WASHINGTON, 27 June 2022, (TON): US President Joe Biden praised Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his leadership in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine and urged the West to stay united.

Biden told Scholz at a meeting ahead of the G7 summit in the German Alps “we have to stay together.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin had been hoping “somehow NATO and the G7 would splinter.”

Biden said “but we haven’t and we’re not going to.”

Biden met his German host in the picturesque Elmau Castle where the G7 Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States was holding a three-day summit dominated by the crisis in Ukraine.

Biden praised Scholz’s leadership as current chair of the G7 at a time of upheaval in Europe triggered by Russia’s war and subsequent global economic fallout.

MOSCOW, 27 June 2022, (TON): Explosions rocked a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv as G7 leaders gathered in Germany to discuss their backing of Ukraine against Russia's invasion, with a crucial Nato meeting set to follow in days.

The city's mayor Vitali Klitschko said “the first attack on the capital in nearly three weeks was intended to intimidate Ukrainians at the approach of the Nato summit.”

Klitschko said after visiting the apartment building that was hit “some of the inhabitants have been evacuated. Two wounded people have been hospitalized.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to address both the G7 and Nato gatherings, said cities as far away as Lviv, near the Polish border, had been struck by a wave of attacks.

He said in his daily address “this confirms that air defence systems the modern systems which our partners have should not be on (their current) sites or in storage, but in Ukraine.”

RAMALLAH, 27 June 2022, (TON): Israel has established a new special military brigade to protect its barrier in the West Bank and reconstruct several kilometers of wall in southern Jenin, with a shoot-to-kill policy against Palestinian infiltrators, senior Israeli military sources revealed this week.

The Wall Brigade started functioning two weeks ago and consists of six battalions numbering 2,100 personnel.

The budget for the new 60-kilometer-long, seven-meter-high cement wall, which will start from the south of Jenin and run along the border with the West Bank, is $100 million.

The brigade command is located in the Maccabim area near the village of Ni’lin, close to Israel’s borders west of Ramallah.

A senior Israeli defense source said “the idea of ​​establishing the new wall brigade came in the wake of the wave of escalation in attacks against Israel from the West Bank in March and April.”

MADRID, 27 June 2022, (TON): Spain is lobbying for NATO to pay more attention to security threats on its southern flank when the military alliance gathers for a summit in Madrid later this week.

But with the war in Ukraine entering its fifth month, the priority for Spain’s NATO partners remains firmly on deterring Russian in the east.

When NATO leaders convene in Madrid on June 28-30 they are due to revamp the alliance’s strategic concept, which outlines its main security tasks and challenges but has not been revised since 2010.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has been pushing for NATO to broaden its scope to help deal with non-military threats such as the political use of energy resources and illegal immigration in Africa.

He told a Madrid news conference “the threats are as much from the southern flank as from the eastern flank.”

BEIRUT, 27 June 2022, (TON): Lebanon’s top Christian cleric urged fractious politicians to speed up the formation of a government to allow authorities to prepare for presidential elections due before the end of October.

Lebanon’s Najib Mikati was nominated premier for a fourth time after securing the support of 54 of parliament’s 128 lawmakers, including the Iran-backed Hezbollah, in consultations convened by President Michel Aoun.

But with splits running deep among Lebanon’s ruling elite, it is widely believed Mikati will struggle to form a government, spelling political paralysis that could hamper reforms agreed with the International Monetary Fund to unlock aid.

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai said “again I demand speeding up formation of a national government with the country’s pressing need for it and so that the focus can immediately be on preparations to elect a president who saves the country.”

ISTANBUL, 27 June 2022, (TON): His office said “Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled that no progress had been made in Sweden’s bid to join NATO, urging Stockholm to take “concrete actions” to meet Ankara’s concerns.”

Turkish presidency said in a statement “in a phone call with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Erdogan reiterated that Sweden should take steps regarding such fundamental matters as combating terrorism.”

He added “Turkey wanted to see binding commitments on these issues together with concrete and clear action.”

Finland and Sweden discussed their stalled NATO bids with Turkey in Brussels on Monday, but Ankara dampened hopes that their dispute will be resolved before an alliance summit next week. Turkish officials said “Ankara does not view the summit as a final deadline for resolving Ankara’s objections.”

DHAKA, 27 June 2022, (TON): Prime minister Sheikh Hasina urged the Kuwait government to invest in Special Economic Zones of Bangladesh.

She also urged the Middle Eastern country for recruiting more skilled and semi-skilled manpower from Bangladesh.

The prime minister made the request when outgoing ambassador of Kuwait to Bangladesh Adel Mohammed AH Hayat paid a courtesy call on her at her official residence Ganobhaban.

According to an official release “Sheikh Hasina told the ambassador that her government is trying hard to meet the basic needs of the people of Bangladesh including providing jobs, land and houses.”

DHAKA, 27 June 2022, (TON): The Dhaka-Jalpaiguri Mitali Express will remain suspended for nine days, from July 6 ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

According to Bangladesh Railway's request “the services will be discontinued till Eid celebrations are completed, reports Mint.”

Mitali Express started its operations on June 1.

The non-stop train service runs between New Jalpaiguri Junction, one of the largest railway stations in North Bengal in India, and Cantonment Railway Station in Dhaka.

DOHA, 27 June 2022, (TON): Talks between the US and Iran on the 2015 nuclear deal are likely to be held in Qatar, Iran International reported, citing a website close to Iran’s security council.

Iran International website said “efforts by Qatar to help restart talks for lifting US sanctions on Iran made Doha’s chances for hosting the upcoming negotiations higher than other countries.”

Nour News, according to Iran International “reflects the views of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Ali Shamkhani.”

Iran’s indirect talks with the US on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact will resume soon, the Iranian foreign minister said “amid a push by the EU’s top diplomat to break a months-long impasse.”

KABUL, 27 June 2022, (TON): China has pledged to provide $7.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid for victims of a deadly earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan.

The first shipment of aid, including tents, sheets and convertible beds, would be transported to Afghanistan on Monday by a charter flight.

Global Times quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin as saying “China would work closely with the Afghan government to ensure that aid reached the affected people in time.”

China’s food support has already arrived in Afghanistan and is being distributed quickly¸ the newspaper reported.