TEL AVIV, 23 October 2021, (TON): Israel on Friday designated six Palestinian civil society groups as terrorist organisations and accused them of funnelling donor aid to militants, a move that drew criticism from the United Nations and human rights watchdogs.

Israel's defence ministry said the groups had ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), a left-wing faction with an armed wing that has carried out deadly attacks against Israelis.

The groups include Palestinian human rights organisations Addameer and Al-Haq, which document alleged rights violations by both Israel and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.

"(The) declared organisations received large sums of money from European countries and international organisations, using a variety of forgery and deceit," the defence ministry said, alleging the money had supported PFLP's activities.

The designations authorise Israeli authorities to close the groups' offices, seize their assets and arrest their staff in the West Bank, watchdogs Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement.

WASHINGTON, 23 October 2021, (TON): The Pentagon's hypersonic weapon programmes suffered a setback on Thursday when a booster rocket carrying a hypersonic weapon failed, people briefed on the test result said.

Two of the people said “the test was intended to validate aspects of one of the Pentagon's hypersonic glide vehicles in development.”

Hypersonic glide vehicles are launched from a rocket in the upper atmosphere before gliding to a target at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, or about 6,200 kilometres per hour.

The Pentagon said in a statement “in a separate series of tests conducted on Wednesday, the US Navy and Army tested hypersonic weapon component prototypes. That test successfully "demonstrated advanced hypersonic technologies, capabilities, and prototype systems in a realistic operating environment.”

The United States and its global rivals have quickened their pace to build hypersonic weapons - the next generation of arms that rob adversaries of reaction time and traditional defeat mechanisms.

US President Joe Biden expressed concern on Wednesday about Chinese hypersonic missiles, days after a media report that Beijing had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide weapon.

NAYPYITAW, 23 October 2021, (TON): A Tuesday attack by the anti-junta Chinland Defence Force (CDF) on the military council’s district administration office and the local fire department in Mindat, Chin State killed two Myanmar army soldiers, according to the Mindat People’s Administration Team.

The Mindat-based chapter of the CDF reportedly attacked the administrative office using explosives and guns at around 5:30am, and 12 hours later struck the township fire department, which housed nearly 30 soldiers.

“The general administration office got its windows blown out. We didn’t mean to harm anyone. It was more of a warning,” a spokesperson for the Mindat People’s Administration said, adding that no clash followed the attack.

The spokesperson explained “the attack on the township fire department office had some casualties as it was carried out at close range, and there were a lot of soldiers inside.”

“There was a clash but we managed to withdraw successfully after exchanging some gunfire.”

He added that two junta soldiers died, and estimated that up to six were injured. The CDF reportedly suffered no casualties.

NAYPYITAW, 23 October 2021, (TON): A top US government official urged Singapore to help restrict the Myanmar military’s access to foreign funds during a three-day trip to Southeast Asia this week.

State Department Counselor Derek Chollet made the request during a meeting with the city-state’s central bank during his visit, which he made with the aim of promoting a “return to democracy” in Myanmar.

Singapore is one of Myanmar’s largest foreign investors and its banks have been accused by activists of holding assets on the junta’s behalf.

Chollet’s delegation stopped in Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia—all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which recently opted to exclude Myanmar coup leader Min Aung Hlaing from its annual summit at the end of October.

The move by the regional bloc was “completely justified and warranted given the circumstances,” Chollet said in a teleconference with journalists.

NEW DELHI, 23 October 2021, (TON): The sudden exit of the United States and its allies forces from Afghanistan has caught the Indian drug trafficking network in a highly compromising situation as New Delhi is currently trying to destroy evidence of its links to drug money.

Ignoring its disastrous impacts on Indian society and pouring of illicit money in the national kitty, India indulged in the drug trade to satisfy its greed for money.

According to an estimate, India’s illegal drug business has swelled to Rs300 billion and the seizure made roughly around 10 per cent of the trade.

The exponential increase in the size of Indian domestic drug consumption owing to cheap and uninterrupted supply can be judged by a 2019 report by the Indian union ministry of social justice and empowerment pegs opioid use in Indian at 2.6% of total drug use, thrice the global average of 0.7% the veins and windpipes of an estimated 57.8 million users worldwide.

After the Taliban ouster in 2001, poppy cultivation in Afghanistan jumped to 3,400 tonnes in just a period of two years from 180 tonnes because the Taliban had banned opium cultivation.

According to the UNODC, by 2003 the Afghan drugs were raking in $2.3 billion from growing poppies to trafficking its derivatives. Even amidst the exit of international forces from Afghanistan, the poppy production had reached astronomical levels of around 9,000 tonnes.

The drug mafia is rescuing this bountiful crop of 2020-21 from the Taliban, who ironically are being accused by India and the West for living off drug proceeds.

NEW DELHI, 23 October 2021, (TON): Another video documenting the atrocities of the Indian state against minority Muslims has come to the forefront showing Indian security forces shooting Muslims in the Indian state of Assam during an eviction drive.

The hashtag, 'MuslimLivesMatter', was one of the top trends on Twitter with many calling for accountability and highlighting the high-handed tactics of the right-wing Modi regime against minorities.

Tensions on the border between Assam and Mizoram have been elevated since the deadly July 26 clash between the two Indian states which left six police officers dead and more than 70 injured.

Following this, the Modi-led government released a statement that said 'neutral force' will be deployed in the disputed areas, earlier in August.

However, Indian authorities are under fire once again for the brutal tactics used by their police and their abuse of power that has left the Muslims of the region in fear for their lives.

While some grieve, others shed light on the terrorist ideology of the authorities that has created a regime of 'apartheid' against Muslims in India.

DHAKA, 23 October 2021, (TON): The UNHCR, has urged Bangladesh to take immediate measures to improve security in the Rohingya camps, saying that it is "extremely concerned" by another violent attack there.

The UN refugee agency said in a statement "UNHCR is extremely concerned by another violent attack in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.”

It said “this incident, which took place early yesterday, resulted in the deaths of at least "seven" refugees and injuries to an unspecified number of people, including children.

DHAKA, 23 October 2021, (TON): At least seven persons were killed and seven others injured in clashes between two groups at the Balukhali Rohingya Camp-18 in Ukhiya of Cox's Bazar.

Shihab Kaiser Khan, commander of Armed Police Battalion (APBn)-8, in charge of security at the Rohingya camp confirmed the development.

According to local sources, four of deceased were identified as -- Mohammad Idris (32) of Balukhali Camp-2, Ibrahim Hossain (22) of Balukhali Camp-1, Azizul Haque (26) of Camp-18 and Md Amin (32), reports our Cox's Bazar correspondent.

The APBn commander said "the casualties occurred in the clashes between two groups. One Rohingya man has been detained with weapons and police are conducting raids in the camp to arrest those involved in the incident.”

KABUL, 21 October 2021, (TON): The UN said “Afghanistan’s economy is imploding, with all but three per cent of households expected to fall below the poverty line in coming months.”

To help ordinary Afghans, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has announced the launch of a “people’s economy” fund, to provide desperately needed access to cash.

The fund will tap into donations frozen since the Taliban takeover in August. Germany has already pledged $58 million of the more than $660 million required over the next 12 months, UNDP chief, Achim Steiner.

He said “there are 38 million people who cannot be kept alive just from the outside. We have to step in, we have to stabilise a ‘people’s economy’ and in addition to saving lives, we also have to save livelihoods.”

“Because otherwise, we will indeed confront a scenario through this winter and into next year where millions and millions of Afghans are simply unable to stay on their land, in their homes, in their villages and survive.”

TEHRAN, 21 October 2021, (TON): State TV reported that Iran kicked off an annual air force drill across the country, a week after holding another massive exercise in air defense.

The report said “bombers, jet fighters, and attack and surveillance drones will participate in the drill, using heavy weapons including laser-guided missiles.”

It said that all Iranian military air bases will participate in the maneuver. Reportedly, Iran has 12 air bases. The report did not say how long the drill will last.

It came a week after Iran held a two-day annual air defense drill in the country’s sprawling central desert, with both the army and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard taking part.

Iran regularly holds such drills and says they assess the troops’ combat readiness and demonstrate the nation’s military capabilities.

The region remains on edge over Iran’s escalating nuclear program. Talks in Vienna to revive Tehran’s now-tattered 2015 accord with world powers have stalled since June, with no date set for their resumption.