IRELAND, 21 January, 2021, (TON): Simon Coveney, Irish Foreign Minister blames Brexit for the food supply problems in Northern Ireland for the authorities are maintaining certain amount of checks on goods going between Britain and Northern Ireland.

In recent days, the British ministers have sought to play down the disruption of Brexit.                

The minister told the media that before Christmas the supermarket shelves were full however, now there are some disturbances in the supply chains and so it is clearly a Brexit issue. 

The Northern Irish protocol means there are “a certain amount of checks on goods coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland and that involves some disruption,” he said.

Few days earlier, following the post custom changes resulted in long waits faced by the lorry drivers to have the correct paperwork to ship goods out of the United Kingdom. The major issue prompted the freight forwarding agent to warn that there may be denial by the hauliers to carry and drive the goods to Britain threatening food shortages in Britain like those already seen in some Northern Ireland supermarkets.

GREECE, 21 January, 2021, (TON): From 6-7 nautical miles, legislation to extend Greece’s territorial waters along its western coastline has been immensely approved by the Greek Parliament.

In Wednesday’s 284-0 vote, representatives of four opposition parties backed the centre-right government, while members of the Greek Communist Party abstained.

Few days ago, the alienated NATO allies Greece and Turkey resumed exploratory talks over contested maritime claims in the Aegean Sea.

It does not directly influence the ongoing maritime dispute with Turkey but it underlines the country’s right to execute the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea that set the limit in 1982.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Parliament that it is a clear message to those who are trying to deprive our country of this right.

Although the neighboring Turkey has not yet signed the Law of the Sea, the extension of Greece’s territorial waters would be a cause of war as in 1995, the Turkish Parliament said that it would interpret such an extension as a reason for declaring war.

The relations between the two countries have entered a hard phase where the two have long been at odds over sea boundaries and mineral rights in the Aegean Sea and a dispute in the eastern Mediterranean that caused a military deadlock last year.

On January 25, 2021, Ankara and Athens will continue the five year old suspended talks on reducing tensions. 

 Mitsotakis said, we will attend with optimism, self-confidence, but there would be “zero naivety” from Athens about the talks, which were unofficial and non-binding. There will be no discussion on national sovereignty.

Turkey says all issues should be tackled, including air space and the status of some islands on the Aegean Sea but never all the issues are dealt and resolved as Greece only wants to address the demarcation of maritime zones in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean.

“It is not right to pick one of those (issues) and say ‘we’re holding exploratory talks’,” Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier this week, criticizing Greece’s approach as non-constructive.

If the agreement between the two is failed then there should be at least a way to take the dispute to the interanational court of justice said Mitsotakisin the Parliament.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the need to cooperate on the eastern Mediterranean as that will serve the long-term interests, rather than an area of competition.

Greece held negotiations with its regional neighbors, Italy and Albania before drafting the bill on the Ionian Sea, which extends the country’s limits for the first time since 1947.

WASHINGTON, 21 January, 2021, (TON): Joe bidens administrations says that it expect to resume military-to-military ties with Pakistan. The new Biden administration sees Pakistan as an “essential partner” in any peace process in Afghanistan and believes that “continuing to build relationships with Pakistan’s military will provide openings for the US and Pakistan to cooperate on key issues” said nominated defence chief Gen Lloyd J Austin.

Gen Austin made these remarks during his confirmation hearing for the post of secretary of defence before the United States Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

Austin, a former head of the US Central Command, told the committee that "If confirmed, I will encourage a regional approach that garners support from neighbours like Pakistan, while also deterring regional actors, from serving as spoilers to the Afghanistan peace process.”

“I will focus on our shared interests which include training future Pakistan military leaders through the use of International Military Education and Training funds. Pakistan will play an important role in any political settlement in Afghanistan. We also need to work with Pakistan to defeat Al Qaeda and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) and to enhance regional stability”, he said when asked about his approach to the Pak-US relationship.

“Pakistan is a sovereign country,” he said when asked what tools and options the US had to influence Pakistan.

Gen Austin added that “I understand Pakistan has taken constructive steps to meet US requests in support of the Afghanistan peace process. Pakistan has also taken steps against anti-Indian groups, such as Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Mohammad, although this progress is incomplete.”

General Austin highlighted the need for strong military ties with Pakistan that will increase the cooperation on key issues between the two countries.

The story of Pak-US relations over the years is complex and uneven. However, the US-Pak military alliance previously imposed one-sided commitments on Pakistan.

HANOI, 21 January, 2021, (TON): Selecting leaders, setting policy and to help shape the country’s global role for the next five years, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party gathers for a congress next week.

The Communist Party’s 13th Congress, from January 25 to February 2, will call for leadership that looks at burgeoning Vietnam’s economic success to strengthen legitimacy. The pivotal is to mend the relations with China and the U.S.

Sustaining with the redirection of global trade in its favor because of a U.S.- China row, Vietnam is steadily growing into one of the world’s most important tech manufacturing hubs, as well as a centre for garment-making, in an economy on track to recover faster than most after the corona virus pandemic.

Le Hong Hiep, of the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore said, the U.S. China strategic competition will continue to destabilize the regional geo-strategic and economic environment over the next five years”.

Further added, this is a major challenge for Vietnam given that the Vietnamese economy is very open and highly dependent on international trade and foreign investment”.

 “Vietnam’s leaders will have to learn how to minimize negative impacts and take advantage of the opportunities, especially the trade and investment diversion from China,” said Hiep.

The annual average GDP of Vietnam grew 6.0% over the past five years and still expanded 2.9% in 2020 despite the pandemic.

Vietnam is one of the last five Communist-ruled countries in the world besides China, Cuba, Laos and North Korea - has seen its economy outstrip much of Asia in the past year, and is already eyeing average GDP growth of 7.0% over the next five years

WASHINGTON, 21 January, 2021, (TON): On Wednesday, President Joe Biden’s National Security Council’s spokesperson called China’s sanction to former Trump administration officials as “unproductive and cynical”, and urged people from both parties to condemn the action.  

China announced sanctions of “lying and cheating” against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other 27 officials. It is indeed a striking rejection of its relationship with Washington under the former administration. 

Pompeo and others had planned, promoted and executed moves and interfered in the country’s internal affairs, China’s foreign ministry said.

The ministry banned the ex-officials and immediate family members from entering China and also restricted the companies doing businesses with them. 

While talking to the media, Biden’s National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement, “imposing these sanctions on Inauguration Day is seemingly an attempt to play to partisan divides, Americans of both parties should criticize this unproductive and cynical move. President Biden looks forward to working with leaders in both parties to position America to out-compete China.”

In response to Mr. Pompeo’s word on calling China accused of the genocide against the Uighur Muslims, Chinese foreign Ministry spokesperson said that this so called determination by Pompeo is nothing but paper, and this U.S. politician is notorious for lying and cheating. He is making himself a laughing stock and a clown, he added. 

China has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuse in its Xinjiang region, where a United Nations panel has said at least 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims had been detained in camps.

Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on Tuesday he agreed with Pompeo’s assessment.

He told his Senate that there was no doubt that a most significant challenge was posed by China to the U.S. and he believed there was a very strong foundation to build a bipartisan U.S. policy to stand up to Beijing.

WASHINGTON, 20 January 2021, (TON): Outgoing president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart the White House without attending President Joe Biden inauguration ceremony due to wide scale rigging and fraud elections. Former President Trump tried to convince judiciary about the fraud elections but cases filed by his supporters were rejected on technical grounds. 

President Joe Biden, who was born in a Roman Catholic family, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and congressional leaders attended assembly at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Father Kevin O'Brien, the President of Santa Clara University delivered the homily. Those who attended ceremony included Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Kevin McCarthy and others.

President Joe Biden was very less frequently seen attending church service but this seems formality as prior to their swearing in. It is on record that American Catholic votes were bagged by former President Donald Trump due to his religious strength, affiliation with truth and upright character.

President Trump and his supporter, many of them who are also Roman Catholics, want President Trump back at the White House or at least President Joe Biden to follow President Trump policies that focused on religious respect, rule of law, and internal and external peace to make America Great.

President Joe Biden Inaugural Ceremony attended by handful and military personnel

WASHINGTON, 20 January 2021, (TON): Outgoing president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart the White House without attending President Joe Biden inauguration ceremony due to wide scale rigging and fraud elections. Former President Trump tried to convince judiciary about the fraud elections but cases filed by his supporters were rejected on technical grounds. 

President Joe Biden, who was born in a Roman Catholic family, along with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and congressional leaders attended assembly at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Father Kevin O'Brien, the President of Santa Clara University delivered the homily. Those who attended ceremony included Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, Kevin McCarthy and others.

President Joe Biden was very less frequently seen attending church service but this seems formality as prior to their swearing in. It is on record that American Catholic votes were bagged by former President Donald Trump due to his religious strength, affiliation with truth and upright character.

WASHINGTON. 20 January 2021, (TON):  As Joe Biden to take oath as President of United States today, thousands of military troops are witnessed everywhere in Central Washington. Ahead of Biden’s inauguration thousands of heavily armed National Guard and police personnel are deployed across Washington with much confusion how to deal with right-wing protesters. Washington appears to be a military cantonment with armed troops and concrete barriers to control the movements.  Armored personnel vehicles are seeing parked in many sensitive areas. National Guard personnel said on the condition of anonymity that secret service has been deputed to monitor the troops as there are fears that troops might join protesters to disrupt peaceful inauguration. Live ammunition has been taken back from many troops with fear that they might act as security threat.

President Trump has issued his recorded video which asks Americans to pray for the success of the incoming Biden administration.  President trump’s advisor Ivanka Trump said in a statement that Americans should pray for the Joe Biden administration’s success. President Trump and his supporters still maintain that election 2020 were fraud and unacceptable. However, American interests will be protected.

Meanwhile, US Air Force and other military units have been placed on high alert.  

WASHINGTON, 20 January, 2021, TON: The U.S. nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken said a full review of Washington’s approach to North Korea pressuring to return to negotiations over the nuclear weapons programme will be launched by the arriving administration.  

At his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Antony Blinken said the U.S. woul also look forward to provide the humanitarian help to North Korea for it is facing serious challenges since some three million people died in a famine in 1990s.

He told the legislators, “I think we have to review, and we intend to review, the entire approach and policy toward North Korea, because this is a hard problem that has plagued administration after administration. And it’s a problem that has not gotten better in fact, it’s gotten worse”.

It is seen that the word came after when earlier this month, the North Korean leader Kim Jong called the U.S. the country’s principal enemy and assured of expanding its nuclear and ballistic missile programme, despite the punishing the international sanctions. The country also revealed new submarine launched ballistic missile which is said to be the world’s most powerful weapon.  

According to the analysts, the military display may be a core to resume the nuclear and ballistic tests that got suspended by the N.K. leader in cooperation with Donald Trump in 2018 followed by disagreements on disarmament steps and North Korea’s demand for the removal of sanctions.

Observers conclude the new U.S. office head must treat North Korea as a top priority to prevent the country on further nuclear advancements; a move that people are afraid will let Pyongyang to seek concessions for compensating tensions over making progress on denuclearization.

PYONGYANG, January 20, 2021, TON: In December 2020, a new “anti-reactionary law” was imposed and this week the media reported new details regarding the law.

The local media cited the explanatory material for the law and said that the parents will be charged on behalf of the children violating the ban, up to 15 years of imprisonment for being caught with media from South Korea, and punishments for production, distribution of adult content, use of unregistered televisions, radios, computers, foreign cell-phones and/or other electronic devices.

Reports state that written remarks by Kim, the leader has criticized the common practice in the South of using terms such as “oppa” (older brother) and “dong-saeng” (younger sister, brother) to refer to non-relatives.

Importing banned material from South Korea leads to life sentence, while those caught importing large amounts of content from the U.S. or Japan could face death.

The new law apparently increased some penalties and tightened limitations in the government’s war on external information, said Sokeel Park of Liberty in North Korea, which supports defectors.

The access to information concerning the border trade with China, has quickly changed the pattern that only allows state media to focus on making the leader Kim Jong prominent said Tae Yong-ho, the first North Korean defector to be elected as a South Korean lawmaker.

WASHINGTON 20 January, 2021, TON: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that China has committed genocide in its repression of the Uighurs and other Muslim people.

Anotony Blinken, Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of state said he agrees with his statement.

Human rights groups believe that up to a million Uighurs have been detained and arrested by China over the past years which the state define as re-education camps.

The media suggest that Uighurs are being manipulated for forced labor.

In a statement Mike Pompeo said that he believed the genocide is ongoing and that people are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uighurs by the Chinese party state.   

China has committed genocide in its repression of the Uighurs and other mainly Muslim peoples, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday in his last day at office as part of the Trump administration.

Although the statement puts pressure on China, it does not introduce any fresh penalties.

The same day, Mr. Blinken was asked about Pompeo’s remarks, to which he adhered to and said, “On the Uighurs I think we're very much in agreement. And the forcing of men, women and children into concentration camps, trying to, in effect, re-educate them to be adherents to the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party, all of that speaks to an effort to commit genocide."

He added: Mr. Biden's team made a similar allegation last August, saying the Uighurs had suffered "unspeakable oppression at the hands of China's authoritarian government".

This may be a final gift to China by the Trump administration, although the Xinjiang issue may not be a priority issue, rather a concrete policy stands on Xinjiang by the Biden team.