BAGHDAD, 20 November 2021, (TON): Hundreds of Iraqis returned home on an Iraqi Airways flight from Belarus, where thousands of migrants have camped on the Polish border for weeks hoping to enter the EU.

It was the first repatriation flight of migrants many of them fleeing war and poverty-wracked Middle Eastern countries, since the Poland-Belarus border crisis began.

A total of 431 people were aboard the Boeing 747, said “a spokesman for the government of the autonomous region of Kurdistan where many of the repatriated Iraqis came from. Iraq’s government has said the repatriation was voluntary.”

The flight was to continue later in the evening to Baghdad but most of the passengers disembarked at Arbil.

Some hid their faces, so as not to be identified on local TV images as they stepped down from the plane. The smile of one woman, however, was clear as she entered the terminal carrying an infant. Many of the children and adults wore thick winter coats and hoods, images from a regional Kurdish TV station showed. Some carried their belongings in backpacks or plastic bags.

WASHINGTON, 20 November 2021, (TON): The White House said “President Joe Biden has reassumed authority after briefly transferring power to Vice President Kamala Harris while under anaesthesia for a routine medical procedure.”

Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that Biden had spoken with Harris and his chief of staff at about 11:35am (1635 GMT) and at that time resumed his duties.

Psaki tweeted “Biden was in good spirits and remained at the presidential facility at Walter Reed hospital to complete the rest of his routine physical.”

Biden, the oldest person to hold the presidency in US history, went to the Walter Reed Medical Centre just outside of Washington early Friday on the eve of his 79th birthday.

The White House earlier described the appointment as Biden's “routine annual physical”. It was his first since taking office in January.

It said “Biden would be anaesthetised during a colonoscopy examination, and as in past practice, the vice-president would assume power, which includes control over the US armed forces and the nuclear weapons arsenal.”

Psaki said “President Biden will transfer power to the vice-president for the brief period of time when he is under anaesthesia. The vice president will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.”

DHAKA, 20 November 2021, (TON): Bangladesh Police on Friday signed an agreement with JSC Russian Helicopters to procure two MI-171A2 helicopters to enhance the capacity and efficiency of the law enforcement agency.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan witnessed the signing ceremony as the chief guest.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Benazir Ahmed and Director General of JSC Russian Helicopters Andrey Boginskiy signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

NAYPYITAW, 20 November 2021, (TON): Media sources has confirmed that a Myanmar junta delegation is participating in the 89th Interpol General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey next week as the country’s official representatives.

According to a senior Myanmar police source, Lt-Gen Than Hlaing is heading the contingent, likely by video link.

The three-day meeting to address “global security issues” is scheduled to begin on November 23.

Than Hlaing was appointed deputy home affairs minister on February 2, the day after military chief Min Aung Hlaing toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a coup. He is also the junta’s chief of police.

Canada, the EU, UK and US have sanctioned Than Hlaing for his role overseeing the junta’s crackdown on the public, in which more than 1,200 civilians have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has been monitoring the ongoing repression.

KABUL, 20 November 2021, (TON): The Ministry of Finance said that Afghanistan and Iran have created several committees to expand cooperation in various areas between the two countries.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the newly established committees will work on the economy, agriculture, railways, trade and the investment sectors.

The joint committees were set up between these two countries during a meeting between the Islamic Emirate officials and Iran’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, who visited Kabul recently.

Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance said “most of our trade challenges were in Iran. When our traders are buying the goods, they are not processed on time, visas are not issued on time.”

NEW DELHI, 20 November 2021, (TON): Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Zhao Lijian confirmed “the officials of China and India have held the 23rd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on bilateral border affairs to discuss border issue.”

The spokesperson said during his regular briefing “director-General, Border and Maritime Affairs, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hong Liang led the Chinese delegation while, Additional Secretary of the East Asia Division of Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Naveen Srivastava led the Indian delegation during the meeting held via video link.”

He added “the representatives from the two countries’ diplomatic, national defense, and immigration departments attended the meeting.”

Zhao Lijian informed that the two sides said they will follow the consensus spirit of the two foreign ministers’ meeting in Dushanbe, continue to further ease the situation in the border area, and will try to turn the emergency response to regular management.

The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in border areas, agreed to consolidate the outcome of disengagement, follow existing agreements and consensus avoid flare-ups of tensions in the situation, he added.

Zhao Lijian said that the two sides also agreed to maintain communication to prepare for the 14th commander level meeting and make more efforts to resolve the remaining issues in the western section. The Working Mechanism for Consultations and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC) was set up in January 2012, to ensure peace and tranquility along the LAC.

KABUL, 20 November 2021, (TON): Germany sent their high-level diplomats to Afghanistan for the first time after the Taliban takeover and met with the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister and acting foreign minister.

Germany pledged to be providing the people of Afghanistan with humanitarian aid but added not to help the de-facto authorities in Kabul directly.

The German Foreign Minister in a statement said “the country’s special representative for Afghanistan, Jasper Wieck, and ambassador-designate Markus Potzel met on November 18 with high-ranking officials from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The delegation was accompanied by a Dutch special representative for Afghanistan Emiel de Bont.

Germany’s Foreign Minister in the statement said that both sides acknowledged that continued operational contacts on issues where practical cooperation is both necessary and possible, in particular, to address the humanitarian plight of the Afghan people.

ISLAMABAD, 20 November 2021, (TON): On the birth anniversary celebration of Guru Nanak Pakistan has softened its policy for Sikh pilgrims coming to Pakistan to attend celebrations till November 30.

According to the new rules, Sikhs now won’t have to inform 10 days before their visit to Pakistan.

Earlier, the law of the land about Sikh pilgrims coming to visit their religious sites made it mandatory to apply 10 days ahead of their visit to Kartarpur Gurdwara in the Narowal district.

But now, Pakistan removed the condition and softened the policy for the Sikh pilgrims.

Moreover, Pakistani officials said that the decision about policy relaxation was taken to respect the religious sentiments of the Sikh community coming from India.

ISLAMABAD, 20 November 2021, (TON): The British High Commission Islamabad announced “the United Kingdom and Pakistan have finalised negotiations on the UK-Pakistan Readmissions Agreement, which will ensure the return of illegal migrants who have no lawful basis to remain in the country.”

As per the high commission's statement “British Permanent Home Secretary Matthew Rycroft, during a two-day visit to Pakistan, finalised the negotiations with Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability Shahzad Akbar.”

It was decided that the agreement will be presented to Pakistan’s Federal Cabinet in the coming weeks to be implemented by the end of the year, subject to cabinet approval.

The statement read "the ground-breaking agreement will enable the sharing of criminal records between the UK and Pakistani authorities to support effective law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.”

NEW DELHI, 20 November 2021, (TON): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “he would repeal controversial farm laws that farmers have protested for more than a year, a significant climbdown for the combative leader.”

The sudden concession on the three laws comes ahead of elections early next year in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, and two other northern states with large rural populations.

Modi said in an address to the nation "today I have come to tell you, the whole country, that we have decided to withdraw all three agricultural laws.”

"In the parliament session starting later this month, we will complete the constitutional process to repeal these three agricultural laws."

The legislation, introduced in September last year, was aimed at deregulating the sector, allowing farmers to sell produce to buyers beyond government-regulated wholesale markets, where growers are assured of a minimum price.