Tanzania’s president Monday said peace has been restored along Tanzania’s border with Mozambique, and militants from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province, who have been wreaking havoc in the southern Mtwara villages, have been neutralized.

This is the first time Samia Suluhu Hassan publicly talked about the threat posed by terror groups from Mozambique and a protracted military operation on the southern border.
According to a statement from the presidency, the president also urged the top military commanders to include terrorism in their agenda.
Addressing the military commanders at the Lugalo military base in Dar es Salaam, President Hassan, dressed in military fatigues, said: “In the recent months, peace and security on our borders, especially in the southern parts of the country, were threatened by a terrorist group from Cabo Delgado Province in Mozambique. This group has been attempting to carry out attacks in our villages of Mtwara, causing deaths, injuries, and destruction of property. But our special forces deployed along the border have helped strengthen security and restore tranquility in the troubled region.”
More than 300 heavily-armed terrorists believed to be affiliated with Daesh/ISIS group, raided Kitaya village on the bank of Ruvuma River in October 2020, razing homes, and killing people.
The terrorists sneaked into the country by sea and launched attacks after crossing the Ruvuma River on the border of Tanzania and Mozambique, police had said.
The group had claimed responsibility for the attack which reportedly killed more than 20 people, including officials. Tanzania’s military subsequently deployed troops to flush out the terrorists.
Despite its reputation as a peaceful nation, the East African country has experienced rising terror threats in its gas-rich southern region.

Hassan claims militants from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province neutralized

Tanzania's president says peace restored along border with Mozambique

The US has not made any decision yet on a potential waiver for India after it began receiving deliveries of an advanced surface-to-air missile system from Russia, the State Department said on Monday.

The deliveries risk sanctions under the 2017 Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which authorizes economic penalties on entities that purchase arms from Russia's defense industry.
A State Department spokesperson said on condition of anonymity that the Biden administration has not yet made a determination "on a potential waiver with respect to Indian arms transactions with Russia," further maintaining that CAATSA "does not have a blanket or country-specific waiver provision."
- We urge all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that risk triggering sanctions under the act - the spokesperson said.
- The U.S.-India defense partnership has expanded significantly in recent years, commensurate with India’s status as a Major Defense Partner. We expect this strong momentum in our defense partnership to continue. We value our strategic partnership with India - the spokesperson added.
A Russian official confirmed on Sunday that Moscow has started supplying the S-400 air defense system to India.
The deliveries are proceeding on schedule, Dmitry Shugayev, head of Russia’s Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, told Russian news agency.
- The first deliveries have already started - Shugayev said at an aerospace trade show in Dubai, the Interfax news agency reported.
India will have the first unit of the defense system by the end of this year, according to the official.
Moscow and New Delhi inked a $5.5 billion deal for the S-400 system in 2018, a move that opened India to possible US sanctions.
Lloyd Austin, the US secretary of defense, reiterated during his March visit to India that all US allies and partners should shun Russian hardware and “avoid any kind of acquisition that would trigger sanctions.”
Turkey also faced US sanctions last year for purchasing the S-400 system and was removed from Washington’s F-35 program in 2019.

"We urge all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that risk triggering sanctions", says Stat Department

The deliveries risk sanctions under the 2017 Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which authorizes economic penalties on entities that purchase arms from Russia's defense industry

US says no decision yet on India sanctions waiver after S-400 deliveries begin

Protesters in Tunisia have clashed with security forces through the week, demonstrating against the reopening of a local landfill site.

The protests in the eastern town of Agareb in Sfax province have been underway since the decision to open the landfill that had been closed in late September over complaints by local residents that it polluted the environment.
A general strike took place on Wednesday after the death of a protester in the town on Monday. While his family said the protester had suffocated from tear gas fired by security forces during the overnight protests, the Interior Ministry has denied this claim.
As the clashes continued, President Kais Saied held a meeting with several civil society activists at the Carthage Palace near the capital Tunis on Thursday, pledging to find a solution to the crisis "soon."
Tunisia has been in the grip of a deep political crisis since Saied ousted the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority on July 25.
The developments in Agareb pose a serious challenge to the recently unveiled new Cabinet headed by Najla Bouden, who was appointed by Saied as the country's first female prime minister.

Security forces use tear gas to disperse protesters who oppose reopening of local landfill site

Protests against landfill mounts in Tunisia amid clashes

A record of 4.43 million people in the US quit their jobs in September, according to figures released by the Labor Department on Friday.

While the number of Americans quitting their jobs came over 4 million for the third consecutive month, the latest figure is a 3.7% increase from almost 4.27 million in August.
Job openings in the US fell 191,000 from the previous month to 10.4 million in September, the Labor Department's survey showed.
While the market expectation for job openings was 10.3 million, the previous figure was around 10.6 million in August.
Total hires increased to 6.46 million in September, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
- Hires and total separations were little changed at 6.5 million and 6.2 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits level and rate increased to a series high of 4.4 million and 3%, respectively - the Labor Department said in a statement.
Job openings declined the most in state and local government education, by 114,000, but healthcare and social assistance saw the highest gains in openings, by 141,000.
The survey measures job vacancies by collecting data from employers about employment, job openings, hiring, and separations. 
JOLTS considers job openings as all positions that are open, or not filled, on the last business day of the month that the survey is done.

Number of Americans quitting their jobs over 4M for third consecutive month

Job openings in the US fell 191,000 from the previous month to 10.4 million in September, the Labor Department's survey showed

Record 4.4M people quit their jobs in US in September

The army in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday claimed killing eight rebels in Kisunga village in North Kivu province.

In a statement, Captain Anthony Mualushayi said the army killed eight rebels who attacked the village with the intention of looting food and medicine.
He said six of the killed rebels belonged to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) while two were Mai Mai militiamen. The captain said some soldiers and civilians also got injured in a crossfire between the army and the rebels.
The rebels had killed six villagers and set several houses and a health center on fire before the army could rescue the attacked civilians, he added.
He underlined that the army is determined to flush out the rebels from that part of the country and called on people to immediately report if they see rebels in their area.
For years, the ADF rebels and other militia groups have been attacking villages, killing civilians, and looting their property.

Rebels killed 6 villagers, set several houses on fire in North Kivu province before army operation, says official

The rebels had killed six villagers and set several houses and a health center on fire

Army kills 8 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo

An explosion tore through a mosque in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province during Friday prayers, killing at least two people and wounding 15.

The explosion occurred at the Tiriley Mosque in the province’s Spin Ghar district, officials of the interim Taliban administration said.
The bomb was reportedly placed on the mosque pulpit.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Eyewitnesses, on the other hand, said three people were killed and 18 others injured in the attack.
After US-led NATO forces left Afghanistan this summer, bomb attacks in the country have largely been concentrated in the Nangarhar province, with the terror group Daesh/ISIS claiming responsibility for most of them.
Nearly 100 people lost their lives in an attack during Friday prayers at Shia mosques in Kunduz and Kandahar on Oct. 8 and 15, both claimed by Daesh/ISIS.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Blast occurs in mosque during Friday prayers in Nangarhar province Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat   | 12.11.2021

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack

Afghanistan mosque bombing leaves at least 2 dead, 15 wounded

Turkey on Thursday reiterated its support for Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania amid a refugee flux on their borders with Belarus.

- We are saddened to see that necessary measures are not taken in terms of the illegal passing of third country citizens to our allies Poland, Lithuania and Latvia through Belarus soils and they are left in harsh conditions on border regions - the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
This "multidimensional problem" could erode the international refugee protection regime that draws on the Geneva Convention, the ministry said, noting that the latest developments were transpiring amid the 70th anniversary of the convention relating to the status of refugees.
Stressing that Turkey has been hosting the highest number of refugees in the world for the last ten years, it reiterated that the country "gives full support to its allies, as a country which understands the challenges Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have been exposed to."
However, it said that Turkey refused to be "portrayed as part of a problem" to which it is not a party.
- We find it to be intentional that a globally prominent company like Turkish Airlines, is targeted even though information on this issue is shared transparently - the ministry said.
- Turkey emphasizes the importance of taking the necessary steps for the fight against irregular migration and human trafficking on every occasion and calls for the international community to be responsible and sensible towards this issue - it added.
The ministry also said that Turkey hopes that the concerned parties solve the issue "in moderation," emphasizing that Ankara is ready to "give all necessary support in order to overcome this issue."
Turkey already hosts over 4 million refugees, more than any country in the world, and has enhanced security measures on its borders to humanely prevent a fresh influx of migrants.

In statement, Foreign Ministry says Turkey refuses to be 'portrayed as part of' problem to which it is not party

Turkey refused to be "portrayed as part of a problem" to which it is not a party

Turkey reiterates support for Poland, Latvia, Lithuania amid refugee flux

Five civilians, including three children, were killed in Russian airstrikes Thursday in Syria’s opposition-held northwestern Idlib province.

According to a Syrian opposition aircraft observatory, a Russian Su-34-type warplane carried out three airstrikes on a chicken farm near the Idlib city center.
Five civilians, three of them children, were killed and five others were injured, according to sources with the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets).
Russian warplanes also carried out airstrikes in the area where refugee camps are concentrated in the town of Ma'arrat Misrin, also in the northern Idlib province, according to the observatory.
In May 2017, Turkey, Russia, and Iran announced that they had reached an agreement to establish a de-escalation zone in Idlib, as part of the Astana meetings related to the Syrian crisis.
However, it was only after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed on March 5, 2020, to a new truce in Idlib to end hostilities and attacks on civilians that effective de-escalation took place, with the exception of sporadic shelling by the regime and other forces.

3 children among casualties in airstrikes on chicken farm near city center of Idlib, northwestern Syria

Russian Su-34-type warplane carried out three airstrikes on a chicken farm near the Idlib city center

Russian airstrikes kill 5 civilians in Syria's opposition-held Idlib

Over a week of heavy rain has lashed Sri Lanka, causing floods that have killed at least 22 people and displaced over 5,000 people, a local daily reported on Thursday.

According to the island nation’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC), “more than 5,000 people have been displaced from their homes and have taken shelter in relatives’ homes or government-run relief centers, while overall 62,200 people belonging to 17,481 families have been affected.”
- Most deaths have occurred due to drowning and lightning strikes - the Daily Express reported, citing a DMC statement.
The center said the heavy rainfall was caused by a “low-pressure area in the southeast Bay of Bengal.”
At least 17 districts were “hard hit by heavy rains, floods, and landslides which completely destroyed 18 houses while 960 dwellings had sustained partial damages.”
In Sri Lanka, the northeastern monsoon season usually lasts from October through November. This year, though, most sections of the country have seen higher-than-average rainfall.

Disaster Management Centre says more than 5,000 people displaced from their homes, with total of 62,200 people affected

The center said the heavy rainfall was caused by a “low-pressure area in the southeast Bay of Bengal”

Heavy rains since last week kill 22 in Sri Lanka

The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) said Thursday that it shot down an Ethiopian air force helicopter, days after the government bombed two rebel targets in Tigray.

- Our anti-aircraft units in the Mille front have downed an MI-35 helicopter gunship this morning - TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda said in a statement.
Multiple attempts by Anadolu Agency to get the government to comment on the claim have been unsuccessful.
The UN said more than 2 million people have been displaced because of the war and a humanitarian catastrophe is looming.
More than 5.2 million people across Tigray -- more than 90% of the region's population -- require life-saving assistance, it said.
Nearly 400,000 people are facing famine-like conditions and more than 100,000 children in Tigray could suffer life-threatening malnutrition in the next 12 months.
The war has claimed thousands of lives and left many wounded.

No comment yet by government

The UN said more than 2 million people have been displaced because of the war and a humanitarian catastrophe is looming

Tigray People's Liberation Front claims to shoot down Ethiopian air force helicopter

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a long-anticipated virtual meeting on Monday, according to multiple reports.

The reports, which began to emerge Wednesday, all cite anonymous sources. The White House has yet to officially confirm the meeting.
The Politico news website was the first to report the scheduling, saying Thursday that the timing is tentative.
The meeting comes as the world's top two economies clash on a wide array of issues, from China's territorial claims in the South China Sea to trade, Beijing's treatment of its minority Muslim Uyghur population and the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Xi and Biden last spoke by telephone in September in a "very familiar" and "the candid" conversation that lasted 90 minutes, according to the White House.
The US and China have since held talks concerning the format and timing of the presidential meeting.

Long-awaited meeting comes amid widespread disagreements between Washington, Beijing

Biden, China's Xi to hold virtual meeting on Monday

Kuwait on Thursday suspended issuing visas to Sudanese amid internal turmoil, according to local media.

Daily Al-Qabas, citing security sources, said Kuwait's Directorate of Residency received a verbal order to stop issuing all transactions related to granting entry visas to Sudanese passport holders until further notice.
This procedure is similar to what was followed with most countries that experienced internal turmoil.
According to the daily, the reason behind the order is that a number of communities experiencing turmoil in their countries are trying to bring their families through tourist visits and family residency.
This may result in infiltration of wanted persons by the authorities of their country or dangerous elements, which are not approved by the Kuwaiti security authorities.
The sources also said Sudanese who have residency in the country are not excluded from the decision and they have the right to return to the country as well as renew their residency.
There was no comment from the Kuwaiti authorities on the report.
On Oct. 25, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s ruling military council, declared a state of emergency and dissolved the transitional Sovereign Council and government, triggering mass protests across the country.
The move came amid mutual accusations between the military and politicians in the wake of a failed coup attempt in September.
Before the military takeover, Sudan was administered by a sovereign council of military and civilian officials which was overseeing the transition period until elections slated for 2023 as part of a precarious power-sharing pact between the military and the Forces for Freedom and Change coalition.

Decision comes due to Sudan's internal turmoil

This procedure is similar to what was followed with most countries that experienced internal turmoil

Kuwait suspends visas to Sudanese amid crisis

At least three people were killed and several others wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his car into a security convoy in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday, officials said.

The attack took place at a busy intersection near Villa Baidoa, the Somali military's second headquarter in Mogadishu.
Abdifatah Hassan, a police officer in Mogadishu, told Anadolu Agency over the phone the suicide car bomb blast targeted a convoy carrying personnel of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). "We don't know if there are AMISOM casualties."
The wounded were transported to nearby Madina hospital, he added.
Yasin Adan, a paramedic, told Anadolu Agency that he saw several wounded civilians lying on the ground crying before they were taken to the hospital.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab had owned many recent attacks in the Horn of Africa country.
The attack comes hours after a roadside bomb blast wounded at least three policemen in Mogadishu.

Attack comes hours after roadside bomb blast injures 3 policemen in capital Mogadishu

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack

3 dead, many injured as suicide bomber hits peacekeepers in Somalia

At least seven people were killed and over 100 wounded in violence during local government elections in Bangladesh on Thursday.

Voting was held for 841 local councils, known as union parishads, in nationwide elections that are being held in phases, with Thursday’s round being the second phase.
Clashes were reported between supporters of candidates backed by the Awami League and independents looking to thwart the ruling party’s bid to further tighten its grip on power in the country of some 165 million.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has boycotted the elections, accusing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government of intimidation and malpractices.
Officials confirmed that three people died in the central Narshindhi district, two in Cumilla, and one each in Cox’s Bazar and the port city of Chattogram.
News channels broadcast scenes of rival factions confronting each other with guns, knives, hockey sticks and other weapons.
Security forces were also seen using batons to control unruly mobs at polling centers.
The Bangladesh Election Commission condemned the violence and urged all sides to exercise restraint.
However, Humayun Kabir Khandaker, the commission’s secretary, stressed that there was no violence at polling stations as “law enforcers did their best to ensure voting took place peacefully.”
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal tried to downplay the violence, but asserted that authorities will bring all perpetrators to account.
- These elections are always highly charged. They are a battle between communities who want to establish their supremacy (over each other) and such clashes are very common - he said.

Rivals clash in different areas as voting held for 841 local councils in 2nd phase of nationwide local elections

Voting was held for 841 local councils, known as union parishads

7 dead, over 100 injured during violence-marred polls in Bangladesh

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will visit Turkey on Thursday after winning a second term in recent elections.

Mirziyoyev will be in Turkey on Nov. 11 to attend the Summit of Heads of State of Turkic Council, according to a statement by the office of Uzbekistan’s president.
The president, who was sworn in last week, will also hold a series of bilateral meetings in Istanbul.
- The first visits of the Presidents abroad after the elections are always important and symbolic - Uzbek political expert Kamoliddin Rabbimov wrote on Twitter and Uzbekistan will once again confirm the strategic importance it attaches to relations with Turkic states, neighboring countries and Turkey.
Noting that Uzbekistan’s current foreign policy is extremely balanced and rational, he emphasized; "Today, Uzbekistan is getting closer with its natural, strategic allies by strengthening its relations with the Turkic states, particularly Turkey and neighboring countries."
Mirziyoyev was re-elected by winning 80.1% of the vote in elections on Oct. 24, according to the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan.
More than 16 million registered voters cast votes at 10,760 polling stations, chairman commission Zayniddin Nizamhocayev told reporters.
Mirziyoyev took office in 2016 after the death of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan’s first president who ruled the Central Asian country for 27 years.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev will attend Turkic Council meeting in Istanbul following election win

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will visit Turkey on Thursday

Uzbek president to pay first visit to Turkey on Thursday

Iran has confirmed the release of Vietnamese oil tanker Sothys, a week after it was seized during a close encounter between Iranian and US naval forces in the Sea of Oman.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said the tanker was freed "on judicial orders" after the oil, which Iranian authorities alleged was "stolen" by US forces, was unloaded.
According to official sources, the tanker that docked at the Bandar Abbas port since last week left the Iranian waters and entered the Gulf of Oman early on Wednesday.
Refinitiv ship tracking data also showed the tanker anchored in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday morning, though it was not clear where the ship was heading.
The Vietnamese-flagged vessel was seized by the IRGC last week following an incident that created global headlines.
Iran claimed that it thwarted the US Navy's attempt to "steal" its oil by confiscating an Iranian oil tanker and diverting the oil cargo to another tanker with a Vietnamese flag.
The IRGC said in a statement that its forces launched an airborne operation, landing on the deck of the Vietnamese tanker and moving it to Iran's territorial waters.
It further claimed that the US forces tried to chase the tanker with warships and helicopters but failed.
The US Department of State, however, dismissed the claims, saying Iranian forces "seized" the Vietnamese-flagged vessel while the US Navy was "just monitoring the situation".
The IRGC, in a statement on Wednesday after releasing the tanker, termed the US claim a "big lie", adding that US military vessels were "within 30 meters" from Iranian forces.
The incident, which came on the eve of the anniversary of the 1979 US embassy takeover in Tehran, again escalated tensions between the two long-time adversaries at a time when both sides are preparing to resume the stalled nuclear deal talks later this month.
The indirect talks between Washington and Tehran in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear deal will resume on November 29, after the stalemate of five months.

Oil tanker seized by Iran's IRGC last week during encounter with US forces

The Vietnamese-flagged vessel was seized by the IRGC last week following an incident that created global headlines

Tanzania's president says peace restored along border with Mozambique

US says no decision yet on India sanctions waiver after S-400 deliveries begin

Protests against landfill mounts in Tunisia amid clashes

Record 4.4M people quit their jobs in US in September

Army kills 8 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo

Afghanistan mosque bombing leaves at least 2 dead, 15 wounded

Turkey reiterates support for Poland, Latvia, Lithuania amid refugee flux

Russian airstrikes kill 5 civilians in Syria's opposition-held Idlib

Heavy rains since last week kill 22 in Sri Lanka

Tigray People's Liberation Front claims to shoot down Ethiopian air force helicopter

Biden, China's Xi to hold virtual meeting on Monday

Kuwait suspends visas to Sudanese amid crisis

3 dead, many injured as suicide bomber hits peacekeepers in Somalia

7 dead, over 100 injured during violence-marred polls in Bangladesh

Uzbek president to pay first visit to Turkey on Thursday

Iran releases Vietnamese tanker seized in Sea of Oman

World

Tanzania's president says peace restored along border with Mozambique

US says no decision yet on India sanctions waiver after S-400 deliveries begin

Protests against landfill mounts in Tunisia amid clashes

Record 4.4M people quit their jobs in US in September

Army kills 8 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo

Afghanistan mosque bombing leaves at least 2 dead, 15 wounded

Turkey reiterates support for Poland, Latvia, Lithuania amid refugee flux

Russian airstrikes kill 5 civilians in Syria's opposition-held Idlib

Heavy rains since last week kill 22 in Sri Lanka

Tigray People's Liberation Front claims to shoot down Ethiopian air force helicopter

Biden, China's Xi to hold virtual meeting on Monday

Kuwait suspends visas to Sudanese amid crisis

3 dead, many injured as suicide bomber hits peacekeepers in Somalia

7 dead, over 100 injured during violence-marred polls in Bangladesh

Uzbek president to pay first visit to Turkey on Thursday

Iran releases Vietnamese tanker seized in Sea of Oman