Climate-related disasters have affected the lives of at least 139.2 million people and killed some 17,242 since the beginning of COVID-19, according to a report published Thursday.

An additional 658.1 million people have been exposed to extreme temperatures, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre in a release.
- The world is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis where the climate change and COVID-19 are pushing communities to their limits - IFRC President Francesco Rocca said at a press conference in New York presenting the new report.
- In the lead up to COP26, we urge world leaders to take immediate action not only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also to address the existent and imminent humanitarian impacts of climate change - he added.
The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, will take place in Glasgow, Scotland between Oct. 31-Nov. 21.
- The massive spending in COVID-19 recovery proves that governments can act fast and drastically in the face of global threats - Rocca said.
- It is time to turn words into action and devote the same energy to the climate crisis. Every day, we are witnessing the impact of human-made climate change. The climate crisis is here, and we need to act now - he added.

Additional 658M people exposed to extreme temperatures

Climate-related disasters killed 17,000 since COVID-19 began

Malaysia’s king and queen are heading to the UK on a special visit that will conclude on Sept. 27, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Queen Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will visit the Battersea Power Station, Malaysia’s iconic project in London, according to a ministry statement.
They will meet Malaysian businesspeople, academics, students, and community leaders at the country’s embassy in London on Sept. 24, followed by a visit the next day to the Tun Abdul Razak Research Center, which is owned by the Malaysian Rubber Board.
The king will also discuss defense cooperation and related issues with British army chief Gen. Nicholas Carter.
- This special visit symbolizes the importance of the close relationship between Malaysia and the UK manifested at the highest level of government - the Foreign Ministry said.
According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority’s data, the UK is Malaysia’s 19th largest trading partner, 18th export destination, and 19th top source of imports.
In 2019, Malaysia’s total trade with the UK saw an annual increase of 5.3% and stood close to $4 billion.
The UK ranks ninth among foreign investors in Malaysia with a total of 467 projects worth some $2.4 billion.
Last year, Malaysia and the UK established the Joint Committee for Bilateral Trade and Investment Cooperation to bolster economic relations.

Tour symbolizes importance of close relationship between Kuala Lumpur, London, says Malaysian Foreign Ministry

King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Queen Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will visit the Battersea Power Station, Malaysia’s iconic project in London, according to a ministry statement

Malaysia's king, queen embark on 10-day special visit to UK

Ahead of elections in Somalia, presidential candidates on Friday condemned a move by the president on Thursday to suspend the prime minister’s powers, further deepening a political crisis in the country.

In a joint statement, the presidential candidates said the move by Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed to clip the prime minister's powers is a blatant violation of the Somali constitution.
The candidates said the president “trampled on the country’s constitution and lied about its provisions” when he suspended the powers of the prime minister.
According to the presidency, there were "no working relations between the president and the prime minister."
The presidency said in a statement on Thursday that since the prime minister of Somalia has violated the provisional constitution, the powers of the prime minister and all correspondence related to dismissals or appointments have been frozen until the completion of the country’s elections.

In response to the presidency on Friday, Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said the letter issued by the president clearly violates the constitution and falsely misinterprets articles 87 and 90 of the constitution as they do not mention any interference of the president in constitutional powers of the prime minister and his government.”

Roble added that the president violated Article 103 of the provisional constitution that gives the incumbent prime minister and his Cabinet the executive power to continue and carry out routine duties until a new prime minister is sworn in.
Calling the president’s order null and void, Roble said the federal government of Somalia has assured the Somali people and the international community that it is focusing on completing the elections, maintaining security, and safeguarding the governance system so that the country’s leadership is peacefully transferred.
Presidential elections in the Horn of African country are scheduled to be held after the parliamentary elections slated for Nov. 25.
The two leaders locked horns over hiring and firing in the country’s security agencies, triggering political instability in the country as it struggles to hold long-delayed elections and fight rising extremism.
The power struggle became public last week when Roble sacked Somalia's intelligence chief over his handling of a high-profile probe into the disappearance of a young political worker.
The president overruled the prime minister, appointing the dumped intelligence official as his national security adviser.

Political crisis in Horn of African country deepens ahead of polls as presidential candidates back prime minister

Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble

Somali president slammed for clipping premier's powers

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said he will inaugurate the 36-story Turkevi Center in New York on Monday.
Erdogan will be in the US on Sunday as part of his visit to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.
- We will open the 36-story Turkevi Center in New York on Monday, right across the UN [Headquarters] - he said at his Justice and Development Party (AK) Party’s provincial advisory meeting.
The building, which uses traditional Turkish architectural motifs, especially from the Seljuk Empire, rises to the sky in the shape of a tulip and can be seen from downtown Manhattan, the East River, and Long Island.
The building was designed as a symbolic skyscraper that will add to the skyline of New York, one of the world’s most iconic cities, and reflect Turkish culture, history, and diversity.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be in US as part of his visit to attend 76th session of UN General Assembly

Turkish president Erdogan to inaugurate 36-story Turkevi Center in New York

The UN Security Council unanimously extended on Friday the mandate for its assistance mission in Afghanistan by six months.

The 15-0 vote to preserve the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) through March 17, 2022 comes in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of the war-torn country, and the exit of all foreign military forces.
The resolution calls upon "all Afghan and international parties to coordinate with UNAMA in the implementation of its mandate and to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel throughout the country."
It calls on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report to the council by the end of January 2022 "on strategic and operational recommendations for the mandate of UNAMA, in light of recent political, security and social developments," and requests Guterres brief the council every other month on the situation in Afghanistan.
Human Rights Watch lauded the extension, but said UNAMA "needs to be in Afghanistan indefinitely, monitoring and investigating alleged abuses."
- There's little evidence to suggest the Taliban will comply with international human rights law, especially the rights of women and girls - Louis Charbonneau, the rights group's UN director, said in a statement.- UNAMA will need to regularly and publicly report on abuses, while helping meet the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people. -

Resolution clears Security Council unanimously following Taliban takeover of war-torn country

The 15-0 vote to preserve the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) through March 17, 2022 comes in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of the war-torn country, and the exit of all foreign military forces

UN Security Council extends Afghan mission mandate for 6 months

A camp housing nearly 10,000 refugees in northern Rwanda will be closed due to disaster risk and aging infrastructure, the country’s Emergency Ministry and UNHCR said in a joint statement.

Set up in 1997, the Gihembe camp is home to 9,922 Congolese.
- The motive for this ongoing exercise [relocation] is to settle refugees in a better place given that Gihembe camp is located in a high-risk area and is affected by environmental hazards caused by erosion and ravaging ravines, with aging infrastructures - the statement said.
Some 2,392 refugees have so far been transferred to Mahama camp in eastern Rwanda, and the remaining will be relocated by December, it added.
The Mahama camp was set up for Burundian refugees in 2015.
But, in June, Rwanda said over 27,000 Burundian refugees had been facilitated to voluntarily repatriate back to their country over the past year.
The refugees in the Gihembe camp have expressed worries over their relocation. However, the statement said that the relocated refugees will remain entitled to the same rights and package of assistance allocated to any other camp or urban refugees in Rwanda according to their vulnerability classification.
Last year, a group of more than 600 Congolese refugees were also relocated to Mahama camp from Kigeme refugee camp in southern Rwanda over environmental concerns.
The Central African country hosts about 127,000 refugees, including more than 48,000 from Burundi and over 77,000 from the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to official data.

Up to 2,392 refugees transferred with others to be relocated by December, UNHCR says

Set up in 1997, the Gihembe camp is home to 9,922 Congolese

Camp housing nearly 10,000 refugees in Rwanda to be closed due to disaster risks

Russian armed forces started taking delivery of the latest S-500 surface-to-air anti-ballistic missile system, an official said on Thursday.

The test stage has been successfully completed, and deliveries have begun, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told media in eastern Tyumen province.
The S-500 system, called Prometheus, is intended to replace A-135 and S-300 missile systems and supplement the S-400 systems.
The S-500 is a new-generation surface-to-air missile system, designed to intercept and destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles and aircraft.
Air defense against electronic warfare and airborne early warning and control systems also feature in the new system.

New-generation surface-to-air missile system designed to intercept, destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles, aircraft

The S-500 system, called Prometheus, is intended to replace A-135 and S-300 missile systems and supplement the S-400 systems

Russian armed forces take delivery of latest S-500 air defense system

Afghanistan’s acting interior minister Wednesday met with the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN secretary-general’s special representative for security to discuss a number of issues, including the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-torn country, a Taliban official said.

This is the first meeting between the UN special envoy Deborah Lyons and acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani since the Taliban’s announcement of a new interim administration in Afghanistan last week.
Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, tweeted on Thursday that Lyons and Haqqani “discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and humanitarian aids.”
Haqqani assured that the UN personnel can conduct their work without any hurdle and deliver vital aid to the Afghan people, the statement said, adding: “He emphasized to remain engaged with the international community.”
The meeting also stressed that the UN should recognize the newly established government in Afghanistan and cooperate with it, local Afghan media reported.
According to Tolo News, the meeting also discussed clearing the UN blacklist, implementing the Doha peace deal, and releasing Afghanistan’s frozen currency for banking and economic development.
The new administration insists that the US remains committed to the Doha agreement and that sanctions on the government officials should be lifted, it added.
The international sanctions were imposed in 1999 when the Taliban were in power in Kabul and had enforced Islamic regulations across the country.
At least 14 members of the interim Taliban government, including acting Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund and his two deputies, are on the UN Security Council’s blacklist, which includes travel bans and asset freezes.
Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani carries a $10 million bounty, while acting Defense Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and his deputy Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai are all sanctioned by the UN Security Council’s 1988 Sanctions Committee.

In 1st meeting since formation of interim gov't in Kabul, acting interior minister assures head of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan of support

This is the first meeting between the UN special envoy Deborah Lyons and acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani since the Taliban’s announcement of a new interim administration in Afghanistan last week

Taliban leader, UN official discuss aid delivery to Afghanistan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday expressed his country's willingness and readiness to provide support for holding Libyan general elections on its scheduled time, on Dec. 24.

In his meeting with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh in Cairo, al-Sisi stressed his country's fixed stance towards "respecting the Libyan sovereignty and preserving its territorial unity."
From his part, Dbeibeh voiced his country's appreciation for the Egyptian role in stabilizing peace in Libya, especially Egypt's support for the Libyan national institutions.
- Libya is looking to scale up ties with Egypt in all fields in the interest of the two brotherly nations - Dbeibeh said.
On Wednesday, the Libyan prime minister arrived in Cairo to meet Egyptian top officials along with attending the 11th meeting of the Egyptian-Libyan Joint Higher Committee, which focuses on strengthening cooperation and trade between the two countries.
In recent months, relations between Tripoli and Cairo improved following the visit of Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly to Tripoli in April, where Egypt expressed support for the new national unity government in Libya.
In February, Libya's rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government to lead the country to elections in December.
A popular revolution ousted Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Ever since, the country fell into political deadlock and was engulfed by civil war, with Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar seeking to seize power and overthrow the internationally recognized government.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met in Cairo with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh

In February, Libya's rival political groups agreed to form an interim unity government to lead the country to elections in December

Egypt ready to support elections in Libya

At least three people were killed and 60 others injured when an earthquake hit China early on Thursday, triggering the second-top level alarm in the affected region.

The China Earthquake Networks Center told Xinhua News that a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Luxian county of Luzhou City in southwest China’s Sichuan province.
Three of the hospitalized people remain critical.
Luxian county was shaken by the earthquake at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) at around 4:33 a.m. (2033GMT Wednesday).
The Sichuan local administration raised the level-II response to meet the earthquake challenges.
China has a four-tier earthquake emergency response system.
Luzhou county authorities have mobilized nearly 3,000 people for relief and rescue operations as affected people are being relocated to safer places.
Telecommunication services in some areas were affected and Luzhou high-speed railway station was also closed. Mining companies have been asked to evacuate miners from shafts and stop the work temporarily.

Pre-dawn 6.0-magnitude quake hits Luxian county in southwest China’s Sichuan province, affecting communication services

The China Earthquake Networks Center told Xinhua News that a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Luxian county of Luzhou City in southwest China’s Sichuan province

Earthquake kills 3, injures 60 in China

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Thursday suspended the prime minister’s power to hire and fire officials, accusing him of taking “rush and hasty decisions.”

This came after Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble removed Internal Security Minister Hassan Hundubey Jimale last week and replaced him with Abdullahi Mohamed Nur.
According to the presidency, there were "no working relations between the president and the prime minister."
Tensions mounted between Mohamed and Roble after they chose different individuals to head the country’s spy agency earlier this month.
Last week, the prime minister suspended Fahad Yasin, director of the spy agency, saying he failed to provide reliable evidence of investigations into the alleged killing on an intelligence agent in June.
Roble appointed Bashir Mohamed Jama as the agency's interim head, while the president named Yasin Abdullahi Mohamed.
The presidency accused the prime minister of infringing the country’s constitution by overstepping his mandate.
The escalating rift between the top political leaders has caught the attention of foreign missions amid heightened political tensions in the country.
Foreign missions and the UN in a joint statement called on the two leaders to resolve their differences, saying the rift could derail the ongoing election process.

President Mohamed accuses Prime Minister Roble of taking ‘rush, hasty decisions’

Somali president suspends premier’s power to hire, fire officials

Iran on Wednesday resumed flights to Afghanistan, after international flights to the capital’s Kabul Airport were suspended following the Taliban takeover of the country.

The semi-official Fars news agency said two private Mahan planes headed to Kabul from Tehran and the northern city of Mashhad.
The company had suspended its flights to Afghanistan in mid-August.
In the wake of the completion of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan on Aug. 31, and the Taliban control of the Kabul Airport, a number of Taliban officials demanded that foreign countries resume their international flights to the war-torn nation.

Resumption comes after suspension of flights in mid-August following Taliban takeover

The company had suspended its flights to Afghanistan in mid-August

Iran resumes flights to Afghanistan

Former US President Donald Trump strongly criticized a forthcoming book that alleges Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley went behind his back to speak with Chinese military officials in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The Washington Post on Tuesday published excerpts from associate editor Bob Woodward and national political reporter Robert Costa that alleges Milley phoned his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng twice -- once on Oct. 30, 2020 and again on Jan. 8, 2021 to tell him the US would not attack.
Milley further provided assurances that he would personally inform Li ahead of any potential attack, according to the book.
- We are 100 percent steady. Everything’s fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes - Milley reportedly said in the second telephone call after Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol in a failed effort to prevent US President Joe Biden's inauguration.
Milley believed Trump had fallen into mental instability after he lost to Biden in November's election by some 7 million votes, according to Woodward and Costa.
- If it is actually true,that's treason - Trump said of the allegations in the book.&nbsp;- I did not ever think of attacking China - he added during an interview with the conservative Newsmax television network.

'If it is actually true,' Trump says of allegations in forthcoming book, 'that's treason'

Trump rips alleged Milley calls with China, says treason if true

An airstrike targeted fighters of the pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi militia (Popular Mobilization Forces) near the Iraqi-Syrian border, said an Iraqi army officer on Wednesday.

Two vehicles belonging to the Iraqi militia were struck by missiles in the city of al-Bukamal in eastern Syria, near the border with Iraq, the officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
There were reports of casualties in the attack.
Local sources in al-Bukamal told Anadolu Agency that the airstrike targeted Iranian-backed groups in the area.
It remains unclear what party was responsible for the airstrike.
A spokesman for the US-led coalition in Iraq denied it was the US that launched the airstrike.
The coalition "can confirm we did not conduct airstrikes in Al-Bukamal,” Col. Wayne Marotto tweeted.
In recent years, Israel has been accused of attacks on positions of Iranian-backed groups in the border area between Iraq and Syria, where Iranian-backed groups are active.
Hashd al-Shaabi is an Iraqi pro-government Shia force with a number of Iranian-aligned militias operating under its umbrella. It was officially announced in 2014 with the aim of fighting the terror group Daesh/ISIS.

There were reports of casualties in attack, which it is unknown who was responsible for

There were reports of casualties in the attack

Airstrike targets Iraqi militia inside Syria

Najiya Saleemi is relieved over reports that international flights to Pakistan have resumed as she packs her belongings to say adieu to Afghanistan, the land of beautiful orchards and rough mountain landscape that is suffering from severe economic hardships.

- We have done the packing, and just waiting for some official procedure to take an onward trip to the US from Pakistan - Saleemi, 63, told Anadolu Agency while arranging food, with the great hospitality they offer to guests, regardless of their economic circumstances.
Saleemi said that her son had worked for the Ghani government and now feels frightened, avoiding expressing the invisible fear. She used a pseudonym to prevent backlash and claimed that her son had worked for the Ghani government and now felt insecure. Her one married son is already in the US, while her other married son is in Canada, and she plans to travel with her husband and third son and his family this time.
Tears streamed down her cheeks when she spoke about her married daughter, who will remain in Kabul with her husband and four children. Saleemi said: “This is how this nation's people have been enduring the situation for a long time... divided families.”
The national flag carrier of Pakistan landed at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Monday, resuming international flights to the country that has been plagued by war and violence for the past couple of decades.
According to a UN refugees organization, there are 2.6 million Afghan refugees worldwide, with 2.2 million of them registered in Iran and Pakistan alone.
Another 3.5 million people are internally displaced persons, who have fled their homes for safety within the country, the UN Human Rights Commissioner for Refugees reported.
In light of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in 2021, the number of people fleeing will likely continue to rise, it said on its website.
Saleemi's son, who was sitting next to her, stated that the issue is not only the fear but also the future of my children's right to receive education in a fear-free environment.
His children, he stated, have developed certain psychological issues and are currently refusing to attend school.

<h2>3 categories of people leaving country</h2>

Several more Afghans, like Saleemi and her family, desire to flee the country.

Nasratullah Haqpal, an Afghan writer and political analyst, said there are largely three types of people leaving the country.
- The first category of people are those who are concerned that the money they earned through illicit means during the previous regimes of President Ashraf Ghani and President Hamid Karzai will be unsafe to keep in Afghan banks or at home - Haqpal said.
The number of these people is significant, and they fear the new interim Taliban administration may interrogate them or at least will not allow the illegal practices to continue, he opined while talking to Anadolu Agency.
The second category is of young educated people who believe there will be fewer job opportunities under the new administration in Kabul.
Finally, people who are drawn to modern lifestyles but find it difficult to adopt an Islamic way of life would strive to leave the country in some way, according to Haqpal.

<h2>Challenges to Taliban administration</h2>

The interim Taliban administration has faced a number of issues, including security, economics, immigration, and brain drain.

Despite the Taliban's Acting Culture and Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid's appeal to stay and help rebuild the country, which appears to be divided along economic lines, the exceedingly rich and the incredibly poor, many people want to leave.
The Taliban is highly likely to face a huge challenge as a result of brain drain and the desire of the educated young to flee the country.

Analyst says those with ill-gotten wealth, hopeless educated youth, Afghans who cannot adopt Islamic way of life to leave

According to a UN refugees organization, there are 2.6 million Afghan refugees worldwide, with 2.2 million of them registered in Iran and Pakistan alone

Fear, uncertainty keep driving people out of Afghanistan

Commercial space flight operator Virgin Galactic uses software made by Quantum3D, a subsidiary of Turkish defense giant Havelsan, to train both pilots and passengers.

Virgin Galactic uses the IDX 80 software, integrated with the firm’s award-winning real-time scene management software Mantis, said Havelsan in a Tuesday statement.
Havelsan acquired the Silicon Valley-based Quantum3D in 2016.
The software boasts life-like effects which enable pilots and passengers to test critical conditions such as altitude and sightlines.
The firm has also received an order from another space company for software for space travel simulation.
IDX 80 can be used in many different systems, including fixed-wing aviation, weapons and gunnery systems, maritime, automotive research, development and driving simulators, and land vehicles.
IDX 80 is equipped with the NVIDIA Maxwell-series Quadro GPUs and Dual Intel Xeon E5-series 6-core.

Turkish defense giant's signature IDX 80 software enables pilots and passengers to test critical conditions

The software boasts life-like effects which enable pilots and passengers to test critical conditions such as altitude and sightlines

Climate-related disasters killed 17,000 since COVID-19 began

Malaysia's king, queen embark on 10-day special visit to UK

Somali president slammed for clipping premier's powers

Turkish president Erdogan to inaugurate 36-story Turkevi Center in New York

UN Security Council extends Afghan mission mandate for 6 months

Camp housing nearly 10,000 refugees in Rwanda to be closed due to disaster risks

Russian armed forces take delivery of latest S-500 air defense system

Taliban leader, UN official discuss aid delivery to Afghanistan

Egypt ready to support elections in Libya

Earthquake kills 3, injures 60 in China

Somali president suspends premier’s power to hire, fire officials

Iran resumes flights to Afghanistan

Trump rips alleged Milley calls with China, says treason if true

Airstrike targets Iraqi militia inside Syria

Fear, uncertainty keep driving people out of Afghanistan

Virgin Galactic trains pilots with Turkish firm’s software

World

Climate-related disasters killed 17,000 since COVID-19 began

Malaysia's king, queen embark on 10-day special visit to UK

Somali president slammed for clipping premier's powers

Turkish president Erdogan to inaugurate 36-story Turkevi Center in New York

UN Security Council extends Afghan mission mandate for 6 months

Camp housing nearly 10,000 refugees in Rwanda to be closed due to disaster risks

Russian armed forces take delivery of latest S-500 air defense system

Taliban leader, UN official discuss aid delivery to Afghanistan

Egypt ready to support elections in Libya

Earthquake kills 3, injures 60 in China

Somali president suspends premier’s power to hire, fire officials

Iran resumes flights to Afghanistan

Trump rips alleged Milley calls with China, says treason if true

Airstrike targets Iraqi militia inside Syria

Fear, uncertainty keep driving people out of Afghanistan

Virgin Galactic trains pilots with Turkish firm’s software