GENEVA, 27 October 2021, (TON): The UN human rights chief said “Israel’s designation of six leading Palestinian civil society groups as outlawed “terrorist organizations” is an unjustified attack.”

The Jewish state said its move last week was due to their alleged financing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

It accused the six of working covertly with the leftist militant group, which pioneered plane hijackings in the 1970s to highlight the Palestinian cause and is blacklisted by several Western governments.

Michelle Bachelet said the decision was an attack on human rights defenders, on freedoms of association, opinion and expression and on the right to public participation.

She called for the move to be immediately revoked.

WASHINGTON, 27 October 2021, (TON): Efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are at a “critical phase” and Tehran’s reasons for avoiding talks are wearing thin, a US official has said while raising the possibility of further diplomacy even if the deal cannot be resuscitated.

US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley told reporters Washington was increasingly worried Tehran would keep delaying a return to talks, but said it had other tools to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and would use them if need be.

“We’re in a critical phase of the efforts to see whether we can revive the JCPOA,” Malley said, referring to the deal formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“We’ve had a hiatus of many months and the official reasons given by Iran for why we’re in this hiatus are wearing very thin.”

While saying that the window for both the US and Iran to resume compliance with the agreement would eventually close, Malley said the US would still be willing to engage in diplomacy with Iran even as it weighed other options to prevent Tehran from getting the bomb.

WASHINGTON, 27 October 2021, (TON): Efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are at a “critical phase” and Tehran’s reasons for avoiding talks are wearing thin, a US official has said while raising the possibility of further diplomacy even if the deal cannot be resuscitated.

US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley told reporters Washington was increasingly worried Tehran would keep delaying a return to talks, but said it had other tools to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and would use them if need be.

“We’re in a critical phase of the efforts to see whether we can revive the JCPOA,” Malley said, referring to the deal formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“We’ve had a hiatus of many months and the official reasons given by Iran for why we’re in this hiatus are wearing very thin.”

While saying that the window for both the US and Iran to resume compliance with the agreement would eventually close, Malley said the US would still be willing to engage in diplomacy with Iran even as it weighed other options to prevent Tehran from getting the bomb.

WASHINGTON, 27 October 2021, (TON): US officials say they believe Iran was behind the drone attack last week at the military outpost in southern Syria where American troops are based.

Officials said “the US believes that Iran resourced and encouraged the attack, but that the drones were not launched from Iran. They were Iranian drones, and Iran appears to have facilitated their use, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not been made public.

Officials said “they believe the attacks involved as many as five drones laden with explosive charges, and that they hit both the US side of Al-Tanf garrison and the side where Syrian opposition forces stay.”

There were no reported injuries or deaths as a result of the attack.

US and coalition troops are based at Al-Tanf to train Syrian forces on patrols to counter Daesh militants. The base is also located on a road serving as a vital link for Iranian-backed forces from Tehran all the way to southern Lebanon and Israel.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined to provide details when asked about the report during a news conference Monday. He called it a “complex, coordinated and deliberate attack” and said the US has seen similar ones before from Shia militia groups that are backed by Iran.

But he would not go into specifics and said he had no update on the munitions used in the attack.

Kirby also declined to say if troops were warned ahead of time or whether the US intends to make a military response.

LONDON, 27 October 2021, (TON): Buckingham Palace said “Queen Elizabeth II has canceled her planned engagement at the UN climate conference, accepting doctors’ advice to rest.”

The 95-year-old monarch has “regretfully’’ decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the reception on Nov. 1, a move that will dash the hopes of Britain’s Conservative government, which is hosting the event. The climate conference runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.

The palace said “her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message,’’

The news came after the sovereign held virtual audiences Tuesday at Windsor Castle  the first work obligations since revelations that her doctors ordered her to rest last week.

The 95-year-old sovereign greeted the ambassador of the Republic of Korea during her first technology-aided appearance since she was driven to London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital on Oct. 20 for “preliminary investigations.” She returned to her Windsor Castle home at lunchtime the next day.

The period of rest followed a hectic few days for the monarch in which she held audiences with diplomats, had a reception at Windsor Castle for global business leaders and attended the horse races at Ascot.

RIYADH, 27 October 2021, (TON): Saudi air defenses destroyed explosive drones by Yemen’s Houthi militia targeting Abha airport and Najran, both located in southern Saudi Arabia.

The militia has continued to target the Kingdom on a near daily basis, often selecting civilian targets in the south of the country.

Houthi attempts to target civilians has been labeled as war crimes by the Kingdom.

The militia has attacked civilian infrastructure in the past including the international airports in Abha and Jazan.

The Arab coalition has been supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government regain full control of the country after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

In March, Saudi Arabia announced a roadmap called the Riyadh Initiative to halt fighting in Yemen and reopen Sanaa airport, as well as continuing talks to find a solution to the conflict. The proposal was seen as a welcome step internationally, but has been rejected by Houthi leadership.

KHARTOM, 27 October 2021, (TON): Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a general chairing the Sovereign Council of Sudan, announced in a televised address that general elections in the African country would be held in July 2023.

Al-Burhan added that before that time the country would be ruled by an independent Cabinet of Ministers.

He said “the function government will be handling all state affairs before the elections, which will take place in July of 2023.”

The general also declared a state of emergency in Sudan, dissolved both the country’s government and the Sovereign Council and suspended a number of articles of the Constitutional Declaration, which was signed by Sudan’s military and civilian forces in 2019 for a three-year transition period.

Mass arrests began sweeping the country last night following Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s meeting with head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The ministers of communication, information, finance and industries are among those in custody.

WASHINGTON, 27 October 2021, (TON): Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State has said that Taiwan has become a democratic success story.  Its model supports transparency, respect for human rights, and the rule of law – values that align with those of the United Nations (UN). 

Taiwan is critical to the global high-tech economy and a hub of travel, culture, and education.  We are among the many UN member states who view Taiwan as a valued partner and trusted friend.

As the international community faces an unprecedented number of complex and global issues, it is critical for all stakeholders to help address these problems. 

This includes the 24 million people who live in Taiwan.  Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one.

The fact that Taiwan participated robustly in certain UN specialized agencies for the vast majority of the past 50 years is evidence of the value the international community places in Taiwan’s contributions.  Recently, however, Taiwan has not been permitted to contribute to UN efforts.

WASHINGTON, 27 October 2021, (TON): The United States is designating Libyan national Osama Al Kuni Ibrahim pursuant to Executive Order 13726, based on his involvement in serious human rights abuses against migrants in Libya. 

Ibrahim is the de facto manager of a migrant detention center in Zawiyah, Libya, where he or individuals under his direction have carried out horrific abuses against migrants, including killings, violence, and beatings.

Today’s action promotes accountability and exposes the mistreatment, exploitation, and violence being perpetrated against vulnerable migrants transiting Libya in pursuit of a better life and follows Ibrahim’s designation yesterday at the United Nations.

 We will continue to work with the international community and use all the tools at our disposal to support victims and identify those involved in abuses of human rights.  We call on Libya’s Government of National Unity to hold accountable Ibrahim and others perpetrating human rights abuses.

BRUSSELS, 27 October 2021, (TON): On the 25th and 26th  of October the EU Chiefs of Defence (CHODs) met in Brussels for the last Military Committee meeting at CHODs level of 2021.

The meeting, chaired by General Claudio Graziano, focused on the main EU defence initiatives.

The European Union has a unique chance to increase its credibility as a security provider; the Military should actively contribute to the process defining the requirements for a rapid response toolbox and making every effort possible to implement a robust Command & Control structure with the aim to maintain operational superiority.

The Strategic Compass was one of the first points discussed. The EEAS Deputy Secretary General CSDP-CR, Ambassador Charles Fries briefed the military leaders about the latest developments related to the Strategic Compass.

The CHODs welcomed the presentations, and they expect the Strategic Compass to provide clear guidance on the Military Level of Ambition. They look forward to providing military advice on the first draft and agreed to possibly hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the second draft of the Strategic Compass.

Then the Director General EU Military Staff, Vice Admiral Hervé Blejean updated the CHODs on an EU rapid response toolbox. The CHODs stressed the need for the EU to significantly reinforce its capacity to act autonomously, when necessary.