WASHINGTON, 18 July 2021, (TON): A small portion of the thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government will be flown directly to the U.S., while a larger group will be evacuated to third countries or military bases overseas where their visa paperwork will be reviewed.

As U.S. troops leave the country, the Biden administration has come under growing pressure from lawmakers, veterans groups and refugee rights organizations to take action to protect Afghans who face retaliation from the Taliban for their work as interpreters or in other jobs for U.S. troops and diplomats.

A State Department spokesperson and two Defense officials said that about 2,500 Afghans whose visa applications have cleared security vetting will be eligible for evacuation directly to a U.S. military base in the U.S., along with their family members.

The State Department spokesperson said “shortly after they arrive, once the medical check-up requirement is complete, their immigration status will be adjusted so they can be eligible for refugee resettlement benefits that will help them and their families with the resettlement process.”

The State Department spokesperson said “another 10,000 whose background checks are still pending will be flown to a U.S. military base overseas or to third countries, where they will be safely housed until their immigration processing is complete.”

LONDON, 18 July 2021, (TON): British special forces will embark on a new secret mission against Russia and China , the Times writes, citing Brigadier Mark Totten.

According to him, the special air and boat services will conduct more dangerous operations against other states. He said he will lead the future special forces of the British Marine Corps, which will help special forces in the fight against terrorism and counter mercenaries around the world. This group will include four thousand people, the newspaper said.

According to the interlocutor of the publication, special forces should focus on more complex and complex missions against Russia and China. For this they need “the knowledge and experience of real specialists”.

Totten said “and we can carry out some tasks, such as, for example, counter-terrorism activities at sea or joint operations, which are difficult and accompanied by higher risks.”

It is assumed that the special forces can work in conjunction with the British intelligence service MI6. They will monitor the military and intelligence units of Russia and China.

According to sources in the army, special forces can also train the naval forces of countries near the South China Sea to defend against China.

KABUL, 18 July 2021, (TON): Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban met in Doha for talks, as violence rages in the country with foreign forces almost entirely withdrawn.

The two sides have been meeting on and off for months in the Qatari capital, but the talks have lost momentum as the insurgents have made battlefield gains.

Several high-ranking officials, including former Afghan former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, gathered in a luxury hotel after morning prayers.

They were joined by negotiators from the Taliban's political office in Doha.

According to a source “former president Hamid Karzai had also been due to travel to Doha but remained in Kabul.”

Najia Anwari, the spokeswoman for the Afghan government negotiating team in Doha said "the high-level delegation is here to talk to both sides, guide them and support the (government) negotiating team in terms of speeding up the talks and have progress."

TALLINN, 18 July 2021, (TON): Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said “Estonia will not send a new ambassador to Belarus, since it does not consider Alexander Lukashenko to be the legitimate president.”

The minister told the Estonian broadcasting portal ERR said “it would be extremely inappropriate, since Estonia, like Europe , does not recognize the results of the presidential elections in Belarus, which took place in August last year.”

Last week, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid signed an order on the appointment of Jaak Lensment as the new ambassador to Minsk , who is to present his credentials to Lukashenka. The term of office of the current ambassador, Merike Kokayev, should end on July 31.

According to Liimets, Estonia has four options: to act as usual, lowering the level of Estonian representation, appointing a chargé d’affaires, not hand over credentials and leave the ambassador to work in Tallinn or not take any further steps at all and continue with the reduced staff at the embassy.

ISLAMABAD, 18 July 2021, (TON): Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major General Babar Iftikhar “the Pakistan Army has deployed regular troops at all border crossings with Afghanistan and all illegal crossing points have been sealed.”

Pakistan has been building a border fence along its porous border with Afghanistan. The initiative, which started a few years earlier, is at least 88 per cent complete. The objective is to stop the infiltration of terrorist elements from Afghanistan and control unchecked movement.

"The recent terrorist incident has linkage with the Afghanistan situation," the ISPR DG said during an interview, adding that the act was a desperation of terrorists."

Elaborating further, the military's spokesperson said that as many as 167 terror incidents had taken place since May 1, while security forces have conducted more than 7,000 IBOs and cordon and search operations.

Maj Gen Iftikhar said "Afghanistan's own stakeholders have to decide their future. We are not guarantors to Afghanistan peace process."

Previously, paramilitary troops and levies were used to guard the border crossings with the country's eastern neighbour.

BRUSSELS, 18 July 2021, (TON): Charles Michel, President of the European Council said “the European Union will provide Armenia with financial assistance in the amount of 2.6 billion euros.”

Michel said at a joint briefing with the acting, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan “we are next to you and confirm our readiness to provide Armenia with a financial package of 2.6 billion euros to promote Armenia’s priorities – infrastructure, digital agenda, climate, transport, democratic reforms,” ??.

He announced the intention of the European Union to be more actively involved in solving the problems of the South Caucasus, to strengthen ties with the region.

Michel said “the EU wants to show involvement in the region, strengthen ties with regional countries, carry out work to prepare for the Eastern Partnership summit. According to him, the EU assists the work of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.”

On May 12-13, Azerbaijani army units entered the territory of Armenia in the Syunik and Gegharkunik regions. In this regard, Armenia applied to the CSTO, and the acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance.

On June 12, Pashinyan said that he was discussing with Moscow the issue of placing Russian border guards and international observers in the border line with Azerbaijan from east to south of Armenia.

DHAKA, 18 July 2021, (TON): Twenty Rohingya refugees who had fled Bhashan Char in Noakhali were arrested from Ichakhali Bangabandhu Economic Zone area under Jorarganj police station of Chittagong’ Mirsarai upazila.

Among the arrestees, 11 were children, five women and four men.

The arrestees are Md Abdur Rahman, 27, Setara Begum, 20, Md Sabbir 26, Sanchita begum, Rajiya Begum, 23, Nurul Karim, 20, Salma Khatun, 50, Jamal Hossain, 24, Nur Kayda, 25, Rumana, 6, Nur Fatema, 3, Md Ayaz,8, Jannat Ara, 4, Kismat Ara Begum, 2, Mariam, 8, Abul Kashem,7, Md Ayat, 4, Setara, 5, Jannat Ara,1, and Osman Gani aged eight months, reports UNB.

Jorarganj police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nur Hossain Mamun said “Ansar members in charge of the economic zone apprehended them after seeing their suspicious movements around 5:30am morning.”

He added “during preliminary interrogation, they confessed to fleeing from Bhashan Char to head for the Rohingya camps in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar.”

Ansar member Borhan Uddin has filed a case against the arrested Rohingyas. They have been sent to court.

DHAKA, 18 July 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent her beautiful gift of Bangladeshi mangoes as a goodwill gesture to Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Tareq Md Ariful Islam handed over the mangoes.

The Sri Lankan prime minister expressed his wholehearted gratitude and thanks to the Bangladesh prime minister for the gift.

He hoped that it symbolizes the fruitful relationship between the two countries.

DHAKA, 18 July 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent her beautiful gift of Bangladeshi mangoes as a goodwill gesture to Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Tareq Md Ariful Islam handed over the mangoes.

The Sri Lankan prime minister expressed his wholehearted gratitude and thanks to the Bangladesh prime minister for the gift.

He hoped that it symbolizes the fruitful relationship between the two countries.

ABU DHABI, 18 July 2021, (TON): Two OPEC sources told media that the OPEC + countries are discussing a ministerial meeting on Sunday, July 18, as the main differences between the allies have already been settled.

The meeting with a high probability will take place tomorrow. We are now awaiting official confirmation.

Answering the question whether the main issues that previously prevented the ministers from completing the consultations with agreements have been settled said, they still need to be discussed with other parties to the agreement.

Another high-ranking delegate confirmed that it was the differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE that had been settled, but did not disclose details.

According to the interlocutors, the agenda for the next OPEC + meeting will include a discussion of oil production levels until the end of this year, as well as the issue of extending the OPEC + deal until the end of 2022.

In early July, OPEC + ministers could not agree on these two issues for five days. The UAE was not happy that the agreement on the reduction of oil production is proposed to be extended after April 2022, when it expires, under the same conditions on which it is operating now.

According to the Ministry of Energy of the Emirates, the basic cut-off, from which production quotas are calculated, is not relevant for them, and does not take into account the real production capacity. Saudi Arabia rejected the opportunity to adjust this parameter on an individual basis.