DW: Ever since the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan, I have been exchanging messages with a young friend who lives in Helmand Province. This is our 17th conversation to date. We are keeping his identity secret in order to protect his safety.
***
Conversation 17
My brother is 16, and would be in the ninth grade, if he were in school. Instead, he's in the hands of smugglers, on his fourth perilous attempt to cross the border to Iran. There, he hopes to find work, save money, and eventually migrate to a European country where he can have a better future. My parents and I see no other alternative.
The situation here in Afghanistan is darker than the darkness of the grave. The suicide attacks, blasts, and instability increase day by day. We Hazaras are in more danger than ever before.We’ve decided that if any of us is to have a decent chance at life, it should be my brother.
Since the Taliban took control of the country, the economic, educational, and health systems are collapsing. Food expenses have doubled and the Afghan currency has lost its value against the dollar. The situation is even worse than the press reports. Passports are rarer than diamonds.
My brother, of course, does not have a passport – or even a phone, once he crosses the border. I spoke to him today for perhaps the last time. I am hopeful for him, but I am also grieving. My heart aches for him, for the agony and hardness I know he will suffer. He is too young to be alone, adrift in the cold world. His place should be in the classroom and on the playground. He should be listening to his teacher's lessons, and my mother's stories – not to the harsh words of the Iranians who will curse him as he works on their buildings. He has gone to find a home in a new country, but he does not yet know he will roam all his life homeless.
***
DW: We are publishing these conversations not just to tell my friend's story but to highlight the conditions faced by millions of Afghans, particularly Hazaras and others in the Shia minority. Our hope is that this type of publicity will result in much greater pressure on the Taliban by the international community to respect the human rights of all Afghans.
WEDNESDAY'S HEADLINES:
* Can Biden's Agenda Survive Inflation? (New Yorker)
* Uneasy About the Economy, Americans Are Spending Anyway (NYT)
* U.S. reportedly plans diplomatic boycott of China’s Winter Olympics (Guardian)
* Schools close as smog-laden India capital considers lockdown (AP)
* Biden administration to announce purchase of 10 million courses of Pfizer anti-covid pill (WP)
* U.S. drug overdose deaths top 100,000 annually - CDC (Reuters)
* Why Health-Care Workers Are Quitting in Droves (Atlantic)
* Rep. Jackie Speier retiring from Congress (Politico)
* Californians have been asked to reduce water use by 15 percent, but new data shows just a 4 percent drop. (AP)
* The California Energy Commission approved a $1.4 billion plan to fund car charging stations or hydrogen refueling to help the state meet its climate goals. (Reuters)
* A developer has begun digging for lithium, a crucial ingredient in electric car batteries, near the southern shore of the Salton Sea. (LAT)
* Volkswagen plans to double staff numbers at its charging and energy division, roll out new payment technology next year and strike more alliances to take on Tesla in a key electric vehicle battleground: power infrastructure. (Reuters)
* Rising prices have crushed consumer sentiment and become major political news. But that's not the only story right now. There has been a big reduction in child poverty — and Congress could make it permanent. The same fiscal policies that are partly blamed for high inflation produced a 40% reduction in child poverty in July, according to researchers. [HuffPost]
* Democrats Press for House Censure of Gosar for Violent Anime Video (NYT)
* States sidestep federal rules to offer booster shots to all adults (WP)
* Covid-19 shock responsible for global inflation, says Australian central bank (Financial Times)
* Covid could be endemic illness by next year with more vaccine uptake, Fauci says (WP)
* In Taliban-Run Kabul, Beauty Salons Fear for Their Future (WSJ)
* Japan, U.S. conduct submarine drill in S.China Sea (NHK)
* We Live By a Unit of Time That Doesn’t Make Sense -- The seven-day week has survived for millennia, despite attempts to make it less chaotic. (Atlantic)
* Israeli firm’s spyware linked to attacks on websites in UK and Middle East (Guardian)
* D.C. will no longer require masks in many public settings (WP)
* China, U.S. to ease restrictions on each other’s journalists (AP)
* Sesame Street to debut first Asian American muppet (NHK)
* Tea and coffee may be linked to lower risk of stroke and dementia (Guardian)
* How ISIS Has Expanded Into Central Africa (BBC)
* After record low, monarch butterflies return to California --
* Wildebeest Mother Blasts ‘Our Planet’ Producer Who Just Stood By While Jackal Ate Her Daughter (The Onion)
***
"Help Me Make It Through the Night"
By Kris Kristofferson
Shake 'em loose and let 'em fall
Let 'em fall against your chin
Like the shadows on the wall
And the early morning light
All I'm taking is your time
Help me make it through the night
And I won't try to understand
Let the devil take tomorrow
'Cause tonight I need a friend
And tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night
And I won't try to understand
Let the devil take tomorrow
'Cause tonight I need a friend
And tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone
Help me make it through the night.
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