AHEAD OF US OFFICIAL'S INDIA VISIT, CHINA SLAMS 'ASIAN NATO'

The US announced the four-day visit of its Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to India to take forward the Indo-Pacific economic framework on a day China denounced its attempts in this direction which, it said, were “bound to fail”.

Raimondo, along with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, will be the second VIP to spend Holi here. At the business end, she will hold discussions not just on giving life to the Indo-Pacific economic framework announced by US President Joe Biden in the presence of PM Narendra Modi.

Apart from the four Quad members, the other participants are Brunei, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

At a first press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, the new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said the Indo-Pacific strategy’s attempt to form exclusive blocs, provoke confrontation through an “Asian NATO” is “bound to fail”.

“Asia should be the stage for win-win cooperation rather than a chessboard for a geopolitical contest. No cold war should be reignited and no Ukraine-like crisis should be repeated in Asia,” he observed.

While the Chinese Foreign Minister spoke on the US, Taiwan, Russia, Japan and the Middle East, he did not touch on India in his address nor were any questions posed on his recent meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here last week.

"MAKE NO MISTAKE": RISHI SUNAK VOWS TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

London: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday (local time) warned illegal immigrants entering the country that they will begin deporting every illegal immigrant crossing its borders and will not allow them to apply for asylum, reported Fox News.

Mr Sunak made the vow in a Sunday interview as the UK faces a steady flow of migrants crossing its borders from Europe.

Rishi Sunak's government is expected to push legislation cracking down on illegal immigration later this week, with a special emphasis on illegal immigrants arriving in boats across the English Channel, reported Fox News.

The new legislation would place a duty on the home secretary to remove anyone arriving on a small boat to Rwanda or a "safe" third country "as soon as reasonably practicable" and ban them from returning permanently.

Mr Sunak, who has made "stopping the boats," one of his top priorities said, "Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay."

"Illegal migration is not fair on British taxpayers, it is not fair on those who come here legally and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade. I am determined to deliver on my promise to stop the boats," he added.

The UK has laws allowing illegal immigrants to claim asylum after crossing the border. Typically, the migrants are allowed to stay while their case is being litigated, but the new legislation would prevent such migrants from claiming asylum in the first place.

The government has long been trying to tackle the rise in numbers of asylum seekers making the dangerous crossing from France to the UK.

However, it is not clear how exactly the government is proposing to limit the rights of asylum seekers.

CHINA TELLS US NOT TO CROSS RED LINE ON TAIWAN

Taiwan will not allow “repeated provocations” from China, the island’s defence minister said on Tuesday, as China’s foreign minister said Taiwan was the “first red line” that must not be crossed in SinoUS ties. China views the island as its own territory. China staged war games near Taiwan in August to protest the Taipei visit of then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen plans to meet current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the US in coming weeks, two sources said. McCarthy, however, has not confirmed a meeting with Tsai. Taiwan defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said he was not aware of a planned meeting between Tsai and McCarthy. “The Chinese communists use any reason to send troops,” Chiu said. In Beijing, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang said it was “absurd” for US officials to say Taiwan is not an internal affair of China’s. “The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of Chinaand the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US ties.”

ISLAMABAD HC SUSPENDS IMRAN’S ARREST TILL MARCH 13

Islamabad : The Islamabad high court suspended on Tuesday the non-bailable arrest warrants issued against former PM and PTI chief Imran Khan by a local court in a graft case related to the purchase and sale of gifts from the Toshakhana (state depository) till March 13. Islamabad HC chief justice Aamer Farooq accepted Khan’s plea against the additional sessions judge’s decision and directed Imran to ensure that he appears on March 13 before the trial court that had issued the arrest warrants.

Earlier in the day, Imran also skipped the hearing in the Islamabad sessions court in the Toshakhana case despite the NBWs against him. Following the HC’s decision, thesessions court ordered the former PM to appear before it, where he will be indicted. Imran has thrice skipped indictment hearings in the case.

On February 28, the trial court had issued NBWs for Imran after he decided not to turn up before it while attending hearings of three other cases — prohibited funding, terrorism, and attempted murder — at other courts located in the same vicinity. On Sunday, Islamabad police went to his residence in Lahore in a bid to arrest him but the PTI chief dodged them and later addressed his supporters, taking on the incumbent government for its incompetence and mismanagement while lashing out at ex-army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for his ouster from office last year.

‘PRO-UKRAINE GROUP’ BEHIND GAS PIPELINE ATTACK, SAY U.S. OFFICIALS

WASHINGTON: U.S. officials have claimed that a “pro-Ukrainian group” was responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. In a cautious report, the Times said the officials had no evidence implicating Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in the pipeline bombing.

OVER 5,000 SCHOOLCHILDREN POISONED: IRAN LAWMAKER

More than 5,000 Iranian schoolchildren have been affected by a spate of poisonings that has targeted mainly female pupils since late November, according to a lawmaker investigating the cases.

The mystery poisonings have gripped Iran, triggering a wave of anger and demands for action from the authorities.

They have also sparked international concern and Western calls for an independent investigation, particularly as the first cases were reported soon after the start of nationwide protests sparked by the death of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, following her arrest for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Scores of schools have been hit, with pupils suffering symptoms ranging from shortness of breath to nausea and vertigo after reporting “unpleasant” odours on school premises. Some have been treated in hospital. “Twenty-five provinces and approximately 230 schools have been affected, and more than 5,000 schoolgirls and boys poisoned,” Mohammad-Hassan Asafari, a member of the parliamentary fact-finding committee, told the ISNA news agency on Monday.

“Various tests are being carried out to identify the type and cause of the poisonings. So far, no specific information has been obtained regarding the type of poison used.”

Calling the poisonings an “unforgivable crime”, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave orders on Monday for the perpetrators to be tracked down “without mercy”.

President Ebrahim Raisi already tasked the Interior Ministry last week with providing continuous updates on the investigation.

The White House called on Monday for a “credible independent investigation” into the poisonings.

‘GERMANY SET TO BAN HUAWEI, ZTE FROM PARTS OF 5G NETWORKS’

Germany plans to ban telecoms operators from using certain components made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in 5G networks, a government source said, in a move to address security concerns. The ban could include components already built into the networks, requiring operators to replace them, Zeit Online reported on Monday, citing sources. The government did not comment. “This is a sign that the German government may finally be taking China-related risks to national security seriously,” said Noah Barkin, managing editor with research firm Rhodium Group’s China practice.

SRI LANKA CLOSES IN ON $2.9BN IMF DEAL AFTER CHINA SUPPORT

Colombo/Washington : Sri Lanka looks set to get a signoff on a long-awaited $2. 9 billion four-year bailout from the International Monetary Fund on March 20 after the crisis-hit country secured new financing support from China. The IMF and the island nation confirmed on Tuesday that Sri Lanka had received assurances from all its major bilateral creditors, a key step to deploy financing and an important moment for the country engulfed in its worst economic crisis.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament there were signs the economy was improving, but there was still insufficient foreign currency for all imports, making the IMF deal crucial so other creditors could also start releasing funds.

“Sri Lanka has completed all prior actions that were required by the IMF,” Wickremesinghe said, and that he and the central bank governor had sent a letter of intent to the IMF. “I welcome the progress made by Sri Lankan authorities in obtaining financing assurances from all their major creditors, including China, India & the Paris Club,” IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Twitter.

17 DEAD, 100 HURT AFTER ‘QUAKE-LIKE’ EXPLOSION IN A BUILDING IN DHAKA

Dhaka : At least 17 people, including two women, were killed and over 100 others injured on Tuesday in a powerful “earthquake-like” explosion at a seven-storey building in Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka, police and local residents said. Eleven firefighting units, comprising 200 firemen, were mobilised at the spot after the blast, which occurred around 4. 50pm (local time) at Old Dhaka’s crowded Gulistan area, the fire service control room said. “Seventeen bodies have been found (so far),but the toll could rise as the rescue operation is under way,” afire service official said.

The cause of the explosion could not be known immediately, but local residents suspected chemicals illegally stored inside the building, mostly used as an office and business complex, might have sparked the blast.

The Rapid Action Battalion’s bomb disposal unit was rushed to the spot to inspect the buildings. Dozens of injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said DMCH police outpost inspector Bacchu Miah.

ISRAEL STRIKE KNOCKS OUT AIRPORT IN SYRIA’S ALEPPO: DEFENCE MINISTRY

DAMASCUS: Israeli warplanes struck Aleppo airport before dawn on Tuesday, causing significant damage that halted flights to and from Syria, the Defence Ministry said. “At 2:07 a.m. local time, the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the Mediterranean west of Latakia targeting Aleppo international airport,” the Ministry said.