TEHRAN, 2 June, 2021, (TON): Iran's largest navy ship Kharg caught fire in the Gulf of Oman and later sank. The crew was safely rescued, Iran media reported.

According to the state media Iran's highest-tonnage naval vessel caught fire on Wednesday morning near the Iranian port of Jask on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, where it was on a training mission.

The vessel has been used in training missions for more than four decades, said the report. It did not give details on the cause of the blaze.

The Gulf of Oman connects to the Strait of Hormuz where about a fifth of the world's oil passes.

The Kharg serves as one of a few vessels in the Iranian navy capable of providing replenishment at sea for its other ships. It also can lift heavy cargo and serve as a launch point for helicopters. The ship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations that followed Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

TEHRAN, 2 June, 2021, (TON): Iran's largest navy ship Kharg caught fire in the Gulf of Oman and later sank. The crew was safely rescued, Iran media reported.

According to the state media Iran's highest-tonnage naval vessel caught fire on Wednesday morning near the Iranian port of Jask on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, where it was on a training mission.

The vessel has been used in training missions for more than four decades, said the report. It did not give details on the cause of the blaze.

The Gulf of Oman connects to the Strait of Hormuz where about a fifth of the world's oil passes.

The Kharg serves as one of a few vessels in the Iranian navy capable of providing replenishment at sea for its other ships. It also can lift heavy cargo and serve as a launch point for helicopters. The ship, built in Britain and launched in 1977, entered the Iranian navy in 1984 after lengthy negotiations that followed Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

CAIRO, 02 June 2021, (TON): “Israel must halt its aggression in both the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem as Egypt’s intelligence chief met the Palestinian group’s leaders in the besieged coastal enclave to try to bolster a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel” a senior Hamas official has said.

Khalil al-Haya spoke after meeting Abbas Kamel, who visited Gaza after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a trip aimed at shoring up an informal ceasefire brokered by Cairo.

According to Egyptian and Palestinian officials, his visit, the first by an Egyptian intelligence chief to the enclave since the early 2000s, was also aimed at discussing reconstruction plans following the recent Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

Kamel, who has not given public statements, is the highest-ranking Arab official to visit Gaza since 2018. He met with Yahya Sinwar, the top Hamas leader in Gaza.

Kamel also met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and handed him a message from el-Sisi affirming Cairo’s support for Palestinians and Abbas.

MINSK, 02 June 2021, (TON): Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian opposition leader said that she had asked the United States for further sanctions on individuals and companies supporting the Belarus government.

The Biden administration said “it was drawing up a list of targeted sanctions against key members of the Belarusian government following the former Soviet republic’s forced landing of a passenger jet and arrest of a journalist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega on board.”

Tsikhanouskaya said she welcomed a decision by the United States to introduce sanctions against Belarusian state-owned oil companies starting from June 3rd.

Tsikhanouskaya said after a meeting with Democratic and Republican senators from the US Foreign Relations Committee “But we also ask for further measures in targeted sanctions against enterprises and individuals supporting the regime”.

She further added “Sanctions should help to stop the violence and help release of all political prisoners.”

KABUL, 02 June 2021, (TON): Adviser to Afghan President on cultural affairs, Shah Hussain Murtazawi, has criticized the visit of the Wolesi Jirga speaker to Pakistan.

He said citing an unconfirmed report of Pakistan severing ties with Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib.

Hamdullah Mohib said that the report that Pakistan had severed ties with him quoted an unknown source and the Pakistani government was not expected to do so un-diplomatically.

Voice of America reported 4 days ago, quoting a diplomatic source as saying that Pakistan’s official contacts with Mohib had been suspended due to his insulting remarks and Islamabad had strongly protested and shared the issue with the Afghan government.

Mohib during a visit in Nangarhar said that Pakistan has nothing to be proud of, Pakistan is expanding its territory in Afghanistan with the support of a power-hungry group.

He further added that the Afghan government had not yet been officially notified and that if the news became official, the Afghan government would respond diplomatically. Cutting off Pakistan’s relationship with us will have little effect because the relationship is not good right now, what can be exemplified to prove a good relationship with Pakistan? Instead of severing ties with us, it is better for Pakistan to cut ties with terrorist groups.

Pakistani authorities have so far not responded to Shah Hussain Murtazawi’s criticism nor there is any official proof that Pakistan has served ties with Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib.

ISLAMABAD, 02 June 2021, (TON): Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa during his visit to Corps Headquarters Quetta, said “Pakistan Army would make all possible efforts towards achievement of an enduring peace for sustainable socio-economic development of Balochistan province.”

According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release “the COAS was given a detailed briefing on security situation, operational preparedness, border management including fencing along Pak-Afghan and Pak-Iran borders.”

He was also briefed on the socio-economic initiatives undertaken by Army in support of government of Balochistan and efforts underway for capacity enhancement of law enforcement agencies to ensure peace and stability.

Gen Bajwa further said “The terrorists won’t be allowed to destabilize peace efforts”. He emphasized that all-out efforts would be made to assist provincial government in ensuring law and order.

Sources reported that India has accelerated a campaign against local Baloch tribes to create difference between them and Government authorities including security forces. They have printed pamphlets in local languages in which Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Sindh Liberation Army (SLA) and other Baloch movements are shown to have accepted the responsibility of terrorist attacks on security forces and civilians.

Meanwhile, sixteen (16) Indian agents trained in Indian Counsel General Zahidan, Iran have infiltrated inside Balochistan to carryout terrorist attacks.

NEW DELHI, 01 June 2021, (TON): The Delhi government has allowed home delivery of liquor under the amended excise rules.

The Delhi Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2021, notified on Monday, allow licence holders to deliver liquor booked through an app or a website at the doorstep of the buyers.

The rules also permit the holders of the necessary licences to serve liquor in open spaces such as terraces, the courtyards of clubs, bars and restaurants.

According to the notification, the licensee will deliver liquor at the buyers’ residences only if the orders are received through an app or a web portal.

The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has welcomed the government’s move to allow home delivery of liquor in the national capital.

“This has been our consistent demand for long. Last month also, we had requested the government to allow home-delivery of liquor in Delhi. There are many states that have implemented this and there has been no adverse effect coming out of it,” CIABC director general Vinod Giri said.

There are many States in India which prohibited the sale of Alcohol state-wide including Mizoram, Gujarat, Bihar, Nagaland, Lakshadweep. There are lot of street protests over the latest move allowing home delivery of liquor under the amended excise rules.

GENEVA, 01 June 2021, (TON): Palestinians and the Muslims nations criticized Press Statement by US Mission Geneva at UN Human Rights Council Session on the Israeli-Palestinian Situation.

US Mission Geneva said, "The United States deeply regrets today’s decision by the Human Rights Council to establish an open-ended Commission of Inquiry into the recent violence between Israel and the Palestinians.  We have approached the recent crisis with a clear focus: bringing an end to the conflict as quickly as possible, and providing necessary humanitarian relief for civilians. We are committed to working with other members of the international community to create the conditions for a lasting and sustainable peace and will support actions in the UN that bring the parties together or promote peace and stability,"

"It is deeply unfortunate that while we and others have been working to uphold and strengthen the cease-fire, ensure humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and continue the hard work of discussions on how to achieve a lasting peace, some members of the Human Rights Council have chosen to engage in a distraction that adds nothing to ongoing diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.  The action today instead threatens to imperil the progress that has been made in recent weeks,"

"We all should be working to find real solutions to help the Palestinian people and ensuring that terrorist organizations, including Hamas, do not exploit the situation on the ground, including by indiscriminate firing of rockets, to further their own destructive aims,"

"The actions of the Human Rights Council today do not contribute to peace. They will not help bring about lasting solutions to the challenges in the region, nor provide greater dignity, freedom, or prosperity for either Palestinians or Israelis. We will continue to advocate for Israel to be treated fairly in the Human Rights Council."

KABUL, 01 June 2021, (TON): According to media reports Gulbduddin Hekmatyar, Hizb-i-Islami leader revealed details of his meeting with President Ashraf Ghani at former President Hamid Karzai’s residence.

In new details, Hekmatyar said “an agreement was reached in the meeting for formation of a non-coalition transitional government, holding presidential, parliamentary and local councils elections, release of prisoners, removal from blacklist and formation of Supreme Council of State.”

He further said that they also agreed that a two or three member delegation should hold a secret meeting with the Taliban leadership before the supreme council of state meets them in Istanbul conference.

“President promised to implement the agreement within eight days from the meeting, but faced opposition from his aides” Hekmatyar said.

Hekmatyar further added that he would not join the supreme council of state if it doesn’t have the decision making authority.

WEST BENGAL, 01 June 2021, (TON): Amidst the tussle between the Central government and West Bengal over Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has announced that Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay will continue as the chief advisor to CM for the next three years.

This move came after the Centre issued a show-cause notice to Alapan Bandyopadhyay after he failed to report to the department of personnel, public grievances and pensions (DoPT) in New Delhi on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee, in her 5-page letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to relieve Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Chief Secretary, West Bengal. In her letter, she called the union government’s order asking Bandyopadhyay to report to North Block by 10 AM on Monday ‘wholly unconstitutional’. She said, “I have been shocked and stunned by the unilateral order sent to us by the Government of India, asking us to release Sri Alapan Bandyopadhyay IAS, Chief Secretary, West Bengal, so that he may join the Government of India on May 31, 2021.”