DHAKA, 06 October 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said “Bangladesh will open fire at border with Myanmar to stop arms and drugs smuggling and human trafficking.”

The minister said "we had decided never to open fire at the border. But I had a discussion with the home minister yesterday (Monday) about the current situation at the border and decided that we will open fire in the future."

He added "only then crimes like human trafficking or drugs and arms smuggling will stop."

He was talking to journalists after a programme at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital this morning.

The foreign minister said "we have a history with Myanmar. In 1982, two lakh Rohingyas came to Bangladesh and were repatriated through negotiations. In 1992, another 2.53 lakh Rohingyas arrived and 2.36 lakh of them returned while others were taken by UNHCR. This time the number is bigger, 11 lakh."

WASHINGTON, 05 October 2021, (TON): The Biden administration is in private communication over Chinese actions with regard to Taiwan, the White House said, after Taiwan’s defense ministry reported that China’s air force had sent aircraft into its air defense zone.

“We are also in touch privately, conveying clear messages through diplomatic channels, and that’s probably the appropriate place for those,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

TRIPOLI, 05 October 2021, (TON): The Norwegian Refugee Council claims thousands of migrants have been detained in Libya.

The NGO says it's the fireced crackdown launched so far by the Libyan authorities targeting migrants.

A human rights worker for the Norwegian Refugee Council claims that up to 5,000 refugees may have been detained in Lybia since Friday.

The allegations were made on Sunday following a crackdown on Friday by the Libyan police force against migrants.

"This is the largest crackdown on migrants in Libya that we've seen in recent years. This is not the first time that there have been large numbers of arrests, we've seen this happen a bit in a smaller scale over the last few weeks and months and over the course of the last year there were upwards of 5,000 migrants and refugees in Libyan detention centers at a time, so this is not a new practice, but certainly these are the biggest numbers that we've seen in a single 24-hour or 36-hour period", said Alexandra Saieh, Libya advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

According to the UN, the operation resulted in at least one dead migrant and 15 injured.

The libyan authorities claimed at least 4,000 detentions, including women and children.

The Libyan Interior Ministry described the crackdown as a security operation against illegal migrants and drug trafficking.

WASHINGTON, 05 October 2021, (TON): U.S. Marines who had been deployed to Afghanistan reached their home base on Sunday, hugging their families after the combat deaths of nine Marines from their battalion who failed to make it back.

Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines Regiment were on duty outside the Kabul airport on Aug. 26 when a suicide bomber detonated explosives, killing at least 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans.

Nine Marines from the so-called 2/1 and a Navy sailor also based at Camp Pendleton were among the 13 killed. Two additional Marines and an Army soldier also died.

The fallen belonged to a separate company from the 282 Marines who returned on Sunday to Camp Pendleton, the largest Marine base on the West Coast, about 40 miles (65 km) north of San Diego.

The Marine Corps did not give reporters full access to talk with returning Marines and their families, though some briefly spoke with the media.

“We came all the way from Mississippi to see him,” Allen Frazier, a retired Marine, said of his son, Corporal Jeffrey Frazier.

KABUL, 05 October 2021, (TON): Chinese Ambassador to Kabul Wang Yu denied information previously spread in the media about the arrival of Chinese troops at the largest air base in Afghanistan near the city of Bagram (Parwan province).

The diplomat wrote on Twitter on Monday “those who fabricated rumors about the presence of Chinese troops at Bagram airbase pursued their own selfish goals.”

On October 2, several Afghan media outlets reported that searchlights were turned on at the Bagram military base for the first time since the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan, as well as the movement of soldiers who, presumably, could have been sent from China.

ISLAMABAD, 05 October 2021, (TON): Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad and British MP Naz Shah have urged the international community to play its role in resolving Kashmir and Palestine issues.

The governor left for Saudi Arabia for performing Umrah at the special invitation of Saudi government.

According to the details, British MP Naz Shah, met Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar in Lahore’s Governor’s House and told him about her efforts with regard to raising her voice for the liberation of Kashmiris and Palestinians in the UK Parliament.

The governor appreciated Naz Shah and other British MPs for raising the voice for Kashmiris and Palestinians.

 During the meeting, Sarwar said, “Overseas Pakistanis are the pride of the nation and Pakistani living all over the world stand with Kashmiri and Palestinian brothers and sisters,” adding that the real face of India is being exposed all over the world.

He said that India is the biggest facilitator of terrorists in the region and the enemy of peace.

The governor said that the world’s silence on Indian terrorism in Kashmir is no less than a crime, and the dream of peace in the region cannot be materialised in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Naz Shah, a member of the British Parliament, said that resolution of Kashmir and Palestine issues is vital to establish peace in the world, adding that Narendra Modi is the killer of Kashmiris and Indian Muslims.

 NEW DELHI, 05 October 2021, (TON): Farmers in India have vowed to intensify their months-long protest against laws aimed at liberalising agriculture as tensions flare a day after nine people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh state’s Lakhimpur Kheri district.

The Uttar Pradesh government announced 4.5m Indian rupees ($60,530) compensation to the families of the victims of Sunday’s violence. The state government also said a retired High Court judge will investigate the incident.

The farmers, meanwhile, have decided to step up their protests against the contentious farm laws.

Dharmendra Malik, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, told media “we’ll intensify our agitation in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country to highlight the plight of innocent farmers.”

“The government might try to discredit the 10-month-long movement, but we will remain peaceful in our struggle.”

ISLAMABAD, 05 October 2021, (TON): A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “the Joint Anti-Terrorist Exercise (JATE) 2021 closing ceremony was held at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Pabbi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The military’s media wing said “this is the first-ever military exercise conducted in Pakistan under the ambit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS).

The exercise focused on enhancing cooperation and cohesiveness in combating international terrorism.

The official statement said “Chinese and Pakistani troops participated in the exercise and shared their experiences of capacity building and innovative approaches/methods on emerging technologies being used to counter the evolving threats.”

The exercise was conducted in two stages. Stage one of the training was conducted in respective SCO member countries from 26-31 July while stage two was conducted in Pakistan from 21 September to 4 October.

During the two weeks long training, the ISPR said, participating troops from China and Pakistan extensively practised various drills as part of the Joint Counter-Terrorism Operations from planning to conduct – including Cordon and Search, Compound Clearance, Close Quarter Battle, Rappelling from Helicopter, Explosive Handling and Medical Evacuation.

RIYADH, 05 October 2021, (TON): Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister received UN’s envoy to Yemen.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Hans Grundberg reviewed the Kingdom’s efforts to achieve security and stability in Yemen.

They also touched on the efforts to support a comprehensive political solution to the crisis and to halt the Houthi militia’s humanitarian violations.

The meeting was also attended by Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Ambassador Mohammed Al Jaber.

WASHINGTON, 05 October 2021, (TON): Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met on Monday in Tashkent with Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to discuss further strengthening the bilateral relationship, as well as the way forward in Afghanistan.

The Deputy Secretary thanked President Mirziyoyev for Uzbekistan’s close cooperation with the United States in Afghanistan and underscored the importance of the United States’ strategic partnership with Uzbekistan.

The Deputy Secretary and President Mirziyoyev discussed joint efforts to combat COVID-19 through vaccine distribution.  Deputy Secretary Sherman reiterated U.S. support for Uzbekistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity and urged continued progress on economic, democratic, and human rights reforms in Uzbekistan.