Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tharaka Balasuriya, who represented the island nation in the two-day 2nd BIMSTEC Ministerial Retreat hosted by India, has emphasised the need to have a mechanism to map mineral resources found in abundance within the countries of the Bay of Bengal region. 

The Retreat, which ended on Friday and was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) grouping nations, provided an informal platform to discuss ways and means of cooperating and accelerating action in security, connectivity, trade and investment within the Bay of Bengal.

“He (Balasuriya) further emphasised the importance of developing opportunities for the vertical integration of stages of production within specific sectors in the economies of the countries, enabling countries to diversify their production structure,” the Lankan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He also referred to the initiative of Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry at the First BIMSTEC Retreat for the creation of an expert group on fiscal and monetary policy, and observed it would create a platform for the sharing of best practices within the region.

Along with India, Sri Lanka is a founding member of the seven-member BIMSTEC grouping which was established in June 1997.

The proposals put forward in the New Delhi meeting are expected to be submitted for consideration to the Heads of State at the upcoming 6th BIMSTEC Summit scheduled to be hosted by Thailand, the current chair of BIMSTEC, on September 4, later this year.

During his visit, Balasuriya also held a meeting with External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and paid a joint courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. AGENCIES

 North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), “most strongly denounces and rejects” the Washington summit declaration issued by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) earlier this week, state media said Saturday.

The declaration is proof that the United States and the transatlantic bloc pose “the most serious threat to the global peace and security,” the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing a press statement released by a spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry on Friday, reported Xinhua news agency.

It is “an illegal document that violates the legitimate rights of independent sovereign states and a confrontational programme that incites new Cold War and military confrontation on a global scale,” the statement added.

The US moves to expand military blocs seriously threaten regional peace, extremely exacerbate the international security environment, and spark a worldwide arms race, it said.

The DPRK warned that NATO’s “globalisation” strategy pursued by the United States brings “the danger of a worldwide war.”

The DPRK also lambasted Washington for “seriously infringing upon the sovereignty and security interests of other countries and constantly destroying the strategic stability of the world while wantonly violating the recognised principles of international law including respect for sovereignty, non-interference, equality and mutual benefit,” the report said. AGENCIES

 There are still outstanding points that hinder the Gaza truce negotiations, the media reported, citing a top source.

The news did not specify what those outstanding points are, but Hamas on Friday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing reaching the ceasefire agreement by insisting on his country’s control of the Philadelphi Corridor, the area between Gaza and Egypt, Xinhua news agency reported.

Netanyahu emphasised on Thursday that to prevent “the smuggling of weapons” to Hamas from Egypt, Israel must control the Philadelphi Corridor, as well as the Rafah crossing.

The crossing was an important entry point for aid from Egypt into Gaza before it was closed in early May after Israeli troops assumed control over its Palestinian side.

Meanwhile, the source denied reports about Egyptian-Israeli security arrangements regarding the control of the border between Egypt and Gaza, saying these are Israeli “rumours” aiming to “hide their failures in Gaza”.

Egypt has repeatedly denied any coordination with the Israeli side concerning the border with Gaza while rejecting multiple Israeli suggestions to co-manage the crossing, a top source said in previous remarks to Al-Qahera News TV.

Egypt has also stressed that only the Egyptians and Palestinians have the right to manage the crossing, demanding the withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.

For months, mediators from Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker an agreement to end the conflict in Gaza that has been going on for over nine months, and to return the more than 100 Israeli hostages still being held there.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.

According to Gaza health authorities, the Israeli offensive has led to the killing of more than 38,000 Palestinians in the enclave, while the UN estimates that nearly two million people there have been internally displaced. AGENCIES

 The provincial government of South Africa’s Western Cape has said that a total of 100,000 people have so far been affected and 33,000 buildings have been damaged in the city of Cape Town by heavy rains that hit the province recently.

“Authorities remain on high alert as cold and wet weather persists. Two further cold fronts are expected to make landfall between Saturday and Sunday,” said Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning, at the Joint Operations Centre’s meeting on Friday.

“We have a huge humanitarian situation to deal with, and all authorities are working together to address it. Our focus will remain on keeping people safe until the severe weather has passed,” said Bredell.

“We have approached the National Disaster Management Center for a provincial disaster classification, and expect an announcement soon.”

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the province desperately needs additional resources to sustain its disaster management operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Western Cape Education Department said on Thursday that more than 200 schools across the province have reported some sort of damage or disruption.

The South African Weather Service warned on Friday that they expect 60 to 100 mm of rainfall in the mountainous areas of the province between Saturday and Sunday.

“Our dams and rivers are full, and our catchments are saturated, so any additional rainfall could lead to flooding, mudslides, and rock falls. We repeat our call to the public to stay safe, avoid unnecessary travel and keep informed through reputable news outlets,” the weather service said. AGENCIES

 A young Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army during a raid in the village of Abwein near the West Bank city of Ramallah, said official and local Palestinian sources.

“Our crews transported a 26-year-old man injured in the head in serious condition from the village,” the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Friday in a brief statement, without specifying the identity of the victim.

The statement added that the young man died later in the hospital as a result of his injury, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local sources reported that Israeli forces stormed the village, firing live bullets and tear gas bombs, which led to the youth being injured.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on this incident.

More than 550 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in early October 2023, according to UN statistics. AGENCIES

A pilot was killed as a Polish military aircraft crashed in an airshow rehearsal in Gdynia, northern Poland, the media reported.

The crashed plane, the M-346 Master, known as Bielik in the Polish military, is an Italian, two-seat, twin-engine aircraft designed for advanced flight training, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

On board the plane was one of the two most experienced pilots of this kind of plane in Poland, according to reports. AGENCIES

 Cyprus’ Amalthea project for the transport of humanitarian aid to Gaza through a sea corridor will not be affected by the impending removal of a floating pier built by the US army, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.

Commenting on a US statement that the floating pier will soon cease operations, the spokesman told the press on Friday that there are alternative ways of delivering humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza, without providing details.

Letymbiotis said the Amalthea project was planned before the US decided to build a floating pier to facilitate the unloading of aid sent by ship from Larnaca port in Cyprus, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spokesman added that when the pier was removed for repairs, humanitarian aid continued to reach the civilian population in Gaza.

However, international aid to Gaza has been continuously piling up at Larnaca port, including a much-needed medical diagnostic mobile machine sent by Italy, as part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

According to local media reports, an alternative way would be to transfer aid to Gaza through the Israeli port of Ashdod, as Israel is involved in the project by checking aid materials before loading.

Another option is to unload aid pallets onto smaller vessels, which could negotiate the shallow waters of Gaza.

Pentagon Spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said on Thursday that the military failed to re-anchor the pier on Wednesday, without mentioning a new date for re-anchoring. AGENCIES

 A senior Hamas commander involved in masterminding the October 7 attack against Israel was killed in a recent Israeli airstrike on Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The IDF said on Friday in a statement that the slain, named Ayman Showadeh, was a deputy commander of Hamas’ Shejaiya Battalion in the current conflict and formerly a key operative in Hamas’ operations headquarters.

Showadeh had directed numerous attacks against IDF troops, according to the statement.

The IDF claimed that this man was among more than 150 “terrorists” eliminated in recent IDF operations in the Shejaiya neighbourhood of the city, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Israeli military has targeted Shejaiya for about two weeks in the name of eliminating active “terrorists” and their infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the military announced that it had completed the mission in Shejaiya.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas attack through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage. AGENCIES

 The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said that it will deliver an advisory opinion on July 19 regarding the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

A public session will be held on July 19 at the Peace Palace, the seat of the ICJ in The Hague, where Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the court, will present the advisory opinion, said the court in a press statement on Friday.

During the public hearings at the ICJ in February, Palestine, 49 UN member states, and three international organisations presented oral statements, Xinhua news agency reported.

At the hearings, Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour urged the ICJ to declare Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, emphasising that such a ruling would pave the way for an immediate end to the occupation and the establishment of a “just and lasting peace”.

Without participating in the hearings, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement rejecting the legitimacy of the hearings, accusing them of attempting to further undermine Israel’s right to survival and self-defence. AGENCIES

 In a message for Beijing to peacefully resolve through negotiation, not repression, an agreement on Tibet that will support Tibet’s peaceful struggle for human rights and democratic freedom, US President Joe Biden on Friday signed the Resolve Tibet Act.

The law states that it is American policy that the Tibet issue must be resolved in accordance with international law by peaceful means, through dialogue without preconditions.

The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, popularly known as Resolve Tibet Act, also takes aim at China’s lies about Tibet, calling on China to stop propagating disinformation about Tibet’s history and giving the State Department a new mandate to directly counter these false claims.

Responding to the signing of the Act, International Campaign for Tibet President Tencho Gyatso said: “The Resolve Tibet Act cuts to the heart of China’s brutal treatment of the Tibetan people.”

“To Tibetans, it is a statement of hope. To other countries, it is a clarion call to support Tibet’s peaceful struggle for human rights and democratic freedoms. And to Beijing, it is a declaration that American support for Tibet does not come with an expiration date; China must resume dialogue and find a solution that supports the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people.”

One key feature of the Act is defining the Tibetan people as a people with their own distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity. It then states that Chinese policies are systematically suppressing the ability of the Tibetan people to preserve their way of life.

The Dalai Lama has repeatedly called for China to grant genuine autonomy to the Tibetan people, and it is clear under international law that people are entitled to self-determination.

When House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) spoke before it passed Congress, he expressed his hopes that the new law will help “put the people of Tibet in charge of their own future.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken frequently refers to support for self-determination as a core principle of American foreign policy.

President Biden previously pledged to push Beijing to “return to direct dialogue with the representatives of the Tibetan people to achieve meaningful autonomy, respect for human rights, and the preservation of Tibet’s environment as well as its unique cultural, linguistic and religious traditions.”

Now that the Resolve Tibet Act is law, the onus is on the State Department and the White House to vigorously champion genuine negotiation and overcome Beijing’s stalling tactics.

“President Biden promised his administration would stand up for the people of Tibet,” said ICT President Tencho Gyatso. “There is not a moment to lose. Experienced State Department officials like Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Uzra Zeya now have a valuable tool to elevate their calls for negotiations and fulfill the core objective of the Special Coordinator’s office: promoting substantive dialogue, without preconditions, between China and the Dalai Lama, his representatives, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders in support of a negotiated agreement on Tibet.”

The Resolve Tibet Act became law after three years of effort by a select group of members of Congress backed by a broad range of Tibet supporters and Tibetan Americans.

Senior leaders of the Central Tibetan Administration and the ICT board and staff met with Congressional leaders to brief them on the situation in Tibet and discuss how new initiatives could help.

Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) took the lead in the House, while Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the bill in the Senate. All four leads and their staff worked tirelessly to put this law in place.

Advocates for Tibet helped at every step along the way. These efforts included testimony from international law scholars, grassroots advocacy by Tibetan Associations, waves of petitions from ICT members, record-breaking turnout at Tibet Lobby Day, and coordination between the Office of Tibet, the International Campaign for Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet, and other prominent Tibet groups.

“It was inspiring to witness such a positive response to the Resolve Tibet Act from across the country and around the world,” said ICT President Gyatso. “It is clear how much can be accomplished when citizens, organisations, and dedicated decision-makers unite. Moving forward, I know we can build on today’s extraordinary accomplishment.”

“As His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, change only takes place through action,” she added.

Rep. Jim McGovern said: “I am thrilled. The United States once again affirms our strong support for the rights of the Tibetan people under international law, including their right to self-determination.”

“With its bipartisan passage, we hope to restart dialogue between Tibet and China to resolve the decades-long dispute over Tibet’s autonomy and governance in keeping with US policy. The Tibetans are willing; the People’s Republic of China should come to the table.”

Rep Michael McCaul, who led a high-level US congressional delegation and visited Dharamsala last month to apprise the Dalai Lama that how the Resolve Tibet Bill had been advancing closer to becoming law, said: “This bill makes it clear the United States believes Tibet has its own unique language, religion and culture, and has a right to self-determination. The bill also requires the State Department to aggressively challenge CCP propaganda about Tibet.”

Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration to North America Namgyal Choedup said: “The bipartisan and bicameral passage of the Tibet bill and the signing of the bill into law by President Biden is a huge moral boost to the Tibetan people, who continues to suffer PRC’s systematic repression. This is a clear indication of the unwavering support of the US government and its people towards the just cause of the Tibetan people. This is a call to Beijing that the only solution to Tibet China dispute is through dialogue and negotiation in good faith.”

The 14th Dalai Lama, an icon of ahimsa (non-violence) and karuna (compassion), who turned 89 on July 6, is presently in the US recovering from a knee surgery he underwent last month. AGENCIES