WASHINGTON, 13 November 2021, (TON): The White House said “Novosti. US President Joe Biden discussed with the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries the prospects for deepening economic interaction in the Indo-Pacific region.”

A written statement from the US administration “President Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to being a strong and reliable partner of the APEC economies in the pursuit of sustainable and inclusive growth. The President also discussed ways to unlock the region’s economic potential and deepen economic engagement with the United States throughout the Indo-Pacific region.”

In addition, at the summit, the US President reportedly focused APEC’s attention on the need to “develop a reliable and secure Internet, invest in cybersecurity and develop digital economy standards” that will prepare the countries of the union for future challenges.

APEC’s two-day annual meeting of economic leaders takes place online on Thursday and Friday and is chaired by New Zealand.

The APEC Forum, which first met in 1989, currently includes Australia, Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Canada, China, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russia, Singapore, USA, Thailand, Philippines, Chile, South Korea, Japan, and the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Taiwan.

LONDON, 13 November 2021, (TON): The UK Department of Defense has confirmed that British troops will help the Polish authorities to strengthen the border with Belarus.

The statement said “the UK and Poland as NATO members have a long history of friendship. A small team of British military personnel was deployed after an agreement with the Polish government to study how we can provide engineering support to resolve the evolving situation on the Belarusian border.”

Earlier, the Polish Min-istry of Defense also infor-med via Twitter that the so-ldiers of the two countries “will cooperate in strengthening the fence on the Polish-Belarusian border.”

As previously reported, the Polish authorities are planning to build a new five-meter fence on the border with Belarus, since the recently erected barbed wire fence did not become a serious obstacle for migrants.

A new, more reliable structure in the republic has already been designed and funds have been allocated for construction. The fence will cost Poland 1.615 billion zlotys (about $ 414 million), of which 115 million zlotys will be spent on technical equipment, sensors, surveillance equipment and other modern instruments. All this money will be allocated from the country’s budget.

WASHINGTON, 13 November 2021, (TON): A senior US official told Reuters “the United States and Qatar have agreed that Qatar will represent the diplomatic interests of the United States in Afghanistan, an important signal of potential direct engagement between Washington and Kabul in the future after two decades of war.”

Qatar will sign an arrangement with the United States on Friday to assume the role of "protecting power" for US interests to help facilitate any formal communication between Washington and the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which the United States does not recognise.

The move comes at a time when the United States and other Western countries are grappling with how to engage with the Taliban after the hardline group took over Afghanistan in a lightning advance in August as US-led forces were withdrawing after two decades of war.

Many countries including the United States and European states are reluctant to formally recognise the Taliban as critics say they are backtracking on pledges of political and ethnic inclusivity and not to sideline women and minorities.

But with winter approaching, many countries realise they need to engage more to prevent the deeply impoverished country from plunging into a humanitarian catastrophe.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will announce the deal with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at a news conference after their meeting.

WASHINGTON, 13 November 2021, (TON): Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar filed legislation seeking to block the sale of $650 million air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia, the first major arms sale to the kingdom during President Joe Biden's administration.

Omar said “she filed the measure, known as a joint resolution of disapproval, because of Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen's civil war, considered one of the world's war humanitarian disasters, and its human rights record.”

The Biden administration announced on Nov 4 that it had approved the sale of missiles valued at up to $650 million.

Raytheon Technologies makes the missiles.

Omar said in a statement "we certainly should not be doing so in the midst of a humanitarian crisis they are responsible for. Congress has the authority to stop these sales, and we must exercise that power.”

KABUL, 13 November 2021, (TON): A United Nations Development Programme official media “with millions facing starvation and nearly the entire population teetering on the brink of poverty, Afghanistan could experience the worst humanitarian crisis “we’ve ever seen.”

Some 23 million people are in desperate need of food, the $20 billion economy could shrink by $4 billion or more and 97% of the 38 million population are at risk of sinking into poverty, Abdallah Al Dardari, the resident representative for the UNDP in Afghanistan, said. “Afghanistan is probably facing the worst humanitarian disaster we’ve ever seen,” Al Dardari told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”

He said “we have never seen an economic shock of that magnitude and we have never seen a humanitarian crisis of that magnitude.”

Funding for the humanitarian crisis and for essential services is crucial to maintain lives and livelihood in the Central Asian country, he added. When the Taliban suddenly swept into power in August, world governments cut off Afghanistan’s access to international funding and froze the Afghan central bank’s roughly $10 billion in assets held abroad, in a bid to stop the hardline Islamists from accessing that money.

It led to a collapse in public finances, and many workers stopped receiving salaries, which extended pressure on the country’s banking system. The international community has yet to recognize the militant group as Afghanistan’s de facto rulers.

Pakistan hosted a meeting in Islamabad, with representatives from China, Russia and the United States, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD, 13 November 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Imran Khan underscored the "crucial role" of Troika Plus, a group of Pakistan, China, and the United States on Afghanistan, in the resolution of the Afghanistan crisis.

The PM made these remarks during a meeting with the special envoys of the Troika Plus who called on him a day after their meeting in Islamabad on the Afghan issue.

During the meeting, the prime minister congratulated the special envoys for a "successful" moot in Islamabad, said a press release issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

It said “Imran underlined the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan for the security and prosperity of the entire region.”

According to the statement "the prime minister said he had consistently stressed that there was no military solution in Afghanistan. As such, Pakistan had all along supported an inclusive political settlement."

Read Int'l community has 'moral' duty to avert Afghan crisis: PM Imran

The statement added “the premier also underlined the importance of inclusivity, human rights and counter-terrorism operations in the wake of Kabul's takeover by the Taliban.”

He urged the international community to have a "pragmatic approach" for "constructive engagement" with Taliban-led Afghanistan so that mutual concerns could be addressed.

ISLAMABAD, 13 November 2021, (TON): A statement from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi said “Pakistan issued around 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh pilgrims on the eve of the 552nd birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak from November 17-26.”

It said "today, Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued around 3,000 visas to Indian Sikh Yatrees to participate in the 552nd birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak in Pakistan from 17-26 November 2021.”

During their stay in Pakistan, the statement added, the Sikh pilgrims would pay obeisance at different Gurdwaras including Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur.

It added "visas to the Sikh pilgrims have been issued under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, which provides for the visit of 3,000 Sikh pilgrims from India for the birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims residing in countries other than India would also be visiting Pakistan to attend the event.”

The statement said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken several initiatives for the facilitation of Sikh pilgrims including the historic opening of the visa-free Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in November 2019 on the occasion of the 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak.

The magnificent newly-built Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib complex was a gift by the people of Pakistan and their leadership to the Sikh community from India and worldwide.

NEW DELHI, 13 November 2021, (TON): Chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat said “China is the biggest security threat facing India much bigger than Pakistan, and the country is prepared to deal with “any misadventure” on the “land borders or the high seas.”

He said “asked whether China was “enemy number 1” for India at the Times Now summit, General Rawat said there was “no doubt” about it. “The threat on the northern borders is much bigger.”

Gen Rawat said “we are well prepared for any misadventure, Should they carry out a Galwan-like incident again, they will get it (back) in the same coin as they got last time.”

The CDS was referring to the violent skirmishes between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15 last year.

On the 18-month-long military confrontation in eastern Ladakh, he made it clear that India’s immediate priority is to ensure troop disengagement at the friction points with “sufficient separation and distance” to ensure no inadvertent incident takes place.

While such disengagement has taken place in “almost all areas” including Pangong Tso-Kailash Range region, some places like the strategically-located Depsang Plains and the CNN junction in Demchok are left.

He said “disengagement is likely and will happen. But de-escalation appears to be far-fetched because of the kind of infrastructure the Chinese have developed, it will take a long time.”

NAYPYITAW, 13 November 2021, (TON): The military has recently escalated raids on villages in three Sagaing Region townships where resistance forces are concentrated, displacing thousands of locals.

Since late October, the junta has been sending weapons and troop reinforcements to Depayin, Kani and Kyunhla townships, as well as launching increased airstrikes since early November on areas where People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) are believed to be located.

Intense battles broke out between the military and the Kani PDF near Tazeichaung village, with the junta troops firing on the area from a helicopter, reportedly injuring three locals.

An eyewitness told media “they shot at the road at the exit of Tazeichaung from a helicopter, using machine guns.”

He added that the aircraft circled the area four times.

The junta sent 50 troops, as well as food and several heavy weapons to Kani from Mingin Township in early November, according to the Kani PDF, claiming that among the soldiers were members of the Pyu Saw Htee pro-military network that has vowed to crush the anti-coup resistance.

A spokesperson for the Kani PDF said “five junta soldiers and four PDF members were injured in the battle near Tazeichaung.”

More than 1,000 locals were also displaced from Tazeichaung, Shan Myaung, Mingone and Nyaung Pin Wun villages.

NAYPYITAW, 13 November 2021, (TON): People’s Defence Force (PDF) fighters in Sagaing Region’s Pale Township used handmade explosives to attack a column of 70 soldiers marching on foot, killing or injuring an estimated 25 of them.

A spokesperson for Pale PDF Headquarters, which is under the command of the National Unity Government, said “the junta soldiers were stationed at the village of Wanbe Chaing, some 20 miles west of the town of Pale.”

He added that they were marching along the road connecting Pale to Gangaw near the Nagama hill when the ambush happened.

The  spokesperson said “we still don’t know the exact number of casualties but many of them were injured. The explosives used in the attack were planted in the paths of the soldiers and detonated with the pull of a string by nearby resistance fighters.”

The junta soldiers began firing their weapons in random directions after the attack, the spokesperson added, but the PDF fighters retreated without firing back. Myanmar Now was unable to contact local residents for help confirming the number of junta casualties.

The 70 soldiers were part of a group sent to reinforce a military unit that raided the house of ousted National League for Democracy MP Zaw Htet in Mintaingpin village on November 5 and subsequently came under attack by resistance forces.