DHAKA, 14 January 2022, (TON): Bangladesh and Denmark have agreed to work together on climate change and infrastructural development issues for mutual benefits. 

Both the countries expressed their eagerness when Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen phoned Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina afternoon marking the golden jubilee of Bangladesh's independence and 50 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the media after the telephone conversation that started at 3:30pm.

During the talks, both the premiers greeted and congratulated each other marking the two significant occasions in Bangladesh.

NEW DELHI, 14 January 2022, (TON): The US embassy in India has announced that it is closing in-person appointments for students. This decision was taken after interviewing a record number of applicants for the winter student season, which runs from October 1 to January 15.

Despite the pandemic, more than 55,000 Indian students and exchange visitors to the United States were given student visas, an all-time high.

The Embassy said in a tweet “in the interests of the health and safety of visa applicants and our team, we will not be opening additional in-person student appointments for the month of January. We thank all prospective applicants for their continued patience & understanding during these unprecedented times.”

It added “however, the US embassy has also informed applicants that is not planning to cancel previously scheduled appointments. “Currently, we are not planning to cancel previously scheduled student appointments. We continue to monitor the rapid spread of Covid-19 across India and the latest health and safety guidelines issued by the CDC and the government of India.”

Besides, Indian visa customers can still apply via post by the postal process or through emergency visa services resumed by VFS Global in early December 2021.

NEW DELHI, 14 January 2022, (TON): The 14th round of India-China military dialogue on Wednesday failed to yield any positive outcomes but both countries decide to work towards mutually acceptable solutions to resolving the Ladakh LAC stand-off.

The next round is expected to be held soon to continue the momentum of discussions.

While both sides are scheduled to come out with press statements “the Indian side clearly failed to persuade the PLA towards disengagement from Gogra-Hot Springs near Kongka La as well as resolving patrolling rights issues in Depsang Bulge in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction in Demchok sector.”

In pure diplomatic language, the talks were constructive without any positive outcome and reaching mutually acceptable solutions is work in progress.

This means both the Indian Army and the PLA commanders will continue to engage in future but there is no guarantee on whether the PLA will restore April 2020 status quo ante in Gogra-Hot Springs or resolve the Depsang Bulge or CNJ issue.

The Indian Army apparently raised the issue of PLA building a bridge over Pangong Tso, east of Srijap Complex, for faster troop deployment and rapid militarisation of the occupied Aksai Chin area by the Chinese Army all along the 597-km Ladakh LAC.

DHAKA, 14 January 2022, (TON): The D-8 (Developing Eight), an alliance of eight developing countries, has decided to take a multinational integrated project to innovate climate-smart agriculture technologies.

The decision was taken at a two-day ministerial-level meeting of D-8 held virtually, hosted by the Agriculture Ministry of Bangladesh.

Earlier, the host Bangladesh placed a proposal at the seventh D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Food Security to take an integrated project to develop climate-smart technologies aiming to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change in agriculture. 

The agriculture ministers of eight member states agreed to take the integrated project to this end and approved the Dhaka Initiative on the final day of the meeting at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) in Dhaka with Bangladesh’s Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque in the chair.

Under the project, joint research, innovation, development and expansion of advanced agricultural technologies will be carried out in the D-8 countries to address the climate change impacts.

DHAKA, 14 January 2022, (TON): Bangladesh has urged Vietnam to exert their friendly influence on Myanmar to take their forcefully displaced Rohingyas back on an expeditious basis.

The urge was made during a telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and his Vietnamese counterpart Bùi Thanh Son on Wednesday afternoon.

During the conversation, Momen called upon Vietnam and Asean to play a more proactive role in bringing a sustainable solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis by helping in a speedy, safe and dignified repatriation of the forcibly displaced people back to their motherland Myanmar.

The foreign minister voiced concerns about the growing susceptibility of the displaced Myanmar citizens in Bangladesh to radicalism, extremism, trans-border crimes, human trafficking, drug smuggling, etc, which have serious security implications for the entire region.

Momen apprised his Vietnamese counterpart of the plights of the displaced Rohingya people. Expressing his satisfaction at the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, he hoped that the two countries would celebrate the 50th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year with fervour, in a befitting manner.

KABUL, 14 January 2022, (TON): Dr. Najibullah Tawana was introduced as the head of Balkh public health to the doctors and staff of the Department.

According to BNA, in a function which was held on this occasion, Mawlavi Qudratullah Abu Hamza, the governor of Balkh, appreciated the work of the former chief and said “Mawlavi Sheikh Mir Saddam has rendered significant services to the Mujahideen and the people of Afghanistan during the jihad and struggle, and also during his service in this department to provide better health services.”

The governor of Balkh considered change and transformation in the government as a principle and added: what is important in the Islamic Emirate is responsibility, commitment to the people and society, not position.

The governor of Balkh added “in the system of the Islamic Emirate, responsibility is considered a principle and in the system of the Islamic Emirate, there is no corruption, bribery, buying and selling seats and everyone is responsible to God, people and conscience and are ready to serve with Islamic commitment.”

KABUL, 14 January 2022, (TON): The Higher Education Minister said “the government will reopen public universities for male and female students soon, without giving the exact date.

Since the Islamic Emirate came to power, the public universities have remained closed.

Talking to a press conference, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, Minister of Higher Education said that the classes of male and female students would be segregated.

He said “in the coming days, the Afghans will hear the news that the Islamic Emirate will reopen the public universities.”

He cited the economic crisis and the lack of separated classes for male and female students as reasons for the delay.

Haqqani pledged that the government would form an international university.

He said “we also plan to establish an international university. The university will include Shariah, Medical, Agriculture and Engineering programs. Masters and PhD degrees will be offered in these four areas.”

WASHINGTON, 13 January 2022, (TON): Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell has denounced US President Joe Biden's voting rights speech as "incoherent" and "profoundly unpresidential".

Mr McConnell said on the Senate floor "I have known, liked, and personally respected Joe Biden for many years.”

"I did not recognise the man at the podium yesterday."

The remarks come one day after Mr Biden delivered a fiery speech in Atlanta calling for an overhaul of the US election system.

In an impassioned speech, Mr Biden said “he supported changes that would allow his party's proposed voting reforms to be passed without the support of opposition Republicans.”

Republicans have argued that Mr Biden's voting legislation would impose questionable national standards on local elections.

Currently, a majority of 60% is needed to pass most legislation in the Senate.

Mr Biden said that the push to pass the legislation was a "battle for the soul of America.”

He added that the 60-vote rule - known as the filibuster - had rendered the Senate "a shell of its former self".

MOSCOW, 13 January 2022, (TON): Russian Foreign Minister’s Special Representative for a Middle East Settlement Vladimir Safronkov held separate telephone conversations with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Thor Vennesland and EU Special Representative for a Middle East Settle-ment Sven Koopmans, the parties confirmed the importance of convening a meeting of the Middle East Quartet at the ministerial level.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement “in this context, the importance of convening a meeting of the Quartet at the ministerial level and establishing close interaction of this mechanism with the Palestinians, Israelis and key regional players was confirmed.”

As indicated in the ministry, a discussion of the situation in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and possible collective steps along the line of the Middle East “quartet” of international mediators including Russia, US, UN and EU took place.

WASHINGTON, 13 January 2022, (TON): US President Joe Biden has raised concerns about civilian deaths caused by recent air strikes in Ethiopia during a call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

This follows reports that more than 50 displaced people were killed in an air strike in north-west Tigray.

A White House statement said “the US president welcomed the release of opposition leaders and pledged support in finding a peaceful end to the war with Tigrayan rebels.”

Relations have not been good between Washington and Addis Ababa where the government has been upset by repeated criticism of human rights abuses during the war with Tigrayan rebels.

The fact that Mr Biden and Mr Abiy held a phone conversation at all is perhaps a sign of progress.