THIMPHU, 19 August 2021, (TON): The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) yesterday launched the national e-commerce portal to enhance access to the international market for “Made in Bhutan” products.

Prospective buyers from both Bhutan and abroad can now log into www.bhutanmade.bt to see and order Bhutanese products of their choice. Buyers can make payments through a payment gateway.

Currently, nine merchants with 155 “distinct and authentic” Bhutanese products have been on-boarded on the portal. A large number of merchants are expected to be on-boarded gradually.

According to officials, the portal was launched in recognition of the need to nurture entrepreneurial culture through innovative technologies on the initiative of the RMA in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MoEA) and the Bank of Bhutan (BoB).

RMA Governor Dasho Penjore at the launch said that BoB would play a key role in implementation of the initiative. He also said that it was important to have showroom for Bhutanese small and cottage industry products.

The portal was developed by a local tech firm, Cloud Bhutan.

COLOMBO, 19 August 2021, (TON): The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal submitted to import 6,000 metric tons of rice immediately from Pakistan.

The stock of rice will be imported under the Free Trade Agreement signed between the two countries.

The proposal was submitted by Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena as a solution for the rice shortage that is currently prevalent in the local market.

BRUSSELS, 19 August 2021, (TON): NATO foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Afghanistan online on 20 August. Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced this.

Stolten-berg wrote on Twitter “I convened an extraordinary online meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers this Friday, August 20, to continue our close cooperation and discuss our joint approach to [the situation] in Afghanistan.”

On August 17, the situation in Afghanistan was discussed by the EU Foreign Ministers, who admitted that the Taliban (banned in Russia) had won the war in Afghanistan, and it was necessary to start a dialogue with them.

KIEV, 19 August 2021, (TON): The press service of the command of the joint forces of the Ukrainian armed forces said “the Ukrainian military conducted training on the border with Crimea, during which they worked out actions to neutralize sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

Earlier, Ukrainian paratroopers and reservists on the border with Crimea practiced actions at observation posts with “the subsequent destruction of enemy manpower.”

The press service said “In the Kherson region, planned training of units of special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the grouping of troops that are carrying out combat service on the administrative border with the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea continues .”

The press service explained the constant training by the presence in the region of critical infrastructure facilities “subject to a high terrorist threat.”

This time, during the exercises, the military was tasked with carrying out counter-sabotage measures, namely, working out the mechanisms for identifying and neutralizing sabotage and reconnaissance groups moving by vehicles, as well as destroying illegal armed groups in the territory controlled by Ukraine.

COLOMBO, 19 August 2021, (TON): The Scottish government should provide details of a review of Police Scotland training for Sri Lankan police, Human Rights Watch, Freedom from Torture, the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, and Pax Christi Scotland said in a letter to the Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown.

Scottish ministers should exercise their authority to suspend the training program, which risks appearing to endorse the actions of Sri Lanka’s abusive police force.

The Sri Lankan police in recent months have allegedly been responsible for torture and extrajudicial killings. They have been implicated in a pattern of such abuses over many years, despite receiving Police Scotland training “on an almost continuous basis” since 2013.

Yasmine Ahmed, UK director at Human Rights Watch said “Police Scotland should halt its Sri Lanka training program until the Sri Lankan government and police demonstrate a willingness to reform,”

“Scottish ministers have the authority to end this program, which does not live up to their government’s support for human rights.”

KATHMANDU, 19 August 2021, (TON): Flood in Melamchi river following incessant rainfall has swept away three more houses on Tuesday night.

A local Bhimsen Thapa said that the flood swept away three houses belonging to Krishna Bahadur, Bhoj Bahadur, and Dipesh Thapa of Melamchi-6. It is said that other houses are also at risk of flood.

Information Officer at the District Police Office, Sindhupalchowk, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dakshya Kumar Basnet shared that the three houses were at the risk due to previous floods and people and goods have already been shifted to other places.

The floods that occurred after July 31 have swept away 111 houses and huts so far. Five people were killed and 20 went missing in floods in the district from June 15 this year.

KATHMANDU, 19 August 2021, (TON): Bagmati Province Chief Minister Dormani Poudel has resigned from his post.

Poudel also tendered resignation as the head of the CPN-UML Parliamentary party.

A meeting of the parliamentary party held after Poudel's resignation has elected Ashta Lakshmi Shakya, a member of the state assembly and UML leader, as the leader of the parliamentary party.

UML leader Shakya was elected unanimously as the parliamentary party leader, said Deepak Niraula, chief whip of the UML PP. Shakya is likely to be elected the new Chief Minister of Bagmati.

NAYPYITAW, 19 August 2021, (TON): The junta’s Union Election Commission (UEC) has announced plans to audit the financial records of Myanmar’s political parties, a move that has been met with fierce criticism.

The UEC, which officially annulled the results of last year’s election in July, has ordered parties to prepare their financial records for inspection, in what some suspect will be used as a pretext by the junta to disband certain parties.

The commission has not yet set a date for the audit.

Sai Leik, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, questioned why the UEC would audit finances after officially annulling the election.

He said “asking for a list of election expenses for each candidate is a pointless act.”

Tha Tun Hla, chairperson of the Arakan National Party (ANP), said that some would find the UEC's directive difficult to follow because of travel restrictions.

He said “the political parties that prepared well have no problem. But the parties that are not ready to prepare the documents will have to travel.”

He added "the junta may intend to use the powers enshrined in the Political Parties Act, such as the right to dissolve political parties if they cannot submit their financial statements.”

Parties that fail to comply with certain sections of the Political Parties Registration Law can be suspended for 30 years or permanently dissolved.

Tunis, 19 August 2021, (TON): State news agency said that Tunisian President Kais Saied appointed Sami El-Hichri as director general of national security and Shukri Riahi as commander of the National Guard.

The announcement was made following a meeting between Saied and acting Interior Minister Ridha Gharsallaoui.

The president appointed Ridha Gharsallaoui, a former national security adviser to the presidency, to run the Interior Ministry last Thursday, and pledged to protect rights and freedoms.

On Friday, Saied said in a statement “there is no reason to worry about the subject of freedom, justice and democracy” in Tunisia.”

ANKARA, 19 August 2021, (TON): Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan received an Emirati delegation on Wednesday led by National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed.

During the meeting in Ankara, the two sides discussed the prospects of consolidating ties between the UAE and Turkey, especially in areas of economic and trade cooperation, and accelerating investment opportunities in transportation, health and energy, the UAE's state news agency WAM reported.

They also discussed an array of regional issues.

Sheikh Tahnoun conveyed to the Turkish President the greetings of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.