NEW YORK, 10 January 2022, (TON): The Security Council will convene on Monday for an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the activities of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).

The expected briefers are Special Representative and head of UNOWAS Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Fathi Waly and a civil society representative.

Also on Monday, Council members will hold closed consultations on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), at the request of Albania, France, Ireland, the UK and the US. Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Khaled Khiari is the anticipated briefer.

There will be a briefing and consultations on the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) on Tuesday (11 January).

Special Representative and head of MINUSMA El-Ghassim Wane will brief. A civil society representative is also expected to brief.

Following the meeting on Yemen, members will discuss the situation in Sudan under “any other business.”

Special Representative and head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes is expected to brief.

RIYADH, 10 January 2022, (TON): Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber, supervisor general of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, met Dr. Rola Dashti, under-secretary-general of the UN and executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

During their meeting in Riyadh, the two sides discussed the steps that should be adopted after the issue of the UN report “Least Developed Arab Countries, Challenges and opportunities for Development” in order to strengthen the development partnership and unify development efforts in Yemen.

Dashti said “the ESCWA partnership with the SDRPY was a distinguished one that was launched last month after the release of the report, the Arab Least Developed Countries (LDCs), challenges and opportunities.”

These included Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania, and Yemen, said Dashti, adding that Saudi Arabia was a leading party in providing aid to these countries.

She said “the report came out with a complete and clear vision regarding the needs of the LDCs in the Arab region for the next decade until 2030.”

NEW YORK, 10 January 2022, (TON): At least 19 people, including nine children, were killed after fire tore through a Bronx apartment building in what’s become New York City’s deadliest blaze in more than three decades.

Stefan Ringel, a senior adviser to Mayor Eric Adams, confirmed the death toll. He said “the children killed were 16 years old or younger.”

Ringel said “thirteen people remained hospitalized in critical condition.”

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said “in all, more than five dozen people were hurt. Most of the victims had severe smoke inhalation.”

Adams called the fire’s toll “horrific” and said “this is going to be one of the worst fires that we have witnessed during modern times.”

PRETORIA, 10 January 2022, (TON): The Emergency Summit of the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) adopted a new package of sanctions against Mali, the country’s military leadership and government.

This was reported by Agence France-Presse with reference to one of the participants in the meeting, which took place in the capital of Ghana, Accra.

According to him, the new sanctions are very harsh, as the Malian authorities have failed to meet the ECOWAS timeframe for the country’s return to civilian government and are not ready to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in February 2022.

The AFP interlocutor noted that the community has now actually returned to the format of the sanctions that were imposed on Mali at the time of the military coup in August 2020. These included the closure of the border with Mali, the imposition of an embargo on financial transactions and trade except for essential goods.

On the agenda of the current ECOWAS summit was the question of a response to a letter from the military authorities of Mali, which proposed a timetable for a transitional period, which should end in December 2026 with a presidential election.

The letter also proposed holding a constitutional referendum in January 2024, local elections in April 2025, and parliamentary elections in November 2025, the Malian news portal GJ informed.

TOKYO, 10 January 2022, (TON): The United States agreed to oblige its military personnel not to leave the territory of the bases in Japan unnecessarily due to the increase in the number of coronavirus infections.

This is stated in a joint statement of the two countries, released on Sunday by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The measures come into force on January 10 and will last for two weeks.

The document says “the US Armed Forces in Japan will ensure that all personnel wear masks inside and outside military installations, with the exception of private homes. The US Armed Forces in Japan will maintain strict procedures for personnel screening be-fore leaving (from the US) and after entering (in Jap-an), and will also strictly follow the requirements of a 14-day quarantine after entry.”

A sharp rise in coronavi-rus infections was detected at several US bases, including Camp Hansen on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, in late December.

The sites were infected by servicemen recently transferred to Japan as part of a rotation. They did not take PCR tests upon arrival as part of the bilateral agreements in force. However, this requirement is now in effect again.

DHAKA, 10 January 2022, (TON): The Indian Coast Guard successfully repatriated a Bangladeshi fishing boat ‘Allahar Daan’ alongwith 20 Bangladeshi fishermen.

The boat and it's crew was handed over by ICGS Sarojini Naidu to the Bangladesh Coast Guard Ship Shadhin Bangla at the international maritime boundary line.

The boat was reported adrift at sea due to engine breakdown and was sighted by the Indian fishermen, the ICG (North East) regional headquarters stated while adding "the Indian fishermen displaying humanity provided necessary assistance to the boat and towed the distressed boat to Paradip on December 26."

The incident highlights the importance given by Indian fishermen to help mariners/ fishermen at sea in distress irrespective of nationality thereby forming an important link in ensuring safety of life at sea.

The ICG in coordination with Marine Police at Paradip provided shelter to the boat and its crew on humanitarian grounds. The crew were reported to be safe and healthy.

The ICG not only provides solace to fishermen and mariners in distress but also provides humanitarian assistance.

KABUL, 10 January 2022, (TON): Amid grave concerns over poverty and hunger in Afghanistan, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that it will help 22 million people in the country.

OCHA said “humanitarian aid is delivered based on the needs and vulnerabilities of people, with no distinctions on nationality, race, gender, religious belief, class, or political opinions.”

The head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the goal of humanitarian actors in 2022 is to assist more than 22 million people in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a number of poor and destitute families in the country said that the current winter has doubled their challenges while no humanitarian assistance has been provided.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the first deputy Prime Minister, on Friday called on the International Community to help Afghanistan without any political considerations.

DHAKA, 10 January 2022, (TON): The government is likely to reduce more than Tk 10,000 crore project aid from lenders in revising down the annual development programme of the current fiscal year amid a slow implementation of foreign-funded projects.  

According to planning ministry officials “the revised ADP is likely to be worth Tk 2.15 lakh crore in place of the original Tk 2.25 lakh crore.”

They said “the contribution of foreign assistance to the revised ADP is likely to stand at Tk 99,067 crore from the original Tk 1,09,387 crore.”

State minister for planning Dr Shamsul Alam told media that the process of ADP revision was going on.

The revision will be completed soon, he said, adding that the cut in the foreign fund is likely as the release of loans by lenders is always a lengthy procedure.

In the original outlay, Tk 88,024.23 crore was earmarked as project aid and Tk 21,363 crore as special credit for development.

DHAKA, 10 January 2022, (TON): The fire that broke out at Balukhali Rohingya camp under Ukhiya upazila in Cox's Bazar was brought under control after two hours this evening.

Armed Police Battalion (APBn) Additional Superintendent of Police Md Kamran Hossain said “around 1,200 houses were gutted, adding that eight firefighting units doused the fire two hours after its origin.”

Earlier, Rohingya Refugee Rehabilitation Commissioner Redwan Hayat had said that around 600 houses were gutted by the fire, however, no casualties were reported.

Ukhiya Fire Service Station's Station Commander Emdadul Haque said that the fire was put out at 9:10pm.

NEW DELHI, 10 January 2022, (TON): The organisation said “the Indian government renewed permission for late Catholic nun Mother Teresa's charity to receive foreign funds, weeks after rejecting it.”

On Christmas Day the Narendra Modi government moved to cut off foreign funding to the Missionaries of Charity and refused to renew its licence under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

Charities and non-profit firms need to register under FCRA to receive money from abroad.

The Missionaries of Charity, which runs shelter homes across India, was founded in 1950 by the late Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun who devoted most of her life to helping the poor in the eastern city of Kolkata.

She won the Nobel Peace Prize and was later declared a saint.