DHAKA, 05 October 2021, (TON): It seems that some people are benefitting from the presence of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in response to a question during a media briefing.

She was briefing the media virtually, from Gono Bhaban, about her recently-concluded visit to United States to attend the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

"As if everything is business," she said, adding that the international community does not respond positively to the topic of Rohingya repatriation.

She said "I'm very sorry to say this, but it seems that for some agencies, keeping refugees is like a business.”

She added "otherwise they wouldn't have any job.”

There are some who are sincere, but for others it seems to be a business, she also said.

About the next general election and BNP she said that, as the party has no chance of winning, they are trying to make the polls appear "controversial".

She said while replying to a question "they know they don't have any chance of winning the election. So, they are trying to make it seem controversial, create confusion among people and harm them by any means."

NAYPYITAW, 05 October 2021, (TON): Detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi has denied claims by her ousted government’s former Yangon chief minister that he gave her bribes, describing his testimony last week as “absurd.”

Phyo Min Thein told a court on Friday that he had paid Suu Kyi $600,000 and given her 11.4kg of gold in exchange for protection and support for his businesses.

Thein Oo, justice minister for Myanmar’s underground government, suggested after the hearing that Phyo Min Thein may have acted under duress. 

Suu Kyi appeared at the court in Zabuthiri Township in Naypyitaw on Monday to defend herself against separate charges of violating Covid-19 rules during last year’s election campaign and of illegally importing walkie-talkies.

She made the remarks about Phyo Min Thein while speaking with her lawyers during a 30-minute meeting ahead of her hearing.

“She said she had no specific comments and it was ‘all absurd,’” her lead defence lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told media.

NAYPYITAW, 05 October 2021, (TON): A resistance group based in Sagaing Region’s Palal Township claims that it killed a total of 61 regime soldiers in two clashes.

In a statement released later the same day, the People’s Revolution Army (PRA) said that the casualties were the result of a landmine attack and two shootouts.

The fighting which the group said had continued through the day, broke out on the Palal-Khin Aye road near the border between Sagaing and Magway regions early Sunday morning.

Japan Gyi, a spokesperson for the PRA, told media “we used landmines, which led to a shootout. The place is quite far from any villages. We chose it because they usually terrorize villages near places where they have been attacked.”

The group also claimed that only one of its members had been injured.

The first clash started at around 7am near the Naga Ma hills, some 3km west of the village of Wan Be Chaing in Palal, and resulted in the death of 33 junta troops, according to the PRA.

The group said “at around 11am, fighting broke out in the Nat Htaik (Pone Taung) hills, about 18km from the site of the first clash. Another 28 soldiers were killed in that fight.”

TEHRAN, 04 October 2021, (TON): Iran’s foreign minister said on Saturday that U.S. officials tried to discuss restarting nuclear talks last month, but he insisted Washington must first release $10 billion of Tehran’s frozen funds as a sign of good will.

Iran has rejected direct talks with the United States, and indirect talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear accord aimed at keeping Iran from being able to develop a nuclear weapon stopped in June.

The United States used intermediaries at the United Nations last month to attempt to make contact, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state television.

Iran has been unable to obtain tens of billions of dollars of its assets in foreign banks, mainly from exports of oil and gas, due to U.S. sanctions on its banking and energy sectors.

The minister said “the Americans tried to contact us through different channels (at the U.N. General Assembly) in New York, and I told the mediators if America’s intentions are serious then a serious indication was needed by releasing at least $10 billion of blocked money.”

Amirabdollahian said in the TV interview “they are not willing to free $10 billion belonging to the Iranian nation so that we can say that the Americans once in the past several decades considered the interests of the Iranian nation.”.

Western powers have urged Iran to return to negotiations and said time is running out as Tehran’s nuclear programme is advancing well beyond the limits set by the deal.

TUNIS, 04 October 2021, (TON): Tunisia's crisis-stricken economy will be a top priority for the new government of prime minister-designate Najla Bouden, after a decade of political instability that has stymied foreign investment.

Heavily in debt, with spiralling inflation and widespread unemployment worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, Tunisia is hoping for a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.

But talks have been suspended since President Kais Saied on July 25 sacked the government, suspended parliament and seized a range of executive powers, later moving to rule by decree.

He charged Bouden, a political unknown with a background in geology, with forming a new administration.

Economist and former trade minister Mohsen Hassan said "the incoming government must quickly relaunch negotiations with the IMF in order to obtain funding.”

"Unfortunately Tunisia is paying the price of political instability and the coronavirus crisis, as well as the political class's ignorance of economics."

The Tunisian economy has grown by as little as 0.6 percent on average over the past decade, with inflation averaging six percent.

ISLAMABAD, 04 October 2021, (TON): The Pakistan Army assisted the civil administration of Balochistan in carrying out relief operations after heavy winds, rains and thunderstorms hit coastal areas of the province.

Heavy rains on Saturday under the influence of Cyclone Shaheen caused urban flooding in low lying areas of Gwadar old town and accumulated rain posed extreme problems for the local population of the region, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.

Army troops immediately assisted the civil administration in rescue and relief efforts including dewatering of various areas and shifting people stranded in water through boats, it added.

The military’s media wing said the rescue efforts along the Coastal Highway, Pasni and Jiwani are also being conducted including traffic management at locations where infrastructure is damaged due to hill torrents.

“The Pakistan Coast Guards has successfully conducted rescue operations of stranded and capsised civil launches/boats in collaboration with local fishermen.”

ISLAMABAD, 04 October 2021, (TON): The ban on pedestrian movement from the Pak-Iran Taftan border was lifted and Pakistani businessmen, students and truck drivers have been allowed to travel to Iran.

According to sources, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has also begun the regular immigration process at the Taftan border, allowing Pakistani citizens to enter Iran.

It is pertinent to mention that due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases, Iranian authorities banned Pakistani nationals from entering Iran on June 29.

However, during this period, the Pak-Iran transit trade was remained continued and the movement of Iranian citizens to Pakistan was also not disrupted.

Only Pakistani nationals were barred from entering Iran but that restriction has now been removed.

KABUL, 04 October 2021, (TON): Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority announced that Kabul airport is completely operational for international flights and technical issues have been resolved in recent days.

According to officials, domestic flights have started at the airport and the facility is ready for international flights to resume normal activity. The airport received some flights from Qatar, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirate in recent days.

The spokesperson for Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority, Mohammad Naeem Salehi, said the department has written to neighboring countries and the international community asking them to resume flights at the airport.

Salehi said “technically, there is no problem ahead of international flights. We are looking to find answers from neighboring countries about whether they will start flights to Kabul airport or not. Currently, domestic flights are continuing.”

In the meantime, dozens of Afghans who obtained Iran and Pakistan visas, complained that ticket prices have severely climbed recently in Kabul.

“People own passports and visas. But tickets are not available. If they are available, the price is very high,” a resident said.

KABUL, 04 October 2021, (TON): Senior Taliban officials said “an explosion outside a mosque in the Afghan capital killed at least two people.”

The blast struck near the entrance of the large Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter, adding that "a number of civilians" died.

A spokesman from the interior ministry, Qari Sayed Khosti, told media "our initial information shows two civilians were killed and three wounded in the blast."

A prayer ceremony for Mujahid's mother, who died last week, was being held at the mosque yesterday afternoon. Journalists in two locations in the capital also heard the blast and shooting.

RIYADH, 04 October 2021, (TON): The Kingdom’s foreign minister said “talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran are at an early stage but are a basis for addressing major issues between the two countries.”

He said “Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the latest round of discussions had taken place on Sept. 21. “We spoke about our deep concern about Iran’s transgressions on the nuclear issue.”

“These discussions are still in the exploratory phase. We hope they will provide a basis to address unresolved issues between the two sides and we will strive and work to realize that.”

Prince Faisal was speaking at a press conference in Riyadh with Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs. Among other issues, the two men discussed the conflict in Yemen, where Iran supports Houthi militia fighters who have launched a barrage of missile and drone attacks on civilian targets and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

Borrell described the situation in Yemen as a “terrible tragedy,” and voiced support for a peaceful settlement to the war.

He said “the EU condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and was working diplomatically to prevent them.”

“We appreciate Saudi Arabia’s efforts to end the conflict in Yemen as well as protect its territory,” Borrell said.

Borrell also said he hoped nuclear talks between global powers and Iran would restart in Vienna “soon.” Tehran is under pressure to rejoin the 2015 deal to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. The deal collapsed in 2018 when the US pulled out, and talks are stalled in a deadlock over whether Iran or the US should be the first to resume compliance.