NEW DELHI, 11 May 2022, (TON): A day after Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa quit following massive anti-government protests, India said it will always be guided by the best interests of the people of the island nation.

India also said “it is fully supportive of Sri Lanka's democracy, stability and economic recovery, in its first reaction to the situation in Sri Lanka after Rajapaksa's resignation following waves of protests over the government's handling of the economic crisis.”

"As a close neighbour of Sri Lanka, with historical ties, India is fully supportive of its democracy, stability and economic recovery.”

He was responding to media queries on the developments in Sri Lanka.

NEW DELHI, 11 May 2022, (TON): Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged “the centre is not getting support from the West Bengal government in its attempts to control illegal infiltration on the India-Bangladesh border.”

Amit Shah hit out at Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Mr Shah said "in Bengal and Assam both, we are making efforts to stop illegal infiltration. In Bengal, we don't get any support, so we are not getting any success in stopping illegal infiltration. But in Assam, we are seeing success since the state government is standing tall like a mountain in front of the illegal infiltrators.”

The mega rally, which the BJP claimed was attended by close to a lakh people, was a massive show of strength for the party in Assam - a state where the party has not lost a single election at any level since 2016. Mr Shah upped the ante on illegal immigration.

Mr Shah added "all doors from Assam for cattle smuggling have been closed. I have inspected the Bangladesh border with Assam yesterday. I can say a massive downfall has started in the past six years in infiltration.”

KABUL, 11 May 2022, (TON): The United Nations World Food Program has once again warned of an increase in hunger in Afghanistan, saying “almost half of Afghanistan’s population is facing acute hunger.”

According to a WFP report “the prolonged drought and deep economic crisis will threaten the livelihoods of millions of people across Afghanistan.”

The report reads “19.7 million people, almost half of Afghanistan’s population, are facing acute hunger according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis conducted in January and February 2022 by Food Security and Agriculture Cluster partners.”

The report further added that humanitarian assistance averted a catastrophe in the harsh winter months but hunger continues across the country at unprecedented levels.

The report predicts that the outlook for June-November 2022 sees a slight improvement in the food security situation, with a reduction in the number of people facing acute food insecurity to 18.9 million people.

DHAKA, 11 May 2022, (TON): Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said “the reinstatement of the Generalised System of Preferences to the US market for Bangladeshi products was no more an issue although it was pressed politically.”

He said “the major issue was rather high tariff on exports of readymade garments from Bangladesh to the United States.”

We want free trade. We talk about the reinstatement of the GSP facility politically. The US charges as high as 15.5 per cent tariff on exports of our garment items.

We want our competitors are not given such facility,’ Momen told reporters after a meeting of the US-Bangladesh Business Council.

He mentioned “a 27-member delegation from the US businesses now visiting Bangladesh attended the meeting at the Foreign Service Academy.”

DHAKA, 11 May 2022, (TON): The USAID launched $20 million dollars ecosystem project named “Protibesh” to protect critical forests and wetland areas in Bangladesh.

A press release said “The project targets two key areas, including the Sundarbans mangrove forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site home to the Royal Bengal tiger and forest and freshwater wetland ecosystems of the Sylhet border region in country's northeastern part.”

Planning minister MA Mannan and USAID Deputy administrator for policy and programming Isobel Coleman lunched the new five-year project while officials from different ministries and department were also present, among others.

As a result of the “Protibesh” project, Bangladesh will be able to combat the effects of climate change, protect the country's critical natural sources.

WASHINGTON, 10 May 2022, (TON): Highlighting the deepening ties of friendship between the United States and Qatar, the Overseas Buildings Operations, the U.S. Mission in Doha, and other U.S. and local officials broke ground today for a new U.S. Embassy in Qatar’s capital city.

Located on a 12.3-acre site in a new diplomatic zone in Doha’s Wadi al Banat district, the new U.S. Embassy will support the continued expansion of U.S.–Qatari diplomatic, security, and commercial relations.

Richärd Kennedy Architects of Phoenix, Arizona, is the design architect, American International Contractors Inc. (Special Projects), of McLean, Virginia, is the Design/Build contractor, and KCCT of Washington is the Architect of Record. 

An estimated $110 million will be invested in the local economy and approximately 1,200 third-country nationals will be employed during construction. 

The new U.S. Embassy is scheduled for completion in 2026 and will provide a future-forward, resilient platform for diplomacy in Doha.

LONDON, 10 May 2022, (TON): Defence contracts worth more than £2 billion have been awarded to BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce to begin the third major phase of the future submarine nuclear deterrent programme, Dreadnought.

With the overall programme supporting around 30,000 jobs across the UK, from design through to build, Delivery Phase 3 represents the most significant stage of the Dreadnought programme so far.

In 2021 alone, it supported around 13,500 jobs in the Northwest of England and a further 16,300 over the rest of the UK, making a significant contribution to the Government’s levelling-up agenda.

The investment is the latest financial commitment between the Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, and is the initial investment within a planned overall total of nearly £10 billion for the whole delivery phase.

DP3 will see the first of four submarines, HMS Dreadnought, exit the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard to begin sea trials, laying the foundation to sustain the Continuous at Sea Deterrence for as long as the international security situation makes it necessary.

TEHRAN, 10 May 2022, (TON): Iran’s foreign ministry said “the European Union’s coordinator for talks between Iran and world powers over restoring a 2015 nuclear deal will visit Tehran this week.”

“The agenda for talks in Tehran is nearly finalized,” foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a weekly press briefing.

“He will meet with Ali Bagheri, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.”

The date of Mora’s arrival in Iran’s capital has not been confirmed, but local press reported he is expected.

The 2015 deal gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to guarantee that it could not develop a nuclear weapon, something Tehran has always denied wanting to do.

It was agreed between Iran and the five permanent United Nations Security Council members China, Russia, the United States, United Kingdom and France, alongside Germany.

WASHINGTON, 10 May 2022, (TON): We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, underscore our grave concern over the selection process for the Chief Executive in Hong Kong as part of a continued assault.

Last year, PRC and Hong Kong authorities moved away from the ultimate aim of universal suffrage as set out in Hong Kong’s Basic Law by increasing the number of non-elected members appointed to the Election Committee and dramatically curtailing the number of voters eligible to participate in the Committee elections.

The current nomination process and resulting appointment are a stark departure from the aim of universal suffrage and further erode the ability of Hong Kongers to be legitimately represented.

We are deeply concerned about this steady erosion of political and civil rights and Hong Kong’s autonomy.

WASHINGTON, 10 May 2022, (TON): Highlighting the deepening ties of friendship between the United States and Qatar, the Overseas Buildings Operations, the U.S. Mission in Doha, and other U.S. and local officials broke ground today for a new U.S. Embassy in Qatar’s capital city.

Located on a 12.3-acre site in a new diplomatic zone in Doha’s Wadi al Banat district, the new U.S. Embassy will support the continued expansion of U.S.–Qatari diplomatic, security, and commercial relations.

Richärd Kennedy Architects of Phoenix, Arizona, is the design architect, American International Contractors Inc, of McLean, Virginia, is the Design/Build contractor, and KCCT of Washington is the Architect of Record. 

An estimated $110 million will be invested in the local economy and approximately 1,200 third-country nationals will be employed during construction.