MELBOURNE, 17 February, 2021, (TON): Serena Williams entered in another semifinal, so close yet again to No. 24. At the age of 39 she desired to beat best players of the world, at a time when most of her opponents are long gone from high-level professional tennis.

On 16 February 2021 in Melbourne, Serena Williams beat Simona Halep during their women singles quarterfinal match and she celebrated her victory.

After beating No. 2-ranked Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 in a quarterfinal match that finished while most Americans were still asleep Tuesday morning in the U.S.

Williams stated that “I’m here, and I’m happy to be here, I gotta keep going. “Obviously, I have an incredible opponent to play and it’ll be nice to hopefully keep raising the level of my game. I’m going to have to.”

She hasn’t lost since a Fed Cup match in Spain last February that hardly anyone watched or remembers Out of fairness to Williams, adding more that she is an underdog to Osaka, who arrives at the semifinals on a 19-match winning streak. Since the U.S. Open last falls, Osaka has had that aura around her like Williams used to, where it just seems like she has a gear in the big matches that her opponents don’t.

COLOMBO, 17 February 2021, (TON): Sri Lanka's Election Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa was highly critical about the reports that India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to set up a political unit in Sri Lanka. He made it clear saying Sri Lanka's electoral law does not permit such an arrangement.
Last week, while addressing the party workers at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala, Biplab Deb reveled BJP associated Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has plans of forming government in several states and now have plans to topple neighbouring governments and establish governments in Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Meanwhile, BJP leadership is divided over the statement of Indian Home Minister’s satatement as some leaders are saying that the statement is challenging Indian Foreign Policy.

Indian expansion designs have also been witnessed for Katchatheevu which belongs to Sri Lanka and India wants to incorporate into Indian Union.

NEW YORK, 17 February, 2021, (TON): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for stable and predictable funding for peacekeeping in the Sahel.

In a pre-recorded video message for the G5 Sahel Summit held in N'Djamena, Chad, Guterres said that African peace support and counter-terrorism operations must receive a mandate by the UN Security Council and sustained financing.

The G5 Sahel, which groups Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, has a key role to play in addressing the dire security and humanitarian situation in the region. In this context, the G5 Sahel Joint Force must have stable and predictable funding, he said.

There are more than 2 million displaced persons and millions of others are facing acute food insecurity. This is all in the context of a major climate crisis. COVID-19 has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities, including economic and health challenges, and has pushed more than 6 million people into extreme poverty, he noted.

“Beyond the security response alone, development, the rule of law and good governance are the cornerstones of stability in the region. Governments must regain the confidence of their citizens, and we are determined to support all efforts towards that end,” he said.

“The multidimensional and interrelated nature of the many challenges makes it necessary to address the root causes of conflict,” he added.

In the Sahel, armed violence, food shortages, the weak presence or complete absence of public authorities and the economic crisis have led to more than a million people being displaced, while others have decided to join armed groups.

BRUSSELS, 17 February, 2021, (TON): China became the main trade partner of the European Union (EU) in 2020, with exports and imports both increasing despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Eurostat said on Monday.

According to Eurostat, the EU's statistical service, the bloc's imports from China throughout the year 2020 grew by 5.6 percent year-on-year to 383.5 billion euros (465 billion U.S. dollars), and exports grew by 2.2 percent to 202.5 billion euros.

At the same time, the trade in goods with the United States, which had topped the EU's trade partners list until early 2020, saw substantial decline in both ways.

The EU also witnessed higher trade volume with the rest of the world in December 2020, up by 6.6 billion euros from the same month in 2019, a first year-on-year increase since it was hit by the pandemic.

The single market suffered a decrease of 9.4 percent in exports of goods and 11.6 percent decrease in imports in 2020. With industries largely affected by the containment measures last year, energy recorded by far the sharpest drop among all sectors, followed by food and drink, raw materials and chemicals.

The Eurostat release on Monday coincide with China's official data published in mid-January, which showed the trade with the EU grew by 5.3 percent to 4495.77 billion yuan, or nearly 600 billion euros, in 2020.

While China's total goods imports and exports expanded 1.9 percent year on year to 32.16 trillion yuan (about 5 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2020, hitting a record high, the surge in trade with the EU was more than double the average growth rate.

Trade between China and the EU was worth $709bn (€586bn, £511bn) last year, compared with $671bn worth of imports and exports from the US.

In the last decade, a unique widening and deepening of bilateral economic relations between the EU and China were witnessed. The EU is China's largest trading partner and China was the only major global economy to see growth in 2020.

SRINAGAR, 17 February, 2021, (TON): In India illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir selected delegation of 24-members of envoys and ambassadors of European Union (EU) and other foreign countries arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday to assess the ground situation of the region by meeting with local civil society groups, political leaders and students.

EU Ambassador Ugo Astuto is leading the delegation.

The delegation will visit places outside Srinagar and interact with students at a government college in Magam area of central Kashmir's Budgam, according to Indian media.

No senior regional party leader is meeting the visiting envoys.

All shops and other business establishments are closed while traffic is off the roads in Srinagar and other areas of the Kashmir Valley.

Call for the strike has been given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, which is supported by all pro-freedom leaders and organizations to remind the international community of its legal and moral responsibilities regarding resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Hurriyat leaders and organizations in their separate statements said the Indian government has conducted these kinds of sponsored visits in the past too but it has miserably failed in its attempts to mislead the international community. They said New Delhi’s false narrative on Jammu and Kashmir finds no takers at international level as the civilized world knows as how brazenly the BJP government has violated the international humanitarian laws by holding millions of Kashmir hostage for the past several months.

This is the third visit by foreign diplomats to IIOJK since the government’s decision to amend Article 370 and divide the State into two Union Territories (Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh) on August 5, 2019.

Modi government has planned to show normalcy in IIOJK by moving many bunkers from various parts of Srinagar city.

Officials said that at least five bunkers were removed from Srinagar areas of which two were lifted from Lal Chowk.

After the revocation of Kashmir’s special status, Indian media and officials have repeatedly insisted that Kashmir is “limping” back to normalcy. Currently, there are more than half a million Indian soldiers stationed in Kashmir. Many Indian army camps are located adjacent to residential areas and, in some cases, entire villages are surrounded. Cordon and search operations are a regular occurred in IIOJK. However, these visits are tightly controlled and leave little room for making an independent judgement of the situation.

NEW YORK, 17 February, 2021, (TON): The top UN envoy for Iraq on Tuesday, February 16, warned about the fragility of Iraq's economy despite recent increases in oil revenues.

Iraq continues to experience acute financial and economic difficulties, as reflected by the exceptional devaluation of the Iraqi dinar by over 20 percent in late December, said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN secretary-general's special representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq.

A nearly 40 percent increase in oil revenues since November 2020 has eased the liquidity crisis, providing some breathing room for the government. Now, the projected continued increase in oil prices is expected to allow the government to move forward on pressing matters such as public service delivery and civil servant salaries, she added.

But unfortunately, little progress has been made on the implementation of much-needed reform measures as described in last year's economic white paper. It, therefore, bears repeating that Iraq can afford neither continued dependence on resource extraction, nor the excessive burden of an outsized public sector, she told the Security Council in a briefing.

The fight against economic and political corruption, the promotion of robust governance, transparency and accountability, must all be the watchwords accompanying such reform, she added.

"As I have consistently pointed out in the past, numerous opportunities for meaningful and necessary reforms have been wasted since 2003. And it is past time to prioritize sustainable economic diversification, as well as the development of a value-adding, employment-generating private sector," she said.

"I repeat: a dependence on volatile commodity prices is no strategy at all, and ultimately, can only backfire," the UN envoy said.

Nearly two decades after the 2003 war, Iraq finds itself at a crossroads: caught in a fragility trap and faced with increasing instability and multiple crises, Iraq is projected to have the worst annual GDP growth performance since the fall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

However, Iraq’s oil wealth allowed the country to obtain upper income status, while in many ways the country’s economic outcomes resembled a low-income fragile country.

WELLINGTON, 17 February, 2021, (TON): New Zealand has announced its withdrawl of New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) to Afghanistan by May 2021, concluding a 20-year deployment that was the country’s longest-running one.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday in statement that "after 20 years of a NZDF presence in Afghanistan, it is now time to conclude our deployment,"

"The deployments to Afghanistan have been one of the longest running in our history, and I wish to acknowledge the 10 New Zealanders who lost their lives in the line of duty, and the more than 3,500 NZDF and other agency personnel, whose commitment to replace conflict with peace will always be remembered," Ardern said.

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said that although the environment remains complex, the intra-Afghan peace process affords Afghanistan the best prospect of an enduring political solution.

"New Zealand's decision to conclude its deployment to Afghanistan in 2021 has been discussed with our key partners, with whom we have cooperated closely over the last 20 years," Mahuta said.

Defense Minister Peeni Henare said the current deployment consists of six NZDF personnel - three deployed to the Afghanistan National Army Officer Academy and three deployed to the NATO Resolute Support Mission Headquarters.

New Zealand has had a military contribution in Afghanistan since 2001 and had deployed more than 3,500 defence and other agency personnel to the country since the US-led invasion in 2001.

The deployment at present comprises only six New Zealand Defence Force personnel, three at the Afghanistan National Army Office Academy and three with the Nato Resolute Support Mission Headquarters. Personnel numbers have decreased from 13 to six since June 2019. 

CAIRO, 17 February, 2021, (TON): Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Aboul-Gheit and the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, discussed the latest political developments in Palestinian cause.

According to the statement by AL, Aboul-Gheit and the new UN envoy exchanged views during a phone conversation on the recent developments in Palestine and Israel in light of the major upcoming elections in next month.

Legislative elections in Palestine are to be held on May 22^nd, followed by presidential elections on July 31^st, while Israel will hold parliamentary elections on March 23^rd.

The Arab League chief Aboul-Gheit briefed the UN official on the outcomes of the recent meeting of Arab foreign ministers and affirmed that the Arab foreign ministers meeting has renewed Arab consensus on the determinants of the peace process and the two-state solution.

During their emergency meeting on February 8th, the Arab foreign ministers affirmed that the Palestinian issue is central to all Arab countries, while expressing their support to the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, Aboul Gheit highlighted the importance of the recent Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo, and the agreement to hold elections, pointing out that this path is fully supported by the Arab League.

He noted that achieving national reconciliation and renewing Palestinian legitimacy will strengthen the Palestinian stance in any future peace negotiations with Israel.

The AL chief also appreciated the UN envoy's condemnation of the Israeli settlement expansion which he said will eliminate the chance of achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The AL Secretary-General praised Wennesland's condemnations of the Israeli settlement expansion that destroys the chances of achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world’s longest-running and most controversial conflicts. Israel’s Occupation of the Palestinian Territory (OPT) has permeated into every facet of everyday life for the 4.8 million Palestinians living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. The burden of the conflict and the ongoing occupation are causing debilitating hardship for Palestinians.

NEW DELHI, 17 February, 2021, (TON): At least 46 people have been killed and several others are missing on Tuesday, February 16^th at the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Around 60 people were on board when the bus veered off a bridge and fell into the canal.

According to officials seven passengers, including the driver, managed to swim to the shore. Rescue teams are looking for the remaining passengers.

The state government has ordered an inquiry into the accident.

According to the eyewitnesses the driver of the bus lost control over his vehicle and the bus hit the boundary where it submerged completely in Sharda canal.

Authorities have stopped the water to the canal from the nearby Bansagar dam in order to help the rescue efforts.

According to officials a team of disaster response force personnel was rushed to the spot and the bus was taken out of the canal with the help of a crane.

Bus was heading to adjacent Satna district from Sidhi town when it fell into the canal.

Preliminary investigations carried out by the police revealed the 32-seater vehicle had 54 passengers inside it at the time of the accident.

The local government has ordered a probe into the accident.

According to federal Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, every day 415 people die in the country due to road accidents.

There has been an alarming increase in accidental deaths on Indian roads in traffic accidents over the years with nearly 140,000 deaths annually.

Bad condition of roads in India and reckless driving are the main cause of most road accidents.

CAPE TOWN, 16 February 2021, (TON): South Africa has announced that it wants to return the one million COVID-19 vaccine doses it has received from Serum Institute of India as it would put on hold use of AstraZeneca’s shot in its vaccination program. The African country, which is yet to launch its Covid-19 vaccination programme, has decided to start vaccinating health workers with Johnson & Johnson's vaccine in the form of an "implementation study" with researchers. However, details behind South African move could not be confirmed by TON through independent sources.

Serum Institute in India said regarding its product AstraZeneca, being used against COVID-19 infections vaccination that “its vaccine appeared to offer only limited protection against mild disease caused by the South African variant, based on data from a study by South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University.”

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, on 25 January 2021 confirmed his country will soon receive its first consignment of COVID-19 vaccines from the Serum Institute in India. He wrote in the weekly column, “It will reach all parts of the country and will be phased to ensure that those most in need are prioritized.” Sharing the details, he wrote, “first vaccines to arrive will be provided to healthcare workers. The second phase will include essential workers, teachers, the elderly and those with comorbidities while the third phase will include other adults in the population.”

South Africa coordinated with COVAX facility and the African Union’s Vaccine Acquisition Task Team as part of the collective effort to secure vaccines for the world’s low- and middle-income countries. It was revealed that South Africa   will be have to pay just over $5 per dose.

Meanwhile, New Delhi has expressed serious concern over South African rejection of AstraZeneca, which is product of Serum Institute of India. The company provided one million doses of the vaccine to South Africa last week and another 500,000 were due to arrive in the next few weeks. Sources in Indian Health Ministry said that the agreement between the two countries cannot be undone.

South Africa’s Health Minister is quoted to have said the South African government may sell doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, after the country paused its rollout following a small clinical trial that showed the shot offered minimal protection against mild to moderate illness from the 501Y.V2 coronavirus variant dominant in the country.

South Africa claims to have the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections on the continent with 1.4 million cases and 41,000 deaths recorded till now. However, positive cases including deaths were mostly of those who were already sick due to multiple diseases and were under medical treatments.  Many also included renown for oppositions and in negative lists with the South African government.