RAMALLAH, 11 February, 2021 (TON): 2.3 million voters have been registered to cast their ballots in the upcoming general elections, says the Palestinian Central Elections Commission (PCEC).

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the PCEC said, that 2.8 million people in the Palestinian territories have the right to vote, adding that 82 percent of them have already been registered, reports Xinhua news agency.

The PCEC opened its election registration offices in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, one day after 14 Palestinian factions agreed to hold the legislative and presidential elections as scheduled.

According to the PCEC statement, Palestinian citizens in East Jerusalem, who hold Israeli identity cards, will participate in the general elections without being registered in the Commission's voter registry.

It added that the registration process will continue until 15 February, 2021.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced in a presidential decree issued last month that the legislative elections will be held on 22 May, presidential elections on 31 July, and the Palestinian National Council elections on 31 August this year. .

The Islamic Hamas movement won a majority during the last Palestinian presidential elections held in March 2005 and the legislative elections in January 2006.

GENEVA, 11 February, 2021 (TON):  Take urgent action to end push-backs, collective expulsions, and the use of violence against migrants and refugees, including children, at the EU’s external land and maritime borders, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) called on the European Union (EU) and its Member States.

Documented reports of human rights violations and breaches of international law and its conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights continuously received by the IOM.

“Our direct interactions, with migrants including during the delivery of assistance, as well as various testimonies and photographs shared by NGOs and the media, confirm the level of brutality they were subjected to before being pushed back across maritime and land borders.”

“The use of excessive force and violence against civilians is unjustifiable,” says IOM Chief of Staff Eugenio Ambrosi.

“States’ sovereignty including their competence to maintain the integrity of their borders must be aligned with their obligations under international law and respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all.”

IOM condemns in strongly the abuse of migrants and refugees at any border, as push-backs and collective expulsions are prohibited under international and EU law.

The Organization welcomes recent investigations initiated by several states and EU bodies into allegations of push-backs, violations of the principle of Non-refoulement, as well as violence at borders, and stresses that action needs to be taken by states to put an end to these abuses.

The alarming situation at some of the EU’s external borders highlights the need to improve migration and asylum policy and governance, and implement humane and integrate rights-based practices.

It is likely seen that the IOM supports the EU and its Member States on migration governance, including capacity building for rights-based integrated border management that respects the human rights of all migrants.

DAMMAM, 11 February, 2021 (TON): To discuss bilateral cooperation on a range of issues, Adel Bashir Hassan Bashir, Sudan’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has called on Prince Saud bin Naif, governor of the Eastern Province.

The media reported, the Sudanese ambassador visited Prince Saud’s office in Dammam at the start of his tenure in Saudi Arabia.

The deep-rooted relations between Saudi Arabia and Sudan were admired by the governor, and the Sudanese envoy expressed his appreciation of the governor’s warm welcome.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Khartoum in December 2020 for bilateral talks with top Sudanese officials.

He held separate meetings with Gen. Abdel Fattah

Burhan, head of Sudan’s sovereign council, expressed his country’s appreciation of the Kingdom’s support for Sudan, especially in the fight against the spread of the pandemic in the African country and during the recent floods.

Saudi Arabia’s keenness to coordinate with Khartoum to promote peace and prosperity in the region was emphasized and appreciated by Prince Faisal.

There is a strong historical relationship between Saudi Arabia and Sudan and the two countries recently agreed on the need to develop relations and coordinate positions on issues of common interest at the regional and international level.

LADAKH, 11 February, 2021 (TON): India and China agreed on disengaging troops from north and south of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, Rajnath Singh the Defense Minister told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

The Defense Minister said, "The sustained talks with China have led to the agreement on the disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake. After the agreement, India-China will remove forward deployments in a phased and coordinated manner."

"China will keep its troops to the east of the Finger 8 in the north of Pangong Lake. India will keep its troops at its permanent base near Finger 3," said Rajnath Singh.

"China has built up a heavy force with arms and ammunition on their side at several spots near the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Our forces have also adequate and effectively done counter deployment," said the Defense Minister.

"We are committed to maintaining a peaceful situation at the Line of Actual Control. India has always emphasized maintaining bilateral ties," said Rajnath Singh

Forces will return to the command post, he said and added, "Not an inch of land will be given and nothing has been lost since the faceoff".

The Defence Minister said the security forces have proved that they are ready to face any challenge to protect the sovereignty of the country and the nation will always remember the supreme sacrifice of the soldiers.

He said, "The country stands united when it comes to the national security whichever party you belong."

Pangong Tso is in the disputed territory while the Line of Actual Control passes through the lake. A section of the lake approximately 20 km east from the LAC is controlled by China but claimed by India. The eastern end of the lake is in Tibet.

After the mid-19th century, Pangong Tso was at the southern end of the Johnson Line, an early attempt at demarcation between India and China in the Aksai Chin region. On 29 and 30 August 2020, Indian troops had occupied many heights on the south bank of Pangong Tso.

MADRID, 11 February, 2021 (TON): Real Madrid left-back Marcelo, a soccer footballer has been ruled out for around three weeks with a calf injury, leaving Zinedine Zidane's side with six injured defenders including four full-backs.

Marcelo took a rare start in Tuesday's 2-0 win at home to Getafe taking Real second in the standings and within five points of leaders Atletico Madrid. He produced one of his best performances before hobbling off late in the game.

A statement from Real said, the Brazilian had injured his calf without stating how long he would be out for, although Spanish media reports say he will be out for around three weeks.

That rules him out of Real's Champions League last-16 first leg at Atalanta on Feb 24 plus their next three La Liga fixtures at home to Valencia, away to Real Valladolid, and at home to Real Sociedad.

ANKARA, 11 February, 2021 (TON): A joint maritime exercise in the Black Sea was conducted by Turkish and U.S. naval forces, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry said in a statement, Turkish frigates TCG Turgutreis and TCG Orucreis were part of the drill along with the USS Porter and USS Donald Cook destroyers of the US Navy.
Two Turkish Air Force F-16s and one US maritime patrol aircraft also participated in the exercise, it added.

“The training conducted for the fundamental types of naval warfare has further strengthened cooperation between the Naval Forces of the two countries and has contributed to their interoperability,” the statement read.

The ministry said Turkish Naval Forces have been “maintaining the Black Sea Harmony Operation since March 1, 2004, with the aim of contributing to the peace and security of the Black Sea within the framework of the ‘regional ownership’ principle.”

“As part of the operations, frigates, corvettes, assault boats, submarines, and sea patrol planes display their flag and show their presence in the Black Sea, and various observations and expeditions are conducted,” the statement said.

Within the scope of its planned activities, the Turkish Naval Forces conduct joint training and exercises at every opportunity with the elements of NATO, friendly and allied naval forces which have arrived in the Black Sea and regularly participate in the exercises organized by riparian countries.

KERENA, 11 February, 2021 (TON): U.N. spokesman said offering a provisional toll, that around 20 UN peacekeepers were wounded including several seriously injured in an attack on their base in central Mali on Wednesday.

A temporary base near Kerena, a village in the war-torn center of the Sahel state, the militants attacked at around 7 a.m.

According to Olivier Salgado, the spokesperson for the U.N.'s 13,000-strong MINUSMA mission in Mali the position was "targeted by direct and indirect fire," media reported. He did not say who was responsible for the attack.

"The MINUSMA chief firmly condemns the attack and has ordered that all measures be taken to treat the wounded," Salgado told.

In 2012, Mai had emerged to struggle with the insurgency in the north of the country that spread to the center of the country and to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Over 230 of its personnel have died since the mission began, and improvised explosive devices killed five peacekeepers last month alone.

According to an official briefed on the matter, the injured soldiers in the latest attack were from a Togolese contingent of peacekeepers.

Armed groups are active in the countries of the Sahel, an area stretching south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea and some have sworn allegiance to the terrorist organizations Daesh or al-Qaeda. German Bundeswehr soldiers are also stationed in Mali, participating in the U.N. mission to stabilize the country.

Militants belonging to the rebel groups have been regularly attacking the UN peacekeepers and Malian soldiers in the area. Deployed in 2013, the U.N. currently has over 14,000 peacekeepers in Mali.

BRUSSELS, 11 February, 2021 (TON): Marc Christian Kabore, Burkina Faso President started an official visit in Brussels on Tuesday and met with senior European Union officials.

The meeting is driven towards strengthening the socio-economic partnership, security, and health cooperation between Burkina Faso and the EU.

Kabore met European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli among others.

The West African country, which at first managed to avoid a catastrophic surge of the pandemic crisis, is now trying to cope with a much deadlier resurgence.

Along with Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso is one of those countries most affected by rebels and violence in a conflict in the Sahel that has continued to spread since it began in 2012 in northern Mali.

After Belgium, the Burkinabe President will meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday at the Elysée Palace in Paris.

On his current visit, he also looks at greater cooperation with the others to form stability in his region, even as he is about to end his five-year term as president.

WASHINGTON, 11 February, 2021 (TON): On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Myanmar military leaders behind the coup after several thousand people flocked to the streets in Yangon demanding normalization and return to democracy.

"Today I'm announcing a series of actions that we're taking to begin imposing consequences on the leaders of the coup. The US government is taking steps to prevent the generals from improperly having access to the USD1 billion in Burmese government funds held in the United States," Biden told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

"We will identify the first round of targets this week. We are also going to impose strong export controls. We are freezing US assets that benefit the Burmese government while maintaining our support for healthcare, civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly," Biden said.

"I again call on the Burmese military to immediately release democratic political leaders and activists they are now detaining including Aung San Suu Kyi and also Win Myint, the president," Biden said.

"The military must relinquish power."

After the coup arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, crowds swarmed the streets calling for her release.

Officers fired live rounds at one rally in Naypyidaw, the capital since 2005, as protesters faced down police a day after they used tear gas and rubber bullets.

Since then, many politicians from the party, and around 30 including a journalist were detained.

KABUL, 11 February, 2021 (TON): Four blasts rocked the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul on Wednesday killing two people including a police chief who had been attempting to crack down on the city’s growing insecurity, marked by almost daily assassinations.

Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said, “In the wake of three terrorist attacks in Kabul this morning, Mohammadzai Kochai, police chief of district five of Kabul was martyred along with his bodyguard”.

Another three people were wounded, he added.

A separate blast later hit a car near the upmarket international Serena Hotel; although there were no casualties.

Areas dominated by the Taliban militants including District five, where Kochai was based, is a transport hub between the capital Kabul and Afghanistan’s southern provinces.

Kochai had sought to crack down on the high levels of insecurity in the district in recent months.

The group has denied involvement in a recent wave of targeted assassinations which the government and many foreign powers have blamed on it.

The attacks are concentrated in urban centers and come as protracted peace talks take place in Doha between Taliban militants and the Afghan government.

The peace talks have largely stalled as the new U.S. President takes the office and reviews handing the peace process, including, a troop withdrawal agreement Washington signed with the Taliban under previous President Donald Trump.