DHAKA, 26 April, 2021 (TON): While speaking at the 77th annual session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, on Monday,  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the international community to come forward to achieve a quick recovery from the pandemic.

Hasina highlighted the devastating impact the crisis has had on people, health systems and economies across the globe.

She said, “Nearly 2.95 million people have died and hundreds more are dying every day of the deadly disease.”

“The pandemic has made many people poorer while many others are sliding back to poverty,” she added.

She called upon developed countries, development organizations and international financial institutions to step forward and do their part in achieving a quick recovery from the pandemic.

“The recovery approach for this crisis and others moving forward must also be more inclusive, resilient and environment friendly”, she said.

However, Hasina also called for the Asia-Pacific region to develop and strengthen a universal public health system.

MALE, 26 April, 2021 (TON): Under the BML's Aherenge Bank Community Fund, a nature park has been developed in the wetlands of the North East of the island GDh. Hoadehdhoo.

The park was developed for the public to enjoy the natural beauty of the island easily and to protect the natural environment of the island for future generations to enjoy.

The area is developed for use not just for the residents of Hoadehdhoo but also the residents of Madaveli which is connected with Hoadehdhoo via a causeway.

 The proposals focused on environment protection and community enjoyment and are submitted for the BML Community Fund, carried out under the CSR initiative of the bank.

RIYADH, 26 April, 2021 (TON): Ways to boost economic ties and cooperation in tourism and culture have been discussed between the members of Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council and the Bosnian parliament.

The chairs of the committee began the meeting by commending Saudi-Bosnian relations.

On Sunday, the Saudi-Bosnian Parliamentary Friendship Committee discussed various issues of common interest.

However, the talks came days after Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan his Bosnia and Herzegovinian counterpart Bisera Turkovic in Riyadh for talks.

ISLAMABAD/ANKARA, 26 April, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi supported Turkey’s thesis on the events of 1915, against U.S. President Joe Biden's controversial remarks made this weekend.

In a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Shah Mahmood Qureshi stressed Pakistan's support for Turkey's take on the events of 1915.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri stated, "We believe that one-sided approaches and political categorization of historical events could undermine trust and lead to polarization between nations."

The statement also praised Turkey’s constructive approach on the subject including Ankara's proposal for a joint historical commission to explore the facts.

On Saturday, Biden called the events of 1915 a "genocide."

Whereas, Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of Armenians in eastern Anatolia took place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. The relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties.

However, in response to Pakistan, Turkey's Foreign Ministry thanked Pakistan for its support in a tweet, "Thank you brotherly Pakistan! Long live Turkey-Pakistan friendship!"

KABUL, 26 April, 2021 (TON): The rocket attack at Kunar Governor's office in the city of Asadabadin the morning on Monday caused at least five deaths.

Iqbal Saeed, provincial Governor affirmed the attack and the casualties.

"Three students and two employees of the compound were wounded," he said

Saeed said, the incident happened in the city of Asadabad, the center of Kunar, where an event on the Holy Quran competition was underway.

 However, no group has claimed the responsibility till now, besides, Security officilas have not commented over the incident as yet.

KATHMANDU, 26 April 2021 (TON): The Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament has sought clarification from the Ministry of Defense over the Army not abiding by the committee’s directive to scrap the bidding process for the second phase of the construction of tunnels and bridges along the Kathmandu-Tarai expressway.

On 1April, the parliamentary committee directed the army to do away with the bidding process after it found a serious noncompliance of the existing law in the pre-qualification process for the selection of contractors for the tunnels’ construction of two tunnels and several bridges totaling 2.77 kilometers.

“We have received a follow-up letter from the Public Accounts Committee,” Krishna Prasad Gyawali, the spokesperson at the ministry said.

He added, “The ministry has yet to decide whether or not to stop the selection process.”

However, according to the ministry, it is still studying the 1April directive and will make a decision after consulting various stakeholders including the army.

MALE, 26 April, 2021 (TON): Virtual work permit cards for expatriates in the Maldives are to be issued, the Economic Ministry of the Maldives announced on Monday.

These cards would replace the physical cards previously issued after the implementation of the regulation regarding expatriate workers in the Maldives. 

On Monday, the Ministry stated that it was working on starting to issue these virtual cards which will bring a lot of conveniences and also cut costs.

Arrangements have been made so that expatriates can receive these cards and use them in addition to the physical cards, it added.

Those who request a physical card after the application process for the work permit can do so by emailing the Ministry at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

They will then receive their physical card within three days while the virtual card will be available through the Xpat online system within 48 hours of the completion of the application procedure. 

However, the validity of the card and the validity period can be easily checked by scanning the QR code on both cards.

CAIRO, 26 April, 2021 (TON): With the aim to come up with political settlements for regional challenges, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has agreed to strengthen the efforts with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

El-Sisi indicated Egypt’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with the UAE in various sectors, and to enhance the frequency of high-level meetings between the two countries.
Sheikh Mohammed expressed his appreciation for the warm reception, wishing Egypt and its people continued prosperity and progress. 

However, the crown prince praised Egypt’s pivotal role as a pillar for security and stability in the region and also the developments in Egyptian-Emirati relations in the political, economic, security, and military areas.

KABUL, 26 April, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, the senators summoned education ministry officials over as concerns grow over lack of teachers and textbooks in schools both in Kabul and other provinces.

The senators said, they see an uneven distribution of resources among the nation's schools. 

Some senators called the education issues catastrophic, and said the obstacles need to be removed with an effective plan. 

The senators described that a month after the start of the current school year, many schools are faced with lack of textbooks, teachers and, in some cases, proper building and other needs that has been going for several years.

Senator Fawzia Sadat Samkanai said, “Some students have studied until the eighth year, but they have had a wish to sit on chair and study.”

Other senators, meanwhile, criticized what they called unjust distribution of new posts by the Education Ministry to certain provinces.

“When there isn’t teacher or book, what is the importance of having a school or classroom?” asked Amina Afzali, a senator and a member of the education committee of the Senate. 

The acting minister of education, Rangina Hamidi, was summoned to appear at the Senate, but she didn’t appear at the meeting.  

 However, the deputy minister of education, Ataullah Wahidyar, said that 94% of the budget allocated for the ministry is spent on the salaries of its employees, and that only 4% is left for other activities. 

However, the senators opinioned that the resources have been distributed unjustly over the last few years, citing some schools that have one teacher for 70 students. 

THIMPHU, 26 April, 2021 (TON): The project to bring water from Muktshulum water source, located about 6.6km away from Rukha chiwog, has begun.

According to a farmer in Rukha, Chekila, the new project would benefit over 20 households in the chiwog.

In the current project, larger HDPE pipes will be used to replace the existing irrigation canal.

In Rukha, paddy season starts in July but due to lack of enough irrigation water, cultivation season is extended until October.

The current water source is located about 2.1km away from Rukha.

While talking about the current water source located about 2.1km away from Rukha, Engineer Singay Dorji said that although the current irrigation uses high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, water from the source doesn’t reach the delivery point.

The project work is executed with fund support of Nu 27.54 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The GCF-funded project began in February this year and is expected to be completed in a year.