BRUSSELS, 07 July 2022, (TON): Nato’s 30 allies signed an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden on Tuesday, allowing them to join the nuclear-armed alliance once parliaments ratify the decision, the most significant expansion of the alliance since the 1990s.

The signing at Nato headquarters follows a deal with Turkey at last week’s Nato summit in Madrid, where Ankara lifted its veto on the Nordic membership bids following assurances that both countries would do more to fight terrorism.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said “This is truly an historic moment,”

He said “with 32 nations around the table, we will be even stronger.”

TAITUNG, 07 July 2022, (TON): Taiwan’s air force showed off its new locally designed and made jet trainer, touting the more advanced, combat-capable abilities of the aircraft that will replace aging and accident-prone existing equipment.

Taiwan’s armed forces are mostly equipped by the United States, but President Tsai Ing-wen has made development of an advanced home-grown defense industry a priority, especially as China, which claims the island as its own, steps up military modernization efforts and drills near Taiwan.

The new AT-5 Brave Eagle, made by state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. with a budget of T$68.6 billion, had its first test flight in 2020.

It is Taiwan’s first jet made domestically since the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter, or IDF, rolled out more than three decades ago, and the two jets look similar and have similar capabilities.

MANILA, 07 July 2022, (TON): New Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met China’s foreign minister who arrived in Manila to seek a new golden era in bilateral ties at a time when Beijing’s rival, the US, was also trying to boost its influence in the region.

Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the late Philippine dictator, scored a landslide victory in May’s presidential election and was sworn in on June 30, vowing to open a new chapter in the country’s history and stating that his administration would pursue an independent foreign policy.

Wang Yi is the first top foreign official to make a working trip to Manila since the new president took office.

The meeting was held behind closed doors and Marcos only commented on Twitter that Wang had delivered to him a message of support from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

LONDON, 07 July 2022, (TON): Britain's Boris Johnson defied pressure from senior ministers and a mounting rebellion within his party to quit, vowing to stay on as prime minister and fight off any attempts to oust him.

39 ministers and their Tory MP aides had quit over the prior 24 hours, mostly from more junior positions outside the cabinet.

A cabinet delegation had awaited his return to Downing Street from a lengthy grilling by a parliamentary committee to tell him his time was up.

It was said “to include hard-line interior minister Priti Patel and Nadhim Zahawi, who has barely been 24 hours in his new job of finance minister.”

ANKARA, 07 July 2022, (TON): Somalia’s president called for assistance from Turkey to combat the effects of severe drought that is threatening the Horn of Africa.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made the comments during his first visit to Turkey since returning to office following an election in May. The two countries have forged close ties over the past decade.

Mohamud told reporters “the humanitarian situation caused by the drought was one of the issues we discussed in our meeting with (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan."

He said “I would like to take this opportunity to call upon our Turkish brothers to support us and do what they can, as they did before. Your solidarity and support will save the lives of the Somali people and will never be forgotten.”

Some areas of the Horn of Africa could be declared in famine within weeks because of the driest drought in the region in decades.

MOSCOW, 07 July 2022, (TON): A top Kremlin official warned the U.S. that it could face the “wrath of God” if it pursues efforts to help establish an international tribunal to investigate Russia's action in Ukraine.

The Russian lower house speaker urged Washington to remember that Alaska used to belong to Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, denounced the U.S. for what he described as its efforts to spread chaos and destruction across the world for the sake of 'true democracy.’

“The entire U.S. history since the times of subjugation of the native Indian population represents a series of bloody wars,” Medvedev charged in a long diatribe on his Telegram channel, pointing out the U.S. nuclear bombing of Japan during World War II and the war in Vietnam.

BERLIN, 07 July 2022, (TON): Tens of thousands of migrants, who have been living in Germany for years without long-lasting permission to remain in the country, will be eligible for permanent residency after the government approved a new migration bill.

The new regulation, endorsed by the Cabinet, applies to about 136,000 people who have lived in Germany for at least five years by Jan. 1, 2022.

Those who qualify can first apply for a one-year residency status and subsequently apply for permanent residency in Germany.

They must earn enough money to make an independent living in the country, speak German and prove that they are well integrated into society.

Those under the age of 27 can already apply for a path to permanent residency in Germany after having lived in the country for three years.

JAKARTA, 07 July 2022, (TON): Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will this week attend a meeting in Bali with his counterparts from the Group of 20 largest economies, officials confirmed, as host Indonesia tries to mediate rifts in the bloc over Moscow’s participation.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one of the world’s breadbaskets, has delivered shockwaves to global supply chains and also stoked an energy crisis following international sanctions slapped on Moscow a major oil and gas producer which has also led to rising inflation in many countries.

The G20 includes Western countries that have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, but also nations such as China, India, and South Africa that have remained neutral.

The gathering will be the first time that foreign ministers of some of the world’s top economies have met Lavrov since the beginning of the invasion in late February.

MAKKAH, 07 July 2022, (TON): Saudi Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing Majid Al-Hogail recently went on an inspection tour of Makkah and the holy sites to check preparations for this year’s Hajj season.

During the trip, he was briefed by officials on the readiness of municipal centers in Mina and Arafat and places of disembarkation in Muzdalifah to deal with the influx of pilgrims.

The minister’s site visits also involved inspecting plans for cleaning work, programs for maintaining public health and food safety, environmental sanitation works, road maintenance, lighting systems operation, and the cleaning of rainwater and torrential drainage networks.

In addition, Al-Hogail examined a model showing municipal service centers inside the holy sites and he reviewed the municipality’s plans to use a network of 58 tunnels to ease traffic circulation in and around Makkah where an estimated 22,000 staff members will be on hand to help worshippers perform Hajj.

By Farzana Tamannur (TON Bangladesh) 

Bangladesh is a magnificent example of religious liberty and communal harmony; wherever people of all religions have lived in peace for ages. Bangladesh has been appreciated as a country of communal harmony for several years, irrespective of religion, caste, tribe otherwise community. A bond of association has established among all.

Everybody, regardless of religion or creed, jumped into the war of freedom of '71 for the liberation of the country plus shed fresh blood. The Muslims of this country have given shelter to the Hindus in danger as well as saved their lives. This was because the pre-1971 Constitution of Pakistan the protection of minorities was guaranteed. In this country Eid and Puja are celebrated side by side. These two carnivals have now become common festivals. Everybody who has come from overseas has praised our communal accord. Such examples are rare in the world. Although unpleasant, the troublemakers have attacked and destroyed the houses of minorities in diverse parts of the country. There have moreover been events of deaths. Hindu community places of worship have been attacked. Attacks on minorities are not novel in this country. Extremists are attacking them on small excuses, burning houses.

Bangladesh is home to 16 crore people who are multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-lingual. The Constitution of Bangladesh assurances all citizens the liberty to practice their selected religion freely and serenely. It is projected that religious minorities establish about 12 percent of the present population of Bangladesh. Hindus make up less than 10 percent of the population, Christians 0.5 percent Buddhists 1 percent, and ethnic minorities less than 1 percent. 

Dr. Avantika writes in her article that Bangladesh is a genuine example of how people of diverse religions can live together plus cooperate. Bangladesh is a country wherever religious liberty, harmony and acceptance are valued. The population of Bangladesh is made up of diverse sets of religious groups plus ethnic groups. Such communities and groups live in accord. They learn to put aside their differences and hold and respect the various culture that has contributed to Bangladesh's equality.

She wrote that Bangladesh stands as a shining model of unbroken social as well as religious peace. This country is an example of social harmony because of its rich culture of tolerance and respect among all, regardless of their views and approaches. Their generous attitude has contributed to the unity of the nation.

The Sheikh Hasina government has stuck up for the minority community plus assisted in the recovery of property lost in front of the famed Dhakeswari Temple in Dhaka. Bangladesh is also building a Buddhist sanctuary in Lumbini, Nepal to serve Buddhist pilgrims from around the world.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's management manages all mosques, churches, temples, pagodas and gurdwaras in Bangladesh over the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Can anybody imagine a Muslim country building a Buddhist monastery in Nepal (religiously Hindu country)? This lately built monastery has set a clear example for all countries of the world that Bangladesh is a role model for the world in communal accord. The Bangladesh government is keen to maintain Bangladesh as a non-communal Bangladesh.

For instance, according to media reports, two people of diverse religions in the Khulna division of Bangladesh - a Hindu and a Muslim - have set a model of communal harmony by empathizing with each other's religions. In Bagerhat district, a Hindu has donated assets for the construction of a mosque plus nine Muslim leaders of the local Awami League have donated a share of their land for use as a crematorium.

Bangladesh is a land of diversity and equality. Constitutionally secular, it is varied in terms of religion, ethnicity plus language of its citizens. Despite that, communal harmony does prevail in every phase of our country. There are persons from diverse religions and groups which constitute the 160 million inhabitants of Bangladesh. Muslims being the biggest with over 90 percent of the entire population, here also live the Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and also some people from other beliefs.
Fundamental difference exists in terms of culture and language but that does not obstruct serene cohabitation. The tribal people of Chittagong Hill Tracts living together with millions of Bengali settlers from the plains are the utmost example of peace, harmony, mutual respect and equality.

Difference exists amongst the Muslims also as 3 percent of the Muslims are Shias while maximum of the others are Sunnis. In the Islamic world, there lies a great clash between the Shias and the Sunnis because of their varied beliefs and ceremonies. Wars are being fought over these matters. But in Bangladesh, however the Sunnis are enormously larger in number, the Shias do not face any suffering or oppression from them. Reasonably, they perform their rituals without any fright having huge support from the Sunnis. We really never bother to know if a Muslim is Shia or Sunni. Even our religious leaders never utter any concern over these variances and that is a great example of communal accord that prevails in our beloved motherland.

We must note that, it appears we are always more kind to the people from other religion, ethnicity or else features. It is our custom that, we are more inquisitive to help or know about the persons who belong to a diverse group. The friendship is very resilient among representatives of diverse communities and that is an amazing feature of Bangladesh.

For all these causes, Bangladesh can be considered as a world champ and a role model of communal accord. People have been living here for a long time with assurance in inter-communal harmony without compromising their religious traditions The world knows and appreciates the inter-communal harmony of Bangladesh. Bangladeshis stand by the principle of 'religion is one's own, but festivals are for everybody'; everyone has equal respect for all religions.