BANGKOK: Flooding driven by heavy rains in southern Thailand has killed nine people and displaced more than 13,000, officials said Saturday, as rescue teams using boats and jet skis worked to reach stranded residents.
Local media footage showed residents wading through murky, chest-deep water and cars submerged in flooded streets.
“Flooding across eight provinces in southern Thailand has affected 553,921 households and claimed nine lives, prompting agencies to mobilize urgent assistance,” the country’s disaster agency said on its official Facebook page.
More than 13,000 people had been forced to flee their homes, with temporary shelters set up in schools and temples, it added.
Nampa, a resident of coastal Songkhla province, told state broadcaster Thai PBS she was concerned about the dwindling food supplies.
“We are doing fine now, but I am not sure how long can we stay in this condition,” she said.
Two hospitals in nearby Pattani province suspended operations to prevent floodwaters from damaging medical facilities.
In neighboring north Malaysia, the rains have forced the evacuation of at least 80,000 people to temporary shelters this week, with disaster officials there saying at least four people have been killed.
The Thai Meteorological Department has warned that “very heavy rain” could continue to affect some areas of the country’s south through next week.
The government has deployed rescue teams to assist affected residents and designated 50 million baht ($1.7 million) in flood relief for each province.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Friday on social media platform X that the goal was to “restore normalcy as quickly as possible.”
While Thailand experiences annual monsoon rains, scientists say man-made climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.
Widespread flooding across the country in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.
Thailand flooding kills nine, displaces thousands
https://arab.news/n3uvx
Thailand flooding kills nine, displaces thousands
- ‘Very heavy rain’ could continue to affect some areas of the country’s south through next week
- The government has deployed rescue teams to assist affected residents
PM Carney tells Trump Canada is ‘not for sale’
- Carney, speaking in front of reporters alongside Trump at the White House, said Canada was ‘not for sale, won’t be ever’
WASHINGTON: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Canada was not for sale and would not become the 51st state of the United States.
Carney, speaking in front of reporters alongside Trump at the White House, said Canada was “not for sale, won’t be ever.”
Ukraine’s Zelensky says Russian artillery fire has not subsided
KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that, according to his top commander, Russian artillery fire had not subsided despite the Kremlin’s proclamation of an Easter ceasefire.
“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” Zelensky wrote on the social media platform X.
“Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow.”
He recalled that Russia had last month rejected a US-proposed full 30-day ceasefire and said that if Moscow agreed to “truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia’s actions.”
“If a complete ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20,” Zelensky wrote.
Kyiv calls on foreign troops not to take part in Russia’s May 9 parade
- “The Russian army has committed and continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine,” Kyiv’s foreign ministry said
- “These people are not liberators of Europe, they are occupiers and war criminals“
KYIV: Ukraine warned Tuesday against any foreign troop participation in Russia’s May 9 parade to mark 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany, saying it would be “unacceptable” and seen as helping Moscow “whitewash its war crimes.”
A handful of countries have in recent years sent their militaries to take part in Russia’s traditional May 9 parade — a showpiece event that has become the country’s most important public holiday under President Vladimir Putin’s quarter-century in power.
“The Russian army has committed and continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine on a scale that Europe has not seen since World War II,” Kyiv’s foreign ministry said.
“It is this army that will march on Red Square in Moscow on May 9. These people are not liberators of Europe, they are occupiers and war criminals.”
Kyiv said marching with Russian soldiers would be considered as “sharing responsibility” for Moscow’s actions during its three-year Ukraine invasion.
“To march side by side with them is to share responsibility for the blood of murdered Ukrainian children, civilians and military, not to honor the victory over Nazism.”
Ukraine was one of the most devastated countries during World War II, with Kyiv saying it “touched every Ukrainian family.”
The foreign ministry also said that six million Ukrainians fought in the Red Army — with five million Ukrainian civilians killed and three million Ukrainian troops.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin attributed the victory over Nazism in Europe as a feat primarily achieved by the Russian nation.
Central Asian troops have often taken part in the Moscow parade.
The Kremlin has this year not ruled out that North Korean soldiers could take part for the first time, after Pyongyang’s troops helped Moscow oust Ukrainian soldiers from Russia’s Kursk region.
UN chief: India, Pakistan must ‘step back from the brink’
- Countries should exercise ‘maximum restraint’ amid soaring tensions, says Antonio Guterres
- UN Security Council holds closed-door session to discuss dispute
NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on India and Pakistan to exercise “maximum restraint” amid soaring tensions between the two countries.
It follows last month’s terror attack in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir.
Both countries administer parts of the territory but claim it in full.
The attack on April 22 killed at least 26 civilians and injured many more.
Guterres, speaking outside the Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York City on Monday, warned that tensions between India and Pakistan “are at their highest in years.”
He added: “I deeply respect and am profoundly grateful to the government and people of both countries — and their significant contributions to the work of the UN, not least UN peacekeeping.
“And so it pains me to see relations reaching a boiling point.”
The Indian government today will carry out a nationwide civil defense drill to simulate an attack on its territory.
Pakistan on Saturday test-fired a ballistic missile with a range of 450 km.
Guterres called on the two countries to “step back from the brink,” and warned that a “military solution is no solution.”
He said: “I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22.
“I once again strongly condemn that attack and extend my condolences to the families of the victims.
“Targeting civilians is unacceptable — and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible and lawful means.
“It is also essential — especially at this critical hour — to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control.
“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink.
The UN Security Council met on Monday in a closed-door session to discuss the tensions.
Guterres pledged to support “any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy and a renewed commitment to peace.”
Macron to host Syrian leader’s first European visit
- French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa to Paris on Wednesday for his first visit to Europe
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa to Paris on Wednesday for his first visit to Europe, despite growing doubts about Syria’s ruling Islamist coalition and protests from France’s far right.
Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December following fourteen years of devastating war, the international community has been pressing the new authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, to respect personal freedoms, protect minorities and include all components of society in the country’s transition.
Many countries say they will monitor the new authorities’ conduct before fully lifting Assad-era sanctions.
“This meeting is part of France’s historic commitment to the Syrian people who aspire to peace and democracy,” the Elysee Palace said on Tuesday.
Macron will “reiterate France’s support for the construction of a new Syria, a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of Syrian society,” the presidency said.
Macron will also emphasize “his demands on the Syrian government, primarily the stabilization of the region, including Lebanon, and the fight against terrorism,” it said.
President Sharaa is still subject to a UN travel ban. France most likely had to request an exemption from the United Nations, as was the case for his recent trips to Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, according to a source familiar with the matter.
France, a former colonial ruler of Syria, is eyeing an opportunity to increase its influence in the country after years of Russian presence.
In February, France organized a conference in Paris on the reconstruction of Syria, in the hope of steering the fragile transition. Syria has been devastated by years of civil war, with over 90 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
Macron had first invited Syria’s new leader to visit France in February.
In March, he repeated the invitation but made it conditional on the formation of an inclusive Syrian government representing “all components of civil society,” describing his initial negotiations with the interim leaders as “positive.”
Syria’s new Islamist authorities have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.
But sectarian clashes in March in which more than 1,700 people were killed, mostly from Assad’s Alawite minority, sparked widespread condemnation.
More recent clashes involving fighters from the Druze community, as well as reports of abuses from NGOs, have also raised doubts about the interim government’s ability to control extremists in its ranks.
Adding to pressure on the new Syrian government, Israel has also launched hundreds of strikes on the country since Assad’s overthrow, including one near the presidential palace in Damascus on Friday.
Israel has said its forces stand ready to protect the Druze minority and said the strike near the presidential palace was intended to send a “clear message” to Syria’s new rulers.
But the interim government described the strike as a “dangerous escalation,” while the United Nations urged Israel to halt its attacks on Syria “at once.”
The French far right criticized the upcoming talks.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused Macron of hosting talks with “a jihadist” who has been involved with the Daesh group and Al-Qaeda, adding such a meeting would be “provocative and irresponsible.”
“Shock and dismay,” Le Pen said on X.
“Once again, Emmanuel Macron is damaging France’s image and discrediting its commitment, particularly among its allies, in the fight against Islamism.”
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who met with the Syrian leader on a visit to Damascus in January, defended the talks.
“The safety of French people is at stake in Syria,” Barrot told broadcaster RTL, adding it was important to fight terrorism and drug trafficking in the conflict-riven country as well as control migration.
Not engaging the leaders of Syria and Lebanon would amount to “rolling out the red carpet for Daesh,” he said, referring to the Daesh terrorists.
French companies are meanwhile eyeing a role in Syria’s reconstruction.
Last week, French logistics giant CMA CGM signed a 30-year contract to develop and operate the port of Latakia, at an event attended by Sharaa.
