ISLAMABAD, 03 November 2021, (TON): National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf categorically said that he would not attend an upcoming moot on the Afghanistan issue hosted by India.

The NSA was addressing a news conference in Islamabad after Pakistan and Uzbekistan signed a Protocol on the Establishment of Joint Security Commission that was followed by the inaugural session of the commission.

According to the Indian media, regional countries including China, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been invited to the meeting which is expected to be held in New Delhi on November 10.

Yusuf said in response to a question by a reporter about whether Pakistan will be attending "I will not go, a spoiler can't be a peacemaker.”

The NSA regretted the international community's silence over human rights violations and Indian state-sponsored terrorism in occupied Kashmir, and New Delhi's expansionist vision which was leading the region nowhere.

NEW DELHI, 03 November 2021, (TON): Hundreds of Kashmiri and human rights activists from Europe and the United Kingdom gathered at the George Square in Glasgow, Scotland to highlight the Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in the city to attend the COP26 summit.

A protest was organised by Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) Scotland, while another was led by Bailie Hanif Raja, MBE [Member of the Order of the British Empire].

The protesters chanted anti-Modi slogans and in favour of a plebiscite in the held valley.

They carried placards inscribed with the slogans, 'Kashmiris want freedom, Modi: stop genocide in Kashmir’, ‘India stop demographic terrorism in Kashmir’, ‘Release political prisoners’, ‘Reject Hindutava, reject hate’, ‘Indian Army out of Kashmir’, and ‘Stop political killings in Kashmiris’.

Speaking on the occasion, Hanif Raja said that the rally had been organised to show to the world that Kashmiris condemn Modi’s presence at the climate change conference here.

He added, Modi will not be spared for his crimes against humanity, which he committed as the then chief minister of Gujarat. Raja observed that Modi has continued to commit the crimes against Kashmiris and Indian minorities as the prime minister of India.

He remarked "Indian premier should be isolated from the world for the crimes he has committed against the humanity, with economic sanctions imposed on India until it implements the United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

NAYPYITAW, 03 November 2021, (TON): Myanmar’s military junta appears to be losing its grip over Yangon Region’s Kayan Township, as local administrators continue to resign en masse over threats from anti-regime forces.

The township, which is located just east of the country’s largest city, has seen a wave of resignations since early October, when the local People’s Defence Force (PDF) gave junta-appointed administrators 15 days to quit before they faced reprisals.

In an interview with Myanmar Now, the leader of PDF-Kayan said that virtually every ward and village administrator in the township had quit by the deadline.

According to the Kayan Channel, a Facebook page created to track developments in the township, some 60 administrators have quit so far, roughly half of them citing death threats as their reason for leaving.

Kayan Township has 13 urban wards and 53 village tracts, each of which has an administrator responsible for enforcing household registration rules and other regulations used by the junta to maintain control over local populations.

While the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) has said that it does not condone attacks on civilians serving in administrative positions, it warned that “legal action” would be taken against regime collaborators once civilian rule has been re-established.

NAYPYITAW, 03 November 2021, (TON): Some railway officers taking part in the Civil Disobedience Movement’s (CDM) general strike have chosen to join the armed resistance against Myanmar’s junta and have formed their own defence force in liberated territory controlled by an ethnic armed organisation.

A resistance force calling itself the “Myanmar Railways People’s Defence Force” was formed on September 25, the group’s leader told media on the condition of anonymity.

He explained “we have chosen to engage in armed resistance because it is the fastest and most effective way to eradicate the dictatorship.”

The leader claimed to have undergone military training with the Kachin Independence Army.

The railway officers are reportedly working alongside another local defence force in Kachin State and are recruiting more striking railway workers to join their struggle.

It is not known how many members currently belong to the railway officers’ armed group.

DHAKA, 03 November 2021, (TON): Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are considering launching a cruise service between the countries to boost the regional tourism.

Sources at the BTB said “regarding the issue, a virtual meeting was held recently by the Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) with participation of the concerned stakeholders.”

BTB Chief Executive Officer Dr Jabed Ahmed told The Business Standard, "we have memoranda of understanding (MoU) on tourism with a number of countries. Now, we are going to sign an MoU regarding tourism with Sri Lanka too."

He said "one of the provisions in the agreement would be to start a cruise line as part of the blue economy. We may include India in the cruise line considering the business viability.”

He added "if we can start ocean cruises in the region, other businesspersons will come forward to launch cruises in Bangladesh.”

On 1 November, Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror reported that during a meeting at the Ministry of Tourism in Colombo, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Tareq Md Ariful Islam and Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga decided to take steps to launch cruise service between the two countries.  

During Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Bangladesh earlier this year, it was decided to sign the MoU between the two countries.

DHAKA, 03 November 2021, (TON): Sheikh Hasina also called on Prince Charles earlier in the day.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a bilateral meeting with her British counterpart Boris Johnson on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The prime ministers discussed various issues of bilateral and multilateral import.

The meeting was held at the designated UK Meeting Room of the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, where the UN-led COP26 climate conference is being held.

KABUL, 02 November 2021, (TON): Referring to Afghanistan’s bank reserves abroad which have been frozen, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) said that the international community, especially the United States (US), would be responsible for any possible humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Ahmad Wali Haqmal, spokesperson for the MoF, said “the Afghan assets should be released without any conditions, adding that freezing Afghanistan’s assets opposes international law and is a clear sign of cruelty against the Afghan People.

Ahmad Wali Haqmal said “the frozen money is not the asset of the Islamic Emirate, it is the money of needy people and businessmen. It is against international law and should be released soon.”

In the meantime, dozens of industrialists and traders gathered to raise their voices against the continued hold on Afghanistan’s reserves. They said Afghanistan’s severe economic crisis will harm not only Afghanistan but also other countries.

“If the money is not released, the crimes will increase, the cultivation of poppy and the smuggling of drugs will increase as well, which hurts Afghanistan and other countries,” said Mohammad Shah Shahab, an industrialist.

Blinken meets Chinese foreign minister, raises human rights concerns

WASHINGTON, 02 November 2021, (TON): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Rome and raised concerns over human rights, in only their second face-to-face session as tensions between the two powers run high

Blinken expressed opposition to actions by China that run counter to our values and interests including actions related to human rights, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, the East and South China Seas, and Taiwan.

Blinken also noted areas where he said the US and China’s interests intersect and they can work together, including “the DPRK, Burma, Iran, Afghanistan, and the climate crisis.”

The meeting in Rome, where both diplomats were attending the G20 Summit, is the first between Blinken and Wang since a stormy session in Alaska in March during which the Chinese delegation berated the American side as TV cameras rolled.

The statement said “secretary Blinken underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between the US and the People’s Republic of China.”

Earlier this week, Washington ordered China Telecom Americas to discontinue its services within 60 days ending nearly two decades of operations in the country and piling further strain on relations between the two countries.

US President Joe Biden has pressed ahead with a hard-line trade policy against Beijing broadly in line with that of his predecessor Donald Trump, whose bombastic approach sent tensions soaring.

PARIS, 02 November 2021, (TON): French President Emmanuel Macron said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him over the cancelation of a submarine building contract in September, and indicated more efforts were required to rebuild trust between the two allies.

In Rome for the G20 summit, the two leaders were meeting for first time since Australia scrapped the multi-billion dollar deal with France as part of a new security alliance with Britain and the United States unveiled in September.

The alliance, dubbed AUKUS, which could give Australia access to nuclear-powered submarines, caught Paris off guard, prompting it to recall ambassadors from Washington and Canberra amid accusations that France had been betrayed.

Macron said in response to a question “I don’t think, I know.”

“I have a lot of respect for your country,” he said in comments to a group of Australian reporters who had traveled to Italy for the summit of leaders of the top 20 economies.

“I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people. I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line, and consistently, with this value.”

Morrison told a media conference later the same day that he had not lied, and had previously explained to Macron that conventional submarines would no longer meet Australia’s needs. The process of repairing ties had begun, he added.

ABUJA, 02 November 2021, (TON): Witnesses said “up to 100 people were missing after a luxury residential highrise under construction in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos collapsed, trapping construction workers under a pile of concrete rubble.”

A body was retrieved and at least three survivors were pulled out on Monday night as rescue workers raced against the clock to dig up victims at the site in the affluent neighbourhood of Ikoyi, where many blocks of flats are under construction.

Workers told media that possibly 100 people were at work when the building came crashing down.

Rescue workers used excavators to dig through rubble using generator-powered flood lights. The retrieved body was put in a waiting van while at least three people who were rescued were taken to nearby ambulances.

Building collapses are frequent in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where regulations are poorly enforced and construction materials often substandard.

There were heaps of rubble and twisted metal where the building once stood, as several workers looked on. One man wailed, saying his relative was among those trapped.

The Lagos state government said the building had 22 floors and authorities were assessing whether there had been any damage to nearby buildings.