DHAKA, 24 April 2022, (TON): Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Professor Sudharshan Seneviratne has said “his country wants to see Bangladesh as a strategic partner, noting that the two countries need to take care of each other in a newly evolving globalized world.”

He said “this partnership becomes imperative as our alignment revolves around the protection of the seascape embracing the two lands.”

He emphasized that the two countries are also stakeholders of the larger family represented by the SAARC, BIMSTEC and IORA.

Dhaka and Colombo need to prosper together said “in his recent speech marking the 50 years of Bangladesh-Sri Lanka friendship shared with media, High Commissioner Seneviratne, who was also the first Sri Lankan to receive both Masters’ and Doctoral Degrees from India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.”

NEW DELHI, 24 April 2022, (TON): Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby has said “the United States didn't want India to rely on Russia for its defence needs.”

He added "we have been nothing but honest about that and discouraging that.”

The senior official made the statement in response to a question from a journalist regarding India's ties with Russia amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In a press briefing, Kirby said “US had been very clear with India and other countries that we don't want to see them rely on Russia for defence needs.”

He added "at the same time, we also value the defence partnership that we have with India. And as was evidenced a week ago, we're looking at ways to improve that going forward. That's going to continue because it matters and it's important.”

Kirby also said “India was a provider of security in the region and "we value that".

NEW DELHI, 24 April 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of development projects worth over ₹ 20,000 crore in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including the opening of the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel to establish all-weather connectivity between the two regions of the union territory. 

Prime Minister's Office said in a statement “PM Modi is travelling there to participate in the celebration for the National Panchayati Raj Day and address 'Gram Sabhas' across the country.”

He will also visit Palli Panchayat in Samba district.

It said “seeking to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in every district of the country, the prime minister will launch a new initiative named 'Amrit Sarovar'.”

The statement said “PM Modi is scheduled to attend the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Awards Ceremony in Mumbai later in the evening where he will receive the first Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award.”

KABUL, 24 April 2022, (TON): Iranian media reported “tension between Iran's border guards and Afghanistan's Taliban culminated to closing a border-crossing between the two neighboring countries.”

Iranian media said “Islam Qalat border-crossing has been closed following a brief tension between Taliban forces and the Iranian border guards.”

Tension unfolded when the Iranian troops reacted to Taliban's inauguration of a road near the borders.

KABUL, 24 April 2022, (TON): A high-level delegation led by the acting Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Hamidullah Akhundzada arrived in the Qatari capital Doha and is due to discuss the management of Afghanistan’s airports with Qatari officials.

The state news agency reported “the delegation left Kabul in a Qatari plane. Qatar along with Turkey are willing to get in charge of five international airports in Afghanistan including Kabul International Airport.”

The acting minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi and acting minister of Information and Culture Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwa are part of the delegation and will discuss the technical aspect of the contract of handing over airports to Qatar and Turkey.

The five Afghan airports include Kabul International Airport, Kandahar airport, Balkh airport, Herat airport, and Khost airport.

The visit comes after the Deputy Prime Minister and head of the economic commission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Mullah Abdul Ghani Bardar mandated Foreign Ministry to set a deadline for Qatar for airports’ management.

RIYADH, 23 April 2022, (TON): Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah received Senegal President Macky Sall, who is on an official visit to the Kingdom.

During the meeting, they reviewed aspects of relations between the two countries, ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and a number of issues of common interest.

The reception was attended by Saudi State Minister Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Senegal Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall and officials from both sides.

WASHINGTON, 23 April 2022, (TON): A US official called on all Iraqi parties to work together and form a new government to prevent Iraq from sliding into instability and insecurity.

In a press briefing attended, Jennifer Gavito, deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, said “it is critical that Iraqi parties work together so the US can continue to implement the strategic framework agreement with Iraq in support of its armed forces, economy and health sector.”

Iraq held national elections last October in which Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr’s camp won 73 out 329 seats in Parliament, making it the largest single political bloc.

Other Shiite groups, especially the Fateh alliance that is affiliated with the Iran-backed Hashd Al-Shaabi militias, refused to concede defeat and contested the elections, preventing efforts to form a government.

SYDNEY, 23 April 2022, (TON): It said in a statement “Australian government has imposed sanctions and travel bans on two daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s daughter.”

It follows similar measures undertaken by other Western nations including the United States and Britain, and takes the total number of people and entities in Russia subject to Australian sanctions to nearly 750.

It did not name the two Putin daughters but the Russian president is known to have two adult daughters, Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova.

The statement added President Putin and Lavrov were added to the sanctions list on Feb. 27.

Australia’s foreign ministry said in its statement “fresh round of sanctions also targets 144 Russian senators who provided support to President Putin by approving the illegitimate recognition as independent the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine on Feb. 22.”

PARIS, 23 April 2022, (TON): France is sending several artillery weapons to Ukraine as a growing number of Western nations contribute heavier arms to Kyiv following the Russian invasion.

President Emmanuel Macron told regional newspaper Ouest-France “we are delivering significant equipment, from Milan [anti-tank missiles] to Caesar.”

“I think we have to continue on this route. Always with the red line that we will not become parties to the conflict.”

Defence Minister Florence Parly confirmed on Twitter that France would send “several Caesar artillery cannons and thousands of shells”.

Built by partly state-owned arms maker Nexter, the Caesar is a 155mm howitzer mounted on a six-wheeled truck chassis, capable of firing shells at ranges of more than 40km (25 miles).

NEW YORK, 23 April 2022, (TON): The Office of the Chairman of the session of the UN General Assembly confirmed the holding on April 26 of a vote on a draft resolution providing for the convening of a meeting of this structure with each use of the right of veto in the Security Council of the world organization.

Polina Kubiyak, spokesperson for the head of the session of the General Assembly, told media “the meeting will be held on Tuesday [April 26] at 10:00.”

As expected, the document can be adopted by a simple majority.

The draft resolution assumes that in the event of the use of the right of veto in the UN Security Council by any of the permanent members, a meeting of the General Assembly is convened within 10 days on the issue in respect of which the veto was used.