BEIRUT, 14 June 2022, (TON): President Michel Aoun confirmed to the UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon Joanna Wronecka that the “Lebanese side will inform Hochstein of a unified stance regarding the proposals to resume these negotiations that preserve Lebanon’s rights.”

Talks between the two neighbors stopped after Israel rejected a Lebanese proposal to consider Line 29 as a negotiating line, and after the Lebanese rejected the Israeli Line 1 and Hof Line proposals.

Wronecka expressed the willingness of the UN to contribute to resuming the negotiations, praising the wisdom of President Aoun and his role in this critical period of the history of Lebanon.

The president told a delegation of lawmakers “Israel is acting contrary to international laws and resolutions, taking advantage of the silence of the international community regarding its violations of the UN Security Council resolutions.”

TEHRAN, 14 June 2022, (TON): Iran said Monday that a Venezuelan airplane grounded in Argentina is part of a propaganda campaign against Tehran, amid tensions with Western countries over negotiations to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.

The Venezuelan Boeing 747 cargo plane, reportedly carrying car parts and with 14 Venezuelan and five Iranian crew members, has been held in Argentina’s Ezeiza airport after the authorities questioned its reasons for landing last week.

The grounding came days before Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited Tehran, where Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year deal on cooperation between the allies that are both subject to US sanctions.

SINGAPORE, 14 June 2022, (TON): China will fight to the very end to stop Taiwanese independence, the country’s defence minister vowed, stoking already soaring tensions with the United States over the island.

The superpowers are locked in a growing war of words over the self-ruled, democratic island, which Beijing views as part of its territory awaiting reunification.

Frequent Chinese aircraft incursions near Taiwan have raised the diplomatic temperature, and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin accused Beijing of destabilising military activity, in a speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit.

Defence Minister Wei Fenghe hit back in a fiery address at the same event, saying Beijing had no choice but to fight if attempts are made to separate Taiwan from China.

He told the summit “we will fight at all cost, and we will fight to the very end.”

MOSCOW, 14 June 2022, (TON): Russia’s Defense Ministry said “its missiles had destroyed a large quantity of weapons and military equipment in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, including some that had been sent by the United States and European nations.”

The ministry said high-precision air-based missiles had struck near the Udachne railway station, hitting equipment that had been delivered to Ukrainian forces.

CAIRO, 14 June 2022, (TON): Egyptian Defense Minister Lt. General Mohammad Zaki is discussing with his Iraqi counterpart Jumaa Inad Saadoun the military cooperation between the two countries.

According to Egyptian army spokesman Col. Gharib Abdel Hafez “the meeting, currently taking place in Egypt as part of an official visit lasting several days, is dealing with a number of issues of common interest in military cooperation and the transfer and exchange of experiences between the armed forces of both countries.”

The Egyptian defense minister affirmed his country’s pride in its established relations with Iraq and the keenness of the General Command of the Egyptian Armed Forces to increase the bonds of cooperation and partnership in various military fields.

GENEVA, 14 June 2022, (TON): The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League has taken part in a summit of major international organizations to coordinate responses to accelerating global challenges.

The forum, held in Geneva, Switzerland, was launched under the title “Cooperation between International Organizations in the Humanitarian Fields.”

It included, in addition to the MWL and the World Council of Churches, the World Health Organization, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

CAIRO, 14 June 2022, (TON): Tribal clashes over the past week in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur have killed around 100 people, the UN refugee agency and a tribal elder, the latest surge in violence in the restive region.

Toby Harward, a coordinator with the UNHCR, said “the fighting grew out of a land dispute between Arab and African tribes in the town of Kulbus in West Darfur province.”

He said “Local Arab militias then attacked multiple villages in the area, forcing thousands of people to flee.”

Abkar Al-Toum, a tribal leader in the town, said “the dead included at least 62 bodies found burned after militias set more than 20 villages on fire.”

He said “many people were still unaccounted for. He claimed the attackers gained control of water resources, aggravating the humanitarian situation in the area. He did not elaborate.”

NEW DELHI, 14 June 2022, (TON): India is processing the requests from several countries, including Bangladesh, on supplying wheat to them, said “M Angamuthu, chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Authority.”

India banned wheat exports amid spiralling global prices on May 13. At that time, the Indian commerce ministry, however, clearly stated that the shipment of the staple food would be open under the government-to-government contract and to any other vulnerable country facing a food crisis.

Angamuthu said “India has kept its wheat export options open for developing countries to ensure their food security.”

He, however, declined to name the countries that are seeking Indian wheat.

A source said New Delhi has received letters seeking wheat supplies from Bangladesh, Yemen, Indonesia, the UAE and Oman.

DHAKA, 14 June 2022, (TON): Chief of Air Staff of Bangladesh Air Force Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan left Dhaka for Canada.

An ISPR press release said “the air chief left here at the invitation of Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force Lieutenant General A.D. Meinzinger.

During the visit, the chief of air staff will call on President and CEO of Canadian Commercial Corporation Bobby Kwon and Assistant Deputy Minister of Global Affairs, Canada Paul Thoppil.

They would exchange views on bilateral issues of mutual interests.

DHAKA, 14 June 2022, (TON): Parliament on Monday passed the supplementary budget of Tk17,524 crore for the fiscal 2021-22 to meet the increased expenditures under different ministries and divisions.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal placed the supplementary budget in the House on June 9 along with the national budget.

In 2021-22 fiscal the total budget was Tk 603,681 crore in favour of 62 ministries and divisions.

In the supplementary budget the expenditure in 27 ministries and divisions was increased by Tk17,524.64 crore while expenditures in 35 ministries and divisions were reduced by Tk22,614.18 crore.

As a result, the budget allocations for these ministries and divisions got reduced by Tk10,181 crore and the total allocation now stands at Tk593,500 crore.