THESSALONIKI, 19 July 2022, (TON): Greece filed an official complaint with Serbia after a cargo plane carrying mortar ammunition crashed while attempting an emergency landing in northern Greece.

 A Greek government official said “the Greek ambassador in Belgrade has been instructed to make a complaint to the Serbian (government) to stress the need for Greek authorities to be notified in advance about the nature of the cargo.”

Eight crew members on the An-12 cargo plane, operated by a Ukrainian company, were killed in the crash Saturday outside the northern Greek city of Kavala, that was followed by at least two hours of explosions.

Serbian officials said the plane had been carrying 11.5 tons of Serbian-made mortar ammunition to Bangladesh, and was due to make a stopover in Amman, Jordan.

KYIV, 19 July 2022, (TON): As Russia kept up its relentless shelling across the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expanded the shakeup of his security services by suspending 28 more officials, a day after he dismissed two senior officials over allegations that their agencies harbored collaborators and traitors.

In his nightly video address, Zelensky said a “personnel audit” of the Security Service of Ukraine was underway, and the dismissal of the 28 officials was being decided.

Zelensky said “different levels, different areas of focus. But the reasons are similar unsatisfactory results of work.”

He had fired SBU chief Ivan Bakanov and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova. Zelensky, citing hundreds of criminal proceedings into treason and collaboration by people within their departments and other law enforcement agencies.

JEDDAH, 19 July 2022, (TON): The UAE offered to deliver diesel oil to France amid fears that Russia will block gas supplies to Europe in retaliation for Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

The new move followed talks in Paris between the UAE President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Sheikh Mohammed said “collaboration across energy of all kinds is critical, and the UAE is committed to supporting energy security to all people, especially France.”

Sheikh Mohamed arrived in Paris on Monday for his first official visit outside the Gulf region since taking office in May.

The state news agency earlier said “he was received at the Élysée Palace in an official ceremony to meet Macron and discuss joint action in the fields of “future energy, climate change and advanced technology” and efforts to bolster regional security and stability.”

By TON Sri Lanka

The global community should help the island nation to recuperate from the ongoing severe crisis as Lanka in incessant financial fire. Protestors celebrated their victory after entering the building of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister’s office, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, on Sri Lanka July 13, 2022.

As Sri Lanka is experiencing the country's worst economic collapse in its history. Remittances, the country's primary financial source, fell due to the Covid-19 pandemic, triggering the current crisis. Tourism, another mainstay of the income that contributed almost 12 percent of the GDP, was also sapped by the virus outbreak.

Furthermore, the government's irrational decisions on failed economic management appeared unsatisfactory. Having banned the use of chemical fertilizers, the Rajapaksa government splurged on development projects, leading to a deepening of an economic disaster.

As a result, the annual inflation rate of Sri Lanka reached a record high of 54.6 percent on June 2022 from 29.8 percent in the previous month, leaving people unable to purchase food, fuel and medicine. The country has $51 billion in loans, and its currency has collapsed by 80 percent.

The Sri Lankan Finance Ministry guesses it needs $6 billion to live for six months, but the country has only $25 million. With just a small sum in its basket, the country is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster and a bleak future; the fact that the political leadership has failed to gather the support of the people has made matters worse as worldwide actors are reluctant to bail it out.

The economic collapse also worsened people's living standards as they skipped meals and queued up to buy fuel. If that was not enough, the country has recently faced a political crisis of an unprecedented scale as people came out on the streets to take things into their own hands, owing to the failure of the leadership to get things right.

It seemed to be an end cycle of rule from members of the president family came to an abrupt end as present conceded failure, and worried about his security, chose to flee the country. He emailed his resignation letter Thursday night from Singapore, where he is hiding at the moment. The country is now in a state of disaster after president’s humiliating departure.

The people who appeared too cautious to say about their difficulties for too long ended up subjugating the presidential palace and setting the prime minister's residence on fire, effectively defenestrating president from leadership and the country itself. The people's anger results from years of mismanagement, even as political leadership focused on trivial self-interests.

This is a lesson for political leaders all over the world, not least those in Nepal, that once the people decide that enough is enough, and there is no stopping the downfall of anti-people regimes. Miserably, SAARC, as always, is non-existent at this hour of suffering in one of its member nations. It is relating to that a South Asian neighbor is going further into a political and economic abyss without instant help.

Sri Lanka still struggles to come to terms with the deep scars of the 25-year insurgency that left thousands dead, especially in the final years of the war when the then administration viciously eliminated the rebels and the public alike.

Today it has a deeply divided the nation and a further delay in bailing the country out of the catastrophe may lead to manifold forms of social catastrophes, including public robbing and communal conflicts and disharmony . The international community should assess and measure these dangers and perform sharply to help ease the Lankan people, and help the island nation to make progress from the ongoing crisis.

DHAKA, 19 July 2022, (TON): Visiting Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande paid a courtesy call on Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal at the Naval Headquarters.

At the time, the Principal Staff Officer of the naval base and seniorofficers of the Indian Army were present.

Earlier, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) Rear Admiral M Ashraful Haque welcomed the Indian Chief of Army Staff, said a press release here.

During the meeting, the Navy Chief exchanged pleasantries with Indian Army Chief Manoj Pande and thanked him sincerely for his visit to Bangladesh.

They discussed various issues related to bilateral interests including increasing mutual cooperation.

They mentioned the traditional relations between the two friendly states and stressed the importance of furthering the relations.

DHAKA, 19 July 2022, (TON): India has formally proposed to operate fourth more inter-country train services from Dhaka to Kolkata as three railway services like Moitri, Bandhan and Mitali Expresses are still operating between Bangladesh and India.

The proposal came while Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Shri Vikram K. Doraiswami called on Railway Minister Mohammad Nurul Islam Sujon at his office here.

The Indian envoy said "presently three train services like Moitri, Bandhan and Mitali Express are in operation between Bangladesh and India ..one more train service may be operated between Dhaka-Kolkata via Darshana considering demand of the passengers in this route.”

During the discussion, the railway minister urged the Indian envoy to complete Indian part railway line construction from Banglabandha as early as possible as the neighboring India is yet to set the railway connectivity with newly constructed railway line from Panchagarh to Banglabandha.

KABUL, 19 July 2022, (TON): A Pakistani delegation led by Commerce Secretary Saleh Farooqui arrived in Kabul today. Earlier, Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce and Industry said “the delegation will discuss trade, transit and transportation with the Afghan authorities.”

Earlier, Afghanistan's acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, Nooruddin Azizi, said that further facilitation of bilateral trade will be discussed in talks with the Pakistani delegation.

He said “regarding issues of trade and transit of Afghanistan and Pakistan, discussions will be held including cross-staffing. The barter trade issue and coal trade between the two countries will be discussed.”

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment said “Pakistan is trying to make several business ports in Afghanistan.”

Khanjan Alokozai, member of the ACCI said “Pakistan wants to make new ports in Kunar, Nuri and some other provinces.”

DHAKA, 19 July 2022, (TON): Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande paid a courtesy call on his Bangladesh counterpart General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed at the Army Headquarters in Dhaka.

The two discussed ways to enhance and strengthen bilateral defense cooperation.

Earlier, Indian army chief Lieutenant General VK Pande laid a wreath at the Shikha Anirban in Dhaka Cantonment and paid tributes to those who died fighting for Bangladesh Liberation Struggle.

It is his first foreign trip since assumption as Indian Army Chief, and follows the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

After the meeting, a special briefing was held at the Helmet Conference Room of the Army Headquarters for the Indian delegation.

After that, the Indian army chief praised the current leadership of the Bangladesh Army and its overall high standards.

DHAKA, 19 July 2022, (TON): The visiting International Monetary Fund officials in a meeting with the finance ministry on Monday suggested increasing revenue income and reprioritising public expenditure, according to the finance ministry officials.

The IMF officials led by its Asia Pacific chief Rahul Anand gave the suggestion in the light of the country’s economic outlook against the backdrop the current volatility in the global economy.

Officials said “the IMF chief noted that the country’s current tax-GDP ratio was at 9 per cent which should be increased for the country’s successful graduation from the least developed country status from 2026.”

They added that the higher revenue generation was also imperative for attaining the country’s targets under the sustainable development goals by 2030.

DHAKA, 19 July 2022, (TON): Bangladesh and Indonesia have stressed on concluding the bilateral preferential trade agreement for further strengthening the economic cooperation between the two countries.

Bangladesh and Indonesia held a bilateral meeting in Jakarta and discussed the issue.

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and Indonesian minister of foreign affairs Retno Marsudi led the respective delegation in the discussions.

The meeting reviewed the whole gamut of the existing excellent bilateral relations and both sides renewed their commitment for further strengthening it.

The two foreign ministers exchanged felicitations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.