DHAKA, 22 August 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Bangladesh and sought Qatar’s investment in Bangladesh, especially in economic zones.

The issues were discussed when Labour Minister of Qatar Ali bin Saeed bin Al Samikh Al Marri met Momen at the state guesthouse Padma.

Qatar's labour minister conveyed to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen that his country will actively explore investment scopes in Bangladesh.

The foreign minister lauded the role of Qatar for its mediation in Afghanistan, Palestine, Chad and in Sudan.

NEW DELHI, 22 August 2022, (TON): External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, during the first leg of a three-nation visit in Latin America, addressed the Indian diaspora in Sao Paulo.

Dr Jaishankar said "Began my Latin America visit by meeting the Indian community in Sao Paulo and shared with them the progress and optimism as India completes 75 years of Independence.”

Besides, Brazil he will also visit Paraguay and Argentina.

During his speech, the EAM thanked the Indian community for serving as an effective bridge between Brazil and India.

He added "India-Brazil ties are defined by good sentiment, great goodwill and increasing cooperation. I thank the Indian community for serving as an effective bridge.”

DHAKA, 22 August 2022, (TON): Qatar is going to take more workers from Bangladesh in the field of nursing, hospitality, construction, service, and IT sectors.

Qatari Labour Minister Dr Ali bin Saeed bin Al Samikh Al Marri said this during his meetings with Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad.

During the meeting, Marri expressed his satisfaction with the Bangladeshi expatriate workers in Qatar and appreciated their role in developing the economy of various countries in the Middle East.

He said "the workers of Bangladesh are very hardworking and responsible.”

He added “in future, foreign workers will be eligible to get all the benefits like domestic workers as the labour law of Qatar has been amended.”

DHAKA, 22 August 2022, (TON): The United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Capital Development Fund joined hands to strengthen Bangladesh’s digital financial ecosystem through interventions in policy and regulation, innovation, infrastructure, and skills to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

a2i will play a strategic role in implementing the activities of this partnership, a joint press release said.

UNDP's acting Resident Representative Nguyen Thi Ngoc Van and UNCDF’s Executive Secretary Preeti Sinha inked a Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of a2i’s Project Director Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, a2i’s Policy Advisor Anir Chowdhury, and UNCDF's regional coordinator for Asia Maria Perdomo at the UNDP’s country office at Agrgoan, Dhaka.

Under the agreement, the organisations will collaborate and leverage UNCDF's financing instruments such as grants, reimbursable grants, loans, and guarantees to provide seed funding to investments for enterprises deemed too small or risky by traditional investors.

DHAKA, 22 August 2022, (TON): Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed visited the Chittagong Hill Tracts border road project being implemented under the supervision of Bangladesh Army in three hilly districts- Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban.

An ISPR press release said “he also visited different army camps in Chattogram and various developmental projects of the army in Cox's Bazar district.”

Chief Consultant General, Ad Hoc CSC Major General FM Zahid Hossain, GOC of the 10th Infantry Division Major General Md Fakhrul Ahsan, GOC of the 24th Infantry Division Major General Mizanur Rahman Shamim and senior army and BGB officials of the headquarters and Chittagong Hill Tracts accompanied the chief of army staff.

As part of the development of the CHT, the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges has undertaken the project for constructing the border road along Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban frontier.

By TON Nepal

China is persistently containing US led allies in South Asia while pursuing and dealing countries like Nepal. As the diplomacy is all about friendship, dignity, trust and good relationship. Nepal's Foreign Minister three-day visit in northern neighbor China concluded last Thursday manifestly displayed required level of mutual cordiality, mutuality and good neighborliness. This indicates a range harmonies outstanding mutual issues.

It is evident and visible from the two sides in their respective post-visit press statements and both parties portrayed the visit as "successful" to their domestic audience in furthering their own strategic agenda to contribute to consolidating their bilateralism.

No doubt, Nepal's Foreign Minister visit, that took place at a time when tensions between China and the United States were at their peak following the US House Speaker visit to Taiwan, was an important bold step to reassert Nepal's "non-aligned" foreign policy while dealing with two strategically important global forces.

In addition, before embarking on the visit, Nepal’s Foreign Minister had written to Washington, DC authorities about Nepal's disinclination to follow the US State Partnership Program (SPP). It was in line with Chinese anticipations. However, China seemed to appreciate these gestures and invited the Nepal's Foreign minister as part of key priorities on the dialogue table with Nepal.

Nepal's first priority is to ensure the opening of two key border points Rasuwagadhi-Kerung and Tatopani-Zhangmu. Tatopani has remained largely shut for the last seven years after the 2015 earthquake and Rasuwagadhi since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. In this regard, the press statement by the Nepal Embassy in Beijing said that the two foreign ministers agreed to open these two border ports for two-way trade.

The second concern for Nepal is its inflated trade deficit with China. In the last fiscal year ended July 15, Nepal's trade deficit with China stood at Rs264 billion. In the whole year, Nepal could export goods worth only Rs809 million.

Thus, China's exports to Nepal are almost 328 times higher compared to shipments in the other direction. Of course, Nepal has very limited items to export, but the deficit is also alarmingly exacerbated by incessant hurdles created by China for Nepali traders at the border crossing points. Nepal's Foreign Minister Visit doesn’t seem to have taken up this issue with its due weightage.

The third unresolved issue is the newly emerged instances of boundary disputes and reactivation of the Joint Boundary Committee. In the first place, China seem to recognize the dispute as an “issue". The proposal to form yet another technical committee just to make the existing committee functional appears effort this respect.

The two sides also agreed to formulate an implementation plan to construct the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It is apparent that the about Rs15 billion grant promised by China would be disbursed under the umbrella of the BRI framework. No doubt, Nepal also needs to make its stand on the BRI unequivocally clear since Nepal signed it in May 2017.

However, at the nation-state level, Nepal's key concerns, to repeat, smooth operation of the Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi border crossing points, resolution of border controversies and support to reduce the trade imbalance, among several others, have remained equally unheard by Beijing regardless of the ideological hue of the regime in Kathmandu.

As China has persistently proved a high potential foe to global superpower like US when it comes to deals and interactions the countries in South Asia like Nepal. For this China is competing and extending its sphere of strategic influence in Indio-specific region.

Currently, China is endeavoring to reset its whole range of ties with Nepal in tandem with its newfound status of an emerging global superpower, following the policy of non-interfering, trustworthy and equally sovereign" closest neighbor. Its latest manner confirms this premise that china values Nepal as an important place in South Asia.

PARIS, 21 August 2022, (TON): French presidency said “French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Algeria next week in a bid to improve strained ties between Paris and Algiers.”

The presidency said “this trip will contribute to deepening the bilateral relationship looking to the future… to reinforce Franco-Algerian cooperation in the face of regional challenges and to continue the work of addressing the past.”

Macron is to be in Algeria from Thursday to Saturday next week.

French-Algerian ties hit a low late last year after Macron reportedly questioned whether Algeria had existed as a nation before the French invasion and accused its political-military system of rewriting history and fomenting hatred toward France.

KYIV, 21 August 2022, (TON): Two more ships carrying grain have left Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said “bringing the total number of vessels to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports under a UN-brokered grain export deal to 27.”

The Zumrut Ana and MV Ocean S, which are authorized to depart on Aug. 20, were loaded with 6,300 tons of sunflower oil and 25,000 tons of wheat respectively, the joint coordination center set up to enable safe passage said in a statement.

Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority said on Saturday three Ukrainian seaports had begun loading food onto seven ships, which would deliver 66,500 tons of wheat, corn and sunflower oil to consumers.

Ukraine’s grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports a vital route for shipments were closed, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

UNITED NATIONS, 21 August 2022, (TON): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said “United Nations is working with the United States and European Union to overcome obstacles to Russian food and fertilisers reaching world markets.”

Guterres said “without fertiliser in 2022, there may not be enough food in 2023. Getting more food and fertiliser out of Ukraine and Russia is crucial to further calm commodity markets and lower prices for consumers.”

Guterres said “while more than 650,000 tonnes of grain and other food have left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports since a UN-brokered export deal was agreed in Turkey last month, Guterres said Russian produce was also crucial.”

Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine do not apply to food and fertilisers, but they have, nonetheless, had a chilling effect on exports.

CAIRO, 21 August 2022, (TON): Human rights advocates and public figures are calling on the Egyptian government to reform discriminatory laws restricting the building of churches in Egypt, which they say contributed to a fire at a Coptic Orthodox church that killed 41 people, including 18 children.

At least 14 others sustained injuries in the incident, which occurred during morning mass at the Abu Sefein Church in Imbaba, west of downtown Cairo.

According to the interior ministry “an electrical malfunction caused the fire. Videos on social media have depicted scenes of grief as hundreds of mourners gathered in a nearby church, sobbing as baby coffins made their way through the crowds during the funeral.”

In one family, a man lost his wife alongside their five-year-old twin girls, three-year-old son, and the children’s grandmother and aunt.