VILNIUS, 03 April 2022, (TON): Germany deployed Ozelot self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system in Lithuania.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anushauskas announced this on the air of the national radio LRT.

He said “Air defense assets with additional German troops have been deployed to Lithuania as a reaction to the changing security situation.”

The Ozelot anti-aircraft missile system is deployed at the location in Lithuania, the military town of Rukla, Jonava district, of the forward-based NATO composite battalion.

The German Ozelot air defense system consists of launchers and radar equipment for detection and target designation.

Target detection range 20 km.

It is armed with Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The head of the Defense Ministry did not specify quantitative data on equipment and personnel.

KYIV, 03 April 2022, (TON): The International Committee of the Red Cross said “the operation to help people leave the besieged city of Mariupol was continuing, hours after Russia said it had failed and blamed the organization.”

Russia’s defense ministry said “aid convoys had not been able to reach Mariupol on Friday or Saturday and blamed “destructive actions” by the ICRC.”

The ICRC said “a Red Cross convoy traveling to the Ukrainian port turned around because it had become impossible to proceed with its mission to begin evacuating civilians.”

An ICRC spokesperson said by email “the humanitarian operation to facilitate the safe passage of civilians out of Mariupol is ongoing. The situation on the ground is volatile and subject to rapid changes.”

“Given the ICRC’s role as a neutral intermediary in what is a highly complex operation, the ICRC is not in a position to comment further at this time.”

KYIV, 03 April 2022, (TON): Ukraine’s spending on combat operations amounted to approximately $10 billion per month.

This was announced by the office of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky following a meeting held under his chairmanship on economic development.

The ministry’s website said in a statement “President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with the economic blocs of the office of the head of state and the cabinet of ministers.”

According to the calculations of the Ministry of Finance “the Ukrainian state spends about $10 billion for a month of hostilities.”

Zelensky’s office notes “at the meeting, they discussed sources of financing expenses, in particular, their own tax revenues and assistance from Ukraine’s international partners.”

The meeting discussed the state of the Ukrainian economy, as well as considered forecasts for its development in the near future.

The participants of the meeting at Zelensky’s also discussed the sowing campaign in Ukraine, including the provision of fuel to farmers.

NEW DELHI, 03 April 2022, (TON): A consignment of 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel from India reached Sri Lanka, the fourth such assistance from New Delhi, to mitigate the spike in power cuts in the island nation.

Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic and energy crisis caused due to shortage of foreign exchange.

Power cuts lasting over 13 hours were imposed, the longest cut since 1996 when a strike by the state power entity employees caused a 72-hour black out.

Officials of the state fuel entity, Ceylon Electricity Board, said “the Indian diesel supplies would ease the ongoing power cuts. The power cuts effective Saturday are over 8.5 hours.”

The Indian High Commission here tweeted "more fuel supplies delivered by #India to #SriLanka! A consignment of 40,000 MT of diesel under Indian assistance through Line of Credit of $500 mn was handed over by High Commissioner to Hon'ble Energy Minister Gamini Lokuge in Colombo.”

KABUL, 03 April 2022, (TON): UN’s International Organization for Migration, the IOM, in a statement on the situation in Afghanistan said “millions of Afghans are internally displaced due to the ongoing crisis in the country and that they must not be forgotten.”

The statement said that thousands of Afghans cross borders every week in both directions, seeking means to secure their futures.

The UN migration body said “while we attend to multiple humanitarian crises around the world, the people of Afghanistan must not be forgotten.”

The statement added that millions of Afghans are in dire need of life-saving protection, livelihood and recovery support.

The organization asked the international community to continue its support to Afghans.

KABUL, 03 April 2022, (TON): The Islamic Emirate welcomed the international community’s pledges for new aid to Afghanistan, saying “it would be more useful it is provided in coordination with government agencies.”

Inamullah Samangani, the deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate said he hopes the international community will continue its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, regardless of political issues.

Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate said “if this assistance is provided in coordination and cooperation with government institutions, it will be more effective.”

Donors pledged $2.4 billion to Afghanistan in a virtual meeting.

Noorullah Raghi, a former diplomat said “in this way money is deposited in the market, transferred and affects the general labor market, and the liquidity problem will be solved.”

NEW DELHI, 03 April 2022, (TON): India and Nepal restored passenger rail services between them, as Kathmandu is increasingly wooed by China.

Nepal has traditionally done a balancing act between New Delhi and Beijing, but analysts believe Indian influence over Kathmandu has been dwindling as China pours heavy investment into the landlocked Himalayan country.

But Nepalese prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba made India his first foreign destination since he returned to power last year.

As part of a three-day visit, he met PM Narendra Modi and they virtually flagged off a passenger train connecting the eastern Indian state of Bihar with Nepal.

NEW DELHI, 03 April 2022, (TON): President Ram Nath Kovind said “India and Turkmenistan share a broad regional consensus on the issues related to Afghanistan, including the formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups and minorities.”

President Kovind met with his Turkmen counterpart Serdar Berdimuhamedov and discussed the recent developments in Afghanistan.

As immediate neighbours of Afghanistan, our countries are naturally concerned about the developments within that country and their external repercussions, he said in a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

He said “we share a broad regional consensus' on the issues related to Afghanistan, which includes the formation of a truly representative and inclusive government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, the central role of the UN, providing immediate humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan and preserving the rights of women, children and other national ethnic groups and minorities.”

President Kovind arrived here on Friday as he began his three-day state visit to Turkmenistan.

This is the first-ever visit of the President of India to independent Turkmenistan and comes just after the inauguration of new Turkmen President Berdimuhamedov.

DHAKA, 03 April 2022, (TON): European Union special envoy for the Indo-Pacific Gabriele Visentin has said “they are still waiting for a final answer from the Bangladesh government regarding their offer to use a maritime awareness system named CRIMARIO.”

‘We’re very positively engaging with the Bangladesh authority.

He said while responding to a question during an interaction with diplomatic correspondents “this is a very concrete proposal that is on the table.”

EU Critical Maritime Route Wider Indian Ocean aims to support countries in the region to enhance their Maritime Situational Awareness, the sharing and fusion of data from various sources to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the maritime domain and to promote its security and safety.

‘It’s software. It can be used for many purposes. It could equip both navies and coastguards and it allows knowing what is exactly happening at sea,’ said the EU special envoy, hoping that they will soon get a final answer from Bangladesh.

DHAKA, 03 April 2022, (TON): Bangladesh will seek wider and diversified cooperation from the United States and demand again the withdrawal of sanctions imposed on the Rapid Action Battalion as a minister-level bilateral meeting is set to take place in Washington on April 4.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen left for the US night to hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Antony J Blinken at the US Department of State.

Momen ahead of his visit said "we'll raise the issue reconsidering sanctions on Rab.”

Terming Bangladesh a peaceful country, he said Bangladesh is less interested in defence procurement from the US but wants to engage in those areas which ensure people's welfare.

He said “there are many new areas of cooperation, technology transfer, pharmaceuticals, blue economy, food security and climate change, where the US side can come forward.”

"We're willing to diversify our trade and investment."

Bangladesh will invite US investments in special economic zones and hi-tech parks in the country.