CAIRO, 24 July 2022, (TON): Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will begin a tour of Africa starting with Egypt on Sunday in an effort to build non-Western ties.

Lavrov’s Cairo visit will be followed by trips to Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo.

He will meet with members of the Arab League in the Egyptian capital, and is scheduled to address the Council of the Arab League, according to an announcement.

Lavrov will meet Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and representatives from the organization’s 22 member states.

JEDDAH, 24 July 2022, (TON): Saudi Press Agency reported “Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with visiting Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Jeddah and the two leaders reviewed the bilateral relations between their countries.”

The crown prince and Tokayev also discussed enhancing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan in various fields, and discussed a number of issues of common interest.

The Kazakh leader arrived in Jeddah early Saturday night, and was received at the King Abdulaziz International Airport by Makkah Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Environment and Water Minister Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, and a number of officials.

An official reception ceremony was then held for Tokarev at the Royal Court at Al-Salam Palace, followed by a session of talks.

WAWONA, 24 July 2022, (TON): A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday had grown to nearly 15 square miles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.

Evacuation orders were put in effect for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.

KYIV, 24 July 2022, (TON): Ukraine’s defense ministry on Saturday urged citizens in a key area seized by Russia to reveal where Moscow’s troops were living and who among the local population was collaborating with the occupying authorities.

The statement by the ministry’s defense intelligence directorate was aimed at people in and around the southern city of Enerhodar, which is home to a major nuclear power station.

It said “please let us know as a matter of urgency the exact location of the occupying troops’ bases and their residential addresses and the places of residence of the commanding staff.”

 It added that exact coordinates were desirable.

WARSAW, 24 July 2022, (TON): Poland will sign a deal with South Korea to purchase tanks, planes and howitzers as the country boosts its defense capabilities amid a possible Russian threat.

The first howitzers and tanks from South Korea are scheduled to arrive at the end of 2022

Poland is gearing up to purchase tanks, howitzers and fighter planes from South Korea as it looks to bolster its armed forces.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said “we’re signing contracts next week.”

The agreement includes 48 FA-50 light combat fighter jets, 180 K2 Black Panther tanks and an unspecified number of K9 howitzers, wPolityce website reported, quoting Blaszczak.

Blaszczak said in his tweet “with this contract, we will significantly increase Poland’s security and the strength of the Polish Army. Fast delivery and industry development are key! We reconciled the often divergent interests of soldiers and the arms industry.”

TEHRAN, 24 July 2022, (TON): Iran’s foreign minister said “Iran and Saudi Arabia are ready to move reconciliation talks to a higher level, more than a year after they began and six years after the two rivals severed relations.”

Since April last year Iraq has hosted five rounds of talks between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iran, which support opposing sides in various conflicts around the region.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said “progress has been made in these negotiations.”

He added “last week Iran had received a message from Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein who said the Saudi side is ready to move the talks to the political and public level.”

Iran s top diplomat noted that previous rounds had mainly been at the level of security officials.

BUCHAREST, 24 July 2022, (TON): Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said “the European Union needs a new strategy on the war in Ukraine as punitive sanctions against Moscow have not worked.”

Orban said in a speech in Romania “a new strategy is needed which should focus peace talks and drafting a good peace proposal instead of winning the war.”

Orban, reelected for a fourth consecutive term in April, reiterated that Hungary a NATO member  would stay out of the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

He is facing his toughest challenge since taking power in 2010, with inflation in double digits, a weak forint currency and EU funds still held up amid a dispute with Brussels about democratic standards.

DHAKA, 24 July 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and valiant Freedom Fighter Advocate Fazle Rabbi Miah.

She said "Fazle Rabbi Miah was involved in the movements against Ayub Khan and 1962's education commission and he fought in sector no-11 during the Liberation War."

She added "he will be remembered forever due to his contribution to the parliamentary democracy.”

The premier prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family.

DHAKA, 24 July 2022, (TON): The High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada, Khalilur Rahman, has come under an attack launched by a former foreign ministry employee now staying in Ottawa with his family without reporting back to Dhaka on his transfer.

Officials at the Bangladesh mission confirmed “following the incident on July 17, the High Commission filed a case with the local police in Ottawa against accused Yusuf Harun, who was sacked from service for overstaying without permission in 2019.”

Yusuf, who worked as an office assistant in the mission from 2011 to 2015, allegedly assaulted the High Commissioner during a picnic party of the Bangladeshi community at a park in Ottawa.

He claimed “he was not getting his passport from the High Commission and could not travel anywhere outside Canada, according to witnesses and officials.”

THIMPHU, 24 July 2022, (TON): The ceremony of assumption of office by President-elect Droupadi Murmu will be held on Monday in the Central Hall of Parliament.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs “chairman of the Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be present.”

Additionally, members of the Council of Ministers, state Governors, Chief Ministers, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, Members of Parliament and principal civil and military Officers of the government of India will also assemble in the Central Hall for the ceremony on July 25.

President Ram Nath Kovind and President-elect Droupadi Murmu will arrive in the Central Hall in a ceremonial procession.