WASHINGTON, 16 April 2022, (TON): Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Panama April 19-20 to co-host a Ministerial Conference on Migration and Protection with the Government of Panama.

Following the commitments expressed at the Regional Migration Ministerial in Colombia in October 2021, Secretary Blinken and representatives of regional governments participating in the Ministerial will discuss collaboration on safe, orderly, and humane migration throughout our hemisphere.

Bringing together leaders from twenty Western Hemisphere nations, this Ministerial represents an important step forward in developing a migration management and protection framework for the Americas.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas will join Secretary Blinken in Panama.

RIYADH, 16 April 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia condemned and denounced Israeli occupation forces for storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, closing its gates, and attacking unarmed worshipers inside the mosque and in its external courtyards.

More than 150 Palestinians were wounded in the most serious violence at the site in nearly a year, after Palestinians clashed with Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa mosque as thousands gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it considers this systematic escalation a blatant attack on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its significance to the Islamic nation, and a violation of relevant international resolutions and covenants.

BERLIN, 16 April 2022, (TON): A government source said “German Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to increase the military budget by €2 billion, mainly to help Ukraine.”

According to him “Scholz intends to spend an additional €2 billion on new military equipment, mainly to help Kiev.”

At the same time, according to the source “about €400 million of this amount is intended for the European Peace Fund, which buys weapons f-or Ukraine, and part of other expenses will be directed to bilateral supplies to Kiev and other countries.”

Scholz, in an interview with radio station RBB, said “Germany would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine, but would do so in coordination with partners, unilateral steps were ruled out.”

According to him, together with the Ukrainian side, a list of possible supplies that the industry can provide has been drawn up, but this will be “the right and reasonable weapon.”

The Chancellor explained that he meant such weapons that would not require the presence of the German military in Ukraine and for which it would not be necessary to send soldiers there with ammunition and spare parts.

JERUSALEM, 16 April 2022, (TON): Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque, a major holy site in Jerusalem, on Friday left 158 Palestinians injured, six seriously.

Three paramedics, three journalists, and 400 other people were arrested during a dawn raid on the mosque to evict 2,000 worshippers in which police officers used gas bombs and rubber bullets and were seen in videos pushing and beating individuals.

Palestinian sources said “Israeli police closed all the mosque doors, prevented Red Crescent crews from entering, and impeded the arrival of ambulances to transport the injured from inside the mosque compound to hospitals.”

It was also alleged that police targeted Al-Aqsa guards, press, medical staff, and Red Crescent medics with rubber bullets and deliberately hit them with batons.

And they were accused of seizing ambulance keys and surrounding the Al-Aqsa clinic where first aid was being administered to dozens of wounded people.

 Witnesses said “worshippers were hit by gas bombs and made to lie down before being savagely beaten.”

KABUL, 16 April 2022, (TON): The Afghan farmers expressed frustration over the lack of rain and irrigation for their farms, saying “the problems will cause a reduction in yield.”

They called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock to provide them with irrigation. 

Zahoor, a farmer said “there was no precipitation. Only some snowfall happened and it just stayed within the mountains. There was no rainfall.”  

The report said “this comes as SIGAR earlier in a report quoted FAO saying that humanitarian officials believe this to be the worst drought in a generation, with below-average precipitation expected to continue through early 2022.”

It said “of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, 25 suffered from drought in 2021, contributing to a 20% decrease in cereal harvest from the previous year.” 

NEW DELHI, 16 April 2022, (TON): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin urged the Centre to allow the State to ship essential commodities from the Thoothukudi port to Sri Lanka as humanitarian aid to the people, especially Tamils, severely affected by the food crisis.

Recalling his discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue on March 31, the Chief Minister reiterated Tamil Nadu government's commitment to ship foodgrains, vegetables and medicines from the port for the Tamils in northern and eastern parts of Lanka and its capital Colombo as well as those working in the plantations.

MK Stalin said in a letter addressed to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar "it has now been reported that the Union government has enabled the shipping of food and other essential commodities to Sri Lanka...(hence) I request that this may be facilitated at the earliest in view of the worsening situation in Lanka.”

During his meeting in March, he had apprised the Prime Minister about Tamil Nadu's willingness to provide essential commodities and life-saving medicines to the Lankan Tamils.

KABUL, 16 April 2022, (TON): Iran once again called for the creation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan that involves all ethnic groups of the country.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, in a meeting with Fuad Hussein, minister of Foreign affairs of Iraq, said “Tehran will recognize the caretaker government when all the ethnic groups of Afghanistan have a share in the new government.”

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran said “we also consider the recognition of the interim government of Afghanistan conditional on the formation of an inclusive government in this country.”

Meanwhile, in Kabul, the Development and Justice Party does not consider the current Afghan government to be inclusive. The leader of the party calls on the Islamic Emirate to establish a government in Afghanistan based on the share of all ethnic groups in the country.

Sayed Javad Hosseini, leader of the Development and Justice Party said “we ask the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to respond positively to the legitimate demands of the international community.”

KABUL, 16 April 2022, (TON): The World Bank in a statement said “Afghanistan’s per capita income has fallen by around one-third in the last months of 2021, wiping out the country’s economic progress achieved since 2007.”

The World Bank said “the World Bank says Afghanistan’s aid-dependent services sector has been hit by the crisis, leading to a collapse in urban employment and incomes. The political crisis has put the gains of around two decades in Afghanistan at risk and will lead the country to grave poverty.”

According to the statement, if the current condition continues, the Gross Domestic Product per capita will decline by around 30 percent between end-2020 and end-2022.

The World Bank updates indicated that the outlook for Afghanistan’s economy is dire under current conditions with international assistance limited to supporting humanitarian needs and basic services, incomes will remain stagnant and the economy is expected to contract further throughout 2022.

NEW DELHI, 16 April 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with general secretary of the Communist party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and exchanged views on regional and global issues, including the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the situation in the South China Sea.

Prime Minister's Office said in a statement “in their telephonic conversation, the two leaders expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of wide-ranging cooperation under the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which was established during Modi's visit to Vietnam in 2016.”

They complimented each other on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

PM Modi said in a tweet "spoke with General Secretary of Communist Party of Vietnam H. E. Nguyen Phu Trong today. We exchanged views on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues and agreed to promote closer cooperation in our economic, trade and defence engagement.”

NEW DELHI, 16 April 2022, (TON): Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, India has received the simulators and other equipment from Moscow for the training squadron of the S-400 Triumf air defence missile system.

Defence sources told media “the second squadron of the missile system is a training squadron and includes simulators and other training-related equipment only. It does not include missiles or launchers.”

Despite the ongoing conflict, defence supplies from Moscow are continuing as the Indian defence forces have received shipments of overhauled aircraft engines and spares.

However, there is concern about whether this would continue in the near future as a solution for making payment to Russia has not yet been found.

A government source had told media "the defence forces have received shipments from the Russians very recently and it is still on. So far, there has not been any glitch in supplies for our forces.”

He added "however, there are concerns on whether these supplies can continue in the same manner as the Indian side cannot make payments to these Russian firms in view of the sanctions related to their banks.”