Afghan-American journalist Ali Latifi has been unreachable since he was detained by Taliban authorities in Kabul on Thursday.
Fears are growing for his safety.
Relatives say Latifi was picked up by police on Thursday evening after having dinner at the home of Hashmat Ghani, a prominent tribal leader and brother of former president Ashraf Ghani.
A taxi transporting Latifi back to his apartment in Afghanistan’s capital was stopped by police in the PD6 area of Kabul at about 9:30pm, according to Hashmat Ghani.
Latifi, who has reported for The National and several other international news outlets, is a well-known journalist in Afghanistan, where he has lived for most of the past decade.
Calls and messages to Latifi’s phone on Friday morning went unreturned.
Friends and relatives said they had been unable to reach him since his detention.
It is believed his phone has been confiscated by the authorities.
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
