AUSTIN, Texas, 20 March, 2021, (TON): Primer figures demonstrate that around 57 individuals kicked the bucket during the February winter storm that crushed Texas.

According to state health officials, the cause of the majority of deaths was hypothermia. This was followed by motor vehicle accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning, medical equipment failure, falls, and fire.

The passing’s happened in 25 areas between Feb. 11 and March 5, the state said. The colder time of year storm deadened enormous segments of Texas, taking out open utilities. At its pinnacle, almost 4.5 million homes were without power and warmth.

The massive storm caused the state electricity grid to be knocked offline. Additionally, the weather prevented electricity from being generated by all power sources, including natural gas, coal, wind and nuclear.

In the fallout, state officials are looking for answers from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which works the force matrix traversing the majority of the state, alongside the Texas Public Utility Commission, which is liable for the tasks of the state's electric and water utilities.

MULTAN, Pakistan, 20 March, 2021, (TON): The Pakistani farmers association, Kissan Ittihad, on Friday rampaged on their work vehicles to fight the climb in costs of electricity, composts, rural items, and diesel.

The farmers have also announced to stage a dharna on March 31 to continue their protest, sources said.

According to the protesters, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has bought agricultural commodities at very low prices, so much so that farmers could not even attain a breakeven.

Despite losses, farmers were compelled to pay hiked prices for diesel, electricity, and fertilizers, they argued. “Everything is so expensive, the agricultural community is on the verge of collapse,” the protesting farmers said.

The farmers have demanded a waiver of the electricity bills for running tube wells as well as subsidy on electricity, fertilizers, and diesel.

BEIJING, 19 March, 2021 (TON): The Human Rights group Amnesty International claimed that China has forcibly separated Uighur families by taking the young children away from families into state orphanages.

According to the report, the human rights group has urged China to release all Uighur children held in orphanages.

Rights groups say China has detained more than a million Uighurs.

Moreover, the Chinese government faced allegations over a number of human rights abuses against the Uighur people and other Muslim minorities.  

Amnesty's report calls on China to provide full and unrestricted access to Xinjiang for UN human rights experts, independent researchers and journalists, and for all children held without their parents consent to be released to family.

On the other hand, China denies there are any human rights abuses taking place, and has called former camp detainees in exile liars and actors. However, the US, Canada, and the Netherlands have declared that China is committing genocide against the Uighur people but the UK Parliament rejected a similar bill.

CHICAGO, 19 March, 2021 (TON): The diplomats at a press conference on Thursday warned off the major threat posed by the Iran’s accumulated ballistic missiles o the Arabian Gulf, the Middle East and western nations.

The press conference was hosted by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has failed to curb Iran’s militant attacks through proxy militias in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, said the NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee spokesperson Ali Safavi, former Italy Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi and Walid Phares, the co-secretary general of the Transatlantic Parliamentary Group on Counterterrorism

“The problem is that over the past five years, the regime has displayed and continues to display a behavior that would endanger Iran, its people, the Middle East, Europe, the US and the international community,” Phares, also an adviser to the anti-terrorism caucus said.

“Any return to the Iran deal cannot just go back to Tehran and deal with the technical matter of counting the points that Iran is doing or not doing. It has completely changed. We are talking about the geopolitics of the whole region,” he added.

 “This is a major issue and a major question mark. We see a cautious approach but up to now, I do not consider it a weak approach by the Biden administration,” Terzi said.

Emphasizing on Iran’s approach and behavior in relation to the ballistic program, the officials however, asked the President Biden of U.S. and the European leaders to take tougher stand against Tehran and its missile program.

WASHINGTON, 19 March, 2021 (TON): To congratulate Bangladesh on its golden jubilee independence and to appreciate the country for sheltering Rohingya refugees, the U.S. Congress has introduced a resolution titled, “Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence.”

The resolution was introduced on 16 March in the U.S. House of Representatives.

It expressed support for the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Bangladesh are committed.

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York) submitted the resolution in the first session of the 117th Congress.

Three democratic representatives Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), Jimmy Gomez (California), and Chair of House Committee on Foreign Affairs Gregory W Meeks (New York) co-sponsored the resolution.

The resolution however, mentioned Mujibur Rahman’s declaration of Bangladesh’s independence from West Pakistan on Mar 26, 1971, and highlighted the millions of displaced people and their deaths, whereas the Pakistani army surrendered to Indian and Bangladeshi allied forces following a nine-month war.

Also, it recognized the struggle for independence and democracy made by the freedom fighters.

BRAZZAVILLE, 19 March, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, the President of Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso aims for the re-election in the first round.

The civil society members expressed serious reservations over the transparency of the election.

Proclaimed campaign posters of the candidate of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT) to mark his desire to be re-elected in the first round, as in 2016, against his six rivals, however, the climate seems less heavy than five years ago.

 A few days ago, Frédéric Bintsamou said that the election "must not be an opportunity to reawaken the old demons of division".

Faced with the impasse of all-oil, Sassou Nguesso asserted that he was putting youth and agricultural development at the heart of his campaign, calling it "shameful" that the country imports most of what it consumes.

HELSINKI, 19 March, 2021 (TON): Finland ranked the world’s happiest country for the fourth consecutive year despite the pandemic crisis, the UN report said on Friday.

The media reported citing the researchers that Finland has always ranked very high on the measures of mutual trust that helped to protect the lives and livelihoods during the pandemic.

According to the World Happiness Report, “They have tended to favor making policy with overall well-being as the objective, and this makes suppressing community transmission an even more obvious choice for them.”

The report is based on three years of Gallup surveys of how happy citizens perceive themselves to be.

Factors used for the assessment include GDP per capita, healthy years of life expectancy, freedom, and perceived corruption in government and business.

Nevertheless, Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, and New Zealand were also among the top 10. Besides, the U.S. ranked 20th, Russia 77th, China 85th, and India 140th.

KABUL, 19 March, 2021 (TON): On Friday in Moscow, the Afghan Foreign Ministry welcomed a statement issued after a meeting held a day earlier over the Afghan peace process.

The Ministry called the statement a step forward towards the start of the negotiations, the media reported.

The ministry, "The Islamic Republic is the only inclusive and acceptable structure that can ensure political participation, pluralism, citizenship equality and preserving of stability in a diverse society like Afghanistan." 

"The Islamic Republic is the only inclusive and acceptable structure that can ensure political participation, pluralism, citizenship equality and preserving of stability in a diverse society like Afghanistan," the Ministry added.

Moscow hosted the meeting of the extended 'Troika' comprising representatives of Russia, China, US, and Pakistan that focused on making progress in the intra-Afghan process to reach a negotiated settlement and permanent ceasefire in the country.

A joint statement was issued following the conference that also recognized the will of the Afghan people for peace, calling for reduction of the violence and reiterating calls for a negotiated settlement for the conflict.

Following the conference, a joint statement was issued in which the four key participants stated that they would not support the return of the Islamic emirate system in Afghanistan.

JAKARTA, 19 March, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the Indonesian President Joko Widodo asked for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and called for a summit of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)  bloc to have discussions on the political uprising that emerged from 1 February military coup.

Calling the safety of the Myanmar people paramount, the President said in a statement, "Indonesia calls for an immediate end to the use of violence in Myanmar to prevent further loss of lives." 

"I will hold talks with the Sultan of Brunei as chairman of Asean for the possibility of an Asean summit to discuss the crisis in Myanmar," he said.

Earlier this month following a special meeting on the Myanmar’s political situation in the country, the bloc had called on all the Myanmar parties to refrain from instigating further violence.

As Myanmar faced a military coup arrest of the elected leader on 1 February against the alleged fraudulent elections, many witnessed continued protests demanding the release of the leader. While more than 200 protestors have been killed in firings by security forces.

WASHINGTON, 19 March, 2021 (TON): As the deadline for withdrawing the U.S. troops from the Afghanistan Territory is approaching, the U.S. President Biden administration is considering to keep the troops in Afghanistan until November rather than withdrawing them by a 1 May deadline as negotiated with the Taliban, official sources said.

In recent discussions with members of his national security team, Biden has pushed back on the Pentagon's efforts to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 1 May. But the president has been convinced to consider a possible six-month extension of American forces there.

Another source said, “The military has presented several options, including pulling out troops by or close to May 1; keeping troops in the country indefinitely; or keeping troops in Afghanistan for a defined period of time to be determined by the president, which could include a six-month extension.”

However, this move seems to follow the view that Mr. Biden shared in an interview that it would be a high risk of a total security collapse transpiring in Kabul, the Afghan capital, if all Western troops leave.