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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004834

2 Royal Bengal Tiger cubs playing with mother at zoo

As a rare species in Bangladesh, the Bengal tiger has been of great attention to the public. In Dhaka, two Royal Bengal Tiger cubs were playing with their mother in Bangladeshs National Zoo Tuesday.

Two Royal Bengal Tiger cubs are seen with their mother in Bangladesh’s National Zoo in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 17, 2021.

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Two Royal Bengal Tiger cubs are seen with their mother in Bangladesh’s National Zoo in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 17, 2021. 

Two Royal Bengal Tiger cubs are seen with their mother in Bangladesh’s National Zoo in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 17, 2021.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004832

Taliban holds 1st press conference since takeover of Kabul

At its first press conference since the Talibans takeover of most parts of Afghanistan, a spokesman of the group said here on Tuesday that the Taliban did not want to have any internal or external enemies, and intended to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

 Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, Rear) attends a press conference, his first public appearance, in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, Rear) attends a press conference, his first public appearance,  in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021.

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Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (L) addresses a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (L) addresses a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. 

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, Rear) attends a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (C, Rear) attends a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021. 

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addresses a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addresses a press conference in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Aug. 17, 2021.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004825

Afghanistan not to take part in Tokyo Paralympics, organizers say

Organizers have confirmed that Afghanistan will not to take part in the Tokyo Paralympics.

Afghanistan will not send athletes to the Tokyo Paralympic Games, which is set to kick off on August 24, organizers confirmed here on Monday.

Toshiro Muto, CEO of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, told a news conference that he has been aware of the information that Afghanistan is “unable to take part in the Paralympic Games.”

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Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday night, while the Taliban ordered its members to enter the capital of Kabul.

“Currently, a situation exists in Afghanistan. That situation is the reason for their inability to come to Japan,” he said. “We regret that they are not able to come, for the Afghanistan athletes, officials and stakeholders. I hope they are spending their time safely in their own country.”

Muto said that the organizing committee had no idea how many people Afghanistan had originally planned to send to the Games.

A total of five Afghanistani athletes, including four men and one woman, competed in athletics, shooting, swimming and taekwondo at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Flag bearers of the Olympic delegation of Afghanistan parade into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 23, 2021.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004824

Johnson, Biden vow to work together on Afghan situation after Taliban takeover

Just over a week, the Taliban, which the United States overthrew in 2001, went from winning control of its first provincial capital to taking over Kabul, capital of the war-torn Asian country.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke via phone Tuesday evening about the current situation in Afghanistan following Taliban takeover, Downing Street said in a statement.

The two leaders welcomed their countries’ cooperation in recent days to help evacuate their nationals, current and former staff, and others from Afghanistan, it said.

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“They resolved to continue working closely together on this in the days and weeks ahead to allow as many people as possible to leave the country,” it added.

Johnson and Biden also agreed on the need for the global community to come together to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Britain’s plans include increased humanitarian aid to the region and resettlement of refugees, it said.

Britain’s Home Office said on Tuesday night that up to 20,000 Afghan refugees will be offered a route to set up homes in Britain over five years.

In their phone conversation, the two leaders also agreed to hold a virtual Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ meeting in the coming days to discuss the Afghanistan situation.

In a televised speech on Monday, Biden stood by his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan while acknowledging Kabul’s collapse to the Taliban came much sooner than Washington had anticipated.

Just over a week, the Taliban, which the United States overthrew in 2001, went from winning control of its first provincial capital to taking over Kabul, capital of the war-torn Asian country.

Johnson said on Sunday that the U.S. decision to pull out of Afghanistan has “accelerated things.”

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004823

Turkeys flash floods death toll rises to 77

The floods caused by heavy rainfall have killed 77 people in three Turkish provinces in the northern Black Sea region, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers continue searching for more victims.

The death toll of Turkey’s devastating flash floods rose to 77 on Tuesday as emergency crews were searching for more victims in the country’s northern Black Sea region.

The floods, caused by heavy rainfall on Aug. 11, have killed 77 people in three provinces, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) said in a statement.

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The worst-hit province is Kastamonu where at least 62 people have lost their lives in the town of Bozkurt. Fourteen others died in Sinop, along with one more person in Bartin.

Seven people are treated in hospitals while 34 people are still unaccounted for, the AFAD noted.

Rescue and relief efforts are continuing in the flood-hit areas, with some 8,100 personnel, 1,000 vehicles, 21 helicopters and 81 ambulances,  the emergency agency added.

Torrential rains caused flooding that demolished homes, collapsed bridges, swept away cars and cut power supplies in the region.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Bozkurt and announced that the places affected by the floods had been declared disaster zones and thus are slated for government aid.

The army has also deployed soldiers in the disaster zone to help search and rescue operations while an amphibious construction unit was building bridges, TV footage showed.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows the debris left by flooding in the flood-hit area in the town of Abana, Kastamonu province, Turkey.

Mountainous areas along Turkey’s Black Sea coast are prone to floods in the summer, but this time the damage is worse than that in the previous years.

Some experts in Turkey said that besides climate change, interference with rivers and improper construction on river banks were among the main reasons of the massive damage.

“Buildings have been constructed near the river bank, on the waterfront as well. If you narrow the 400 metres wide bank to 15, waters will mount up to 7-10 metres and you will have this disaster,” paleoseismology specialist Ramazan Demirtas said on his Twitter account.

“Stream beds should not be zoned for construction in any way,” this expert indicated, calling on the government and local authorities not to hand out housing permits in those areas.

Social media users posted videos of the flash floods in Bozkurt showing the swelling Ezine river dragging logs, cars, debris and overflowing roads as citizens were trying desperately to escape the rising waters.

Photo taken on Aug. 14, 2021 shows a damaged house in the flood-hit area in the town of Abana, Kastamonu province, Turkey.

The flash floods brought chaos to Black Sea provinces just as the unprecedented wildfires that had raged through southern touristic coastal regions for two weeks, which killed eight people. Firefighters managed to bring some 275 fires under control in several provinces. 

Rescue workers search for survivors in the flood-hit town of Bozkurt, Kastamonu province, Turkey, Aug. 14, 2021.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004821

“We will have to talk with Taliban,” says EU foreign policy chief

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that there are many lessons to be learned over Afghanistan and the Talibans takeover, adding that the EU will have to talk with the Taliban.

The European Union (EU) foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that there are many lessons to be learned over Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover, adding that the EU will have to talk with the Taliban as it has won the war.

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“The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them,” Borrell said after an emergency video conference of EU foreign ministers Tuesday afternoon, adding that this does not mean moving quickly to officially recognize the Taliban’s government.

“I just said that we have to talk with them about everything, even to try to protect women and girls. Even for that, you have to get in touch with them,” Borrell said.

“We have to get in touch with the authorities in Kabul, whatever they are,” Borrell noted, “in order to engage in a dialogue, as soon as necessary, to prevent a humanitarian and a potential migratory disaster.”

Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief of the European Union (on screen) addresses a Security Council meeting on UN-EU cooperation via video link at the UN headquarters in New York, June 10, 2021.

Borrell added that any cooperation by the EU with the new government of Afghanistan “will be conditioned on a peaceful and inclusive settlement and respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including women, youth and persons belonging to minorities,” as well as respect for other commitments such as fighting against corruption and preventing the use of Afghan territory by terrorists.

He said the new reality in Afghanistan comes 20 years after the beginning of the military operation launched by the United States with the support of NATO in October 2001. The original military and political commitment, which is to destroy the al-Qaida terrorist group, shifted to the nation-building of a modern state in Afghanistan.

“The first part of the mission succeeded, and the second did not,” he said.

Afghan Taliban fighters are seen in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004820

Trudeau says Canada has no plans to recognize Taliban as Afghan legitimate govt

“Our focus right now is on getting people out of Afghanistan and the Taliban need to ensure free access to people to get to the airport,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that his government has no plans to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

“Canada has no plans to recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. When they were in government 20 years ago, Canada did not recognize them,” said Trudeau, who is currently campaigning for re-election after he launched the election on Sunday.

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“Our focus right now is on getting people out of Afghanistan and the Taliban need to ensure free access to people to get to the airport,” Trudeau said.

“We’re working with our allies on what Canada as part of the international community can do to stabilize the situation, protect civilians, and put an end to the violence. This includes taking leadership by bringing Afghans to safety in Canada,” he said.

Kabul fell to the Taliban on Sunday.

Two aircraft carrying diplomats, troops and Afghans from Kabul landed in Canada Monday night.

Tuesday morning, the Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that one flight landed in Toronto carrying Afghans who qualified to come to Canada under the government’s recently announced special immigration measures for former interpreters and embassy staff who helped Canadians in Afghanistan.

The second flight landed in Ottawa and included returning staff from the Canadian embassy in Kabul.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004819

U.S. says Taliban prepared to provide safe passage of civilians to airport

The United States believes the evacuation underway in Kabul could last until the end of this month, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.

It is still too early to judge whether the Taliban is the legitimate governing power in the country, he said.

The Taliban told the United States that they would provide safe passage of civilians to Kabul airport, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

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“The Taliban have informed us that they are prepared to provide the safe passage of civilians to the airport. And we intend to hold them to that commitment,” Sullivan told reporters in a White House briefing.

He said the United States believes the evacuation underway in Kabul could last until the end of this month. “We’re talking to them (the Taliban) about what the exact timetable is for how this will all play out.”

Sullivan said it is still too early to judge whether the Taliban is the legitimate governing power in the country.

“Right now, there is a chaotic situation in Kabul where we don’t even have the establishment of a governing authority,” he said.

“Ultimately, it’s going to be up to the Taliban to show the rest of the world who they are and how they intend to proceed. The track record has not been good, but it’s premature to address that question at this point,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that U.S. commanders on the ground had discussions with the Taliban outside the airport, without providing further details.

Over 4,000 U.S. troops would be on the ground by the end of Tuesday to support the evacuation mission, and U.S. troops had no hostile interactions with the Taliban, according to U.S. Army Major General Hank Taylor.

He said Kabul airport remains secure, and 5,000 to 9,000 people could be evacuated per day.

President Joe Biden, facing mounting criticisms from the public and lawmakers over the chaotic evacuation, said Monday that he stands by his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan while acknowledging Kabul’s collapse came much sooner than Washington had anticipated.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani left the country on Sunday, while the Taliban forces entered the capital of Kabul and took control of the presidential palace. 

Taliban fighters are seen on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2021.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004817

Asean sees slightly lower number of new cases

The number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia crossed 8.86 million, with 84,330 new cases reported on Tuesday, lower than Monday’s tally of 85,308.

There were 2,331 additional deaths, increasing from Monday’s 2,298 and taking total coronavirus deaths in Asean to 193,394.

Indonesia reported 20,741 new cases and 1,180 deaths on Tuesday, bringing cumulative cases in that country to 3,892,479 patients and a total 120,013 deaths so far.

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo proposed a budget of 2,700 trillion rupiah, or THB6.2 trillion, for social and economic recovery while aiming to achieve economic growth of 5.5 per cent in the next fiscal year.

Meanwhile, Vietnam reported 9,605 new cases and 331 deaths, bringing cumulative cases there to 293,301 patients and a total 6,472 deaths so far.

The government has extended lockdown measures in Ho Chi Minh City until at least August 31 to curb the spreading Delta variant.

Many workers in HCM City have been out of their jobs due to business shutdowns, while authorities have been asking them to refrain from leaving the city and going to their hometowns to prevent the virus from spreading to other provinces.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40004818

Taliban says to form inclusive govt in Afghanistan

The Taliban spokesman said Afghanistan will have a strong and Islamic government and wants to have good relations with everybody to develop the economy and achieve prosperity.

The Taliban did not want to have any internal or external enemies, and intended to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman said here on Tuesday.

At its first press conference since the Taliban’s takeover of most parts of Afghanistan on Sunday, the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they do not want any internal or external enemies, and they want to have good relations with everybody to develop the economy and achieve prosperity.

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“Afghanistan will have a strong, Islamic government,” he said.

The spokesman promised to ensure the safety of people who worked with the United States and allied forces, adding that those whose families were waiting at the Kabul airport would be safe if they returned homes.

He said Afghanistan’s interactions with foreign countries would continue, and the Taliban would use the country’s natural resources for reconstruction.

Afghanistan will be drug-free if the international community provides alternative crops for the country, he added.

“All borders are under Taliban’s control.”

He also said the Taliban will allow women in Afghanistan to work and study based on the Islamic law, and they will be offered with all rights within the Islamic principles, because women are vital parts of the society.

Afghan Taliban fighters stand on a military vehicle in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : xinhua