ISLAMABAD, 22 May, 2021, (TON): A bomb blast at a pro-Palestinian rally in southwestern Baluchistan province killed at least seven people and injured 14 others on Friday said, officials. 
The attack targeted a vehicle carrying a local leader of the religious political party in the town of Chaman, near the Afghanistan border. 
According to the initial investigations, unknown assailants detonated an improvised explosive device planted on a motorbike parked near the vehicle as rally participants began to disperse.    
Provincial government spokesman Liaquat Shahwani said security forces swiftly sealed the area and a police search was underway to find those behind the attack. 
No one took responsibility for the bomb blast.  
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, and has seen several attacks in recent months. 
Rallies in support of Palestinians were held across Pakistan on Friday, as the country marked Palestine Day in solidarity with the people of Gaza and to protest against Israel’s airstrikes and attacks on Gaza. The 11-day conflict killed at least 243 Palestinians in Gaza.   

ABUJA, 22 May, 2021, (TON): Nigeria's army chief, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash on Friday during an official visit to the northern state of Kaduna, which has had security challenges in recent months, the presidency said. 

The air force said in a statement that its plane crashed near the Kaduna airport and that it was investigating the cause. 

Eleven crew and officers aboard a Nigerian military plane were killed when the plane crashed. 

The air force said the plane crashed near Kaduna Airport and that it was investigating. 

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, described the crash as a "mortal blow ... at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country." 

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has had a poor air safety record in the past, although it has improved in recent years. It was the third air force plane crash in three months. 

President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Attahiru alongside other military chiefs in January after years of mounting criticism over spreading violence by armed groups.  

KATHMANDU, 22 May, 2021, (TON): President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives and announced mid-term elections for November 12 and 19. 

A midnight Cabinet meeting had made the recommendation to dissolve the House after the prospect of forming a new government has ended. 
The President's Office said in a statement, "President Bidya Devi Bhandari, on the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has dissolved the House of Representatives as per Article 76 (7) of the Constitution of Nepal and called the mid-term elections for Nov. 12 and 19."  

Under Article 76 (7) of the Constitution of Nepal, the president shall dissolve the lower house and call for new election, as suggested by the prime minister, if the incumbent premier fails to obtain a vote of confidence or a new one cannot be appointed. 

The move followed a notice from the Office of the President that it could apppoint neither KP Sharma Oli, the incumbent prime minister, nor Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepali Congress president, as claims made by both to form a new government were insufficient. 

Bhandari on Thursday called on the opposition parties to form a new majority government, as recommended by Oli. 

Earlier, K P Sharma Oli was reappointed as Nepal Prime Minister on May 13 after the Opposition parties failed to secure majority seats in Parliament to form a new government. 

The House of Representatives, which has 271 members, was formed in elections held in November and December in 2017. 

GADCHIROLI, 21 May 2021, (TON): New Dehli claims that its security forces’ anti-naxal commandos of the Maharashtra Police on Friday morning gunned down 13 Maoists, including 7 women, in a fierce gun-battle in the deep forests of Kotmi in Etapalli taluka of Gadchiroli in eastern Maharashtra.

Anti Naxal Squad (ANS) of the Gadchiroli police claims to have recovered a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives, including one AK-47 rifle, SLR, Carbine, 303 and 12 bore rifles and an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from the spot.

KATHMANDU, 21 May 2021, (TON): Nepal's political crisis deepened on Friday as both embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and the Opposition parties staked a claim for the formation of a new government by submitting letters comprising signatures of lawmakers to President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

Prime minister Oli reached the President's Office Shital Niwas a couple of minutes ahead of the Opposition leaders. He submitted the letter claiming support of 121 lawmakers from his own party CPN-UML and 32 lawmakers of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N) for his reappointment pursuant to Article 76(5) of the Constitution.

JSP-N president Mahantha Thakur, JSP-N Parliamentary Party leader Rajendra Mahato and PM Oli had signed the letter submitted to the President, CPN-UML leader Bishnu Rimal was quoted as saying in The Himalayan Times.

Earlier Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba claimed to have garnered the support of 149 lawmakers. Deuba, along with the leaders of Opposition parties, reached the President's Office to stake claim for the post of prime minister. The Opposition's decision came after Prime Minister Oli reportedly expressed unwillingness on Thursday to undergo another floor test to prove his government's majority in the House of Representatives.

Leaders of the Opposition alliance including the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (Maoist Center), the Upendra Yadav-faction of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and the ruling CPN-UML's Madhav Nepal faction claimed to have the support of 149 lawmakers of the House of Representatives (HoR), said Nepali Congress senior leader Prakash Man Singh.

The number includes 61 MPs of Nepali Congress, 48 of Maoist Center, 13 of JSP and 27 of UML. The leaders from the Opposition alliance left for the President's official residence, Shital Niwas, to submit the signatures of 149 lawmakers recommending Sher Bahadur Deuba's appointment as the prime minister.

Deuba, 74, is the president of the Nepali Congress and served as the prime minister of Nepal on four different occasions; first from 1995 to 1997, then from 2001 to 2002, again from 2004 to 2005, and from 2017 to 2018.

MYANMAR, 21 May 2021, (TON): Myanmar's military General Min Aung Hlaing-appointed state election commission said on Friday that his agency will consider dissolving Aung San Suu Kyi's former ruling party for its alleged involvement in electoral fraud and have its leaders charged with treason.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party first came to power after a landslide 2015 election victory, and won an even greater majority in last November's general election. It was set to start a second term in February when the military seized power in a coup, arresting her and dozens of top government officials and party members.

Genaral Min Aung Hlaing cited electoral fraud as the justification for the army's takeover, saying “there was terrible fraud in the voter lists.” The Union Solidarity and Development Party, which suffered unexpectedly heavy losses in the election, made similar allegations.

Political parties were called to discuss planned changes in the electoral system at a meeting Friday, There, Union Election Commission chairman Thein Soe said an investigation of last year's election that would soon be completed showed that Suu Kyi's NLD had illegally worked with the government to give itself an advantage at the polls.

"We will investigate and consider whether the party should be dissolved, and whether the perpetrators should be punished as traitors,” he said.

KABUL, 21 May 2021, (TON): NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Paris on Friday that NATO will continue to train Afghan special forces outside the country after it winds up 18 years of security work in conflict-torn Afghanistan in coming months.

NATO Secretary General said, “As we end our military presence, we are opening a new chapter,” after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron that were focused on preparations for a summit of the alliance's leaders next month.

Secretary General Stoltenberg said NATO's revised role would involve giving “advice and capacity-building support to Afghan security institutions, as well as continued financial support.” He said NATO also plans “to provide military education and training outside Afghanistan, focusing on Special Operations Forces.”

It is on record that all the combatants have already withdrawn from Afghanistan and troops for the security of economic interest projects or training of Afghan forces ar present in Afghanistan, The statement indicates that foreign presence would remain in the country.

ISLAMABAD, 21 May, 2021 (TON): Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a telephonic conversation on Thursday reaffirmed their resolve to further solidify Pakistan-China bilateral relations.

The commitment was reiterated by the two leaders as part of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan-China diplomatic ties.

PM Imran congratulated the Chinese premier on the special occasion, that would be celebrated by both the sides in a befitting manner.

“I am confident that under your leadership our “All-Weather Strategic Co-operative Partnership” will further strengthen and flourish creating a brighter and promising future for our people, said PM Imran.

"The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative and has generated economic activity, employment and will further enhance bilateral and regional trade," the premier said.

The year 2021 is a special occasion as it marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, he added.

Both the leaders stressed the need to continue with the momentum of high-level exchanges to further diversify and deepen strategic cooperation between the two countries.

BRUSSELS, 21 May, 2021 (TON): European Commission Executive Vice-President and trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said on Thursday that EU and US are working to reach an agreement on their long-standing dispute on aircraft subsidies by the July 11 deadline.

Dombrovskis said at a press conference that the deadline was "realistic" and that he was confident that an agreement will be reached.

"We had intensive and broad discussions on this topic with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai last week and also during today's video conference she confirmed this timeline so we are working to reach this agreement by July 11," Dombrovskis said.

Earlier, he EU and the US agreed to suspend tariffs imposed on billions of dollars of imports in a dispute over aircraft subsidies that goes back 16 years. The suspension runs until July 10, with tariffs re-applying on July 11 if there is no solution.

Since the 1980s onset of intensified sales competition between American and European civil aircraft manufacturers, aircraft trade has been a point of contention in transatlantic trade.

NEW DELHI, 21 May, 2021 (TON): Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said there is a possibility that India can be a part of projects unfolding in the Farzad B gas field in Iran at a later stage.

The MEA’s official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi gave statement days after Iran announced that it will develop the gas field domestically and signed a deal with Petropars.

"Iran had decided to develop the Farzad B gas field on its own and wanted to involve India at a later stage," the MEA said.

“Our consortium is in touch with the Iranian authorities,” said Mr. Bagchi during a news briefing.

Earlier on Monday, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has signed a contract worth $1.78 billion with Petropars Group for the development of Farzad B Gas Field in the Persian Gulf.

India has lost its $3-billion bet on Iran regarding the giant Farzad-B gas field in Farsi block. The asset was discovered back in 2008 and since then the negotiations were being carried out by top leadership of both the countries. Now it came as a setback to the Indian efforts in Farzad B which has spanned more than a decade.