By TON Research Section

On July 14, Wednesday 12 persons, including nine Chinese engineers and two Frontier Corps personnel died and several others were injured in a bus "Bomb Blast" near the Dasu hydropower plant in the Upper Kohistan district in northern areas of Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near Kashmir. The terrible incident happened in Kohistan region. After the incident, there were some twists-and-turns on whether it was a terror attack and what caused the deaths appeared conflicting. The Foreign Office contradicted reports of an attack, saying that the bus "plunged into a ravine after a mechanical failure resulting in leakage of gas that caused a blast". However, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs, condemned the attack termed it a "cowardly attack" and said that it would "not divert attention from the special relations between Pakistan and its neighbors".  

Special Assistant to the KP Chief Minister on Information said a high level delegation has left for Upper Kohistan, adding that officials will shortly inform the people and the media of the ground realities. "The media is advised to avoid speculating on the matter." Soon after the incident, Upper Kohistan Deputy Commissioner said that the incident took place around 7:30am when a coaster was carrying over 30 workers, including Chinese engineers, from the Barseen camp to the Dasu Dam plant site. A senior police officer told as that mobile network was not functional in the area when the incident took place making the flow of information difficult.

In Beijing, China's foreign ministry spokesman expressed his “shock and condemnation over the bombing”. He urged Pakistan to “severely punish the perpetrators and earnestly protect the safety of Chinese nationals, organizations and projects” in the country. Later on, Foreign Minister of Pakistan offered his condolences to his Chinese counterpart on the "Tragic” incident and asked him to convey the condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the blast. The Interior minister also said that the friendship between Pakistan and China is eternal and it cannot make any difference and Pakistan attaches great importance to safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan.”  Additionally, the FO spokesman told that “Pakistan and China are close friends and iron-brothers.

In the mean-time the concerned Chinese Company has stopped work on Dasu Dam over the death of Chinese engineers in Kohistan. A letter written to the government of Pakistan by China Gezhouba, a Chinese company working on the Dasu Dam, said that they could not work due to the July 14 incident. The letter said that all Pakistani employees have been laid off but all employees will be paid gratuity and salary. The project director of Dasu Dam also confirmed the letter written by the Chinese company. He said that work on the dam would resume as soon as security matters are rectified.

During the time, Chinese Premier urged Pakistan to bring the terrorists to justice in a phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister on Friday, marked the shuttle bus blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province form both sides to confirm it as a “terror attack” after two days of the “Blast”. As head of the government Pakistani prime-minster called Chinese Premier Li on the incident, which showed the mutual trust of the two countries and also Pakistan's giving importance to the incident. When inviting Li for the phone call on behalf of the Pakistan government and people, the Pakistani prime-minster expressed his sincere condolences to the Chinese government and families of the victims in the terrorist attack. He also updated him about the progress of the current investigation and follow-up work. The Chinese Premier Li stressed the Pakistani government to pay high attention to the security of Chinese citizens and organizations.

The increasing trend of attacks against Chinese in the past two years is mainly due to the charming progress of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Some forces inside and outside Pakistan does not want to see the strong ties between Pakistan and china to imbalance the peace of south-Asia. They always attempted to create vicious incidents to disturb and perturb the progress between the two countries and also to mess up with the mega project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which would change Pakistan status into an international economic and financial hub.

There are complicated and deep changes in the global and regional situations. China as strategic partner of Pakistan pay high attention to China-Pakistan relations and is willing to enhance strategic communications and coordination, deepen practical cooperation, safeguard regional peace ,security in a bid to bring benefits to people of both countries . The incident may affect and lose some Chinese companies' confidence in investing in Pakistan for which needs Pakistan to make more efforts. And also to protect Chinese and Chinese companies and to fill the loop holes in the security system of the country in order to foil the nefarious designs of the enemies of both countries in South-Asia.

ABUJA, 24 July 2021, (TON): Its air force said “Nigeria has received six of 12 turboprop light attack aircraft from the US to help fight mounting insecurity.”

Africa’s most populous nation faces several security crises, including a 12-year-old insurgency in the northeast, herder-farmer clashes in the center, kidnapping for ransom in the northwest and separatist agitation in the south.

Nigeria Air Force spokesman Edward Gabkwet said in a statement “the first batch of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft have arrived in Kano.”

He said on that six out of 12 had arrived, and the next batch would arrive in October.

The planes are built in the US by Sierra Nevada and its Brazilian partner, Embraer Defense and Security.

The $593-million deal was initially unveiled in May 2016 under former US president Barack Obama.

However, the Obama administration froze the sale just before handing over to Donald Trump, after the Nigerian military accidentally bombed a camp for people displaced by conflict in the northeast, killing 112 civilians.

The planes are built in the US by Sierra Nevada and its Brazilian partner, Embraer Defense and Security.

GAZA, 24 July 2021, (TON): BEITA, Palestinian Territories: More than 140 Palestinians were hurt Friday in clashes with Israeli troops in the flashpoint West Bank village of Beita, medics said, during protests against an illegal Israeli settlement outpost.

The Israeli army said “two soldiers were also lightly injured in the violence.”

An AFP correspondent said “hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Beita, located in the north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, to protest against the nearby outpost of Eviatar.”

The area has seen regular demonstrations against settlement expansion on Palestinian land.

The Israeli army said that over the last several hours, a riot was instigated in the area of Givat Eviatar outpost, south of Nablus.

“Hundreds of Palestinians hurled rocks at IDF (army) troops, who responded with riot dispersal means.”

it said in a statement, adding that the two “lightly injured” soldiers were taken to hospital.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said “146 Palestinians were hurt during the clashes, including nine by live fire, 34 by rubber-coated bullets and 87 by tear gas.”

COLOMBO, 24 July 2021, (TON): Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that a committee will be appointed to look into the environmental damage caused by the furnace oil dumped by ships docking at Sri Lankan ports.

A discussion was held in this regard at the Environment Ministry recently and the Minister said “it was due to the irregular discharge of polluted water from these ships into the environment.”

Minister said "in the international system of removal of furnace fuel from ships, that has been added from the last port of call to the next port can be disposed of. If a ship discharges furnace fuel in every other country except ours, the relevant ships will have to pay a fee to that country due to the environmental damage caused to that country. But what happens in our country is that we pay for ships and buy fuel.”

He said that in the process of removing water from furnace fuel, the water is directly discharged into water sources such as rivers and streams. It was revealed that one litre of that unclean water pollutes 10,000 litres of clean water. Also, the heavy metals such as Arsenic, Cyanide, Lead and Cadmium contained in this water mix with the drinking water and, eventually, the people of the country will face many deadly diseases such as kidney failure.

Therefore, a committee was appointed by Minister Amaraweera to study the environmental issues that may arise due to the industry associated with furnace fuel being dumped from ships and to submit a report to the Cabinet.

RABAT, 24 July 2021, (TON): The Moroccan navy this week rescued 368 migrants including three children as they were trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Spain.

It said the migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were rescued between Tuesday and when their makeshift boats, including rubber dinghies and kayaks, ran into difficulty.

Last week Morocco’s navy reportedly rescued 344 migrants in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

Migrants in the North African country often try to reach the Spanish mainland via the Mediterranean, while in the Atlantic Ocean they make for Spain’s Canary Islands.

A total of 2,087 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea during the first six months of 2021, roughly the same number as during all of last year, a migrant rights group said earlier this month.

NAYPYITAW, 24 July 2021, (TON): Activists in villages near the Rakhine mountains in Ayeyarwady Region have been forced to flee amid raids by junta troops targeting members of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and those helping them. 

Hundreds of junta soldiers stationed themselves at the monastery in Thayatkone village in Myan Aung Township last week and have been detaining people in the area ever since, locals told media.

Around 60 soldiers raided Nghat Gyi Kwin, about three miles from Thayatkone. They detained a 30-year-old man named Tun Tun after accusing him of making landmines.

“I think the informants snitched on him,” a Nghat Gyi Kwin resident told media. “The military came into the village saying there were PDFs hiding in here. They came last month as well.”

The resident added “soldiers previously arrested six residents in the village who they said were PDF fighters.”

He said “there are over 20 villages in the Nghat Gyi Kwin tract. Many of the activists here were displaced thanks to those military informants. Those who actively participated in the protests don’t dare to live here anymore. They had to move somewhere else.”

On July 16, a military helicopter flew over the village, he added. “It’d been hovering around all morning. They say they were looking for a PDF training base at the base of the Rakhine mountains.”

WASHINGTON, 24 July 2021, (TON):  A U.S. Army National Guard unit is set to get the first Victor-model Black Hawks this month, Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie, the program executive officer for Army aviation, said in a July 21 press event at the Army Aviation Center of Excellence’s industry day at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

The UH-60V converts a Lima-model Black Hawk from an analog cockpit to a digital one, intended to better match the capability of a Mike-model, the latest variant of the helicopter.

The Victor-model is the first foray into an open architecture system for the Army’s fleet of helicopters and could serve as a foundation or model for the service as it attempts to field two future vertical lift aircraft by 2030 with modular open system backbones that will allow for easy capability upgrades, plug-and-play mission systems and promote system-level competition throughout their life cycles.

Redstone Defense Systems won an Army contract to take Northrop Grumman’s cockpit design and integrate the technology into V-model prototypes in spring 2014. Three prototypes spent more than two years in the roto type Integration Facility at Redstone undergoing integration.

The Army partnered with Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas, to convert L-models into new V-models at a rate of 48 aircraft per year, which some have called too slow, as it would take 15 years for the service to produce all 760 aircraft. The Army has been looking at ways to speed that up.

KATHMANDU, 24 July 2021, (TON): President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba held a meeting at the former’s office, Sheetal Niwas.

During the meeting, the President and the PM dwelt on various contemporary issues.

According to President’s chief personal secretary, Bheshraj Adhikari, “it was a routine meeting between the President and the PM. The two discussed contemporary issues.”

WASHINGTON, 24 July 2021, (TON): US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has said that it’s a particular pleasure to have Foreign Minister Hussein, my friend of many years, colleague of many years here at the State Department, with his delegation for the Strategic Dialogue with the United States and Iraq.

Blinken said “the closest of partners in the fight against ISIS, and we can take tremendous pride in the work we’ve done together to defeat ISIS and to make sure that it stays defeated.  But I think what today is demonstrating is that the partnership between the United States and Iraq is much broader and deeper than even the common fight against ISIS.”

He said “of course, the United States is proud to be leading international efforts to support Iraq’s elections in October, free and fair elections, so that the Iraqi people can have their voices heard and choose their leaders.”

Most of all, we are proceeding together in partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interests, and the work we’re doing is going to carry that forward.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Dr. Fuad Hussein has said on the occasion that in fact, this relationship, this partnership goes back a long way to the joint work against ISIS, and building the political (inaudible) and, for Iraq.

Our presence here in Washington is to conduct the dialogue and the discussions with the United States under the leadership of the U.S. delegation under the honorable Secretary of State Tony Blinken, and I thank him for this invitation, and we hope that the outcome of this dialogue is to serve the interests of the two countries and the two people.

MALE, 24 July 2021, (TON): Agroup of local youths had protested against China nearby the area where the Chinese Embassy is situated in Male’ City.

A journalist from Sun who was at the scene during the protest had reported that the protest comprised of about 30 people.

When the protesters had arrived at the scene, the area surrounding the Chinese Embassy was already closed off by the Police upon a tip received to them. Hence, the protesters were unable to get closed to the Embassy, consequent to which they had remained near Cibo Café to raise their voices as they held up protest signs.

Some thoughts expressed by protesters were with regard to the loans Maldives is in debt to China for, accusing the country of being “loan sharks” and also called out to stop their attacks on Uyghurs’ Muslims. Some of the protest signs held up by the youths also read “China Out”.

After protesting peacefully for about 15 minutes – the youths had disbanded.