The US has told NATO allies it plans to boost aid to Afghanistan by US$10.6 billion -- a major increase that puts pressure on European governments to boost their contributions.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington may also send more troops to Afghanistan, where it already provides around one-third of NATO's 33,460 troops fighting the resurgent Taliban, by far the biggest contingent.
Rice urged allies to do more at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Friday.
"All of us will share the benefits of Afghanistan's success, so we must also share the burdens of effort," Rice said in a written statement prepared for the meeting. "Nations that have made pledges of support should follow through and deliver."
NATO is seeking to refocus its campaign in Afghanistan to ensure that military advances by its troops are quickly followed by development projects to help win support of the local population against the Taliban.
The Taliban's re-emergence last year led to Afghanistan's bloodiest year since a US-led invasion toppled the hard-line Islamic regime in 2001.
The alliance's top commander said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force planned to take advantage of the spring thaw to launch a new onslaught against Taliban positions.
"Springtime in Afghanistan: Historically we've seen increased activity" from the Taliban, US General John Craddock said. "This year we can expect an ISAF spring offensive."
"If there is to be a `spring offensive,' it must be our offensive," Rice said. "It must be a political campaign, an economic campaign, a diplomatic campaign and yes, a military campaign."
Craddock declined to give details but told reporters at NATO's northern European command in the Netherlands that preparations were under way "that will place ISAF in a very favorable position."
However, Craddock said an emphasis on reconstruction was also crucial.
"The military cannot solve the problems in Afghanistan," he said.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Rice's announcement of more aid had spurred other allies to "step up to the plate."
He declined to give details of additional contributions.
The EU's executive office proposed a new US$780 million package for Afghanistan to focus on health, justice and rural development over the next four years. It will particularly focus on developing alternatives to opium cultivation, which is blamed for fueling instability and providing funds for the insurgents.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique