ISLAMABAD, 24 August 2021, (TON): Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said “China would continue to work with Pakistan to deal with the threat of terrorism and protect the safety of the Chinese people and personnel in Pakistan.”

During his regular briefing held here said “terrorism is the common enemy of mankind. China firmly opposes any force using terrorism to seek geopolitical interests.”

Expressing shock and condemning the attack on a vehicle carrying the Chinese nationals in Gwadar, he offered condolence over killing of Pakistani personnel in the attack and conveyed sympathy to the bereaved families and injured.

The spokesperson urged the Pakistan side to arrest the perpetrators and punish them as soon as possible.

He said “the Pakistani side had given proper treatment to the injured Chinese personnel, adding, the Pakistani authorities had said they would take every effort to ensure the safety of the Chinese personnel projects in Pakistan.

He called on all regional countries to collaborate in eradicating terrorist groups and upholding the common safety and development interests of all the countries in the region.

TEHRAN, 24 August 2021, (TON): Iran says “it is ready to ship more fuel to Lebanon if needed, a day after the leader of Lebanon’s Iran-aligned Hezbollah group said more vessels carrying Iranian fuel would sail soon to help ease the country’s energy crisis.”

Hezbollah’s foes in Lebanon have warned of dire consequences from the purchase, saying it risked sanctions being imposed on a country whose economy has been in meltdown for nearly two years.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said “we sell our oil and its products based on our own decisions and the needs of our friend. Iran is ready to send fuel again to Lebanon if needed.”

“Certainly we cannot see the suffering of the Lebanese people.”

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the first vessel shipping Iranian fuel to Lebanon, which the group announced on last Thursday was about to leave Iran, had already sailed.

He said “a second ship will set sail in the next few days, and it will be followed by others.”

ANKARA, 24 August 2021, (TON): Afghans who manage to make the weeks-long journey through Iran on foot to the Turkish border face a three-metre high wall, ditches or barbed wire as Turkish authorities step up efforts to block any refugee influx into the country.

The beefed up border measures in Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian refugees and is a staging post for many migrants trying to reach Europe, began as the Taliban started advancing in Afghanistan and took over Kabul last week.

Authorities plan to add another 64 km by the end of the year to a border wall started in 2017. Ditches, wire and security patrols around the clock will cover the rest of the 560 km frontier.

“We want to show the whole world that our borders are unpassable,” Mehmet Emin Bilmez, governor of the eastern border province of Van, told Reuters at the weekend. “Our biggest hope is that there is no migrant wave from Afghanistan.”

Turkey is not the only country putting up barriers Its neighbour Greece has just completed a 40-km fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who still manage to enter Turkey and try to reach the European Union.

Authorities say there are 182,000 registered Afghan migrants in Turkey and up to an estimated 120,000 unregistered ones. President Tayyip Erdogan urged European countries to take responsibility for any new influx, warning that Turkey had no intention of becoming “Europe’s migrant storage unit.”

The number of irregular Afghan migrants detained in Turkey so far this year is less than a fifth of the number detained in 2019, and officials say they have not yet seen signs of a major surge since last week’s Taliban victory, though the long distances mean refugees could take weeks to arrive.

ISLAMABAD, 24 August 2021, (TON): Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan was working for an inclusive broad-based interim setup in Afghanistan to further peace and stability in the neighbouring country.

Addressing a press conference here, Qureshi said “the views of the international community were in sync with thinking of Pakistan on the present situation in Afghanistan.

The minister said “he held conversations with a number of foreign ministers in previous days and they acknowledged that Pakistan was playing a vital and critical role in these challenging times. The world was looking towards Pakistan and it wanted help in evacuating their nationals from Afghanistan.”

He added “very few embassies were working in Kabul and Pakistani embassy was one of them.”

He said “we are keeping an eye on the situation in Afghanistan.”

He further said “international community wanted Pakistan to promote an inclusive arrangement in Afghanistan. Afghanistan had a number of ethnic groups which had a role to play.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Qureshi and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud exchanged views on situation in Afghanistan and on other issues of bilateral importance.

NEW DELHI, 24 August 2021, (TON): Continuing with its deployment in Western Pacific, including in the South China Sea, the Indian Navy carried out a Maritime Partnership Exercise with the Philippine Navy.

Two Indian warships, INS Ranvijay, Guided Missile Destroyer, D55 and INS Kora, Guided Missile Corvette, P61, on deployment to the Western Pacific participated in the exercise with BRP Antonio Luna, Frigate, FF 151 of the Philippine Navy in the West Philippine Sea.

The Navy said in a statement “Joint evolutions conducted during the exercise included several operational manoeuvres and the participating ships of both navies were satisfied with the consolidation of interoperability achieved through this operational interaction at sea.”

It said “Indian naval ships are “currently deployed to the Western Pacific with an aim to strengthen maritime security collaboration with partner nations.”

It further added that interaction with the Philippines’s warship was “an enriching opportunity for the Indian Navy to consolidate its bilateral relations with the Philippine Navy”.

In compliance with the prevailing pandemic guidelines, the exercise was conducted in contactless manner and all necessary health and safety protocols were strictly observed.

WASHINGTON, 24 August 2021, (TON): Johnson's office said that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden agreed to work together to ensure all those eligible to leave Afghanistan were able to, including after the initial evacuation phase ended.

A Downing Street spokesman said after the two leaders spoke by phone "they discussed the ongoing efforts by the UK and U.S. to coordinate the rapid and safe evacuation of our nationals and those who previously worked with our governments from Kabul International Airport."

The leaders agreed to continue working together to ensure those who are eligible to leave are able to, including after the initial phase of the evacuation has ended.

RIYADH, 24 August 2021, (TON): Abdullah Al-Asheikh, speaker of the Shoura Council, received Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed ambassador to Algeria, Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Bassiri.

During the meeting, Al-Asheikh stressed the importance of strengthening relations between the Kingdom and all friendly countries. He also shed light on the Kingdom’s leading and central role in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Al-Asheikh highlighted the need to promote communication and collaboration between the Shoura Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saudi embassies abroad.

They need to increase their cooperation and coordination and thus promote the council’s role at the parliamentary diplomatic level through exchanging visits with councils and parliaments in other countries.

This, according to Al-Asheikh, will promote the council’s effective participation in international parliamentary forums and meetings.

Al-Bassiri extended his thanks and appreciation to Al-Asheikh and stressed the importance of the council’s efforts in enhancing parliamentary diplomacy.

KATHMANDU, 24 August 2021, (TON): A house at Bhakimli of Beni Municipality-3 in Myagdi district was swept away by the swollen Dhudhe Khola today morning.Meanwhile, 45 more houses are at risk of being swept away by Dudhe Khola rivulet. The flood and landslide induced by monsoon rain also swept away the land at Chinakhet.

Torakhet and Lareni as well as road and drinking water pipes. Some 700 metres of land in the human settlement was also destroyed due to the flood along with the livestock of the locals.Also, the earthquake has put the locals at receiving end of having to stay in an unsafe space.

They were compelled to shelter under the open sky in search of safe places after being ravaged by flood and quake, added local Om Bahadur Gharti MagarWorse of all, since the roads were damaged and blocked due to landslide debris, locals in various parts of the district have been facing transportation difficulties.

NAYPYITAW, 24 August 2021, (TON): Junta forces in Sagaing Region ransacked the home of a couple and arrested them after their son abandoned his post as a police sergeant and joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), a friend of the family told media. 

Zaw Min Win, 40, left behind his wife and two daughters, a teenager and a toddler, at the police housing complex where he lived in Yinmabin Township when he deserted.

The family friend said “he took his weapons with him. His wife was still at their police residence. He just left without discussing it with her.

Zaw Min Win was not involved in violent crackdowns on anti-coup activities in the area, the friend said, adding that his job was desk-based.

On the day he defected, around 15 armed men in a police vehicle and a civilian vehicle arrived at the home of Zaw Min Win’s parents in Ywar Tharyar village, one mile from Yinmabin.

A resident of the village said “the men arrested Mya Lay, the father, and Htay Yi, the mother, both aged 60, after ransacking their home for 30 minutes.”

KATHMANDU, 24 August 2021, (TON): 149 more Nepali nationals have been evacuated from Taliban-occupied Afghanistan and brought home to Nepal.According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), 39 persons landed in the capital from Dubai on Sunday while on Monday at least seven Nepalis boarded a Turkish Airlines flight to journey to Nepal.

Moreover, another 104 Nepali national were brought home via Qatar Airlines. 654 Nepalis have been rescued from Afghanishtan since the occupation of the country by the Talibani forces,

Informed MoFA.The government further plans on bringing 361 Afghanishtan-dwelling Nepalis to their homeland, soon.