OTTAWA, 06 January 2022, (TON): Canada announced a $31.5 billion agreement to reform its discriminatory child welfare system and compensate Indigenous families who suffered because of it, in what an official called the country’s largest settlement.

The agreements-in-principle include $20 billion Canadian dollars ($15.7) for First Nations children who were removed from their families and caregivers and put into state care, typically schools meant to forcibly assimilate them.

The other $20 billion Canadian dollars will be earmarked for reforming the child and family services system over the next five years.

Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Indigenous Services said “no compensation amount can make up for the trauma people have experienced.”

“But these Agreements-in-Principle acknowledge to survivors and their families the harm and pain caused by the discrimination in funding and services.”

The deal, which stemmed from lawsuits brought by First Nations families against the Canadian government, acknowledges that “discriminatory underfunding” of child and family services in indigenous communities had inflicted suffering on those involved.

DUBAI, 06 January 2022, (TON): State news agency reported “Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed 85 tons and 600 kilograms of food baskets in Yemen’s Aden province.”

The report said “the food baskets benefitted 4,800 people.”

The move is part of a project to support food security in the country during 2021-2022.

KSrelief further said “it aimed to distribute more than 20,000 tons of food baskets to families in 15 Yemeni cities.”

Meanwhile, the relief center distributed 137 winter bags in Marib province, benefiting 822 people.

VILNIUS, 06 January 2022, (TON): Vilnius has prepared documents on the basis of which the European Commission will be able to apply to the court of the World Trade Org-anization (WTO) regarding the pressure of China on Lithuanian entrepreneurs, provoked by the opening of a representative office of Taiwan in Lithuania.

This was announced on Wednesday by the Foreign Mini-stry of the Baltic republic.

The message says “information from business representatives about the problems they faced because of China’s actions has been systematized and submitted to the European Commission, which, based on these materials, can file a claim with the WTO court.”

The case against the PRC, according to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, may be initiated in connection with the violation of the principles of transparency and non-discrimination.

The statement says “the Foreign Ministry, together with the EC, the WTO, the Organ-ization for Economic Coo-peration and Development, the governments of other countries, is actively working to ensure that normal trade with China resumes.”

A sharp deterioration in relations between Vilnius and Beijing was provoked by the opening of a representative office of Taiwan in Lithuania on November 18, 2021.

KIEV, 06 January 2022, (TON): The European Union is to take part in talks scheduled for next week between the US and Russia. This was stated by the EU High Represen-tative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell in the Luhansk region at a briefing with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba.

Borrell said “if Russia wants to communicate, then, of course, it is necessary to organize a dialogue. But not only two parties are involved in the upcoming negotiations, the topics [negotiations] concern not only the Russian Federation and not only the United States. If security issues in Europe are discussed, the Europeans must be part of these negotiations.”

The EU official said “at the same time, he admitted that such negotiations are not a one-day process. “It could go on for weeks and months.”

He added that it would be not a good idea to abandon the talks proposed by Russia.

DHAKA, 06 January 2022, (TON): A preliminary study in the Bangladesh part of the Bay of Bengal has found a potential reserve of gas hydrate worth 17 to 103 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Gas hydrates are a crystalline solid form of water and gas.

They contain huge volumes of methane and are abundant in marine sediments in a layer several hundred metres thick directly below the seafloor.

Although the technologies for its commercial production and use are not available anywhere in the world at the moment, the potential reserve, if exploited, can meet the country's demand for power and gas for decades.

Experts said “currently, the country needs about 1tcf of natural gas to meet its yearly demand.”

Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khurshed Alam, secretary of Maritime Affairs Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared the findings at a press conference at the ministry.

KABUL, 06 January 2022, (TON): UN humanitarian agencies warned that a harsh winter in Afghanistan is aggravating already severe conditions that are challenging millions of Afghans across the country.

The spokesperson of the General Secretary of the United Nations, Stéphane Dujarric, announced that based on the estimates of the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), they have so far collected $1.5 billion to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Dujarric said “provision of winterization support, including cash and non-food items, is also under way in various parts of the country.”

Dujarric at the daily briefing in New York on Tuesday said that in the past 24 hours, heavy snowfall and rain have impacted a number of areas, disrupting flights to and from Kabul Airport. He said that winter is making the lives of Afghan people more dire.

KABUL, 06 January 2022, (TON): Afghan officials said “the second round of negotiations over the running of Afghanistan’s airports has begun with a Qatar-Turkish company.”

The Deputy Head of Civil Aviation, Ghulam Gilani Wafa, said the Afghan side will attempt to find the best choice when signing the contract.

The negotiations were held virtually due to the outbreak of the coronavirus Omicron variant.

Ghulam Gilani Wafa said “today, we started online negotiations and they will continue until we reach a decision on the contract. We will start face-to-face negotiations if we feel it is needed.”

The officials said that they negotiated with United Arab Emirate’s company as well--to hand over the operations of Afghanistan’s five main airports--and the Islamic Emirate will ultimately choose one of the companies.

Gilani said “negotiations were held with a United Arab Emirates company as well, we talked over many issues at that time; later, Turkey and Qatar showed an interest and we will continue talks with these countrie.”

NEW DELHI, 06 January 2022, (TON): Commerce and Business Minister Piyush Goyal stated that India’s exports touched USD 300 billion throughout April-December 2021 and would attain USD 400 billion by finish of this fiscal.

He said “after we aspired for USD 400 billion exports, folks would chortle at us. However now right here we’re at USD 300 bn within the first 9 months (of the present monetary yr. Even within the pandemic we dreamt huge about exports and making India vibrant with boundless enterprise alternatives.”

Goyal was addressing a gaggle of college college students affiliated to Vadodara based mostly ‘Chhatra Sansad.’

NEW DELHI, 06 January 2022, (TON): State media reported “Iranian coastguards rescued 11 Indian sailors whose vessel, en route to Oman, sank due to bad weather conditions.”

Acting governor of Jask County (south), Ali Mehrani, was quoted as saying by state broadcaster IRIB "the boat, that was heading to the port of Sohar in Oman yesterday, came toward Iranian waters due to storms, bad weather conditions and technical problems.”

Mehrani added “the vessel was transporting sugar, and sank four nautical miles off Gabrik district in southern Hormozgan province, overlooking the Gulf of Oman.”

He said "the general condition of the crew is good.”

Bad weather has affected not only southern Iran but also Arab countries in the Gulf in recent days, with several issuing weather warnings.

The rainy weather system, expected to last until Friday in Iran, has caused flash flooding in the southern provinces such as Fars, Hormozgan, Kerman, and Sistan-Baluchistan (southeast).

DHAKA, 06 January 2022, (TON): A parliamentary body recommended to appoint a lobbyist on behalf of Bangladesh in the wake of United States' sanctions on seven former and current officials of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).

The parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Foreign Affairs came up with the recommendations at a meeting at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the capital.

In the meeting, the members of the JS body said, “negative information about Bangladesh is being placed before the US senators and congressmen and some lobbyist groups are involved in such activities. For this reason, Bangladesh should appoint its own lobbyist to counter it.”

The parliamentary watchdog, therefore, advised the foreign ministry to take necessary steps to appoint a lobbyist on behalf of Bangladesh.

After the meeting, Mohammad Faruk Khan, a lawmaker of ruling Awami League and chairman of the standing committee, said "many people are involved in lobbying with US senators or congressmen.”

It said “there are lobbyists for these jobs. That is why, a lot of negative information is being presented to them. We have to work in this area."

He also said "if a lobbyist is hired by Bangladesh in the United States, we will be able to place our accurate information there.”

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