TEHRAN, 17 June 2022, (TON): State television reported “Iranian authorities have arrested a person accused of having a link to two French citizens being held on espionage charges.”

The report said the suspect was a Marxist who visited the two alleged French spies before the May 1 International Workers’ Day, as part of a plot to create unrest among workers.

It did not disclose the suspect’s gender, but said the person was arrested by intelligence services while trying to leave the country through the province of West Azerbaijan.

The TV also said “the accused was tasked with rallying workers and teachers for street protests.”

RIYADH, 17 June 2022, (TON): Saudi Press Agency reported “Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman held a meeting on Thursday with Malaysia’s defense minister Hishammuddin bin Hussein.”

The pair discussed enhancing bilateral relations in all fields, especially defense.

Senior Saudi and Malaysian civil and military officials attended the meeting.

 CAIRO, 17 June 2022, (TON): Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed “his country is continuously working to deepen the partnership with the EU in order to achieve a qualitative leap in the relationship between the two sides.”

In a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, El-Sisi said that the EU is a key partner for Egypt.

The Egyptian president also indicated “his country is working to strengthen cooperation with the EU, especially in the field of energy,” pointing out that an agreement was reached that will lay the foundations of a strategic partnership in the field of energy with Europe.

He said “the international community is going through a delicate circumstance and the language of dialogue must prevail to resolve disputes.”

He added “he had discussed food security and

NEW YORK, 17 June 2022, (TON): The head of the UN mission at Hodeidah in Yemen, which is monitoring the ceasefire there, has called for its mandate to be extended.

Maj. Gen. Michael Beary emphasized the strategic and humanitarian significance of the coastal city to the future of Yemen, and said there is no easy substitute for its ports.

He  told “the ports serve as a lifeline for Yemen.”

They supply up to 70 percent of the country’s population with humanitarian aid and essential food supplies.

“There is no viable substitute for Hodeidah’s ports, both in terms of location and infrastructure, and the governorate remains an indispensable pathway to the country’s social economic recovery.”

KYIV, 17 June 2022, (TON): The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of support which Kyiv hopes will be followed by more weapons and tougher action to help in the war with Russia.

In the first such visit to the capital since Russia unleashed its invasion, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, Italy’s Mario Draghi and Romania’s Klaus Iohannis, shook hands with Zelensky, who has not left Ukraine since war began.

The meeting came after the four European leaders had walked around ruined buildings and wrecked cars in the nearby town of Irpin, the scene of heavy fighting early in the invasion.

The tour was designed to highlight what Ukraine and its backers say were large-scale atrocities committed by Russian troops, what Scholz described as the scene of unimaginable cruelty and senseless violence.

MOSCOW, 17 June 2022, (TON): The Kremlin warned against new Western weapons supplies to Ukraine as French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in Kyiv.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters “I would like to hope that the leaders of these three states and the President of Romania will not only focus on supporting Ukraine by further pumping Ukraine with weapons.”

He added “it would be absolutely useless and will cause further damage to the country.”

The leaders of the European Union’s biggest economies are making their first trip to Ukraine since Russia sent troops to Ukraine on February 24.

CHICAGO, 17 June 2022, (TON): President Joe Biden needs to find the will to do the right thing and push Israelis and Palestinians together to achieve peace, one of his strongest supporters in Congress told media.

Congresswoman Marie Newman, a Democrat, said “the issue of Palestine and Israel is important to her constituents in her former 3rd District, and even more so in the newly drawn 6th District where she is running for re-election in the June 28, 2022 Democratic Primary election.”

Newman has been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government’s harsh policies toward Palestinians, including the home confiscations in Sheikh Jarrah and several other human rights violations.

But she insisted she supports Israel and the Biden administration, explaining that getting both to do the right thing is not something to be criticized for.

Newman said “I wish the answer was yes, Ray, I just don’t think it is there. I think it is not a priority for them. And as much as I scream about it, Rashida screams about it, and Ilhan.”

He said “there are 10 of us that talk to the State Department regularly about this and it has not been prioritized. We fight, we fight. We fight. Because every fight starts with one person. Then it grows to 10. And then it grows to a thousand. We have to fight.”

DHAKA, 17 June 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought the support of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to fulfill the vision of Bangladesh of turning into a developed nation by 2041.

She said “I hope Japan and JICA will be with us to fulfill our vision to become a developed nation by 2041.”

The premier said “this in her video message aired in the celebration program of the 50 years of cooperation between Bangladesh and JICA.”

She said “Bangladesh is marching forward to fulfill the Father of the Nation’s dream of turning Bangladesh into a developed nation.”

She added “Bangladesh has already attained recognition for graduating to a developing country in 2026.”

KABUL, 17 June 2022, (TON): Nasir A. Andisha, the permanent envoy of Afghanistan to the UN in Geneva, at the UN Human Rights session said “the international community's efforts have come to a deadlock in the last ten months of interaction with the Islamic Emirate.”

According to Andisha, human rights violations, women being excluded from work and education, and restrictions on women have caused the international community to become frustrated with the Islamic Emirate.

Nasir A. Andisha, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the UN in Geneva said “over the past ten months the international community is using every possible means to engage with the Taliban, but unfortunately it appears that all efforts are approaching a dead end, a cul-de-sac filled with broken promises and deep disappointments.”

At the 50th Annual UN Human Rights Session, countries and representatives of human rights organizations discussed the state of the world's interactions with the Islamic Emirate, the "systematic exclusion of women from society and the deteriorating human rights situation."

DHAKA, 17 June 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said Bangladesh engages with the world on its "own term" while Dhaka believes in partnerships with countries for mutual economic benefits.  

He said "we are no longer price takers. We engage with the world on our own terms.”

The foreign minister was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a seminar titled "Changing Global Order: Securing Bangladesh's National Interest" Organized by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its auditorium in the capital.

Dr Momen said “Bangladesh believes in inclusive and sustainable development and it continuously studies the international events and actors.

He said "when we are discussing the changing global order and securing Bangladesh's interest, we can visualize a nearly infinite spectrum of scenarios and an equally innumerable set of factors which are constantly changing with each passing moment.”