NEW DELHI, 02 September 2021, (TON): APHC leader Abdul Hameed Lone said that veteran Kashmiri separatist leader and former chief of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani passed away on Wednesday.

In a statement, Lone said Geelani died at his home at 10pm.

He was 92 years old, according to the Kashmir Media Service.

Meanwhile, Indian authorities imposed a security clampdown in occupied Kashmir after Geelani's death, residents said.

Troops put up barbed wire rolls and barricades on roads leading to Geelani's house in the main city of Srinagar after the family announced the death.

Hundreds of security forces were immediately deployed and media reports said “a curfew would be imposed and internet services cut.”

CAIRO, 02 September 2021, (TON): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo to take part in a joint Egyptian-Palestinian-Jordanian summit. One of its aims is to unify their positions on the Palestinian issue before this month’s annual meeting of the UN General Assembly.

Diab Al-Louh, the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt and Palestine’s permanent representative to the Arab League, praised Egypt for its “canonical positions, leadership and people, who stand by the Palestinians and their just causes.”

The visit by Abbas comes days after Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh announced the tripartite summit in the Egyptian capital, and a meeting this week between Abbas and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Azzam Al-Ahmad, member of the Palestinian Fatah movement’s Central Committee, said “the summit aims to coordinate the positions of the participating states on Palestine and their efforts to halt the escalation of tensions in the occupied territories.”

He added that plans are also underway for an Arab summit to prevent any attempts to harm the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile, Shtayyeh expressed hopes that the participants at the summit will call on the US administration to fulfill its promises to preserve the two-state solution by taking practical steps to end Israel’s racist settlement policy in the Palestinian Territories, especially Jerusalem governorate.

PARIS / BERLIN, 02 September 2021, (TON): France and Germany urged Iran to return rapidly to nuclear negotiations, after a break in talks following Iranian elections in June, with Paris demanding an “immediate” restart amid Western concerns over Tehran’s expanding atomic work.

Le Drian’s ministry said in a statement “France’s foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his newly-appointed Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian in a telephone call it was urgent for Tehran to return to the talks.”

Amirabdollahian said in an interview “we are not seeking to flee the negotiation table. The government considers a real negotiation is a negotiation that produces palpable results allowing the rights of the Iranian nation to be guaranteed.”

He said “the Vienna talks are one of the questions on the foreign policy and government agenda.”

But “the other party knows full well that a process of two to three months is required for the new government to establish itself and to start taking decisions.”

A sixth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington was adjourned in June after hard-liner Ebrahim Raisi was elected Iran’s president. Raisi took office on August 5.

COLOMBO, 02 September 2021, (TON): The government rejects the rumors that there is a shortage of essential food items such as rice and sugar in the country.

Issuing a statement, the Department of Government Information says that the government has sufficient food stocks to meet the demand of the people.

The statement reads “some local and foreign media and social media are propagating that there is a serious food shortage in Sri Lanka. Their reports have no basis. Some opposition politicians are repeating these lies.”

Reportedly, information has been received that some fraudulent traders hide stocks of essential food items such as paddy, rice, and sugar in order to make profits by selling them at higher prices later.

However, to defeat such anti-people efforts, the Public Security Act and the provisions relating to the provision of essential food items were enacted last Monday, the statement said.

“Its purpose was to seize the hidden food stocks and hand it over to other government agencies, including Sathosa, for sale at fair prices. It was possible to thwart the attempt to artificially create a food shortage.”

MALE, 02 September 2021, (TON): Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has launched a campaign with Russian tour operator, TEZ Tour as part of the effoers to increase arrivals from the Russian market.

TEZ Tour is one of the top five tour operators of Russia. According to MMPRC, the campaign will be held from August to September, targeting potential travelers and tourism industry stakeholders from Russia.

MMPRC said dedicated advertising and promotional activities will be held on social media, TV, Radio, blogs and via webinars during the campaign. This includes advertising on Euronews and other regional TV stations and radio channels. The campaign activities are estimated to reach 15 Million people from the target audience.

As of 18th August 2021, Russia is the top source market to Maldives this year, with 154,380 arrivals, which accounts for 22% of total arrivals. The country has remained in the top 10 source markets to Maldives in the past two years, ranking 2nd with 61,387 arrivals in 2020 and 6th with 83,369 arrivals in 2019.

KATHMANDU, 02 September 2021, (TON): Nepal has recorded the death of 15 people in the monsoon induced natural calamities that occurred in different districts since August 26.

According to the Spokesperson of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), Biswo Prakash Aryal, “the floods, and landslides that occurred in the last five days have claimed the lives of the 15 people in different parts of the country.”

During the period, three people went missing, and 14 sustained injuries in the disastrous incident. Assessment of loss however is still continued. Efforts are underway to remove debris from different highways.

According to the information provided by the NDRRMA, at least 100 people have lost their lives in monsoon-induced calamities since 14 June 2021. Likewise, 44 people remain missing and 109 injured during the reporting period. The natural disasters caused damages to 37 government offices, 16 community buildings and schools, 25 hydropower projects, 30 motorable bridges, and 30 suspension bridges.

Spokesperson Aryal informed that 6,181 people were shifted to secure areas in the period. Around 1,000 people were taken to the safer areas in the past four days. According to the monitoring information, 10 percent of around 5,000-inundated houses witnessed damages in the disaster.

AMSTERDAM, 02 September 2021, (TON): Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag is expected in Islamabad to discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan with her Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO).

The statement said the talks between the two foreign ministers would focus on measures needed for the transportation to the Netherlands of Dutch and eligible Afghan citizens, who have not been evacuated from the war-torn country yet.

The statement said “Qureshi and Kaag are also expected to talk about the recent developments [in Afghanistan], the scope for keeping borders and Kabul airport open, the importance of safe departure routes and possible support to that end from Pakistan.”

It added "future efforts relating to Afghanistan and the importance of security and stability, both in Afghanistan itself and in the wider region, will also come under discussion."

In addition, the FO said, “the foreign minister would discuss longstanding bilateral and economic relations between Pakistan and the Netherlands.”

The visit by the Dutch foreign minister will be another development on the diplomatic front in connection with the situation in Afghanistan, following the US drawdown and Taliban takeover of the country.

In recent days, Pakistan has been emphasising the need for close coordination of the international community for the restoration of peace in Afghanistan and has stepped up diplomatic efforts for the same.

NEW YORK, 02 September 2021, (TON): The United Nations chief urged all nations to help the people of Afghanistan “in their darkest hour of need,” saying that almost half the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive and the country faces the threat of basic services collapsing completely.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “grave concern at the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country.”

In a statement on the first day of Taliban rule after the withdrawal of the last US forces from Afghanistan.

He offered some grim statistics of the looming “humanitarian catastrophe” 18 million Afghans need aid to survive, one in three don’t know where their next meal will come from, over half of all children under age 5 are expected to become “acutely malnourished” in the next year, and every day people are losing access to basic goods and services.

Guterres said “amid a severe drought and with harsh winter conditions on the horizon, extra food, shelter and health supplies must be urgently fast-tracked into the country.”

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the current $1.3 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan is only 39% funded. Guterres said a new emergency appeal for the next four months is expected next week. “For us,” Dujarric said, “the day after is just another day in Kabul. We’ve been present in Afghanistan for over 60 years, and we are remaining and standing shoulder to shoulder with the Afghan people.”

He said “a UN assessment team went out in Kabul. While aid operations have not been able to resume in the capital, he said, a World Health Organization plane with supplies was able to land in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north and the World Food Program has also been able to resume operations in the country.

NAYPYITAW, 02 September 2021, (TON): Former Ayeyarwady Region Chief Minister Mahn Johnny represented the National League for Democracy (NLD) in four elections, from 1990 until 2020. He won a parliamentary seat every time.

The Dawkalu Network Facebook page published photos of Mahn Johnny wearing army fatigues and holding a loaded rifle, stating that he had joined others across the country in taking up arms against the junta that seized power in the February 1 military coup.

Reporters spoke with the nearly 80-year-old ethnic Karen politician about his thoughts on the anti-dictatorship movement.

Following this interview and the earlier release of the photos, Mahn Johnny’s home was raided on Sunday by around 20 junta soldiers, who briefly detained his son and allegedly seized property including a car.

DHAKA, 02 September 2021, (TON): Border Guard Bangladesh members have detained 21 people, including women and children, while they were trying to cross Bangladesh-India border in Jhenaidah.

They were detained while crossing the frontiers at Baghadanga and Khoshalpur in Maheshpur upazila early today, our Jhenaidah correspondent reports.

The detainees include 11 men, eight women, and two children.

Md Nazrul Islam Khan, assistant director of BGB-58 battalion, said a case has been filed with Maheshpur Police Station and handed over to the police.

He said “the case was filed under Section 11 (1) (Ga) of the Passport Ordinance 1973.”