the ngo community does need additional u.s. legal safeguards to be able to move forward in this new operational environment, engaging with the taliban as the authority to be able to provide lifesaving relief where it is needed the most. and a quick note on funding, the ngo community is providing the bulk of frontline responders right now in afghanistan. the community it needs more humanitarian funding and there needs to ngo's and it needs to be as flexible as possible to allow ngo's to really be able to pivot on the fly to the ever-changing needs of this environment. and then just lastly on the regional dimension, the regional countries, pakistan, iran, they are traditionally very challenging for both the ngo community to operate the bureaucratic and administrative departments and what have you, they are very challenging. but with these regional companies, the need to make sure there is a conducive environment for the situation of max exodus of refugees, they need to be able to support that and partnership with our iran colleag

most of the educated class who work with ngos and help with the u.s.tion of afghanistan as targets. they target them through assassinations, complex attacks. now they tell those people, do not worry, we will target you, -- we will not target you, stay and help us govern. it will take a lot more than those words for people to stand actually contribute. just controlling the borders or maybe making statements may not be enough. you need to build trust, as you said. and i really don't know how they can do it in the short term. but putting those words into action, holding those fighters that have reportedly got into -- reportedly abused the population and went into peoples houses demanding people hand over their cars, or some reported officials would be the first place to start, to make sure there is a sense of rule of law, to ensure people's property and personal safety are not going to be affected by this. that's going to be the floor. beyond that, you have to give people a place they want to live in. a lot of people are feeling this is not a place where

price: and ngos and media organizations as well. this was a broad and new category that we announced to resettle and even -- and even larger universe but we are also working to do all we can for a category of advance -- afghans at risk, women, girls, human rights defenders, journalists, other civil society actors who might not otherwise qualify for the siv program. for the p1 referral or the priority to referral. again, we are going to extraordinary lengths. we are gratified to have a partner in congress that in the course of -- over the course of several weeks, we have worked with, especially in the context of the siv program, to cut some of that red tape. as you know, the siv program is defined by statute. if memory serves, their 14 steps that were written into statute that an siv applicant would need to go through before he or she could be considered special immigrant and be granted access to the united states. let me just offer a bit more context. i think it is important as to what we have done. when this administration came int

worked for ngo's, media organizations, women, girls, and others who feel an acute sense of threat and fear. for the future. as we see it again and again, people have to do difficult things to make sure that they find safety and security. we will do everything we can to help them, including making different avenues of arrival to the united states this group of people possible. we are also dedicating significant assistance, humanitarian assistance. not just to afghanistan, but to neighboring country to allow them to support those who come to their countries seeking refugee status. or immigrant status. that support, makes it a little bit easier. i do not want to deny the challenge or difficulty. it is indeed a hard thing. our obligation, is to make sure we are making good on our commitments to those who in particular put themselves on the line. to help us. working directly with the united states government, international security force, or if it was working for media organizations and others. as we discussed, some afghans who are not -- do not fit into those categories but may feel parti

price: we know at least one ngo -- i have seen a report that at least one ngo has put together -- i'm not in a position to confirm those details. every time we see a detail like this, we take it seriously and we do what we can to follow up on it. you are right that in most instances, someone who has served in the afghan military were afghan police force -- or afghan police force probably would not qualify for siv status but siv status is not only status that we are factoring into our calculus. there are other forms -- there are other pathways to safety, either through unhcr, one of our partners, we talked about priority 1 refugee status, we talked about priority 2, there are individuals that over the course of many years have worked with ngos, with partner governments, and those ngos and partner governments are referring them for various refugee passes that might be available elsewhere. there are different avenues for people who don't qualify for siv and we are doing all we can to support as many people as we can. >> there have been skirmishes over the afghan national flag being raise

speaking spanish] [luis hidalgo okimura speaking spanish] [teacher speaking spanish] fernandez: an ngo that tracks mercurynd mining has estimated 185 tons of mercury are released to the rivers and lakes of this region every year. and at the bottom of those rivers and lakes, there are naturally occurring bacteria that transform liquid elemental mercury and turn it into another form of mercury which is even more dangerous, which is methylmercury. fernandez: it's a type of mercury that's absorbed almost at 100% by living organisms. [student laughing] fernandez: plankton and plants that are contaminated with mercury then get eaten by one fish, and then another fish will eat that fish and so on and so on up the food chain. but mercury has a very unusual characteristic. it magnifies. when it goes from one link in that chain to the other, it magnifies roughly by a factor of 10. they are then exposed to levels of mercury that could be millions of times higher than the water where that fish was swimming. fernandez: if it's happening when you are a child or if you are a fetus, that damage can be

are ngos and other— cases as well and there are ngos and other people — cases as well and there areng with these cases— other people dealing with these cases so— other people dealing with these cases so i— other people dealing with these cases so i think— other people dealing with these cases so i think the _ other people dealing with these | cases so i think the government other people dealing with these . cases so i think the government is clearly— cases so i think the government is clearly trying — cases so i think the government is clearly trying to _ cases so i think the government is clearly trying to put _ cases so i think the government is clearly trying to put some - cases so i think the government is clearly trying to put some kind - cases so i think the government is clearly trying to put some kind of. clearly trying to put some kind of spin on _ clearly trying to put some kind of spin on these _ clearly trying to put some kind of spin on these numbers _ clearly trying to put some kind of spin on these numbers but- clearly trying to put some kind of spin on these numbers

does it have to go via the ngos? do we know even if the ngos will be allowed to operate? i ngos?the ngos will be allowed to operate?— will be allowed to operate? i think there are a — will be allowed to operate? i think there are a number _ will be allowed to operate? i think there are a number of _ will be allowed to operate? i think there are a number of ongoing, i will be allowed to operate? i think l there are a number of ongoing, very robust discussions, i would suspect in the us government and international capitals in europe about the question. this happens around the world every day, where the us government and allies in the uk, europe and elsewhere help people of certain countries without helping the government. when there are policy disagreements at that level, you can provide humanitarian assistance and that is in critical need here in afghanistan. there are ways to affect that and i believe the us government will be finding ways to strike that correct policy balance by holding the taliban accountable, whilst still not penalising or punishing the afghan people who are

so ngos that were funded by the international community.look at the situation now _ international community. so when you look at the situation now and - international community. so when you look at the situation now and there - look at the situation now and there is a mad scramble to the exit door, many commentators would say, and analysts and experts, that you couldn't even get leaving right. i am hopeful that the evacuation will go all right, i think when you have this kind of ending, the kind of scenes you see are inevitable, i do not know how else you would do it, just withdraw all the diplomats and personnel, journalists, ngos, when the government held 20 of the 24 provincial capitals. so i do not think... �* . think... but the intelligence community _ think... but the intelligence community said, _ think... but the intelligence community said, to - think... but the intelligence community said, to the - think... but the intelligence - community said, to the present, that this city and this country would full. —— president. the governme

you started this ngo to help them climb mountains.learly, this is a challenge way beyond some of the highest peaks you -- you've had to encounter. who are they? and -- and -- and -- and what do they mean to you? >> well, they mean everything to me. they're -- they're the future that -- that i think afghanistan can be. i think a lot of us dream that girls can be free and can be empowered. and these girls really embody that. they're athletes. um -- but they're citizens. they volunteer in their communities. that's a big part of what we do. they are role models for other girls. and most of them are teenagers and we -- we try to give them tools to be leaders in whatever context they're in. and we are really seeing them draw on those now where they are having to keep their heads in a crisis that goes day after day after day. and we're having to -- um -- apply medical training to deal with injuries. it's -- it's -- um -- it's hard to say. it's -- it's hard to explain how difficult it's been for me, too, as an american to watch my country fai

~ help ngos like you, what can they do? . , , , :, help ngos like you, what can they do?tions. you can go - do? well, support us. make donations. you can go on i do? well, support us. make| donations. you can go on our website tried to do as much as possible to spread the words do not forget afghanistan. it's very important to help afghans to flee. those who are in danger that cannot leave behind, unattended, 30 millions of afghan people. unattended, 30 millions of afghan --eole. ~ unattended, 30 millions of afghan neale, : ., ~' unattended, 30 millions of afghan neale, : ., ,. unattended, 30 millions of afghan n-eole. . ., ~' ., people. well said. thank you for cominu people. well said. thank you for coming on _ people. well said. thank you for coming on the — people. well said. thank you for coming on the programme. - people. well said. thank you forj coming on the programme. best people. well said. thank you for i coming on the programme. best of luck to your staff in the days ahead. do more coming up here on bbc news here about afghanistan. if you're watching in the u

since yesterday, they're searching door-to-door for employees who work in the government and ngos.dly silence of the city breaks with the sound of shotguns and ambulances. at the end, i can say the chance of our survival getting near to zero. soledad: zainab salbi is an iraqi-american women's rights activist. she is the founder of "women for women international, a global effort to support women survivors of war and conflict. zainab salbi, thank you for talking with me. the situation right now is unfolding, deteriorating rapidly, and i know that by the time this interview airs, things will have changed. may be significantly. i would like to start with what you're hearing this moment from the women that you work with on the ground in afghanistan. zainab: here's what they are narrating, is that the taliban have been targeting and assassinating women in the last year, actually in different provinces. these are women who are well-known, whether they are women's rights activists, educators, public journalists, anything like that. and right now what they are doing is knocking door-to-door

even more difficult to travel but i think it is really important to emphasise here that international ngose all working as hard and quickly as we can to get aid to people. quickly as we can to get aid to --eole. ., ~' ,, thank you. stay with us on bbc news — still to come. trans—atlantic invasion — why these alien crabs are threatening biodiversity in the mediterranean. washington, the world's most political city is assessing the health of the worlds most powerful man. indeed i did have a relationship with her that was not appropriate. in fact, it was wrong. in south africa, 97 people have been killed today were the worst days of violence. over the past ten days, 500 have died. czechoslovakia must be free! russia is observing a national day of mourning for the 100 eighteenths of mariners who died of board. we are with them now in our hearts. - the pope has celebrated mass before a congregation of more than two and a half million people in his hometown. stay with us, stay with us chanted this ocean of humanity. this is bbc news, the latest headlines . the taliban are tightening their grip f

staff but a spokesman says the majority are members of ngos who had been working on implementing u.n.rograms. on the issue of how many are afghan nationals, the spokesman said this is a delicate issue that has to be discussed with member states. >> the majority of people on the flight were employees of international employees of international ngos. the situation with afghan nationals is extremely delicate. we are very much focused on keeping our staff safe, are afghan national staff safe and their dependents. we are trying as best as possible to ensure that they are safe. i think it is have -- clear that a number of them have genuine fears for their well-being. this will require some member state support, but given the delicate nature of the situation , and i don't want to go into any granular details. >> it is confirmed the u.n. secretary-general will take part in the g-7 virtual summit that will take place in the coming hours. this emphasizes the secretary-general's insistence the crisis in afghanistan has to be dealt with on a united basis rather than on the part of individual stat

not just military flights, but civilian charters from other countries and ngos taking out civilians and vulnerable afghanis. now we have almost 6000 troops on the ground including the 82nd airborne, providing runway security, the army 10th mountain division standing guard, and a unit assisting the civilian departure. this is one of the largest, most difficult air lifts in history, and the only country in the world capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world, with this degree of precision, is the united states of america. we have already evacuated more than 18,000 people since july, and approximately 13,000 since our military lift began on august 14. thousands more have been evacuated on private charter flights facilitated by the u.s. government. these numbers include american citizens and permanent residents, as well as their families. it includes siv applicants and their families. those afghans who have worked alongside us, served alongside of us, gone into combat with us and provided valuable services, such as translators and interpreters. the united states stan

you, in the course of your career, have worked with many western ngos and indeed with the governments as well. the us state department, just in the last 2a hours, organised the release of a joint statement which involved, i think, around 20 countries expressing grave concern for the rights of women, urging those now in power in afghanistan to guarantee their protection. i just wonder how you felt about that, given that the us—led coalition has frankly headed for the exits with great speed in afghanistan over recent days and weeks, when they release a statement like that, do you take it seriously? erm, yeah, it's very important that the us and the other international community and other countries support afghan women and think about the whole achievement that we have since 20 years of international community, that you, as people, be with us and support women. i'm sure they will get support of taliban, as well. why are you so sure? in a way, i'm quite surprised by the way in which you're trying to be so positive right now. after all, as a young woman, you had to work in secret back in

ngo's taking out vulnerable afghanis. we now have almost 6000 troops on the ground, putting the 82nd airborne providing security. the army 10 mount divisions. the 24th marine expeditionary unit. this is one of the largest and most difficult airlift in history. we are the only country capable of projecting this much power on the far side of the world with this degree of precision. that is united's of america. we have already evacuated more than 18,000 people since july. 13,000 since we began on august 13. thousands more have been evacuated on private charter flights as legitimate united states government. this number includes american citizens and permanent residents, as well as their it includes siv applicants and their families. those afghans who have worked alongside us, served alongside of us, gone into combat with us and provided valuable services, such as translators and interpreters. the united states stands by its commitment that we made to these people, and includes other vulnerable afghans such as women leaders a

not just military flights, but civilian charters from other countries, and the ngo's taking out civilians and vulnerable afghani's. now we have almost 6000 troops on the ground including the 82nd airborne providing runway security, the army 10th mountain division standing guard around the airport, and the 24th marine expeditionary unit assisting civilian departure. we've already evacuated more than 18,000 people since july and a 13,000 since our efforts began on august 14. thousands more have been evacuated on private charter flights facilitated by the u.s. government. these numbers include american citizens and permanent residents, as well as their families. it includes siv applicants and their families. those afghans who have worked alongside us, served alongside of us, counted to combat with us and provided a valuable assistance to us such as translators and interpreters. the u.s. stands by its commitment that we have made to these people. and includes other vulnerable afghans such as women leaders and journalists. in fact, working" or nation with the management of the new york times,

ngos, but those that have work in afghan ngos as well, who would be targets. >> those folks were allcial to our effort there, but the u.s. withdrawal left tens of billions of dollars worth of u.s. military equipment in the hands of the taliban. helicopters, guns, ammunition. how much does that raise the threat of future terrorist attacks as well armed taliban? >> i do believe that the president's decision was based on one that reduced the prospect of any attack on our homeland, and the president has made it very clear to the taliban, any assault on any american entity or person would be met forcefully. so this is what happens when you withdraw. some stuff, some equipment is left there. it was thought that that would be used -- it was hoped that it would be used by the afghan military to defend its own country. the fact that it did not and could not was all more the reason for us to leave. >> even if ending the u.s. military presence in afghanistan was the right decision, as president biden insists, many are still questioning how it was carried out. so that does bring us to viewer que

we have discussed one of those ngo reports even here in recent days. we have other assets at our disposal that will give us and our allies broad insight into what is happening. so there will not be any impunity, there will not be any effort, any willingness on the part of the united states to turn a blind eye. what we will be willing to do is act appropriately using the tools at our disposal. to respond, both going forward and as appropriate, to hold individuals accountable for past atrocities. reporter: [indiscernible] -- minorities in afghanistan are seeking to flee the country. some of them have been taken by india. is the u.s. trying to accept some of those minorities from afghanistan? mr. price: we are prioritizing for safe relocation a number of individuals. we have talked about american citizens, our locally engaged staff who worked with us at the embassy, siv applicants, but there is a much broader category of at risk afghans. and the fact is that there may well be many afghans who because of their past actions, because of their appearance, bec

we can see already a lot of movement, a lot of national ngos, international ngos also that were in haiti felt in french literary circles after the discovery of thousands of pages of lost manuscripts by a renowned but controversial author. the work, by louis—ferdinand celine, went missing more than 75 years ago. it's believed to include an unpublished novel. the bbc�*s tim allman reports. ina in a flat in paris, an elderly man examinesa in a flat in paris, an elderly man examines a literary treasure trove. the previously lost work of a writer some view as a genius, but others condemn as a genius, but others condemn as a genius, but others condemn as a villain. whatever the legacy, this is an emotional moment. translation: when you have them in _ moment. translation: when you have them in your _ moment. translation: when you have them in your hands, - moment. translation: when you have them in your hands, you - have them in your hands, you have them in your hands, you have a part of celine that comes alive. it's the physical contact with manuscripts that has been hidden for 75 years and th

with countries in the region and around the world as well as a leading international organisations, ngosners share our objectives and are committed to working with us. i'll have more to say on the matters in the coming days. the main point i want to get through today is america swore in afghanistan continues was that we have a plan for what's next, we are putting it into action. this moment also demands reflection. the war in afghanistan was a 20 year endeavour. we must learn its lessons and allow those lessons to shape how we think about fundamental questions of national security and foreign policy. will lead to future diplomats, policymakers, military leaders, service members we owe that to the american people. but as we do we will remain relentlessly focused on today and on the future. we will make sure we are finding every opportunity to make good on our commitment to make good on our commitment to the afghan people including by walking thousands into our communities as the american had done many times with generosity and grace throughout our history. in this way we will honour all t

ngo report that was provided to the u.n.. we have been in touch with the u.n. about this report. we have received a copy of the report. we are going to take a very close look at it. but i am just not in a position to offer any initial conclusions just yet. when it comes to these reports from last month -- last month and this month and the month before that, we have been very clear and outspoken in no uncertain terms, condemning reports of taliban atrocities. we will continue to condemn any reported atrocities. precisely because they are violations of the public commitment by taliban leaders to seek reconciliation for all afghans. this is what the taliban have said they want. again, their actions often do not match their words. what matters to us is the former. we will be watching with the international community, their actions. if we determine that the taliban have continued to commit atrocities, that they are not living up to their responsibility, to protect and uphold the rights of all their citizens, including women, girls

'on those issues, though, where the president is still facing a lot of criticism, some of the ngos areganizations that have been working in the country, other women's groups saying that the u.s. didn't begin the evacuation soon enough, but the president and his secretary of state said their commitment to this effort doesn't end. there is no deadline for that, just yesterday we heard from anthony blinken, among other things, saying that over the weeks and months ahead, this will now become a diplomatic, not a military mission. how that works does become more challenging and ultimately the administration says it's going on it on them to prove their commitment, but the president's criticized for among other things saying 12 days ago to be specific that if you're an american and you're there, we will get you out by that deadline. on that he'll certainly face some tough questions if he takes questions from reporters a little bit later today. hallie? >> peter, stand by. i want to come back to you. courtney, can you pick up on the thread peter is talking about, two pieces of this for you here

we won't be working with the taliban but we will continue to work with the ngo's in and on the ground>> you are planning to go public this year. how is this going to accelerate the planet's mission? >> we are excited to be going public. planet is ready to go public. we have a scaled satellite fleet. this is the largest earth imaging fleet in human history. we felt it was the right time to go public. we evaluated the different options. we decided this back process was a good one and we are announcing that we will go public. we did that just a few weeks ago. we have seen quite an elevation of interest in our data. that is the exit out of covid. what do you do if you want to measure your esg goals of your company? you have to measure things like supply chains. this google partnership, none of the sustainable parts is in supply chain management. this helps companies -- what do you do as a country if you're trying to do sustainability? you have to measure your mission. we hope to help the sustainability and transition. emily: great to have you here, will marshall. coming up, more businesse

, local ngos, the haitian government and the un are all working as hard and as quickly as we can to getome: tra ns—atla ntic invasion — why these alien crabs are threatening biodiversity in the mediterranean. washington is assessing the political health of the world most powerful man. in political health of the world most powerful man. in fact, it was wrong- — most powerful man. in fact, it was wrong- in _ most powerful man. in fact, it was wrong. in south - most powerful man. in fact, it was wrong. in south africa i most powerful man. in fact, it was wrong. in south africa 97| was wrong. in south africa 97 people — was wrong. in south africa 97 people have been killed, one of the worst— people have been killed, one of the worst days of violence between rival black ribs. 500 have — between rival black ribs. 500 have died over the last ten days _ have died over the last ten da s. . ., , have died over the last ten da s. . ., ., , , days. czechoslovakia must be free! russia _ days. czechoslovakia must be free! russia is _ days. czechoslovakia must be free! russia is absolving i days. czec

they're trying to see what ngos and the u.s. government can do. with the way this has been carried out, i know you didn't agree with every word that the president said yesterday, you said you also found his words reassuring. is there a moral injury to not the war writ large but this exit in particular? >> yeah, i mean, you know, it's interesting for the longest time i felt like -- a buddy of mine said to me not long ago, he said, you know, obviously the vietnam veterans and others had it really bad too, but at least their wars ended. and so for a long time i thought about the fact that there was injury in the fact that you came home and maybe like me you came home, you left the service after a while and then the war didn't end end, and there's a part of you that felt like what am i doing here? i should be there. what i never really anticipated, ent even though i knew it would end with kabul falling, i knew that ten years ago at least, there's a part of me that never anticipated just how injurious this would actually be. i've thought a lot about th

but in the biden administration they went out and directly hired ngos to come and be part of dhs andheir buddy at headquarters and say, we want this guy released and they make it happen. they've cut out the field directors, they are cutting us out and letting people go that do not need to be released into the states. >> tucker: so just to be clear, an ngo organization is not federal employees. since when do people who don't work for the federal government gets to make federal policy? like,t what? >> and here's an example. i had a case who the guy was in the dome i could stomach a contented arsonist and they said mr. feeley, one of our criteria is if the guy hasn't been arrested in the past ten years we need to let them go. we'd like you to release them. and we said we totally get what you are saying, we understand. but the answer we got was, we don't really care.'t whether he was in prison currently or not, be resistant and had to cut them loose. >> tucker: this is really sick. and i appreciate your bravery coming on tonight. i hope we see you again. >> thanks tucker. iop appreciate

♪ ♪ >> there >> there are ngos and other international organizations who are vaccinating migrants.t keeps a range of people safe. >> people people safe in mcallen, texas where migrants have been released into the city in february, 1500 and alaska. >> it is important to note what is happening in mcallen. there has been -- they signed a disaster declaration involving an emergency shelter to provide a space to mitigate this issue. laura: endless money to build tent cities all over america. that is the press secretary of the white house referencing an emergency declaration, my next guest was forced to enact because of the biden administration's dereliction of duty at the border. joining me is the mayor of mcallen, texas, thank you for being here. it bears repeating, since mid-february there have been 7000 confirmed covid positive immigrants released into your city including 1500 in the past week alone and we are running around to mascara kids in schools as if they were flowing into the united states. what is your message to president biden. >> we are fortunate that those immigrants wer

we have read many times how oppressive it is, an ngo in washington by the u.s.ernment despise as much less free than south africa with fewer civil liberties. that is not just wrong, that is insane. in fact, if you live in the united states, it is better to see the contrast between budapest and new york city. let's say you live in a big american city and loudly and publicly attacked joe biden's policies. his policies on immigration or covid or transgender athletes. if he kept talking like that, you would likely but it was unknown and hung gary, opposition figures don't worry they will be in for their opinion and neither does the prime minister who drives himself no security. so who is freer? in what country are you more likely c to lose your job for disagreeing with the ruling classes of orthodox? the answer is obvious so if american it is painful to admit it. with that, here is victor or upon, but his english is precise. >> prime minister, thank you very much. in 201500s of thousands of migrants appear on the southern border and all over europe they stream into

and of course, there are ngos and other| of course, there are ngos and other people _ of course, therether people dealing with _ of course, there are ngos and other people dealing with these _ of course, there are ngos and other people dealing with these cases - of course, there are ngos and other people dealing with these cases so ij people dealing with these cases sol think that _ people dealing with these cases sol think that the — people dealing with these cases sol think that the government - people dealing with these cases sol think that the government is - people dealing with these cases sol think that the government is clearly| think that the government is clearly trying _ think that the government is clearly trying to— think that the government is clearly trying to put— think that the government is clearly trying to put some _ think that the government is clearly trying to put some kind _ think that the government is clearly trying to put some kind of— think that the government is clearly trying to put some kind of spin- think that the government is clearly trying to put some

the 300 afghan workers who dedicated faithfully for 20 years to an american ngo led by a woman, their lives are at-risk. these keep the airport open long enough to provide an airplane to get my staff and their immediate family out of danger. working for a woman ceo funded by the united states government is a double risk. liz: i feel for you so much right now. what do you fear could happen to your staff if they are not able to make it out? >> i've gotten probably 100 emails overnight. they are threatening their lives . to behead them. to go house by house to find out. to destroy our computers and put the information on the icloud because of that information gets out that they work for an american ngo for a woman, their lives are at risk. as a mother and grandmother, i would do every thing i can to protect my afghan family. this is family to me. this is a crisis today that i wake up to on sunday morning. what i had planned several weeks ago was gathering in my backyard of afghan american friendship and today it will be much like a funeral. afghan families that i have been able to, who w