BRUSSELS, 09 December 2021, (TON): The heads of state and government of the European Union at the last EU summit this year on December 16-17 will make a political decision to extend by six months the economic sanctions against Russia, which are tied to the implementation of the Minsk agreements to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

The introduction of new restrictive measures against Moscow is currently not under discussion. The media sources were informed about this on Wednesday by a source in the delegation of one of the countries of the community in the Council of the EU.

He said “the issue of the implementation of the Minsk agreements will be touched upon, in the context of which the leaders are expected to give a green signal to extend economic sanctions for six months, since, as you understand, we do not see progress. Rather, on the contrary, the situation is heating up.

According to the diplomat, in the coming weeks after the summit, Brussels will formally issue a decision on the extension of the sanctions, which will then be published in the Official Journal of the EU and come into force. The measures will expire on January 31st.

BEIJING, 09 December 2021, (TON): China warned that the United States would “pay the price” for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns.

The US move, which stopped short of preventing athletes from attending, comes after Washington spent months wrangling over what position to take on the Games, beginning in February next year, over what it has termed China’s “genocide” of the Uyghur minority.

The move drew fiery opposition from Beijing, which threatened unspecified countermeasures, warning the US would “pay the price for its wrongdoing”.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily press briefing “stay tuned.”

Zhao said “the US attempt to interfere with the Beijing Winter Olympics out of ideological prejudice, based on lies and rumours, will only expose (its) sinister intentions.”

He added “the Winter Olympics are not a stage for political shows and political manipulation.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the administration would send no diplomatic or official representation to the Games given China’s “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses.”

KABUL, 09 December 2021, (TON): The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to delay a decision on who will represent Afghanistan and Mynamar at the world body, meaning the envoys appointed by the former governments will remain in place.

Last week, the UN Credential Committee did not make a decision about Afghanistan’s seat and put it on hold for the General Assembly to decide.

The General Assembly approved the Credential Committee’s decision and deferred a decision on who will represent Afghanistan at the UN, which means Ghulam Mohammad Ishaqzai, the former government ambassador to the UN, will remain in his place.

The resolution was adopted by consensus. The Credential Committee’s chair, Ambassador Anna Karin Eneström of Sweden, introducing the committee’s report to the UN General Assembly said “the Committee deferred its decision on the credentials pertaining to the representatives of Myanmar and on the credentials pertaining to the representatives of Afghanistan to the seventy-sixth session of the General Assembly.”

NAYPYITAW, 09 December 2021, (TON): Facebook said “it will ban companies linked to Myanmar’s military from operating on its platform, just hours after lawyers filed a $150 billion class action lawsuit against the company on behalf of Rohingya refugees.”

The page of telecoms operator Mytel, part owned by the military, was among those removed, and a Facebook official told Myanmar Now the company had taken action against “hundreds” of other accounts and pages linked to military-controlled businesses.

The social media giant, now officially called Meta, said that the move expands an existing ban on military pages. The company had resisted calls from activists to enforce such a ban for years. 

Rafael Frankel, Facebook’s Director of Policy for APAC Emerging Countries, said in a statement “the new ban was based on extensive documentation by the international community of these businesses’ direct role in funding the Tatmadaw’s ongoing violence and human rights abuses.”

Frankel said “the company will use a 2019 UN Fact-Finding Mission report on the economic interests of the Myanmar military to identify companies that should be removed.”

DHAKA, 09 December 2021, (TON): The foreign minister underscores the need for ensuring a nationally owned and inclusive peace-building process.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has reaffirmed Bangladesh’s enduring commitment to global peace.

He said while addressing the 2021 Seoul Peacekeeping Ministerial (UNPKM) hosted by South Korea “our unwavering commitment to global peace is our greatest pledge at the Peacekeeping Ministerial.”

Speaking at a session titled “Sustaining Peace” as a keynote speaker, the foreign minister reflected on the contributions made by Bangladesh peacekeepers in maintaining global peace and security.

The foreign minister added “our female peacekeepers have emerged as a symbol of hope and security for women and girls who suffer disproportionately during wars and conflicts.”

He also highlighted Bangladesh’s leadership role in advancing a culture of peace and also in mainstreaming women in peace and security agenda through the adoption of the landmark resolution 1325. 

The foreign minister underscored the need for ensuring a nationally owned and inclusive peace-building process for realizing peace-building and sustaining peace agenda in conflict-affected countries.

DHAKA, 09 December 2021, (TON): Forbes has listed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the sixth most powerful woman in Asia.

She ranked 43 overall on Forbes' 18th annual list of the world's 100 most powerful women.

In Asia, Sheikh Hasina was ranked below first female leader of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen (9th overall), Macquarie group CEO and MD Shemara Wikramanayake (24), Pertamina CEO Nicke Widyawati (27), Temasek Trust Director Ho Ching (33), and Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (37).

She is the longest serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh.

The Forbes' 18th annual list of powerful women includes 40 CEOs, 19 world leaders, an immunologist and, for the first time in more than a decade, a new number one.

The people on the 18th annual list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women come from 30 countries and territories and work across finance, technology, politics, philanthropy, entertainment and more, they are united by a sense of duty.

ISLAMABAD, 09 December 2021, (TON): Pakistan has decided to skip the summit on democracy being convened by President Joe Biden in a rebuke to the White House that may have serious implications for the already strained relationship between the two countries.

The announcement was made by the Foreign Office (FO) just hours before the two-day summit is to kick start after days of in-house consultations.

No reason was cited by the FO in the official handout of virtually snubbing the US invite but multiple factors played a part. One of the reasons includes the exclusion of China from the summit while the overall state of the relationship between the two countries also compelled Islamabad to stay away from the democracy summit.

It is believed that President Biden's move to continue to ignore Prime Minister Imran Khan also made it difficult for Islamabad to attend the summit on democracy.

The US president is hosting the summit on December 9 and 10 and has invited leaders from over 100 countries. Pakistan was amongst the only four South Asian countries which were invited to the summit. Others included India, Maldives and Nepal.

ISLAMABAD, 09 December 2021, (TON): Pakistan Navy Air Defence Units have successfully test-fired surface to air missiles.

According the spokesperson for Pakistan Navy “all missiles successfully hit their targets. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi witnessed the test-firing of the missiles.”

He expressed full satisfaction over the operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy.

The Naval Chief said “Pakistan Navy is fully capable to befittingly respond to any aggression.”

ISLAMABAD, 09 December 2021, (TON): The military said that Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza offered their condolences to the Indian nation on the death of Indian Chief of Defence General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said "General Nadeem Raza, CJCSC & General Qamar Javed Bajwa, COAS express condolences on [the] tragic death of CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and loss of precious lives in a helicopter crash in India.”

Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other people were killed after a military helicopter they were travelling in crashed in southern India.

SRINAGAR, 09 December 2021, (TON): The Army together with Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy conducted a heliborne exercise in the higher reaches of Kashmir Valley as part of a joint defence preparedness in the border region.

The defence sources here said that the exercise in which the heliborne columns of the three armed forces participated using latest helicopters and other equipment was aimed at fine tuning operational and logistics aspects of Heliborne operations.

Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Colonel Emron Musavi said that the exercise was conducted under the auspices of the Army’s 15 Corps which is also known as Chinar Corps.

He said “a helicopter borne training and validation exercise was conducted in the higher reaches of Kashmir Valley. This was a tri-service exercise undertaken in Kashmir with the IAF, the Navy and the Army.”

He added that the exercise was planned to validate the joint capability to insert the task force tactically behind enemy lines in an intense air defence and electronic warfare operating environment.