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Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow Talks

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Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow Talks

Following US decision not to participate in Afghan peace talks slated to be held in the first week of September in Moscow, Afghanistan government has also announced for not participating in the multilateral talks where 12 countries were invited. However, Taliban have agreed to participate in the talks.

According to Kabul based Tolo News network, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Wednesday said the Afghan government will not participate in the upcoming peace meeting. The ministry said government firmly believes in intra-Afghan dialogues. Kabul government has not received a formal invitation to attend the talks so far.

Sibghat Ahmadi, the deputy spokesman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Any regional consensus about Pakistan needs to be structured in axis of the Afghan government. The peace process definitely needs to be carried out under the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. We will not participate in the Moscow talks.”

Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow TalksHowever, a former Taliban political figure Sayed Akbar Agha said Taliban will attend the meeting and will start discussions on the prospects of peace in Afghanistan with countries in the region.

Agha further said, “Taliban has agreed on the Moscow talks and they will attend it. These talks are related to Asia. Foreign forces have come to Asian countries and there are concerns among these countries about it. All these countries want foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan.”

Read More:Afghanistan: 52 Killed In Taliban Terror Attacks on Security Forces

There are reports that Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, head of Taliban’s political office, will lead the Taliban’s delegation in the talks.

Meanwhile AP reports from Washington that US has rejected an invitation to join Russia led talks on Afghanistan because they are “unlikely to help bring peace”. However, State Department spokesman said Wednesday that Trump administration was prepared to appoint a diplomatic veteran as a new special envoy for Afghanistan.

The State Department official, who was not authorised to be quoted, said that as a matter of principle, the US supports Afghan-led efforts to advance a peace settlement. Based on the previous Russia-led meetings on Afghanistan, the Moscow talks are “unlikely to yield any progress toward that end”.

Read More: Spy chiefs of Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan to counter terror in Afghanistan

But, the report said that a perception exists that taking the Afghan peace talks to different venues in the west and east will complicate the reconciliation process in the country.

Meantime, Mohammadullah Haidari, Afghanistan’s former ambassador to Syria said, “Today the Taliban are ready to talk with the US and also they are ready to talk with Russia, but those who claim to be Afghans and want to bring peace in Afghanistan or talk about the peace process should talk to Afghans. However, they are not ready to talk with the legitimate government of Afghanistan.”

Moreover, there are reports that Alice Wells, the US’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs has met top Taliban officials in Doha.

Read More: Afghanistan: Taliban announce three-day Eid ceasefire

Meanwhile, Reuters, quoted an Afghan official working with foreign ministry saying that Afghan government had “decided against attending the Moscow conference” and that they will “hold direct talks” with the Taliban, without involving foreign powers.

Afghan reaction came a day after Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted, by Interfax news agency, saying that Taliban plans to take part in the 4 September talks in Russia’s capital Moscow. Taliban sources have also confirmed to Aljazeera about its participation in the Moscow talks.

Russia has invited 12 countries, including US, to the multilateral peace talks, but Washington has declined the invitation. Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday it regretted the US decision.

Read More: India joins UN in condemning terror attacks in Afghanistan

US also did not participate in the international talks on Afghanistan held in April last year in Moscow.

On Monday, Zamir Kabulov, a Russian foreign ministry official, was cited by Interfax as saying that Moscow has invited the Taliban, which is banned in Russia and considered a terrorist organisation. Kabulov is Russian President’s special envoy to Afghanistan who also served as ambassador in Afghanistan, Iraq and UN.

According to RIA news agency, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Moscow Abdul Kayum Kuchai, had welcomed the Taliban’s involvement in the talks.

There are reports that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo intends to appoint Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, as special envoy, to deal with the Afghan-Taliban peace process.

Aljazeera reports that a Western diplomat based in Kabul has said that Russia was seeking to increase its influence and improve its image in Afghanistan by inviting Taliban leaders for talks.

Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow TalksIn February this year, the Afghan Taliban had called for direct talks with the US to take place in its political office in Doha, the capital of Qatar. A Senior Taliban official based in Doha told Aljazeera that the group invites US officials to its political office in Qatar to discuss a “peaceful solution” to end the bloodshed in Afghanistan.

According to Wikipedia, senior Taliban leaders are currently stationed in Doha. The original purpose of the Taliban leaders’ presence in Qatar was to open an office that would facilitate reconciliation between members of the Taliban, Afghanistan, the US and other countries. However, shortly after the opening of the Taliban office in 2013, the office was closed by the Qatari government.

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World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

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Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

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Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

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Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

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Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

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1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

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