Russia-US ties could break if Moscow gets 'terror sponsor' tag

Fast News

Ukraine reports widespread shelling and air attacks by Russia on scores of towns and military bases, especially in the east where Moscow is trying to expand territory, as fighting rages on day 171.

Almost one-third of Ukrainian territory needs to be cleared of mines and explosives, according to the latest estimates by the ecology ministry. (Reuters Archive)

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Russia says ties could break over terror sponsor declaration by US

Russia has told the United States that bilateral diplomatic ties would be badly damaged and could even be broken off if Russia is declared a state sponsor of terrorism, Russian news agency Tass cited a top official as saying.

Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North American department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that if the US Senate succeeded in passing a law to single out Russia, this would mean Washington had crossed the point of no return, Tass said.

Zelenskyy: EU should ban rich Russians from entering

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a fresh call for European Union states to ban visas for Russian nationals to keep the bloc from becoming a "supermarket" open to anyone with the means to enter.

Zelenskyy said his proposal did not apply to Russians who needed help for risking their freedom or their lives by resisting Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's policies.

"There must be guarantees that Russian killers or accomplices of state terror not use Schengen visas," Zelenskyy said in an address, referring to visas granting the holder access to the border-free Schengen Area that spans several EU states.

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Source: Reuters

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/russia-us-ties-could-break-if-moscow-gets-terror-sponsor-tag/?feed_id=10216&_unique_id=62f72941b12c4

Lawmakers sponsor bill to give Afghan evacuees path to US citizenship

Democrats and Republicans introduce identical versions of bill in Congress, days before first anniversary of final US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Many of the 76,000 Afghans flown out in last year's evacuation operation entered the United States on humanitarian parole. (AP Archive)

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both houses of US Congress to establish a path to American citizenship for thousands of Afghan evacuees admitted to the US on temporary immigration status.

"We must keep our commitment to provide safe, legal refuge to those who willingly put their lives on the line to support the US mission in Afghanistan," Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer, co-sponsor of the House bill with Republican Peter Meijer, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The bill also would expand eligibility for Special Immigration Visas (SIVs) beyond Afghans who worked for the US government to those who fought alongside US forces as commandoes and air force personnel, and to women who served in special counterterrorism teams.

Identical versions of the bill were introduced days before the first anniversary of the final US troop withdrawal and the chaotic evacuation operation that ended America's longest war and saw the Taliban taking over Kabul.

Resistance to bill

Three minority Republicans, including Senator Lindsey Graham, joined three majority Democrats in introducing an identical version of the Afghanistan Adjustment Act in the thinly divided Senate, enhancing its chances of passage.

Even so, a congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the measure likely will face "resistance" from anti-immigration Republicans.

Many of the 76,000 Afghans flown out in last year's evacuation operation entered the United States on humanitarian parole, a temporary immigration status that typically only lasts up to two years.

The legislation would allow those evacuees to apply for permanent legal status if they submit to additional background checks.

Generally, those Afghans only can gain permanent legal status in the United States by applying for asylum or through SIVs, programmes beset by major backlogs.

Source: Reuters

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/lawmakers-sponsor-bill-to-give-afghan-evacuees-path-to-us-citizenship/?feed_id=8886&_unique_id=62f324095b0a9