PARIS, 29 November 2021, (TON): France's interior minister has said he wants to work with the UK on migration but that talks need to be serious.

Gérald Darmanin made the comments at a meeting of European officials following the deaths of 27 people who drowned in the English Channel this week as they tried to cross from France to the UK.

The UK's invitation to the meeting was halted in a diplomatic row with France.

Home Secretary Priti Patel described her absence at the meeting in Calais as "unfortunate".

But she said “she is holding separate urgent talks with European ministers this week.”

The UK's absence came after Emmanuel Macron reacted angrily to Boris Johnson's public call for France to take back migrants who reach the UK.

The French president accused the UK prime minister of showing a lack of seriousness by publishing the letter on Twitter.

The UK government insisted that the letter was sincere and urged France to reconsider its invitation, with Mr Johnson saying: "This is a problem we have to fix together."

Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and the European Commission attended the talks in Calais, which Mr Macron set up to deal with the recent surge in migrant crossings of the Channel.

WASHINGTON, 29 November 2021, (TON): The United States under President Joe Biden is to resume on Monday indirect negotiations with Iran in Vienna but is far less optimistic than in the spring about the possibility of saving the Iranian nuclear deal.

And its options to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb are limited if talks fail.

As president, Donald Trump withdrew from the international deal in 2018 and reimposed US sanctions lifted under the accord’s terms.

In response, the Islamic Republic has flouted many of the restrictions set on its nuclear program.

Biden has said “he wants to return to the deal, negotiated in 2015 by then-president Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president, so long as Iran also resumes the original terms.

The indirect negotiations in Vienna resume Monday after a five-month suspension imposed by Iran.

“There is room to quickly reach and implement an understanding,” a spokesperson for the US State Department said Wednesday.

But the American envoy on Iran, Rob Malley, has said that Tehran’s attitude “doesn’t augur well for the talks.”

DUBAI, 29 November 2021, (TON): According to state news agency “the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the release of 870 prisoners ahead of the country’s 50th National Day on Dec. 2.”

The statement added “the prisoners, sentenced for various crimes, will also have their debts and fines paid off.”

KHARTOUM, 29 November 2021, (TON): Two official sources told media “Sudan’s military leader has overhauled top intelligence positions, dismissing at least eight general intelligence officers and replacing the head of military intelligence.”

The decision by Sovereign Council head Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan comes a week after he struck a deal to reinstate Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who had been placed under house arrest in an Oct. 25 coup.

Of the officers dismissed, five were in senior positions and had been in place since before the 2019 overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar Al-Bashir, the sources said. On Saturday, official sources said Al-Burhan had replaced the head of the general intelligence service.

It was not immediately clear what impact the decisions could have on the balance of power following Hamdok’s return. Hamdok replaced the country’s top two police officials on Saturday, following deadly violence against anti-military protesters in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Al-Burhan held talks with EU envoy for the Horn of Africa Annette Weber to discuss the need to complete the structures of the transitional authority, including the formation of the transitional legislative council, especially those related to the election process.

LONDON, 29 November 2021, (TON): Britain and Israel will work night and day in preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power, the foreign ministers of the two countries wrote in a joint article.

“The clock is ticking, which heightens the need for close cooperation with our partners and friends to thwart Tehran’s ambitions,” the UK’s Liz Truss and her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid wrote https://bit.ly/3E4wEbs in the Telegraph newspaper.

VATICAN, 29 November 2021, (TON): Sergey Startsev. Pope Francis reiterated his deep concern and pain over the current situation with migrants who are trying to come to Europe from Asia and Africa .

“Think about it, how many migrants and these days threatens great danger, how many of them die at our borders feel pain in connection with the situation in which there are many of them are ones that died in the strait..

The English Channel , the ones that are on the border of Belarus , many of their children. Those who are drowning in the Mediterranean Sea.

He stressed “it is a great pain when you think of them. Those who were repatriated to northern Africa, who were captured by traders. They are turned into slaves, women are sold, men are tortured. And those who tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea this week in search of a land of prosperity,” but they found a grave.”

Pope Francis pledged to pray for all migrants in crisis and thanked charities, including those under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church , for working to alleviate the suffering of refugees. He also called on everyone who can contribute to the resolution of the acute migration problem, especially the civil and military authorities, to understanding and dialogue.

The Pope concluded “let’s think about the migrants, about their suffering and pray in silence.”

SANAA, 29 November 2021, (TON): Coalition and local military figures said “at least 200 Houthis were killed in heavy fighting with government forces and in airstrikes by Arab coalition warplanes during the past 24 hours in the Yemeni provinces of Marib and Jouf, as the militia pushed into Marib to seize control of strategic terrain.”

One official told media that at least 100 Houthis were killed when the militia launched a string of attacks on government forces in Thana, west of Marib city, in a bid to break the government’s lines and reach Al-Balaq Al-Qibili Mountain to high ground over parts of the city.”

The official said “all waves of the Houthis failed to advance or capture an inch in Thana. Many Houthis were killed when our forces and the (Arab) coalition’s warplanes wiped out those waves.”

He added that most of the Houthi fatalities were caused by “precise” airstrikes.

The Houthis have recently focused attacks on areas west of Marib after failing to make territorial gains in Juba, Um Raesh and Al-Amud, south of Marib.

The Houthis pushed into districts such as Abedia, Rahabah and Hareb after making rapid gains in neighboring Al-Bayda province.

The official said “the Houthis once again were drawn into a military stalemate in Juba after facing stiff resistance from army troops and local tribes. Hundreds were killed in heavy fighting during the past week, and the militia was forced into decreasing attacks due to high losses.”

VILNIUS, 29 November 2021, (TON): EU and NATO leaders on Sunday vowed to counter "hybrid threats" on visits to Lithuania and Latvia dominated by the Belarus migrant crisis and Russia's military build-up near Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also repeated his call on Russia to "de-escalate" its military build-up on the border with Ukraine and warned of "consequences" if it used force.

The visit by Stoltenberg and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen comes ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Latvia this week.

Stoltenberg and von der Leyen both accused Belarus of orchestrating the migrant crisis on its border as a "hybrid" threat against the European Union, a charge that the regime has denied.

A hybrid threat is a security challenge combining traditional military means and non-military tactics such as disinformation.

"To respond to such events, it is important that the European Union and NATO work hand in hand," von der Leyen said at a joint news conference with Stoltenberg and Lithuanian leaders in Vilnius.

Stoltenberg said "we discussed how we could step up our joint work between NATO and the EU.”

BEIJING, 29 November 2021, (TON): A spokesperson said “the Chinese army has carried out a “naval and air force combat readiness patrol” near the Taiwan Strait following a contentious visit to the island by a group of American lawmakers.”

Tensions between Beijing and Washington have soared over the fate of democratic self-ruled Taiwan, which China has vowed to one day retake, by force if necessary.

A group of American lawmakers arrived on the island Thursday offering support for the Taiwanese authorities, who Beijing accuses of seeking independence for the island.

A spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command said in a statement “in response, the Chinese army on Friday carried out “a naval and air force combat readiness patrol in the direction of the Taiwan Strait.”

They added “this is a necessary measure in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait.”

They added “pledging the army would protect sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.”

KABUL, 29 November 2021, (TON): Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Mullah Mohammed Hassan Akhund, called on international charities on Saturday "to not withhold their aid" as the country struggles with the threat of mass starvation.

Akhund said in a half hour audio message "we are trying as much as possible to solve the problems of the people. We are working overtime in every department.”

He blamed Afghanistan's famine, unemployment and financial meltdown on the US-backed government he helped depose.

Akhund said "nation, be vigilant. Those left over from the previous government in hiding are ... causing anxiety, misleading the people to distrust their government.”

The prime minister claimed that his government had cracked down on corruption that had afflicted what he called "the weakest system in the world."

He said “it was also working on ways to pay thousands of government workers who have not been paid for months.”