VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Several European countries are working on opening up a joint diplomatic mission in Afghanistan that would enable their ambassadors to return to the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

Western countries have been grappling with how to engage with the Taliban after they took over Afghanistan in a lightning advance in August as U.S.-led forces were completing their pullout.

The United States and other Western countries shut their embassies and withdrew their diplomats as the Taliban seized Kabul, following which the militants declared an interim government whose top members are under U.S. and U.N. sanctions.

"We are thinking of an organisation between several European countries... a common location for several Europeans, which would allow our ambassadors to be present," Macron told reporters in Doha before heading to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The United States, European countries and others are reluctant to formally recognize the Pashtun-dominated Taliban, accusing them of backtracking on pledges of political and ethnic inclusivity and to uphold the rights of women and minorities.

"This is a different demarche than a political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban ... we will have a representation as soon as we can open," he said, adding that the still needed to iron out security issues.

In a statement following talks with the Taliban a week ago, the European Union suggested it could open a mission soon.

"The EU delegation underlined that the possibility of establishing a minimal presence on the ground in Kabul, which would not entail recognition, will directly depend on the security situation, as well as on effective decisions by the de facto authorities to allow the EU to ensure adequate protection of its staff and premises," it said.

France separately announced on Friday that it had carried out an evacuation mission in Afghanistan with Qatar's help, taking more than 300 people, mostly Afghans, out of the country. (reuters)

Taiwan and the United States have mutually beneficial trade relations especially in technology, and the two have "smooth" communication channels and will keep talking to each other on currency issues, Taiwan's central bank said on Saturday.

Taiwan, along with Vietnam, again exceeded the U.S. Treasury's thresholds for possible currency manipulation and enhanced analysis under a 2015 trade law, but the department on Friday refrained from formally branding them as manipulators. read more

Responding, Taiwan's central bank reiterated the trade surplus with the United States was due to the China-U.S. trade war, which has seen companies shift production from China to avoid tariffs, and soaring tech demand from U.S. consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The expansion of the trade surplus with the United States has nothing to do with exchange rate factors," it said in a statement, repeating comments from a central bank official late Friday. read more

Taiwan's current account surplus has also been affected by the same factors, with domestic savings growth contributing to the surplus as Taiwanese firms increased investment at home and people were unable to travel or spend as much due to the pandemic, it added.

"For a long time, our country and the United States have maintained close and mutually beneficial bilateral trade relations, and are important partners in the technology supply chain," the central bank said.

"Communication channels between the bank and the U.S. Treasury are smooth, and the two sides will continue to communicate on relevant issues in the future on the basis of good interaction."

The U.S. Treasury said it was working with Taiwan to develop a plan with "specific actions to address the underlying causes of Taiwan's currency undervaluation and excessive external surpluses".

The Taiwan dollar is up more than 2.5% against the greenback this year, among the best-performing Asian currencies.

Taiwan's case is complicated by geopolitical pressures, including heightened military tensions with China, and the island's position as a major exporter of semiconductors that are needed to help ease a supply shortage for U.S. manufacturers. (reuters)

A male Sumatran elephant was born at the Elephants Flying Squad camp, Tesso Nilo National Park Center (TNTN), Pelalawan District, Riau Province, at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, a conservation agency reported on Saturday.

Sumatran elephants have been listed as a "critically endangered" species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2011, head of the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA), Heru Sutmatoro, said in Pekanbaru on Saturday.

"The baby male elephant (born Thursday) is a calf of a mother elephant Ria (45 years old). The morphometry results state that the elephant baby was born with a height of 86 cm, a body length of 102 cm, a body circumference of 103 cm, and weight of 84 kg," he informed.

The birth process was normal and both the mother and her calf are in a healthy condition, he said. Nevertheless, the medical team of Riau BBKSDA will keep monitoring their health, he said.

The calf is Ria's fourth offspring after Tesso, Tino, and Harmoni Rimbo, he said.

"We have recorded that there were four births of elephant babies from tamed elephants (Ria and Lisa) in the last five years," he said.

At the end of 2020, Lisa gave birth to a male elephant, which was named Ryu, he said.

The latest birth at the Elephants Flying Squad of the Tesso Nilo National Park has strengthened the park's status as an important habitat contributing to increasing the population of Sumatran elephants, he added.

According to him, the newborn elephant has ignited optimism at Tesso Nilo National Park, a center for Sumatran elephant conservation in Riau.

"Now, the total number of elephants at TNTN is ten: four adults, two teens, and four calves," Sutmatoro informed.

The Indonesian government, through the Ministerial Regulation No. P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018, has designated the Sumatran elephant as a protected species. (Antaranews)

The death toll from the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang District, East Java, rose to 13 as of 09.20 a.m. on Sunday, according to Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Lt,. Gen. Suharyanto.

The eruption also left tens of people injured and they have been receiving medical treatment , the BNPB said in a press statement released on Sunday.

According to the BNPB, 41 people were referred to Haryoto Regional General Hospital and Bhayangkara Police Hospital after receiving first aid care at the Penanggal public health service post.

Meanwhile, 40 people are being treated at Pasiran public health service post, seven people at Candipuroi public service post and 10 people at Penanggal public service post.

By Sunday morning, the Lumajang District Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) and the joint team of rescue workers still continued to evacuate residents affected by the Mount Semeru’s eruption and search for people reported missing in the disaster.

The residents who were trapped in the mining office overnight have been evacuated and taken to Curah Kobokan command post for further treatment.

According to the BPBD, the eruption of Mount Semeru has forced 902 residents to take refuge. Of the total, 305 are taking refuge at several school buildings and village head’s offices in Pronojiwo, 409 at village head’s offices in Candipuro Sub-district, and 188 at Pasirian Sub-district head’s office.

Mount Semeru erupted and spewed volcanic ash on Saturday afternoon.

According to the observation, the volcano stopped spewing hot clouds when rains fell in its crater.

After all, the BPBD called on local residents to not carry out activities near Mujur river basin area in Curah Kobokan and other rivers whose upper reach is found in Mount Semeru. (Antaranews)