SUNAMGANJ, 19 March, 2021 (TON): In the backdrop of the attacks on the homes of Hindus in Sunamganj’s Shalla Upazila over a social media post that criticized the Hifazat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has vowed to punish the people involved in the attack.

On Thursday, the Director-General of RAB, Chowdhary Abdullah Al-Mamun, warned as he visited the damaged houses in Shalla Upazila’s Noagaon village.

He said, "The vandals who carried out the attack on the minority Hindu community in Noagaon will not be spared. The perpetrators will be brought to justice soon and that will discourage others from committing such crimes in the future.”

On Wednesda, the attackers vandalized 60-70 homes in the village before the police took hold of the situation in the village.

The attackers vandalised 60 to 70 homes in the village on Wednesday morning before law enforcers from Shalla and Derai police stations took control of the situation. Moreover, reports said the attackers also damaged the religious Hindu idols in the homes.

MOSCOW, 19 March, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, Russia, China, the U.S. and Pakistan has signed a joint agreement calling on all the parties to gather in the Afghanistan conflict, in an effort to reduce violence and urge the Taliban to hands down the weapon.

The statement read, "At this pivotal moment, our four states call on the parties to negotiate and conclude a peace agreement that will bring an end to over four decades of war in Afghanistan.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry released the statement as the four countries met in a regular meeting or the extended Troika, involving Afghan government and the Taliban representatives.

The countries in a 10-Point statement asked the Afghans to ensure the terrorists and individuals should not use the Afghan soil to threaten the security of the any other country. However, they also urged the participants in the intra-Afghan talks to engage immediately in the discussions on important issues to resolve the conflict.  

NEW DELHI, 19 March 2021, (TON): The inhuman treatment of Rohingya refugees in Indian is being condemned at international forums. Under Article 14 and Article 21, read with Article 51(c) of the Constitution, against the deportation of Rohingya refugees who have taken refuge in India after escaping widespread violence and discrimination against their community in Myanmar. However, New Delhi’s attempt to settle them in dispute State of Jammu and Kashmir is being viewed with concern. Kashmiris have voiced against the demographic change to reduce them into minority. However, the refugees are being used as a tool to suppress Kashmiris. 

Meanwhile, the Indian Supreme Court Thursday said it would hear a fresh plea seeking immediate release of detained Rohingya refugees in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and restrain the Centre from implementing any order deporting them to Mayanmar.

A bench comprising of justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian and headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde took note of the submissions of lawyer Prashant Bhushan that the detained Rohingyas may be deported to Mayanmar where the Army has taken over and violence is taking place. On 11 March, an interim plea was filed in a pending PIL seeking immediate release of detained Rohingya refugees in Jammu and restrain the Centre from deporting them.

The plea also sought direction to Ministry of Home Affairs to expeditiously grant refugee identification cards through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for Rohingyas in informal camps.

The application filed by Mohammad Salimullah, a Rohingya refugee through advocate Bhushan, said that it is filed in public interest in order to secure and protect the right against deportation of refugees in India.

The plea asked to release the detained Rohingya refugees immediately and direct the Union Territory government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to expeditiously grant Refugee identification cards through the FRRO for Rohingyas in informal camps. The PIL sought direction to the Union Government to refrain from implementing any orders on deporting Rohingya refugees, who have been detained in the various sub jails in Jammu and Kashmir.

HAJJAH, 18 March, 2021 (TON): As fighting continued in the Hajjah province, on Thursday the Yemeni troops captured 23 Houthi militia.

During the recent advances in the effort to liberate the five districts of the north-western province, dozens of militia groups have been killed and wounded in fights with the security forces.

On Tuesday, as the media reported, the army attacked the Houthi militia positions in the district Abs.

The attack killed around 28 militia members and injured dozens, the media added.

Since, Friday, the fronts in Abs have seen heavy clashes between the national army and the Houthi fighters. However, troops attacked their positions that resulted in several deaths and injuries.

MOSCOW, 18 March, 2021 (TON): As U.S. President Biden remarked against Russia’s leader Putin, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Thursday, Russia wants an apology from the U.S.

On Wednesday, in a news interview, Biden said "I do" when asked if he believed the Russian president was a killer.

He also described Putin as having no soul and promised he would pay a price for alleged Russian meddling in the 2020 US presidential election, something the Kremlin denies.

Following Biden’s interview, Russia on Wednesday said to recall its ambassador to the U.S. for urgent consultations over the future of US-Russia ties.

Calling Biden’s comments as unacceptable, Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy chairman of parliament's upper house said, "I suspect it will not be the last one if no explanation or apology follows from the American side."

Calling it a watershed moment in U.S. Russia ties, he added, "This kind of assessment is not allowed from the mouth of a statesman of such a rank. This kind of statement is not acceptable under any circumstances."

The Kremlin has not yet responded publicly to Biden's comments but is likely to do so later on Thursday.

Nevertheless, Russia's ties with the West, already languishing at post-Cold War lows since 2014, have come under new pressure over Russia's jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny whose freedom the West has demanded. However, Russia has denied it as unacceptable interference in its domestic affairs.

NEW DEHLI, 18 March, 2021, (TON):  Indian National security advisor Ajit Doval and American Defence Secretary General Lloyd Austin are likely to discuss China and important regional security issues including Afghanistan during the first visit by a top Biden administration official to India starting this Friday.

Austin is visiting India from March 19 to 21 in which he will be meeting the top political and military leadership of the country.

"The American Defence Secretary and national security advisor Ajit Doval are likely to meet on Friday itself during which they are expected to set the stage for the visit by discussing all important security issues including China," government sources told.

India and America have been working closely with each other after the Chinese attempts to change the status quo in the eastern Ladakh area in April May time frame last year.

The American side also helped by providing timely defense hardware supplies during the conflict apart from sharing important satellite feed and inputs.

NAYPYITAW, 18 March, 2021(TON): On Thursday, Myanmar faced growing isolation with increasingly limited internet services and its last private newspaper publication as the military built its case against the ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group said, the total documented number of people killed in the unrest stood at 217 but the actual toll was probably much higher.

Western countries have condemned the coup and called for an end to the violence and for the release of Suu Kyi and others.

While the Asian neighbors have offered to help find a solution to the crisis.

Additionally, the U.N. food agency warned this week that rising prices of food and fuel across the country could undermine the ability of poor families to feed themselves.

THE HAGUE, 18 March, 2021 (TON): The first exit polls released on Wednesday revealed the liberal party VVD of Prime Minister Mark Rutte led in the 2021 parliamentary elections in the Netherlands.

In the House of Representatives, the VVD won 35 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives.

The center-leftist party D66 came second with 27 seats, while the right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV) was projected to get 17 seats.

According to the exit poll, the three left-wing parties PvdA (Labor), SP (Socialist Party), and GroenLinks (GreenLeft) were forecast to get nine, eight, and eight seats respectively. The far-right anti-lockdown party Forum voor Democratie (Forum for Democracy) would win seven seats.

However, just as in 2017 VVD finished with 33 seats, the VVD is seemingly becoming the biggest party in the parliament.

DODOMA, 18 March, 2021 (TON): As per Tanzania’s constitution, Samia Hassan Suluhu, the first female Vice-President is set to be sworn in as the first female President of Tanzania as well East Africa for the unexpired period of the deceased President Magufuli.

 The constitution states, "Where the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death, then the Vice-President shall be sworn in and become the President for the unexpired period of the term of five years."

However, the official sources said that after consulting with her Chama Cha Mapinduzi ruling political party, Suluhu will propose her possible successor as Vice-President with the official appointment being confirmed by the National Assembly.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, 18 March, 2021, (TON):  The Pakistani territory of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) is intending to construct two hydroelectric-fueled pilot "mining farms" to exploit a bullish worldwide digital currency market, a minister overseeing a new government crypto policy told on Wednesday.

The declaration comes as digital currencies are acquiring standard acknowledgment, with Bitcoin's value arriving at record levels as financial backers, for example, Elon Musk empty assets into it, and the main enormous U.S. bank, Morgan Stanley, offering its abundance the board customers admittance to bitcoin reserves.

Crypto mining farms include huge interests in PC server farms which require immense measures of force. Pakistan has framed a government advisory group to form another crypto strategy. The expense of the mining project presently can't seem to be resolved.

“People have already been approaching us for investment, and we want them to come to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, earn some money and have the province earn from that as well,” Zia Ullah Bangash, advisor to the provincial government on science and technology said.

Both mining and exchanging digital forms of money as of now exists in a legitimate ill-defined situation in Pakistan, however, and government authorities would need to give a make way towards sanctioning the area before it very well may be officially opened to financial backers.

In 2018, the State Bank of Pakistan said digital currencies were not lawful delicate and the controller had not approved anybody to bargain in them in the country. Pakistan additionally is right now on the worldwide Financial Action Task Force dim rundown, and one of the territories the worldwide tax evasion guard dog has requested that Islamabad better control is cryptographic forms of money.

Still, mining and trading in cryptocurrencies thrive in Pakistan, with apps like Binance and Coinbase among the most popular downloads in the country, according to web analytics company SimilarWeb.

“It’s really just our government that is not participating right now, people all over Pakistan are already working on this, either mining or trading in cryptocurrencies and they are earning an income from it,” Bangash said. “We are hoping to bring this to a government level so things can be controlled and online fraud or other scams can be prevented.”