BRUSSELS, 22 March, 2021 (TON): As the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borell arrived fr a meeting of EU foreign ministers, he affirmed that the EU will impose sanctions on 11 individuals involved in the 1 February military coup in Myanmar.

Borrell said on Monday, "On Myanmar, we are going to take sanctions against 11 persons involved in the coup and the repression of the demonstrators."

However, while the bloc has an arms embargo on Myanmar, and has targeted some senior military officials since 2018, the measures that the EU was preparing would be its most significant response so far since the coup.

The reports said that the names of the individuals are expected to be made public once the sanctions are formally decided by ministers, nevertheless, these might include military conglomerates, Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited, and Myanmar Economic Corporation.

BEIJING, 22 March, 2021 (TON): On Monday, China opened a trial against the former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, held for espionage charges for over two years, a week less after it launched proceedings against another Canadian national, Michael Spavor.

The trial was not made public and opened behind closed doors, the media reported.

Diplomats from more than two dozen countries, including Germany, attempted in vain to gain access to the proceeding.

Kovrig and Spavor, whose trial opened on March 19, were arrested in December 2018 following the detention of Meng Wanzhou, the Chief Financial Officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, in Canada at the instigation of US authorities.

Kovrig had been arbitrarily detained, Jim Nickel, the Charges d'Affaires at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing said.

"And now we see that the court process itself is not transparent. We are very troubled by this. The reason that has been given to us while we are being denied access to our citizen-facing trial is that this is a so-called national security case and therefore it is a closed case, a closed court room," he added.

It is likely to say that if both of the defendants are convicted, they have to face long prison terms.

PANAJI, 22 March, 2021 (TON): On Monday, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) claimed to clean sweep the Goa municipal elections.

The party claimed to won six municipal councils and one municipal corporation poll.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant expressed praise and said, "I congratulate all those candidates who have won the municipal polls. In all municipalities, BJP sponsored candidates have performed well. We have scored a big victory in the Panaji Corporation polls. Bicholim, Valpoi, Pernem, Canacona and Curchorem we have won. There is a close result in Cuncolim, but we will ensure that the BJP will emerge front runner.”

The voting for polls was held on 20 March.

However, as the elections were not contested on party lines and key political parties, the parties sponsored individual candidates or panels of candidates contesting the polls.

RIYADH, 22 March, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, the Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed arrived in Saudi Arabia’s capital.

The visit aimed to discuss the Riyadh Agreement and Yemen’s economic crisis, the media reported.

The PM along with the Yemeni Finance Minister Salem bin Breik will meet the Saudi officials to discuss the possibility of receiving economic support for their government as per schedule.

However, the support aims to fulfill the Yemeni government’s necessary obligations, including basic services, to citizens and to end the deterioration of the national currency exchange rate, marking Saeed’s former remarks on cutting the institutional corruption and boosting the currency to be his government’s focus.

BRATISLAVA, 22 March, 2021 (TON): PM Slovak agreed to step down under conditions of coalition deadlock triggered by a dispute over the government’s pandemic crisis management.

The media reported on Sunday, Matovic offered to step down as premier and remain in the cabinet only as a minister in the future.

However, among other things, the 47-year-old made it a condition that Economy Minister Richard Sulik and Justice Minister Maria Kolikova leave the government altogether.

Matovic said on behalf of his party Olano, "We consider it absolutely imperative that Richard Sulik leaves the government in order to bring peace to the cabinet."

However, the dispute with coalition partners erupted when Matovic unilaterally secured vials of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, angering his coalition partners, who had wanted to wait for EU approval of the vaccine.

By Zain-ul-Abideen

None of the Indian neighbor countries has remained safe from Indian atrocities. Bangladesh is another name in the list of victimized countries. India had been planning to construct a Tipaimukh Dam in Barak River (known as Surma, Kushiara in Bangladesh) for last four decades, which is located on just 1 km north of Bangladesh’s north-eastern border. It was planned to construct the dam for the purpose of producing electricity without the concern and discussion of Bangladesh. Bangladeshi people of the surrounded villages had the risk of their lives and they have come up for protests against India. Despite the huge protests from Bangladesh, India had been hiking her struggles for hydroelectric project since 2012. Bangladesh is a lower riparian country for Barak River. It borders with Mizoram on Indian side and it affects the whole north eastern Bangladesh’s districts Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulavibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Norshingdi and Narayanganj. Bangladesh has always opposed India to safe her border villages but India’s response was always shirking while constructing the dam. Hasina Wajid talked to her then Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh many times but in vain.

Once the dam will be completed, being a lower state, Bangladesh will have to pay its consequences because the huge dam will stop the water towards Bangladesh. Due to which, the agriculture lands of Bangladesh will get effected and farmers of the bordered districts will come to their knees. It will also affect fisheries, vegetation and greenery including local flora and fauna. A big number of people and livestock will displace themselves from these border areas. The uncontrollable immense natural disasters will take place. India wants to make specific part of Bangladesh a desert area. Millions of people depend upon the fresh water of the Meghna for their survivals. Bangladesh is already facing huge troubles due to climate change led to water shortages. A 286.20 sq. km Land area would come under water forever. The Barak waterfalls and Zeilad Lake, which are connected with the history of the Zeliangrong people, would forever be underwater. More than 40,000 people would be rendered landless. Eight villages situated at the Barak Valley would be completely underwater. More than 90 villages, mostly in the Tamenglong district, would be badly affected. About 27,242 hectares of cultivable land would be vanished.

Two important rivers of Bnagladesh, Surma and Kushiara will dry up because they directly get the water from Barak River. India will stop water in Barak River, these Surma and Kushiara rivers will be finished up of water then India will open the spillways from Barak River in off seasons. The sudden flow of water will bring flood in Bangladesh’s river areas.

People of both countries will be getting affected and they are much wise people because they are aware of Indian intentions of building a big dam on the trans-border territory. Not only Bangladesh government has been protesting against the Indian project, but the common people of both countries are protesting against Indian government, because people of these border villages will suffer the consequences of this large dam. They are raising voices on social media; they have raised multiple slogans against Indian government and this project. One of their common slogans is that “Tipaimukh Dam is death to Sylhet and Bangladesh, it must be closed.” The people of both Bangladesh and India have launched a strong green progress against the Dam. The movement has taken various shapes; it had been started from streets to indoor protests. It took place in seminars and discussion meetings to virtual protests through Twitter, blogs, and other online web pages. The movement had gone to the stage of submission of petition UNO. This has become a very serious issue in which India is using different kind of Hippocratic techniques to bring Bangladesh closer in this regard.

India is completely thinking of its own interest in making the dam. It does not have any concern if the people of border areas and all of the population linked with the rivers die with hunger or drown in the flood. India always keeps the hegemonic policy towards its neighbors; same it has done with Pakistan. India has constructed number of dams on Indus Rivers by violating Indus water treaty with Pakistan. It only wants dominancy in the region because it is seeking the role of a lord in the Indo-pacific trade. India is trying to increase its influencing role inside of countries which are bordered with it. Regional countries have to recognize her as a black sheep and India should stop her hegemonic position and policies regarding its neighbors.

BAMAKO, 22 March, 2021 (TON): Mali’s interim PM Moctar Ouane visited the town of Konna in central Mali to inaugurate a new fishing port and a new military camp.

He said, "In order to provide a sustainable response to the crisis in the center of our country, we must materialize two principles through concrete actions. The first is the main principle of national solidarity: this solidarity must be the first response to the tragedy that is affecting our fellow citizens in the central regions. This national solidarity must be shown at all levels.”

Touting the achievements of his people despite the insecurity, Demba Samouka is Deputy Mayor of Konna said, "Konna has a resilient population that since 2013 has not hesitated to fend for itself, men and women alike. Konna is one of the main fishing ports in the region, everyone knows it since the time of the colonists. Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina, and everywhere! Everyone used to come to Konna to buy fish."

As in January 2013, the insurgency took control of Konna before the main city of Mopti, therefore this step is likely to be a good gesture of hope in the worn-torn region.

SEOUL, 22 March, 2021 (TON): On Monday, the South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young announced to restore humanitarian aid to North Korea.

During a meeting with the chief of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, a South Korean pro-unification civic group, Lee made the remark.

He said, “Government agrees in principle to the need for the resumption of the private sector's humanitarian assistance to North Korea, vowing to review it sufficiently and rapidly.”

The government maintained a basic position that it is necessary to continue the humanitarian assistance in the private sector, said the Unification Ministry spokesperson, Lee Jong-joo.

Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected offers for help from South Korea to ease its food paucity amid tense inter-Korean relations.

However, Kim Jong-un had earlier urged his officials not to receive outside help considering the pandemic crisis.

BRAZZAVILLE, 22 March, 2021 (TON): The country applauded Congolese president Dennis Sassou Nguesso as he arrived for the presidential election’s polling unit in Brazzaville on Sunday morning.

The 77-year old has stayed in power for 36 years and is running for a fourth term in office.

"If this goes through to the end, we could say that our democracy, which is in its early stages, could be said to be in good health," he said to the media.

There are six other presidential candidates in Sunday's election naming.

However, the media reported that Congo was cut off from the rest of the world due to an internet shutdown, something reminiscent of the 2016 elections. But the voting went largely peaceful in most of the country.

KATHMANDU, 22 March, 2021 (TON): Two people arrested for fooling people by selling green coffee with the false assurance that it would significantly reduce weight, said Nepal police.

“Igor Kuts, 30, of Russia with password number 752665857, along with his Nepali accomplice Aashish Acharya, 42, of Pokhara has been arrested. Both of them were arrested yesterday from Khusibu of Kathmandu metropolis,” said the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police.

The duo was involved in selling 'green coffee' saying that it would reduce weight.

They were promoting their product on various social media platforms and were involved in distributing pamphlets claiming that taking of their products would require no physical exercise or dieting to reduce weight.

They had also even falsely claimed that the coffee would not have any side effects and one could reduce up to 13 kg weight in a week.

As the police receive complaints from the ones who used their products, Kuts and Acharya were arrested, police said.

Reportedly, they had developed severe side effects after taking the green coffee.

However, the Police have also confiscated medical supplements called cardioton, dozex and crytalix, which are banned in Nepal.