DHAKA, 24 August 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has reiterated Bangladesh government’s resolve to work closely with the government of Japan to promote the existing bilateral relations to a new height.

A documentary titled “Welcome Bangabandhu 1973” on the historic visit of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Japan from October 18 to 24, 1973 was screened at the Foreign Service Academy.

The Japan government-made documentary was screened by the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pay profound respect to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations.

Momen joined the event as the chief guest while State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam joined as special guest.

KYIV, 23 August 2022, (TON): Russia might take the provocative step of putting Ukrainian soldiers on trial as Kyiv marks 31 years of independence for the war-ravaged country next week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned.

Zelensky cited media reports that Russia was preparing to put Ukrainian fighters captured during the siege of Mariupol on a public trial to coincide with the independence anniversary.

Ukraine’s Independence Day, August 24, will also mark six months since Russia invaded the former Soviet republic, in a devastating war that has cost thousands of lives.

Zelensky warned in an evening address “if this despicable court takes place, if our people are brought into these settings in violation of all agreements, all international rules, there will be abuse.”

DUBAI, 23 August 2022, (TON): Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday accused the United States of “procrastinating” in indirect talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal and said “a prisoner swap with Washington was not linked to the negotiations.”

Nasser Kanaani said “a few issues remained to be resolved but they were very important ones.”

He said “the Americans are procrastinating and there is inaction from the European sides… America and Europe need an agreement more than Iran.”

Kanaani said “Tehran wanted a sustainable deal that would preserve its legitimate rights.”

He said “we emphasize that the exchange of prisoners with Washington is a separate issue and it has nothing to do with the process of negotiations to revive the 2015 pact.”

CAIRO, 23 August 2022, (TON): A government newspaper said “Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is to host a five-nation Arab summit on Monday with the Ukraine war-related energy and food crisis on the agenda.”

Al-Ahram said “Sisi, Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi and the kings of Jordan and Bahrain, Abdullah II and Hamad, respectively, are to meet in El-Alamein, northwest of Cairo on the Mediterranean coast.”

Al-Ahram, which cited a diplomatic source, said the dispute pitting Egypt and Sudan against Ethiopia over its Renaissance Dam on the Nile would also be up for discussion, as well as the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya, and the latest Israel-Gaza round of fighting earlier this month.

Among the mini-summit participants, Iraq is the only country not to recognise Israel.

RIYADH, 23 August 2022, (TON): Borrell said “King Salman has ordered an urgent airlift to be sent to Sudan to provide relief to flood victims.”

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center will transport urgent food and shelter aid to those affected by floods and torrential rain in Sudan.

The supervisor general of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said the directive is an extension of the continuous support provided by the Kingdom to friendly countries during tribulations.

He added “it also reflects the strong bond between Saudi Arabia and Sudan.”

JEDDAH, 23 August 2022, (TON): EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said “a meeting to revive the Iran nuclear deal could take place as soon as this week.”

Borrell said “Iran had given a reasonable response to the final text of a proposed new agreement, and the ball was now in the US court.”

Efforts to restore the Joint Comprehensive  Plan of Action, the 2015 agreement between world powers and Tehran aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, are at a critical point after 16 months of on-off indirect talks in Vienna.

Borrell said “a meeting was scheduled to take place in Vienna at the end of last week, but it was not possible.”

“It is possible that it could take place this week.”

RAMALLAH, 23 August 2022, (TON): Israel has launched a scheme allowing Palestinians from the occupied West Bank to fly abroad from an airport in the Negev desert.

A tourist group from the West Bank, consisting of doctors, pharmacists and their families, joined Monday’s inaugural flight from Ramon Airport to Larnaca Airport in Cyprus.

According to the Israel Airports Authority “the flight for 24 Palestinians from the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem in the West Bank took off toward Cyprus from Ramon Airport, located in the Negev region in southern Israel.”

A spokesperson from COGAT the Israeli Defense Ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories confirmed Palestinians were aboard Monday’s flight to Larnaca.

SEOUL, 23 August 2022, (TON): The United States and South Korea began their biggest combined military training in years as they heighten their defense posture against the growing North Korean nuclear threat.

The drills could draw an angry response from North Korea, which has dialed up its weapons testing activity to a record pace this year while repeatedly threatening conflicts with Seoul and Washington amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.

The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises will continue through Sept. 1 in South Korea and include field exercises involving aircraft, warships, tanks and potentially tens of thousands of troops.

RIYADH, 23 August 2022, (TON): Saudi envoy to the country said “the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center dispatched a third convoy of essential food items to 17 flood-hit areas across Pakistan.”

At least 777 people have lost their lives in Pakistan since the beginning of the monsoon season in mid-June, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

The impoverished Balochistan province has been the worst hit with 255 dead, with the provincial government announcing that all schools would remain closed for five days after nine more people were killed by heavy rains in different districts.

A joint survey by the provincial administration and UNICEF last week showed that 574 government schools, in which 79,000 children are enrolled, had been damaged due to ongoing rains and floods in 32 districts.

BEIJING, 23 August 2022, (TON): Taiwan wants to ensure its partners have reliable supplies of semiconductors, or democracy chips, President Tsai Ing-wen told the governor of the US state of Indiana, saying “China's threats mean fellow democracies have to cooperate.”

Governor Eric Holcomb is making the third trip to Taiwan this month by a US delegation after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited briefly, infuriating China, which views Taiwan as its own territory.

A week after Pelosi's visit, five US lawmakers, led by Senator Ed Markey, visited Taiwan.

Taiwan wants to ensure its partners have reliable supplies of semiconductors, or “democracy chips”, President Tsai Ing-wen told the governor of the US state of Indiana on Monday, saying “China's threats mean fellow democracies have to cooperate.”