WASHINGTON, 21 May 2022, (TON): President Joe Biden left for South Korea and Japan to cement US leadership in Asia at a time when the White House’s attention has been pulled back to Russia and Europe and amid fears of a North Korean nuclear test during his trip.

Biden wants the trip to build on recent moves accelerating a years-long US pivot to Asia, where rising Chinese commercial and military power is undercutting Washington’s dominance.

But highlighting competing demands from Europe, Biden met right before his departure with the leaders of Finland and Sweden to celebrate their applications for joining NATO a seismic development sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In another sign of growing US involvement in the conflict, the White House said Biden would put his signature while in Asia on a massive, $40 billion Ukraine weapons and aid package passed by Congress.

Signing the bill expeditiously will ensure no gap in the funding flow, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Seoul.

MOSCOW, 21 May 2022, (TON): Russia claimed to have captured Mariupol in what would be its biggest victory yet in its war with Ukraine, after a nearly three-month siege that reduced much of the strategic port city to a smoking ruin, with over 20,000 civilians feared dead.

Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said “Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin the “complete liberation” of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance and the city as a whole.”

There was no immediate confirmation from Ukraine.

Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti quoted the ministry as saying a total of 2,439 Ukrainian fighters who had been holed up at the steelworks had surrendered since Monday, including over 500.

As they surrendered, the troops were taken prisoner by the Russians, and at least some were taken to a former penal colony.

DAMASCUS, 21 May 2022, (TON): Syrian air defenses intercepted Israeli missile strikes near Damascus, state media reported.

Syria’s official news agency said “our air defenses stopped a number of hostile missiles in the airspace of the southern countryside of Damascus.”

AFP correspondents in the Syrian capital said “they heard very loud noises in the evening.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said “the target of the Israeli strikes were Iranian bases near Damascus.”

The latest strike follows one on May 14 that killed five soldiers and another one on April 27 which, according to the Observatory, killed 10 combatants, among them six Syrian soldiers, in the deadliest such raid since the start of 2022.

KABUL, 21 May 2022, (TON): The Indian government consigned another batch of 2,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan, over the Attari-Wagah border as humanitarian aid.

The shipment was flagged off by the Commissioner of Customs, Rahul Nangare, as wheat-laden trucks with the message ‘Gift from the people of India to the people of Afghanistan’ went across the border.

The commissioner stated “the Indian government has promised to provide 50,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan, to which we have sent 10,000 metric tons of wheat already. From the remaining 40,000 metric tons today we are sending the first consignment of 2,000 metric tons of wheat.”

Previously, India announced that it will provide 50,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan.

On February 26, the first convoy of humanitarian aid from India arrived in Jalalabad via Pakistan. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the second convoy of India’s humanitarian assistance carrying 2,000 MTs of wheat left Attari, Amritsar on March 3 for Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

DHAKA, 21 May 2022, (TON): Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has sought further support from Singapore and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for early repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar.

Masud made the call as Derek Loh, non-resident high commissioner of Singapore to Bangladesh, met him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.

The foreign secretary also exchanged greetings marking the golden jubilee of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

He hoped “the multifaceted bilateral relations would grow further with expanded engagements in many areas of cooperation.”

NEW DELHI, 21 May 2022, (TON): President Ram Nath Kovind has called for an urgent reform of global institutions, with the UN Security Council at its core, to reflect the contemporary global reality.

Addressing a special sitting of the House Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines here, Kovind, the first Indian Head of State to visit this Caribbean island nation, said “multilateralism is more relevant in today's interconnected and interdependent world than it was at any time in our shared history.”

The topic of the sitting assembly was "India and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Towards an Inclusive World Order.”

Multilateralism ought to be used as an instrument to promote strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth in all nation-states.

He said “however, for multilateralism to remain relevant and effective, institutions need to be reformed.”

DHAKA, 21 May 2022, (TON): The Indian High Commission in Dhaka said “the cross-border train services between Bangladesh and India will resume soon.”

The Maitree Express service between Dhaka-Kolkata and the Bandhan Express Service between Kolkata-Khulna will resume on 29 May 2022.

The Maitree Express will start its service from Dhaka while the Bandhan Express will start from Kolkata. The services were suspended due to pandemic.

The new Mitali Express between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka will be flagged off virtually by the railway ministers of India and Bangladesh on June 1.

DHAKA, 21 May 2022, (TON): The delegation from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has conveyed Bangladesh’s eagerness to further strengthen existing bilateral relations with the United States.

The parliamentary delegation on the second day of their visit to the US met US State Department Assistant Secretary of State Ambassador Donald Lu, and held a meeting with Congressman Dwight Evans at his Longworth office on Capitol Hill.

The delegation also participated in a roundtable discussion with senior officials of the International Republican Institute led by its President Dr Daniel Twining.

The meetings and discussions were marked by a high degree of warmth and cordiality. Bangladesh Ambassador to the USM Shahidul Islam and senior officials of the Embassy were present.

WASHINGTON, 20 May 2022, (TON): The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved nearly $40 billion in new aid for Ukraine sending the bill to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law as Washington races to keep military assistance flowing nearly three months after Russia’s invasion.

The Senate voted 86-11 in favor of the emergency package of military, economic and humanitarian assistance, by far the largest U.S. aid package for Ukraine to date.

All 11 no votes were from Republicans.

The strong bipartisan support underscored the desire from lawmakers, most Republicans as well as Biden’s fellow Democrats – to support Ukraine’s war effort, without sending U.S. troops.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said “this is a large package, and it will meet the large needs of the Ukrainian people as they fight for their survival.”

Biden said “the spending bill’s passage ensured there will be no lapse in U.S. funding for Ukraine.”

BERLIN, 20 May 2022, (TON): Germany removed perks accorded to former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, assessing that he has failed to uphold the obligations of his office by refusing to sever ties with Russian energy giants.

The parliament’s decision to strip Schroeder of an office and paid staff follows a lengthy effort to get him to turn his back on President Vladimir Putin, which spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine.

EU lawmakers separately called in a non-binding resolution on the bloc to slap sanctions on Schroeder and other Europeans who refuse to give up lucrative board seats at Russian companies.

The parliament decided “the coalition parliamentary groups have drawn consequences from the behavior of former chancellor and lobbyist Gerhard Schroeder in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

“The office of the former chancellor shall be suspended,” it said, noting that Schroeder “no longer upholds the continuing obligations of his office.”

German media have put the annual cost of Schroeder’s office and employees paid for by taxpayers at around 400,000 euros ($421,000).