WASHINGTON, 18 December, 2020, (TON):  The US military has warned that its warships would be “more assertive” in responding to violations of international law, citing in particular Beijing, which it accused of having expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea.

A major new report signed by the heads of the US Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard warned the “rules-based international order is once again under assault”, and the security environment had dramatically changed since 2015.

The report said China and Russia were now “determined rivals” of the US, with China presenting “the most pressing long-term strategic threat”.

“China is the only rival with the combined economic and military potential to present a long term, comprehensive challenge to the US,” the report said.

“Our globally deployed naval forces interact with Chinese and Russian warships and aircraft daily,” the document said, noting their “growing aggressiveness” and calling China “the most pressing, long-term strategic threat”.

US ships would also “accept calculated tactical risks and adopt a more assertive posture in our day-to-day operations,” it said.

The US would also strengthen alliances and partnerships, saying the allies would “provide all-domain fires to help establish sea control and project power”.

The latest incident between the US and China naval forces took place in late August when Beijing said it had driven an American warship from the disputed Paracel archipelago.

China claims almost all of the islands of the South China Sea, territorial claims disputed by other countries in the region including Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.

The Pentagon report predicted that in the event of a conflict, both China and Russia would likely attempt to seize territory before the US and its allies could effectively respond.

To maintain strategic advantage over the Chinese navy, the US plans to modernise its naval force with smaller, more agile and even remotely piloted ships.

The biggest impact downward spiral of the US-China relations has been the growing military exercises and deployments in the South China Sea. The US has also been hardening its posture and military presence in the South China Sea (SCS), besides openly calling out China for its actions in these disputed waters.

ABUJA, 18 December, 2020, (TON):  Hundreds of schoolboys who were kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria nearly a week ago have been released, a local official said late on Thursday, prompting joy and relief for families that had been praying for the boys’ safe return.

Gunmen raided the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara town, Katsina state, on motorbikes and carried off the boys in the biggest such incident in the region in recent years.

Governor Aminu Bello Masari said in a televised interview with state channel NTA that a total of 344 boys held in the Rugu Forest in neighboring Zamfara state had been freed.

"We have recovered most of the boys. It's not all of them," he said.

In the rescue operation, security forces had cordoned off the area where the boys were being held and had been given instructions not to fire a single shot.

The boys were on their way back to Katsina state and would be medically examined and reunited with their families on Friday, Masari said.

Earlier on Thursday, protesters marched in the northwestern city of Katsina under a banner reading #BringBackOurBoys as pressure mounted on the government to improve security.

Criminal gangs operating in the northwest have killed more than 1,100 people in the first half of 2020 alone, according to rights group Amnesty International.

In the northeast, Boko Haram and its offshoot, West Africa Province, have waged a decade-long insurgency estimated to have displaced about 2 million people and killed more than 30,000.

NEW YORK, 18 December, 2020, (TON): The UN has released $36.6 million for civilians caught up in the conflict that has roiled Ethiopia’s Tigray region since early last month, in order to secure water, sanitation and lifesaving medical supplies.

Violence broke out in Tigray in early November when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched military operations targeting Tigray's ruling party.

In Ethiopia itself, $25 million will go toward the purchase of medicine and medical gear to help sick or wounded civilians, and to buy food and provide drinking water, the UN said.

In neighboring Sudan, where more than 50,000 people have fled to escape the fighting, another $10.6 million is being disbursed to help these refugees.

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, said that after six weeks of conflict, “the civilian toll is mounting. Women and children arrive in Sudan with disturbing stories of violence, deprivation and abuse. Many have not made it out.

Relief chief Lowcock has released $13 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help people inside Ethiopia, with a further $5 million allocated for refugees newly arrived in Sudan.  On top of this funding, $12 million has been released from the UN’s Humanitarian Fund in Ethiopia and $5.6 million from the UN’s Sudan Humanitarian Fund.

Women, children, older people and disabled people will be prioritized as the funding is disbursed, the UN said.

The UN’s emergency funds will help health facilities get medicines, gloves and other supplies to care for the sick and injured, and fund nutrition, drinking water and shelter. In Sudan, the funding will prioritize life-saving assistance to refugees, including shelter, health care and drinking water.

Tigray, an impoverished region of about six million people, faced formidable food security challenges before the conflict began, compounded this year by the coronavirus pandemic and the worst desert locust infestation in decades.

NEW YORK, 18 December, 2020, (TON): A Chinese UN envoy said on Thursday that Afghanistan's future arrangements should be broadly representative and inclusive.

"In our view, Afghanistan's future arrangements should be broadly representative and inclusive, so that all parties, ethnic groups, and religious sects in Afghanistan can participate on equal footing and share state power," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council meeting on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

"The international community should fully respect the will of the Afghan people, and ensure the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned negotiation process," said the envoy.

"No external forces should be allowed to impose their will or seek gains," Geng added.

Noting that the Afghan peace and reconciliation process "has now entered a period crucial to its future," Geng said that "China welcomes the first intra-Afghan negotiations launched in Doha on Sept. 12 and congratulates both sides on reaching an agreement on the rules and procedures for negotiations a few days ago."

"The next stage of negotiation will feature substantive discussions with a higher level of difficulty. Both sides need to show more political wisdom and resolve. The international community needs to increase its attention and input," Geng stressed.

"History has proven time and again that the Afghan issue can only be resolved by political means," said the envoy.

He underscored that the use of force will only plunge the country deeper into war.

Talking about the security situation, Geng said that violence in Afghanistan "remains unrelenting."

"The international community should continue to support the Afghan security forces in strengthening capacity building, combating terrorism, protecting civilians and improving the security situation," said Geng.

"China calls on all parties in Afghanistan to respond positively to secretary-general's call for global ceasefire and stop the violence and hostilities without delay," the ambassador said.

The Security Council on Thursday convened its quarterly meeting on Afghanistan via video conference.

After years of waiting, the Taliban and Afghans engaged in negotiations that started in Doha, Qatar, on September 12. These intra-Afghan negotiations could result in the possible end of decades-long conflict in which tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and displaced.

LONDON, 18 December, 2020, (TON):  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has underlined the post-Brexit trade negotiations between Britain and the European Union (EU) were now "in a serious situation," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

"The Prime Minister underlined that the negotiations were now in a serious situation. Time was very short and it now looked very likely that an agreement would not be reached unless the EU position changed substantially," said the spokesperson in a statement issued after a phone call between Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday.

Britain was "making every effort to accommodate reasonable EU requests on the level playing field, but even though the gap had narrowed some fundamental areas remained difficult," said the statement.

"On fisheries he (Johnson) stressed that the UK could not accept a situation where it was the only sovereign country in the world not to be able to control access to its own waters for an extended period and to be faced with fisheries quotas which hugely disadvantaged its own industry," said the statement.

"The EU's position in this area was simply not reasonable and if there was to be an agreement it needed to shift significantly," it added.

The prime minister repeated that little time was left and "if no agreement could be reached, the UK and the EU would part as friends, with the UK trading with the EU on Australian-style terms," said the statement. Australia trades with the EU largely on the World Trade Organization (WTO) terms.

"The leaders agreed to remain in close contact, said the statement.

For her part, von der Leyen said on Twitter that the EU "welcomed substantial progress on many issues. However, big differences remain to be bridged, in particular on fisheries. Bridging them will be very challenging."

"Negotiations will continue tomorrow," she said.

Earlier, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said on Thursday that the British government "will be doing everything" to secure a good post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.

However, Gove reaffirmed that Britain would walk away if a trade deal was not "in the best interests of our country".

The British and EU leaders have previously said significant differences remained between the two sides on three critical issues: level playing field, governance and fisheries.

Both sides have called on the other to shift position to try to safeguard almost a trillion dollar worth of trade from tariffs and quotas when a so-called transition period ends on Dec. 31.

Since Britain left the EU in January, the talks have been largely hamstrung over two issues - the bloc’s fishing rights in British waters and on creating a so-called level playing field providing fair competition rules for both sides.

EU powers are concerned Britain wants the best of both worlds - preferential access to lucrative EU markets, with the advantage of setting its own rules.

ISLAMABAD, 17 December 2020: Renowned Fast Bowler Muhammad Amir 28-year-old has retired from international cricket, confirms PCB.

According to a press release by Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday says, ‘’Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Wasim Khan spoke with Mohammad Amir this afternoon following reports that the fast bowler had announced his retirement from international cricket.’’

‘‘The 28-year-old confirmed to the PCB chief executive that he has no desires or intensions of playing international cricket and as such, he should not be considered for future international matches,’’ confirms the statement.

‘’This is a personal decision of Mohammad Amir, which the PCB respects, and as such, will not make any further comment on this matter at this stage,’’ PCB statement added.

Initially, earlier today, Amir had released a video message announcing his retirement from international cricket. Reacting to the media reports, PCB confirmed his retirement.

The fast bowler said in a video message that he was being "mentally tortured" by the PCB management. Referring to the current environment at the PCB, he said, the way he was sidelined from the 35-member squad for the New Zealand tour was a "wake up call" for him.

"I have seen a lot of torture between 2010 and 2015 when I was away from cricket, whatever happened and the punishment that I served," he said.

"Why would anyone not want to play for his country?" he questioned

NEW DELHI, 17 December 2020. (TON): The Supreme Court on Thursday, 17 December 2020, pronounced that it will not interfere with farmers' protests against the three contentious laws, noting that the "right to protest is part of a fundamental right and can, as a matter of fact, be exercised subject to public order."

In its written order the court said, "We're of the view at this stage that the farmers’ protest should be allowed to continue without impediment and without any breach of peace either by the protesters or police." It continued, “There can certainly be no impediment in the exercise of such rights as long as it is non-violent and does not result in damage to the life and properties of other citizens and is in accordance with law.”

Meanwhile, the Government has already constituted a committee having "independent and impartial" members, including agriculture experts, to resolve the deadlock between the protesting farmers and the government. With regard to challenging contentious laws, filed before the court, the court will decide decided after the winter vacations.

NEW YORK, 17 December 2020, (TON): According to diplomats, the United Nation Security Council has approved two news UN envoys, one for Libya another for Middle East on Secretary General Antonio Guterres proposal.

Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov to replace Ghassan Salame while Tor Wennesland was nominated new Middle East envoy.

Being newly nominated, Veteran Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov will take over from acting Special Representative Steffanie William who is in charge of leading negotiation in Libya since the resignation of former envoy Ghassan Salame in March.

The UN Security Council separately designated Norwegian Tor Wennesland as the UN Middle East envoy.

ISLAMABAD, 17 December 2020, (TON): Prime Minister on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with President Ashraf Ghani to discuss on-going progress pertaining peace talks and, to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries as the Taliban delegation met Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

The Taliban delegation is scheduled to meet the prime minister during their three-day trip. The visit is taking place on Pakistan’s invitation as part of Islamabad’s efforts for outreach to all Afghan stakeholders for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, the Foreign Office said.

‘’The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast support for the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for a political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan,’’ Prime Minister Office said in a statement. Adding, ‘’ In this regard, the Prime Minister welcomed the recent progress in the Intra-Afghan Negotiations in Doha.’’

‘’Prime Minister Imran Khan underlined that Pakistan's outreach to all Afghan stakeholders was part of its facilitative efforts to ensure progress towards an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement,’’ the statement further reads.

‘’The latest visit of Taliban Political Commission (TPC) to Pakistan is also in this context. The Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan's call on all the Afghan sides for taking measures for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire,’’ adds the statement.

Meanwhile, ‘’The two leaders agreed to continue their engagement for supporting the peace process and enhancing bilateral cooperation,’’ the statement concluded.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Qureshi have had a meeting with the Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, also included Sheikh Abdul Hakeem among others, the group’s top negotiators for peace talks with the Afghan government.

DOHA, 17 December 2020, (TON): Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in a meeting with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas in Doha on Monday, reiterated Qatar’s stance on supporting the Arab Peace Initiative namely two-state solution and, legitimate international resolutions on Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Qatar while backing legitimate international resolutions has reiterated its stance “in supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause.”

In a tweet, Sheikh Tamim also “emphasised the importance of unity among the Palestinian ranks.”

He stressed the need to form a united Arab front in order to put the interests of the Palestinians first and to end the Israeli occupation.

Earlier, Moroccan King Mohammed told PA’s leader Abbas that Rabat stands by a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.