DHAKA, 04 December 2022, (TON): South Korea has expressed its interest to work with Bangladesh on drone technology and establishment of geo-specialized labs.

A press release said “South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Lee Jang-keun today expressed the interest today at bilateral meeting with State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak at ICT Tower.”

Terming South Korea as a real friend of Bangladesh, Palak said effective measures will be taken after coordination with ICT and other ministries for the use of drone technology.

 The South Korean ambassador gave the assurance of providing all out support for the development of Bangladesh's information technology sector and said South Korea will work with Bangladesh in various fields, including technology in the coming days.

DHAKA, 04 December 2022, (TON): Bangladesh and Turkey are likely to sign a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation in the areas of security and containing terrorism on January 8.

According to Bangladesh government officials “the deal is expected to be signed during a visit of Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu to Bangladesh at the invitation of home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.”

The Turkish minister is set to arrive here on a special flight on a one-day brief but hectic visit on January 8. He will visit Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar where Turkey provides humanitarian support to Rohingya people of Myanmar.

The two ministers will lead their respective side in bilateral talks in Dhaka on January 8 afternoon.

The deal on cooperation on security and containing terrorism between the police forces of the two countries is expected to be signed after the talks.

DHAKA, 03 January 2022, (TON): Prime minister Sheikh Hasina said “her government was set to formulate a Smooth Transition Strategy to continue the ongoing development spree for transforming Bangladesh into a developed and prosperous nation by 2041.”

She said “we have taken a measure to formulate a Smooth Transition Strategy aimed at continuing the country’s ongoing development spree.”

The prime minister said this while addressing a function, arranged to celebrate the formal recognition of Bangladesh’s graduation to a developing nation by the United Nations, at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka.

Joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence, she also said that  the strategy would have effective guidelines to cash on the prospects and face the challenges which might be arisen in continuing the development journey of the nation.

The prime minister called upon the authorities concerned to prepare an effective strategy based on research and data.

WASHINGTON, 03 January 2022, (TON): The United States has cut Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea out of a duty-free trade programme over alleged human rights violations and recent coups.

In a statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said “it terminated the three countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) due to actions taken by each of their governments in violation of the AGOA Statute.”

It said that the US was deeply concerned by the gross violations of internationally recognised human rights being perpetrated by the government of Ethiopia and other parties amid the widening conflict in northern Ethiopia, as well as by “the unconstitutional change in governments in both Guinea and Mali”.

There was no immediate comment from the Washington embassies of the three African countries.

The AGOA trade legislation provides sub-Saharan African nations with duty-free access to the US if they meet certain eligibility requirements, such as eliminating barriers to US trade and investment and making progress towards political pluralism.

KIEV, 03 January 2022, (TON): Ukraine said “one of its soldiers was killed in fighting with pro-Moscow separatists, as the US again warned Russia against any attacks on the country.”

US President Joe Biden was due to speak to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, after warning Russian President Vladimir Putin for the second time of a tough response should he invade Ukraine.

In his New Year’s Eve address, Zelensky said ending the war in the east remains his “main goal”.

The army said in a statement “one serviceman of the Joint Forces was fatally wounded.”

It added that separatists had launched three attacks within 24 hours, using grenade launchers and small arms. The army gave no further details of how the soldier was killed.

Tensions with Moscow have soared in recent months, with Russia massing troops near Ukraine’s borders. The West has accused the Kremlin of planning an invasion.

This week, Biden held his second phone call with Putin in just over three weeks, threatening Moscow with major economic sanctions should it launch an attack.

RIYADH, 03 January 2022, (TON): The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center signed an agreement with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to provide shelter and support for displaced families across Yemen.

The agreement will benefit 104,406 individuals at a total cost of $6 million.

Ahmad bin Ali Al-Baiz, assistant supervisor-general for operations and programs at KSrelief, and Khalid Khalifah, adviser to the UNHCR and representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council for Arab States, signed the agreement in Riyadh.

Following the signing ceremony, Al-Baiz noted that this agreement is part of close cooperation between the center and the UNHCR in response to the emergency situation in Yemen.

He pointed out that the agreement stipulates providing 6,000 shelters and 14,000 shelter bags to help displaced families affected by the humanitarian crisis.

He also said the targeted governorates are Hajjah, Al-Jouf, Al-Baida, Omran, Taiz, Al-Hudaydah, Sanaa, Abyan, Ibb, Dhamar, Aden, Lahaj, the Capital municipality, Al-Dali and Sadah.

Khalifah praised the role of KSrelief, expressing his gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s support for the UNHCR’s efforts.

LONDON, 03 January 2022, (TON): The British government gave a Hong Kong-based firm over £700,000 ($947,200) over five years to tell Afghans not to flee the country, according to The Independent, and is set to hand it another £500,000 in the coming years.

The company, Seefar, responsible for websites such as On The Move and The Migrant Project, and which describes itself as a recognised leader in understanding migration behaviour change and claims to offer services including “scripting lines for politicians to deliver” was hired in 2016 by the Home Office, with even more money possibly being awarded to it by the Foreign Office in the same period.

In a press release, Seefar said “it conducted a migration communications campaign in Afghanistan” throughout 2020, which had “successfully resulted in more than half of consultees making safer and more informed migration decisions, and avoiding potentially deadly encounters on the journey to Europe.”

Posing as a neutral non-profit organization, Seefar’s On The Move website urges migrants “don’t risk your life and waste hard earned money trying to reach the UK.”

GAZA CITY, 03 January 2022, (TON): Israel conducted airstrikes late Saturday on a Hamas military installation.

Aircraft targeted the al-Qadisiyyah installation belonging to the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassim Forces, the military wing of the Hamas, located in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

Witnesses said “at least 10 airstrikes hit the area.”

The Palestinian Health Ministry did not report fatalities or injures.

Earlier, the Israeli army said two rockets were fired from Gaza at the Tel Aviv area.

The rockets eventually landed in the Mediterranean Sea, one a few kilometers off the Tel Aviv coast and one much farther.

Meanwhile, Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Sunday denounced Israeli airstrikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on several Hamas positions in Gaza late Saturday. Israeli tanks also shelled four observation towers of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in northern Gaza.

No injuries were reported in the attacks, which the Israeli army said were in response to rocket fire from Gaza.

WASHINGTON, 03 January 2022, (TON): Two people remain missing after a devastating wildfire hit the central US state of Colorado. One of the missing was a 91-year-old woman whose family had been trapped by the incoming flames, local media say.

The blaze swept through several towns, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee.

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle had said it was unlikely any of the missing would be found alive. But one person had now been found safe and well.

The wildfire burned 6,000 acres across Boulder County, destroying at least 1,000 homes and businesses. It started under unusually dry conditions and came under control in part because of snowfall.

More than 10 inches (25cm) of snow has fallen on the Boulder area and is now hampering efforts to find those missing.

Images showed eerie scenes, with charred buildings buried under thick snow.

Woman who evacuated from Louisville says families in her neighbourhood have "lost everything"

DHAKA, 03 January 2022, (TON): The United States reiterated its call on Bangladesh to maintain a continued commitment to democracy and human rights.

USAID administrator Samantha Power, who enjoys the rank of a cabinet minister in the US administration of president Joe Biden, put the emphasis in a video message made available by the US ambassador in Bangladesh Earl Miller in a tweet on Sunday evening.

Samantha Power disseminated the video message primarily congratulating Bangladesh for achieving the status of a middle-income country.

Describing Bangladesh’s success as an outcome of focused effort to meet the need of the deprived section of the people, she said the two countries made investments for lifting the populace from poverty, economically empowering women and securing health and safety for them slashing new-born mortality by two-third since 1990 and cutting national poverty rate into half in last 20 years.

The USAID administrator said ‘these gains have not been easy and building on them will require a continued commitment to democracy and human rights against the backdrop of the pandemic and the refugee crisis at your doorstep.”