TIJUANA, 20 February, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the first group of people seeking asylum crossed the U.S. border under the President Biden’s immigration reforms, while thousands waited in Mexico in the hope of letting in.   

Tens of thousands of non-Mexican asylum seeker mostly from Central America were sent back over the border pending the outcome of their applications under the former U.S. administration’s “Remain in Mexico.”

Biden’s administration moved quickly to start dismantling the controversial policy, officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), with a first stage that began on Friday.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), there are approximately 25,000 active cases. Mexico says 6,000 remain on its territory.

NEW DELHI, 20 February, 2021 (TON): On Saturday, Indian and Chinese military sets in dialogue to de-escalate tension at the LAC.

At 10 am, the 10th round of Corps Commander meeting started at 10 a.m. at Moldo on Chinese side.

Lieutenant General P.G.K. Menon, Commander of 14 Corps based in Leh is leading the military delegation to discuss the disengagement at the friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and 900 square km Depsang plains.

As it is known that the build-up in Depsang was not considered part of the current standoff that started in May last year as escalations here took place in 2013. However, now India has insisted during recent military commander meetings to resolve all issues across Line of Actual Control.

"The initial attempt will be to resolve Gogra and Hot Springs. Finding a solution to Depsang might be tricky and take longer," said an official.

The status of disengagement at northern and southern banks of the Pangong Lake will also be taken into consideration by the representatives during the current round of "corps commander level."

However, just a day ahead of the meeting, China began a "psywar", where it released a video of Galwan Valley clashes on social media accusing Indian Army of being aggressive and leading to the clash.

Indian Army remained silent over the issue and did not react to the video of the clash released by China.

Indian Army along with Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is physically verifying and re-verifying disengagement at Pangong Lake. However, so far disengagement process at both banks of the Pangong Lake has taken place. The announcement for disengagement was made on 10 February.

KABUL, 20 February, 2021 (TON): On Saturday, Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul witnesses 2 explosions in less than 30 minutes, leaving two people killed and two other wounded.

At Darulaman Roan in the west of Kabul city, the first explosion happened at around 8 in the morning that wounded two people, police said. Adding the blast targeted a corolla vehicle.

Police said the second explosion also targeting the corolla vehicle but with increased magnetic IED happened in the Kart-e-Parwan area in Kabul’s PD4 at around 8:15 am in which two people were killed.

Recently it is seen that Afghanistan is witnessing a sharp rise in violence. Data from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission shows that in 2020, over 2,000 people were killed in incidents, for which no one claimed responsibility. However, it is observed that the violence is increased since the U.S. Taliban deal signed in Doha last year in February.

ISTANBUL, 20 February, 2021 (TON): In a row of claiming Erdogan’s involvement in the death of 13 Turkish in Iraq, Turkish President Erdogan sued his main opposition rival.

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants have been accused by Turkey of executing 13 police officers and security personnel that got abducted in Turkey and held hostage in a cave in Northern Iraq.

But the Turkey labeled terrorist organization PKK and the western allies said the 13 were killed by Turkish bombs dropped during last week’s Ankara rescue operation.

The failed rescue attempt has piled political pressure on Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey as prime minister and president since 2003.

Leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu said on Tuesday in parliament that it was Erdogan who is responsible for our 13 martyrs.

“You launched an operation but all the hostages died,” Kilicdaroglu said.

His comments infuriated Erdogan, whose lawyers are now seeking 500,000 Turkish liras ($72,000) in “moral damages,” the media reported.

Criticizing Erdogan for the failed operation and arguing that negotiations would have been more effective pointed by parliament’s second largest opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Supporting the government, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said, “Turkey is a rising power which fought in (northern Iraq) not only against the PKK but also against strategic threats.”

However, it is observed that the Turkish army regularly conducts cross-border operations and air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq that has been insurgent against the Turkish state since 1984 and had left more than 40,000 dead.

NEW YORK, 20 February, 2021 (TON): The re-entry of the U.S. into the Paris Agreement on climate change has been hailed by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called for the global action to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

"Today is a day of hope, as the US officially rejoins the Paris Agreement. This is good news for the US, and for the world," Guterres told a virtual event on Friday to mark the US re-entry.

"For the past four years, the absence of a key player created a gap in the Paris Agreement, a missing link that weakened the whole. So today, as we mark the United States re-entry into this treaty, we also recognize its restoration, in its entirety, as its creators intended," he said. "Welcome back."

The US, together with all members of the Group of 20 largest economies in the world, has a decisive role in delivering three main objectives: the long-term vision, the decade of transformation, and urgent climate action now, he said.

The Paris Agreement is a historic achievement. But the commitments made so far are not enough. And even those commitments made in Paris are not being met, said Guterres.

On 22 April, 2016, the U.S. signed the agreement and concerned to remain bound to it on 3 September, 2016. However, the U.S. ceased to participate in the agreement as the former President Trump announced it on 4 November, 2020.    

After the agreement was ceased, the new U.S. President Biden on his first day in the White House signed a new instrument of acceptance, which was deposited with the UN secretary-general on the same day, enabling the US re-entry on 19 February, 2021, in accordance with provisions of the Paris Agreement.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 20 February, 2021 (TON): On Friday, PM Modi said “development is the aim of the government” while inaugurating projects in Kerala.

"Development and good governance have no caste, creed or religion as development is for everyone and for that I seek the support of the people of Kerala. Development is our aim," Modi said while taking part in the inauguration ceremony from Delhi, in which Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also took part virtually.

"To facilitate our growth, we have the Smart City project and it helps in urban planning. So far, 54 Command and Control Centres have become operational," Modi said.

"Thrissur is known as the cultural centre of Kerala and now with this project, it will become the power centre of the state as this will get connected to the national grid. The transmission gap has to be bridged and it will be done. The High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) equipment used in the project has been made under the Make in India Aatmanirbhar movement," said Modi.

"India has been going green in solar energy and is putting up a strong fight against climate change which is a boost to our entrepreneurs. Under the PM Kusum Yojana, 20 lakh farmers have been given solar pumps," added Modi.

"Under the Amrut scheme, 175 drinking water supply projects at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore have been launched so far, and this new one at Aruvikara will benefit 13 lakh people," Modi said.

PM Modi is taking positive steps for the development of Kerala to empower the state.

RIYADH, 20 February, 2021 (TON): KSrelief takes responsibility to implement health, water and environmental sanitation projects in Yemen as it signs five joint agreements with the Taybah Foundation for Development.

The deals were penned by KSrelief’s assistant general supervisor for operations and programs, Ahmed bin Ali Al-Beez, at the center’s headquarters.

The deals of KSrelief weigh around $1.244M, $1.604M, $860,660, $1.6M, and $343,000.

About $1.244M worth first agreement included operating the third phase of Al-Jaada Health Center in Hajjah governorate, benefiting 69,300 people by providing them with access to integrated primary health services.

The second deal will help 175,200 displaced people in Hodeidah governorate through the provision of emergency nutrition clinics and other health services.

Third one includes a scheme to put in place fresh water supplies and environmental sanitation for 8,400 displaced people in Hodeidah.

Similarly, projects costing around $1.6M would benefit about 20,000 individuals will take place in Hajjah under the fourth deal.

And also, in Hajjah mobile medical clinics will be made available to 36,000 people as part of the fifth element of the signing, worth in excess of $343,000.

NEW YORK, 20 February, 2021 (TON): As the country heads for elections on 24 December this year, the UN’s special envoy for Libya Jan Kubis met Gen. Khalifa Haftar commander of LNA to mend the bridges between the rival Libyan factions since 2015 on Friday.

Haftar and Kubis agreed on the importance of all parties in Libya working to ensure the elections go ahead as planned, the UN Support Mission in Libya said.

The ways to speed up the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the country, and the reopening of a key coastal road linking Tripoli in the west with Benghazi was also made into focus.

On Thursday, Kubis along with his team made a visit to the Tripoli region to meet two members of the three-person interim Libyan Presidential Council: President-designate Mohamed Almenfi and Abdullah El-Lafi.

The implementation of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum’s (LPDF) political roadmap, which was agreed in Tunis in November, including the holding of an official vote of confidence in the House of Representatives was discussed on the visit.

Kubis also discussed the security conditions in the country with the GNA’s minister of defense and other senior officials from the Defense Ministry.

UN stands ready to provide all necessary technical support to ensure the success of the democratic process, Kubis said to the head of the electoral commission.

Now it remains due under consideration what effects would the discussions will cast in the progress of deploying ceasefire monitors and attempting to urge mercenaries and other foreign forces to leave the country.

ADDIS ABABA, 20 February, 2021 (TON): The U.S. has decided to de-link its suspension of millions of dollars of aid to Ethiopia from that country's dispute with Egypt over a massive hydroelectric dam project.

However, early Friday the State Department said that albeit of it, it does not mean all the roughly $272 million in security and development assistance will immediately start to flow, and it depends on more recent developments, an apparent reference to the deadly conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

The State Department said humanitarian assistance remains exempt from the aid suspension. It said it has informed Ethiopia's government. A spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ethiopians were furious after former President Donald Trump last year directed the suspension of aid to their country in a rare example of his direct involvement in an African issue. Ethiopia had left a U.S.-led attempt to mediate the dispute with Egypt, alleging bias. Trump also caused an uproar by saying downstream Egypt would ``blow up'' the dam project that Cairo considers an existential threat.

Ethiopia asserts that the $4.6 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that it has nearly completed on the Blue Nile River is essential for development and the pulling of millions of people out of poverty. Egypt says it threatens its water supply.

Ethiopia is now under pressure from the U.S. and others including the European Union and United Nations over the deadly fighting in its northern Tigray region, where some 6 million people have been largely cut off from the world since fighting began in November between Ethiopian and allied forces and Tigray ones.

KARNATAKA, 20 February 2021, (TON): In reaction to Thursday’s speech by Popular Front of India (PFI) General Secretary Anis Ahmed on commemoration of Popular Front Day at Ullal , Mangaluru city, the Indian Home Minister questioned how can the PFI question the integrity patriotic institutions RSS?

PFI's Karnataka General Secretary, Anis Ahmed said in speech, “RSS said that proposed Ram Mandir was not Ram Mandir in truest sense but it is RSS mandir, therefore Muslim across the nation should not contribute a single paisa for that Mandir and PFI would continue to be targeted by the union government but the PFI would not succumb to them”. He said, "RSS is such a deadly virus for which there is no vaccine yet. We will get that vaccine and administer it at various places. There is no Hindu-Muslim problem in this country, but it is RSS vs Muslim problem in this country." He added, "All our workers who are arrested by the government in false cases are our heroes”.

India Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday directed police to file case against PFI leader as he had delivered anti national and hate speech. He said, "What PFI leader has spoken of is certainly against this country and against the Constitution. It is certainly anti-national speech, hate speech." He said, PFI wants to divide people of this country on communal lines.

Strongly criticizing highlighting of Ram Mandir issue by PFI, he said, “Ram Mandir’s matter is disposed-off by the Apex Court, permitting the Mandir to be built in the same place then why the issue is again being questioned.