JERUSALEM, 28 June 2021, (TON): Lapid’s office said that Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will meet his U.S. and Bahraini counterparts in Rome on Sunday, the first face-to-face diplomatic contacts for a senior member of the new Israeli government that was sworn in two weeks ago.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalised ties with Israel last year, a deal brokered by the previous U.S. administration.

The Israeli statement did not provide details on the agenda of the separate talks Lapid planned to hold with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani during his one-day visit to Italy.

KABUL, 28 June 2021, (TON): The head of Afghanistan’s peace council said that long-stalled talks on a political settlement to decades of strife should not be abandoned despite surging Taliban attacks, unless the insurgents themselves pull out.

“I think we shouldn’t shut the door unless it’s completely shut by the Taliban,” Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, told media.

He said “we can’t say no to talks despite a lack of progress or in spite of what’s happening on the ground.”

Abdullah spoke after he and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House for talks on U.S. military and civilian aid, and issues stemming from the departure of the last U.S. troops nearly 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion.

ISLAMABAD, 28 June 2021, (TON): Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has echoed the prime minister words that the government would never allow anyone to use Pakistani territory against Afghanistan, stressing that Islamabad wanted to see a stable government in Kabul.

He said in a video message “peace inside Afghanistan is very important for Pakistan.”

 The information minister talked about Pakistan-US relations especially in the context of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.

Fawad said quoting the recent interview of PM Imran Khan to the International New York Times, he said the PM had clearly stated his views regarding relations with the US, China, and Afghanistan. The PM had expressed his desire for the stability of Afghanistan and vowed to help Afghanistan in achieving peace.

He stressed the need for taking all stakeholders on board for establishing a stable government in Afghanistan. The solution to the Afghanistan issue must come out by keeping warring factions in the loop, the information minister added.

He further said “Taliban were persuaded by Pakistan to negotiate first with the US and then with the Afghan authorities.”

KATHMANDU, 28 June 2021, (TON): Supreme Court (SC) issued an interim order to not appoint former Minister Yuvaraj Karki as Nepal's Ambassador to Bahrain.

Earlier, a meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 8, 2021 had recommended Karki's appointment for the post. However, after hearing a writ against the government's decision, an interim order has been issued by SC directing the government to not proceed with the recommendation.

A joint bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Prakash Kumar Dhungana issued the order citing disqualification based on educational grounds.

The government had recently amended the ambassadorial appointment directive, stating those that have served as ministers in the past do not require to hold a bachelor's degree.

AMMAN, 28 June 2021, (TON): Britain’s armed forces minister said “British paratroopers have trained together with Jordanian soldiers in an airdrop over the Middle Eastern country to underscore the U.K.’s support for Jordan and its commitment to regional stability.”

Stand with Jordan against shared threats in the region. Minister James Heappey said in a statement that Wednesday’s joint exercise of 150 paratroopers from Britain’s 16 Air Assault Brigade and 84 Jordanian parachutists demonstrates that U.K. armed forces .”

Brigade Commander Brigadier James Martin said “British forces will play a role in deepening  strong, historic bilateral ties in the Middle East and North Africa region, which are vital to U.K. prosperity and security.”

The jump by the paratroopers,  the Brigade’s lead assault force,  took place during Jordan’s 100th year of independence.

The brigade is a key element of the U.K.’s Global Response Force, a versatile force that can quickly undertake assigned missions around the world.

Heappey said “they are the soldiers of the future, ready to tackle changing threats around the world.”

MOSCOW, 28 June 2021, (TON): The US missile destroyer USS Ross has arrived in Odessa to participate in the annual Sea Breeze exercise.

The Sixth Fleet of the US Navy has officially announced its participation in the annual Sea Breeze-2021 exercises jointly with the Ukrainian Navy.

In these exercises, 5,000 servicemen and 32 ships from 32 countries will be involved.

The exercises will take place from June 28 to July 10 in the Black Sea. US Navy missile destroyer USS Ross has arrived in Odessa, Ukraine to participate in Sea Breeze,  reported on the official page of the exercise on Twitter .

ISLAMABAD, 28 June 2021, (TON): According to a statement issued by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), a soldier of Frontier Corps (FC) embraced martyrdom when terrorists targeted a water bowser through a pressurised improvised explosive device (IED) on M-8 motorway near Hoshab in Balochistan.

The military's media wing said that Sepoy Kifait Ullah was a resident of Sibi. "A sanitisation operation is in progress to apprehend the perpetrators of the attack."

The ISPR further said that “such cowardly acts by inimical elements, backed by Hostile Intelligence Agencies (HIAs) cannot sabotage the hard-earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan.”

It added "security forces are determined to neutralise their nefarious designs even at the cost of blood and lives."

KABUL, 28 June 2021, (TON):  A senior US State Department official says about 600 American troops will stay in Afghanistan to ensure the security of the embassy, Kabul Green Zone and the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Speaking to media representatives, the US official said “we believe that this is what is necessary to ensure the security of our people and facilities in Kabul.”

Responding to a query, he said that I can’t give you specific number an excess of 600 troops but these are primarily people who would defend our embassy compound, green zone in Kabul and defend our facilities at the airport from potential attacks from the Taliban, Islamic State (IS), or other groups.

On the new chapter he said “I think what is important about the new chapter that it’s a lot like the old chapter it is robust diplomatic, economic, humanitarian and engagement by other means in support of the Afghan people. The game in the last 20 years what’s different about aid that it doesn’t included a large-scale American force other than this small basic embassy security force.”

It is not an entirely different character.  What the specifics are going to be, I think, is something that would play out over the coming many months, may be a year or more  and adjusting and accommodating the way our two countries deal with one another.

He said important discussions had been ongoing with Turkey on the airport security issue.

DHAKA, 28 June 2021, (TON): A massive explosion rocked the Moghbazar area in Dhaka on Sunday evening, killing at least seven people and injuring at least 50 others.

It also caused massive damage to the establishments nearby.

Station officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters, Md Babul , told media “the explosion took place near lifestyle retail chain Aarong's Moghbazar showroom and the Fire Service was informed at around 7:35pm.”

Locals rescue one of the people injured in the explosion at Moghbazar, Dhaka on Sunday, June 27, 2021.

Mahfuz Ribeng, duty officer at the Fire Service headquarters, said 14 units of firefighters had been sent to the spot and they were still working at the scene.

The cause of the explosion is still unknown.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Shafiqul Islam visited the spot shortly after the explosion.

Speaking to reporters at the scene, the DMP chief said “they had confirmed seven deaths, so far.”

JAMMU, 27 June 2021, (TON): Sources in the outer security at Indian Air Force Station, Jammu said that there were no remnant of the drone found from the two sites of the incidents. He continued that IAF technical experts ruled out that an act of terrorism. It was claimed that neither it was that drone carried out payload of explosion and dropped at the sites nor the drone was used as explosives as nothing other than splinters were found.

Meanwhile one of the slightly injured personnel, who was among the three personnel injured in the explosion said, “In the process of technical exploitation which involved placing at dump, these IEDs exploded”. However, witnessed said that some facts are purposely being held due to security reasons.

Meanwhile witnessed said after the first explosion everyone came out but there were no noise of drone at all. One witness said that  first explosion was herd at 1:37 am while the second was with the delay of five minutes at 1:42 am (Indian Standard Times). None of the witness even heard hovering or other noises of drone.

Analysts at Jammu said that the media hype was aimed to put pressure on Pakistan and China as both the countries have stained relations with India.