"The world should also listen to this message that they should not open [immigration] cases for Afghans under the impression that their lives are at risk here," Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban acting foreign minister, said on Tuesday.
"They should not hurt Afghanistan's talents, Afghanistan's scientific cadres and Afghanistan's prides, and should not take them out of this country."
The crowd of 2,000 to 4,000 marchers, many sporting fascist symbols and singing hymns from Italy's colonial era, was larger than in the recent past, as the fascist nostalgics celebrated the centenary of the March on Rome[…]
Organizers warned participants[…]not to flash the Roman salute[…]or they would risk prosecution. Still, some couldn't resist as the crowd stopped outside the cemetery where Mussolini is buried to listen to prayers and greetings from Mussolini's great-granddaughter, Orsola
"After 100 years, we are still here to pay homage to the man this state wanted, and who we will never stop admiring," Orsola Mussolini said, to cheers
She listed her great-grandfather's accomplishments, citing an infrastructure boom that built schools, hospitals and public buildings, reclaimed malaria-infested swamps for cities, and the extension of a pension system to nongovernment workers. She was joined by her sister Vittoria, who led the crowd in a prayer[…]
"I would have voted for Lucifer if he could beat the left," said organizer Mirko Santarelli, who heads the Ravenna chapter of the Arditi, an organization that began as a World War I veterans group and has evolved to include caretaking Mussolini's memory. "I am happy there is a Meloni government, because there is nothing worse than the Italian left. It is not the government that reflects my ideas, but it is better than nothing"
He said he would like to see the new Italian government do away with laws that prosecute incitement to hatred and violence motivated by race, ethnicity, religion and nationality[…]
"It is used as castor oil by the left to make us keep quiet. When I am asked my opinion of Mussolini, and it is clear I speak well of him, I risk being denounced"[…]
Rachele Massimi traveled with a group four hours from Rome on Sunday to participate in the event, bringing her 3-year-old who watched from a stroller
"It's historic," Massimi said. "It's a memory"
Embattled Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday rejected opposition calls to resign and accused the United States of trying to topple his government as he faces a parliamentary no-confidence vote Sunday.
Opposition parties in the legislative National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, jointly submitted the no-trust motion earlier this month, seeking Khan's ouster for allegedly mismanaging Pakistan's economic and foreign policies.
The 69-year-old former cricket star said Thursday night in an address to the nation that he would not resign and would stand up to foreign intervention, rejecting the misrule charges by his opponents.
"The vote will take place on Sunday. Whatever the outcome may be, I will emerge stronger. I will not let this conspiracy succeed at any cost," Khan said in his address.
In what appeared to be a slip of tongue, the Pakistani leader named the U.S. as the origin of a "memo" that Khan said confirmed a "foreign conspiracy" prompted by his visit to Russia on the day President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.
"We got a message from America — oh, not America, I mean a foreign country I can't name," Khan said in the live televised address.
"They say they are angry with Pakistan. ... They say they will forgive Pakistan if Imran Khan loses a no-trust motion. But if the vote fails, Pakistan will have to face serious consequences," Khan said, citing the text of the memo.
Journalists working for mainstream news channels in Pakistan have reported that the message in question was delivered to Islamabad's outgoing ambassador to Washington on March 7, a day before the opposition moved the no-trust vote in parliament.
"They [foreigners] were aware of the no-confidence motion before it was tabled [in parliament]. It means they [the opposition] were in touch with outsiders," Khan asserted, confirming the date on which the message was delivered to the Pakistani ambassador. He added that the alleged conspiracy was meant to punish him for pursuing an independent foreign policy for Pakistan.