BRUSSELS, 07 December, 2020, (TON): Post-Brexit trade talks hung in the balance on Monday as Britain and the European Union made a last-ditch attempt to bridge significant differences and reach a deal that would avoid a disorderly exit in just 24 days.

With growing fears of “no-deal” chaos after the United Kingdom finally leaves the EU’s orbit on Dec. 31, talks will resume in Brussels before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen review the situation on Monday evening.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Sunday the chances of a deal were 50-50. Investment bank JPMorgan said odds of a no-trade deal exit had risen to one third from 20%.

The British pound tumbled on concerns that there would be no agreement covering annual trade worth nearly $1 trillion.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier was “rather downbeat as to the prospects of agreement” when he spoke to national envoys over orange juice and pastries in Brussels on Monday morning, according to one diplomat who took part in the meeting.

“EU-UK negotiations have entered the endgame, time is running out quickly,” another EU diplomat said. “It is for the UK to chose between... a positive outcome or a no deal outcome.”

Failure to secure a deal would clog borders, upset financial markets and disrupt delicate supply chains across Europe and beyond as the world tries to cope with the vast economic cost of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The negotiations are at a crucial stage as time is running out for both sides to secure a deal before the Brexit transition period expires at the end of the year.

Trade agreements that the UK is part of as an EU member state will no longer apply if there’s a no-deal Brexit. The UK and the EU are negotiating a trade agreement to start on 1 January 2021.

WASHINGTON, 07 December, 2020, (Media Report): The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on at least a dozen Chinese officials over their alleged role in Beijing’s disqualification of elected opposition legislators in Hong Kong, according to three sources, including a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The move, which could come as soon as Monday, will target officials from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as President Donald Trump’s administration keeps up pressure on Beijing in his final weeks in office. President-elect Joe Biden takes over on January 20.

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Up to 14 people, including officials of China’s parliament, or National People’s Congress, and members of the CCP, would likely be targeted by measures such as asset freezes and financial sanctions, two sources said.

The U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said multiple individuals would be sanctioned. A person familiar with the matter said the group would likely include officials from Hong Kong as well as the mainland. The sources did not provide names or positions of those being targeted for sanctions. Two sources cautioned an announcement could still be delayed until later in the week.

“China has always firmly opposed and strongly condemned U.S. interference in China’s domestic affairs through the Hong Kong issue,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing in Beijing on Monday, in response to a question on the Reuters report.

Stock markets in Asia gave up early gains on worries the move may signal a further deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies.

Hong Kong is expected to be one of Biden’s thorniest challenges with China, which will be high on his foreign policy agenda with relations between Washington and Beijing at the lowest point in decades over an array of disputes.

BEIJING, 07 December, 2020, (TON): China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi said on Monday he hoped and believed that U.S. policy on China could eventually “return to objectivity and rationality”.

China’s relations with the United States hit rock bottom during the Trump administration, which is set to be replaced by new leadership when President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January.

Speaking to a group of business leaders from U.S. firms, Wang, who is China’s state councillor and foreign minister, said both countries should respect each other’s history, core interests and “the systems and paths chosen by our people” when managing differences and conflicts.

“China and the U.S. can totally cooperate on areas such as managing the pandemic, economy recovery and climate change,” Wang added.

It is up to the U.S. to “make the correct decision” on future relations, he added.

Wang called for both countries to resume dialogues at all levels and to encourage friendly exchanges between legislatures, think tanks, business communities and the media.

U.S.-China relations remain emotional, deeply enmeshed in politics. The downward spiral in relations between the dueling economic powers have sunk to the lowest level in decades.

LONDON, 07 December, 2020, (TON): Thousands of people protested in central London on Sunday over Indian agricultural reforms that have triggered mass demonstrations in India.

A crowd of demonstrators, a large number of Sikhs among them, converged on the Indian embassy, located on Aldwych, a major artery in the centre of the British capital, and groups marched around the Trafalgar Square area.

The demonstration, largely comprising of Sikhs, involved placard were waving with messages.  The protests were held in solidarity with Indian farmers who are protesting on various borders of Delhi since November 26, seeking repeal of three farm laws enacted in September.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting for the last eleven days at the borders of Delhi against three laws the government says are meant to overhaul antiquated procurement procedures and give growers more options to sell their produce.

Farmers fear the legislation, passed in September, will eventually dismantle India's regulated markets and stop the government from buying wheat and rice at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers.

In talks with the Centre, farmers have refused to accept anything except the complete withdrawal of the laws.

Britain is home to a large Indian Diaspora and many Britons

Indians are both a well-integrated part of the British population and an important diaspora group. Those who trace their family roots to India are strongly engaged with news from the country.

WASHINGTON, 07 December, 2020, (TON): US Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson while chatting with reporters, on Sunday, said that the Taliban is expecting the release of thousands of their prisoners under their agreement with the United States, by mid-December.

“The specific provision relating to another 7,000 Taliban prisoners is contained in the US-Taliban agreement,” Wilson said.

“If you do the math, the Taliban expect under the terms of that agreement that there would be progress on releasing those prisoners by roughly mid-December. I have forgotten the exact date. I think it's our view,” he said.

Wilson further insisted that “all of the various parts of the US-Taliban agreement are interlocked with one another, intersect with one another and that you can’t just take out one and say this one has to be adhered to without other aspects being adhered to.”

Wilson said that the US’s “strong interest is in the united consensus among leaders of the Islamic Republic that can help to make tough decisions as these negotiations go forward, give clear direction to the negotiating team in Doha and do it in a way that reflects the national interests as opposed to a narrow political interest, or a narrow ethnic interest or some other narrow set of concerns.”

The move comes after the two consecutive meeting held between Afghan Republic and Taliban about the agenda of negotiations. Although, the details are still to be public yet, both sides are quite optimistic to progress to finalize the agenda of the talks. Earlier, both sides have agreed on the procedural rules for the negotiations that was a breakthrough, breaking deadlock and creating hopes for peace.

Earlier this year, the US and the Taliban agreed on a peace deal to end the 19-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD, 07 December, 2020, (TON): Pakistan once again urged the Indian government to ensure safety, security and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, and fulfil its responsibilities under Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international instruments including the recommendations of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“Today is a sad reminder of the demolition of the historic Babri Masjid in India. On this day, 28 years ago, Hindu zealots of the RSS-inspired BJP, backed by the state apparatus, demolished the centuries-old mosque in Ayodhya in an abominable act of anti-Muslim frenzy and blatant violation of religious and international norms,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Sunday.

“The new illegitimate structure, which the Hindutva-driven BJP has campaigned for and is bent upon constructing as part of its agenda of converting India into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, is a scar on the face of so-called ‘largest democracy’ in the world,” it added.

The statement said that flawed judgment of the Indian Supreme Court in the Babri Mosque case in November 2019 not only reflected the preponderance of faith over justice but also the growing majoritarianism in today’s India, where minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, were increasingly under attack.

It said that the recent shameful acquittal of the criminals responsible for demolishing the Babri Mosque in 1992 represented another egregious travesty of justice.

The FO further said, the extreme haste in starting construction of a temple at the Babri Mosque site amidst the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act, the looming National Register of Citizens to disenfranchise Muslims, the targeted killings of Muslims in Delhi with state complicity in February 2020, and other anti-Muslim measures pointed to the fact how Muslims in India were being systematically demonized, dispossessed, marginalized and subjected to targeted violence.

Pakistan urged India to punish those responsible for the mosque’s demolition,

Pakistan also called upon the international community, the United Nations and relevant international organizations to play their role in preserving the Islamic heritage sites in India from the extremist ‘Hindutva’ regime and ensure protection of minorities in India.

OIC had also passed numerous resolutions, condemning the odious act of demolishing the historic Mosque.

India's Muslims are being systematically targeted. BJP administration has emboldened those carrying out hate crimes against minority religions.

MANAMA, 7 December 2020. (TON): Prince Turki al-Faisal, who heads Saudi Intelligence while describing Israel as a Western colonizing power spoke the words of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by warning Israel that any normalization deals will be conditional to Palestinians obtaining their own independent state.

At Bahrain security summit he highlighted Palestinian cause and said, Israel has “incarcerated in concentration camps under the flimsiest of security accusation; young and old, women and men, who are rotting there without recourse to justice”. He said, “They are demolishing homes as they wish and they assassinate whomever they want.”

Saudi Arabia has made a number of times made quite clear that any normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia can only happen if Tel Aviv agrees to a lasting peace agreement involving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, commenting over Saudi policy said: “I would like to express my regret on the comments of the Saudi representative… I don’t believe that they reflect the spirit and the changes taking place in the Middle East.”      

PARIS, 6 December 2020, (TON): Security situation remained tense due to protests against French Police brutality. Protesters waved banners that read "France, land of police rights" and "Withdrawal of the security law".

Paris police said that some 500 rioters had infiltrated the protest and twenty-two arrests have been made. Media footage showed cars and barricades were set on fire in Gambetta district, west of Paris, on Saturday and Sunday. Several supermarkets and banks were attacked with stones and some damaged was also reported. Police claims that some protesters threw projectiles at the police due to which Police responded by firing tear gas. However, protesters denied any such act by them.

The Ministry said 400 to 500 vandals had infiltrated the march and were demanding withdraw a controversial article from a security bill. The article of the security bill says that the publication of images of on-duty police officers with the intent of harming their "physical or psychological integrity" could face up to a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 Euros ($54,550).

Public anger intensified in the wake of footage on social media showing three officers beating Michel Zecler, a black music producer on 21 November 2020.

KAHDAHAR, 6 December 2020, (TON): The Afghan Defence Ministry said in a statement here Sunday that at least 18 militants belonging to Taliban were killed in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, the former stronghold of the Taliban.

The spokesperson was quoted by media to have said that in the operations which covered parts of Dand, Jelai and Maroud districts since Saturday, 18 armed insurgents have been killed and number of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines have been discovered, which were defused. Taliban have rejected the unfounded report about them regarding killings in parts of Kandahar province.

The report seems to be lacking authenticity, however, there are reports of movement of Afghan National Army troops on Sunday morning. 

RIYADH, 6 December 2020, (TON): The Indian Army Chief left India on a four-day visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. During his visit to Saudi Arabia General Naravane will be received by his counterpart in Riyadh. He will visit Saudi Ministry of Defence, Saudi National Defence College and a Counter Terrorism facility.

The development came when both ties between India and both Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates hit an all-time low after Indian leadership at New Delhi and general masses in India turned against the traditional Muslim Arab countries and started posting systematic media campaigns against the Royal families of both the Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Forensic cyber evidence tracked Indian origin campaign from many countries.

Meanwhile, India political leadership, Indian Armed Forces and Indian masses in general were highly critical to Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for passing a motion calling on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rescind his government's decision to end the Kashmir region's semi-autonomous status.  

India was also highly critical to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Suleiman for plying role in issuing a banknote to mark on the occasion of its chairmanship of the G20 which depicted deputed region of State of Jammu Kashmir and disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh as territories outside India. These regions are disputed and decisions are pending.

After the completion of Saudi Arabia’s visit General Naravane will visit United Arab Emirates.