Tehran, July 31 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Wednesday said the “martyrdom” of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran will strengthen Iran’s “deep and unbreakable” bond with Palestine and the resistance.

He made the remarks in a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry while extending condolences to Hamas as well as the Palestinian people and resistance groups over Haniyeh’s death earlier in the day, Xinhua news agency reported.

Kanaani said investigations into the incident’s dimensions and details were being continued by Iran’s relevant entities and authorities, stressing that the “blood of this indefatigable fighter,” who spent his life working towards the liberation of Palestinians from Israelis, “will never be wasted.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said in a statement on Wednesday that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed earlier in the day after their residence was hit in Tehran.

The attack was under investigation, and the results would be announced later, it added.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.

–IANS

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Yangon, July 31 (IANS) Myanmar’s National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) on Wednesday extended the state of emergency in the country for six more months, the state media reported.

At the NDSC’s meeting held in Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday, all NDSC members present agreed to extend the emergency period, Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) said.

The extension was made in accordance with Section 425 of the State Constitution, Xinhua news agency reported.

The meeting also discussed issues related to election preparations, current development work, preparations for the national population and housing census, and education, health and agricultural sectors.

Myanmar declared a state of emergency in February 2021 for one year before making five six-month extensions until July 31 this year.

–IANS

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Washington, July 31 (IANS) United States President Joe Biden has signed an “All-American Flag Act,” which mandates the federal purchase of flags completely manufactured in the US.

The new act prohibits federal agencies from purchasing US flags that are not domestically manufactured, with certain specified exceptions, according to the White House, Xinhua news agency reported.

Currently, the federal government is only required to buy flags that have just 50 per cent of American-made materials. Supporters of the proposal said the change will support American jobs and manufacturers.

The US imports millions of American flags from overseas, mostly from China. It imported approximately 10 million American flags in 2017, with 99.5 per cent of them coming from China, ABC News reported.

The new act will go into effect in about six months.

–IANS

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Vientiane, July 31 (IANS) Laos’ Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare discussed a pay rise for low-income workers in the manufacturing, services and agriculture sectors.

According to the ministry’s report on Wednesday, the wage increase was being considered as a cost-of-living adjustment to match the spiralling cost of goods and services across the country.

The Laos government and businesses are operating on a very tight budget while having to cope with continuing rises in the price of fuel and all other products, and the depreciation of Lao kip, all of which negatively impact the economy and livelihoods of workers, Xinhua news agency reported.

In light of the situation, the ministry, the Laos Federation of Trade Unions and the Laos National Chamber of Commerce and Industry are discussing ways to resolve the problem of the low minimum wage and how to get more people into employment and boost productivity, especially in the manufacturing industry.

Solutions are being formulated to benefit workers, employers and the general interests of the state, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office for consideration.

–IANS

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Seoul, July 31 (IANS) Major Southeast Asian nations and their Indo-Pacific partners, including South Korea and the United States, have called for North Korea to “fully comply” with UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions banning its nuclear and missile programmes, as they wrapped up an annual ministerial meeting in Laos last week.

The chairman’s statement from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), released on Tuesday, also called on countries to “fully implement” UNSC resolutions on North Korea and make efforts towards denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, Yonhap news agency reported.

“Many Ministers called on the DPRK (North Korea) to comply fully with all relevant UNSC Resolutions and called for peaceful dialogue among the concerned parties, and continue working towards the realisation of lasting peace, and stability in a denuclearised Korean Peninsula,” the statement read.

“Many Ministers called for the full implementation of all relevant UNSC Resolutions and noted international efforts to bring about the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner,” it said.

DPRK is the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The ARF was one of the four meetings in Vientiane that brought together the top diplomats of 27 countries, comprising the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, the United States and others, for a gathering on regional security.

It is also known as the only multilateral meeting in which North Korea participates.

This year’s ARF has drawn attention as it was held amid the deepening relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow, notably after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea for talks with the North’s leader Kim Jong-un.

Attending the meetings in Laos, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul used the sessions to condemn the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as an outright violation of UNSC resolutions and a major threat to peace and security in the region and beyond.

But, Seoul’s efforts to include the denunciation of the Pyongyang-Moscow ties fell through amid apparent opposition from Russia and North Korea, both directly involved in the meetings.

Compared with last year’s version, the ARF statement addressed the call on North Korea being made by “Many Ministers,” as opposed to how similar calls were made by the “Meeting” in the previous statement, suggesting that not all countries had reached an agreement on the issue.

Expectations had run high that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui could attend the meeting, but the North sent its ambassador to Laos, Ri Yong-chol, instead.

–IANS

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