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Connectivity In Asia Region Key To Peace In War-Torn Afghanistan: UN Chief

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Connectivity In Asia Region Key To Peace In War-Torn Afghanistan: UN Chief" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-01/qirhisf_antonio-guterresreuters_625x300_11_January_21.jpg" title="Connectivity In Asia Region Key To Peace In War-Torn Afghanistan: UN Chief" /></div>
"Connectivity is central to trade, economic growth," UN chief Antonio Guterres said. (File photo)
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United Nations:
The countries of Central and South Asia can only fully benefit from potential opportunities if the region at large is at peace, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said, underlining that the promise of connectivity itself should become a "counterbalance" to the threat of further deterioration in war-torn Afghanistan.
"Connectivity is central to trade, economic growth and sustainable development. But connectivity is not just about economics. It drives regional cooperation and encourages friendly relations among neighbours, near and far," Guterres said in a video message to the high-level International Conference on Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity in Uzbekistan''s capital, Tashkent on Friday. 
"Enhanced connectivity that is environmentally sustainable and based on the rule of law can contribute to building long-term peace, stability and prosperity in Central and South Asia. This is crucial now more than ever," he said.
He said the countries of Central and South Asia can only fully benefit from potential opportunities if the region at large is at peace.
"This places an even higher premium on the importance of active and collective engagement in support of Afghanistan''s peace and security."
Guterres called on the nations to work together to "ensure that the potential dividends of peace are well enough understood by all so that the promise of connectivity itself becomes a counterbalance to the threat of further deterioration in Afghanistan."
He stressed that the conference is an important step in that direction and the UN stands ready to support "your efforts to strengthen interconnectedness in the region for the benefit of all."
His comments came as clashes between the Afghan government forces and the Taliban intensified since US troops began to withdraw from the country, ending nearly two-decade of its military presence in the war-ravaged country.
The Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamist militia, was evicted from power by the US-led forces in 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks in the US. 
The Taliban recently claimed their fighters had retaken 85 per cent of territory in Afghanistan - a figure disputed by the government in Kabul.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/connectivity-in-asia-region-key-to-peace-in-war-torn-afghanistan-un-chief-antonio-guterres-2488763">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/connectivity-in-asia-region-key-to-peace-in-war-torn-afghanistan-un-chief-antonio-guterres-2488763</a>

news world Connectivity In Asia Region Key To Peace In War-Torn Afghanistan: UN Chief

"Connectivity is central to trade, economic growth," UN chief Antonio Guterres said. (File photo) United Nations: The countri...

Kabul, Taliban Negotiators Meet In Qatar As Afghan Fighting Rages

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Kabul, Taliban Negotiators Meet In Qatar As Afghan Fighting Rages" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-07/865bndcg_taliban-afghanistan-afp_625x300_15_July_21.jpg" title="Kabul, Taliban Negotiators Meet In Qatar As Afghan Fighting Rages" /></div>
Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan captured districts and border crossings. (File)
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Doha:
Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban met in Doha for talks on Saturday, AFP correspondents said, as violence rages in the country with foreign forces almost entirely withdrawn.
The two sides have been meeting on and off for months in the Qatari capital, but the talks have lost momentum as the insurgents have made battlefield gains.
Several high-ranking officials, including former Afghan former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, gathered in a luxury hotel on Saturday after morning prayers.
They were joined by negotiators from the Taliban's political office in Doha.
Former president Hamid Karzai had also been due to travel to Doha but remained in Kabul, according to a source.
"The high level delegation is here to talk to both sides, guide them and support the (government) negotiating team in terms of speeding up the talks and have progress," said Najia Anwari, the spokeswoman for the Afghan government negotiating team in Doha.
"We expect that it (will) speed the talks and... in a short time, both sides will reach a result and we will witness a durable and dignified peace in Afghanistan," she told AFP.
'Ready for dialogue'
The Taliban have capitalised on the last stages of the withdrawal of US and other foreign troops from Afghanistan to launch a series of lightning offensives across the country.
"We are ready for dialogue, for talks and negotiations, and our priority is to solve the problems through dialogue," Taliban spokesman Muhamad Naeem told the Al Jazeera broadcaster ahead of Saturday's talks.
"The other side must have a true and sincere will to end the problems."
Talks between the government and the Taliban side led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar began with Koranic recitations, Naeem tweeted Saturday.
Pakistan on Saturday partially reopened its side of the southern border crossing with Afghanistan, shut after the Taliban seized control of the strategic Afghan frontier town of Spin Boldak from government forces last week.
Muhammad Tayyab, a local paramilitary official, said the decision was taken because of "relative calm on the other side", but that the crossing would remain closed to trade.
The Taliban have also tightened their grip on the north, with clashes continuing Saturday in the stronghold of infamous warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, that borders Turkmenistan.
Also on Saturday, the French government flew out around 100 of its citizens and Afghans working for the embassy from the capital, as security deteriorated, a French diplomatic source said.
Several other countries including India, China, Germany and Canada have flown out their citizens or told them to leave in recent days.
There have been weeks of intensifying fighting across Afghanistan, with the Taliban pressing multiple offensives and overrunning dozens of districts at a staggering rate.
Taliban onslaught
As fighting raged over large swathes of Afghanistan, a war of words was also heating up between Kabul and Islamabad, after the Afghan vice president accused the Pakistani military of providing "close air support to Taliban in certain areas".
Pakistan strongly denied the claim, with a foreign ministry statement saying the country "took necessary measures within its territory to safeguard our own troops and population".
Islamabad had touted a conference of regional leaders to address the spiralling violence.
Instead it announced it would delay the summit until after the Muslim Eid al-Adha feast, due to start next week at the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage, clearing the way for the Doha gathering.
Afghanistan's southern border has long been a flashpoint in relations with its eastern neighbour.
Pakistan's Balochistan province has been home to the Taliban's top leadership for decades, along with a large contingent of reserve fighters who regularly enter Afghanistan to bolster their ranks.
Foreign troops have been in Afghanistan for nearly two decades following the US-led invasion launched in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
They have appeared largely out of the picture in recent months, but fears are growing that Afghan forces will be overwhelmed without the vital air support they provide.
The speed and scale of the Taliban onslaught have caught many by surprise, with analysts saying it appears aimed at forcing the government to negotiate on the insurgents' terms or suffer complete military defeat.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/kabul-taliban-negotiators-meet-in-qatar-as-afghan-fighting-rages-2488730">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/kabul-taliban-negotiators-meet-in-qatar-as-afghan-fighting-rages-2488730</a>

news world Kabul, Taliban Negotiators Meet In Qatar As Afghan Fighting Rages

Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan captured districts and border crossings. (File) Doha: Representatives of the Afghan government and th...

World Emoji Day 2021: How They Evolved And Changed Our Communication

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="World Emoji Day 2021: How They Evolved And Changed Our Communication" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/maoomfog_world-emoji-day_625x300_17_July_18.jpg" title="World Emoji Day 2021: How They Evolved And Changed Our Communication" /></div>
The word "emoji" is a portmanteau, meaning it is made up of two different words
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We often use emojis to convey a feeling and there's a particular emoji for most of those emotions. Given the increasing number of emojis, sometimes we even struggle to find the right one. That said, emojis have become a significant part of our written communication. They are an outcome of the most recent evolution of the human language as most people communicate over electronic devices and via social media platforms now. These emojis attempt to fill in a gap when communication happens virtually. Thus, to celebrate these humble characters, the world celebrates Emoji Day on July 17.
The word “emoji” is a portmanteau, meaning it is made up of two different words, both of them Japanese: 'e' for picture and ‘moji' for the character.
Significance
One way of understanding their wide use is that there's a verified Twitter handle for World Emoji Day. It shared a video of Dr Christina Sevdali, a senior lecturer of linguistics at Northern Ireland-based Ulster University, outlining how these pictorial characters have become a part of our daily communication.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Happy World Emoji Day!
Dr Christina Sevdali senior lecture of linguistics at UU, explains to us about the evolution of language and just how important emojis are in todays' world.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreUU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreUU</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldEmojiDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldEmojiDay</a><a href="https://t.co/P62ibYKQyy">pic.twitter.com/P62ibYKQyy</a>
— Ulster University (@UlsterUni) <a href="https://twitter.com/UlsterUni/status/1416309750971645954?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
History
Since the Calendar emoji displays July 17 as the date, it was decided that the day would be celebrated as World Emoji Day by Jeremy Burge, the founder of <a href="https://emojipedia.org/">Emojipedia</a>, a repository of almost all the emojis available today. The first World Emoji Day was celebrated in 2014 and after that, it became an annual feature.
Celebration
With the event gaining popularity over the years, many people and organisations have started tweeting to mark the day.
In its message on Twitter, UNESCO shared the word “peace” using several emojis.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our message for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldEmojiDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldEmojiDay</a>:
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ ☮️ 
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️☮️☮️
☮️☮️ 
☮️ ☮️ 
☮️ ☮️ 
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ ☮️
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️☮️☮️
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️☮️☮️ 
☮️ 
☮️☮️☮️
— UNESCO ????️ #Education #Sciences #Culture ???????????? (@UNESCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/1416281517387501575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
The United Nations shared emojis depicting all “the peoples” of the world and urged everyone to stand up for human rights.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
???????? ”We the peoples...” ????????
The UN works for everyone, everywhere -- by helping tackle the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> crisis, promoting peace & security, striving to achieve the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GlobalGoals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GlobalGoals</a>, and urging all people to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandUp4HumanRights?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StandUp4HumanRights</a>. <a href="https://t.co/917HhoriT9">https://t.co/917HhoriT9</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldEmojiDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldEmojiDay</a><a href="https://t.co/5mlKNEdss1">pic.twitter.com/5mlKNEdss1</a>
— United Nations (@UN) <a href="https://twitter.com/UN/status/1416201232734117888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
Football club Juventus shared a clip, asking users to identify the players behind the emoji faces.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
If our Bianconeri were emojis ????????
???? Can you guess which players are under the emoji faces? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldEmojiDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldEmojiDay</a><a href="https://t.co/bxORcYk3ll">pic.twitter.com/bxORcYk3ll</a>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1416321785201676293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings asked its fans to tell it about their “emoji-tion” today.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What is your emoji-tion today????????????????? 
Tell us below ⬇️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldEmojiDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldEmojiDay</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yellove?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yellove</a> ???????? <a href="https://t.co/0b4X1eobXz">pic.twitter.com/0b4X1eobXz</a>
— Chennai Super Kings - Mask P????du Whistle P????du! (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1416265774252105729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
Upcoming emojis
Finally, Emojipedia has some good news for those who have not yet found the right emoji to express themselves. It has disclosed a <a href="https://blog.emojipedia.org/new-emojis-in-2021-2022/">list of emojis that are lined up for release in 2021-22</a>. They may include a saluting face, biting lip, coral and a low battery. Other emojis in the draft list are consistent gender options for pregnancy and royalty, 'heart hands', and 15 different handshake combinations.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/world-emoji-day-2021-history-and-significance-of-these-humble-characters-2488729">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/world-emoji-day-2021-history-and-significance-of-these-humble-characters-2488729</a>

news world World Emoji Day 2021: How They Evolved And Changed Our Communication

The word "emoji" is a portmanteau, meaning it is made up of two different words We often use emojis to convey a feeling and th...

Syria's Assad Takes Oath For Fourth Term After Criticised Re-election

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Syria's Assad Takes Oath For Fourth Term After Criticised Re-election" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/bashar-al-assad-reuters_625x300_1528038939914.jpg" title="Syria's Assad Takes Oath For Fourth Term After Criticised Re-election" /></div>
President Bashar al-Assad took oath of office for a fourth term in Syria. (File)
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Damascus:
President Bashar al-Assad took the oath of office for a fourth term in war-ravaged Syria Saturday, after taking 95 percent of the vote in a controversial election dismissed abroad.
Assad was sworn in on the constitution and the Koran in the presence of more than 600 guests, including ministers, businessmen, academics and journalists, organisers said.
The elections "have proven the strength of popular legitimacy that the people have conferred to the state," 55-year-old Assad said, in his inauguration speech.
They "have discredited the declarations of Western officials on the legitimacy of the state, the constitution and the homeland," he added.
The vote extending Assad's grip on power was the second since the start of a decade-long civil war that has killed more than half a million people, displaced millions and battered the country's infrastructure.
On the eve of the May 26 election, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy said the poll was "neither free nor fair", and Syria's fragmented opposition has called it a "farce".
With his campaign slogan, "Hope through work", Assad cast himself as the sole architect of a reconstruction phase for the troubled country.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/syrias-assad-takes-oath-for-fourth-term-after-criticised-re-election-2488725">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/syrias-assad-takes-oath-for-fourth-term-after-criticised-re-election-2488725</a>

news world Syria's Assad Takes Oath For Fourth Term After Criticised Re-election

President Bashar al-Assad took oath of office for a fourth term in Syria. (File) Damascus: President Bashar al-Assad took the oath of o...

France To Require 24-Hour Negative Covid Test For Some European Arrivals

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="France To Require 24-Hour Negative Covid Test For Some European Arrivals" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-08/0t0t7iao_france-coronavirus-reuters-650_625x300_04_August_20.jpg" title="France To Require 24-Hour Negative Covid Test For Some European Arrivals" /></div>
Coronavirus: France would reinforce restrictions on travellers from some countries. (File)
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Paris:
France said Saturday it would require people not fully vaccinated and arriving from some European countries to show a negative Covid test taken within the previous 24 hours.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece and the Netherlands will be subject to the new rule, which comes into effect at midnight Saturday into Sunday, Prime Minsiter Jean Castex said in a statement.
To date, people arriving from the United Kingdom are required to show a negative test taken within the past 48 hours.
Arrivals from Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Greece have had to show tests taken within 72 hours.
But Castex said that people who are fully vaccinated with a jab recognised by the European Medicines Agency -- Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johson -- will not be required to show a test.
The statement said the exemption was in place because "vaccines are effective against the virus, and in particular its variant Delta".
Tunisia, Mozambique, Cuba and Indonesia have also been added to France's so-called red list.
Travel from red list countries is only allowed on pressing grounds and even then vaccinated travellers must self-isolate for seven days.
The new measures come as several European nations battle rising caseloads, blamed in part on the highly-transmissible Delta variant which has taken hold on the continent.
New infections have ticked up in France in recent weeks, hitting nearly 11,000 on Friday, even as the government races to vaccinate the population.
President Emmanuel Macron said this week that vaccine health passes would be required for entry to most public places and that all healthcare workers must be fully inoculated, sparking a rush to book appointments for the jab.
Around 35.5 million people -- just over half of France's population -- have received at least one vaccine dose so far.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said this week it expects a sharp increase in coronavirus cases, with nearly five times as many new infections by August 1.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-france-to-require-24-hour-negative-covid-test-for-some-european-arrivals-2488697">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-france-to-require-24-hour-negative-covid-test-for-some-european-arrivals-2488697</a>

news world France To Require 24-Hour Negative Covid Test For Some European Arrivals

Coronavirus: France would reinforce restrictions on travellers from some countries. (File) Paris: France said Saturday it would require...

French Face 6 Months in Jail For Entering a Bar or Restaurant Without a COVID Pass

Police in Manchester arrived at a 12-year-old girl’s home in a riot van to check that she was ‘self-isolating’, an action that led the girl to fear she was about to be arrested.
“Officers visited the home of Kathryn Crook in Middleton, Greater Manchester, to check that Charlotte, 12, was adhering to Covid guidance after catching the virus,” reports the Daily Mail.
“Ms Crook, 45, says her daughter was terrified by the experience, alleging the behaviour of Rochdale Public Health Officers and Greater Manchester Police was “inappropriate and heavy-handed.”
Police first visited the home on July 11th and instead of talking to the girl’s parents, demanded to talk to the 12-year-old, shouting through the door as the kid cowered behind her mother.
“I spent Monday trying to find out why this had happened only to be told by Rochdale Public Health Department that they had authorised this to happen,” said the mother.
The family were then visited again by police – this time in a riot van – at 9pm the next day.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true" readability="11.969135802469">
UK C19 Totalitarianism: Manchester mother demands apology from public health and police chiefs after officers in RIOT van turn up to check her petrified daughter, 12, was self-isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19<a href="https://t.co/UAGaF5C557">https://t.co/UAGaF5C557</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/MailOnline?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MailOnline</a>
— Andrew Bostom, MD, MS (@andrewbostom) <a href="https://twitter.com/andrewbostom/status/1415621436484554754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
“It was terribly upsetting again for my daughter and she had another meltdown again thinking the police were going to arrest her,” said Ms Crook.
As we <a href="https://summit.news/2020/09/28/uk-covid-police-start-enforcing-lockdown-by-visiting-peoples-homes/">highlighted</a> last year, police began visiting homes at the end of September to make sure people who were supposed to be ‘self-isolating’ didn’t leave their property.
Another irony to the story is that despite England supposedly celebrating ‘freedom day’ on Monday, when all coronavirus restrictions are supposed to be lifted, people will still be forced to self-isolate and suffer aggressive home visits from police.
Numerous other measures will also remain in place given that the government has told businesses they can still enforce mask mandates while also encouraging them to use a COVID passport system.
So much for ‘freedom day’.
As we <a href="https://summit.news/2021/04/13/uk-police-break-down-door-arrest-man-for-violating-covid-quarantine-rules/">highlighted</a> back in April, police broke into a man’s home and arrested him for violating COVID quarantine rules because he failed to self-isolate in a hotel after returning to the UK from abroad.
Such ‘quarantine hotels’ have become notorious as being de facto internment camps worse than prisons where people’s every move is watched, they are only allowed outside briefly to exercise and are fed rotten, awful food.
Anyone who lies about where they have returned to the country from or anyone who fails to quarantine in a hotel upon return faces a fine of up to £10,000 and a prison sentence of up to 10 years in jail.
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source <a href="https://summit.news/2021/07/16/french-face-6-months-in-jail-for-entering-a-bar-or-restaurant-without-a-covid-pass/">https://summit.news/2021/07/16/french-face-6-months-in-jail-for-entering-a-bar-or-restaurant-without-a-covid-pass/</a>

revolution summit French Face 6 Months in Jail For Entering a Bar or Restaurant Without a COVID Pass

Police in Manchester arrived at a 12-year-old girl’s home in a riot van to check that she was ‘self-isolating’, an action that led the girl ...