BEIJING, 10 October 2021, (TON): Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to achieve "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan after a week of tensions with the Chinese-claimed island that sparked international concern.

Taiwan responded shortly after by calling on Beijing to abandon its coercion, reiterating that only Taiwan's people could decide their future.

Democratically ruled Taiwan has come under increased military and political pressure from Beijing to accept its sovereignty, but Taipei has pledged to defend its freedom.

Speaking at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Xi said the Chinese people have a "glorious tradition" of opposing separatism.

He said "Taiwan independence separatism is the biggest obstacle to achieving the reunification of the motherland, and the most serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation.”

He added “peaceful "reunification" best meets the overall interests of the Taiwanese people, but China will protect its sovereignty and unity.”

WASHINGTON, 10 October 2021, (TON): The State Department said “the US government has decided to sell 12 attack helicopters and an electronic warfare plane to Australia for more than a billion dollars.”

Australia, which recently signed a strategic defense alliance with the United States and Britain as a way to counter a rising China, had asked to acquire 12 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and accompanying equipment to the tune of 985 million dollars.

President Joe Biden’s administration has told Congress it decided to go ahead with this sale, the State Department said.

The helicopters are multi-mission aircraft that can be deployed on a ship for operations against surface vessels or submarines, but also for rescue, refueling or transport purposes.

The State Department said “Australia also asked to buy a Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic warfare plane and the US agreed.”

The State Department said “Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific.”

It added “the strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region. It is vital to the US national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability.”

PARIS, 10 October 2021, (TON): French President Emmanuel Macron said “France will launch a campaign for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty as part of its upcoming presidency of the European Union.”

A conference will be held in Paris gathering civil society groups from countries where the death penalty is in use or suspended, Macron said in a speech to mark the 40th anniversary of France's abolition of the punishment.

He said “France, which will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2022, will also work with other member states towards a United Nations resolution requiring countries to report each year the number of death penalty sentences given and executions carried out.”

Macron was speaking alongside Robert Badinter, the justice minister of late President Francois Mitterrand who steered the abolition of the death penalty through the French parliament in 1981.

France was the 35th country in the world to outlaw the death sentence. Further abolitions and moratoriums since then mean that most countries no longer use the punishment, although several large nations including China, Iran and the United States maintain it.

WASHINGTON, 10 October 2021, (TON): Officials from both sides said “senior Taliban officials and US representatives are to hold talks Saturday and Sunday about containing extremist groups in Afghanistan and easing the evacuation of foreign citizens and Afghans from the country.”

It's the first such meeting since US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in late August, ending a 20-year military presence there, and the Taliban's rise to power in the nation.

The talks are to take place in Doha, the capital of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.

'Talks to revisit the peace accord of 2020'

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, who is based in Doha, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the talks will also revisit the peace agreement the Taliban signed with Washington in 2020.

The agreement had paved the way for the final US withdrawal.

Shaheen said "yes there is a meeting... about bilateral relations and implementation of the Doha agreement, it covers various topics."

ISLAMABAD, 10 October 2021, (TON): A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “he Chief of General Staff (CGS) of Royal Saudi Armed Forces, General Fayiadh bin Hamed bin Raged Al-Rowaily praised Pakistan Army for its professional excellence that testifies the high standards of training being imparted at Pakistan Military Academy (PMA).”

He made these remarks while addressing the passing out parade of cadets of 144th Long Course, 63rd Integrated Course, 33rd Technical Graduate Course, 3rd Basic Military Training Course and 18th Lady Cadets Course held at PMA Kakul.

According to military’s media wing, “the ISPR, cadets from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka were also among the passed out cadets.”

General Fayiadh was the chief guest on the occasion. He reviewed the parade and distributed awards among the distinguished cadets.

NEW DELHI, 10 October 2021, (TON): Space agencies of India and France signed an agreement for cooperation for the former's first human space mission, Gaganyaan, a move that will enable Indian flight physicians to train at French facilities.

French space agency CNES said “under the agreement, equipment developed by it, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be made available to Indian crews.”

It said “the CNES will also be supplying fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation.”

The agreement was announced during French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru.

The French space agency said “ISRO has asked CNES to help prepare for the Gaganyaan mission and to serve as its single European contact in this domai.”

NEW DELHI, 10 October 2021, (TON): The chief minister of New Delhi warned of a looming power crisis in the Indian capital of 20 million people due to coal shortages, which have already triggered electricity cuts in some eastern and northern states.

Arvind Kejriwal “said he had urged the federal government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate more coal and gas to power plants supplying the capital, as earlier in the week many of them had just enough coal stocks to last one day.”

"Delhi could face a power crisis," Kejriwal said in a tweet. "I am personally keeping a close watch over the situation."

Read France says to work with India to promote multilateral order.

Prices of power-generation fuels are surging globally with industrial growth pushing up electricity demand, leading to a tightening of coal and liquefied natural gas supplies.

In India, over half of 135 coal-fired power plants, which supply around 70% of the country's electricity, have fuel stocks to last less than three days, Reuters reported on Friday.

In a letter to Modi shared on social media, Kejriwal said coal shortages had continued for three consecutive months, putting pressure on gas-fired power stations that also did not have adequate fuel.

NAYPYITAW, 10 October 2021, (TON): A junta court in Sittwe sentenced Nyi Pu, the detained former chief minister of Rakhine State, to two years in prison with hard labour for incitement on Friday, according to his lawyer.

Judge Win Naing of the Sittwe Township court delivered 66-year-old Nyi Pu’s verdict at a hearing held via video conference regarding charges filed under Section 505b of the Penal Code.

Section 505b outlaws “any statement, rumour or report” likely to induce people to “commit an offence against the state.”

Nyi Pu is the second chief minister and central executive committee (CEC) member of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) to be convicted by the junta of violating the statute since Myanmar’s February 1 military coup.

On June 8, Aung Moe Nyo, another NLD CEC member and former chief minister of Magway Region, was also sentenced to two years in prison for incitement.

DHAKA, 10 October 2021, (TON): Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said today “the killing of Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah will not make any impact on repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar.”

"Five persons have been arrested over the killing. The government is taking the incident into account with due importance," he told journalists at the Cox's Bazar airport after visiting the Kutupalong Rohingya camp at Ukhia in the district.

Momen said “they have talked with Mohib Ullah's family and the government is also giving importance to providing security to the family. Any kind of irregularity in the camp will not be overlooked.”

The foreign secretary said initiatives are underway to repatriate the Rohingyas while the United Nations also joined the process of shifting them to Bhasan Char.

A four-member delegation of Foreign Ministry led by the foreign secretary visited Kutupalong Lambashia camp today. The delegation reached Cox's Bazar yesterday on a two-day visit.

They talked with slain Mohib Ullah's brother Habib Ullah. Besides, they also talked with other Rohingya people.

DHAKA, 10 October 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will virtually inaugurate the reactor pressure vessel installation work in the first reactor building of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP).

The ceremony will be held through video conferencing from the prime minister’s official residence Ganabhaban at 10am.

An official familiar with the process told media "with this, the country's dream to produce nuclear energy is going to be materialized."

The main unit of the nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna will be installed in the first unit of the reactor pressure vessel or nuclear reactor.

Alexey Likhachev, director-general of Rosatom said "Rooppur NPP has accumulated the best Russian practice and dozens of years of experience and scientific thoughts. The unique combination of active and passive systems of the power units will ensure safe operation of the power plant and guarantee the planned level of electricity generation.”

He also said "development of the nuclear power industry will not only resolve the problem of energy supply in Bangladesh but will also contribute to the development of the region and enhance the living standards of the people."

Likhachev added "cooperation between Russia and Bangladesh is of strategic character. I am confident that many other projects both in the field of power engineering and other areas are yet to be implemented by Russian and Bangladeshi specialists together."