Abyzemen

Taliban fighters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, start collecting weapons from civilians because people no longer need them for personal protection, a Taliban official says. “We understand people kept weapons for personal safety. They can now feel safe. We are not here to harm innocent civilians,” the official tells Reuters news agency. City resident Saad Mohseni, director of the MOBY group media company, says on Twitter that Taliban soldiers have come to his company compound to enquire about the weapons kept by his security team. Taliban fighters in the Afghan capital, Kabul, start collecting weapons from civilians because people no longer need them for personal protection, a Taliban official says. “We understand people kept weapons for personal safety. They can now feel safe. We are not here to harm innocent civilians,” the official tells Reuters news agency. City resident Saad Mohseni, director of the MOBY group media company, says on Twitter that Taliban soldiers have come to his co...

The moves by France and Greece come as both countries -- and indeed most of Europe -- see a steep increase in cases of the coronavirus caused by the Delta variant. The strain, first identified in India earlier this year, is more transmissible and has spread across the world in recent months. There are also worries, based on statements from the Israeli government, that existing Covid-19 vaccines may be slightly less effective in preventing all infections caused by the Delta variant, compared to previous strains. The shots do appear to be highly effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths. The threat posed by the Delta variant has prompted several European governments to reintroduce restrictions in recent days. The Netherlands reinstated curbs on nightclubs and restaurants on Friday after seeing a spike in cases. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized for easing the restrictions at the end of June, telling reporters on Monday that it had been an "error in judgment."...

Ethiopian GERD Dam Second filling is successfully completed on july 19 2021

The Ethiopian army has pledged to secure the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) until its completion and to confront any force that might attempt to invade the area. Ethiopian News Agency reported that leaders and members of the 22nd Army Division announced that their unit is working to protect the area and the dam’s construction schedule. The Division’s Deputy Commander Azineh Shimelis said that his forces will provide all necessary protection to the construction project, including its supplies. Shimelis added that another task assigned to the division will confront any forces that attempt to enter the area. The announcement comes as Ethiopia proceeds with the dam’s second filling, a move that has been unilaterally rejected by Egypt. Egypt and Sudan presented the issue at a UN Security Council hearing last week in hopes of bringing more international players into the negotiation process. Following the hearing, the Security Council issued a statement encouraging...

British and Irish Lions reassured on safety The British and Irish Lions rugby team’s players have been reassured of their safety, a security official with the tourists told AFP news agency. “There have been discussions with the Lions and security has increased,” said the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not an authorized spokesman. “South Africa is a vast country size wise and the Western Cape is far from the worst hit areas. I would say it is the safest part of the country currently.” The Lions arrived in South Africa on June 28 for an eight-match tour and played three times in Gauteng before flying to Cape Town last .

ADDIS ABABA, July 14 - Forces from Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray said on Monday they were pushing south and had recaptured a town from government forces, underscoring their determination to keep fighting until the region's pre-war borders are restored. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claim because communication links to the region are down. Conflict erupted in Tigray eight months ago between central government forces and the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The government declared victory three weeks later when it took the regional capital Mekelle, but the TPLF kept fighting to control welkait and raya but the historical land owners of Amhara people and regional government is difficult for TPLF.

Check out every zodiac sign’s weekly horoscope for the week of July 5 – 11, 2021. What’s going to happen this week? Find out here. This is Cancer’s big week with both a new moon and Mercury (planet of communication) in the sign of the Crab. It all starts when the sun in Cancer sextiles Uranus (planet of surprises) in Taurus on Monday. Sudden changes in your private life could reveal secrets that you’ve been turning a blind eye to. Stop ignoring the truth and learn how to face it. Spend Friday night at home when the new moon is in Cancer. Cancer hosts its ruling planet, encouraging us to focus on our emotions and well-being. Practice self-care to find peace of mind as we start the new lunar cycle. A good cry might be useful, so let it all out.

The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela are monolithic churches located in the Western Ethiopian Highlands near the town of Lalibela , named after the late-12th and early-13th century King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe Dynasty, who commissioned the massive building project of 11 rock-hewn churches to recreate the holy city of Jerusalem in his own kingdom. The site remains in use by the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church to this day, and it remains an important place of pilgrimage

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The mass deaths have alarmed animal welfare groups, who say proposals to help save the dolphins are not sufficient. Industrial fishing has been blamed for a record 1,100 dolphins washing up on beaches in France so far this year - often in a mutilated state. More of the dead mammals have been found in the first three months of 2019 than in the entirety of last year, which was already a record-breaker. The mass deaths have alarmed animal welfare groups and prompted French ecology minister Francois De Rugy to launch a national plan. Activists say fishermen often cut body parts off the suffocated dolphins after they are pulled up in their nets, in a bid to save their equipment. The ecology minister, under pressure to act as President Emmanuel Macron continues to champion pro-environment policies, has pledged to bolster research into existing repellent devices in use off the Bay of Biscay - an industrial fishing hub in the Atlantic Ocean.

As thousands of deputies strode along the red carpets of the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday, heading for lunch as the sun broke out in Beijing, their Two Sessions was just beginning.   Ten days of discussion and deliberation follow for the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the talking has been under way for a couple of days at the top advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Though there is still much to consume, for most overseas observers the starter and main course have already been served – and there have been few surprises so far.

Yemeni government and Houthi representatives have reached an agreement on the first phase of their redeployment of forces under a UN-sponsored deal for the warring armies to leave the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, the United Nations said on Sunday. Representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels met in the UN-facilitated talks in Hodeidah on Saturday and Sunday, and reached agreement on Phase 1 of the troop withdrawal, said the press office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. However, the press office didn't give details of exactly what the Iranian-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed government agreed. The United Nations is trying to implement a truce and troop-withdrawal accord in Hodeidah, the main entry point for most of Yemen's imports, as part of efforts to end a war that has killed tens of thousands and left millions on the brink of starvation. Under Phase 1, the Houthis are to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa to be met...

The Haitian government vowed to deepen the investigation into alleged corruption in the PetroCaribe oil program and to reduce its expenses, seeking to meet some of protestors' demands as demonstrations roil the country. During a televised address on Saturday night, Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant announced nine measures aimed at alleviating the country's economic crisis.  Ceant said the government will reduce its expenses by 30 percent, meet with the private sector to try to raise the minimum wage and appoint a new director to intensify the investigation into alleged corruption under PetroCaribe. "I and the members of the government listen to (the opposition's) voice, we hear his cry, we understand his anger and indignation," Ceant said. Since Feb. 7, thousands of demonstrators have called for President Jovenel Moise and Ceant to resign and for an independent probe into the whereabouts of funds from the PetroCaribe agreement, an alliance between Caribbe...

China announced Monday that it is developing the modified version of the Long March-6 rocket with four additional solid boosters to increase its carrying capacity. The improved medium-lift carrier rocket will be sent into space by 2020, according to Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC), which designed the rocket. With a short launch preparation cycle, the Long March-6 has been mainly used for the academy's commercial launches. The rocket completed two space tests in September 2015 and November 2017, carrying 20 satellites and three satellites, respectively. The three-stage rocket is 29.3 meters long, with a launch weight of 103 tonnes. It has a carrying capacity of one tonne for sun-synchronous orbit. Fueled by a liquid propellant made of liquid oxygen and kerosene, the Long March-6 is China's first carrier rocket that uses non-toxic and non-polluting fuel. Ding Xiufeng, executive manager of...

China's foreign ministry expressed anger on Monday over two U.S. warships entering the South China Sea. The two warships entered China's territorial seas around the Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing. The Chinese side immediately conducted verification and identification on the U.S. ships and warned them to leave, said the spokeswoman. The relevant action by the U.S. side infringed upon China's sovereignty, and undermined the peace, security, and order of the relevant waters, Hua said, adding that China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard itself. China firmly opposed the relevant action and urged the U.S. to immediately stop its provocations, Hua stressed.

U.S. Democratic and Republican negotiators have reached an agreement "in principle" on Monday to fund the government and avoid another partial shutdown. Republican Senator Richard Shelby, one of the congressional negotiators working on border security funding, said late on Monday that an "agreement in principle" had been reached, according to Reuters. "Our staffs are going to be working feverishly to put all the particulars together,” Shelby said. He did not say whether President Donald Trump would get any money for the U.S.-Mexico border wall as he has asked. Trump's December demand for 5.7 billion U.S. dollars to help construct the border wall triggered a 35-day partial government shutdown that ended last month without him getting wall funding. A congressional aide, who asked not to be identified, said the outline of the deal included 1.37 billion U.S. dollars for erecting new fencing along the southern border. That is about the same amount C...

France has recalled its ambassador to Italy for talks after "provocations" from Italy's political leaders, said the French Foreign Ministry on Thursday. "France has been, for several months, the target of repeated, baseless attacks and outrageous statements," the ministry said in a statement. It came one day after Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio hailed the "winds of change across the Alps" on Twitter following his meeting with leaders of the "yellow vest" movement.