MELBOURNE, 16 February, 2021 (TON): In the Australian Open, Serena Williams has beat second seed Simona Halep with her outstanding performance and now is all set to compete in the semi-final against Naomi Osaka.

"I think this is the best match I played this tournament," said Williams, who moved well and hit 24 winners.

The 39-year-old American, bidding for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title, won 6-3 6-3 against the Romanian.

Earlier on Tuesday, Osaka cruised past Hsieh Su-wei in just 66 minutes to reach the last four.

The Japanese third seed, who won the second of her three Grand Slam titles at Melbourne Park in 2019, beat the Taiwanese 6-2 6-2.

On Thursday for a place in Saturday's final, Osaka will face Williams a seven-time champion in Melbourne.

Moreover, it will be the first meeting between the pair since their infamous 2018 US Open final.

It is seen that Williams is all fit, focused, and looks like a champion for her glorious win till this stage in the Australian Open tournament, however, Osaka is seen as a player who looks fitter and more focused than she has in recent years.

BANGUI, 16 February, 2021 (TON): The former head of the Central African Republic (CAR) football federation, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona is set to go on trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court.

He also faces crimes against humanity charges, which he denies, the media reported.

Assisting and coordinating attacks against the country’s Muslim population in 2012-14, Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom are accused.

The International Criminal Court alleges Yekatom was responsible for murder, torture, attacking civilians, and using child fighters as a former militia leader of the anti-Balaka group.

However, he denies the allegations.

Despite being subject to the UN sanctions, Yekatom was elected as an MP in 2016.

Ngaissona was barred from running for CAR president in 2015 because of his alleged role in the atrocities, which he denies.

Violence continues to grip CAR, two-thirds of which is in rebel hands.

The former French colony was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when predominately Muslim rebels from the Seleka group seized power in the majority Christian country.

United Nations says more than a million people were forced to flee their homes as thousands killed in subsequent clashes.

Ngaissona was the self-declared political co-ordinator of anti-Balaka forces that got criticized by many human rights groups for his appointments, but he apparently never considered them

KATHMANDU, 16 February, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, while representing the government’s achievements in the past three years, the PM of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli said that he was not given a chance to fulfill the promises he had made to the people.

Elaborating his 20 December, 2020 recommendation to dissolve the House of Representatives, he said it was the most viable option to prevent the country from falling into the deep pit of instability and political conspiracies.

It was a matter of utter despair that the party’s Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal had accused him of criminal offenses in the letter of no-trust motion, said the Prime Minister.

“There was not even a single formal complaint or constructive criticism against me at the parliamentary party or against the party’s whip or chief whip. The letter was filled with negativity and to make matters worse they printed the letter and circulated it across the country,” the media quoted Oli saying.

“The leaders neither let me appoint people in key posts nor did they allow me to work smoothly. They almost ran a parallel government and this compelled me to dissolve the House.”

The PM kept stressing that his government had not worked for the vested interests rather had tried best to work for national interest, however, his government could not do much during the pandemic crisis thus affecting the national economy but the country’s Human Development Index was constantly rising, and it showed that the country was gradually developing.

GENEVA, 16 February, 2021 (TON): Former Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been appointed by the World Trade Organization (WTO)  as the new director-general.

Ngozi now becomes the first woman and also African to lead the Switzerland-based institution.

On Monday when WTO had a special general council meeting, her appointment came.

Her appointment came after the WTO had a special general council meeting on Monday.

After the South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, pulled out, U.S. President Biden strongly supported her candidacy.

The 66 years old, has a 25-year career behind her as a development economist at the World Bank and served as her country's first female finance and foreign minister.

Even before the pandemic shook globally, the WTO was already grappling with stalled trade talks and struggling to curb tensions between the United States and China. The global trade body has also faced relentless attacks from Washington, which has crippled the WTO dispute settlement appeal system and threatened to leave the organization altogether. However, Okonjo-Iweala has made the hopes high with her statement on her broad experience in championing reform and considers her the right person to help put the WTO back on track.

WELLINGTON, 16 February, 2021 (TON):  On Tuesday, Jacinda Ardern New Zealand’s Prime Minister accused Australia of quitting its responsibilities by unilaterally canceling the citizenship of a woman detained in Turkey that alleged to be linked to Syria.

On Monday, the Turkish authorities said that three New Zealanders, including a woman, have been caught trying to enter Turkey illegally from Syria.

Ardern told the media that the woman had held New Zealand and Australian citizenship, but the Australian government unilaterally canceled her citizenship.

 “New Zealand, frankly, is tired of having Australia exporting its problems,” Ardern said. “If the shoe were on the other foot we would take responsibility, that would be the right thing to do and I ask Australia to do the same.”

Australian Prime Minister Morrison in response said,  “My job is Australia’s interests. That’s my job. And it’s my job as the Australian Prime Minister to put Australia’s national security interests first. I think all Australians would agree with that.”

He said he was scheduled to speak with Ardern today and added that legislation passed in parliament automatically cancels the citizenship of a dual citizen accused of being engaged in terrorist activities.

Ardern said her government has an obligation to its citizens regardless of the circumstances or offenses committed, and that decisions would be driven by the fact that two small children “who did not make the choice of being born in a war zone” were involved.

“We will be engaging with the Turkish authorities, and given there are children involved, their welfare will be top of mind in our response,” she said.

Precisely, this case of the woman has been known to both the authorities, Australian and the NZ for some time however, it got negative eyes over it when Australia stripped the woman of her citizenship, which NZ consider a wrong decision.   

KABUL, 16 February, 2021 (TON): The Afghan Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, that the Afghan National Army commandos have freed 42 people from Taliban custody in the province of Baghlan.  

"During a special operation of the Afghan National Army personnel, six national army soldiers, 19 policemen, and 17 civilians have been freed from a Taliban hideout in Nawruzak area of Baghlan-e-Markazi district of Baghlan province Monday night," the ministry said in a statement.

The people freed will join the families soon, the statement added.

This is the second Taliban detention center in two months in Baghlan that has been completely destroyed following the national army special operations, said the statement.

The Taliban group has not yet responded to the statement.

However, it is seen that the Taliban group has been looking forward to the peace deals in a process that involved several meetings from the Taliban group and the other parties in Tehran. Unfortunately, now the deal is withheld for no apparent reason.

RIYADH, 16 February, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, five Palestinians got arrested by the Israeli security forces from several areas in Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate.

The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory (the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip) is in its fifth decade that involves violence.

The media reported that the Qaddura Refugee Camp got stormed by the security forces and arrested a young man while knowing another individual from the village.

Meanwhile, the forces held 10 Palestinians for hours from Silwad and separately arrested two Palestinians.

It is viewed as the undercurrent of violence and inherent abuses of fundamental human rights and disregard for international law inherent in any long-standing military occupation is presented by both sides.

ANKARA, 16 February, 2021 (TON): The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the U.S. for supporting the Kurdish militants on Monday.

President’s remarks came days after the Turkish troops found the bodies of 13 Turkish soldiers, police, and civilians abducted by Kurdish insurgents in northern Iraq.  

In the Gara region, near the Turkish border, the victims were discovered during an operation against the PKK that had aimed to free the hostages. Twelve of the victims were shot in the head and one died of a shoulder bullet wound. The 13 were kidnapped inside Turkey in 2015 and 2016.

Erdogan also took aim at a U.S. State Department statement that deplored the hostages’ deaths but added that the U.S. would condemn the deaths “in the strongest possible terms” if it is confirmed that they died at the hands of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK.

“You are with them and behind, them pure and simple,” Erdogan said, referring to Kurdish militant groups as well as Syrian Kurdish groups linked to the PKK, which Turkey considers to be terrorists but which were allied with the United States in the fight against the Islamic State.

“If we are together in NATO, and if we are to continue our (alliance) in NATO, you have to be sincere toward us,” Erdogan said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also expressed Turkey’s unease over recent U.S. statements during a telephone call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his ministry said.

Since the new U.S. President took the office, the conversation between the two involved the discussions on the NATO alliance.

“We have the power, capability, and determination to come down hard on the terrorists everywhere,” Erdogan said.

Since the insurgency began in Turkey, many thousands of people have been killed by the PKK and involved the Turkish troops that died during the operation to free the hostages.

NEW DELHI, 16 February, 2021 (TON): after the 83rd day of the farmers’ protests against the three farm laws, on Tuesday PM Modi, clarified that these laws will mostly benefit small and marginal farmers.

The PM said that the government's aim is to make each citizen prosper and make India 'Aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant).

While targeting the opposition parties, the Prime Minister said that some people have been spreading rumors against these laws against which thousands of farmers mainly from Punjab and Haryana have been sitting on indefinite protest on various Delhi borders.

Stressing that false narrative is being spread among people against these laws for political benefits, Mr. Modi said, "The new agriculture reforms will benefit small and marginal farmers the most. Some people are propagating rumors against these reforms."

In an obvious attack on the Congress, Modi said "those who used to invite foreign firms in India are now protesting against the government which is trying to give the opportunity to the Indian private companies".

He said that the farmers themselves have unmasked those politicians who have been spreading rumors against these laws since they were enacted in the Monsoon Session of Parliament in September last year.

Similarly, the Svamitva Scheme was made into focus by the PM and appreciated that it is also being run across the country to protect the lands of farmers as it is playing a role like armor to protect the lands and people are witnessing.

ADDIS ABABA, 16 February, 2021 (TON): Along with the 1 January, 2021 launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area, three other regional blocs are accelerating the process of regional integration.

The council of ministers of the economic blocs Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the East African Community (EAC) discussed among other topics, the draft guidelines of the three-part mechanism on safe movement in the region.

Altogether, 26 countries were involved when the agreement was signed in 2015 which means 625 million people and extends from the north to the south of Africa.

Ricardo de Abreu, the Angolan Minister of Transports, shares his insight on the goings-on.

"The free trade area aims at exactly that, to ensure that there is an increase in the volume of intercontinental trade, which is something that does not happen, therefore, not only here in this southern region but in the rest of the continent. Inter-African trade is very low, and not only because of the need for better infrastructure. The business professionals themselves and the economic players often seek solutions and opportunities much further away when the market is here, the market is next door."

The objective of the tripartite free trade agreement is the creation of a customs union that integrates the member states from Egypt up top all the way down to South Africa.