ZAMFARA, 12 March, 2021 (TON): In three deadly separate attacks, at least 31 killed in Nigeria on Thursday.

Reports said, men on motorcycles invaded the village of Damaga in Zamfara state in the northwest on Wednesday.

"The bandits arrived around 1:00 am and started shooting indiscriminately. They killed thirteen people," villager Ayuba Musa said.

These armed men "stole cows, sheep, and goats, they did not even spare the chickens," he added.

Another resident the media that the shooting caused panic in the village, where middle school students immediately fled their classrooms for fear of being kidnapped.

"We lost one person in the attack by the bandits and 18 others were shot and wounded," said Andrew Danjuma Jagaba, a member of parliament from that state.

Nigeria has been under criminal activity for so many times that had been persisted for more than a decade now, including several mass abductions, and the recent that caught international attention and trauma was 2014’s Chibok incident when 276 high school girls were kidnapped. 

ISLAMABAD, 12 March 2021, (TON): Foreign office of Pakistan said on Thursday that it was ready to host Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which has been delayed since 2016.

Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said in the media briefing, “Pakistan is committed to its process and to hold the SAARC summit. It believes that all artificial obstacles in the way of the long-overdue SAARC summit should be removed.”

During the foreign office media briefing, Chaudhri also rejected the reports that Pakistan is importing COVID-19 vaccine from India.

He said while responding to a question that, "Pakistan has not entered into any bilateral procurement agreement for COVID-19 vaccine from India."

The first SAARC Summit was held in Dhaka on 8th December 1985.

The 18^th SAARC summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014 which is considered as a failure. However, the failure of 18th summit clarified the need for India to bilaterally pursue its security and connectivity priorities with its north-eastern and southern neighbors.

The 19^th Summit was to be held in Islamabad, but got cancelled after an attack on Indian army camp in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

COLOMBO, 12 March, 2021 (TON): Sri Lanka invited Myanmar’s military representative to the meeting of Asian FMs without endorsing a gesture to support Myanmar’s last month’s coup that is condemned globally.

On Wednesday, the Twitter handle “ProtestSriLanka” began trending among the coup adversaries after it spread that Colombo has called the military foreign minister Wunna Muang Lwin to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) meeting scheduled at the end of March

Myanmar’s incumbent foreign minister had been invited because the country was a member nation of BIMSTEC and had not been removed or suspended, said Jayanath Colombage, Sri Lanka’s foreign secretary.

“That doesn’t mean we have accepted the Myanmar military government,” he said. “We have not taken a position on that,” he added.

The Military coup resulted in several massive protests in the country that have been met with deadly force and killed hundreds, however, Myanmar protesters have called on nations across the world to reject the military leadership and deal with a civilian committee set up by overthrown politicians.

THIMPHU, 12 March, 2021 (TON): Supreme Court of Bhutan suspended the detained Justices Kuenlay Tshering and Drangpon Yeshey Dorji on the orders of the Chief Justice.

According to Article 21 of the Constitution and the National Judicial Commission’s recommendations, Justice Kuenlay Tshering was suspended from the service, while Drangpon Yeshey Dorji is suspended as endorsed by the Royal Judiciary Service Council.

Lawyers raised questions if the trial proceedings for constitutional post holders could occur before the impeachment of constitutional post holders, however, some lawyers argue that the justice Kuenlay accused of abetting mutiny should first be impeached as per the constitution.

“Without an impeachment Act in place, the National Judicial Commission has to initiate the impeachment. The Attorney General has to introduce the article of impeachment to the Parliament,” the lawyer said.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG), prosecuting the case, claims that prior to charging the Justice.

However, they conducted a thorough analysis and concluded that it was legal to prosecute the Justice after considering provisions of the Constitution and relevant laws.

WASHINGTON, 12 March, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, the U.S. reiterates that the country would not offer any unilateral incentives for talks with Iran.

The State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, "We will not offer any unilateral gestures or incentives to induce the Iranians to come to the table."

"If the Iranians are under the impression that absent any movement on their part to resume full compliance with the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) that we will offer favors or unilateral gestures, that's a misimpression," he added.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken said in clearly that Washington would not make concessions only to have a meeting with Tehran and also dismissed the reports that S. Korea is to release Iranian assets before its re-compliance with the nuclear deal.  

However, both countries are in a standoff over the reviving deal as the U.S. and Iran both await each other to take initiative in complying with the JCPOA deal.

BRUSSELS, 12 March, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, the European Union welcomed the vote by Libya’s parliament to approve the unity government, warning that it could sanction spoilers who undermine peace efforts.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borell said on behalf of the 27 member states, “This is a significant breakthrough that creates the conditions to reunify institutions in Libya and lead the country toward national elections on 24 December.”

“We call on all Libyan stakeholders to ensure a timely and seamless transfer of power to the Government of National Unity,” he added.

The EU said in a statement, “This is a historic opportunity for the Libyans to come together in a joint effort to rebuild their country as peaceful, stable, and united and restore Libya’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“In this regard, the European Union recalls its instrument of sanctions against possible spoilers,” the statement said.

“We also invite the leadership of the Government of National Unity to demonstrate its strong resolve toward laying the foundations for a comprehensive reform in the security sector, including through genuine efforts to dismantle militias and unify armed forces under a civilian oversight,” it added.

The Libyan state descended into conflict when dictator Muammar Qaddafi killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, resulting in many forces looking for the country’s control. However, the recent government approved by the lawmakers is setting joint ventures to bring the country’s stability and security back for the Libyans.

ALGIERS, 12 March, 2021 (TON): The date for early legislative elections has been announced by the President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune, i.e. 12 June, 2021, the presidential office said on Thursday.

The date to be important for the early legislative elections for the Abdelmadjid dissolved the parliament last month.

 Legislative elections were scheduled to be held in 2022, but Tebboune in February dissolved parliament and called for polls to be held before the end of the year as part of reforms.

A statement from his office said, the upcoming election of the lower house of the national assembly would be held on the basis of a new electoral law, which Tebboune also ratified on Thursday.

However, following the mass protests by the Hirak movement, the vote is part of his promised political reforms and he also released 59 protestors as part of the political reforms.

NEW YORK, 12 March, 2021, (TON): China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and others are looking for help for an alliance to guard the United Nations Charter by standing up against the utilization or danger of power and one-sided sanctions, as per a report on Thursday.

Biden has pledged to take on China at the United Nations, where Beijing has been pushing for greater global influence in a challenge to traditional U.S. leadership.

However, a senior European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, responded, “These so-called friends are the ones who have done most to breach the charter. Maybe they should start by respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in their own countries.”

Other founding members of the group are Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Eritrea, Laos, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria and Venezuela.

The concept note said “the world is seeing a growing resort to unilateralism, marked by isolationist and arbitrary actions, including the imposition of unilateral coercive measures or the withdrawal from landmark agreements and multilateral institutions, as well as by attempts to undermine critical efforts to tackle common and global challenges.”

CHENNAI, 12 March, 2021 (TON): While addressing the 41^st annual convocation of Chennai’s Anna University on Thursday, the President of India Ram Nath Kovind said, education is the catalyst for change and the youth is the most potent agent of social transformation.

“The university making an impressive contribution to the field of the education sector, that is why it figures among the top institutions in QS World and NIRF rankings,” he said.

While stressing on the National Education Policy 2020, he said, “Educated youth, given the right direction can bring revolutionary changes in the course of history. That is what the National Education Policy 2020 aims to achieve. The new policy seeks to implement a modern education system based on research, skill, and acumen relevant to the evolving needs of the present.”

He was glad to note that this is the first Indian university to design, develop and operate a satellite in association with ISRO. ANUSAT, the satellite is not just an achievement for India but also an inspiration for young minds across the globe to open up and reach for the stars.

NEW DELHI, 12 March, 2021 (TON): New Delhi plans to take Dhaka into its strategic embrace under the Indo-Pacific jacket with India enhancing its infrastructure connectivity with Bangladesh.   

India’s PM Modi will visit Bangladesh on 26-27 March and it will be his first visit abroad since pandemic lockdown.

Earlier this week, the Prime Ministers of both the countries PM Hasina and Modi have virtually inaugurated the Maitree Setu Bridge over the Feni River to ease trade access to the Chittagong Port of Bangladesh.

The 1.9-km bridge, built over the Feni River, will connect Tripura with Bangladesh. On the Indian side, it will connect with an integrated check post on the land border between Sabroom in India and Ramgarh in Bangladesh.

Apart from it, India and Bangladesh are involved in a number of other initiatives that will prove to be the projects of the future when it comes to enhancing India’s Neighborhood Policy as well as Look East Policy, diplomatic sources told the media.

These future projects include water and shipping, railways, road, and air links, all have the objective to ease the connectivity and take it to the expert level, and also to assert influence on the Bay of Bengal area that is fast becoming the cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific strategy.