DHAKA, 20 July 2022, (TON): Prime minister Sheikh Hasina said “Russia-Ukraine war has caused serious sufferings for the common people as a whole.”

She made this remark while visiting Indian army chief General Manoj Pande called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka.

Prime minister’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim, who briefed reporters after the meeting, said “they discussed various issues, including ongoing military cooperation between the two countries.”

Mentioning the adverse impacts of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Sheikh Hasina said even the US government is sending messages to the American people asking them to save electricity and energy.

DHAKA, 20 July 2022, (TON): Bangladesh’s home ministry has urged visiting Indian Border Security Guard top commanders to cooperate with Bangladesh Railway to build new two rail stations along the international border with India.

Bangladesh officials made the request when a BSF delegation led by its director general Pankaj Kumar Singh called on home minister Asaduzzaman Khan at the ministry in the secretariat on the sideline of the ongoing DG-level border talks between the two neighbouring countries.

BGB chief Major General Shakil Ahmed is leading a 20-member Bangladesh team at the 52nd director general-level conference while the nine-member Indian delegation is led by BSF’s director general Pankaj.

DHAKA, 20 July 2022, (TON): Bangladesh and Brazil have signed an agreement on visa exemption marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, who is on a four-day maiden official visit to Brazil, signed the agreement on the exemption of visas for diplomatic and official passport holders on the 50 years of Bangladesh-Brazil diplomatic relations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “Foreign Minister of Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco Franca signed the agreement on behalf of the Brazilian government.”

A high-profile business delegation led by the President of FBCCI Jashim Uddin and the representatives of the Bangladesh-Brazil Chamber of Commerce accompanied the State Minister during the visit.

WASHINGTON, 19 July 2022, (TON): US allies appear committed to following Washington’s lead banning forced labor goods from China’s Xinjiang region, a senior US official told media, warning companies they could not maintain deliberate ignorance about their supply chains.

The United States’ Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) took effect last month to cut US imports of products from Xinjiang, where Washington accuses China of committing genocide against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims, and herding them into camps.

Beijing denies abuses in Xinjiang, but says it had established “vocational training centers” to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism.

CAIRO, 19 July 2022, (TON): The Egyptian and US presidents reiterated, in the Saudi city of Jeddah, their commitment to the strategic dialogue that is co-chaired by Egypt’s foreign minister and his American counterpart.

In a joint statement, the two sides affirmed the continuation of consultations on a wide range of global and regional security challenges.

They also discussed strengthening bilateral relations.

Presidents Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Joe Biden expressed their intention to meet again in the near future to enhance the multifaceted bilateral partnership, in light of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of diplomatic ties between their countries.

BRUSSELS, 19 July 2022, (TON): European Union foreign ministers are zooming in tightening the extensive package of sanctions on Russia and looking at ways to add a ban on gold exports in hopes that the measures might finally start to have a decisive impact on the war in Ukraine.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said that at the moment “the most important thing is a ban on Russian gold,” which is Moscow’s second largest export industry after energy.

The G-7 group of leading industrial nations last month already committed to a gold ban, arguing the Russia has used its gold to back up its currency to circumvent the impact of several rounds of sanctions that nations around the world had already imposed on Moscow for its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

The 27 ministers will also assess how they can tighten controls on exports of high technology to Russia for a possible decision later in the week.

BEIRUT, 19 July 2022, (TON): A delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon has stressed the importance of “establishing a social economic program before it is too late.”

The call came after the delegation  accompanied by US ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea — held talks with several Lebanese officials.

Edward Gabriel, head of the ATFL, said “time is moving quickly, and the government must expedite laws and policies, carry out the required reforms, and take the necessary steps to meet the needs of citizens to push forward negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.”

We need a partner, and that partner is the government, which has to act quickly to achieve what is required from it.

SEOUL, 19 July 2022, (TON): The United States has further sanctions it could adopt against North Korea, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told media, adding that any nuclear test by Pyongyang would be seen as very provocative.

Concern is growing that North Korea could be preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017 following a record number of missile tests this year, including that of its largest intercontinental ballistic missile.

Yellen declined to give specifics of what further sanctions Washington could impose on North Korea, or when, but said there were options for doing so.

ANKARA, 19 July 2022, (TON): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said “Turkey can still freeze Sweden and Finland’s membership in NATO unless the two countries take steps that meet Ankara’s security demands.”

Last month, Turkey lifted its objection to Sweden and Finland joining the alliance but warned that it would block the process if they fail to extradite suspects with links to outlawed Kurdish groups or the network of an exiled cleric accused of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016.

The Nordic countries’ accession still needs to be approved by the parliaments of all 30 NATO members and Turkey’s parliament could refuse to ratify the deal.

“I would like to remind once again that if these countries do not take the necessary steps to fulfill our conditions, we will freeze the (accession) process,” Erdogan said in a televised addressed following a Cabinet meeting. “Our stance on this issue is very clear. The rest is up to them.”

MOSCOW, 19 July 2022, (TON): Russian President Vladimir Putin said “it was impossible to cut Russia off from the rest of the world, and that sanctions imposed by Western countries would not turn the clock back on Russia’s development.”

Since sending troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russia has been hit with a barrage of Western sanctions, designed to isolate it from the global economy, that have deprived it of access to goods including commercial electronics, semiconductors and aircraft parts.

Putin said “not just restrictions but the almost-complete closure of access to foreign hi-tech products is being deliberately, intentionally used against our country.”

He said “it is clear that this is a huge challenge for our country, but we are not going to give up and stay in a state of disarray or, as some of our ‘well-wishers’ predict, go back decades. Of course not.”