LONDON, 11 April 2021, (TON): Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, died on Friday at 99. Statement issued Buckingham Palace said that Prince Philip’s funeral will take place 17 April at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in a family service that will be closed to the public.

At the ceremony, saluting batteries fired 41 rounds, one round every minute from midday yesterday in cities including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well from Royal Navy warships.

Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 10, 1921. He married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history. The couple had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The Government of Pakistan and its people have expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Prince Philip. 

MOSCOW, 11 April 2021, (TON): A Russian MiG-31 fighter has intercepted a US reconnaissance plane above the Pacific Ocean on Saturday.

Spokesperson of the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed, “Russian airspace control systems detected an air target approaching the Russian state border and a MiG-31 of the Eastern Military District took off in response. The crew of the Russian jet identified the air target as an RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft of the US Air Force and escorted it over the Pacific Ocean.”

The statement added, “After the US aircraft flew away from the Russian border, the MiG-31 returned safely to its home airfield. However, Russian fighter strictly complied with international rules.”

Washington has not offered any comment.

GUWAHATI, 11 April 2021, (TON): The Indian Election Commission (EC) on Saturday has ordered re-polling in four polling stations in three assembly constituencies in southern Assam, where normal balloting were held in the second phase of polling on 1 April 2021. The three-phase elections to the 126-member Assam assembly were held on 27 March, 1 April 1 and 6 April. The results would be declared on 2 May.

The Election Commission Secretary Ajay Kumar Verma in a letter to the Assam Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade confirmed that considering all the reports and other circumstances, the EC has ordered re-polling in four polling stations on 20 April. The letter said that the re-polling would be held in Indira M.V. School (Right) under Ratabari (SC) assembly constituency, Madhya Dhanchari Lower Primary School under Sonai assembly segment, Khothlir Lower Primary School and Mualdam Lower Primary School both under Halflong (ST) assembly seat.

At least six polling personnel were suspended in Assam's Dima Hasao district after it was found that a booth in Khothlir Lower Primary School with 90 valid voters registered had 81 votes during the second phase of polls on 1 April. The re-polling would be held at the Mualdam Lower Primary School in connection with the ballot mismatch in Khothlir Lower Primary School. The Election Commission earlier suspended the presiding officer, three other polling officials and an armed escort official associated with Indira M.V. School under Ratabari (SC) assembly constituency after an EVM was found in a BJP candidate's wife's vehicle on 1 April.

WEST BENGAL, 11 April 2021, (TON): Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) fired more than 15 rounds on mob. However, in a statement CISF spakesman said, “Mob outside booth no 126, Jorpatki in Sitalkuchi (West Bengal) attacked CISF Jawans performing poll duty &tried to snatch their weapons. In self-defence & to save polling officials, Jawans deployed at the polling station fired 6-8 rounds”.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said regarding opening of fire by Indian security forces, “It is a genocide. They sprayed bullets. They could have shot on the leg or the lower body but every bullet hit them in the neck or chest area’. Earlier she said she would visit the Cooch Behar district after 3 days as the Election Commission has barred the entry of politicians for the next 72 hours after killing of four people during the fourth phase of voting on Saturday. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has released a video of a speech by BJP leader Sayantan Basu and questioned if the central forces opened fire on his instructions.

The fourth phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 is taking place . A total of 1,15,81,022 voters will decide the fate of 373 candidates in 44 constituencies spread over nine assembly constituencies in Howrah (Part II), 11 in South 24 Parganas(Part III), ten in Hooghly (Part II), five in Alipurduar and nine in Cooch Behar.

Mamata Banerjee will resign after 2 May while Indian Home Minister Amit Shah will not not resign but Banerje has demanded his resignation. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee has questioned the conduct of election and raised finger over its free and fair.

JAMMU, 11 April 2021, (TON): As date for upcoming Amarnathyatra is approaching near, Indian occupying forces have accelerated reign of terror against the innocent Kashmiri. Signing of Ceasefire Agreement by Pakistan with India has given Indian Army and security forces free hand to terrorize Jammu and Kashmir State citizens. Already every day new operations are carried out by Indian occupying forces on the pretext that militants are hiding and they destroy buildings and kill Kashmiris without any hesitation and fear. Few days back they disrespected Mosque, killed many Kashmiris and burnt houses in Chitragam area of Shopian district and other adjoining parts.As per an estimate between 1 January and 10 April 2021, the Indian Army and Security Forces have martyred 182 Kashmiris and injured many.

There are reports that Indian agencies are planning a self engineered in Baltal, Ganderbal district and other areas to impose strict security and targeting of Kashmir youth ahead of Amarnathyatra.

Meanwhile, additional Indian Army troops have started movement in convoys as Gurez-Bandipora road has been opened for vehicles which was closed since December due to snowfall. In addition there are reports that Indian transit camps, and base camps at Baltal and Domail are flooded with personnel.

JAMMU, 11 April 2021, (TON): India’s announcement of Rs 28,400 crore Industrial Development Scheme has been welcomed by the Jammu and Kashmir government which is aiming to generate employment opportunities to over 5 lakh youth. The government hopes to attract an investment of over Rs 20,000 crore through the industrial development scheme. However, Kashmiri leadership has highly objected dumping of non-Kashmiris in disputed State of Jammu and Kashmir which is awaiting plebiscite under the United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Sources quoting spokesperson of top Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani said in a statement, “They dubbed the new policy announced by New Delhi as an attempt of permanent occupation in the garb of jobs for youth.”

Meanwhile, thousands of non-Kashmiris have either acquired Kashmiri citizenship or have applied for the same in the light of controversial Citizen (Amendment) Act, 2019. The new policy announced by India has entitled to purchase State of Jammu and Kashmir property and make investments. The big industrialists have said that although they would try to accommodate Kashmiri youth but there will be no bar in employing Indian nationals from other States or abroad.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said Jammu and Kashmir has less unemployment rate than Delhi, Goa, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. He said that the unemployment rate in J&K has gone down to 9% from 16.1 %. His remarks came in light of under-calculated and misleading figure recently released report of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) that unemployment rate has come down to 9 percent in J&K from 16.2 percent in September 2020. According to a report, the actual unemployment rate is 39.2 percent.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, while speaking at a day-long conference “Education to Entrepreneurship” at SKICC here, said that the government in consultation with all the stakeholders has developed the best Industrial scheme as compared to other regions of the country. “The unprecedented Rs 28,400 crore new industrial development scheme would further attract a huge investment of Rs 20,000-25,000 crore, besides providing employment avenues and opportunities to around 5 lakh youth.”

CAIRO, 10 April, 2021 (TON): The arrival of a giant dredge in the Suez Canal waterway is the largest in the Middle East, announced the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) on Friday.

Chairman of the SCA Osama Rabie said in a statement, "After finishing all the naval experiments, the 48,000-tonne, 216.7-metre-long, 43-metre-wide dredge, which is dubbed Mohab Mamish, has joined the SCA fleet today."

A dredge is an apparatus for bringing up objects or mud from a river or seabed by scooping or dragging.

The media reported that the SCA has signed a 300-million-euro contract with the Dutch company IHC to build two dredges and a digger that could work all day long in all types of sand, and rocky and muddy soil.

However, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, the Suez Canal is a major lifeline for global seaborne trade since it allows ships to travel between Europe and South Asia without navigating around Africa, thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between Europe and India by about 7,000 km. Some 12 per cent of the world trade volume passes through the Suez Canal

BELFAST, 10 April, 2021 (TON): In the latest riot in the Northern Ireland, about 19 officers were injured, bringing the number of hurt police to 74 during a week of violence across the region.

as the police faced attacks by petrol bombs, fireworks and stones, water cannon was used by police in Belfast for the first time in six years, the media reported.

"Sustained violence directed towards police officers on both sides of the interface over a period of hours on Thursday night,” said the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Roberts.

According to Roberts, the majority of injuries to officers were to hearing due to fireworks being detonated close to them, one female officer suffered a broken bone in her foot.

"I am deeply concerned by the scenes of violence in Northern Ireland, especially attacks on PSNI who are protecting the public and businesses, attacks on a bus driver and the assault of a journalist.

"The way to resolve differences is through dialogue, not violence or criminality," UK PM Borris Johnson tweeted.

However, the latest development followed several nights of unrest amid tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol within the Brexit deal between Britain and the European Union (EU).

DJIBOUTI CITY, 10 April, 2021 (TON): On Friday, Djibouti President Ismael Guelleh extends his two decades tenure by winning Friday's vote as he received 98.58 percent of votes.

According to provisional results, he will enter a fifth term with this majority win.

The 73-year-old faced off against his only rival businessman Zakaria Farah, who won less than 5,000 votes.

Ahmed Tidiane Souare, head of the African Union (AU) observation mission told the media on Friday, that his team had not met any delegates of the opponent in the polling stations visited, specifying that this was not an obligation.

Farah sharply criticized the absence of his delegates from the polling stations, appearing to suggest that they had been barred from entering.

However, as per the records, it is theoretically Guelleh's last term as a 2010 constitutional reform introduced an age limit of 75 and scrapped term limits. Guelleh is the second president of Djibouti since independence from France in 1977.

WASHINGTON, 10 April, 2021 (TON): The Vienna talks over the Iran nuclear deal were productive, hoping that Tehran would show a more constructive attitude in talks scheduled next week, said a senior U.S. official on Friday.

 The talks to revive the nuclear deal between the two were just preliminary steps but productive and businesslike, a senior state department official told the media.

The official said, “At the same time, a question still remains about whether the seriousness of purpose and the intent of coming back into compliance that the U.S. showed will be reciprocated by Iran."  

"We saw some signs of but certainly not enough," he added.

He said, "Without getting into specifics, I would say that that's our position, all sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA and are inconsistent with the benefits that Iran expects from the JCPOA, we are prepared to lift."

 Adding, "That doesn't mean all of them because there are some that are legitimate sanctions."

"Iran proposes a logical path to full JCPOA compliance: the United States, which caused this crisis, should return to full compliance first," said the Iranian FM on Friday.

However, Washington responded that if Iran sticks to the position that every sanction that has been imposed since 2017 has to be lifted or there will be no deal, then it is likely that the two would be heading towards an impasse.