KABUL, 07 August 2021, (TON): The Taliban captured an Afghan provincial capital and assassinated the government's top media officer in Kabul, dealing twin high-profile blows to the Western-backed administration.

A police spokesman in southern Nimroz province said the capital Zaranj had fallen to the hardline Islamists because of a lack of reinforcements from the government.

Fighting to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ousting by US-led forces, the Taliban have intensified their campaign to defeat the US-backed government as foreign forces complete their withdrawal after 20 years of war.

The insurgents have taken dozens of districts and border crossings in recent months and put pressure on several provincial capitals, including Herat in the west and Kandahar in the south, as foreign troops withdraw.

Zaranj was the first provincial capital to fall to the group since the United States reached a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 for a US troop pullout. A local source said the Taliban had seized the governor's office, the police headquarters and an encampment near the Iranian border.

Taliban sources said the group was celebrating, and Zaranj's fall would boost the morale of their fighters in other provinces. A Taliban commander, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it has strategic importance as it is on the border with Iran.

He said "this is the beginning and see how other provinces fall in our hands very soon."

SANA'A, 07 August 2021, (TON): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres named Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as his new Yemen envoy after a delay of several weeks as China considered whether to approve the appointment, which needed consensus Security Council agreement.

The 15-member council approved Grundberg this week as a replacement for Martin Griffiths, who became the UN aid chief last month after trying to mediate an end to the conflict in Yemen for the past three years.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a dire humanitarian crisis, pushing Yemen to the brink of famine.

Diplomats said “Grundberg has been the European Union ambassador to Yemen since September 2019. UN officials informally floated his name to council members to solicit views by mid-July and 14 members said they would agree to the appointment.”

But China said it needed more time. An official with China’s UN mission in New York declined to comment on why Beijing’s approval had been delayed.

The United States welcomed the appointment of Grundberg as the new UN Special Envoy for Yemen.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement “Grundberg brings considerable expertise on Yemen and the region, and we look forward to working closely with him to advance a durable resolution to the conflict in Yemen.”

Blinken said “now is the time for peace. Seven years of war and instability have devastated Yemen’s economy and eroded even the most basic services, leading to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.”

WASHINGTON, 07 August 2021, (TON): Democratic lawmakers called on US President Joe Biden Thursday to immediately shut down the Guantanamo prison and either release or place on trial in federal courts the 39 remaining ‘war on terror’ detainees there.

With the United States approaching the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, 75 lawmakers signed a letter saying the US Navy-run prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was in disrepair, costly and a two-decade-old human rights embarrassment to the country.

The prison has become a symbol of the excesses in the ‘war on terror’ launched after the 2001 attacks.

They wrote “the prison at Guantanamo has held nearly 800 prisoners throughout its history but currently holds only 39 men, many aging and increasingly infirm.”

They said “according to reports, the prison costs over $500 million per year to operate, at a staggering annual cost of $13 million per prisoner.”

They added that the continued operation of the prison is a stain on our international reputation and undermines our ability to advocate for human rights and the rule of law.

KABUL, 07 August 2021, (TON):  Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations Ghulam M Isaczai said “Pakistan should help Afghanistan in ‘dismantling’ the Taliban for peace to prosper in the war-torn country.

The Afghan ambassador's comments came during an open meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.

The discussion was requested by the Afghan government, as well as Norway and Estonia. The Security Council last met on Afghanistan in June, but the situation in the conflict-ridden country has rapidly worsened since then.

The peace talks that had started between Taliban and the Afghan government last year in Doha, Qatar have not made significant progress, as the war continues.

Isaczai, who represented Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar in the meeting, said the Taliban had launched brutal attacks which had caused further instability in the country.

"It is our job to stop it."

WASHINGTON, 07 August 2021, (TON): Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Motegi reaffirmed the U.S.-Japan Alliance as the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and across the globe.

The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed strengthening cooperation to address the pressing challenges of the 21st century, including the climate crisis.

Secretary Blinken also thanked Foreign Minister Motegi for Japan’s commitment to hosting safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic games.

BEIRUT, 07 August 2021, (TON): The UN has called for a ceasefire in the flashpoint Syrian province of Daraa where it said recent fighting forced 18,000 to flee.

Fighting between government forces and armed opposition groups in the southern province last month killed at least 28 people.

The clashes have died down over the past week but were the most intense since the government seized back control of the region from rebels in 2018.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said “the escalation in hostilities has forced at least 18,000 civilians to flee Daraa Al-Balad since 28 July.”

The government attacks focused on Daraa Al-Balad, a southern district of Daraa’s provincial capital and a former opposition hub that continues to house ex-rebel fighters.

Bachelet said “there needs to be an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Daraa.”

Russian-backed Syrian troops and allied forces recaptured Daraa province from rebels in 2018, in a symbolic blow to the anti-government uprising born in its provincial capital in 2011.

COLOMBO, 07 August 2021, (TON): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay called on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena on Tuesday (August 03).”

The High Commissioner Baglay also appreciated Sri Lanka for lifting entry restrictions imposed on Indians as lifting of such restrictions would provide immense benefits for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry and the economy as a whole.

During the discussion, a joint commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Independence of India and Sri Lanka was proposed in view of celebrating the centuries old cultural values shared between the two countries.

Commemorating this milestone which consists of cultural and religious events such as Buddhist pilgrims’ programmes and more importantly bringing down sacred Buddhist relics from India to Sri Lanka, would allow the bilateral relations to flourish further.

Minister Gunawardena has underscored the government’s priority in the field of renewable energy and he invited Indian private sector investments in the sustainable energy sector in Sri Lanka. Endorsing the government’s move, High Commissioner Baglay stated that Indian investors are keen to invest in the renewable energy sector, especially in solar energy.

THIMPHU, 07 August 2021, (TON): The chairman of the Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority (MHPA), Economic Affairs Minister Loknath Sharma received the Brunel Medal.

The Brunel Medal is an award given by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), London to recognise excellence in civil engineering, showcasing excellence in skills, research and innovation.        

India’s Ambassador to Bhutan, Ruchira Kamboj handed over the award to the minister in presence of heads of the project and Druk Green Power Corporation, and other guests during a ceremony.

The project was a collaborative project between Bhutan and India to accelerate hydropower development in the region.

With the completion of MHP, the jointly created generation capacity in Bhutan reached 2,326MW.

NEW YORK, 07 August 2021, (TON): Two Myanmar citizens have been arrested in New York state for plotting with an arms dealer in Thailand, who sells weapons to the Burmese military to kill or injure Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations.

The US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York said that Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and Ye Hein Zaw, 20, had each been charged with one count of conspiracy to assault and make a violent attack upon a foreign official, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who represents Myanmar’s elected civilian government which was overthrown by the military in February. A threat had been made against him and US authorities had stepped up his security.

The ambassador did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges. Myanmar’s junta fired him in February, after he appealed for the international community “to use any means necessary” to take action against the Myanmar military which seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

For now, however, he remains the country’s UN envoy because the UN has not acknowledged the junta.

According to the legal complaint, Phyo Hein Htut told media investigators that the arms dealer in Thailand had contacted him online and offered him money to hire attackers to hurt the ambassador and force him to step down.

KATHMANDU, 07 August 2021, (TON): A taskforce has been formed to review the working journalists; minimum wage.

The taskforce coordinated by Department of Information and Broadcasting Director General Gogan Bahadur Hamal comprises Gopal Tiwari, Ujir Magar, and a representative each from the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and Association of Nepal Media Entrepreneurs.

Tiwari is a member of the Minimum Wage Fixation Committee while Magar is the former general secretary of the FNJ.

A meeting of the Committee held agreed to form a body to review the minimum wages provision for working journalists, said Committee chair Rajendra Aryal. It is said the minimum wages could not be reviewed since 2075 BS.