ISLAMABAD, 24 September 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is finally met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on Thursday for talks that are expected to focus on Afghanistan.

The meeting, which lasted almost an hour, began at 1pm New York time at the Palace Hotel in New York City, according to Blinken’s schedule on the website of the US Department of State. This is the first meeting between the two top diplomats.

Pakistan has long desired high-level contacts with the US leadership, particularly after the collapse of the US-backed government in Kabul.

Qureshi, who is in New York to attend the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, has held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts. He used his meetings and other engagements to urge world leaders to stay engaged with Afghanistan’s new rulers.

He is expected to make the same argument in his meeting with Secretary Blinken as well. Pakistan, however, has not yet publicly backed the Taliban’s call for a seat in the UN General Assembly.

GENEVA, 24 September 2021, (TON): The United Nation’s refugee agency says that tens of thousands of Afghans in neighbouring countries are thought to be in need of international refugee protections, having sought refuge there after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last month.”

In the period between January 1-July 22, 2021, just before the Taliban’s overthrow of the Afghan government – nearly 4,000 Afghans were estimated to have become new refugees in Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan, according to data released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

That number rose to 35,400 by September 22, an almost nine-fold increase, the UN agency said in its latest report.

“The majority of Afghan new arrivals approaching UNHCR in Pakistan and Iran are largely undocumented and a large majority of Afghan new arrivals interviewed by UNHCR report leaving Afghanistan for security-related reasons,” says the agency’s latest Afghanistan situation report.

At least 19,300 new Afghan refugees have entered Iran this year, 10,800 have gone to Pakistan and 5,300 to Tajikistan, the data estimates, adding that the real figures may be higher.

The UNHCR has in recent days warned regional governments of the possibility of a humanitarian crisis sparking mass refugee movement from Afghanistan if the country is not stabilised.

WASHINGTON, 24 September 2021, (TON): Former US president Donald Trump filed a $100 million lawsuit against his estranged niece Mary Trump and The New York Times, alleging they engaged in “an insidious plot” to obtain his tax returns for the paper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of his finances.

The lawsuit, filed in Dutchess County, New York state, says that New York Times reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russ Buettner conducted “an extensive crusade to obtain Donald J. Trump’s confidential tax records.”

“The defendants engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit and utilised as a means of falsely legitimising their publicised works,” the lawsuit says, alleging they were “motivated by a personal vendetta.”

The New York Times and the three journalists won the Pulitzer in 2019 for their investigation of the Trump family’s finances, which the Pulitzer Prize Board said “debunked his claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges.”

The newspaper’s story alleged that Trump had received more than $400 million in today’s terms from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through fraudulent tax schemes.

Mary was the daughter of the eldest Trump brother Fred Trump Jr, who died in 1981 from complications due to alcoholism.

In her no-holds-barred 2020 memoir, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” she revealed that she was the primary source for the New York Times investigation.

LONDON, 24 September 2021, (TON): A British Member of Parliament (MP) from the Labour Party has termed the situation on the ground in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as "deeply troubling", urging the government of the United Kingdom to play its role in resolving the decades-old Kashmir conflict.

"For 72 years this conflict of Jammu and Kashmir has been going on. It is the world's largest longest unresolved conflict. It dates back to 1947 and it is defined by the long and tragic history of political and military conflicts," Stephen Kinnock said during a session of the House of Commons, debating the conflict which has claimed thousands of lives.

He added that it was not just the historical responsibility of the UK to play its part but also the country has so many ties that bind it even in 2021.

"There is an opportunity to work with our friends and partners in Pakistan and India and with the Kashmiri people to find a peaceful solution."

He said that as many as 95,000 people have been killed in the last 30 years alone by some accounts whereas IIOJK is recognised as "the most heavily militarised region in the world".

WASHINGTON, 24 September 2021, (TON): The United States will contribute nearly $180 million in additional assistance for the humanitarian crisis facing Rohingya in and outside Myanmar, and for Rohingya refugees and affected host communities in Bangladesh.

‘Of this funding, nearly $158 million is for programmes inside Bangladesh,’ said ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US representative to the United Nations.

She said that this assistance will save lives.

She added that it will provide protection, shelter, food, safe drinking water, health care, and psychosocial support.

She said “Bangladesh and its people have taken on an enormous responsibility in hosting refugees.”

Linda said ‘we stand with the Government of Bangladesh and with Rohingya in working toward the ultimate goal of the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return and reintegration of Rohingya refugees and internally displaced person.”

While they relentlessly pressure Myanmar’s military regime to stop its violence and return to the path to democracy, the international community must examine other durable solutions for Rohingya, she said.

NAYPYITAW, 24 September 2021, (TON): Urgent action is needed to prevent the situation in Myanmar from escalating into a “full-blown conflict”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned.

Ms. Bachelet’s alert came in a new report from her office OHCHR, which details widespread violations by the military against the country’s people, some of which may constitute crimes against humanity or war crimes.

With the spiral of violence that has rocked Myanmar since February showing signs of escalation “into a widespread civil war”, the UN rights chief called for more action on the part of the international community.

Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, she noted that clashes now “occur regularly” between civilian fighters and Government forces in many areas of the country, “where conflict has not been seen in generations”.

Presenting the new report on Myanmar to the Council, Ms. Bachelet explained that it detailed many serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

Military authorities have perpetrated the vast majority of human rights documented since the coup of 1 February, the report highlights that there has been “heavy use of lethal force and mass arrests”.

It documents violations of the rights to life, liberty and security of the person; the prohibition against torture; the right to a fair trial; as well as the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

NAYPYITAW, 24 September 2021, (TON): According to Suu Kyi’s legal defence team “court hearings for State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and her Australian economic advisor Sean Turnell for charges related to the Official Secrets Act began at a district court in Naypyitaw.”

Three of Suu Kyi’s Union cabinet members were also sued by the military council in Yangon’s eastern district court under Section 3 (1) (c) of the nearly 100-year-old Official Secrets Act in February, following the military coup that ousted her National League for Democracy government.

The cabinet members include finance minister Kyaw Win, his successor Soe Win, and deputy minister Set Aung.

Section 3 (1) (c) criminalises the possession, collection, recording, publishing, or sharing of state information that is “directly or indirectly useful to an enemy” and carries a penalty of up to 14 years in prison if the defendants are found guilty.

The junta’s Supreme Court took over the cases in late May and ruled on September 14 that the Dekkhina District Court in Naypyitaw would preside over the hearings.

The head of Suu Kyi’s defence team, Khin Maung Zaw, said “while Suu Kyi attended the 30-minute hearing via video link, the four other defendants appeared in person wearing full PPE suits.”

Lawyers representing three of the accused, but not ex-finance minister Kyaw Win, were also present at the hearing, which was overseen by Dekkhina District judge Ye Lwin, Khin Maung Zaw added.

He explained that all of the lawyers asked for permission to have attorney-client meetings to discuss the case. The judge adjourned, and next time will hear arguments from both sides.

DHAKA, 24 September 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought US investment in various potential sectors apart from the existing energy, banking and insurance sectors as Bangladesh is developing its infrastructure and power supply systems to facilitate foreign direct investment.

She said "the US is, of course, the largest investor in Bangladesh with stakes in energy, banking and insurance sectors. We invite US investment in other lucrative sectors like ICT, renewable energy, shipbuilding, automobile, light engineering, agro-processing, blue economy, tourism and knowledge-based hi-tech industries."

Hasina made the call while delivering her speech at the Executive Business Roundtable of the US-Bangladesh Business Council at Lotte Palace in New York.

Hasina said “Bangladesh is investing heavily on infrastructure development and power supply to facilitate FDI in those and other promising sectors in Bangladesh.”

The prime minister also said “Bangladesh is ready to start the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the US at an appropriate time.”

She said from its 100 economic zones, Bangladesh is ready to offer one exclusively for American companies, and also invites US investment in its 28 high-tech parks. "We're constantly improving our physical, legal and financial infrastructure, and also connectivity as with Padma Bridge and Dhaka Metro-Rail."

DHAKA, 24 September 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the global community to turn their "words and rhetoric" over the Rohingya crisis into actions to reach a desired solution to the protracted problem.

She said "we need to go beyond words and rhetoric to have tangible actions to reach a desired outcome which is also the cherished desire of the Rohingyas. Bangladesh will continue to work with all until this solution comes.".

The Prime Minister said this while speaking at "High-Level Side Event on Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (Rohingya) crisis: Imperatives for a Sustainable Solution" in New York.

Bangladesh arranged the event, while eight other countries, including the UK, Ireland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia cosponsored it.

A total of 23 speakers from cross-regional countries spoke at the event moderated by Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Rabab Fatima.

All the speakers extended their solidarity with Bangladesh over the solution to the Rohingya crisis, Rabab Fatima, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, said at a press briefing after the event.

Hasina mentioned that she repeatedly said that these displaced people are Myanmar nationals and they must go back to their homeland, Myanmar, in safety and dignity. "We all, especially the international community, must do everything possible to make this happen."

WASHINGTON, 23 September 2021, (TON): U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the dangers of climate change and bantered about the joys of rail travel during an Oval Office meeting aimed at underscoring the U.S.-British alliance.

Johnson had once worried his warm relationship with former President Donald Trump would hurt relations under Biden, but the two men appeared to get on well.

Biden told “Johnson he looked forward to being in the United Kingdom for a United Nations conference on global warming later this year.”

Johnson told Biden “we need you there.”

“Oh, we’re going to be there,” the president replied. “With bells on, as they say.”

Beginning at the end of October, the UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow is viewed as a critical moment for the world to halt global warming. Under Biden, the United States has renewed pledges to cut greenhouse gases and promised to finance projects to combat climate change.

Johnson said “it’s fantastic to see the United States really stepping up and showing a lead – a real, real lead.”