NEW DELHI, 26 July 2021, (TON): Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said that India needs to closely monitor the emerging situation in Myanmar, where China is making further inroads after international sanctions were imposed on the country following the military coup in February.

Gen Rawat said “the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) of China is bound to get further impetus with the sanctions on Myanmar.”

The country’s senior-most military officer said “return of normalcy” in Myanmar would augur well for the region, especially India, because of “our historical and cultural linkages” with the country.

He said that the northeast region of India, which is connected to the rest of the country by the narrow and vulnerable Siliguri Corridor or the Chicken’s Neck, is of mmense geostrategic significance, especially in the backdrop of China having mischievously set eyes on the region.

The presence of Rohingya refugees is another “emerging areas of concern” for the region. “This could be exploited by radical Islamic groups to foment trouble and undermine peace and security in the region.”

Apart from China, there are several other security concerns for India like insurgent activity, illegal migration and drug-trafficking due to the “porous” borders in the northeast region.

WASHINGTON, 26 July 2021, (TON): U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the Afghan security forces’ first job was to make sure they could slow the Taliban’s momentum before attempting to retake territory, as Afghan forces plan to consolidate forces around strategically important parts of the country.

Afghanistan’s military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure.

“They are consolidating their forces around the key population centers,” Austin told reporters during a visit to Alaska.

Austin said “in terms of whether or not it will stop the Taliban, I think the first thing to do is to make sure that they can slow the momentum.”

Austin added that he believed the Afghans had the capability and the capacity to make progress, but “we’ll see what happens.”

The politically perilous strategy appears to be a military necessity as over-stretched Afghan troops try to prevent the loss of provincial capitals, which could deeply fracture the country.

Taliban insurgents are gaining control of more and more territory, which the Pentagon estimated on Wednesday now extends to over half of half Afghanistan’s district centers. The Taliban are also putting pressure on the outskirts of half of the provincial capitals, trying to isolate them.

KABUL, 26 July 2021, (TON): Officials said that Afghan forces have captured four Taliban fighters including a commander for carrying out this week’s rocket attack targeting the presidential palace in Kabul during the Muslim Eid al-Adha prayers.

At least three rockets landed near the palace on Tuesday as President Ashraf Ghani and his top officials performed outdoor prayers to mark the start of the Muslim holiday.

The interior ministry said “police had arrested four Taliban fighters in an operation in Kabul who were behind the attack, which was claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group.”

“A Taliban commander, Momin, along with his three other men, have been arrested. They all belong to the Taliban group.”

He said “Momin was a key organiser of the rocket attack, and the group was also involved in other attacks.”

The palace was also attacked last year as hundreds gathered for Ghani’s inauguration for a second term as president.

The Taliban have announced ceasefires during past Islamic holidays in recent years, offering respite to Afghans who can visit family in relative safety, but no such offer was made on this occasion.

The rocket attack on Tuesday came as the Taliban capitalise on the last stages of the withdrawal of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan, capturing scores of districts, border crossings and encircling several provincial capitals.

The fighting continues across the rugged countryside as peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have so far failed to reach a deal to end the war.

BEIRUT, 26 July 2021, (TON): Lebanese President Michel Aoun will hold binding parliamentary consultations to nominate a Sunni figure to form a government, with former Prime Minister Najib Mikati expected to lead the new administration.

But even if the decree to designate someone is issued on Monday, the process of forming a government is expected to present many obstacles.

In preparation for the one-day consultations, the parliamentary blocs have been meeting on Sunday to discuss who they want to nominate.

Sources say they are mostly concerned about any candidate’s ability to form a government after former Prime Minister Saad Hariri failure nine months after he was designated. Hariri’s episode followed Ambassador Mustapha Adib stepping down in September 2020, less than two months after he was designated, for failing to achieve the same goal.

Meanwhile, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has been running a government that resigned following the Aug. 4 Beirut explosion.

The politicians, who are divided by sectarianism but united by corruption, have been failing to form a government that would implement the reforms required by the international community to help Lebanon emerge from its unprecedented economic crisis.

An anti-government protester walks with a Lebanese national flag during a demonstration in downtown Beirut. The country is marred by political and economical crises. (AFP)

DHAKA, 26 July 2021, (TON): Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito has said that Japan will seize the opportunity to find a long-term and lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis with the Myanmar side, noting that the issue is very relevant to the future stability of the entire region.

He said "what we can say right now is Japan will seize the opportunity to raise this very, very important issue with the Myanmar side and its military whenever appropriate. His country will do its best to create an enabling environment for the early repatriation of Rohingyas and will continue to raise the issue with the Myanmar side.

He was responding to a question at a virtual dialogue titled Bangladesh-Japan Relations: Prognosis for the Future, where he delivered the keynote speech.

Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted the dialogue as a part of its ongoing Ambassador's Lecture Series.

The opening remarks were delivered by the Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan. The session was chaired by Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

Md Abul Kalam Azad, special envoy, Climate Vulnerable Forum; Hayakawa Yuho, chief representative, JICA Bangladesh Office; Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, former governor, Bangladesh Bank; Masaaki Ohashi, professor, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo; Manzurul Huq, columnist, writer and academic; Prof Takahara Akio, dean, Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo; and Ambassador (retd) Tariq A Karim, honorary advisor emeritus, Cosmos Foundation, comprised the panel of discussants.

Ambassador Ito said “humanitarian assistance and humanitarian crises are very much part of their vision when they talk about stability and peace of the region.”

ISLAMABAD, 26 July 2021, (TON): According to unofficial results Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the single-largest party with at least 25 out of 45 seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with nine seats came second while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) bagged six seats, Express News reported.

More than 700 candidates from 32 political and religious parties contested for the 45 general seats.

Out of the eight reserved seats, five are for women and three seats, one each for religious scholars, technocrats, and overseas Kashmiris. The members for these seats are nominated after the elections.

Of the 45 general seats, 12 seats were reserved for Kashmiri refugees who had migrated from the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1947 and 1965 and settled in various parts of Pakistan.

Therefore, in the 10 districts of AJK, elections took place on 33 seats only.

According to reports, the polling process which began at 8am had to be stopped at several polling stations after activists belonging to rival parties got into violent brawls.

ISLAMABAD, 26 July 2021, (TON): Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Barrister Shahzad Akbar Saturday said “the country has decided to thoroughly investigate the attempted Indian cyber espionage attacks on mobile phones and gadgets of government’s top officials.”

Addressing a press conference, flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Shahzad Akbar said that the officials from security agencies, FIA and Foreign Office would be included in the inquiry committee to probe into data leak of software sold by the Israeli surveillance company NSO to India.

The country would share findings of investigations with the United Nations and other international organisations. The investigation would ascertain whether the Indian cyber spy attack was successful or not. Pakistan would also take up the espionage issue at the United Nations.

 Terming it an attack on the national security and sovereignty of Pakistan, Shahzad Akbar said “this Indian act is clear breach of global norms of responsible state behaviour. Pakistan would weigh legal options to raise the issue at various fora to protect its sovereignty.

COLOMBO, 25 July 2021, (TON): The Government of New Zealand with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka has appointed Michael Edward Appleton as the first High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka based in Colombo. The New Zealand High Commission in India has so far coordinated Sri Lankan affairs.

Michael Edward Appleton said he was pleased to be the first High Commissioner to the newly established New Zealand High Commission in Sri Lanka, expanding diplomatic relations between the two countries.

President Rajapaksa commended Cuba for its support to Sri Lanka at the United Nations General Assembly.

The new envoys told the President that they are committed to developing long-term relations between Sri Lanka and their respective countries in new areas.

President Rajapaksa briefed the new ambassadors on the steps taken by the government since the outbreak of Covid and the progress made in vaccination.

The President underscored the focus on the use of organic fertilizers and the steps taken to obtain a high percentage of the country’s energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2030.

NAPLES, 25 July 2021, (TON): Italy’s Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said “energy and environment ministers from the Group of 20 rich nations have failed to agree on the wording of a key climate change commitment in their final communique.”

The G20 meeting was seen as a decisive step ahead of United Nations climate talks, known as COP 26, which takes place in 100 days’ time in Glasgow in November.

The failure to agree to common language ahead of that gathering will be seen as setback to hopes of securing a meaningful accord in Scotland.

Cingolani told reporters that ministers meeting in southern Italy could not agree on two disputed issues and that these would now have to be discussed when G20 heads of state and government hold a summit in Rome in October.

He said negotiations with China, Russia and India had proved especially difficult.

Cingolani said “one of the sticking points was phasing out coal power, which most countries wanted to achieve by 2025 but some said would be impossible for them.”

The other problem concerned the wording surrounding a 1.5-2 degree Celsius limit on global temperature increases that was set by the Paris Agreement.

MALE, 25 July 2021, (TON): The Governments of India and Maldives have signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs). The MoU will provide additional grant assistance of MVR 70 million for the implementation of HICDPs.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives Abdulla Shahid and the Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S Jaishankar signed the MoU on behalf of their respective Governments.

The MoU was signed as part of Minister Shahid’s official visit to India in his capacity as the President-elect of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The grant assistance of MVR 70 million will be used for the implantation of nine to ten HICDPs and the primary themes of the projects covered under this agreement are socio-economic development, livelihood activity, conservation of environmental and cultural heritage, empowerment of women and child welfare and skills development.

The MoU was first signed on 17 March 2019, during the official visit of then Minister of External Affairs of India late Sushma Swaraj to the Maldives.

Through MVR 85 million granted through this MoU – 12 projects are currently underway at different islands, overseen by local councils. During this visit, India had also extended a cash grant of MVR 106 million under which 18 socio-economic developmental projects are being carried out.

From the aforesaid 30 projects, 12 projects have been completed and inaugurated as well. The remaining projects are expected to be completed by the end of this year.