FirstFT: Afghan President says he fled Kabul to keep away from execution and chaos

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Afghanistan’s deposed President Ashraf Ghani defended his choice to go away the nation after the Taliban got here to energy, saying his life was in imminent hazard and he was in talks to return.

Resurfaced after days of hypothesis about his whereabouts within the United Arab Emirates, Ghani stated in a video posted on Fb Wednesday evening that he fled to keep away from chaos when Taliban fighters invaded Kabul over the weekend overthrew his authorities.

“I needed to go away Afghanistan to stop bloodshed, to make sure that a serious catastrophe is prevented,” Ghani stated, in keeping with a translation by Al Jazeera. “I’m in session with others to return in order that I can proceed my efforts for justice.”

The ousted president has been criticized by members of his former administration who accused him of treason and permitting the Taliban to take over Afghanistan after the US troops withdrew.

Ghani was additionally alleged to have ransacked Afghan coffers on his departure, together with allegations that he escaped in a helicopter full of money. He known as the allegations “baseless lies” and stated he left with only one change of garments.

Extra on the case of Afghanistan:

What You’ve any questions in regards to the Taliban’s takeover? FT journalists can attain out to them in our upcoming webinar with U.S. Protection Correspondent Katrina Manson. Stephanie Findlay, Editor for Asian Companies and Markets, and US Editor-in-Chief Peter Spiegel. Register right here for The Fall of Afghanistan: What’s Subsequent on August 25th. Thanks for studying.

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3. US shoppers are flocking to shops regardless of the unfold of the Delta variant Walmart, Goal and Lowe all raised their gross sales forecasts this week after beating expectations for the three months ended July. Social gathering provides, clothes and journey necessities flew off the cabinets at Walmart. At Dwelling Depot, an early cache of Halloween decorations offered out nearly instantly.

4. Binance crypto merchants put aside $ 5 million for authorized problem Merchants calling for Binance over a failure throughout the turmoil within the crypto market earlier this yr have secured monetary assist to guide one of the vital litigation towards the alternate to this point.

5. Knowledge leaked from hundreds of thousands of T-Cell prospects T-Cell US “stole” the private knowledge of practically 50 million folks within the current high-profile knowledge breach in recent times. The wi-fi operator stated the “subtle cyberattack” resulted within the removing of non-public data from its present, previous and potential prospects.

Coronavirus digestion

• A rise in vaccinated folks The coronavirus an infection has solid doubts in regards to the long-term effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, in keeping with new research.

• A lot of the Federal Reserve Officer consider the US Federal Reserve might begin pulling its pandemic stimulus later this yr.

• That Biden administration will start providing People the third dose of mRNA vaccines subsequent month.

Whereas injections of liquidity have been invaluable in stopping financial catastrophe over the previous yr, claims by central bankers that quantitative easing would increase GDP are much less convincing, writes John Plender. Comply with our Dwell weblog for the newest coronavirus information and Register for our Coronavirus enterprise replace E-newsletter.

The day forward

FTC is about to run out on Fb’s lawsuit To at the present time, the Federal Commerce Fee has needed to file an amended grievance in its Fb antitrust lawsuit after a federal decide dismissed the grievance as a result of the company’s argument that Fb had monopoly energy over the social community market was “legally insufficient”.

Tesla AI day Elon Musk is anticipated to offer a keynote at Tesla’s AI Day. The occasion comes days after the U.S. authorities opened an investigation into accidents involving the automaker’s driverless autopilot know-how and U.S. senators known as for an investigation into the corporate’s advertising and marketing practices.

US unemployment claims Economists assume that claims for unemployment advantages will proceed to say no within the week ending August 14th. (WSJ)

What else we learn

Interview: Germany’s Greens are parting with the Merkel period Annalena Baerbock, the Inexperienced candidate for chancellor, promised to crack down on China and Russia and reform Europe’s fiscal guidelines if her social gathering involves energy, marking a break with the insurance policies of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel. Baerbock spoke to FT’s Erika Solomon in a uncommon interview with overseas media.

Digital funds are driving Nigeria’s start-up growth The nation’s financial system could also be struggling, however its fintech teams have attracted greater than $ 1 billion in enterprise capital previously two years. Nonetheless, critics argue that the federal government has taken an ungainly method to the sector.

Make a profession in road artwork Artist Jim Imaginative and prescient is a part of a booming however aggressive new artistic business. Not all road artwork is commissioned and paid for, nevertheless – a lot of it’s carried out free of charge in designated areas to assist artists market their abilities.

Massive Tech desires its folks again the place it may see them Within the midst of a very disruptive world pattern, the largest disruptors cling to custom, writes Elaine Moore. In keeping with the U.S. Postal Service, the variety of folks leaving the Bay Space is again to pre-pandemic ranges. If given the chance, do you plan to make money working from home a minimum of a part of the time after the pandemic? Voice in ours opinion ballot.

Political gestures vs gesture politics Statements can hardly be greater than a gesture. Yanis Varoufakis’ attraction to Afghan girls to “persevere, sisters!” did not really feel substantial. Nonetheless, some gestures can have actual energy and impact. For instance, footballers who kneel earlier than video games are a robust reminder of the necessity for change, writes Jemima Kelly.

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