NEW DELHI, 06 April 2022, (TON): India expressed concern at the reports of civilian killings in Ukraine's Bucha and supported the call for an independent investigation.

In a statement in the UN Security Council so far, India's ambassador TS Tirumurti said "the recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha deeply disturbing. We unequivocally condemn these killings and support call for an independent investigation.”

India also reiterated its call for immediate cessation of violence and end to hostilities.

Images of mass graves and bodies of civilians who were apparently executed in public places, emerging from the Russia-occupied town has evoked outrage across the world, triggering calls for more sanctions against Russia and vows of action at the International Criminal Court.

Mr Tirumurti said “asserting that India continues to remain "deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation.”

"The impact of the crisis is being felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries.”

NEW DELHI, 06 April 2022, (TON): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of the 2+2 dialogue.

Taking to Twitter, Mr Jaishankar said that they discussed the latest developments pertaining to Ukraine.

Mr Jaishankar tweeted "spoke to @SecBlinken ahead of our 2+2 consultations. Discussed bilateral issues and latest developments pertaining to Ukraine.”

India and United States are scheduled to hold a 2+2 dialogue in Washington on April 11.

Mr Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet their counterparts Mr Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

DHAKA, 06 April 2022, (TON): US Secretary of State Anthony J Blinken has stated “in order to maintain a secure and developed democratic society in Bangladesh it is important to protect human rights, the rule of law and freedom of religion.”

According to Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department “the statement was made during a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen in Washington.”

The spokesman said in a press release “Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the importance of protecting human rights, the rule of law, and freedom of religion  as the basis for safe and prosperous democratic societies.”

The ministers also discussed ways to harness the huge potential for economic cooperation between the two countries.

Momen told “journalists after the meeting that they also discussed the issue of participatory elections in Bangladesh.”

DHAKA, 06 April 2022, (TON): Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC has celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the USA in a befitting and festive manner.   

According to a message “the mission hosted a grand reception to celebrate the historic occasion as well as the 52nd Independence and National Day of Bangladesh in Washinton.”

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen attended it as the Chief Guest while U.S. Agency for International Development, Deputy Administrator Ambassador Isobel Coleman spoke as the Guest of Honour.

Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, MP, and Member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nahim Razzaq, MP, were present at the function as the special guests.

The ceremonial part of the program began with playing of the national anthems of Bangladesh and the United States.

CAIRO, 05 April 2022, (TON): Egypt has strongly condemned Israel’s escalation in the occupied Palestinian territories in recent days, its targeting of civilians, and incursions by settlers, under police protection, into the courtyards of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez stressed that the need to avoid escalation immediately, especially during the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays, while not slipping into cycles of violence that prevent achieving the desired stability.

He also stressed “the importance of adhering to the rules of international law to provide protection for Palestinian civilians and to stop any practices that violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and other religious sanctities and the identity of East Jerusalem.”

TEL AVIV, 05 April 2022, (TON): Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the problems of the Iranian atom, as well as global and regional issues.

This was reported by the office of the Israeli Prime Minister.

The statement said “Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had a telephone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders discussed global and regional issues, including the topic of the Iranian atom, and agreed to set a new date for the visit of the head of the Israeli government to India, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relationship.”

The office said “Bennett thanked the Prime Minister of India for condemning the latest terrorist attacks in Israel.”

Bennett’s visit to India was scheduled for April 2, but was postponed on Ma-rch 29 due to the security situation in Israel following a series of attacks that ki-lled 11 people in 7 days.

On March 29, a Palestinian armed with automatic weapons opened fire on passers-by in the city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, killing five people. On March 27, two border policemen were killed in an attack using automatic firearms in the Israeli city of Hadera.

TOKYO, 05 April 2022, (TON): The Japan government welcomed the entry into force of the agreement for a two-month truce in Yemen on April 2, which was mediated by the United Nations.

Further the Japanese government appreciated the mediation efforts made by Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Yemen, towards the peace and stability of Yemen, including this agreement and the recent political consultations,

The ministry said “there is no military solution to the Yemeni conflict, but a political solution through dialogue among the Yemeni people.”

It added “from this perspective, the government of Japan strongly hopes that this truce agreement will continue to be observed by all parties concerned, achieving the import of fuel and the renewal of commercial flights, and lead to progress in dialogue towards achieving a political solution to the situation in Yemen.”

BRUSSELS, 05 April 2022, (TON): The Council adopted legislative amendments making it possible for member states to redirect resources from cohesion policy funds and the Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived to assist the refugees escaping the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

The swift amendment of the legislation on EU funds is a clear statement of the EU’s continued solidarity with the refugees from Ukraine and with the member states hosting them, in particular those sharing borders with Ukraine.

This is an important step in ensuring member states have sufficient resources to meet the growing needs for housing, education and healthcare.

The Council adopted the regulation on Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe amending the 2014-2020 legal framework governing the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) and the Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived (FEAD).

In addition, the changes include exceptional flexibility to transfer resources between programmes financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund to address the inflow of refugees.

JEDDAH, 05 April 2022, (TON): The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has strongly condemned escalating daily attacks and crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, their property and institutions.

In particular it highlighted the situation in the occupied city of Al-Quds, where it said violations of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and barbaric attacks against worshipers continue.

The organization called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council, to put pressure on Israel to abide by the principles of international law and international treaties and conventions and halt attacks against the Palestinian people and their institutions.

Separately, Hissein Brahim Taha, the OIC’s secretary-general welcomed a decision by the de facto authorities in Kabul outlawing all poppy harvesting in Afghanistan. The order also bans the manufacture, trade and transport of narcotics.

MOSCOW, 05 April 2022, (TON): Moscow supports Kabul in its efforts to intensify the fight against the drug threat and counts on the effective implementation of practical steps in this direction.

This is stated in a statement released on Monday by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that they consider the ban announced by the Afghan leadership on the cultivation of opium poppy, as well as on the production, sale, transportation and smuggling of all types of drugs as an important step towards eradicating the drug problem in this country.

The ministry said “we support Kabul in an effort to intensify the fight against the drug threat. Thus, the Taliban movement, which previously assumed public obligations to “free the state from drugs, is taking practical measures to fulfill them. We look forward to effective implementation announced decisions.”

As emphasized on Smolenskaya Square, the drug industry has now become a significant part of the Afghan economy.

The statement said “according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the proceeds from the criminal business bring from 9 to 14% of GDP. This situation also poses a threat to regional security. We are very concerned about the increased cases of interception of drugs from Afghan territory in the countries of the region, which indicates an increase in smuggling drug trafficking.”