COLOMBO, 17 March, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Cabinet spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella asserted that the government’s implementation of the proposed burqa ban and shut down of several Muslim schools is in no rush, adding the decision requires consensus and consultations.

The media cited him saying, “It will be implemented with a consensus and consultations with Muslim organizations and leaders. We won’t rush through the proposal, since it is a serious issue.”

As Pakistan’s envoy to Colombo Saad Khattak criticized the ban, calling it a divisive step to impact the Muslims nationally and internationally, the Cabinet Spokesman made the remarks.  

Khattak’s statement follows Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara signing a paper over the weekend seeking the Cabinet’s approval to ban the burqa, calling it “a sign of religious extremism” with a “direct impact on national security.”

“The burqa has a direct impact on national security. It is a sign of religious extremism … Such actions will help maintain security. We will definitely ban it,” Weerasekara said during a press conference on Saturday.

In Sri Lanka, a temporary ban on the burqa was imposed three years ago after the 21 April, 2019 bomb blast, meanwhile, the reports said that the island nation also plans to ban more than 1,000 Islamic seminaries, or madrasas, out of the nearly 2,300 institutions across the island, with Weerasekara saying they were either “not registered with the authorities” or failed to follow the national education policy.

NEW YORK, 17 March, 2021 (TON): On Wednesday, the UN delegation will start a three-day visit to the island Bay of Bengal that has over 13,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees since December.

UNHCR told the media, "This initial three-day visit will bring together experts from UN agencies engaged in the Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh."

"The visit will look at the current situation and facilities on Bhasan Char, appraise the needs of the Rohingya refugees relocated there, as well as discuss with the authorities and others currently working on Bhasan Char,” it added.

As the UN raised concern over the non-involvement of the relocation of the refugees and technical and safety assessment, a senior official of the foreign ministry said, "We hope it will remove any concerns that the UN has about the relocation and they will get involved in the relocation and provide Rohingya people the support they need."

The Rohingya, a minority group who fled violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, are not allowed to move off the island, meanwhile, Bangladesh says the relocation is voluntary, but some of the first group to be moved spoke of being coerced.

NEW DELHI, 17 March, 2021 (TON): Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that elections are not just about voting, noting that even Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi used to have and win polls.

In a conversation with the Prof. Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University on the "Democracy and Dialogue, R. Gandhi said, "Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi used to have elections and used to win them. It wasn't like there was no voting but there was no institutional framework to protect that vote.”

He added, "An election is not simply people going and pressing a button on a voting machine. An election is about narrative. An election is about institutions that make sure that the framework in the country is operating properly; an election is about the judiciary being fair and a debate taking place in parliament. So you need those things for a vote to count."

 Addressing the foreign criticism on India, he said, "We don't need foreign institutions to certify this, they have their views and frankly we don't need a stamp from them. But what they saying is correct, the situation is much worse than they imagine."

Mr. Gandhi slammed the government saying he is being attacked by the BJP, despite none from his family has been the PM for the last 30 years but there is an obsession that somehow we are in power.

He alleged that be it the parliament, judiciary, or the media, there is a constant onslaught on the institutions by the current government.

KABUL, 17 March, 2021 (TON): Taliban have not significantly changed their high levels of violence, or military and political objectives, said John Sopko, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction at the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security.

On Tuesday Spoko said, "Security remains the most crucial and enduring high-risk area for Afghanistan."

"Terrorist groups in Afghanistan like Daesh and al-Qaeda, although reduced, remain in the country," he added.

While referring to Afghan women and girls among the peace talks, he said, “Discrimination persists, and possible policy changes by whatever form of government might follow an Afghan peace agreement could undermine women's gains."

"Afghanistan is poor and suffers from illiteracy, inadequate infrastructure, weak governance, and now, heavy impacts from the Covid pandemic," Spoko said.

However, the UN Development Program estimates that poverty in Afghanistan, defined as an income of 2,064 Afghanis per person per month (around $1 a day), has increased to 68 percent from its pre-pandemic level of 55 percent.

TOKYO, 17 March, 2021, (TON): Japan and the US united on Tuesday to condemn China's compulsion and hostility in Asia as senior Ministers from the two nations held their first in-person talks since President Joe Biden got down to business in January.

Besides the sharp way of talking pointed toward Beijing, the meeting in Tokyo and a planned stop next in Seoul are as much exertion by the Biden organization to console stressed partners in Asia following four years of infrequently angry dealings with the Trump organization.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after holding the so-called “two plus two” security talks with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts Foreign Minister Motegi and Defence Minister Kishi said democracy and human rights in the region are being challenged and the US will push with its partners for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Blinken said the Biden administration is committed to working with US allies and those in the region as they face challenges from China and its ally North Korea, which is pursuing an illicit nuclear weapons program.

“We will push back if necessary when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way,” he said. In a joint statement released after the talks, the ministers also shared strong worry over Beijing's human rights violations in Xinjiang.

DAMASCUS, 17 March, 2021 (TON): The Foreign Ministry of Syria denies foreign interference in China’s affairs, stressing no party has the right to interfere in the independent states’ internal affairs.

The ministry regarded every kind of interference in China’s affairs as a flagrant violation of the international law and principle to have sovereignty over some country’s territory, in a statement on Tuesday.

Damascus called all states t respect one-China’s principle.                             

The ministry also supported China’s decision on improving Hong Kong’s electoral system calling it a major step in improving the city’s political and legal system.

WASHINGTON, 17 March, 2021 (TON): The World Bank rendered support to Bangladesh by approving $200 million.

The World Bank sought to help the country in providing support and services ti the low-income urban youths and the involuntary returnee migrants to improve earning opportunities and resiliency.

On Wednesday in a statement, the World Bank said, “The Recovery and Advancement of Informal Sector Employment project will help about 175,000 poor urban youth and low-income micro-entrepreneurs enhance employability and productivity by helping them access services such as life-skills training, apprenticeship programs, counseling, microfinance, and self-employment support.”

Mercy Tembon, World Banks’ country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan said, “International migration and urban informal sector have played a central role in Bangladesh’s remarkable success in reducing poverty over the years. However, both sectors were hit hard by the COVID 19 pandemic.”

She added, “The project will support both groups of workers to overcome structural barriers to employability and facilitate resilient post-pandemic growth.”

Nevertheless, the program initiated by the World Bank’s International Development Association will help the country in a variety of spheres, will set up 32 district welfare centers to provide the services, and has a 30-year term including a grace period of 5 years.

RIYADH, 17 March, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) began a joint exercise with Greece, Saudi Defense Ministry said.  

The “Falcon Eye 1” exercise took place at the Souda Air Force Base in Greece, it added.

“The beginning of the exercise was preceded by several coordination meetings with the Greek Air Force, which focused on mechanisms of action, types of flights and the participating aircraft, and accordingly a complete program was developed that includes all sorties,” Col. Abdulrahman Al-Shehri, commander of the RSAF group said while participating in the exercise.

He added, “The exercise is exceptional and the first of its kind with the Greek Air Force to refine and develop the technical skills of the aircrew, and to support their readiness to exchange experiences in all available fields.”

The exercise involved several joint sorties using F-15C aircraft by the RSAF and F-16, Dassault Mirage 2000, and F-4 Phantom aircraft by the Greek Air Force in the skies above the Mediterranean and focused on implementing training of offensive and defensive counter and air support operations.

NEW DELHI, 17 March, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla affirmed that the proposal to form a Parliamentary Friendship Group with the friendly nations to foster the relations has been under consideration by the Indian Parliament.

The Speaker shared the information while meeting the Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Dilshod Akhatov at the Parliament.

During the meeting, Birla noted that the India Friendship Group has been formed in both the Houses of the Uzbek Parliament and informed that a proposal to form a Parliamentary Friendship Group for Uzbekistan is under consideration.

While welcoming Dilshod, Birla mentioned India’s close ties with Uzbekistan, saying the two strategic partners share friendly relations and cooperation in all areas including politics, trade, culture, science, humanitarian, defense, and education, over the years.

And after the visits to Uzbekistan in 2015 and 2016 by PM Modi and Uzbek’s President Shavkat Mirzioev’s visits to India in 2018 and 2019, the partnership between the two has immensely increased.

Reiterating India’s diplomatic relations with other countries, Birla stressed the democratic countries’ interactions and sharing of best practices for parliamentary diplomacy.

DHAKA, 17 March, 2021 (TON): Dhaka received the President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to join in the celebrations of Bangladesh’s golden jubilee independence and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary.

On Wednesday, the President and his wife Fazna Ahmed reached the Shahjalal International Airport in the morning at 0830 hours.

At the airport, they were greeted by Bangladesh’s President Abdul Hamid and his wife Rashida Khanoma, seven other government officials accompanied them.

As per the schedule, President Solih will address an event at the National Parade Ground on Wednesday, the first day of his three-day trip, and on Thursday, he will meet PM Hasina in the morning and Hamid in the evening.  

Solih will then attend a state banquet at Bangabhaban followed by a cultural program. He will return home the same night along with his 27 member delegation.