عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Tourist Death Toll from Greek Heat Wave Rises to 6, Others Missing

A firefighting plane drops water over an area affected by a forest fire on the island of Hydra, Greece June 22, 2024 in this screen grab from social media video. Volunteer fire station of Hydra/Handout via REUTERS
A firefighting plane drops water over an area affected by a forest fire on the island of Hydra, Greece June 22, 2024 in this screen grab from social media video. Volunteer fire station of Hydra/Handout via REUTERS
TT
TT

Tourist Death Toll from Greek Heat Wave Rises to 6, Others Missing

A firefighting plane drops water over an area affected by a forest fire on the island of Hydra, Greece June 22, 2024 in this screen grab from social media video. Volunteer fire station of Hydra/Handout via REUTERS
A firefighting plane drops water over an area affected by a forest fire on the island of Hydra, Greece June 22, 2024 in this screen grab from social media video. Volunteer fire station of Hydra/Handout via REUTERS

A 67-year-old German has been found dead on the Greek island of Crete, police said on Monday, the sixth tourist death in June during a period of unusually hot weather.
The tourist had set off alone on a hike in a canyon in the Sougia region on Sunday and after a few hours called his wife to report that he was not feeling well.
"A search and rescue operation started immediately and a special rescue unit with drones spotted the man's (body) in Trypiti canyon," a police official told Reuters.
Police did not identify the dead German.
There has been a spate of deaths and disappearances of tourists during an unusual June heatwave across the Mediterranean country, highlighting the dangers of exposure to temperatures touching or exceeding 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Rescue teams are also searching for two French women, aged 73 and 64, on the island of Sikinos, and a 59-year-old American policeman holidaying on the island of Amorgos.
A 55-year-old American was found dead on the Greek island of Mathraki in the Ionian Sea last week, and a Dutch tourist on the Aegean island of Samos earlier in the month.
The body of British TV presenter Michael Mosley was found on Symi, another Aegean island, on June 9 after a four-day search operation by aircraft, drones and boats. He had taken a walk alone in high temperatures before going missing.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Russia Has Decided 'at Highest Level' to Remove Taliban from Terrorist List

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
TT
TT

Russia Has Decided 'at Highest Level' to Remove Taliban from Terrorist List

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, October 4, 2024. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that a decision to remove the Taliban from a list of terrorist organizations had been "taken at the highest level", the state TASS news agency reported.
The decision needs to be followed up with various legal procedures in order to make it a reality, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, was quoted as saying.
Putin said in July that Russia considered Afghanistan's Taliban movement an ally in the fight against terrorism.
Russia has been slowly building ties with the Taliban since it seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war but the movement is still officially outlawed in Russia.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban as the country's legitimate leadership.
Russia added the Taliban to its list of terrorist organizations in 2003. Removing it would be an important step by Moscow towards normalizing relations with Afghanistan.
The Taliban's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a speech in Moscow that recent decisions by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to remove the former insurgents from a list of banned groups was a welcome step.
"We also appreciate the positive remarks by the high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation in this regard and hope to see more effective steps soon," he said.
In separate comments on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was convinced of the need to maintain "pragmatic dialogue" with the current Afghan government.
"It is obvious that it is impossible to solve problems or even discuss an Afghan settlement without Kabul," Lavrov said.
"Moscow will continue its course on developing political, trade and economic ties with Kabul," he added, speaking at a meeting in Moscow with Muttaqi and representatives of neighboring countries.
While he did not mention the Taliban by name, he praised the current Afghan leadership for its efforts to curb drug production and fight ISIS, which is outlawed in Russia.
Muttaqi said that countries in the region should cooperate against the ISIS group, which he said had established training centers outside Afghanistan.
Lavrov said the United States should return confiscated assets to Afghanistan and the West should acknowledge responsibility for the post-conflict reconstruction of the country.
Lavrov also called for an increase in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, and said Russia would keep sending it food and essential goods.
Russia has a troubled history in Afghanistan, where the Soviet army invaded in 1979 to support a pro-Moscow government but withdrew 10 years later after sustaining heavy casualties at the hands of fighters.
Russia and its post-Soviet neighbors have suffered recurrent attacks from militant groups linked to Afghanistan - most recently in March, when 145 people were killed in an attack claimed by ISIS at a concert hall near Moscow.