Beijing                                                                                                                                                                                                   19 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                       (Xinhua)

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President, on Tuesday held talks with Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in Beijing.

The two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the current development of China-DPRK relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

They agreed to safeguard, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations, and jointly push forward the sound momentum of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula to make a positive contribution to safeguarding world and regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.

Beijing                                                                                                                                                                                                  19 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (Xinhua)

A spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Tuesday that if the United States loses its rationality and unveils another list of Chinese products for additional tariffs, China will have no choice but to take comprehensive measures combining quantitative and qualitative ones to resolutely strike back.

After unveiling plans to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods worth around 50 billion U.S. dollars, the United States went even further by threatening to identify 200 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese products for additional tariffs.

"Such practice of imposing extreme pressure and blackmailing is contrary to the consensus the two sides have reached through rounds of consultations, and disappoints the international community," the spokesperson said.

"The trade war waged by the United States is against both the law of the market and the development trend of today' s world. It undermines the interests of the Chinese and American people, the interests of companies and the interests of the people all over the world," said the spokesperson.

The response taken by China aims to safeguard and defend not only the interests of the Chinese nation and the people, but also free trade regime and the common interests of mankind, said the spokesperson.

No matter how external environment changes, China will follow its established rhythm, stick to the vision of making development people-centered, resolutely advance reform and opening up, resolutely promote high-quality economic development, and accelerate the development of a modern economy, said the spokesperson.

18 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                      (Vox)

“The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility —won’t be,” Trump said at a meeting of the National Space Council on Monday.  “You look at what’s happening in Europe, you look at what’s happening in other places, we can’t allow that to happen to the United States.”

“Not on my watch,” Trump said.

Ankara                                                                                                                                                                                                  19 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                        (Anadolu News)

Turkey's President said Monday that the country will build a third nuclear power plant.

During a live question-and-answer social media broadcast with Turkish youths, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would build its own nuclear power plant after the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, to be built by Russia.

"Akkuyu will meet 10 percent of our energy needs," he said, adding another 10 percent or more would be met by the second nuclear power plant, which will be located in Sinop.

"We will also have an opportunity to meet more than that with the third one."

Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin launched the construction of the Akkuyu plant at a ceremony in Ankara in early April.

The Akkuyu plant, located in southern Mersin province, will boast four reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, and will be built by the Russian state nuclear energy agency Rosatom.

Separately, he said the first domestic automobile was expected to contribute 50 billion euros ($58.7 billion) to the country’s GDP.

“We will see these domestic and national vehicles in our country in 2022, and we will export it to the world markets as well,” he added.

Answering a question on unemployment rates, Erdogan said they were aiming to employ 100,000 people by building mega-industrial areas.

“We are renewing and transforming our 135 industrial sites. We will provide 317,000 people with employment here,” he added.

TurkStat, Turkey's statistical authority, said earlier Monday that the number of unemployed people aged 15 and over -- 3.2 million last March -- decreased 432,000 year-on-year.

Geneva                                                                                                                                                                                                 18 June 2018

Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) underscored the ability of sport to provide a platform that can bring people of all backgrounds together at a time when global dialogue is emphasising cultural, political and social differences rather than similarities.

He was addressing at the opening of 38^th Session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva. Al Thawadi said “Sport – and in particular football, is a profound, impactful and global platform that touches the human spirit regardless of location, beliefs, culture or politics. It transcends society, and teaches us honesty, integrity, humility, how to overcome adversity, and above all – perhaps most importantly in this day and age – sportsmanship and a respect for your opponent.”

The session, which is held three times a year and was opened by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,  Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, provides an opportunity for Human Rights Council members to discuss the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of effective and inclusive implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Al Thawadi said that it was this ability of sport to provide a uniting platform that was behind the State of Qatar’s vision for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, stating: “That was our inspiration for bidding to host – tapping in to the spirit of the World Cup – an event that truly unites every strand of humanity like no other. We want to harness this ability and ensure that this event is a catalyst for positive change and remembered historically as a rallying point for our region.”

“We are building bridges in a region, and for a region, that needs that vision of a better future. People from all corners of the world will visit Qatar in 2022, and for many it will be their first experience and their first impression of the region. We want them to delve beyond the misconceptions perpetrated to divide East and West and experience the richness of our culture, the warmth of our hospitality and our humanity, all whilst celebrating our love of football together.”

Al Thawadi also spoke about the ways in which the potential and momentum of hosting the World Cup is being harnessed as a catalyst for positive social change in Qatar in many areas, including workers’ welfare.

“We recognised the power of the World Cup to drive forward the change required to ensure the health, safety, security and dignity of the people building our nation,” explained Al Thawadi.

“Our journey on implementing necessary reforms has been accelerated as a result of the World Cup coming to Qatar.  We have built true and lasting partnerships within the international community in a spirit of transparency and openness that has served to guide us on this journey, providing constructive criticism where appropriate, and praise where our efforts have warranted it.”

Al Thawadi proceeded to explain the ways in which the SC has worked with its contractors to improve the conditions of workers’ welfare, including its rigorous Workers’ Welfare Standards, a robust four-tier auditing system and collaboration with various reputed international institutes, including the Geneva-based trade union confederate, Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar and Impactt Ltd. Al Thawadi also spoke about the various efforts undertaken by the SC and its contractors to reimburse unjust recruitment and hardship fees paid by migrant workers engaged on World Cup projects, with reimbursements to-date amounting to QAR 43m (approximately $11.8m USD).

Al Thawadi concluded his address by stressing the transformative power that mega-sporting events possess, urging the international community present in the session to stand with Qatar in realising this potential and ensuring a better future for upcoming generations.

“For Qatar, the region, and for the international community, the FIFA World Cup in 2022 is a precious opportunity to celebrate our common humanity and advance progress for human rights in our region.”

During his opening speech, Prince Zeid spoke about the definition of human rights through time and what they mean today, as well as what is required by the international community to further promote and protect human rights. The High Commissioner also discussed a number of pertinent human rights issues globally and the steps required to resolve them.

British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Boris Johnson MP, also delivered remarks during the opening of the session, where he discussed the important role education can play in the promotion and protection of human rights, especially women’s rights.

Following the opening, Al Thawadi met with Prince Zeid to discuss issues of common interest and means of further enhancing collaboration between the SC and the UN Human Rights Council.

The 38^th Session of the UN Human Rights Council was particularly significant as it was the last one to be held under the stewardship of Prince Zeid, who will be concluding his four-year term as High Commissioner this summer. During his tenure, Prince Zeid played an important and invaluable role in progressing reform on matters relating to human rights in the region.

Al Thawadi’s participation in the session builds on previous SC engagements and collaboration with the UN over the past year. These include an SC exhibition on “Harnessing the Power of Sport to Achieve Sustainable Development” that was organised in conjunction with the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2017, participation in an event organised in February 2018 by the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the UN in Geneva under the title of “Hosting Mega Sport Events: Strengthening the respect for Human Rights”, and most recently the delivery of opening remarks at the official opening session of a UN Office for Drugs and Crime’s special event entitled “Crime Prevention and Sustainable Development Through Sports” held in April 2018.

Srinagar                                                                                                                                                                                                 17 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (AlJazeera News)

The Indian government is resuming military operations against rebels in Indian-administered Kashmir after the end of a 30-day unilateral ceasefire announced at the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 

Separatist leaders who support the merger of Himalayan region with Pakistan and rebel groups fighting Indian rule had rejected the temporary measure as "cosmetic".

"Operations against terrorists to resume," Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on Twitter on Sunday, a month after directing security forces to halt anti-rebel operations during Ramadan.

"While the security forces displayed exemplary restraint, the terrorists have continued with their attacks on civilians and security forces, resulting in deaths and injuries." 

According to police records, dozens of people were killed during the past 30 days, including six civilians, nine security personnel and more than 20 fighters - most of whom died near the Line of Control, a demarcation line that divides the Indian- and Pakistan-administered parts of the disputed territory. 

Amid the violence, prominent journalist Shujaat Bukhari was also mysteriously assassinated in the region's capital city of Srinagar.

'No positive reaction'

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Sunil Sethi, state chief spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), echoed Singh's statement.

"We expected that there will be a positive reaction from militants and Pakistan. Our guns were silent but the militants continued to attack every day," he said.

"The ceasefire became meaningless. It became difficult for the government to continue. We could not continue at the cost of so much blood on the streets," added Sethi.

Waheed Ur Rehman Para, the youth president of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), which rules the state in a coalition with the right-wing BJP, said that "the efforts of the government to give peace a chance were sabotaged".

"Ceasefire was a two-way process. We tried to take steps but unfortunately, there was no response from the other side," said Para.

"We want to avoid and delay violence because with every death it raises anger among youth and alienates them. The militants continued to attack." 

'Fear of more violence'

The effect of the government's announcement on Sunday was palpable in southern Kashmir's Shopian district, where most of this year's military operations have taken place.

"The ceasefire might have delayed the killings but we fear more violence now," Azra Shafi, a 24-year-old college student from Shopian, told Al Jazeera. 

"We wanted to breathe freely but that is not going to happen now. This year we witnessed most of the gunfights - we had a little relief for the month but that was very short-lived. We don't expect the bloodshed to stop," she said.

"There were not many gun battles in past three weeks, but now we fear that the times will be more violent," said another resident, Shabir Ahmad.

"We are fed up. Young boys lose their eyes due to pellets whenever there are protests. We also long for the peace," he added.

On Saturday, just a day after Ramadan and at the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, violent demonstrations rocked southern Kashmir's Anantnag district. A young protester was killed while 20 others suffered pellet wounds.

The police said the youth died due to a grenade blast but doctors told Al Jazeera that the boy had suffered multiple pellet injuries. 

'A mere eye-wash'

While pro-India political parties in the region had welcomed the unilateral cessation of operations against rebels, critics dismissed it as a "mere eye-wash".

 "The ceasefire did not change anything," said Shiekh Showkat Hussain, a political analyst in the region.

"The killings continued in Ramadan and even on Eid. The ceasefire was a formality and its revocation is also a formality," he added. "Even the prospects of any dialogue are all bleak now."

Siddiq Wahid, a Kashmir-based academic and activist, agreed.

"The condition under which the ceasefire was started was ambiguous [and] I did not have many hopes from it," he said, adding that "there was no real seriousness in it."

"The road to hold any dialogue is long. The question is, are they ready to negotiate for the future of Kashmir?"

The UN human rights chief on Thursday called for an international investigation into abuses in Kashmir committed by both India and Pakistan.     

The report also recommended a commission of inquiry into the "excessive use of force" by Indian security forces. 

Though the report was dismissed by India as "fallacious", the Human Rights Watch (HRW) rights group urged the Indian government to commit to act on the report's findings, including providing access to the UN Human Rights Office. 

"It should order an investigation into alleged violations by the security forces and prosecute those found responsible, instead of rewarding abusive soldiers," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

India and Pakistan continue to claim Kashmir in its entirety as both the countries have fought three wars over the region. The Himalayan valley continues to be one of the most enduring conflicts in the world, where India has stationed more than 500,000 troops.

Thousands of people have so far died in the violence where armed rebellion began against Indian rule in 1989, demanding either independence from India or a merger with Pakistan.

 

Jalalabad, Afghanistan                                                                                                                                                                       17 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                          (Daily The News)

A suicide attack in restive Eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 14 people and wounded 45, an official said, the second attack in as many days to mar an unprecedented ceasefire.

The explosion happened outside the Nangarhar provincial governor´s office in the capital Jalalabad, his spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.

It was also close to the Indian consulate.

Khogyani said 14 people had been killed and 45 wounded. An Afghan security source confirmed the suicide attack but gave a lower death toll of at least 10.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Khogyani said a suicide bomber on foot had targeted Taliban, local elders and civilians as they left the governor´s compound where they had attended a special event for the Eid holiday.

On Saturday, a suicide attack on a gathering of Taliban, security forces and civilians in a district of the same Eastern Province of Nangarhar killed at least 36 people and wounded 65 others, provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal told AFP.

Daesh group´s Afghanistan franchise claimed responsibility for that attack.

Beijing                                                                                                                                                                                                    16 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                        (Xinhua News)

China has unveiled a list of products from the United States that will be subject to additional tariffs in response to U.S. announcement to impose additional duties on Chinese imports.

Approved by the State Council, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council has decided to impose additional duties of 25 percent on 659 items of U.S. products worth about 50 billion U.S. dollars.

Additional tariffs for 545 items worth about 34 billion U.S. dollars, including agricultural products, vehicles and aquatic products, will be effective from July 6, 2018, according to a statement of the commission.

The implementation date for imposing additional tariffs on the remaining 114 items, covering chemical products, medical equipment and energy products, will be announced later.

The decision has been made in line with relevant stipulations of the Foreign Trade Law of China and the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Duties, as well as the fundamental principles of international laws, said the statement.

On Friday, the United States announced additional tariffs of 25 percent on Chinese imports worth approximately 50 billion U.S. dollars.

From July 6, additional tariffs will be levied on some 34 billion U.S. dollars worth of Chinese products. Meanwhile, the other 16 billion dollars worth of Chinese products will undergo further review in a public notice and comment process.

"The U.S. move violates the relevant rules of the World Trade Organization, goes against the consensus already reached in bilateral economic and trade consultations, seriously infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese side and undermines the interests of China and its people," said the statement. "The Chinese side firmly opposes that."

An official in charge of the Office of the Customs Tariff Commission said that the additional tariffs targeting Chinese goods, once imposed, would "substantially change" the trade conditions of these goods, and affect relevant producers and trade companies as well as the production and operation of the upstream and downstream industries.

The official said the Chinese action was taken in response to the emergent circumstances caused by the U.S. violations of international obligations.

China has noticed the U.S. statement that it will continue to impose additional tariffs if China takes retaliatory measures. China reserves its rights to take corresponding measures, according to the official.

Paris                                                                                                                                                                                                      16 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                       (Anadolu News)

French Special Forces are on the ground in Yemen actively fighting Shia Houthi rebels, French daily Le Figaro reported on Saturday.

Le Figaro quoted unnamed military sources as saying that French Special Forces were fighting in Yemen alongside troops from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The newspaper did not provide any additional details.

The French authorities, meanwhile, have yet to comment on the report.

On Friday, the French Defense Ministry said it was considering taking part in mine-sweeping operations to facilitate access to Yemen’s strategic Al-Hudeidah seaport, which Yemeni government forces -- with the help of a Saudi-led military coalition -- are now trying to wrest from the Houthis.

The ministry stressed, however, that French forces were not currently taking part in the ongoing military operations in Al-Hudeidah.

On Wednesday, Yemeni forces and the Saudi-led coalition launched a major operation aimed at retaking Al-Hudeidah -- and its strategic seaport -- from the Houthis, who captured it in 2014.

Yemen’s internationally-recognized government (currently based in the port city of Aden) and its Saudi-led allies accuse the Houthis of using the port to import weapons from Iran.

Last week, the UN warned that a major military assault on Al-Hudeidah by the Saudi-led coalition could adversely affect as many as 250,000 people.

“Humanitarian agencies in Yemen are deeply worried by the likely impact of a possible military assault on… Al-Hudeidah,” Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, said in a statement released last Friday.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- including the UAE -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait failed to end the destructive conflict.

The ongoing violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                      16 June 2018

Turkish expatriates living in Qatar began casting their votes today on Saturday to participate in Turkey's presidential and parliamentarian elections.  They will also be casting their votes on Sunday from 0900 AM-0900 PM.

As per reliable sources from Turkish embassy, around 1/3rd of the registered voters in embassy poll their votes on the first day inspite of second day of Eid AlFitr celebrations and harsh warm weather.  People were seen accompanying their kids with enthusiasm participating in their country's national elections till late evening 0900 PM.

Anadolu News reported Germany, Austria, and France were among the first countries in Europe where voting began on June 7, Turks living in Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy began casting votes on Friday

Election Day in Turkey is on June 24.

Around 3,500 voters are registered in Turkish embassy, however, over 10,000 Turkish expatriates are living in Qatar as per the embassy sources.

Out of Turkey’s more than three million voters overseas, nearly half of them live in Germany.

In March last year, more than 697,000 Turkish immigrants in Germany went to the polls in Turkey’s constitutional referendum. The voter turnout was 49 percent.

Turkish citizens living abroad and traveling to Turkey this month can also cast their votes at custom gates until 5 p.m. local time on June 24 as per Turkey's official news agency Anadolu.