RAMALLAH, 20 March, 2021 (TON): On Saturday, Palestine stepped up its preparations for their first parliamentary election in 15 years by opening registration offices to admit the political parties and independent candidates that will join.

The May 22 election in the West Bank and Gaza is part of a broader push for reconciliation between President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction and rival Islamist group Hamas as it is seen as important in support for any future statehood talks with Israel that were frozen since 2014.

The Palestinian officials said, “Israel has yet to respond to a Palestinian request to allow balloting to take place in East Jerusalem.”

Farid Taamallah, a spokesman of the Palestinian Central Election Commission, said on Saturday that officials had so far registered two electoral lists. Registration ends on March 31.

Reports stated that some 93% of the 2.8 million eligible voters in the West Bank and Gaza have registered for the polling and the total population in the Palestinian territories is 5.2 million.

MOSCOW, Russia, 20 March, 2021, (TON): Following the Moscow gathering on Afghan harmony, delegates addressing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban just as Hizb-e-Islami pioneer Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Taliban held shut entryway gatherings and examined the possibilities for an arranged settlement to the predominant clashes in the country.

Taliban, in the gathering, hung on Friday, by and by demanding that a perpetual truce was relevant once an understanding is reached between Afghan gatherings to set up an Islamic government in the nation, acknowledged by every one of the Afghans. In any case, Abdullah, top of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said the position of "Troika" part nations on the future political framework in Afghanistan mirrors the desire of the Afghan public, stated in a report.

"We welcome this statement because its main focus is on achieving peace and the demands of the Afghan people and the concerns that exist among the Afghan people," Abdullah said.

"This issue can be discussed in the next stage. It is up to Afghans to decide what type of political system they want, but it is a resolute fact that the future system should be an Islamic government. There is no doubt in it," Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said.

"We want a new Islamic government to get shape so that the Muslim nation of Afghanistan can get its benefit," Taliban negotiator Mullah Khairullah Khairkhaw said. Meanwhile, Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who held a separate meeting with the Taliban, said there is a need for an inclusive government to be formed.

This comes after a joint proclamation was given after the meeting in Moscow on Friday in which the four essential delegate nations Russia, China, the US, and Pakistan expressed that "they would not support the return of the Islamic emirate system in Afghanistan".

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday welcomed the statement by the Moscow conference and called it a step forward towards beginning serious talks for achieving peace based on Afghans' demand.

KINSHASA, 20 March, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the UN said following the surge of attacks by the ADF militia, nearly 200 individuals killed and 40,000 displaced in the Northeast. DR Congo.

UNHCR reported alarming increase in the insurgent attacks by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) operating since 1995 in DRC.

UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said, ADF have killed nearly 200 people, injured dozens of others, and displaced an estimated 40,000 people in DRC's Beni Territory in North Kivu province as well as nearby villages in Ituri province."

"In less than three months, the ADF has allegedly raided 25 villages, set fire to dozens of houses and kidnapped over 70 people," it added.

The ADF has the reputation of being the bloodiest of the 122 militias that plague the eastern DRC. It killed an estimated 465 people in 2020.

However, many experts are of the view that the massacres have become more frequent since the army launched an offensive in October 2019, forcing the ADF to break up into smaller, highly mobile units,

NEW DELHI, 20 March, 2021 (TON): PM Modi met the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussing strategic partnership between the two sides.

"Pleasure to meet U.S. @SecDef Lloyd Austin today. Conveyed my best wishes to @POTUS @JoeBiden. India and U.S. are committed to our strategic partnership that is a force for global good," PM Modi tweeted after the meeting on Friday.

According to the U.S. embassy, Austin also met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Austin said in a tweet, “Thrilled to be here in India. The breadth of cooperation between our two nations reflects the significance of our major defense partnership, as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region."

Outlining Austin's agenda in India, Acting Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific, David F. Helvey, said that he will "discuss to implement the major defense partnership that we have with India, including through enhanced information sharing, regional security cooperation, defense trade, and cooperation in new domains."

Reports said, he is scheduled to meet Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and the delegations from the two countries are to hold discussions during his visit.

In addition to the present mutual defense cooperation between India and the U.S., the U.S. designated India as a major defense partner by the U.S. in 2016 allowing it access to some defense hi-tech that would normally be available only to allies.

DHAKA, 20 March, 2021, (TON): In excess of 1000 parts of Krishi (Agriculture) Bank with around 1.5 crores of records have been digitized under nearby programming named 'Flora bank'. The Flora framework Lid, a nearby programming designer comprised of all Bangladeshi specialists made the 'Flora bank', the online Core Banking Solution (CBS) that denoted the record of digitizing the greatest quantities of bank offices in Bangladesh. 

The model setting banking programming, 'Flora bank', is able to complete 6000 gotten exchange each second, as per a joint exploration directed by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and a confirmation body of the United Kingdom (UK).  

Bangladesh Krishi Bank is providing banking services like foreign remittance, treasury, ATM/POS, RTGS, smartphone financial service, internet banking, and corporate through ‘Florabank’ software.              

The country’s agro-based economy is based on the government-run Krishi bank that has ensured digital service to thousands of marginalized people from district to union level across the country through its 1038 branches.

Since its initiation in 1997, the 'Flora bank' has been given gotten and safe financial help at in excess of 2000 parts of 10 banks in the most recent 24 years.

KABUL, 20 March, 2021 (TON): On Saturday, in a probe of the helicopter crash, the Afghan Defense Ministry said the findings show that an air force helicopter that crashed three days ago was shot down by a local militia leader.

The ministry vowed revenge for the four crew members and five soldiers who died.

Fawad Aman, the ministry spokesman said investigators determined the Mi-17 helicopter that went down in central Wardak province was targeted by the militias tied to Abdul Ghani Alipoor, the media reported.

Alipoor is an ethnic Hazara militia commander who is believed to lead hundreds of armed men in Wardak who has reportedly admitted that it was his men.

He was arrested in an operation in Kabul in late 2018 but was later released in return for concessions to the government following a wave of protests by his followers.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday said that the culprits involved in taking down the helicopter will be punished.

COLOMBO, 20 March, 2021, (TON): Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday paid profound recognitions for Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman. The meeting Sri Lankan PM showed his regard to Bangabandhu by putting a wreath at his representation anywhere nearby of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi street number 32 toward the beginning of today.

After placing the wreath, Rajapaksa stood there for some time in solemn silence as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the architect of the country’s independence. He also signed the visitor’s book.

“I’m deeply touched and moved by this sacred space so much venerated by the people of Bangladesh and all the peace-loving people the world over,” he wrote in the visitor’s book.

“The tragedy of Bangladesh that took place at this place on August 15, 1975, in many ways symbolizes the courage and strength it infused into the people of Bangladesh to protect and cherish the freedom for which Bangabandhu sacrificed his valued life,” he also wrote. “May this be an eternal tribute to all those who respect life and freedom,” he mentioned.

COLOMBO, 20 March, 2021 (TON): During an air exercise, an officer of the Sri Lanka Air Force was killed when his parachute got entangled with the parachute of another airman, the Air Force official said.

The accident occurred during a parachute jumping training exercise in Ampara, in the Eastern Province, the official said.

The parachutes of the two airmen collided over 8,000 feet in the sky, he added.

The deceased officer was identified as a 34-year-old Squadron Leader of the Sri Lanka Air Force. However, other Air Force man sustained injuries and was rushed to the Ampara Hospital, reports said.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, 20 March, 2021, (TON): Folksinger Zarsanga, known as the “Queen of Pashtun folklore”, has been living a miserable life in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to a 2019 report, Zarsanga was living in a rented house in Kohat, which was being paid by local authorities under a two-year agreement. She was receiving an Rs30, 000 monthly stipend as well.

Zarsanga has performed internationally, including in the US, UK, France, and Germany.

Zarsanga is not the only Pride of Performance recipient with no money to get by.

NAIMEY, 20 March, 2021 (TON): Nigerian Interior Minister, Alkache Alhada said soldiers have been reinforced in Western Niger where suspected jihadists attacked on Monday causing 66 people killed.

"We are going to increase the number of personnel to allow patrols from village to village and also to ensure that they are supplied with food and therefore go to the markets, and to ensure that there are escorts to go to the markets to obtain supplies so that economic and social life can continue,” Alhada said.

Although, no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but the Interior, Alkache Alhada wants to beef up security in the area and called for greater vigilance from the population assuring quest to battle against criminality.