LADAKH, 24 January, 2021, (TON): Indian and Chinese armies on Sunday held ninth round of Corps Commander-level talks after a gap of over two-and-half months with an aim to move forward on disengagement of troops from all friction points in eastern Ladakh, Indian media reported.

The talks held at Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The Indian delegation at talks is being led by Lt Gen PGK Menon, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.

The eighth and last round of military talks took place on November 6 at Chushul during which both sides broadly discussed disengagement of troops from specific friction points.

The region has been a sore spot in India-China relations since the 1962 Sino-Indian war, from which the current LAC was drawn.

During the last two rounds of talks, China insisted that India vacate the hilltops it has occupied near Chushul, and on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso lake, through which the LAC runs. Whereas, India has insisted on a resolution that covers the entire region.

On June 15, 2020 two nuclear powers China and India were on the brink of a fight over their disputed border. The incident was followed by rising tensions and was the first deadly clash in the border area in at least 45 years.

India has accused China of sending thousands of troops into Ladakh's Galwan valley and says China occupies 38,000sq km (14,700sq miles) of its territory. Several rounds of talks in the last three decades have failed to resolve the boundary disputes.

The two countries have fought only one war so far, in 1962, when India suffered a humiliating defeat.

TEHRAN, 24 January, 2021, (TON): A senior Iranian diplomat says the Islamic Republic of Iran has had no contact with the administration of new U.S. President Joe Biden, stressing that any possible talks could only be held within the "right format” of a 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement signed between Tehran and major world powers.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi said in an interview to newspaper that "Currently, we are not interested in making any direct contact and we think that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the right format, and [any possible] talks should be conducted in that framework.”

Iran has “realistic” demands from Biden’s administration, which are the lifting of sanctions by Washington and its returning to the nuclear deal he added, according to the Press TV.

"I don’t see other alternatives. We have negotiated in good faith and implemented the JCPOA in good faith. It is now up to the new administration to correct the mistakes of their predecessors. The U.S. is the party that has abandoned the agreement: it is up to them to decide what to do,” he said.

To re-enter the agreement they must remove all the sanctions they have imposed on Iran, Araqchi said. "We are ready to fulfill all our commitments as per the JCPOA provided that the Americans live up to their obligations and lift sanctions.”

In response to a question about efforts by the European signatories to the nuclear deal – Britain, France and Germany – to include non-nuclear issues in the JCPOA, he said, "There will be no JCPOA plus, there will not be another agreement, there will not be new negotiations on the JCPOA.”

He also rejected calls for inclusion of Iran’s missile power in any talks.

The Iranian diplomat said Tehran has no “particular stance” on the transfer of power in the US as it is just waiting to see how the new president intends to correct former President Donald Trump’s wrong positions.

Sanctions have been a significant component of U.S. policy towards Iran. In May 2018, the U.S. withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement under which the U.S. had relaxed its sanctions program. US re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions lifted by the accord and launched a push to fully destroy the agreement by trying to dissuade the remaining signatories from staying in the agreement, threatening sanctions against any party that refuses to cut business ties with Tehran in defiance of American sanctions.

ISTANBUL, 24 January, 2021, (TON): Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday has launched indigenous frigate Istanbul (F-515) as part of the MILGEM project, a national warship program.

Istanbul F-515 Frigate was designed with national resources, and over 75 percent of its systems are of indigenous manufacture, according to the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of Istanbul (F-515) Frigate Erdogan Turkey is among the 10 countries that can design, build, and maintain its own warship, and the country's navy will be in a "very strong position" with five major projects in the coming five years.

The 113-meter-long frigate would perform advanced air defense and surface warfare, antisubmarine warfare, and patrol activities, the presidency said.

"Turkey meets needs of friendly and allied countries as well as itself in terms of land and sea vehicles," Erdogan said, adding Ankara can overcome challenges and embargoes posed by global suppliers through its own strength.

It is expected to be delivered to Turkey's Naval Forces Command in 2023.

Within the scope of the project, which consists of building eight ships in total, Turkey had launched four frigates in recent years.

The MİLGEM project is a Turkish national warship program, the purpose of which is to build a modern littoral combat warship with indigenous anti-submarine warfare and high-seas patrol capabilities, extensively using the principles of stealth technology in its design including reconnaissance, surveillance, early warning, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare, and amphibious operations.

SANAA, 24 January, 2021, (TON): Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday announced the arrival of its delegation in Jordan's capital Amman for UN-sponsored talks with the Yemeni government on exchange of prisoners.

The new round of talks is due to begin within days, as reported by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

The office of UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and Ymeni government has made no comment yet.

Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels released about 1,056 prisoners from both sides in October 2020, which was the largest UN-sponsored exchange deal between them since the outbreak of a civil war.

The conflict in Yemen broke out in late 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north. Months later, the Saudi-UAE-led coalition launched a military intervention in a bid to restore Hadi’s government.

The UN had verified the deaths of at least 7,700 civilians by March 2020. The war has created the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world and threatens to turn into the largest famine in decades.

TEHRAN, 24 January, 2021, (TON): Iran's top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif, is set for a tour of five nations.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced on Saturday that Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif will visit five nations for talks on bilateral as well as regional issues.

Zarif's tour will start on 25^th January, Monday and cover Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey, said Khatibzadeh, according to the Ministry's website.

According to spokesman Khatibzadeh, during his tour, Zarif will meet with his counterparts and other senior officials to discuss bilateral issues, latest developments in the Caucasus region, joint projects as well as peace and stability in the region.

TAIPEI, 24 January, 2021, (TON): Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Saturday that eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets entered the southwestern corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, Taiwan’s air force deployed missiles to “monitor” the incursion.

Taiwan’s air force warned away the Chinese aircraft, the defence ministry said.

In a statement issued by the Ministry said “Airborne alert sorties had been tasked, radio warnings issued, and air defence missile systems deployed to monitor the activity.”

The presence of so many Chinese combat aircraft on this mission - Taiwan said it was made up of eight nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and four J-16 fighter jets - was unusual.

A map provided by Taiwan’s defense ministry showed that the Chinese aircraft, including a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew over the same waters where the most recent Chinese missions have been taking place near the Pratas Islands, though still well away from mainland Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan and reaffirmed its commitment to the island and desire to deepen ties.

The US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement, “We will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defence capability.”

There were no immediate comments from China. However, China in past says that it has been carrying out exercises to defend its sovereignty and security.

In recent months China conducted almost daily flights over the waters between the southern part of Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea.

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country again but Taiwan's leaders say it is clearly much more than a province, arguing that it is a sovereign state. The dispute with China has left relations frayed with a constant threat of a violent flare up.

MOSCOW, 24 January, 2021, (TON): The Russian Foreign Ministry blamed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for interference in opposition rallies in Russia, saying these are the country's domestic affairs.

The U.S. Embassy has shown disregard for diplomatic rules and regulations by actively posting messages on social media in support of unsanctioned protests in Russian cities, the ministry said in a statement.

"We are talking about encouraging violent actions, hypocritically declared as peaceful protests, in which the organizers cynically involved even minors," the statement said.

Attempts by U.S. diplomats to incite radical actions are doomed to failure and will have negative consequences for Moscow-Washington relations, it added.

The ministry made the remarks after activists staged protests in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a number of Russian cities earlier in the day.

According to the Moscow branch of the Russian Interior Ministry about 4,000 people participated in the rally at Pushkin Square near the Kremlin. Police detained several protestors and warned to immediately suppress the demonstrations.

TRIPOLI, 24 January, 2021, (TON): The co-chairs of the International Follow-Up Committee for Libya Security Working Group (SWG), reiterated on Saturday their full and continued commitment to the implementation of the Libyan ceasefire agreement.

SWG was represented by the African Union, France, Italy, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

"They reiterated their commitment to facilitating the work of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), through enhanced cooperation and their continued support to the political process," the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) who represents the working group said in a statement.

According to UNMSMIL the participants reiterated their full and continued commitment to the implementation of the 23 October 2020 ceasefire agreement as the deadline set draws near for the departure of all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya.

The Libyan Civil War is an ongoing multi-sided civil war from 2014 in the North African country of Libya fought between different armed groups, since then Libya has been shaken by violence. The country has been dominated by armed groups, divided by local conflicts between two sides: the UN-run Tripoli Government of National Accord (GNA) and a rival administration in the east of the Haftar-affiliated nation.

Permanent ceasefire agreement was signed by the Libyan 5+5 joint commission on 23 October, 2020, in Geneva which includes the implementation of the withdrawal of foreign troops from contact lines, exchanging all prisoners between the rival parties, remove landmines in cooperation with the UN teams and the General Intelligence Service, combat hate speech.

MOSCOW, 23 January, 2021 (TON): Police detained several protestors and warned to immediately suppress the demonstrations in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Protests in support of the jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny kicked off in Khabarovsk, the southeastern Russian city on Saturday.

After the rallies got underway, several dozen demonstrators were detained shortly, Navalny’s Headquarters reported.

The protests began first at Khabarovsk, but marches are planned in more than 90 cities throughout Russia on Saturday.

The rallies are going ahead despite police warning to be suppressed.

The protestors are demanding the release of Navalny, who got arrested on his return to Russia from Germany following a near fatal poisoning with a nerve agent and handed a 30 day jail sentence for violating the terms of suspended sentence in 2014 on fraud charges.

The 44 year old says the charges are politically motivated.

The US, the European Union, France and Canada have urged his release. EU has also imposed sanctions.

The protests in Khabarovsk are also focused on the arrest of the city's popular former governor, Sergei Furgal.

MOGADISHU, 23 January, 2021 (TON): Working as a part of peacekeeping force, the Somalia soldiers killed 189 armed group fighters in an attack on one of their camps.

In Somalia, the Ugandan troops are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission, whose aim is to support the central government and stop the efforts of toppling the government.

In Sigaale, Adimole and Kayitoy, the soldiers have raided the hideouts in the villages just over 100km (62 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu, said the Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF) in a statement.

He added, the forces put out of action 189 fighters and destroyed a number of military hardware and items used in the attacks.

In response to the raid by the UPDF, no comment was reported from the other party.

Until 2011, the group aimed to topple Somalia’s government and impose its own interpretation of laws and controlled most of south-central Somalia when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African Union troops. Major gun and bomb attacks are still carried out by rebels in the region despite the loss of territory.

Uganda was the first country to send peacekeeping forces to Somalia.