BEIJING, 16 March, 2021, (TON): China on Monday criticized the Quad, saying no “small cliques” should be formed, as it accused some countries of trying to “sow discord” among regional nations by “hyping” the ‘China threat’ and asserted that they will not succeed.

Quad countries involving the US, India, Australia, and Japan held their foremost virtual summit on Friday during which President Joe Biden told leaders of the alliance that a “free and open” Indo-Pacific is vital for their nations and pledged that his nation was focused on working with its accomplices and partners in the area to accomplish dependability.

Indian PM Narendra Modi attended the virtual summit alongside Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga.

“Certain countries should shake off their Cold-War mentality and ideological prejudice, refrain from forming closed and exclusive small circles, and do more things that are conducive to solidarity and cooperation among regional countries and regional peace and stability,”

NEW DELHI, 16 March, 2021 (TON): "No Parliament should discuss the laws passed by other Parliaments and issues of other sovereign countries,” Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told the President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Duarte Pacheco on Monday.

Birla made the observation over the "unwarranted and tendentious" debate in the UK Parliament that saw lawmakers criticizing the Indian government's handling of the farmers' protest.

On March 9, India had summoned British envoy Alex Ellis to lodge a protest against the issue.

While referring to the strong historical ties of India with the IPU, Birla said that India has organized the IPU conference in 1969 and 1993, while former presiding officers G.S. Dhillon and Najma Heptulla had been IPU presidents in the past.

The official mentioned that the IPU and India both have mutual concerns about strengthening democracy.

He said, "Our collective vision is the democratization of governance at the international level."

However, while acknowledging the positive role played by the IPU in the field of international cooperation, Birla appreciated IPu’s role in voicing concerns of the Parliaments at the global level and also the Portugal government for its support to the re-organization of the UN Security Council and India's permanent membership in the council.

TEHRAN, 16 March, 2021 (TON): On Monday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC) showed its newest missile city on local media.

The Missile City, compound equipped with numerous systems for launching cruise and ballistic missiles of different ranges.

"The new systems and equipment make IRGC Navy capable of launching precision missiles from underground, launching naval mines with different ranges, firing at 360-degree(s), confronting electronic warfare, and increasing the range and destruction power in operations," the media reported.

The new military installation was officially opened during a ceremony attended by high-ranking IRCG commanders and officers.

All of the city's equipment has been produced and developed in Iran.

The compound has its own missile stockpile that is also located underground.

However, the analysts are of the view that Iran, which routinely boasts of technological advances in its armed forces, has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East.

MAHRA, 16 March, 2021(TON): On Monday, the SDRPY (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen) launched the first phase of the King Salman Medical and Educational city project worth SR213 million spreading in an area of 1 million sq. meters in the Mahra governorate of Yemen.

“The first phase of the project includes the establishment of a 110-bed hospital equipped with modern technology,” said Mohammad Al-Hadi, SDRPY representative in the governorate.

He said the hospital would have different departments and a helipad for emergency medical evacuations.

Mohammad Ali Yasser, Mahra Gov. visited the place and applauded the efforts in providing medical and educational facilities to Yemenis.

Mahra Gov. Mohammad Ali Yasser visited the project site and praised the Saudi efforts to provide health and educational facilities to Yemenis.

The project will help boost the “capabilities of Yemeni youth and qualify them for the labor market,” the Yemeni official said.

However, this project will further include the colleges of medicine, engineering and agriculture, and several housing projects, construction of administrative buildings and mosques.  
The King Salman Medical and Educational City will include colleges of medicine, engineering, and agriculture. It will have several housing projects, an administrative building, and a mosque.

RAMALLAH, 16 March, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday in Cairo, the Palestinian rival factions Fatah and Hamas will have talks on the mechanisms for the forthcoming elections.

The first in 15 years parliamentary and presidential polls are set for 22 May and 31 July.

Hamas was blacklisted by the EU and the US as an extremist group but won an unexpected majority at the last elections of 2006 that was not accepted by President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah and led to clashes and split in the government.

Fatah, on the other hand, has since run the Palestinian Authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Hamas holds the Gaza Strip since 2007.

To cope with the violence and ease the tensions that erupted in 2009, the two groups met in Cairo in February and agreed on setting up an electoral court and committed to respecting the results.

GANABHABAN, 15 March, 2021 (TON): PM Hasina launched “Bangladesh Infrastructure Development Fund” to finance infrastructure projects via a video conferencing on Monday.

Dredging of a channel for the Payra port in southern Bangladesh is the first project to be financed through BIDF.

A three-way loan agreement was signed for the project in Dhaka.

PM Hasina said, “As a developing country, we will have to finance our own projects. We will develop our country. That is our goal. And a lot of work needs to be done to accomplish that.” “We were thinking about how we can spend the money from the reserves on development. Rather than begging for loans from others repeatedly, we can finance our infrastructural development ourselves. We could redirect our efforts to spend our own money rather than trying to borrow money from them,” she said.

“This will benefit the country while boosting our confidence, deliver us self-esteem, and we will be able to show the world that we are capable too,” she added.

Drawing attention to funding the Payra port project, she said, “We also have to build the deep-sea port. We have already reopened the Mongla port, which was suspended during the BNP’s rule. Besides, another port in Matarbari is complete,” she further added.

However, as PM Hasina highlighted Bangladesh’s convenient geographical location allowing India, Nepal, and Bhutan to use its ports and will give many other countries a chance to use the country's ports in the future.

BOTSWANA, 15 March, 2021 (TON): In the ongoing islands dispute with France, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reiterated its support for Madagascar.

Téte António, Angola's Foreign Affairs Minister said, "The fight against terrorism is a fight that must be comprehensive in terms of the means used, because terrorism uses sophisticated means, but also financing, and corruption itself must also be attacked so that we do not reinforce this evil that is gnawing the region and that worries us a lot."

According to SADC, the European country maintains possession of island nation which is a violation of the resolutions of the UN General Assembly and the African Union.

Mufinda, Angola's Secretary of State for Public Health said, "What was discussed here is the sharing of data fairly, so the concatenation of the work of laboratories to ascertain the veracity of the results that laboratories end up issuing facilitating the movement of people and goods.”

Alongside discussing the strategic plan to fight corruption and terrorism financing, the pandemic situation in the region was also under discussion. The council of ministers recommended adopting standards for the harmonization of cross-border transport during the pandemic.

However, most member states do not comply with these standards that have negatively impacted the economic recovery process.

KABUL, 15 March, 2021 (TON): To help gain momentum to the stalled Afghan peace process, the Afghan’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday that the delegates of the Kabul government will participate in the U.S. proposed and UN-led conference in Turkey and a meeting in Russia.

Gran Hewad, FM spokesman said, “Representatives of the government of Afghanistan will take part in both meetings. Consultations are going on as to who will attend them.”

Last week on Tuesday, Kabul said that it was “considering” Russia’s offer to host the talks two days after the leak of a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to President Ashraf Ghani over the impasse.

An urgent proposal to help restart discussions between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which began in Doha, Qatar, in September last year but failed to make any headway was included in Blinken’s letter.

However, besides the Afghan government emissaries, the 18 March meeting in Russia and the Turkey conference slotted for April will also host delegates from the Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), factional and influential leaders, and representatives from the US, China, and Pakistan.

TOBRUK, 15 March, 2021 (TON): On Monday, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah will be sworn in as Libya’s new interim Prime Minister to lead the country’s transition to December elections.

As the country descended into conflict after Muammar Qaddafi was toppled and killed by a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, the UN aimed at the process to unite the country building cease-fire between the two sides of the country.

At an UN-led talk in February Dbeibah was selected along with three-member presidency council who will take the oath of office in Tobruk today.

However, Dbeibah’s swearing-in comes after the Libyan parliament approved his cabinet last week as he calls his government to be for all Libyans and that Libya is one and united.   

WASHINGTON, 15 March, 2021 (TON): An investigation into multiple allegations of sexual harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was underway and the public should wait, the U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday.

President said while answering the reporter on being asked about Cuomo’s resignation, “I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.”

On10 March, the allegations against Cuomo reached a peak when the reports emerged that the sixth accuser, an aide to Cuomo alleged that he assaulted her last year.

The next day, 40 percent of the party’s members in the NY Assembly and Senate agreed and signed a statement demanding Cuomo to step down from power.

However, a judiciary committee under the assembly has been authorized to initiate an impeachment investigation into Cuomo.