SHANGHAI, 21 March 2022, (TON): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said “China stands on the right side of history over the Ukraine crisis as time will tell, and its position is in line with the wishes of most countries.”

Wang told reporters “China will never accept any external coercion or pressure, and opposes any unfounded accusations and suspicious against China,”

Wang’s comments came after US President Joe Biden warned his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, of “consequences” if Beijing gave material support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to Beijing’s statements about the call “during the video call, Xi told Biden the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible and called on NATO nations to hold a dialogue with Moscow. He did not, however, assign blame to Russia.”

Wang said the most important message Xi sent was that China has always been a force for maintaining world peace.

“We have always stood for maintaining peace and opposing war.

KYIV, 21 March 2022, (TON): Russia demanded that Ukrainians in the besieged city of Mariupol lay down their arms in exchange for safe passage out of town, but Ukraine rejected the offer.

The Russian demand came hours after Ukrainian authorities said “Moscow’s forces bombed an art school that was sheltering about 400 people.”

Russian Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev said “Russian forces would allow two corridors out of the coastal city, heading either east toward Russia or west to other parts of Ukraine.”

Mariupol residents were given until 5 a.m. Monday to respond to the offer, which included them raising a white flag.

Russia didn’t say what action it would take if the offer was rejected.

But Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said no.

RIYADH, 21 March 2022, (TON): Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar received Janet Alberda, ambassador of the Netherlands to Saudi Arabia, in his office at Qasr Al-Hukm.

During the meeting, the two engaged in friendly talks and discussed a number of issues.

Last week, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir met Special Envoy of the Netherlands to Syria and Afghanistan Emiel de Bont.

They reviewed the latest developments in the region and exchanged views on topics of common interest.

KYIV, 21 March 2022, (TON): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said “Israel was undertaking many efforts to arrange top-level peace talks between his country and Russia and suggested they might take place in Jerusalem.”

Zelenskiy, speaking in his daily video appeal to Ukrainians after addressing Israel’s parliament by video link, said “Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been trying to act as an intermediary between Kyiv and Moscow.”

Zelenskiy, seated at a desk in his trademark khaki T-shirt said “of course, Israel has its interests, strategy to protect its citizens. We understand all of it.”

The prime minister of Israel, Mr. Bennett is trying to find a way of holding talks. And we are grateful for this. We are grateful for his efforts, so that sooner or later we will begin to have talks with Russia, possibly in Jerusalem.

KABUL, 21 March 2022, (TON): A number of former government judges at a protest in Kabul called on the Islamic Emirate to make a decision about their future.

They claimed that it has been 7 months since they received their salaries and have not been allowed to go back to work.

Nematullah Behnam, a former government judge said “judges should be investigated if there are any allegations of corruption--it should be investigated.”

Nasir Ahmad Delavar, a judge in the former government said “until now there has been no decisions made about the fate of judges and we are in a state of uncertainty.”

The protesters issued a statement asking the Islamic Emirate to allow them to return to their jobs.

Abdul Qayum Hamim, a former judge said “the existing judiciary, numbered at 2,500, is ready to serve its people.”

KABUL, 21 March 2022, (TON): Mohammad Naeem Wardak, spokesman of Taliban’s political office in Doha, Qatar, said “the office is in contact with nearly 16 countries around the world on issues related to the caretaker government of Afghanistan, and it plays a constructive role in building relations with the world.”

Mohammad Naeem Wardak, spokesman for the political office of the Islamic Emirate in Qatar said “one of the goals of this office was to reach out to the international community. In the past you have been aware we have made various trips to various countries in the region, to neighbors and beyond and this is ongoing and our relations are still in place.”

After the Islamic Emirate took control of Afghanistan, the United States and some European and Western countries moved their political representatives and diplomatic missions to Qatar.

The political office of the Islamic Emirate in Qatar was the Islamic Emirate’s channel of communication with the United States during the previous government as well.

DHAKA, 21 March 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will not be joining the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to be held on March 22-23 in Islamabad.

An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “instead, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will lead the Bangladesh delegation.”

The CFM represents the second most prominent OIC activity following the meeting of foreign ministers held last December on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

The minister indicated his non-participation at the OIC meeting.

On several occasions, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha expressed solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.

NEW DELHI, 21 March 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting regarding the formation of government in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur at his official residence.

 Sources said “the Prime Minister was briefed on the decisions taken by the party's top leadership in consultation with the state leaders.”

Sources said “union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and party chief JP Nadda were present at the meeting.  The party's central observers will be going to the states tomorrow.”

Sources have indicated “after the party's huge victory in four of the five states where assembly polls were held recently, the party has had a balancing act managing the "internal expectations" of the state leaders.”

NEW DELHI, 21 March 2022, (TON): The Border Security Force of India has recovered a Chinese-made drone within 300 metres of its border with Bangladesh.

A farmer named Pankaj Sarkar first spotted the broken drone lying on his land on Saturday morning.

The incident took place in Kalyani area under Petrapol police station in North 24 Parganas.

However, the BSF said there was no camera in the drone.

Meanwhile, the senior BSF officials visited the spot and examined the drone.

DHAKA, 21 March 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen urged the Qatar government to provide more LNG supply to Bangladesh.

A Foreign Ministry press release said “he made the call when the new Qatar ambassador to Bangladesh, Seraya Ali Al-Qahtani, paid a courtesy call on him.”

The minister also requested the ambassador to facilitate family visas for Bangladeshi expatriates living in Qatar.

He thanked the government of Qatar for hosting a large number of Bangladesh expatriates and for extending standard salaries and working environment.