NEW DELHI, 29 April 2022, (TON): Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said “there would be a need for IAF to prepare for short swift wars as well as be ready for a long-drawn standoff akin to what is being seen in Eastern Ladakh.”

The Air Chief Marshal was addressing IAF senior officers during the inaugural session of a national-level Logistics Seminar at the Air Force Auditorium in the national capital.

The IAF chief said "there will be a need to cater for resources bridging and transportation for both these contingencies.”

He said “while the movement of Sqn load to Operation locations would be supported to an extent by dedicated air effort, timely replenishment of Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF), armament, aviation spares, aviation lubes and FOL, would be a challenging proposition.”

He added "towards this, we need to formalise an integrated road and rail management plan and explore the feasibility of increased containerisation and use of civilian wide-bodied aircraft.”

NEW DELHI, 29 April 2022, (TON): India once again said “its objective has been to stabilise its economic engagement with Russia and that an inter-ministerial group is looking at resolving issues relating to payment mechanisms with Moscow.”

The comments by External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came amid increasing Western pressure on India to limit its economic ties with Russia and oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Replying to a question at a media briefing, Mr Bagchi said “there is a possibility that the Western sanctions against Russia might impact India and the inter-ministerial group is looking into the issue.”

He said "our objective has been to see how (we) can stabilise the economic transactions or economic engagement that we are doing with Russia in the current context.”

India has not yet publicly condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine and has been pressing for the resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.

DHAKA, 29 April 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said “initiative has taken to resume various cross-border routes between Bangladesh and India that were stopped in 1965, stressing the need for enhancing connectivity between the two countries for mutual benefits.”

She said "we have to increase connectivity. If the connectivity between the countries is increased, India's North Eastern provinces - Assam and Tripura - can have access to Chattagram port.”

The premier said this when Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid a courtesy call on her at her official Ganabhaban residence here this afternoon.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed newsmen after the call on.

During the meeting, they expressed happiness at the current state of the existing bilateral relations between the countries.

DHAKA, 29 April 2022, (TON): The Spring Meeting of the World Bank-International Monetary Fund, 2022 praised Bangladesh for  successful implementation of its policy to face pandemic and economic recovery from its impact.

A press release said “the meeting was held on April 17-24 in Washington DC, USA and an 11 members delegation led by Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Fazle Kabir attended the meeting.”

The delegation includes Alternative Executive Director of the World Bank Mohammad Shafiul Alam, Senior Secretary of the Finance Division Abdur Rauf Talukder, Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States M Shahidul Islam and Secretary of the Economic Relations Division Fatima Yasin.

The Bangladesh delegation met the Vice-President of the World Bank, IFC and MIGA, and the IMF delegation.

The team also took part in different bilateral seminars.

DHAKA, 29 April 2022, (TON): Visiting Indian External Affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar said “he conveyed to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina his premier Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India in her convenient time.”

He told media at a short joint briefing after holding a meeting with foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen “(I) conveyed that we look forward to her (Sheikh Hasina) visit to India at a time of her convenience.”

Jaishankar added “during his call on with Bangladesh premier, a number of issues came up as we reviewed bilateral ties as well as rational and global issues.”

The Indian external affiars minister said he also conveyed Modi’s personal greeting and good wishes to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina .

Jaishankar said “he was also looking forward to welcome Momen to join the seventh round of Joint Consultative Commission meeting in New Delhi.”

LONDON, 28 April 2022, (TON): The Foreign Office said “UK Minister for Africa Vicky Ford has announced a new £25 million ($31.4 million) aid package to provide vital services to almost a million people in Somalia, as the country teeters on the brink of widespread famine.”

Speaking at a roundtable event organized by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ford announced the package of lifesaving food, water, nutrition and emergency health support and called on other international donors to step up.

Ford said “the UK is stepping up our support with an additional £25 million, taking our support to almost £40 million in 2022 alone.”

“After a quarter of a million people needlessly died from hunger in Somalia in 2011, we said never again. Now is the time for the international community to fulfill that commitment and stand with the people of Somalia.”

The UK Foreign Office said “after three failed rainy seasons, approximately half the population require life-saving aid due to the ongoing drought.”

ISTANBUL, 28 April 2022, (TON): NATO member Turkey said “it was still talking to Russia about procuring a second batch of one of its most advanced missile defense systems despite the war in Ukraine.”

The comments on state television by the head of Turkey’s military procurement agency underscore Ankara’s efforts to maintain good relations with Moscow during the conflict.

The agency and its chief, Ismail Demir, were sanctioned by Washington in the closing weeks of US president Donald Trump’s administration for its purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system in 2017.

Turkey took delivery of the first batch of the surface-to-air missiles in 2019.

But Demir told “state television that the 2017 contract always envisioned Turkey receiving two batteries of the Russian weapon.”

LONDON, 28 April 2022, (TON): The European Union warned Russia it would not bend to “blackmail” over its support for Kyiv, after the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland.

Russia cut off natural gas to NATO members Poland and Bulgaria and threatened to do the same to other countries, using its most essential export in what was seen as a bid to punish and divide the West over its support for Ukraine.

The move, condemned by European leaders as “blackmail,” marked a dramatic escalation in the economic war of sanctions and counter sanctions that has unfolded in parallel to the fighting on the battlefield.

The EU warning came as UN chief Antonio Guterres arrived in Kyiv to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to expand humanitarian support and secure civilian evacuations.

He wrote on his official Twitter account “I have arrived in Ukraine after visiting Moscow.”

TEHRAN, 28 April 2022, (TON): State media reported “Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed Wednesday his government’s desire for closer cooperation with China in remarks made during a visit by the Chinese defense minister.”

According to the report, Raisi told “China’s Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe that Tehran sees its ties with Beijing as strategic.”

Closer cooperation would serve to confront what the Iranian president described as US unilateralism as talks to revive Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers have stalled.

Raisi was quoted as saying “confronting unilateralism and creating stability and order is possible through cooperation of independent and like-minded powers.”

Wei in turn said “improving ties between Iran and China would provide security particularly in the current critical and tense situation.”

RIYADH, 28 April 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the terrorist bombing that took place near a Chinese institute at Pakistan's Karachi university.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed in a statement the Kingdom’s solidarity and stand with Pakistan against violence, extremism and terrorism.

The Saudi Press Agency said “it also stressed Saudi Arabia’s rejection of these criminal acts that are incompatible with all religious principles and morals and human values.”

The ministry offered condolences to the families of the victims, and the Pakistani government and people.

A Pakistan separatist group warned of more deadly attacks on Chinese targets, a day after a woman suicide bomber killed four people including three teachers posted from Beijing.

Three Chinese teachers and a Pakistani driver were killed near the gate of the Confucius Institute at Karachi University, when the bomber detonated explosives next to their minibus.