KABUL, Afghanistan
13 April 13, 2017

'At 7:32 p.m. local time today, U.S. Forces Afghanistan conducted a strike on an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, as part of ongoing efforts to defeat ISIS-K in Afghanistan', according to a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release

ISIS-K, also known as the Korasan group, is based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and is composed primarily of former members of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban.

The strike used a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb dropped from a U.S. aircraft. The strike was designed to minimize the risk to Afghan and U.S. forces conducting clearing operations in the area while maximizing the destruction of ISIS-K fighters and facilities.

“As ISIS-K’s losses have mounted, they are using [improvised bombs], bunkers and tunnels to thicken their defense,” said Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan. “This is the right munition to reduce these obstacles and maintain the momentum of our offensive against ISIS-K.”

U.S. forces took every precaution to avoid civilian casualties with this strike and will continue offensive operations until ISIS-K is destroyed in Afghanistan, ' as per the statement released today evening by United States Department of Defense in Washington.

'The Independent reports 'The Pentagon said the strike was the first time the 21,000lb weapon had been used in combat operations. A spokesperson for the US Department of Defence confirmed to The Independent that a MC-130 aircraft dropped a GBU-43 bomb at 7pm local time.

US air strikes 'kill 18 women and children' in Afghanistan, UN says

The weapon is known in the US Air Force by its nickname MOAB, or "mother of all bombs". MOAB stands for massive ordinance air blast.

The 'mother of all bombs' was developed and tested shortly before the 2003 Iraq war.

A source said Donald Trump may have authorised the use of the bomb but he does not have to. There has been no official confirmation of the President’s involvement in the strike reported by 'The Independent'.

'CNN' reported 'A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), nicknamed the "mother of all bombs," was dropped at 7:32 pm local time Thursday, the sources said. A MOAB is a 21,600-pound, GPS-guided munition that is America's most powerful non-nuclear bomb.

The bomb was dropped by an MC-130 aircraft, stationed in Afghanistan and operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump told CNN.

'Fox News' reported 'For comparison to the 21,000-pound MOAB, each Tomahawk cruise missile launched at a Syrian military air base last week was 1,000-pounds each.

The strike came just days after a Green Beret was killed fighting ISIS in Nangarhar, however, a U.S. defense official told Fox News the bombing had nothing to do with that casualty.

“It was the right weapon for the right target, and not in retaliation,” the official told 'Fox News'.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
13 April 2017 (PNA)

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Wednesday, April 12 assured Saudi businessmen that his administration does not tolerate corruption.

"There is no corruption now in my administration. We make it easy for you to do business in the Philippines," President Duterte said during his meeting with the members of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"We need investments in my country, and if you may want to go there and invest, we can give you the best place to go about earning in my country," he added.

There were already pledges and business agreements forged in various industries during the investment forum. Expected to benefit from these are businesses located in economic zones and engaged in Halal food production.

One of them was the Letter of Intent (LOI) signed by Sheikh Alwaleed Tuwaijri, president of Saudi Investment Group, and Charito Plaza, director-general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority declaring the Saudi firm's interest to invest in ecozone development activities in the Philippines.

"Business is business and anytime that you feel that there is a promise of business in my country, feel free. We give you the best incentives and the best environment that we can offer for you... Maybe, through our Cabinet members and Secretaries, we can just select what type of investments that you may want to introduce into my country and would really be available," Duterte said.

The President likewise took the occasion to thank the Saudi government for hosting the country's overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) whose remittances contributed in growing the economy.

The members of the Cabinet seen accompanying the President in the investment forum included Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, and Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

United Nations
13 Apr 2017
indiatoday/PTI

The UN refrained from commenting on the death sentence given by a Pakistani military court to Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav.

"We?re not in a position to judge the process or to have a position on this, on this particular case," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at the daily briefing here yesterday in response to a question by PTI on the death sentence awarded to Jadhav by military Field General Court Martial under the army act for his alleged involvement in terrorism and espionage.

Dujarric was asked that India is strongly disputing the sentence, saying that the due process of law and justice was not observed in this case and that it will consider the sentence as "a premeditated murder".

Amid tensions between India and Pakistan over the death sentence, Dujarric reiterated the need for the two nations to engage in dialogue.

"Overall, in terms of relations between India and Pakistan, I think we continue to underline the need for the parties to find a peaceful solution...through engagement and dialogue," he said.

Islamabad
13 April 2017
(Daily 'Dawn')

The Foreign Office said on Thursday that the role of foreign intelligence agencies cannot be ruled out in the disappearance of retired Lt Col Habib Zahir, a former Pakistan Army officer who mysteriously went missing in Nepal earlier this month.

Addressing a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said Zahir had been trapped in Nepal "after being lured into a job offer".

He said Pakistani authorities are in touch with the Nepali government to trace the missing ex-army man and Nepal is cooperating in this regard.

Zakaria, however, warned against linking Zahir's disappearance with the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the Indian spy sentenced to death by a Pakistani tribunal earlier this week on charges of espionage and sabotage earlier this month.

"It is unreasonable on India's part to link the Jadhav case with Habib Zahir," he said.

Zakaria seemed to be responding to a startling allegation published by an Indian news outlet quoting unnamed Indian security sources, who claimed that Zahir was part of the team that had picked up convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

“Zahir was at the Indo-Nepal border last week. He was in the team that had trailed Jadhav. There is definitely a connection between the two cases,” The Indian Express quoted an Indian officer as saying on Wednesday.

Nepal’s home ministry spokesperson Bal Krishna Panthi said that so far the special bureau of the police had found no clue. “We don’t know as to why he went to Lumbini and what was the purpose of his visit to Nepal. There was no reservation in any of Lumbini hotels in his name last Thursday.”

The police said that they were collecting information about the phone calls of Mr Zahir.

'We can confirm that Col Habib reached Bhairahawa airport from Kathmandu and, according to the CCTV footage, he disembarked from the plane with his hand luggage and a backpack,” a Nepal police official told BBC Nepali. “He was received by an unknown man with whom he spoke a few words and then both of them left.”

Manama, Bahrain
13 April 2017
(Manila Bulletin News/
PNA)

President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines arrived from Saudi Arabia in Manama in the morning of Wednesday as his 2nd leg of official visit to Gulf States.

'Yes, we’ve lined up five agreements,' Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Alfonso Ver said as reported by Official News Agency of the Philippines.

'First is the establishment of the High Joint Commission, which will be the forum and the mechanism where the entire range of our relationships and other relationships between Bahrain and the Philippines will be discussed'.

'We have an amendment to our double taxation agreement. We have another amendment to our air services agreement', ambassador Ver said.

'We have a Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines and the Diplomatic Institute of the Bahrain Foreign Ministry.'

Philippines envoy to Bahrain added that 'In addition to that, there’s a private agreement, business investment agreement between a company in Bahrain and a company in the Philippines.'

Ver said since the establishment of relations between Bahrain and the Philippines in 1978, the two countries have been striving hard to elevate ties in terms of trade and investment, economic, and employment.

"This (trip) will also signal the renewal of our already close ties with Bahrain and hopefully establish even elevated to greater heights especially now as we would like to position the Philippines as Bahrain and the regions gateway to ASEAN and Asia. At the same time, Bahrain as a gateway for Philippines into Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia and the greater GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council),” he said.

President Duterte is scheduled to hold bilateral meeting with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at Sakhir Palace on Thursday.

He is also scheduled to meet with the Capital Club of Bahrain, a prestigious private business and social club composed of top CEOs and businessmen in Bahrain.

“They will listen to a presentation from our economic team on possible investments, mutual opportunities for economic exchanges, trade and investment, even tourism and the President will grace that event and hopefully meet also the eminent businessmen here in Bahrain,” said Ver.

The President will also meet with the Filipino community at the Khalifa Sports Stadium where thousands of overseas Filipino workers are expected to attend.

Ver said there are around 60,000 Filipinos working and living in Bahrain. He said while there are reported cases of abuses against Filipino workers here, the numbers remain low and most workers are treated very well.

Doha
13 April 2017
(QNA)

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines will arrive in Doha on Friday for an official visit to the State of Qatar.

Emir of State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will hold talks with the President the Philippines, on Sunday morning, at the Emiri Diwan, on bilateral relations and means of boosting them in various fields

This will be 3rd and last leg of his first ever official visit to GCC countries. He arrived on April 10 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and then visited Panama, Bahrain before coming to Qatar.

Doha
PR MOI
12 April 2017

The GCC Coast Guard Week celebration opened at Al Bandar in Doha Corniche on Wednesday 12 April. The celebration under the theme “Our aim is safety and security” is organized by the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security during 12-15 April 2017.

The coast guard week is celebrated in line with the decisions of the GCC Interior Ministers meet in order to spread and raise the maritime safety awareness for sea goers as well as enhance the mutual collaboration between Coasts Guard authorities in GCC countries.

Staff Brig. (Navy) Ali Ahmad al-Budaid, Director General of the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security said that the celebration of coast guard week was a great opportunity to raise awareness about marine safety procedures among all citizens and residents, and to introduce the functions and efforts that are carried out by the Security bodies in order to preserve maritime security and protect the sea users and their lives.

Brig. Jaber Ali Al-Attiyah, Assistant Director General of the Coast Guard and Border Security Directorate, said that the celebration included the exhibition with a number of educational and entertainment programs and practical explanation to the public on how to follow and apply safety procedures before and during the involvement with sea activities or water sports.

He pointed out that the tasks of the General Directorate of Coast and Border Security are multiple in the fields of border protection, search and rescue, as the exhibition showcases the advanced and modern equipment used by the Directorate in their tasks. He urged all citizens and residents of Qatar to visit the exhibition and enjoy the associated activities.

The exhibition includes several models of boats used by the Coast Guards in their mission, equipped with the latest technical equipment, including the new boat "Makhbat", the first boat manufactured by the General Directorate of Coast and Border Security.

The boat, "Qasar", which is used as a supply vessel for maritime patrols, in addition to several other tasks, with two engines of 250 horsepower each machine and the "Munqif", which is an addition to the patrol boats and patrols, with two engines each of 300 horsepower are some of the exhibited boats.
The equipment included the aerial reconnaissance unit, which includes a group of aircraft used for maritime security and rescue operations on the coasts as well as search for missing persons.

The exhibition also includes a set of equipment that the sea goers should carry when they go to the sea in order to ensure their safety and protection from risks. The officers of the General Directorate of Coast and Border Security will present explanation for the visitors of the exhibition about safety procedures and maritime safety requirements throughout the exhibition.

The United Nations
12 April 2017
(TASS)

Russia has vetoed West-drafted resolution at the UN SC over alleged chemical attack in Syria
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Russia vetoed on Wednesday the resolution condemning the alleged chemical attack in the Syrian town of Khan-Sheikhoun on April 4 and demanding from Damascus to present information on its sorties on that day. The West-drafted resolution was supported by ten votes at the UN Security Council, which forced Moscow to veto it.

Bolivia voted against the resolution alongside Russia, while China abstained.

Britain, the US and France have circulated in the UN Security Council a revised version of their draft resolution on the investigation into the alleged chemical attack in Syria’s Khan Sheikhoun on April 4.

The resolution is a slightly revised version of previous similar document, which condemns the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The document demands that Damascus hand over all information on flights on the day of the incident to the Joint Investigative Mechanism of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and provide access to the military bases from which strikes against Khan Sheikhoun could be carried out.

The resolution also threatens Syria with sanctions and the use of military force under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

More:
http://tass.com/world/941082

Moscow
12 April 2017
(TASS)

Talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson turned out to be frank and extensive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following their meeting.

"We held talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, we have just had a long, two-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin," he said. "The talks turned out to be frank and extensive, we covered the entire range of key issues concerning our bilateral relations and cooperation on the global level," the Russian top diplomat added.

"We have agreed that the current stage in our relations regarding the global agenda is not calm, to say the least," Lavrov said.

"We have numerous problems, including those, which were left as action-delayed mines from the previous US administration, which was the (ex-President Barack) Obama administration," Lavrov said.

"We are being realistic and realize that in order to overcome such obstacles we will need to imply weighty efforts on condition that our US colleagues will meet them," Lavrov said adding that it was a fact, reiterated by Russian President Putin on Wednesday.

"I am confident that the long hours Rex Tillerson and I spent today eye to eye with each other and together with the Russian president, were not in vain," Lavrov said. "We now understand each other better. I hope that these contacts will continue, involving not only us but also our personnel and personnel of other Russian and US state bodies," Lavrov added.

"As for my impression from the talks, taking into account all the current issues, both objective and artificial, the possibilities for cooperation remain open," Lavrov said. "Russia is ready for that, ready for dialogue with the US in various spheres, and not only for dialogue but also for joint activities in both countries’ interest. Of course, we expect the United States to respond in kind."

Attempts to prevent Moscow and Washington from cooperating and raise tensions are short-sighted, Lavrov said.

"We see attempts being made to prevent us from cooperating and even raise tensions," he noted.

"We believe that this approach is short-sighted, particularly because history has shown that when Moscow and Washington cooperate, not only our peoples but the whole world benefits from it," the Russian top diplomat added.

Russia and the United States should maintain communications both at a diplomatic and military level, Tillerson said.

"We agree there needs to be more senior level of communication between our two countries both at a diplomatic and military level," Tillerson said.

"We agreed to establish a working group to address smaller issues and make progress towards stabilizing the relationship so that we can then address more serious problems," Tillerson said.

Moscow and Washington have decided to appoint special representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State to assess the current bilateral issues, Lavrov said.

"We have agreed to appoint special representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State who would in an unemotional manner thoroughly assess the differences in our bilateral relations that emerged in the past years, particularly during Barack Obama’s presidency," the Russian top diplomat said.

War on terror in Russia-US focus

Russia and the United States confirm that both nations are focused on an uncompromising war on terror.
"That is a theme that our president discussed during their several phone conversations, including the phone talk overnight to April 4, when Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin to offer his condolences over a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg’s metro system," Lavrov said

Russia and the United States expect to resume talks on disarmament, Lavrov said.

"We have pointed to the fact that both Russia and the United States are concerned over the situation concerning political and military security on the regional and global level," he said.

"We have synchronized our watches concerning the implementation of bilateral agreements on strategic stability and arms reduction. We agreed to overcome the gap in these processes which emerged due to the change of the White House team. We expect that our contacts on strategic stability and arms reduction will be resumed and will be held in a business-like manner so that we could implement all our decisions," the Russian top diplomat added.

Memorandum on flight safety over Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his readiness to restore the suspended Memorandum on preventing incidents and ensuring flights safety during operations in Syria, Lavrov said.

"The Memorandum on preventing incidents and ensuring flights safety during operations in Syria (earlier signed with the United States) was suspended unilateraly by Russia," he said.

"Today, the Russian president expressed our readiness to return to its (memorandum’s) implementation under the condition that there would be a clear-cut confirmation of the initial purpose of the US-led Air Force Coalition and the Russian Aerospace Forces in the fight against the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both organizations outlawed in Russia)," Lavrov said.

Washington
10 April 2017
(Xinhua)

The just-concluded meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump was very positive as it helped achieve a much friendlier tone in China-U.S. ties, experts said.

The April 6-7 meeting, the first between the two leaders since Trump took office in January, was held at the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Both sides hailed the meeting as "positive and fruitful" as the two leaders increased their mutual understanding and established personal friendship through face-to-face discussions of issues of mutual concern.

REDUCED CONCERNS ABOUT CHINA-U.S. TENSIONS
The meeting "helped achieve a much friendlier tone in relations between China and the new Trump administration," Ted Carpenter, senior fellow of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, told Xinhua in an interview. "It alleviated concerns around the world that there might be a sharp increase in bilateral tensions," Carpenter added.

The meeting was "quite positive," Douglas Paal, vice president for studies and director of Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Xinhua.

"Though the real measure of the meeting will follow the next 10 months of work, but so far, so good," Paal said.

To Professor David Lampton, director of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, the Xi-Trump meeting "went pretty well." "This meeting seems to have gone better than most people would have forecasted here - in the United States," Lampton told Xinhua.

The two leaders "had an opportunity to come to know each other better, have a little more trust, but that it looks like there was the beginning of substance, although there is a long way to go," Lampton said. Lampton further pointed out that Trump's acceptance of Xi's invitation to visit China within this year also "shows that there is a priority attached to managing this relationship."

"I think it's more significant that it shows this is an important relationship, and that he (Trump) wants to invest in it," he added.

NEW DIALOGUES ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT

At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to create a four-pronged high-level dialogue mechanism to deal with major issues on security, economic relations, cyber security and law enforcement, and people-to-people exchanges.

The two major powers also agreed to expand cooperation in varied areas while properly handling sensitive issues, managing differences in a constructive manner, and strengthening communication and coordination on major global and regional affairs.

"The decision to establish specific mechanisms of focused dialogues on key issues was especially important and useful," Carpenter said. "There are very real disagreements between China and the United States on all four issues, but flexible, creative diplomacy pursued in a spirit of cooperation could go a long way toward narrowing, perhaps even overcoming, those disagreements," he said.

Paal noted that the establishment of the four-pronged high-level dialogue mechanism was "a repackaging" of the previously-known annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) held under the Obama administration.

"The test is in what they accomplish," he said. Paal agreed with Xi's remarks that cooperation is the only correct choice for China and the United States, saying that if the two countries choose competition over cooperation, "that could turn into conflict, which could ruin the 21st century."

"The scope for cooperation is large, but the scope for conflict is even greater, so major efforts will be required to avoid conflict," Paal said.

OPPORTUNITIES IN INFRASTRUCTURE COOPERATION

Lampton noted that opportunities for cooperation exist between the two top economies in the area of infrastructure, as they try to achieve a more balanced trade.

China aims to boost infrastructure construction to increase inter-connectivity and cooperation between China and the rest of Eurasia, through its Belt and Road Initiative unveiled in 2013.

At Mar-a-Lago, Xi told Trump that China welcomes the United States to participate in the initiative.

"Xi and China have a vision of the modernization of and development of Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia through inter-connectivity (by) building infrastructure," Lampton said.

He added that, from what he learned during a recent visit to China, Beijing is looking for ways to cooperate with the United States to begin the process of building infrastructure throughout Asia, rather than exclude the United States.

Lampton also foresaw that China would participate in the major infrastructure initiative proposed by Trump, who vows to spend 1 trillion U.S. dollars in upgrading U.S. roads, bridges and airports.

"So I think this is Chinese dream to make China part of an integrated economic organism...And the U.S. could become part of that rather than opposing it," he said.

Carpenter said that a cooperative China-U.S. relationship can greatly benefit both global security and global economic health, while a tense or hostile relationship could do great damage in both areas.

"China and the United States need each other," he said.