World News: Taliban, Western officials conclude talks in Norway

탈레반-서방, 노르웨이 회담 마무리…인도적 지원 등 논의

Let's take a look at what's going on in "The World Now."

Three-day talks between the Western World and the Taliban concluded on Tuesday amid protests and criticism from Afghan rights groups.
These were the first such talks since the Taliban took over Afghanistan last August.
Norway facilitated the meetings on concerns of millions of Afghans at risk of starvation amid an economic collapse.
Diplomats from the U.S., the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the EU, as well as Norway, are known to have joined the meeting.
Meetings with Afghan civil society members also took place.
Acting Taliban Foreign Minister said the talks went well.

"It was a very good trip, such trips will bring us closer to the world, we want Afghanistan to not be a center for conflict, but instead a center for connectivity, economy and communication."

The Taliban delegation, however, was not granted a meeting with the Norwegian Foreign Minister or other cabinet-level ministers, as the international community does not recognize the Taliban as the official government.
The Taliban want the release of 10 billion U.S. dollars frozen by the West who are demanding increased human rights provisions.

London's Metropolitan Police says it is investigating alleged lockdown breaches at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street residence,... after receiving evidence from an internal government probe into a series of gatherings.
New allegations emerged late Monday that Johnson broke the COVID-19 lockdown rules that his government imposed,... by attending a surprise birthday party at his residence,... at a time when indoor social gatherings were banned.
The surprise party was actually for Boris Johnson himself to mark his 56th birthday in June 2020.
It was known to have been attended by around 30 people,.. including his wife.
Dubbed "Partygate,"... Johnson is currently fighting for his political life after a stream of leaks revealed that he and his staff held parties during the toughest COVID-19 lockdowns in Britain.

Thailand has become the first Asian country to decriminalize marijuana, in its latest step to promote cannabis as a cash crop.
According to health authorities, cannabis will be dropped from the ministry's list of controlled drugs, allowing people to grow it at home after notifying their local government.
However, it cannot be used for commercial purposes without further licenses and will only be allowed for medical purposes like traditional medicine.
Kim Cheong-ah, Arirang News.

#WorldNews #Taliban #Norway

2022-01-26, 19:00 (KST)