Palu, C Sulavesi                                                                                                                                                                                    29 Sept. 2018                                                                                                                                                                                       (ANTARA News)

The head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Wilem Rampangilei, said the number of deaths from the earthquake that struck Central Sulawesi on Friday evening had risen to 420.

"This is the number recorded in Palu only. It has not covered Donggala and Sigi districts," he noted, replying to Antara on Saturday evening.

The destruction caused by the quake in Donggala and Sigi has been very significant, but no reports about its degree and victims have been received yet, due to disruptions in communications, he said.

In view of the situation, the Special Task Force`s main priority would be searching, saving and assisting the victims, he said, adding "Until tonight, there have been 10,000 evacuees housed in 50 locations in the city of Palu. They will be given shelter, food and medicines."

Some of the dead who had been kept in hospitals have been taken by their families, Wilem said, but the number of the dead could still increase, as search efforts have not yet covered all buildings, such as large hotels, shop houses, warehouses and other buildings.

"We have difficulties deploying heavy equipment, as many access roads to Palu have been severely damaged," he said.

Wilem noted that thousands of boxes of ready-to-eat foods have to be brought in from Surabaya, East Java.

He also said the military (TNI) had sent paramedics and medical supplies, including a hospital ship, which is expected to arrive in one to two days.

New York                                                                                                                                                                                               29 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                        (Daily)

Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while representing Pakistan at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, said Pakistan wanted to engage with "all countries and neighbours on the basis of peace and equality”.

The foreign minister addressed the audience in Pakistan's national language, Urdu.

"I address you today as the representative of a country moving towards prosperity and development," Qureshi said at the start of his speech.

The foreign minister said, "Today the world is at a crossroads as protectionism, populism and isolationism are gaining currency. New forms and manifestations of imperialism are appearing, and dark clouds of trade wars are looming large."

Islamabad                                                                                                                                                                                             29 Sept. 2018                                                                                                                                                                                       (QP)

Qatar Petroleum President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi held talks in Islamabad with Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on cooperation in the field of energy.

Al-Kaabi reviewed Qatar Petroleum's global portfolio and activities, particularly its efforts to help meet growing global demand for natural gas. He also expressed Qatar Petroleum's keen interest to enhance it's investment in Pakistan and to build on the existing solid relations between both sides.

Al-Kaabi also stressed the importance Qatar Petroleum places on Pakistan as a promising energy market after the signing of the recent LNG agreement and the commitment to secure its future needs, particularly LNG.

On his part,  Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed Qatar Petroleum's investment in Pakistan's energy and petroleum sectors. He assured Al-Kaabi of the Pakistani government's full support and cooperation in this regard.

New York                                                                                                                                                                                             28 Sept 2018

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs participated on Friday in a meeting held by the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The meeting tackled the most important security and regional challenges facing the Middle East region and how best to deal with them.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed the importance of the meeting and unifying the visions of collective security in the Middle East, in addition to the need for any new alliance to build on existing institutions and reactivate their role.

He added that successful alliances are based on common values such as respect for the sovereignty of nations and the aspirations of their peoples, as well as on constructive goals that benefit all participating countries on the basis of fair standards applied to all. He also touched on the Gulf crisis as it paralyzed one of the most important regional blocs that has contributed to maintaining balance and security in the Middle East for decades.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar said, in this context, that the real test of this alliance is to resolve the Gulf crisis, a matter which will demonstrate the credibility and effectiveness of this alliance.

He also praised the distinguished relationship between the State of Qatar and the United States of America and the fruitful cooperation between the two countries in various economic, military, educational and counter-terrorism efforts and the expansion of this strategic partnership between the United States and the countries participating in the meeting.

New York                                                                                                                                                                                              28 Sept 2018

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani , Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of State of Qatar attended on Friday signing of an agreement between Qatar Fund For Development and the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to open and finance a center for children and armed conflict in Doha. It was signed on the sidelines of the meetings of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, Director-General, Qatar Fund for Development and Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict signed the agreement.

Under the agreement, the State of Qatar will support the core resources of the UN center with $1.5 million for a three-year period, and will support the Doha-based office with $1.65 million over three years, to promote knowledge and skills related to the protection of children affected by armed conflict in the region.

The office will provide training and documentation appropriate to the needs of the region and capacity-building.

Lahore                                                                                                                                                                                                    23 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                        (Daily Dawn)

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Dawn staffer Cyril Almeida to appear before the court in the next hearing of a treason case.

The case, which was filed by civil society member Amina Malik through Advocate Azhar Siddique, seeks action against Sharif under treason charges for allegedly trying to defame state institutions in an interview to Dawn, as well as action against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for allegedly not honouring his oath of office by disclosing the minutes of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting to Nawaz.

Noting that Cyril Almeida had failed to appear in the last three hearings of the case, the three-judge bench — headed by Justice Mazahir Ali Naqvi — told the journalist's lawyer that they would issue non-bailable arrest warrants for him so that he could be taken into custody and presented in court.

The lawyer asked the judges to issue bailable arrest warrants instead of non-bailable arrest warrants, and said he was sure Almeida would appear in court in the next hearing.

The judges asked the lawyer if he could guarantee that the journalist would appear in the next hearing without a doubt, to which the lawyer said he could not provide such a guarantee.

The court subsequently ordered that the journalist's name be placed on the no-fly list and non-bailable arrest warrants be issued for him, saying he must appear on October 8.

The court also raised questions over Nawaz Sharif's absence from the proceedings, to which the lawyer said that he was set to appear but was unable to do so because of the mourning period for his wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz's passing.

The judges directed that the ousted premier appear before the court in accordance with law and summoned him on Oct 8.

Former PM Abbasi, represented by lawyer Naseer Bhutta, was present in today's hearing. Earlier in September, the LHC had issued bailable arrest warrants for Abbasi for not appearing in court.

NSC meeting

Soon after the publication of Sharif's interview, Indian media had blown up his remarks, terming it an admission on part of the former prime minister that non-state actors from Pakistan were involved in the Mumbai attacks in which terrorists had killed more than 150 people and injured over 300 others in about a dozen shooting and bombing attacks in different localities.

The NSC, after a meeting, had issued a statement saying: "The participants observed that it was very unfortunate that the opinion arising out of either misconceptions or grievances was being presented in disregard of concrete facts and realities. The participants unanimously rejected the allegations and condemned the fallacious assertions."

It is pertinent to mention that the NSC statement had not named Nawaz while addressing the controversy around the 'misleading' comments about Mumbai attack. Soon after the NSC meeting, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a press conference had clarified that the NSC had in fact condemned “misreporting” and not his party’s supreme leader’s statement.

Nawaz had rejected the NSC statement describing it as "painful and regrettable", and said that it was "not based on facts".

The plea

The petitioner has contended that after an NSC meeting held to discuss Sharif's "misleading" statement, Abbasi had met the ousted premier and conveyed to him the concerns of the military leadership, adding that this act had been a violation of Abbasi's oath as PM as he was not bound to allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct.

The petitioner had pleaded that Sharif had committed sedition by rejecting the NSC statement and was liable for action as per the Constitution and the Pakistan Penal Code, and also sought action against Abbasi for violation of oath through his disclosure of the minutes of the NSC meeting to Sharif.

Court had issued notices to Sharif, Abbasi and Almeida to appear in court for hearing of the case which had been adjourned since June due to elections on Abbasi's request.

Washington                                                                                                                                                                                         22 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (Yahoo/Reuters)

China's foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the U.S. ambassador in Beijing to protest Washington's decision to sanction a Chinese military agency and its director for purchasing Russian fighter jets and an advanced surface-to-air missile system.

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Ambassador Terry Branstad to lodge "stern representations" and protest the sanctions, the foreign ministry said.

Earlier, Chinese defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian said China's decision to buy fighter jets and missile systems from Russia was a normal act of cooperation between sovereign countries, and the United States had "no right to interfere".

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on China's Equipment Development Department (EED), the branch of the military responsible for weapons procurement, after it engaged in "significant transactions" with Rosoboronexport, Russia's main arms exporter.

The sanctions are related to China's purchase of 10 SU-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment in 2018, the State Department said.

A senior U.S. State Department official on Saturday said China was the only country that had taken possession of the advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile system, in a breach of a U.S. sanctions law imposed in response to Russia's "malign behavior".

The official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, insisted that the sanctions were aimed at Moscow, not Beijing.

The so-called Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, was signed into law in 2017 to punish Russia for meddling in U.S. elections, aggression in Ukraine and involvement in Syria’s civil war.

"China is the first country in the world to use both of those systems," the official said. "Both of those systems are extremely sophisticated and very high value."

The mobile S-400 batteries, which include radars, a control system, and missiles with a range of up to 250 miles (402.34 km), was first deployed in Russia in 2007 and is considered Moscow's most effective defense against aircraft, missiles and drones.

Russia has deployed S-400s in Syria, according to official Russian news media, and U.S. officials have been discussing the interest other nations, particularly NATO ally Turkey, have expressed in buying the system.

Washington has expressed concern that Turkey’s planned deployment of S-400s could threaten some U.S.-made weapons and other technology used by Turkey, including the F-35 fighter jet.

The official said the move against the Chinese agency was not discretionary, but was made because Beijing broke U.S. law. "We hope it will be paid attention to because ... our goal is to prevent these types of transactions," he added.

The U.S. sanctions will block the EED and its director, Li Shangfu, from applying for export licenses and participating in the U.S. financial system.

"The U.S. approach is a blatant violation of the basic norms of international relations, a full manifestation of hegemony, and a serious breach of the relations between the two countries and their two militaries," Wu said in a notice posted on the Chinese defense ministry's official Wechat account.

He warned that the United States would face "consequences" if it did not immediately revoke the sanctions.

(This version of the story was corrected to change spelling of ambassador's name to Branstad in second paragraph)

Islamabad                                                                                                                                                                                             22 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                         (APP)

Terming Indian Army Chief’s a recent provocative statement as “irresponsible”, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Maj. Gen Asif Ghafoor said on Saturday Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be perceived as its weakness.

“We are always ready and prepared for war. War happens when you are not prepared for it,” Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said while talking to a private TV Channel.

He said Pakistan being an Atomic Power was ready to give a befitting response to any misadventure. He said Pakistan and it armed forces had successfully fought against terrorism adding that the country had restored peace after two decades of struggle.

He said Pakistan knew the cost of peace hence wanted to have peace. Vowing not to let anyone derail peaceful environment in the region, he said: “We are a country which wants to moves towards peace but not from the position of weakness but from the position of strength.”

“We are a nuclear nation. We are ready for war but we want to move ahead on the path of peace in the interest of people of Pakistan, the neighbors and the region,” he said adding that peace was necessary for the development of Pakistan, India and the region.

Responding to Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat’s reckless remarks of teaching Pakistan a lesson, the DG ISPR said that anti-Pakistan narrative was an attempt to divert the attention of Indian people from the recently surfaced graft allegations against the government of that country.

“Indian government is facing corruption scandals at home. Indian army wants to divert attention from their domestic problems,” he added.

He warned Indian civilian and military’s top brass against putting burden of their domestic issues on ‘Pakistan’s shoulders’. He urged Indian Army Chief to abstain from sabotaging peace situation. He said that India had earlier staged drama of surgical strikes but it failed miserably in presenting the evidence of that in their own parliament.

“We will not let nation down if anybody tries to test our patience,” he said.

To a query, he said several freedom movements were ongoing in India and it could not suppress Kashmiri freedom movement in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK). He said that the third generation of Kashmiris was rendering sacrifices for their liberation against the occupying forces.

“The Indian government has failed to clamp down the political struggle of Kashmiris,” he said adding Pakistan government’s offer for dialogue was still on the table.

Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said that there was a realignment underway in the international politics and Pakistan’s relations were getting better with other respective states.

He also rebuffed the Indian claim that Pakistan Army mutilated the body of its soldier. “We categorically dismiss the Indian allegation. We are a professional army. We can’t disrespect the body of a soldier even if he belongs to an enemy state,” he added.

Tehran                                                                                                                                                                                                    22 Sept 2018                                                                                                                                                                                       (Anadolu/IRNA)

25 people killed including a journalist Yunus Purhulu and 60 injured on Saturday in an attack at a military march in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahwaz.  Those killed include Iranian Revolutionary Guards. A woman and a child were among the injured, according to an earlier report by IRNA.

Iranian local media reported that gunmen wearing military uniforms fired at the Iranian forces during a military parade, an attack that lasted for about 10 minutes.

Brig. Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, Official Spokesperson of Iranian Forces announced that “three terrorists were killed” on the spot over the attack, while a fourth one who has been wounded “died in hospital", IRNA reported.

"Terrorists recruited, trained, armed & paid by a foreign regime have attacked Ahvaz. Children and journos among casualties. Iran holds regional terror sponsors and their US masters accountable for such attacks. Iran will respond swiftly and decisively in defense of Iranian lives," tweeted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) spokesman Ramezan Sharif said “The attack by some elements of al-Ahvaziya group which is fed by Saudi Arabia, aimed to overshadow the magnificence of the parade by the Iranian armed forces.”

However, the self-proclaimed Daesh terrorist organization claimed through its electronic website “Amaq”.latter Saturday its responsibility for the attack

Through the Amaq website, Daesh claimed that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was attending the targeted military parade.

The website, however, has not published any footage or video for the attack.

Iranian authorities “temporarily” shut down two border crossings with Iraq, according to an Iraqi customs official who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

The two border crossings in question are that Shalamjah (adjacent to Iraq’s Basra governorate) and Al-Shib (adjacent to Iraq’s Maysan governorate).

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Saturday that sponsors and propagators of terror and hostility and their devoted interpreters cannot cover up their direct involvement in backing anti-Iran terrorists through false rhetoric and baseless sophism.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                      22 Sept 2018

Qatar Chamber announced that it would continue to regularly conduct awareness workshops that shed light on the recent amendments to the law regulating the entry and exit of expatriates and their residency.

The chamber’s statement issued on Saturday said that the second workshop will be held on Sunday 22^nd Sept, followed by the third on Tuesday 25^th  Sept, the fourth on Wednesday 26^th Sept while the fifth seminar will be held on 30^th Sept and the last one will be in October 3.

The chamber called on all private companies to attend the seminars, noting that it would conduct such workshops to reach all companies and businessmen in the country.

The workshops are being held through co-operation and co-ordination between Qatar Chamber (QC), Minister of Interior  (MoI), and Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) with a view to give more details to companies, institutions and employers about the amendments, especially with regard to the procedures and controls to determine the 5% of workers in private sector companies whose departure from the country require prior approval/permission.

The legislation allows employees of a private company to leave without an exit permit except for 5% percent of its workers, which is a percentage determined by the employer based on the nature of some sensitive jobs such as those in exchange companies, gold shops and so on.