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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012442

The UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia has been working in close partnership with the CSTO to address the root causes of potential conflict and develop shared solutions to shared problems.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for more cooperation between the world body and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on Afghanistan.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is worsening by the day. Meanwhile, terrorism remains a constant threat, not only to the security of Afghanistan and the region, but to the entire world, he told a Security Council meeting on UN-CSTO cooperation.

Without determined action, the severe economic contraction, rising unemployment and escalating humanitarian crisis will fuel despair and breed extremism. The threat from illicit drugs and arms flows, as well as criminal and terrorist networks, is increasing, he warned.

“Regional and inter-regional cooperation are an essential element in our response. So too are strengthened regional dialogue, as well as cross-border law enforcement and judicial coordination. Close cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations, including the CSTO, will be critical in helping defuse these evolving threats, preventing spill-over, promoting stability and ultimately saving lives,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C, Front) speaks at a Security Council meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 16, 2022. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

Guterres also stressed the need for UN-CSTO cooperation on conflict prevention, counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics.

The UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia has been working in close partnership with the CSTO to address the root causes of potential conflict and develop shared solutions to shared problems. Today, good working relations between the CSTO and the Regional Center enable constructive early-warning exchanges and regular contacts during security-related events in the region, he said.

The Regional Center is also promoting measures against cross-border crime, terrorism and drug trafficking to ensure conditions for peaceful sustainable development — all areas where the United Nations looks forward to building partnership with the CSTO, he said.

Cooperation with regional organizations is at the core of UN activities and enshrined in the UN Charter. Now more than ever, a more effective United Nations depends on stronger and deeper cooperation with regional organizations, said Guterres. 
 

Published : February 17, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012439

Thirty-six firefighting helicopters and around 600 personnel have been sent to battle with a forest fire in southeast South Korea.

Aforest fire, which broke out in a southeastern coastal city of South Korea, remained largely uncontained on Thursday and about 180 households have been evacuated, Yonhap news agency reported.

The wildfire first occurred on a mountain in Yeongdeok, some 350 km southeast of the capital Seoul, early Tuesday and was extinguished Tuesday afternoon.

The fire reignited overnight and spread into nearby residential areas, leading to the evacuation of households. No casualty has been reported yet.

Photo taken on Feb. 16, 2022 shows a firefighting helicopter dropping water on a forest fire on a mountain in Yeongdeok, some 350 km southeast of the capital Seoul, South Korea. (NEWSIS/Handout via Xinhua)

The Korea Forest Service raised the four-notch wildfire warning from Level 2 to Level 3 on Wednesday afternoon.

The second-highest warning is issued when a forest fire is expected to consume more than 100 hectares of land amid an average wind velocity of over seven meters per second.

Thirty-six firefighting helicopters and around 600 personnel were sent to the scene, but the fire was hard to be put out due to strong wind.

Personnel extinguish a forest fire on a mountain in Yeongdeok, some 350 km southeast of the capital Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 16, 2022. (NEWSIS/Handout via Xinhua)

Published : February 17, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012352

A top Iranian security official said on Monday that the success of the Vienna talks on the restoration of a 2015 nuclear deal depends on the U.S. political determination.

Nuclear negotiations in Vienna have reached a stage where “the outcome can be announced without guesswork,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted.

The U.S. political decision on whether to accept the requirements conducive to the conclusion of “a credible and lasting deal” based on the principles in the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he noted.

Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, which prompted the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments one year later and advance its halted nuclear programs.

Iran

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties, namely Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, to revive the landmark deal. 

The United States, which has been indirectly involved in the Vienna negotiations, has said it has until the end of February to resuscitate the 2015 nuclear pact, or the United States will launch “aggressive efforts” against Iran. 

Published : February 15, 2022

By : Xinhua

“We are in the process of temporarily relocating our Embassy operations in Ukraine from our Embassy in Kyiv (Kiev) to Lviv due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the United States will temporarily relocate its embassy in Ukraine from the capital city of Kiev to the western city of Lviv, citing escalating tensions on Ukraine’s borders.
 

“We are in the process of temporarily relocating our Embassy operations in Ukraine from our Embassy in Kyiv to Lviv due to the dramatic acceleration in the buildup of Russian forces,” Blinken said, using the Romanized spelling of the name of the capital city from the Ukrainian language.

“The Embassy will remain engaged with the Ukrainian government, coordinating diplomatic engagement in Ukraine,” the secretary said, adding that his country also remains “engaged with the Russian government” and that the “path for diplomacy remains available.”

The State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of most U.S. direct hire employees from the embassy in Kiev, a decision it claimed was made “due to the continued threat of Russian military action” against neighboring Ukraine.

Passport, visa and other routine consular services have been suspended since Sunday, according to the department, and the mission of the now-reduced U.S. diplomatic team is to “handle emergencies” in Lviv.

U.S. and Russian top diplomats and defense officials held separate telephone conversations Saturday to discuss the Ukraine crisis, followed later in the same day by a high-stakes phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In addition to evacuating its diplomatic staff, the United States has also been urging its nationals currently in Ukraine to depart immediately, warning that those who choose to stay cannot count on the U.S. military to come to their rescue in the event that war breaks out in Ukraine.

Washington has been releasing intelligence purporting an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine but refused to back it up with details. Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly denied any intention to invade, accusing the Biden administration of “hysteria.”  

Published : February 15, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012348

Masking is a tool in the tool kit, but there is no substitute for vaccination and boosting, says a physician.

Falling COVID-19 case rates are prompting more U.S. states to ease masking requirements, meaning that when or whether to wear a mask is becoming more of an individual decision by a person or an entity, thus exacerbating divisions typical of the country.

A slew of Democratic governors in states that have been among the most mask-friendly is moving to scrap indoor mask mandates, even as some counties and school districts in those states promise to maintain those measures. “With both factions contending they are following the science,” reported The Washington Post.

An informal network of parents is pushing for “evidence-based decisions” to rescind in-school mask mandates. At the same time, teachers unions and other advocates for continued masking of students quote from their roster of medical experts, urging elected officials to “follow the science” and maintain mandates, according to the report.

Traders wearing face masks work at the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, the United States, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Michael Nagle)

MAJOR BANK GIVE-UPS

The New York Stock Exchange withdrew its mask mandate for fully vaccinated people effective on Friday, making masks optional on the trading floor and other public areas for fully vaccinated personnel and visitors after several large U.S. investment banks dropped their mask requirements at their U.S. offices.

Goldman Sachs will no longer require masks to be worn by employees at its U.S. offices from Monday and will leave it to individuals to decide if they want to mask up, said a spokeswoman at the bank. For fully vaccinated employees of JPMorgan working out of their U.S. offices, masks have been made entirely voluntary. Staff at Morgan Stanley’s offices will not be required to wear masks, as only vaccinated employees are allowed into their buildings.

“The move is part of a larger trend across the U.S. as the number of COVID cases continues to fall. A host of blue states have lifted mask requirements this past week,” reported U.S. news portal Axios, noting that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend mask-wearing in indoor spaces that are at high risk of transmission.

Cincinnati Bengals

SUPER BOWL REQUIREMENT

0n Sunday evening, the Super Bowl was held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the second time it took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Football League (NFL), a professional American football league, has issued guidelines for people watching the biggest football match of the year from the stands, including a mask mandate that requires all spectators over age two to wear a mask while inside the stadium, regardless of vaccination status.

Although the NFL is asking everyone to wear a face mask in the stadium, they are allowing spectators to remove their masks while eating or drinking. In addition, while attendees do not need to be vaccinated to enter SoFi Stadium, those five years and older will need to show they are negative for COVID-19 with either a PCR test taken within 48 hours or an antigen test taken within 24 hours.

Inglewood Mayor James Butts admitted that enforcing the mask rule can be difficult, but trusted spectators to follow the guidelines out of respect for themselves and others.

“You can’t force everybody to wear a mask all the time,” he told ESPN, an American international basic cable sports channel. “In the end, it’s the responsibility of the people to take care of themselves, their families and their friends. And that’s the simplest way I can put it.”

U.S. President Joe Biden wearing a face mask leaves the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

FACTORS TO WEIGH

There are several factors to weigh when making decisions about masking. Among them are your health, the vulnerability of people in your household, local case rates and your vaccination status. Doctors told The Wall Street Journal that it can make sense to take precautions even as governments pull back.

“Governors removing mask mandates just means that the government is no longer requiring masks. It does not mean that there is now no risk to going around maskless,” said Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public-health professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the best thing people can do to mitigate their own risk and the spread of COVID-19 is to get vaccinated and boosted, according to the physicians.

“Masking is a tool in the tool kit,” Lucy McBride, a Washington, D.C.-based primary-care physician, was quoted as saying, “but there is no substitute for vaccination and boosting.”

Published : February 15, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012347

Concerns about an escalation of Russia-Ukraine tensions are driving oil prices up noticeably, an energy analyst said.

Oil prices advanced on Monday as investors monitor geopolitical tensions.

The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for March delivery added 2.36 U.S. dollars, or 2.5 percent, to settle at 95.46 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for April delivery increased 2.04 dollars, or 2.2 percent, to close at 96.48 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

Concerns about an escalation of Russia-Ukraine tensions are driving oil prices up noticeably, Carsten Fritsch, energy analyst at Commerzbank Research, said Monday in a note.

Traders also digested a closely-watched report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In its monthly report released on Friday, the IEA revised its forecast for global oil demand this year considerably upwards.

The Paris-based energy watchdog also warned that the gap between OPEC+ output and its target levels swelled in January.

“That shortfall is expected to deepen as some OPEC+ members struggle with production constraints, exacerbating market tightness,” said the IEA.

For the week ending Friday, the U.S. crude benchmark rose 0.9 percent, while Brent advanced 1.3 percent, based on the front-month contracts.

Published : February 15, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012345

— UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply worried about the current tensions and increased speculation about a potential military conflict. — “There is no place for incendiary rhetoric. Public statements should aim to reduce tensions, not inflame them.” — “Abandoning diplomacy for confrontation is not a step over a line, it is a dive over a cliff.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for diplomacy to defuse the heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

In a press encounter, Guterres said he was deeply worried about the current tensions and increased speculation about a potential military conflict.

“The price in human suffering, destruction and damage to European and global security is too high to contemplate. We simply cannot accept even the possibility of such a disastrous confrontation,” he said.

“There is no alternative to diplomacy. All issues, including the most intractable, can and must be addressed and resolved through diplomatic frameworks. It is my firm belief that this principle will prevail,” said Guterres.

Earlier on Monday, the secretary-general held a virtual meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He also spoke separately with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Guterres said he will remain fully engaged in the hours and days to come.

He said, as secretary-general, it is his duty to appeal for the full respect of the UN Charter, a fundamental pillar of international law.

He quoted part of Article 2 of the UN Charter: “All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”

The time is now to defuse tensions and de-escalate actions on the ground. There is no place for incendiary rhetoric. Public statements should aim to reduce tensions, not inflame them, he said.

Guterres welcomed the recent flurry of diplomatic contacts and engagements, including between heads of state, but said more needs to be done.

“I have made my good offices available and we will leave no stone unturned in the search for a peaceful solution. Abandoning diplomacy for confrontation is not a step over a line, it is a dive over a cliff,” he said. “In short, my appeal is this: do not fail the cause of peace.” 

Published : February 15, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012306

Afghan officials criticized Biden’s allocation of Afghan assets to compensate the victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks, saying “stealing from the pocket of the world’s poorest country” was unfair.

Deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government Inamullah Samangani on Sunday criticized Washington’s “unfair” decision to compensate the victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks with Afghanistan’s assets.

“The recent decision of U.S. President Joe Biden on the handling of the foreign exchange reserve of Afghanistan is a hasty, unfair revenge, which demonstrates the United States’ extremely darkened morality,” Samangani told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s former president Hamid Karzai urged the U.S. administration to return his country’s assets.

Following the pullout of its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, the United States has frozen nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars worth of assets of Afghanistan’s central bank, which worsened the economic crisis and poverty in the war-torn Asian country.

In a decree issued on Friday, Biden reportedly ordered the allocation of 3.5 billion dollars from the assets as damage to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and diverted 3.5 billion more dollars to the Afghans as humanitarian aid, without the consent of the Taliban-run administration.

An Afghan shopkeeper waits for customers in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

“Holding Afghanistan’s money on any name is unfair and unjust. That money belongs to the people of Afghanistan … I am calling on President Joe Biden to return the money to the people of Afghanistan,” Karzai told a press conference here.

Afghan central bank the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) said in a statement that blocking Foreign Exchange (FX) Reserves and allocating them under the name of compensation or humanitarian assistance to others was “injustice” to the people of Afghanistan, calling for the reversal of the U.S. government’s decision on splitting the frozen Afghan assets into the United States.

Photo taken on Feb. 9, 2022 shows Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

“The Americans after suffering a military defeat now are stamping their moral defeat by taking such an unfair decision. The Afghan assets cannot be paid as compensation or humanitarian assistance by the Americans to Afghans as they are Afghanistan’s assets,” Samangani said.

With regard to Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, Samangani said, “everyone knows that no Afghan was involved, no attacker was Afghan, the planes used in the attacks didn’t belong to Afghanistan, and the territory from where the attacks were launched didn’t belong to Afghanistan.”

Samangani accused the United States of committing crimes against Afghans during its 20-year military presence in Afghanistan, saying the U.S. troops have killed more than 100,000 Afghans.

Millions of Afghans have been arrested, injured and displaced, and “who should pay compensation to them?” Samangani said. “The richest country in the world is stealing from the pocket of the world’s poorest country.” 

An Afghan currency exchange dealer waits for customers in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2022. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Published : February 14, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012305

Zelensky invited Biden to visit Ukraine “in the coming days.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden held a telephone conversation on Sunday to discuss the security situation around Ukraine, Zelensky’s press service said.

Zelensky and Biden have exchanged information and discussed ways of de-escalation, said a statement on the Ukrainian presidential website.

The parties also discussed the issue of increasing Ukraine’s financial and energy stability amid the crisis.

Zelensky stressed that Kiev understands all current risks and is ready for “any developments.”

The Ukrainian leader thanked Washington for support, saying it contributes to strengthening the capabilities of the Ukrainian army.

Zelensky invited Biden to visit Ukraine “in the coming days,” saying that such a visit is crucial to stabilizing the situation.

Zelensky also stressed the importance of providing effective security guarantees for Kiev.

“We are ready to discuss them in different formats,” he stressed.

According to a statement by the White House, Biden made clear in the phone conversation that the United States would “respond swiftly and decisively, together with its allies and partners, to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine.”

The two leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to “pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders,” the statement added.

Since November, Kiev and some Western countries have accused Russia of assembling heavy troops near the Ukrainian border with a possible intention of “invasion.”

Russia denied the accusation, saying that Russia has the right to mobilize troops within its borders to defend its territory as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s activities constitute a threat to Russia’s border security.

In recent days, the United States and some other countries have advised their citizens to leave Ukraine, citing increased threats of military action.

Published : February 14, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40012273

The Yemeni Houthis drove the government army out of Harad city in the Yemeni northern province of Hajjah on Saturday, killing more than 60 soldiers and wounding 140 others, an army source said.

HAJJAH, Yemen, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — “The rebels recaptured the al-Mihsam military camp and the range of high mountains from the army during today’s battle,” the source on the frontline told Xinhua.

Yemeni government soldiers patrol in Harad district of Hajjah province, which is a frontline between the Houthi militia and the internationally-recognized government in northern Yemen, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

“The rebel snipers killed more than 60 soldiers who had infiltrated into the southern and western neighborhoods and wounded 140 others,” he said.

The Saudi-led coalition forces backing the Yemeni government army launched three airstrikes against the Houthi advance, the source said, adding that “the army now is out of this strategic city,” which borders Saudi Arabia.

The defeat is a major blow to the Yemeni government army which had recaptured most of the city in a fierce battle that began last week.

Yemeni government soldiers patrol in Harad district of Hajjah province, which is a frontline between the Houthi militia and the internationally-recognized government in northern Yemen, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control over northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to exile.

Yemeni government soldiers patrol in Harad district of Hajjah province, which is a frontline between the Houthi militia and the internationally-recognized government in northern Yemen, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Mohammed Al-Wafi/Xinhua)

Xinhua

Published : February 13, 2022