ADDIS ABABA, 02 August 2021, (TON): For nearly nine months, thousands of Ethiopian parents have been living in agony over the fate of their children who remain stranded in various universities across the conflict-hit Tigray region.

Several universities in the northern region warned in late July of facing challenges to feed the students and guarantee their safety, putting pressure on the federal and regional governments, as well as the United Nations, to act.

The 54-year-old woman said “my daughter is in medical school in Adigrat and was set to graduate in just a year, I have not heard from her and I am in pain.”

“The constant worry of her safety is becoming overwhelming and her father has become bed-ridden with depression and anxiety.”

The region of some six million people currently has no functioning banks and no electricity, while internet and phone communication have been cut off. There has been frequent suspension of services, as well as road and airport closures, since fighting between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) began in early November last year.

The deteriorating conflict has seen both sides trade accusations of serious abuses, including massacres, with neither showing any desire for compromise.

COLOMBO, 02 August 2021, (TON): After months of strain over a number of issues including the cancelled port project in Colombo , Sri Lanka is preparing to send its High Commissioner designate to Delhi, along with a ‘roadmap’ to restore ties that includes resolving fishermen’s issues, building connectivity, trade and investment, as well as promoting religious links, Buddhist exchanges and handing over a sacred “Sita temple stone” from Sri Lanka for the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya.

According to a formal proposal presented to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, which The Hindu has seen, the roadmap will help bridge the growing trust deficit.

In February, the Modi government expressed its unhappiness over Sri Lanka’s decision to scrap the East Container Terminal project signed in 2019, amidst other signs that China was gaining the upper hand in infrastructure deals in the country.

The Rajapaksa government has been disappointed over the lack of movement on requests it made for India for assistance including a debt repayment waiver for three years and a separate currency swap for $1 billion, to help with economic crisis, which were made by President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to Mr. Modi.

SANA'A, 02 August 2021, (TON): Dozens of Houthi fighters in Yemen have been killed in fierce fighting with government forces during the past 24 hours in the provinces of Marib, Lahj, Jouf and Al-Bayda, army officials and tribal leaders said.

Col. Yahiya Al-Hatemi, director of Yemen Army’s military media, told media “at least 40 Houthis were killed on Saturday and Sunday in Rahabah district, south of Marib city, when government troops pushed back their assault in mountainous areas in the district.”

The Yemeni military official said that the army and allied tribesmen, backed air support from the Arab coalition, mounted a counteroffensive in the district and managed to seize control of a mountain and weapons left behind by Houthi fighters.

Warplanes conducted several aid raids in Marib province, targeting military vehicles carrying fighters and weapons heading to the battlefields.

Tribesmen reported seeing at least two military vehicles catching fire after being hit by the warplanes in Marib province.

By expelling the Houthis from Al-Abzakh mountain, loyalists would have control over a large swathe of land south of Marib and would effectively push away the Houthi threat to Marib city from the south.

KATHMANDU, 02 August 2021, (TON): The flooded Melamchi river has swept away scores of houses and bridges in Sindhupalchok. The red bridge over the river in Chanaute has also been swept away at around 7:45 this morning, informed a local Hasta Pandit.

Flood swept way red bridge over the river in Chanaute in Melamchi. The bridge was the only way connecting Melamchi-7 and 8, Panchpokhari 1 and 2 and many wards of Helambu. With the collapse of the bridge, traffic in the area has been shut.

The floods have also washed away a suspension bridge in Gyalthum.Similarly, it also swept away the building housing Melamchi radio station last night.

The building was uprooted and swept away at around 12:40 last night, said Radio Melamchi Chair Damber Rasik. It may be noted that the floods triggered by incessant rainfall had swept away houses and land, and converted Helambu, Kiul and Melamchi market into a desert on July 15.

The Radio Melamchi building had been submerged in the floodwaters since then but was still standing. The building was abandoned and the radio station was being operated from a different location.

MOSCOW, 02 August 2021, (TON): Starting from August 1, the US Embassy in Russia will continue its work with the minimal number of employees, 120 people. Due to restrictions on hiring Russian staffers, imposed by Moscow in response to Washington’s anti-Russian sanctions in April.

In April, Washington expelled 10 Russian diplomats, claiming they had ties with Russian intelligence services.

In an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station, US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan said “the embassy would have to sack its Russian staffers, bringing the overall number of employees to one tenth of what it had in 2016, or 1,200 people.”

The overall limit of staffers for the both the Russian diplomatic mission to the United States and the US mission to Russia remains the same, at 455 people.

Moscow has repeatedly told media that it was ready to accept diplomats and other staffers from Washington. However, as Russia’s Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov said in July, the US side had filed no requests for Russian diplomatic visas so far.

In mid-April, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order imposing anti-Russian sanctions.

NAYPYITAW, 02 August 2021, (TON): Six months to the day after Myanmar’s military staged a coup and imposed a reign of terror over the country, the junta’s leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, said that a national state of emergency would be extended for another two years.

The move, announced in a televised address, effectively ruled out any return to democracy before 2023 for Myanmar, which only last year was seen as a rare case in which an authoritarian regime had peacefully handed over some power to an elected government.

It also contradicted the generals’ assurances, soon after the coup, that they were serious about bringing political freedoms back.

Later Sunday, the State Administration Council, as the junta calls itself, announced the formation of a new caretaker government with General Min Aung Hlaing as prime minister.

DHAKA, 02 August 2021, (TON): At least 3,437 Bangladeshis died in different parts of Saudi Arabia, where the Bangladesh consulate general in Jeddah has its jurisdiction between July 2019 and June 2021.

Of the dead, 2,448  were buried locally after taking due permission from their families back home. The other 989 bodies were sent back home, said a recent report of the consulate general.

Fiscal year-wise, 1,696 Bangladeshis died in 2019-2020 and another 1,741 died the following fiscal year, the report said.

It highlighted different services that the consulate general provided the expatriates during the last two fiscal years.

As per the consulate general's data, about 7 lakh Bangladeshis live in various cities under its jurisdiction, which spans over the western part of Saudi Arabia.

The consulate general covers seven out of 13 provinces in the Kingdom.

According to the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh “about 22.8 lakhs Bangladeshis are currently employed in Saudi Arabia.”

TEHRAN, 02 August 2021, (TON): Iran said that it was not involved in an attack on an Israeli-managed petroleum product tanker off the coast of Oman, referring to an incident last week that killed two and which Israel blamed on the Islamic Republic.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said “the Zionist regime (Israel) has created insecurity, terror and violence. These accusations about Iran's involvement are condemned by Tehran.”

He said “such accusations are meant by Israel to divert attention from facts and are baseless.”

A Briton and a Romanian were killed when the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned ship managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime was attacked. Israel's foreign minister said the incident deserved a harsh response.

There were varying explanations for what happened to the tanker. Zodiac Maritime described the incident as suspected piracy and a source at the Oman Maritime Security Centre as an accident that occurred outside Omani territorial waters.

WASHINGTON, 02 August 2021, (TON): The United States on Sunday blamed Iran for a deadly attack on an Israeli tanker off Oman and vowed an "appropriate response" was forthcoming.

The MT Mercer Street tanker was struck in the northern Indian Ocean, killing two crew members, in what the US said was a drone-style attack.

"Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this attack," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, adding that the attack was carried out using a drone.

Blinken added "we are working with our partners to consider our next steps and consulting with governments inside the region and beyond on an appropriate response, which will be forthcoming."

Britain also said it believes Iran deliberately carried out the attack in "a clear violation of international law."

DHAKA, 02 August 2021, (TON): Bangladesh Ambassador to Austria Muhammad Abdul Muhith has taken over the Group of Asia-Pacific States (APG) chairmanship in Vienna on July 29, 2021.

A foreign ministry statement said “in the 54-country group, the chair plays a vital role in coordinating positions of the unique and diverse members concerning the UN agencies, conferences, and processes based in Vienna.”

Muhith, who is also a permanent representative of Bangladesh to the UN Agencies and other International Organizations in Vienna, vowed to effectively promote the APG's collective interests on important issues such as Sustainable Development Goals, the innovative and peaceful use of nuclear technology, and climate action.

He also committed to work for inclusive and sustainable industrial development, and tackle global challenges such as transnational crimes including terrorism, narcotic drugs, corruption resilient and green recovery.

Bangladesh took over the chairmanship from Afghanistan at a virtual handover ceremony attended by the permanent representatives and other diplomats of the APG member states in Vienna.