NAYPYIDAW, 1 February 2021, (TON): The military in Myanmar on Monday seized control of the country in a coup after it detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint and other senior officials of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The step was taken after high tensions between the government and the Myanmar Army after disputed general elections in November 2020.

Acting President, U Myint Swe signed a declaration through which state power has been handed over to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing.

The military declared 8 November 2020 general elections were fraudulant after Suu Kyi's NLD won 83 per cent of the available seats in Parliament, enough to form a government.

Myo Nyunt, a spokesman for the ruling National League for Democracy, confirmed Suu Kyi and President Win Myint had been detained in what he called a “coup.” It was unclear how many people were held, and under what terms. TV channels, phone and internet communications were all spotty, making it difficult to get information from the country.

Sources said that troops were seen occupying all government buildings and arrests are in progress. Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing is expected to make important announcements.

GAMBIA, 1 February, 2021 (TON): On Saturday evening, in order to support his candidacy for the presidential election, the President of Gambia, Adama Barrow launched his political party named, National People's Party (NPP).

All the effort is for the elections of 4 December, 2021

In a TV-broadcast of a meeting that saw a large crowd of delegates and supporters gathered at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, about 12 km from the capital Banjul, the 55-year-old politician said the NPP "is the party of all categories, based on the notion of truly democratic and patriotic citizenship."

The party was created and declared in December 2019, however, Barrow waited to officially launch the NPP.

Perhaps intentionally, in light of the violent protests against him that same month and also in January 2020 for not honoring his pledge to step down after three years following his December 2016 win and hold a new election in which he could not stand.

All of this is the aftermath when Barrow won the December 2016 elections backed by a coalition of seven opposition parties and ended the 22-year long tenure of President Yahya Jammeh, who had been forced into exile under the pressure of a West African military intervention, after refusing to admit defeat.

Since then, President Barrow has been the leader of the smallest state in continental Africa.

He held the charge in January 2017.

With this move of launching a party of his own, it is likely to say that the man has got much hold of the politics, once backed by the opposition but now got a team of his own.

LONDON, 1 February, 2021 (TON): On Monday, Prince Harry received an apology over the story saying he turned back on the marines.

The Prince won the apology and also the substantial damages from the publishers of the tabloid after he sued it for making calumny over the claims that he turned his back on the Royal Marines.

The incident came in reaction to the article published in the paper in October that said, he had lost touch with the Marines, a commando force of the British navy with whom he had a formal relationship until he stepped back from royal duties last March.

To this, Harry launched a legal action for misrepresentation.  

His lawyer Jenny Afia told London’s High Court the paper had now settled with the prince over the “baseless, false and defamatory” story.

To our sense, Harry’s decision of stepping down the limelight was to look for his life that does not require to be shared with the masses. To which the people spread misinformation regarding his loyalty towards the forces to which he served for several years.     

WASHINGTON, 1 February, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, Donald Trump announced that a former county prosecutor and a criminal defense lawyer with a civil rights background will lead his impeachment defense team.

The two representing Trump will be defense lawyer David Schoen, a frequent television legal commentator, and Bruce Castor, a former district attorney in Pennsylvania who was criticized for his decision to not charge actor Bill Cosby in a sex crimes case.

Both attorneys stated that they were honored to take the job.

“The strength of our Constitution is about to be tested like never before in our history. It is strong and resilient. A document written for the ages, and it will triumph over partisanship yet again, and always,” said Castor, who served as district attorney for Montgomery County, from 2000 to 2008.

The announcement intended to promote a sense of stability as Trump’s impeachment trial nears.
Several South Carolina lawyers had been set to represent him at the trial, which starts the week of 8 February, 2021.

Trump, the first president in American history to be impeached twice, is set to stand trial in the Senate on a charge that he incited his supporters to storm Congress on Jan. 6 as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

The Republicans and Trump aides said clearly that Trump’s trial is unconstitutional because he is no longer in office.

“The Democrats’ efforts to impeach a president who has already left office is totally unconstitutional and so bad for our country,” Trump adviser Jason Miller has said.
Many legal scholars say there is no bar to an impeachment trial despite Trump having left the White House.

The impeachment case stands vague as there exists no evidence that the former President; Donald Trump has not violated law, rule, and regulation or committed anything against the ordinance lately.

LIBYA, 1 February, 2021 (TON): UN-sponsored Inter-Libyan participants are meeting to choose the new Prime Minister and the Presidential Council on Monday.

According to the reports, the delegates will have until Friday to choose a new Prime Minister and Presidential Council.

For those who desire peace in the Libyan region, this week will be a decisive week.

A move that would help lead the transition in the conflict-ridden country as many hope to see elections in December 2021.

The 75 Libyan delegates will have until Friday to choose from a list of 45 candidates, with key political leaders from both the Eastern and the Western authorities that have fought for power for years but also from the South of the country.

Since November 2020, a dialogue has been carried in Tunisia, a neighboring country.

These terms as an effort to end the atrocities that followed the fall of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

With the UN-backed Government of National Unity and the Tobruk parliament supporting General Khalifa Haftar agreeing to a ceasefire in October, Libya has never been closer to finding peace since the Arab Spring.

The new administration is likely to clog all the violence with its competence and alliance with the strong supporters having the best interests of the country.

SCOTLAND, 1 February, 2021 (TON): The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) appointed Nail Horan’s Modest! Golf supporting the fresh drive to get more young people into golf and increase more participation.

Nail Horan hopes the partnership will help encourage more youngsters to take up the sport.

Recently, the R&A announced they had appointed the golf management company, to help with designing and developing a series of grassroots programs to inspire the next generation of young golfers.

Horan discussed the benefits of the new arrangements and how it can challenge some of the perceptions about the sport in the TV show.

"I've been thinking about some ideas to grow the game for a long time," he said. "Thinking about how we come up with different initiatives to get younger people into the game and make it more accessible, but wondering where that help was going to come from”, he added.

"You need a governing body to help you do so, but fast forward a couple of years we got a call from the R&A and it was the most incredible call because it was the call we'd been waiting for.

"The R&A wanted to know if we would come on board and help them in the growth of the game, get involved in some initiatives, and come up with ideas alongside them to grow the game and make it accessible for everyone.

"When you've got one of golf's biggest governing bodies and a young, fresh management company trying to move the needle at the same time, then hopefully it can only create good things.

When you start playing golf it can become addictive, so it's trying to get people over the line and offering them new initiatives that help them stay in the game. Some of the ideas we've got in mind will hopefully bring a lot of new people into the game and hopefully keep them there."

Horan reveals the best celebrity golfer plus shares a story of the time he was left star-struck when meeting Tiger Woods.

The company is gaining success in no time and trying hard to support the young golf players.

NEW YORK, 1 February, 2021 (TON): The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly castigated the arrest of the Nobel peace icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political leaders and urges the military leadership to respect the will of the people of Myanmar.

The incident took place in response to the election fraud as proposed by the Myanmar military.

Most people around the world condemned the act of detention.

U.S.’s Blinken said to release the leader, U.S. top diplomats warns Myanmar leadership who alleged the elections as a fraud.  

In the recent social media reports, the elected leader seemed to urge people to oppose the coup.

"These developments represent a serious blow to democratic reforms," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "All leaders must act in the greater interest of Myanmar's democratic reform, engaging in meaningful dialogue, refraining from violence and fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms."

It has not happened for the first time when the elected leader also called “the lady” by the Myanmar people, has been arrested. The revolution was crushed many times.

CAIRO, 1 February 2021 (TON):  Egypt and France began joint air exercises at an Egyptian airbase with several multi-mission combat aircraft.

The exercises aim to support efforts for security and maritime stability in the region and to strengthen bilateral capabilities

An Egyptian military spokesman stated that the training comes within the framework of the joint training plan for the armed forces with countries that share close ties with Cairo.

Series of lectures are included in the exercises that aim at the standardization of combat concepts and the exchange of training expertise, in addition to the implementation of training flights on the operational tasks of the participating forces.

Egypt recently completed joint maritime training exercises in the Mediterranean with Greek forces, with the participation of the Egyptian frigate Taba and the Greek warship HS HYDRA F-452.

The militaries of both countries tend to provide efforts in maintaining the security and maritime stability in the region and also to enhance the bilateral relations by strengthening each other’s capabilities.

DUBAI, 1 February, 2021 (TON): Iran hosted the political leader of the Taliban during the last week, offering Tehran’s help to mediate in the peace talks between the insurgents and the government of Afghanistan.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tehran, and told him that Washington was not a “good mediator” for the conflict, media reported on Sunday.

Iran supports an inclusive Afghan government that would include all ethnic groups and sects, Zarif said.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said that the meetings had taken place “in a good atmosphere.”

“The situations in Afghanistan, Intra-Afghan negotiations, the full implementation of the Doha agreement, and Afghanistan’s & region’s need (for) peace were discussed,” he added.
Meanwhile, U.S. has already accused Iran of providing hidden aids to the Taliban fighters against the U.S. forces.

On the other hand, Zarif met Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Tehran and told him that Washington was not a “good mediator” for the conflict.

Last year, the U.S. reached an agreement with the insurgents at the talks in Qatar, of withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan.

Shiite Muslim Iran has been a foe of the hard-line Sunni Muslim Taliban for decades but has been openly meeting with Taliban leaders for the past few years as the United States has started negotiating the exit of its troops from Afghanistan.

However, the media reported that some troops of NATO are expected to stay in the area beyond the deadline, as the Western alliance considers that the withdrawal conditions have not met yet.  
New US President Joe Biden is expected to take a close look at the withdrawal agreement.

Since Iran disliked the Taliban for decades, but now has openly met the group leaders for the past few years as the U.S. has started talking on troop withdrawal.

Recently, it is seen that in order to arrive at a peaceful conclusion, negotiations have been held between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar.

Little progress could be witnessed as the talks resumed after a month's break.

NEW DEHLI, 1 February, 2021 (TON): Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on his latest address on radio, criticized the protestors that broke into the historic Red Fort in Delhi on Republic’s Day and clashed with the police.

Several thousands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of the capital for more than two months, demanding the repeal of the agricultural laws that they say benefit private corporations.

"The country was saddened by the insult to the Tricolor (Indian flag) on the 26th of January in Delhi," Modi said in his first public comments on a months-long farmers' agitation.

"The government is committed to modernizing agriculture and is also taking many steps in that direction," he added.

The violence erupted on Tuesday, 26 January, 2021 that came along with the country’s Republic Day.  Thousands paraded on the streets and stormed the Red Fort and engaged with the police which left one dead and hundreds injured.

Since then there have been sporadic skirmishes between protesters, police, and anti-farmer groups.

The Farmer’s Union voices that they were not responsible for the demonstrations as the protestors were in minority.

In September, India's parliament passed three agriculture bills aimed at liberalizing the country's farm sector. They were subsequently signed into law, sparking farmer's protests across the country.

Earlier this month, India's top court put the farm laws on hold and formed a committee to resolve a standoff between the government and farmers over three farm laws.

On Saturday, the PM told the opposition party leaders that an offer to freeze the laws for 18 months still stands.

On Friday, an anti-farmer group of around 200 people hurled stones at protesters and damaged their tents.

The group demanded that farmers vacate the area and said they had "insulted" the national flag during their tractor parade on Republic Day.

On Saturday, authorities blocked mobile internet services at three protest sites to "maintain public safety."

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said that the government was in delusion if it feels our movement will be weakened by suspending the internet.

"The more they try to crush the voice of the farmers, the greater this movement will become," Tikait added.

Indian farmers held a daylong hunger strike on Saturday to protest against the agriculture reforms.

This is not the first time the farmers are on the roads protesting against the governments, they have held huge rallies in the past years across the country, considering it "neglect" of the agriculture sector amid increasing privatization.

It is reported that more than half of the Indian farmers are in debt, about 20638 committed suicides in 2018 and 2019 according to the official records.