DHAKA, 07 December 2021, (TON): Indian president Ram Nath Kovind will pay a state visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17 at the invitation of president Abdul Hamid.

During the visit, the Indian president will hold a delegation level meeting with the Bangladesh president, according to a press release of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina and foreign minister AK Abdul Momen will also separately call on Kovind at his place of residence in Dhaka.

The forthcoming visit of the Indian president on this historic occasion is ‘a reflection of the high priority’ that both countries attach to the bilateral relationship, the Indian ministry said while also describing Bangladesh as ‘a major pillar of India’s neighbourhood first policy’.

DHAKA, 07 December 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for recommitting to work for strengthening further the 50-year diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and India by concentrating on people-to-people contact, trade, business and connectivity.

She said in a video message “this has become increasingly important for both sides.”

Sheikh Hasina said “we continue to believe in the importance of our relationship. At the same time, this anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the foundation of our bilateral relations and the path ahead. It is an occasion also to re-commit ourselves to work towards further strengthening the long-standing dynamic partnership between Bangladesh and India.”

She recalled that during the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh on March 26 to 27, 2021, they agreed on the joint celebrations in 18 selected cities along with Dhaka and New Delhi, and to recognize December 6 as Maitri Diwas.

BEIRUT, 06 December 2021, (TON): Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has affirmed his government’s commitment to honoring its undertakings for reform.

Mikati said that his joint phone call on Saturday with Saudi and French leaders was an important step toward restoring historic brotherly relations with Riyadh.

A joint Saudi-French statement, following the joint phone call between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Macron with Mikati, linked economic aid to Lebanon with the implementation of the required reforms.

The statement reiterated demands that Lebanon should implement comprehensive reforms, monitor borders, abide by the Taif Agreement, limit arms to the legitimate state institutions and not be a launching pad for any terrorist acts that destabilize the region (nor) a source of drug trafficking.

Mikati also said “I thank President Macron and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their keenness in maintaining the friendship toward Lebanon.”

Mikati called both President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and briefed them on the phone call.

Mikati’s media office said that Aoun and Berri “expressed their satisfaction and stressed their adherence to the best relations with Saudi Arabia and all brotherly Arab countries, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.”

Mikati called “all parties in Lebanon to appreciate the sensitivity of the situation and circumstances and not to take any action or interfere in any matter that offends the Arab brothers and harms the Lebanese.”

WASHINGTON , 06 December 2021, (TON): Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Secretary Blinken and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed discussed important regional matters, reaffirmed their countries’ strong partnership and discussed ways to broaden and deepen their wide-ranging cooperation.

Secretary Blinken also thanked the Crown Prince for the UAE’s generous support in hosting and facilitating the safe transit of U.S. citizens, embassy personnel, and foreign nationals from Afghanistan to third countries, and commended the UAE for providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON , 06 December 2021, (TON): Recently, NASA and the United States Department of Energy put out a call for industry to propose designs for a nuclear power plant that could be deployed on the moon within the decade, according to Science Alert. In the meantime, Interesting Engineering reports that China has completed a design for its own lunar-based nuclear reactor.

The two news items suggests that both sides of the current space race are very serious about returning to the moon and developing Earth’s nearest neighbor in a big way.

The Chinese lunar nuclear reactor is described as being capable of generating a full megawatt of electricity. According to Live Science, NASA requires that the lunar nuclear power plant generate just 40 kilowatts of power for 10 years, fit inside a 12-foot long by 18-foot-wide rocket, and weigh no more than 13,200 pounds.

Presumably, if the moon base requires more than 40 kilowatts of power, more power plants can be launched and deployed ready for use.

By going nuclear, both NASA and the Chinese recognize that an immense amount of power is required to operate in space in a big way. The systems that keep astronauts alive and keep their experiments running require power; the more astronauts; the more power.

If one adds systems that support commercial activities, such as lunar mining, then the proper conclusion is that solar alone is not the answer. Nuclear power is the key to opening space to a wide variety of human activity, for both scientific exploration and commercial development.

PARIS, 06 December 2021, (TON): The French president said “several European countries are mulling over opening a joint diplomatic mission in Afghanistan.”

However, Emmanuel Macron explained the move would not mean recognition of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate.

Speaking to journalists in Doha, he said “we are thinking of an organisation between several European countries a common location for several Europeans, which would allow our ambassadors to be present.”

Macron was quoted as saying by media “this is a different demarche than a political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban, we will have a representation as soon as we can open.”

After talks with the Taliban last week, the European Union hinted at opening a diplomatic mission in Kabul soon.

SANAA, 06 December 2021, (TON):  Local officials and residents said “three Yemeni civilians were wounded when four missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthis landed in residential areas in Yemen’s central city of Marib as heavy fighting rages outside the strategic city.”

Residents said “large explosions rocked the city after the four missiles hit the airport, Al-Shareka and Rawdha neighborhoods.”

Footage on social media showed thick smoke billowing from shelled areas as people fled.

Yemen’s Information Minister called on the UN and the US Yemen envoys to condemn the Houthi missile attacks and to designate the Houthi movement as a terrorist organization.

Moammar Al-Eryani said on Twitter “the Houthi militia’s repeated targeting of the city of Marib, which is crowded with millions of residents and displaced people, with ballistic missiles is part of its attempts to inflict a big number of casualties among civilians. This is a cowardly act of revenge.”

TEL AVIV, 06 December 2021, (TON): Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged world powers to take a hard line against Iran in negotiations to curb the country’s nuclear program, as his top defense and intelligence officials headed to Washington amid the flailing talks.

Israel has been watching with concern as world powers sit down with Iran to jump-start talks on the tattered nuclear deal. Iran last week struck its own hard line as talks resumed in Vienna, suggesting everything discussed in previous rounds of diplomacy could be renegotiated.

Iran also isn’t slowing down the advances in its atomic program, further raising the stakes in the talks, which are crucial to cooling years of tensions boiling in the wider Mideast.

Talks in Vienna aimed at re-imposing curbs on Iran’s nuclear program restarted last week after a more than five-month hiatus.

Israel has long opposed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying it didn’t go far enough to halt the country’s nuclear program and doesn’t address Iran’s military involvement in countries bordering Israel.

“I call on every country negotiating with Iran in Vienna to take a strong line and make it clear to Iran that they cannot enrich uranium and negotiate at the same time,” Bennett told a meeting of his Cabinet. “Iran must begin to pay a price for its violations.”

WASHINGTON, 06 December 2021, (TON): The press service of DTEK Energo said “the second of the seven Panamax vessels brought 66,000 tons of coal for thermal power plants from the United States to Ukraine.”

The first vessel with coal from the USA, contracted by the DTEK group for the needs of Centrenergo , arrived in Ukraine in November, the volume of delivery amounted to 60.5 thousand tons.

The second Panamax-class vessel with American coal has arrived in Ukraine. The vessel was delivered within the framework of agreements between DTEK and international suppliers on the import of 7 shiploads of coal from the USA and Colombia to Ukraine.

The company added “it is noted that in the coming days, the party will replenish the stocks of Ukrainian thermal power plants and will ensure the stability of the Ukrainian energy system during peak periods.”

“It is expected that in December three more shiploads of coal, chartered by DTEK for the needs of its own generation, will arrive in Ukraine. The total volume of supplies agreed for November-January is about 470 thousand tons.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that there would be no shortage of coal in the country, seven ships were expected.

RIYADH, 06 December 2021, (TON): Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Oman, the first stop in a tour of Gulf states, is expected to build on the talks that Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq held with King Salman during his visit to the Kingdom in July.

On the agenda are issues of mutual concern and ways to promote the interests of the Kingdom and Oman as well as “fulfill the aspirations and hopes” of their peoples.

The Omani news agency ONA described the visit as a reflection of the time-honored and historical ties between the two Gulf countries.

For over half a century, Saudi-Omani relations have been characterized by cooperation, mutual respect and understanding on various regional and international issues.

Likewise, connections at the individual level run deep thanks to bonds of history, shared Arab customs and traditions, and a common Gulf Arab heritage.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Oman during his tour of the Gulf.