NEW DELHI, 01 November 2021, (TON): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are "feeling disturbed" by the Taliban, but if the insurgent group moves towards India, "an air strike is ready".

He was addressing the Samajik Pratinidhi Sammelan during which he also launched an attack on his political opponents in the state.

He said "today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is powerful, and no country can dare to raise its eyes towards India. Today, Pakistan and Afghanistan are feeling disturbed because of the Taliban. But, the Taliban knows if it moves towards India, an air strike is ready.”

According to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP, Mr Adityanath, referring apparently to SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, said "his (Rajbhar's) thought process is confined only to the development of his family."

Mr Adityanath said "while the father wanted to become a minister, one son wanted to be an MP, and another an MLC. The shops of such people indulging in blackmailing must be shut."

Without naming Mr Rajbhar, Mr Adityanath further said "there were two ministers from the Rajbhar community in my cabinet. In the Cabinet meeting, one minister opposed the construction of a memorial in honour of Maharaja Suheldev in Bahraich, while Anil Rajbhar wanted a grand memorial should be built."

DHAKA, 01 November 2021, (TON): After failing to secure Chinese loans for two major railway projects, the government decided to look for alternative sources.

The projects were taken to improve railway connectivity between the capital and north-east and north-west regions.

Officials said “the Railways Ministry wrote to the Economic Relations Division (ERD) asking it to search for alternative fund sources following the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”

The two projects are the Tk 14,250.61-crore Joydebpur-Ishwardi double-line project and Tk 16,104.45-crore Akhaura-Sylhet dual gauge project.

Bangladesh Railway's Director General Dhirendra Nath Mazumder confirmed that the Prime Minister's Office asked the authorities concerned to find alternative sources. He declined to give any further details.

China last month rejected the Bangladesh government's request to re-evaluate its decision to not fund the Joydebpur-Ishwardi project citing "lack of in-depth preliminary work and insufficient feasibility study.”

Besides, the Chinese contractors for these projects have already informed Bangladesh Railway (BR) that they would not work for the projects after the PMO slashed contract prices.

BR officials said “the Joydebpur-Mymensingh-Jamalpur dual gauge conversion project is likely to face uncertainty as the PMO also gave directives to slash its cost.”

They added “the contractor may not agree to work under a downsized cost.”

NEW DELHI, 01 November 2021, (TON): According to a statement “Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, India's largest socio-religious Muslim organisation, will repair affected mosques and rehabilitate houses of Muslims that were targeted by rioters in the northeastern state of Tripura last week.”

A fact-finding team from the group led by General Secretary Moulana Hakimuddin Qasmi visited different areas of the state to assess the communal riots.

Earlier this week, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights said there have been at least 27 confirmed incidents of right-wing mobs attacking mosques, houses, and individuals in Muslim areas of the state.

The rights group said almost all attacks were carried out by various right-wing groups, including the right-wing Vishva Hindu Parishad, that ostensibly gathered to protest anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh.

"It is to be noted that in SepahiJala (district), a place located at a distance of only 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Agartala, the capital of Tripura, rioters ransacked the mosques and prevented Muslims for the last several days to offer prayers there," Jamiat said in a statement, adding that the delegation also visited riot-affected areas and targeted mosques.

DHAKA, 01 November 2021, (TON): Prime minister and chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for increasing financing for survival of the most vulnerable countries from the adverse impact of climate change.

The prime minister said “according to the International Monetary Fund, between $6 trillion and $10 trillion needs to be invested over the next decade to green our economies. Yet most CVF members are least developed, low or at best middle-income developing nations. They need support through both funding and expertise to help devise adaptation strategies to counter the effects of climate change, which scientists warn are already locked in for centuries.”

In a jointly written article, by Sheikh Hasina and chief executive officer of the Global Centre on Adaptation Patrick Verkooijen, titled ‘More Funding is Critical for the Most Vulnerable to Survive Climate Change’ in the widely distributed and esteemed American weekly magazine ‘Newsweek’, they called for materialising the developed countries climate promises of $100 billion in annual funding to developing countries for their survival. 

They wrote “our climate emergency is global, yet it does not affect everyone equally. For the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a group of 48 countries spanning four continents, climate change is quite simply an existential threat. This is not hyperbole.”

DHAKA, 01 November 2021, (TON): France has expressed its intent to sign a number of deals with Bangladesh eyeing to extend cooperation in defence with the potential for selling weapons among other issues during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the country next week.

According to French diplomats “the two countries ‘are working to sign a deal for setting a framework on defence cooperation including providing defence articles’ by France after a summit between the top leaders in Paris in November.”

France is also interested in installing radars at airports in cities other than Dhaka and providing e-visa facilities for granting visas to the foreigners willing to visit Bangladesh.

Bangladesh officials confirmed the matter.

Without specific mention of anything, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said that Bangladesh and France will sign several memorandums of understanding and letter of intent on different issues after Hasina’s talks with French president Emmanuel Macron and prime minister Jean Castex in Paris separately on November 9.

KABUL, 31 October 2021, (TON): In its latest report to the United States Congress, the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has detailed Washington’s decision to cut off the Taliban government’s access to billions in funds and assets that has led to devastation across the cash-strapped nation.

The top watchdog report says that over the 20-year US occupation, Washington spent $146bn in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, including $89bn on training and supporting the country’s National Security Forces “which no longer exists”.

The report goes on to say that other reconstruction objectives, such as to assist women and girls or to establish the rule of law, are under direct threat from the new Taliban regime.

After the Taliban toppled the Western-led government in the middle of August, the US, along with international bodies including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), decided to cut off Afghanistan’s access to more than $9.5bn in assets and loans.

The decision has had a devastating effect on Afghanistan’s healthcare and other sectors, all of which are struggling to continue operations amid cutbacks to international aid.

According to the World Bank, approximately 14 million people one out of three Afghans were on the brink of starvation due to the aid cuts until the end of the last month. Sulaiman Bin Shah, the former deputy minister of Industry and Commerce, said the decisions by the US, World Bank and IMF led to more engagement by the United Nations and the European Union in the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.

ROME, 31 October 2021, (TON): Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in the Italian capital, Rome.

The two sides reviewed cooperation between the Kingdom and WHO and talked about the initiatives of the Kingdom to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

These including support for the global economy, debt suspension and financial and medical aid to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, which in turn helped the recovery of the global economy and enhanced opportunities for sustainable development.

The meeting was attended by the Saudi ambassador to Italy, Prince Faisal bin Sattam bin Abdulaziz; the undersecretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Al-Rass; and the director general of the Foreign Minister’s Office, Abdul Rahman Al-Daoud.

KHARTOUM, 31 October 2021, (TON): Sudanese anti-coup protesters plan to flood the streets to demonstrate against a military takeover that has derailed the country’s transition to civilian rule and triggered deadly clashes.

The military detained Sudan’s civilian leadership, dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency, leading to a chorus of international condemnation.

Street protests erupted against the coup, triggering a crackdown by the security forces that has left dead at least eight demonstrators and wounded around 170.

Despite the bloodshed, the protesters remain defiant, with organizers hoping to stage a “million-strong” march against the military’s power grab.

“We will not be ruled by the military. That is the message we will convey” at the protests, said Sudanese rights activist Tahani Abbas.

Abbas said “the military forces are bloody and unjust and we are anticipating what is about to happen on the streets.”

Monday’s takeover was led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan Sudan’s de facto leader since the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar Al-Bashir after huge youth-led protests.

Several pro-democracy activists have been arrested.

On the eve of Saturday’s rallies, a US official put the death toll at between 20 and 30, adding the protests would be a “real test” of the intentions of Sudan’s military.

WASHINGTON, 31 October 2021, (TON): US President Joe Biden has vowed a major push to promote democracy worldwide. But since he took office, democracy has faced repeated setbacks.

Among three nations whose democratic transitions had inspired the most hope, Myanmar and Sudan have seen generals roar back, sacking civilian leaders and suppressing street protests, while in Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring a decade ago, the president seized wide-ranging powers.

Military juntas have also grabbed power in the West African nations of Guinea, Mali and Chad, while in Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents seized power after a US troop withdrawal brought the quick collapse of the Western-backed government.

While local factors are at play in each country, experts see common trends including economic insecurities exacerbated by climate change, ruling elites who failed to meet aspirations and the growing role of China, which can support nations shunned by the West.

Derek Mitchell, the first US ambassador to Myanmar after its transition a decade ago, said “there is an increase in attacks on democracy around the world — and not in the demand for democracy.”

“It’s a matter of old mindsets dying hard, particularly in militaries where people don’t give up power and privilege easily,” said Mitchell, now president of the National Democratic Institute, which promotes democracy worldwide.

KUWAIT CITY, 31 October 2021, (TON): Kuwait gave Lebanon’s ambassador 48 hours to leave the emirate on Saturday, a day after Saudi Arabia made a similar move over a minister’s comments about its war in Yemen.

The diplomatic row, which has also seen Bahrain expel Lebanon’s envoy, has dealt another blow to Lebanon, already in the midst of crippling political and economic crises.

Kuwait’s foreign ministry said “Kuwait asks Lebanese envoy to leave country in 48 hours.”

The statement added that Kuwait’s top diplomat to Beirut was also being recalled.

The dispute intensified on Friday after the broadcast this week of an interview in which Lebanon’s Information Minister George Kordahicriticised the war in Yemen.

In his remarks recorded in August but aired Kordahi called the seven-year war in the Arabian Peninsula country “futile” and said it was “time for it to end”.

Kordahi said Yemen’s Huthi rebels were “defending themselves against an external aggression”, adding that “homes, villages, funerals and weddings were being bombed” by a Saudi-led coalition.