WORLD
Zalmay Khalilzad steps down as US special envoy to Afghanistan
Taking to Twitter on Monday night, Blinken said: "Thank you to Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for decades of tireless service to the United States. Pleased to welcome Thomas West to the role of Special Representative for Afghanistan." OLO News shared Khalilzad's resignation letter to Blinken, in which the former diplomat wrote: "Today, our forces are out, the war is finally over for the United States and the very high financial costs of this engagement can now be directed to other vital needs. However, the political arrangement between the Afghan government and the Taliban did not go forward as envisaged.
India, Israel, US, UAE ministerial meeting opens possibility of M-E 'Quad'
"Discussed working together more closely on economic growth and global issues. Agreed on expeditious follow-up," India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting on Monday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Ministers Yair Lapid of Israel and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed of the UAE.
Russia suspends mission to NATO
Russia's Ambassador to Belgium will be authorised for emergency contacts with the NATO headquarters, while an envoy of the NATO member states in Moscow can perform similar functions, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying in a statement on Monday. Russia is also suspending the activities of the NATO Military Liaison Mission in Moscow and the accreditation of its staffers will be revoked on November 1.
US representative for N.Korea to visit Seoul this week
Kim's trip to Seoul will follow his meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, in Washington this week, reports Yonhap News Agency. "Special Representative Noh and I had an excellent meeting this afternoon in advance of tomorrow's (Tuesday) trilateral meeting with Japanese Director-General Funakoshi," the US diplomat told reporters after his meeting with Noh at the State Department on Monday.
Iran to discuss nuke topics with EU
Making the remarks during his weekly press conference, Khatibzadeh said recent talks between Ali Bagheri, Deputy Foreign Minister, and Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, in Tehran were "good and constructive", reports Xinhua news agency Bagheri noted that both sides agreed to continue negotiations in Brussels in the next few days.
North Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea
The missile was launched eastward from a site in the vicinity of Sinpo, South Hamgyong province, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It said the launch was detected at 10.17 a.m. but gave no other details, reports Yonhap News Agency. Pyongyang's continued saber-rattling tempered cautious optimism that has emerged since the reactivation of inter-Korean communication channels earlier this month.
Buoyed by international support, Taiwan gets ready to counter Chinese aggression
Chinese President Xi Jinping has asserted that Taiwan must be annexed with the mainland, which Taiwanese leadership has opposed fiercely. With the people of Taiwan completely against the annexation, China has the only option of a military takeover. And Beijing has minced no word while expressing its intentions.
Trump sues to block Congress from obtaining documents related to Capitol riot
"The Committee's request amounts to nothing less than a vexatious, illegal fishing expedition openly endorsed by Biden and designed to unconstitutionally investigate President Trump and his administration," the lawsuit, filed on Monday, read. "Our laws do not permit such an impulsive, egregious action against a former President and his close advisors."
US will not join Afghanistan talks hosted by Russia
The US Department of States spokesperson Ned Price has told the reporters that the US won’t participate in the Moscow talks. He said in a press briefing “ the Troika-plus has been an effective, a constructive forum. We look forward to engaging in that forum going forward, but we're not in a position to take part this week." Ned added that logistic difficulties are the reason behind the US’ decision but ensures that his country support this process.
Taliban's Deputy Foreign Minister Stanikzai flees to Dubai, as cracks appear in extremist fortress
Stanikzai, who could have been the foreign minister, is afraid that he could be assassinated by the Pakistani spy agency Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) if he returned, IANS said quoting its sources. Taliban leadership of the Haqqani faction and the Pakistani ISI are concerned about Stanikzai's "suspicious" relations with India.
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