Italy to transfer its embassy in Afghanistan to Qatar: Foreign Minister
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Sunday said that Italy plans to move its Afghan embassy to Qatar’s capital Doha. “Qatar has become the centre of diplomatic relations with respect to this Afghan government that is being formed,” Di Maio added. Western countries had shut their embassies in Kabul after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Turkey neutralised 18,500 militants since 2015: Defence Ministry
The Turkish Defence Ministry said Turkey has “neutralised” nearly 18,500 people that it calls “terrorists” over the past six years, including 1,865 since the start of 2021. Neutralised is a term used by Turkish authorities to describe killed, wounded or captured combatants. The vast majority of the neutralised are thought to be members of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Guinea govt dissolved, say soldiers amid coup reports; govt says ‘attack repelled’
Amid reports of a military coup in West African nation Guinea, soldiers said in a short broadcast on state television that they have dissolved the government. The Defence Ministry, however, said an attack on the Presidential Palace in Conakry was ‘repelled’ and the threat was contained. Some videos reportedly showed President Alpha Conde detained by the Army.
UN to convene conference to raise aid for Afghanistan on Sept 13
The United Nations will convene an international aid conference on September 13 to advocate for more resources for Afghan humanitarian operations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “We also appeal for full…humanitarian access to make sure Afghans continue to get…essential services they need,” he added. Guterres has previously said that a humanitarian catastrophe looms in Afghanistan.
Poland to donate 4 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan
Poland will donate four lakh doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan, Polish Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday. The ministry said that its vaccine donation is a reciprocal move after Taiwan donated medical equipment to Poland during the first wave of the pandemic. “We sincerely thank the government and people of Poland for donating…vaccine doses,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said.
Kabul airport reopens to receive international aid: Qatar
A Qatari technical team was able to reopen the Kabul airport to receive international aid, Qatar’s ambassador to Afghanistan said. The airport’s runway has been repaired in cooperation with authorities in Afghanistan, the ambassador added. Two domestic flights were operated from the Kabul airport to the cities of Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar as per reports.
Pilot sets world record by flying plane through two tunnels in 44 secs in Turkey
Italy’s stunt pilot Dario Costa has become the first person to fly a plane through two tunnels in Turkey’s Çatalca. The flight covered a distance of 2.26 km, and in less than 44 seconds, Costa set a certified Guinness World Record plus four more records. He broke the Guinness World Record for the longest tunnel flown through with an aeroplane.
