFile
- JLanguage::_parseXMLLanguageFiles - renamed to parseXMLLanguageFiles
- JObject::toString - replaced with magic method
- JRegistry::getNameSpaces()
- JRegistry::getValue()
- JRegistry::makeNameSpace()
- JRegistry::setValue()
- JPane - See JHtmlSliders
- JParameter - replaced by JForm
- JSimpleXML, JSimpleXMLElement - Use JXMLElement instead, based on the native SimpleXMLElement
- JTable::canDelete() - models or controllers should be doing the access checks
- JTable::toXML()
- JToolbarHelper customX(), addNewX(), editListX(), editHtmlX(), editCssX(), deleteListX()
- JUser::authorize() - Use JUser::authorise()
- JUtility::dump()
- JUtility::array_unshift_ref() - Not needed in PHP 5
- JUtility::getHash() - Use JApplication::getHash()
- JUtility::getToken() - Use JFactory::getSession()->getFormToken()
- JUtility::isWinOS() - Use JApplication::isWinOS()
- JUtility::return_bytes() - See InstallerModelWarnings::return_bytes()
- JUtility::sendMail() - Use JFactory::getMailer()->sendMail()
- JUtility::sendAdminMail() - Use JFactory::getMailer()->sendMail()
- JXMLElement::data() - Provided for backward compatibility
- JXMLElement::getAttribute() - Provided for backward compatibility
- JTable now automatically looks up the fields from the database schema
- New JDatabaseQuery - A chained CRUD query builder
- New JDatabase::getNextRow
- New JDatabase::getNextObject
- JDatabase::loadAssocList - Now takes a second argument to just return the value of a column
- JDatabase::setQuery - Added chaining support
Important Schema Changes[edit]
- New jos_extensions table to list all extensions
- Components table information moved and split between jos_extensions and jos_menu (special menu called _adminmenu)
The old phpgacl (jos_core_acl*) and jos_groups tables have been reworked into:
- jos_assets
- jos_user_usergroup_map
- jos_usergroups
- jos_viewlevels
- Archived state changed from a value of -1 to +2
Improved MVC[edit]
- JModelList
- JModelForm
- JModelAdmin
- Format handling (eg JSON)
- Sub-controller handling
- JControllerForm
- JControllerAdmin
- JController::setMessage takes second arg to set the message type
- JController can set the default view
- Added chaining support to several JController methods
- Semantic core output
- Milkyway legacy layouts
- The old component parameters are not automatically added to the menu anymore. You need to explicitly put them in the layout XML files.
- The menu manager will now detect additional layouts for a given view in the default template.
Form API[edit]
Event manipulation[edit]
- onContentPrepareForm
- onContentPrepareData
Translation and Language Support[edit]
See International Enhancements for Version 1.6 for a more complete list of changes in internationalisation features.
- Support for unicode slugs, eg, SEF URL's with Greek characters
- 3-letter languages now supported, xxx-XX
- All existing language keys have been refactored
INI files must validate[edit]
- Upper case key with no spaces, alphanumeric characters and underscores
- Quoted values
- Double quotes within literal strings must use _QQ_ in the form KEY="Click"
Javascript translation layer[edit]
- See the flash uploader script for an example
Local extension language files
Language file API[edit]
- Pluralisation support
- Transliteration support for ASCII or Unicode slugs
- Ignore Search Words
- Minimum search word length
- Custom language overrides
- System language file to support administrator menu and installation (.sys.ini)
Language switcher[edit]
- Language Filter plugin enables language switching
- Sets the automatic filtering via JFactory::getApplication()->setLanguageFilter(true)
- A frontend component with language support would test JFactory::getApplication()->getLanguageFilter(), which returns the selected language code from the Languages Module
- The language field can be a language code for a single language, or "*" to be displayed for all languages
- Community extension for language maintenance com_localise
Extension management[edit]
See /tests/_data/installer_packages/ for complete examples of all extensions and manifests.
New installation types[edit]
- Must include an XML manifest where type="library"
- Can only be installed into a sub-folder of /libraries/
- Can extend parts of an existing library, eg /libraries/joomla/database/database/oracle.php
Packages multi-installer[edit]
- Must include an XML manifest where type="package"
- A package is a zip of zip's
New installation script[edit]
All install / uninstall scripts should be created as methods in new installation script. The script file name is set using the


text: The University of Barcelona is the most formidable public institution of higher education in Catalonia, catering to the needs of the greatest number of students and delivering the broadest and most comprehensive offering in higher educational courses. The UB is also the principal centre of university research at a state level and has become a European benchmark for research activity, both in terms of the number of research programs it conducts and the excellence these have achieved. Its own history closely tied to the history of Barcelona and of Catalonia, our university combines the values of tradition with its position as an institution dedicated to innovation and teaching excellence: a university that is as urban, outward-looking and cosmopolitan as the city from which it takes its name.


text:
Pharmacy Cartoons, Cartoons About Prescription Drugs by Randy Glasbergen.
On my website you'll find many cartoons about drug advertising, pharmaceuticals, prescription drugs, medications and related topics. My cartoons are available for use in newsletters, education, presentations, advertising, textbooks, any type of print or electronic media. Please contact me for more information or a budget-friendly rate quote.
(Click any image to enlarge gallery)
The cartoons on this website are copyrighted by Randy Glasbergen. Unauthorized usage of any kind is unlawful and prohibited.
Pharmacy and Prescription Drug Cartoons by Randy Glasbergen. My searchable cartoon database includes many cartoons about drug advertising, cartoons about drug research, cartoons about prescriptions, cartoons about drug side effects, cartoons about big pharmaceutical companies, cartoons about high cost of prescription drugs, cartoons about pharmacists, chemist cartoons, cartoons about alternative medicines, cartoons about herbal remedies, pharmacy and pharmacist cartoons for newsletters and magazines, cartoons for drug education, and many more pharmacy cartoon topics. Please contact me for more information or a budget-friendly rate quote.
Pharmacy Cartoons by Randy Glasbergen. E-mail: email@example.com


text:
The notification system
MoinMoin 1.7 includes a new notification system. Supplemental to the basic email based notification you can use a separate process running a Jabber/XMPP notification bot. See http://www.jabber.org/ and http://www.xmpp.org/ for more information on this protocol.
The bot can be used to send notifications about various events occuring in your Wiki, or to work with the Wiki interactively.
As it's a separate process, it doesn't block waiting for all notifications to be sent, so this solution should be suitable for large sites that have many users subscribed to particular changes.
- Notification sent when pages are changed in various ways (content change, page rename, deletion, page copy), users being created (visible to super user only!), attachments being added and users subscribing to pages...
- Users can choose which events they're interested in being notified about. This applied both to (old) email and jabber notifications.
- The interactive Jabber bot allows to perform various simple operations on a Wiki from within your IM client (possibly in response to received notification). This includes getting raw and html-formatted page contents, querying detailed page information (last author, revision, date of the last change...), getting a list of pages, performing searches and reverts.
- The bot uses Data Forms (XEP-004) and Out of Band Data (XEP-066) extensions if they're supported by the client to further extend available communication options.
Notification options
When the notification_bot_uri option is present in your wiki's config, new options become available in your user preferences.
Make sure to set your JID in your user preferences.
A multi-selection list allows you to select which events you want to be notified about, and two new check-boxes let you specify if notifications should be sent via email, jabber or both.
Known main issues with the Jabber bot
You need pyxmpp 1.0.1 (1.0.0 won't work)
Get a recent release (>= 1.0.1) from the pyxmpp homepage and unpack it.
Add the resulting pyxmpp directory to your PYTHONPATH or perform a "full installation" as described here:
To build the package just invoke: python setup.py build To install it: python setup.py install
If you had some older version of PyXMPP it is better to uninstall it first (delete pyxmpp subdirectory of your site-packages directory) before installing the new version or things might not work correctly.
You may also try: make and: make install
Traffic limits
Jabber servers usually have rather tight data rate limits, so if your site generates a lot of traffic, the notification bot may become unstable and/or unusable. If such a condition occurs, you should consider running your own Jabber/XMPP server with relaxed limits.
For the i18n to work, your wiki must be accessible when the notification bot is being started.
Setting up a Jabber bot
These are step-by-step instructions you have to perform in order to get the Jabber notification bot up and running:
Install pyxmpp >= 1.0.1.
The Jabber bot lives in a jabberbot/ directory in MoinMoin's distribution archive. Copy it to a suitable place. Make sure that PYTHONPATH environment variable contains the directory that contains the jabberbot package.
- Create an account for the bot to use using any Jabber/XMPP client. Currently it can't register the account by itself.
Edit the bot's configuration file, config.py, and set its account details and a secret used to communicate with the wiki.
Edit your wikiconfig and add notification_bot_uri and secrets or secrets["jabberbot"] options to it. You will find an example in file wiki/config/more_samples/jabber_wikiconfig_snippet, distributed along with MoinMoin. Make sure to set the secret to exactly the same string as you used in the bot's configuration!
- Launch / restart your wiki.
Launch the bot: python main.py


text:
This is it: the moment of reckoning. Now I know how Jason Todd felt.
One week ago today, we opened the campaign for the Sons of Steve Garvey, with the end result being the downsizing of a SoSG staff member. SoSG readers would get the opportunity to pick which Son gets the axe.
When the week started with pure platform definition, I had hopes that this would be a clean campaign. But it was only a matter of time before it devolved into unabashed bribery, celebrity and fellow blogger endorsements, spirited debates, and "baby" kissing and flesh-pressing. At least one SoSG reader tried to save us from our descent into moral turpitude with some talented graphic design.
But now, it's time for judgment. Ask not what each Son can do for you. Ask what you can do to get rid of your least-favorite Son.
UPDATE 11:10a (Sax): Sorry, forgot to mention that as per the campaign rules, the poll will close at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, 1/26/10.
UPDATE 3:13p (Orel): Thanks to Dusty for the picture!


text:
Embattled Mayor Bob Filner on Friday announced that he would step down at the end of the month following allegations by more than a dozen women that he sexually harassed them.
With equal measures of remorse and defiance, Filner, speaking before the City Council, apologized to his supporters and to "all the women I have offended."
"I had no intention to be offensive, to violate any physical or personal space," he said.
"I never had any intention to be a mayor who went out this way," he said.
But Filner described his forced resignation a "political coup" and said it had been orchestrated by a "lynch mob."
He said "not one allegation" of sexual harassment against him had been proved.
"I have never sexually harassed anyone," he said.
In conclusion, Filner said: "The hope still lives and the dream shall never die."
Filner's resignation goes into effect Aug. 30 and Todd Gloria,the Democratic City Council president, will become acting mayor until a special election is held within 90 days.
The announcement comes after the City Council voted 7-0 to approve an agreement hammered out in three days of talks between the mayor and city negotiators. The Associated Press, quoting a person with knowledge of the discussions, said the main sticking point had been granting Filner indemnity and covering his legal fees in a sexual harassment suit brought by his former aide Irene McCormack Jackson.
The Los Angeles Times, quoting unnamed sources, reported earlier that under the deal the city would agree to "pay some, if not all, of Filner's legal fees and his share of any damages awarded in the lawsuit."
Filner, 70, the city's first Democratic mayor in two decades, faces a possible recall election if he doesn't step down. He's been accused of groping and forcibly kissing as many as 18 women. He acknowledged being disrespectful and intimidating women, but has denied harassment.
The city's nine council members were joined by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi earlier this month in calling for Filner's resignation.
On Aug. 5, Filner said he was entering a two-week program of sexual harassment therapy, but a week later, he left the treatment, saying he would continue it on an outpatient basis.
Speculation that Filner would resign has been building this week. On Thursday, the law firm representing the mayor, Payne & Fears LLC, said a "tentative agreement" had been reached with the city, but wouldn't provide details.
Ahead of the City Council meeting Friday, San Diego's attorney, Jan Goldsmith, who was helping negotiate a deal with Filner, said the stability of the city hinged on him stepping down.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Product Features:
Thermoelectric cooler and warmer - cools approx. 16ºC below ambient temp
Holds approximately 16 cans
Ideal for your lounge, office or car
Cooling function ideal for maintaining cold snacks and beverages
1 year warranty
Warming function ideal for maintaining warm snacks and hot drinks
Solid door
Removable shelf for bottle storage
Two shelves in door
Black finish exterior
Integrated carry handle
Gasket in lid provides air tight seal
Non-wearing thermoelectric Peltier System
Heat dissipation to outside by fan
Full polyrethane-blowing agent
Cold & heat are transferred through coated aluminium lining
Pack Contains:
1 x ChillMate Thermoelectric Mini Fridge Cooler and Warmer
1 x AC Power Cord for 13amp Plug Socket
1 x DC Power Cord for Car
Capacity: 15ltr
Cooling Temp.: Approx. 16ºC below ambient temp. to a minimum of 5ºC
Warming Temp.: Up to 65ºC
Average Power Consumption: 0.18KWph/24h
Energy Rating: A++
Noise Level: 43dB
AC Voltage: 220-240V / 60Hz
DC Voltage: 12V
220-240V Cooling Rated Power: 52W
220-240V Warming Rated Power: 46W
12V Cooling Rated Power: 48W
12V Warming Rated Power: 45W
Electrical - Mains Powered: Yes (UK Plug Supplied)
Brand: bar@drinkstuff
Country of Origin: China
Product Help: ChillMate Owners Manual
Manufacturer Part Number:
Single: DS23280
Single: 5060152855564
Packaging Dimensions:
Single: 430 x 270 x 370mm, 5.5kg
Height: 420mm
Width: 258mm
Depth: 360mm
Volume: 15litres
Nett Weight: 4.6kg
Gross Weight: 5kg


text:
Rare Robert Johnson Recording Uncovered
Robert Johnson
Jerry Weber said he discovered a copy of the second song ever recorded by Mississippi blues legend Robert Johnson, "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom," put to disc two years before Johnson's mysterious death in 1938 at age 27.
The rarity, whose value Weber pegged at $6,000 to $12,000, was tucked in a collection of otherwise worthless, water-damaged old platters that sat in a hallway at Jerry's Records for days before anyone looked at them.
"I saw one 30 years ago that was broke," Weber told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "and I saw one that a friend of mine found and let me hold before he sold it. It's the most expensive record I've ever found, and it's in real nice shape."
Johnson was an itinerant singer and guitarist from Hazlehurst, Miss., whose landmark recordings would influence a generation of rock 'n' roll icons, including Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. Little is known about his life and death. In popular legend, Johnson sold his soul to the Devil at a Mississippi Delta crossroads in return for an extraordinary ability to sing and play the blues.
Weber said the "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" record he found is in good shape.
Collector John Tefteller, who specializes in rare blues and jazz records, estimates there are perhaps 15 to 30 copies of the record in existence in that condition.
"There's not a huge market for something like that," he said. "Yes, it's rare, but you could count on your hands and toes the number of people who would buy it for a few thousand dollars."
Weber doesn't plan to sell it, at least not right away. His son, Willie Weber, will play it for customers at 2 p.m. every Saturday until the end of the year at his adjacent record store.


text:
Red Sox - 000 004 010 - 5 9 0Two-out rally in the sixth: Beltre double, Ortiz single, Lowell walk, Drew double (3-2), Kalish pinch-hit double (4-3).
Athletics - 001 020 000 - 3 5 1
Beckett's low point was walking four consecutive batters with one out in the third. Ellis had a two-run double in the fifth. Beckett's line: 6-5-3-5-7, 109.
Scott Atchison (7th/8th) and Jonathan Papelbon (9th) retired the last nine Oakland batters. Bot struck out the side, all looking.
The Blue Jays beat the Rays 5-4 and the Rangers beat the Yankees 4-1. ... With 19 games to play, Boston is 8 GB in the East and 7.5 GB in the WC.Josh Beckett / Dallas Braden
Random crap: Beginning with the second game of the August 25 doubleheader, Boston is 5-10. ... Since July 31, the Red Sox have stolen 17 bases in 20 attempts. ... The Sox have lost 17 of their last 23 games in Oakland.Scutaro, 2B
McDonald, CF
Martinez, C
Beltre, 3B
Ortiz, DH
Lowell, 1B
Drew, RF
Hall, LF
Navarro, SS
AL East:
Rays/Blue Jays, 1 PMSeptember 12:
Yankees/Rangers, 3 PM
1912 - Cleveland needs only 11 innings to sweep a doubleheader from the Red Sox. The first game is called because of rain after five innings with the Naps up 9-3. The rain stops and the second game is called because of darkness after six innings with Cleveland ahead 6-0.
1979 - Carl Yastrzemski's eighth inning single off New York's Jim Beattie is his 3,000th career hit. Boston beats the Yankees 9-2 at Fenway. Yaz finishes his career with 3,419 hits, the most in Red Sox history, 765 more than #2 Ted Williams (2,654).