GENEVA, 01 July 2021, (TON): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to US President Joe Biden’s administration to lift or waive all sanctions on Iran as agreed under a 2015 deal aimed at stopping Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

In a report to the UN Security Council, Guterres also urged the US to extend the waivers with regard to the trade in oil with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and fully renew waivers for nuclear non-proliferation projects.

Guterres said “I appeal to the US to lift or waive its sanctions outlined in the plan.”

The 15-member council discussed the secretary-general’s biannual report on the implementation of a 2015 resolution that enshrines the nuclear deal between Iran, the US, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China.

Guterres’ appeal to Washington comes amid talks to revive the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, under which Iran accepted curbs on its nuclear program in return for a lifting of many foreign sanctions against it.

KABUL, 01 July 2021, (TON): An official said that Afghanistan’s fresh fruit export to India increased by over 250 percent in 2020.

Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai Ms. Zakia Wardak made the remarks during Afghanistan’s fruit virtual business matchmaking event held in Mumbai India.

Last year, overall trade increased by five percent, Afghanistan’s fresh fruit exports to India increased by over 250 percent in 2020. Fresh and dry fruit contribute over 50 percent of Afghan exports to India. By hosting these types of business matchmaking events, we are determined to increase the trade between both sides to US$ 2 billion in upcoming years.

A statement from the Afghan diplomatic mission in Mumbai said “among those already experienced in international trade; 46 Indian importers and 36 Afghan exporters participated in the session.”

The Consulate General of Afghanistan in Mumbai, in association with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), US Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), World Trade Center Kabul, World Trade Center Mumbai, Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, and Indian Chamber of International Business (ICIB) hosted the event.

NEW DELHI, 01 July 2021, (TON): Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Sharma will be the new Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy), a post created last year to oversee the 1.3 million-strong Army's operations and intelligence directorates.

Lt Gen Sharma succeeds Lt Gen Paramjit Singh who became the first DCOAS(strategy) earlier this year.

Officials said that Lt Gen Singh superannuated after 39 years of service in the Army. Lt Gen Sharma, serving as the Director-General of Military Intelligence, will take up the new assignment.

The DCOAS(Strategy) was created as part of mega reforms in the Army headquarters, nearly three years after its need was felt during the 73-day Doklam standoff with the Chinese military in the Sikkim sector.

Lt Gen Sharma is an alumnus of Rashtriya Military School, Bengaluru and was commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles in December 1983.

He served in a wide spectrum of terrains and conflict zones besides holding a host of command, staff and instructional appointments.

Lt Gen Sharma commanded an infantry battalion in an active counter-insurgency environment in the North East, an infantry brigade deployed along the Line of Control and thereafter commanded an infantry division and a Corps in the Western sector.

JERUSALEM, 01 July 2021, (TON): Officials said that Jewish settlers have agreed to quit a remote outpost that has become a flashpoint for clashes with Palestinians who also claim the land, under a deal aimed at addressing an awkward political test for the new Israeli government.

Under the agreement with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the settlers will leave Givat Eviatar outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

But it seemed likely that at least some of the outpost’s new buildings would remain, locked and under military guard, an outcome that is certain to anger Palestinian protesters who demand it be removed.

The hilltop settlement outpost near the Palestinian city of Nablus was established without Israeli government permits in May and is now home to more than 50 settler families.

The Israeli military ordered it to be cleared, presenting an early challenge for the new prime minister. Bennett was once a leader of the settler movement and heads a pro-settler party, putting him at odds with some of his own voter base if the settlers were forcibly evicted.

KATHMANDU, 01 July 2021, (TON): Nepal and Republic of Sierra Leone established diplomatic relations. With this, the number of countries with diplomatic ties with Nepal has reached 171.

Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Amrit Bahadur Rai, and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, Alie Kabba, signed a Joint Communiqué to this effect in a brief ceremony held at the Permanent Mission Nepal to the United Nations in New York, the mission stated in a press release.

 The two Ambassadors also signed a joint letter informing the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, about the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On the occasion, the two Ambassadors exchanged views on various matters of common interest to strengthen bilateral cooperation at national and multilateral settings particularly at UN forums for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

MINSK, 01 July 2021, (TON): The press service of the politician said that former presidential candidate of Belarus, leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya phoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, asked Oslo to join the new EU sanctions against Minsk and pay particular attention to restrictions on the potash industry.

The press service said “Svetlana Tikhanovskaya made a call with Norwe-gian Foreign Minister Ina Marie Erikson Sereide. Du-ring the call, Tikhano-vskaya called on Norway to join the 4th package of EU sanctions and sectoral sanctions.”

At the same time, it is emphasized that special attention is paid to such areas as potash fertilizers.

According to the report, Tikhanovskaya proposed Norway, together with Ire-land and Estonia, to organize hearings in the UN Se-curity Council on Belarus and discuss the creation of an international tribunal, and also called for incre-ased assistance to civil so-ciety, Belarusian media and families of prisoners recognized by Belarusian human rights defenders as political.

According to the CEC “after the presidential elections in Belarus on August 9, 2020, in which Alexander Lukashenko won for the sixth time, who gained 80.1% of the vote, massive opposition protests began in the country, to suppress which the security forces, among other things, used special means and special equipment.

On February 11, the KGB of Belarus announced that the situation in the country had stabilized, the peak of the protests had passed, their manifestations had practically disappeared.

NEW DELHI, 01 July 2021, (TON): Director-General of Nation Security Guard (NSG) M A Ganapathy and D-G, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sudhir Kumar Saxena held a high-level meeting with top police officers in Jammu to discuss the issue of drone terror threat in the area.

They also inspected the scene of the first-of-its-kind terror attack using drones at the Air Force station in Jammu.

Officials of the NIA, which has taken over the probe, and NSG’s bomb disposal squad have been here since Sunday, conducting investigations.

COLOMBO, 01 July 2021, (TON): india dismissed as factually incorrect media reports that claimed it sought to use Sri Lankan airspace for a joint military exercise with a third country.

The Indian High Commission said in a statement "we have seen some media reports stating that authorities in Sri Lanka declined a request by India to use Sri Lankan airspace for a Joint Military Exercise with a third country. High Commission of India would like to deny these reports as they are factually incorrect."

It said that no such request has been made by India for using the Sri Lankan airspace in the recent past for the purpose of any joint exercise with a third country.

KABUL, 01 July 2021, (TON): Top US commander in Afghanistan did not rule out fresh airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan, warning civil war was a possibility if the ongoing security situation in the country not changed.

Talking to reports in Kabul, Gen. Scott Miller said “he did not like airstrikes, but the militants should stop violence if they did not want any military action from the US forces.”

He said “the best way to stop those, and I have actually told the Taliban this, is stop the offensive operations and air strikes.”

Miller said that the US military still had the fire power to conduct air strikes against the insurgents even as it continued the withdrawal. He said that the security situation in Afghanistan was not good and the Afghan forces had been making adjustments to deal with the matter. When asked about the worsened security situation despite NATO’s two-decade mission in Afghanistan

He further said that the unrest was continued for over four decades in the country and the best way was a political settlement for the Afghan people.

He added that the political settlement is something that as we start talking about how does this all end, the way it must end for the Afghan people is something that revolves around a political solution.

ISLAMABAD, 01 July 2021, (TON): Pakistan rejected an Indian official's claim that Islamabad's involvement in the Indian Air Force base at Jammu airport could not be ruled out.

The Foreign Office, in a statement, categorically rejected the "irresponsible and misleading statement as Indian Home Minister G Kishan Reddy chose not to share any evidence in this regard.”

The statement said "the Indian government has once again leveled serious allegations against Pakistan. This is yet another manifestation of the unsubstantiated propaganda and smear campaign against Pakistan that is characteristic of the Indian government and an obliging Indian media."

The Foreign Office said “this is a familiar Indian ploy to externalise any blame, use baseless allegations against Pakistan as a smokescreen, and seek to undermine the indigenous struggle for self-determination of the Kashmiri people.”

The statement underlined that the latest allegations further confirmed what Pakistan has consistently pointed out that the BJP government stages false flag operations to malign Pakistan with terrorism-related allegations for narrow political gains.

It noted  that the use of the Pakistan card either to win an election or to divert attention from an electoral defeat has also, unfortunately, become standard practice.