WASHINGTON, 12 September 2021, (TON): Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Philippines Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana at the Pentagon to commemorate the 70th anniversary year of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and discuss ways to deepen this vital alliance.

In recognition of this important anniversary, the Secretaries affirmed the enduring nature of the U.S.-Philippines alliance, as well as their shared commitment to building an even stronger foundation for future alliance cooperation.

Secretary Austin reiterated that the U.S. commitment to Philippine security is ironclad, and that U.S. treaty commitments extend to Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea.

He expressed his appreciation for the Philippine decision to restore the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement, which signals a commitment by both sides to enhance the scale and scope of alliance cooperation. 

The Secretaries also discussed the importance of increased military and security cooperation to support Philippine defense modernization efforts and build alliance interoperability.

The Secretaries agreed to undertake a number of new initiatives that will ensure the bilateral alliance is postured to address new and emerging challenges. These include: developing a joint vision statement on shared priorities for the next phase of our alliance cooperation; concluding a bilateral maritime framework that advances military activities and cooperation in the maritime space; resuming infrastructure improvement projects at Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement agreed locations in the Philippines; and Re-convening the Bilateral Strategic Dialogue later this year.

 BERLIN, 12 September 2021, (TON): German Chancellor Angela Merkel is visiting the Polish capital on Saturday for talks with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a time when Poland faces migration pressure on its eastern border with Belarus.

The Polish government said “it would be Merkel’s last visit to Warsaw as the chancellor of Germany, and that the talks would include discussions on protecting the EU’s external borders and the coronavirus pandemic.”

The Polish government said “the meeting in Warsaw will be an opportunity to summarize current bilateral issues and note problematic issues in mutual relations.”

A meeting between Merkel and President Andrzej Duda, which was originally announced by the German government, is not taking place after all.

Merkel’s spokesman said that Polish officials told them there were “scheduling problems.” Duda’s office said Duda would instead be in the southern Polish city of Katowice for celebrations marking the anniversary of Solidarity, the anti-communist trade union. German news agency dpa noted that Duda’s office made the announcement that there would be no meeting shortly after Russia said that Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that will carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, had been completed.

COLOMBO, 12 September 2021, (TON): President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly that commences on September 21 in New York.

This is President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s first address to the United Nations General Assembly and also the first foreign conference after becoming the President. The President is expected to hold bilateral discussions with several Heads of State on a number of areas, including economic, education and agriculture, during the visit.

Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage will accompany the President during the visit.

The President has decided to undertake the visit with a least number of delegates in line with his principle and after taking into consideration the current situation in the country.

NAYPYITAW, 12 September 2021, (TON): Two Myanmar army soldiers were killed when the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) chapter in Thantlang, Chin State, ambushed the troops, reportedly injuring four others. 

A spokesperson for the CDF-Thantlang said that the group launched a surprise attack while the junta soldiers were conducting inspections in the town at around 1pm. 

He said “they would come to every house and inspect people’s phones and their household registration. We attacked them because they have been harassing the people.”

According to the CDF spokesperson “the CDF-Thantlang immediately withdrew from the area after the attack, to which the military responded by indiscriminately firing heavy artillery and guns into the town.”

Some of the shells hit houses in Thantlang, and at least one home was reportedly destroyed.

After the fighting, junta’s soldiers cordoned off the town and launched thorough searches. They continued the inspections of both houses and cars travelling through the area.

The CDF-Thantlang has warned that if the junta continues their violence against residents of the township, they will attack them.

MOSCOW, 12 September 2021, (TON): Russia’s foreign ministry summoned the US ambassador in Moscow over alleged interference by US tech giants in parliamentary polls due later this month.

Russia has recently ramped up control of its segment of the internet and has been taking legal action against foreign tech companies for not deleting content banned by authorities.

“There is one reason, interference in Russian elections. We hope this is how American diplomats will report it to Washington,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

In a separate statement, the ministry said “ambassador John Sullivan had held a meeting with Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov.”

It added that Sullivan was presented with “irrefutable proof” of US tech giants violating Russian laws in the context of the upcoming elections to the lower house State Duma.

The ministry also said that it conveyed the “categorical inadmissibility of interference in the domestic affairs of our countries”.

Tensions are high between Moscow and Washington over a range of issues, including claims of meddling in US elections and Russia’s human rights record.

ADDIS ABABA, 12 September 2021, (TON): The African Union said on Friday it was suspending Guinea after a coup in the West African country that saw its president Alpha Conde arrested. The pan-African body said on Twitter that it “decides to suspend the Republic of Guinea from all AU activities and decision-making bodies”.

The move came after Guinean special forces seized power on Sunday and arrested Conde, who had come under increasing fire for perceived authoritarianism. The AU had on Sunday condemned the military takeover and called for the release of Conde, who became the country’s first democratically elected president in 2010.

Its decision to suspend Guinea came after a similar move on Wednesday by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has sent a mission to the country to evaluate the situation there.

BEIRUT, 12 September 2021, (TON): Lebanese government has been formed, the presidency announced Friday, ending a 13-month impasse as the country grapples with one of the worst crises in its history.

A new cabinet was a condition for much-needed international assistance but it remains to be seen whether it can deliver requested reforms and rescue Lebanon from bankruptcy.

The announcement, which followed a meeting between Prime Minister-designate NajibMikati and President Michel Aoun, came after monthshorsetrading between Lebanon’s main political factions.

Mikati, Lebanon’s prime minister for the third time and the country’s richest man, made a statement from the presidency in which he vowed to leave no stone unturned in efforts to rescue the country.

He said “we will make use of every second to call international bodies and ensure the basic everyday life needs.”

He added that his government would also turn to Arab countries for help.

Mikati, who was designated as prime minister in July after his two predecessors failed to clinch an agreement on a new line-up, unveiled his list of ministers.

The newcomers include many technocrats but each minister was endorsed by one or several of the factions that have dominated Lebanese politics since the 1975-1990 civil war.

NAYPYITAW, 12 September 2021, (TON): Myanmar troops killed several members of a local "defence force" in a day of clashes, the junta said, with local residents and media reporting at least 10 dead.

The country has been in turmoil since a February coup and a military crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 1,000 people, according to a local monitoring group.

Junta troops were attacked with "small arms and homemade guns" as they entered Myin Thar village in the western Magway region, army spokesman Zaw Min Tun told state-backed People Media.

The soldiers, who were searching for members of a local "Peoples' Defence Force" had killed a number of fighters, he said, without giving an exact figure.

Soldiers set fire to several houses after the clash, residents said. Local media reported between 10 and 15 locals had been killed.

DHAKA, 12 September 2021, (TON): The UK has led a push for the international community to take more action ahead of disasters.

UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly has announced a package of new UK support including $2.1 million for "Start Funds" in Bangladesh and Nepal to help national and international NGOs anticipate and react to disasters.

Meanwhile, $1.5 million will go to the Start Network for civil society projects in Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, and the Philippines to help develop disaster risk finance systems in these countries.

The UK has led a push for the international community to take more action ahead of disasters rather than responding reactively to them and commits $3.6 million in aid to minimize the humanitarian impact of disasters.

At an event jointly hosted by the UK, Germany, and UN OCHA, UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverly warned that conflict and climate change are driving unprecedented levels of humanitarian need.

He called on donors and aid agencies to “do humanitarian aid differently” and use technology and forecasting to pre-empt disasters such as flooding, drought, or disease outbreak, and reduce their impact on the most vulnerable.

The UK is a recognized leader in anticipatory action, which involves identifying hazards, pre-agreeing action plans and funding, and triggering a response when a “risk threshold” is crossed.

DHAKA, 12 September 2021, (TON): At least 400 educational institutions, mostly primary schools, remains waterlogged due to flood and many of them will not be holding in-person classes.

Considering the situation, some school authorities decided to reopen their institutions once the water recedes while others decided to resume classes.

Students and teachers expressed their concerns saying the resumption of in-person classes would be difficult at the flood-hit schools.

Besides, at least 12 primary schools have already been eroded by adjoining rivers in three districts.

In Tangail, at least 245 primary schools remained waterlogged but the authorities decided to resume in-person classes.

Mohammad Ali Ahsan, assistant primary education officer in the district, said "we will open all the schools today. Considering the circumstances further decisions will be taken."

Students, however, expressed their concerns over the resumption of their in-person classes amid the flood.