KABUL, 18 October 2021, (TON): Taliban authorities pledged to step up security at Shia mosques as hundreds of people gathered on Saturday to bury the victims of the second Islamic State suicide attack on worshippers in a week.

Hardline group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on the Fatima mosque in Kandahar that saw a group of suicide bombers shoot their way into the mosque before blowing themselves up among the worshippers during Friday prayers.

A health official said the casualty toll from the attack stood at 41 dead and 70 wounded but could rise further.

He said "some of the wounded are in a critical condition and we are trying to transfer them to Kabul.”

On Saturday, large crowds gathered to bury the white-shrouded victims in a mass grave in the southern city of Kandahar.

The head of Kandahar police said units would be assigned to protect the Shia mosques which have so far been guarded by local volunteer forces with special permission to carry weapons.

ISLAMABAD, 18 October 2021, (TON): Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have again failed to reach a staff-level agreement at the scheduled time because of differences over the macroeconomic framework and deepening uncertainty over the future roadmap of the economy.

The fresh round of talks from October 4 to 15 for the release of the $1 billion loan tranche and receiving a good economic health certificate remained inconclusive.

The talks failed despite Pakistan having implemented a prior condition of increasing electricity and petroleum products prices. However, both sides have shown resolve to remain engaged.

In his attempts to conclude talks on a positive note, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin (whose tenure expired on Friday) met with IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva and US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu. However, it seemed both these meetings also remained unproductive.

Teresa Dabán Sanchez, the outgoing resident representative of the IMF told media “the IMF team remains engaged with our Pakistani counterparts on moving forward our work agenda and we are looking forward to our continued discussions with the Pakistani authorities on the set of policies and reforms that could form the basis for the completion of the 6th review under the EFF [Extended Fund Facility].”

It was for the second time that Pakistan and the IMF could not find “basis for the completion of the 6th review”, as its first attempt made in June also remained futile.

RIYADH, 18 October 2021, (TON): The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) and the US Navy on Sunday launched a mixed joint naval exercise in the Kingdom’s Western Fleet, the ministry of defense announced.

The “Indigo Defender, 21” exercise was launched in the presence of Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, the Assistant commander of the Western Fleet and commander of the exercise, Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, and Col. Daniel Bailey of the US Navy.

The exercise’s commander said “the 10-day maneuvers aim to strengthen relations and military cooperation, raise the level of combat readiness and preparedness between the RSNF and the US Navy.”

It also aims to exchange expertise in the field of port protection, clearing land and underwater mines, and contribute to developing security capabilities by protecting and securing the regional and international waterways to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

BEIJING, 18 October 2021, (TON): China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August, showing a capability that caught US intelligence by surprise, the Financial Times reported, citing five unnamed sources.

The report late said “the Chinese military launched a rocket carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle that flew through low-orbit space, circling the globe before cruising towards its target, which it missed by about two dozen miles.”

The report said, citing people briefed on the intelligence "the test showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realized."

China's ministry of defence did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment from media sources.

The United States and Russia are also developing hypersonic missiles, and last month North Korea said it had test-fired a newly-developed hypersonic missile.

At a 2019 parade, China showcased advancing weaponry including its hypersonic missile, known as the DF-17.

KHARTOUM, 18 October 2021, (TON): Opponents of Sudan's transition to democracy took to the streets of Khartoum to call on the army to take control of the country.

Several thousand demonstrators gathered outside the presidential palace as the country's political crisis deepens.

Military and civilian groups have been sharing power since the toppling of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

However, tensions have grown since a coup attempt attributed to followers of Mr Bashir was foiled in September.

Since then, military leaders have been demanding reforms to the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition, a civilian alliance which led the anti-Bashir protests and formed a key part of the transitional government. The armed forces have also called for the replacement of the cabinet.

However, civilian leaders say that the demands are part of a power grab from the armed forces.

On Saturday, pro-military demonstrators chanted "down with the hunger government" and called for General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the armed forces and Sudan's joint military-civilian Sovereign Council, to instigate a coup and seize control of the country.

One protester told "we need a military government, the current government has failed to bring us justice and equality."

SANAA, 18 October 2021, (TON): The Arab coalition supporting Yemen’s government said that it had killed at least 165 Houthi militia fighters in strikes south of the battleground city of Marib.

The strikes “destroyed 10 military vehicles and killed more than 165” Houthis in the past 24 hours in the Abedia district, the coalition said, bringing to about 1,000 the number of Houthis killed in the area in the past week.

The Houthis began a major push in February to seize Marib, the internationally recognised government’s last bastion in oil-rich northern Yemen, and have renewed their offensive in recent weeks after a lull.

There is particular concern for about 35,000 civilians in Abedia, where the Houthis have laid siege to the area and refused to allow in shipments of food, drinking water, medicines and other essentials.

The Houthis have rejected fresh calls from the US to lift the siege of Abedia, and instead launched reprisal attacks against locals. Houthi fighters have gone house to house in the district searching for local fighters and soldiers who are resisting their occupation.

The Civil Orientation Protection Organization in Marib said “they raided homes, kidnapped a number of wounded, looted private property, including vehicles and household goods, and burned crops.”

WASHINGTON, 18 October 2021, (TON): A US and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait late last week, the American military said on Sunday, at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Taipei that has sparked concern internationally.

China claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and has mounted repeated air force missions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the past year or more, provoking anger in Taipei.

China sent around 150 aircraft into the zone over a four-day period beginning on Oct. 1.

The US military said the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey sailed through the narrow waterway that separates Taiwan from its giant neighbor China along with the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg on Thursday and Friday.

It added “Dewey’s and Winnipeg’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

American Navy ships have been transiting the strait roughly monthly, to the anger of Beijing, which has accused Washington of stoking regional tensions. US allies occasionally also send ships through the strait, including a British warship last month.

RIYADH, 18 October 2021, (TON): The minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir, on Sunday received the Spanish ambassador to the Kingdom, Alvaro Iranzo, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

During their meeting in Riyadh, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them.

They also discussed regional and international developments of common interest.

The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministry’s undersecretary for multilateral international affairs, Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Al-Rassi.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a phone call last month from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

They reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in various fields.

On Oct. 12, King Salman and the crown prince sent greetings to King Felipe VI of Spain on the country’s national day.

MINSK, 18 October 2021, (TON): France's ambassador to Belarus has left the country after the Belarus government ordered him out, media sources reported.

An embassy spokesperson confirmed to AFP that ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste left the country on Sunday. He had been told to leave by Monday.

Mr de Lacoste, who is 57, was posted to Minsk late last year.

Local media have suggested that he had failed to present his credentials to President Alexander Lukashenko.

France, like other EU countries, has not recognised Mr Lukashenko's claim to a sixth presidential term after last August's elections amid widespread claims of voting fraud.

Mr de Lacoste instead met the Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei last December.

ISTANBUL, 18 October 2021, (TON): President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said “Turkey was in talks with the United States to buy F-16 fighter jets after it was kicked off the F-35 programme for purchasing a Russian missile defence system.”

Washington excluded Ankara from NATO's F-35 stealth fighter jet programme in 2019 after Turkey purchased Russian S-400 defence air systems in defiance of warnings from its Western allies.

The acquisition has imperilled Turkish-US relations and blocked Turkey's plans to purchase about 100 of the F-35 fighters.

Turkey is now seeking compensation for its ouster from the US-led programme, including for a $1.4 billion payment it had made before its removal.

Turkey's purchase of F-16 jets from America is "of course linked to the F-35s issue", Erdogan told reporters at an Istanbul airport before embarking on an Africa tour.

He said the US had offered Turkey in return to sell F-16s to upgrade its air force fleet.