BEIJING, 21 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin respectively sent congratulatory letters to the ninth meeting of the dialogue mechanism between the ruling parties of China and Russia that held via video link.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia, and the establishment of relations between the CPC and the United Russia party, Xi said.

Xi said in the past 20 years, China and Russia have carried forward the vision of lasting friendship and the principle of a new type of international relations while maintaining close comprehensive strategic coordination, which has set an example of developing relations between major countries.

Xi expressed his hope that participants from the two parties can engage in in-depth exchanges and build consensus to open a new chapter of strategic cooperation between the two parties.

In his letter, Putin noted that dialogue between the two parties has always been an important component of the two countries' comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership.

However, the long-term institutionalized exchanges between the two parties have consolidated political and strategic mutual trust and promoted mutually beneficial cooperation in all dimensions between the two countries.

DHAKA, 21 April, 2021 (TON): A sum of Tk 105 million was handed over by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in an effort of humanitarian assistance to the poor.

Sheikh Hasina’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said on Wednesday, the allocation came from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

All people living on the margins will get assistance from the fund based on the lists prepared by the local government authorities.

However, the deputy commissioners of all districts have been directed to distribute the relief.

KYIV, 21 April, 2021 (TON): A law to allow the reservists to be called up for the military service without announcing mobilization has been signed by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, his office confirmed on Wednesday.

This was approved by the parliament in late March.

The office said, “This will make it possible to quickly equip the military units of all defense forces with reservists, thereby significantly increasing their combat effectiveness during military aggression."

On Tuesday, Zelenskiy challenged his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to meet him in the Donbass region for talks to end the conflict there and ease tension between the neighbors.

Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame over increasing clashes in the Donbass, where Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed forces in a conflict that Ukraine says has killed 14,000 people since 2014.

However, amid escalating tension with Russia in eastern Ukraine, the measure makes it possible to significantly boost the armed forces.

COLOMBO, 21 April, 2021 (TON): The ones responsible for the devastating attacks on Easter Sunday will be brought to justice, said the Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament on Wednesday.

As 21 April marks the two year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attack on Easter Sunday and a minute of silence was observed in the House at the request of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The report and other documents prepared by the Easter Commission based on the information revealed have been referred to the Attorney General for legal action, the PM said in a special statement.

The government will not interfere in the judicial process and will provide the necessary assistance to make the judicial process a success.

Moreover, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had provided the necessary facilities for the Criminal Investigations Department to conduct its investigations independently, the PM said.

NEW DELHI, 21 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) opened ZojiLa Pass on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road for this year after a closure of 110 days.

With the onset of winters, the Pass usually closes by mid-November every year, and opens only by the end of April the next year.

Located at a height of 11,650 feet, Zojila is a strategic pass that provides vital link between Kashmir Valley and Ladakh and is the key to operational preparedness of the Armed Forces.

The renewed focus on infrastructure development of border areas mandated the requirement of keeping the closure of ZojiLa Pass to the minimum.

The pass will facilitate availability of essential goods and supplies for people of Ladakh, who are dependent on air traffic due to closure of the Pass as also easier movement of Army convoys.

BRO said in a statement, "The connectivity across ZojiLa was initially established on February 15, 2021 and it was planned to open the Pass for Army and civil traffic by end February early March."

However, continuous bad weather conditions, poor visibility and heavy snowfall resulted in triggering of avalanches, thus delaying the opening.

Finally, after herculean efforts by Projects Beacon and Vijayak of BRO, the connectivity was reestablished on 21 April, and ten trucks, carrying essential fresh supplies moved across the ZojiLa Pass towards Kargil, thereby bringing much needed succor to the people of Ladakh.

RIYADH, 21 April, 2021 (TON): In an effort to enhance the bilateral relations between UAE and Israel, Zvi Heifetz Israel’s special envoy to the GCC states visited the Kingdom.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, welcomed the Israeli official to explore further UAE-Israeli relations and mutual cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and tourism.

During the meeting underlined the importance of accelerating efforts to ensure recovery from the crisis.

However, since the signing of the Abraham Accords in September last year, both countries have established reciprocal diplomatic missions, boosted tourism and reviewed progress in the bilateral ties.

KABUL/ANKARA, 21 April, 2021 (TON): Amidst non participation by the Taliban, the U.S.-backed Turkey Afghan peace conference in Turkey was postponed, according to the sources.

The conference was scheduled for 24 April and was expected to see inclusive participation from parties to the Afghan conflict.

On Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, “We have consulted with Qatar, the US and the UN.”

“We have decided to postpone the Istanbul Conference on the Afghanistan peace process after Eid al-Fitr.”

The US, Turkey, Qatar and UN have reportedly attempted to convince the Taliban to attend the planned meeting in Turkey.

But the group has insisted that the U.S. to first implement the Doha agreement before starting of the Istanbul conference.

The Doha agreement involves that the U.S. needs to honor its agreement signed under the Trump administration to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by 1 May.

However, on Tuesday, the Afghan government affirmed that the list of a republic delegation for the conference has been finalized.

CAIRO, 21 April, 2021 (TON): Following the three train accidents in less than a month that took several lives, on Tuesday, the Egypt’s Transportation Minister sacked a top railway official.

The three incidents caused least 29 people dead and some 320 injured.

The firing of Asharf Raslan, head of the railway authority, was part of a wide-ranging overhaul of the rundown railway system's leadership amid public outcry over repeated train crashes.

The office of Transportation Minister Kamal el-Wazir said in a statement that Raslan, who headed the railway authority since July 2018, was replaced Mustafa Abuel-Makarm.

The changes included the main departments of the railway authority that manages train traffic in the Arab world’s most populous country.

However, the changes came after a passenger train derailed Sunday north of Cairo that killed at least 11 people and injured at least 98 others.

Followed by this, another train crash in the Nile Delta province of Sharqia  took place last week that left 15 people wounded.

Consequently, after Sunday’s crash, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi announced the establishment of an official commission to investigate its causes. Prosecutors also launched their own probe.

ISLAMABAD, 21 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, in the elections that took place at a session of the 54-member Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the economic arm of the UN, Pakistan won a place in three important United Nations commissions.

The important UN commissions are the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Commission on Population and Development (CPD).

In the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Pakistan has been elected for the sixth time.

Munir Akram, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN says this is a "strong vote of trust and confidence by the international community on Pakistan's role at the UN".

Qatar, Thailand, India, and Bahrain are among the other countries elected to the CCPCJ, while China, Iran, Japan, and Lebanon are part of the CSW.

However, on 1 January, 2022, Pakistan will assume membership of the three commissions.

RIYADH, 21 April, 2021 (TON): Saudi Arabia urged Iran to engage in ongoing talks in Vienna, and avoid boosting tension in the region.

This came after the meeting of council ministers, chaired by King Salman on Tuesday.

The cabinet cited the emphasis of the Kingdom's call for Iran to get involved in the current negotiations, prevent escalation and desist from jeopardizing the regional security and stability to further tension. 

The Cabinet reiterated that it is closely following the current developments related to Iran's nuclear program.

Besides, the Saudi government also urged the international community to reach an agreement with stronger and longer determinants implemented through monitoring and control measures to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining nuclear weapons.