NAYPYITAW, 17 July 2021, (TON):  Japanese business entities should stop their participation in a commercial real estate project involving Myanmar’s abusive military, Human Rights Now, Human Rights Watch, Japan International Volunteer Center, Justice For Myanmar, and Mekong Watch said today.

The proposed Y-Complex in Yangon is being constructed on land leased from the country’s armed forces, the Tatmadaw, whose long record of abuses has worsened since the February 1, 2021, military coup.

One participating company, Tokyo Tatemono, stated that they have suspended operation of the Y-Complex project since the coup. However, project participants, including publicly-funded Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development (JOIN), Fujita Corporation, and Tokyo Tatemono, have not publicly disclosed the duration of the suspension or the conditions for resuming operations.

“The Japanese government and businesses failed to appropriately assess the risk associated with doing business in Myanmar,” said Ryutaro Ogawa, Vice Secretary General at Human Rights Now.

They should admit their own shortcomings and act responsibly, otherwise, they will risk financing the military.

The Y-Complex, which includes a shopping mall, hotel, and office rental space, is being built on “military-owned Military Museum land” leased by Myanmar’s Quartermaster General’s office, according to a copy of the Build, Operate, Transfer (B.O.T) Land Lease Agreement” dated October 15, 2013.

WASHINGTON, 17 July 2021, (TON): President Biden will pick a former ambassador to France, Jane Hartley, as his ambassador to Britain.

A White House spokesperson declined to confirm the nomination to The Hill and said nothing is final until it is announced.

The Post cited two people in the know about the decision. Among the positions that a president chooses, the ambassadorships in London and Paris are considered two of the most prestigious.

The news outlet noted the British ambassador position is considered more important due to the close diplomatic, military and historical relationship between the two countries.

The ambassadorship is usually one of the first to be announced and is often given to an important donor or close friend of the president’s, but the news outlet reported that the president had difficulty finding the right candidate for the job and had considered former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg for the role.

The Post noted that some close to the president are surprised by his decision to nominate Hartley but also acknowledged that she remained a loyal donor to Biden even when his campaign was struggling.

KATHMANDU, 17 July 2021, (TON): Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma is planning to issue a White Paper including the latest economic status of the country.

In a press meet, organized at the ministry, the newly appointed Minister shared that he was studying the latest economic activities and status of the country and it will be made public as it was through the White Paper.

Finance Minister also opined to include future economic plans and policies of the new government.

On another note, he said that the budget of the fiscal year 2021/22 would be presented in the Parliament and the House will take the decision to this regard.

The Minister also said that he was consulting with concerned officials for daily activities to be carried out by the Ministry stating how it could be centred to the public benefit.

MINSK, 17 July 2021, (TON): In response to office raids and the arrests of dozens of human rights defenders and activists across Belarus, Freedom House issued the following statement:

Marc Behrendt, director of Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House said “we strongly condemn the continuing attempts to use force to destroy independent civil society in Belarus,”

Determined to stifle all types of dissent, the regime continues to terrorize the nation by targeting its bravest citizens who, despite the high risk of political persecution, remain committed to serving Belarusians and improving their country. We demand that Belarusian authorities immediately put an end to this assault and release all human rights defenders and activists, and we call on the international community to take joint action in support of Belarusian civil society.

On July 14, Belarusian security forces raided at least 21 civil society organizations, searching houses, seizing documents, and arresting dozens of leading human rights defenders and activists.

A day earlier, during his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Alyaksandr Lukashenka threatened nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as foreign media outlets, claiming that they engaged in “terror” under the guise of spreading democracy.

MALE, 17 July 2021, (TON): Maldives Meteorological Services (Met Office) has issued a white alert for swell waves from Haa Alifu Atoll to Laamu Atoll.

The white alert will be in place from 16:15 hours to 20:00 hours. The Office also advised citizens to remain alert regarding the threat of sea swells.

While the Maldives is currently experiencing high tides nationwide, the capital Male’ City has been experiencing swell waves almost every day at its east side, from King Salman Mosque to all the way near the Bridge View. The swell waves were especially bad during the daytime, causing the area to remain flooded until late at night.

KABUL, 17 July 2021, (TON): The 41-year-old, who was chief photographer for Reuters news agency in India, was on assignment when he died.

According to reports “he was embedded with a convoy of Afghan forces that was ambushed by Taliban militants near a key border post with Pakistan.”

It is unclear how many others died in the attack.

Afghanistan's ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, said “he was deeply disturbed by the news of the killing of a friend.”

Based out of Mumbai, Siddiqui worked with Reuters for more than a decade.

In 2018, he won the Pulitzer Prize in feature photography. He won it alongside colleague Adnan Abidi and five others for their work documenting the violence faced by Myanmar's minority Rohingya community.

Recently, his photos of mass funerals held at the peak of India's devastating second wave went viral and won him global praise and recognition.

Siddiqui was covering the clashes in Kandahar region, as the US withdraws its forces from Afghanistan ahead of an 11 September deadline set by President Joe Biden.

 ISLAMABAD, 17 July 2021, (TON): Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States and Uzbekistan formed a new diplomatic platform to support peace and stability in Afghanistan and foster regional trade and business ties, the State Department said on Friday as US troops continue their planned withdrawal from the war-torn country.

It said in a statement "the parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity are mutually reinforcing,"

Pakistan's Foreign Office, in a statement, said that all four countries agreed in principle to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity.

It added “the parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity and mutually reinforcing.”

The statement said “recognising the historic opportunity to open flourishing international trade routes, the parties intend to cooperate to expand trade, build transit links and strengthen business-to-business ties.”

The statement further said that the parties agreed to meet in the coming months to determine the modalities of this cooperation with mutual consensus.

Ankara, 17 July 2021, (TON): A Turkish boat opened fire on a Cyprus Coast Guard ship in the Tilliria region in the northwest of the island.

Police said that at about 03:30 local time, a small ship with three members of the naval police crew was spotted by a Turkish boat while on regular patrols to combat illegal immigration. It was 11 nautical miles from the port of Kato Pyrgos.

The Turkish Coast Guard pursued the Cypriot vessel and opened fire in intimidation, firing four warning shots.

Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation RIK added that the Turkish ship continued to pursue the Cypriot boat almost to the port entrance.

According to the representative of the Ministry of Defense Christos Pieris, this is not an easy incident.

According to him, “the case is being investigated and the operations center of the National Guard is collecting information so that the competent ministry can take action.”

ISLAMABAD, 17 July 2021, (TON): Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that amid rising violence in Afghanistan as the Taliban rapidly advancing soon after the US forces' pullout, Pakistan said that it would host an exclusive conference on the crisis being faced by the war-torn country.

The development came after Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

Taking to Twitter, Fawad said that important members of Afghan leadership including Karzai have been invited to the conference, adding that further details about the event would be unveiled soon.

The information minister added "we hope that this important development will give rise to new hopes for a solution to Afghanistan's problems."

As Afghanistan is fast descending into chaos, Pakistan, worried about the fallout of another civil war, is reaching out to key regional players in the hope of reaching a consensus to prevent another disaster in the war-torn country.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, earlier in the day, held conversations with Chinese and Russian counterparts over the crisis which has engulfed the neighbouring country.

MALE, 17 July 2021, (TON): President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and China’s President Xi Jinping has discussed mutual areas of interest over a telephone call.

Following the call, President Solih noted that the conversation would provide further momentum and guidance to the ongoing substantive corporation between both countries.

Maldives and China will mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year.

During the call, President Solih congratulated President Xi and the Communist Party of China (CPC) on the CPC's centenary on July 1 – noting that CPC has evolved into a voice for equality, prosperity and increased international cooperation under the leadership of President Xi.

President Xi also congratulated the recent election of Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid as the 76th President of the United Nations General Assembly.