UNITED NATIONS, 12 August 2022, (TON): Diplomats said “China delayed a proposal by the United States and India, seeking to sanction a top Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander at the UN Security Council.”

India and the United States wanted Abdul Rauf Azhar to be subjected to a global travel ban and asset freeze.

Such a move has to be agreed by all 15 members of a Security Council sanctions committee.

A spokesperson for China’s mission to the United Nations told “we placed a hold because we need more time to study the case. Placing holds is provided for by the Committee guidelines, and there have been quite a number of similar holds by Committee members on listing requests.”

The US Treasury designated Azhar in 2010, accusing him of urging Pakistanis to engage in militant activities and organise suicide attacks in India.

LONDON, 12 August 2022, (TON): UN chief Antonio Guterres called for military activity around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power complex to end as Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for a renewed shelling ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on the situation.

Russia seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in March after invading Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The plant is still run by its Ukrainian technicians and Ukraine’s Energoatom said “the area was struck five times, including near the site where radioactive materials are stored.”

Guterres urged the withdrawal of military personnel and equipment and for no more forces or equipment to be deployed.

He called for Russia and Ukraine not to target the facilities or surrounding area.

LONDON, 12 August 2022, (TON): The US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, began a tour of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman on Aug. 11, and members of his team have traveled to Jordan, as part of intense diplomatic efforts to extend a UN-mediated truce in Yemen and bolster peace efforts.

The State Department said “the special envoy and his team will focus on helping to meaningfully expand benefits of the truce to all Yemenis and pave the way for a permanent ceasefire and an inclusive, durable Yemeni-led resolution to the conflict.”

Lenderking will also discuss recent instability in Shabwa and the need for a return to calm after fighting intensified in the oil-rich, eastern province, and highlight the need for additional financial assistance for the Yemeni people.

State Department said “the United States has already provided over $1 billion in humanitarian aid this year alone, bringing our total contribution to the humanitarian response in Yemen to nearly $5 billion since the crisis began eight years ago.”

By Ermeya Afshain

“On this important day, let’s join hands across generations to break down barriers, and work as one to achieve a more equitable, just and inclusive world for all people."UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Global Youth Day is noticed yearly on August twelfth. It is implied as a chance for legislatures and others to cause to notice youth issues around the world. During IYD, shows, studios, comprehensive developments, and gatherings including public and nearby government authorities and youth associations occur all over the planet. IYD was assigned by the United Nations in 1999 with the reception of Resolution 54/120.

Worldwide Youth Day's Slogan for 2014 was Youth and Mental wellbeing. For 2015, it was Youth and Civic Engagement. The subject of the 2016 International Youth Day was "The Road to 2030: Eradicating destitution and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production." For 2017, the subject of IYD is "Youth Building Peace". The subject for IYD 2018 was "Places of refuge for Youth". In this manner it will go on which perceives the commitments of youngsters to Prevent clashes, supporting consideration, Social equity, and support harmony. For 2019, the subject of IYD was "Changing training" to make schooling Inclusive and accessible for all adolescent. What's more, for 2020, the topic of IYD was "Youth Engagement for Global Action". The subject for 2021 IYD is "Changing Food System: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health" The topic for 2022 is "Intergenerational fortitude: Creating a world for all ages".

The target of International Youth Day 2022 is to intensify the necessary message across all ages to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and abandon nobody. It will likewise bring issues to light on specific boundaries to intergenerational fortitude, outstandingly ageism, which influences youthful and old people, while unfavorably affecting society overall.

Ageism is a tricky and frequently an ignored issue in wellbeing, basic liberties and improvement, and has orientation on both more seasoned and more youthful populaces all over the planet. Moreover, ageism routinely meets with different types of predisposition (like prejudice and sexism) and effects individuals in manners that forestall them to arrive at their maximum capacity and extensively add to their local area.

The Global Report on Ageism sent off by the United Nations in March 2021 features that regardless of absence of exploration, youngsters keep on detailing age-related obstructions in different circles of their lives like work, political support, wellbeing and equity. The report additionally recognizes intergenerational mediations as one of the three vital methodologies to address ageism. Intergenerational exercises can likewise prompt a more prominent feeling of social connectedness and reinforce intergenerational fortitude.

Fortitude across ages is key for economical turn of events. As we explore the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is particularly critical to perceive and address these age-related obstructions to "work back better" in a way that use every one of ages' assets and information.

By TON Sri Lanka Desk

The existing disturbance in India-Sri Lanka relations caused by the planned docking of the sophisticated Chinese military survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota port is as long series of hiccups in Indo-Lankan strategic relations. The relationship has been seen ups and downs since the two countries became independent in the 1940s.

India has regularly believed that Sri Lanka is vital for its security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and that the island must be within its political and defense perimeter. In difference, Sri Lanka has regularly feel awkward under fear of Indian domination or even absorption due to the unevenness in power, physical proximity, historical links, and ethnic and religious commonalities.

While India has attempted to block the influence of powers thought to be hostile to it, Sri Lanka has cultivated India’s opponents to use them as a check on India’s dominance. The India-Sri Lanka quarrel over the proposed visit of Yuan Wang 5 to Hambantota show the different strategic approach between these two countries.

In the 1950s, Sri Lanka had declared “neutrality” as its foreign policy. Nonetheless this was not sufficient to pacify New Delhi. As long as Sri Lanka is friendly or neutral, India has nothing to worry about, but if there is any danger of this island falling under the domination of a power hostile to India, India cannot tolerate such a situation endangering her vested territorial interests. As Sri Lanka has been described as a permanently-stationed aircraft carrier” off the Indian southern coast.

In 1963, Lankan Prime Minister signed a Maritime Agreement with China to balance its relations with India. This was a year after China invaded India. India feared that the Sino-Lankan agreement could acquire a military dimension at a time when India’s navy was still weak. In 1962-63 India expected Sri Lankan PM to support India in its territorial dispute and war with China, but it did not happened.

After the 1983 anti-Tamil riots in Colombo and the influx of Tamil refugees into Tamil Nadu, India began to back the Tamil militants. But there was an Indian security and geopolitical dimension to the intervention also. India’s motivations and actions vis-à-vis Sri Lanka in the larger perspective of the international and regional strategic and wanted to control her surroundings.

In mid-1987, India stopped the advance of the Sri Lankan army against the Tamil Tiger militants. It pressured Sri Lankan president to sign the India-Sri Lanka Accord in July 1987 and accept an Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). The Accord made Sri Lanka bar forces inimical to India from using its ports and other facilities.

Nonetheless there was a change in the Delhi-Colombo security equation with China entering Sri Lanka as a big builder of infrastructure. Among the projects, the deep-water port in Hambantota raised the hackles in New Delhi.

The construction of this port will bring China within breathing distance of India’s southern coast where sensitive installations, including power plants, are present. It could also help China in keeping a track of India’s nuclear, space and naval establishments in South India and also serving as a listening post.

In 2014, a Chinese nuclear submarine “Changzheng 2” had docked in Colombo almost coinciding with the visit of Chinese President. In Indian eyes, the docking violated the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord which stipulated that no port in Sri Lanka will be made available for military use by any country in a manner inimical to India’s interests.

However China also has security interests in the Indian Ocean and can no longer accept the Indian Ocean as an ocean only for the Indians. China also alleged that approximately 244 islands from Indian Nicobar and the Andaman archipelago could be used by India as a metal chain to hinder Chinese ships entering the Strait of Malacca.

DHAKA, 12 August 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said “Bangladesh sought information on the deposits of Bangladeshi money in the Swiss banks but the Swiss side did not respond to the query.”

Momen said “this after his conversation on the issue with Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder and Finance Secretary Fatima Yasmin.”

The foreign minister said he advised the governor and the finance ministry to come up with the statements as confusion arose following some media reports quoting Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard.

He said “let’s know first from the statements from the governor and the finance ministry.”

DHAKA, 12 August 2022, (TON): Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Vikentyevich Mantytskyi expressed his country’s interest to export 300,000 tons of wheat to Bangladesh.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder thanked the ambassador for such interest, said “wheat export by Russia will play an important role in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.”

During the meeting, the two discussed various issues, including Bangladesh’s economic progress, expansion of trade and businesses between the two countries and wheat export from Russia.

Sadhan said “Bangladesh and Russia have a wonderful relationship. This relation is resulting in increased trade and investments between the two countries.”

NEW DELHI, 12 August 2022, (TON): A French Air and Space Force contingent, including three Rafale jets, made a strategically crucial stopover at the IAF's Sulur base in Tamil Nadu as part of a mega military operation it carried out in the Pacific Ocean.

The support provided by the Indian Air Force to the French force reflected the implementation of the reciprocal logistics support agreement signed by France and India in 2018 to boost military cooperation.

A French readout said “the cooperation with the Indian Air Force demonstrated a high level of mutual trust and interoperability between the two sides.”

It said the French contingent was hosted for a technical stopover at Air Force Station Sulur on August 10 and 11 during a long-distance deployment from metropolitan France to the Pacific Ocean.

DHAKA, 12 August 2022, (TON): Bangladesh has suggested the World Food Programme to set up a Regional Food Bank in South Asia as a strategic reserve for the region.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen shared the concerns over food insecurity around the world when newly appointed Country Director of WFP Domenico Scalpelli presented his credentials to him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He urged the WFP to enhance its focus on the issue of nutrition as part of its various programs carried out in collaboration with the government.

Momen urged the WFP and other UN agencies operating in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to help create an environment conducive to the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas, now sheltered in Bangladesh.

DHAKA, 12 August 2022, (TON): China will extend its cooperation to the Bangladesh government to work on marine science and technology.

Dhaka University and the First Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China signed the Memorandum of Understanding on “Marine Science and Technology Cooperation”.

The MoU was signed in presence of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen, during Wang Yi’s visit to Bangladesh.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming and Dhaka University Treasurer and Professor Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed signed the MoU on behalf of the two sides.