KABUL, 01 April 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “Russia has accredited a diplomat from the Taliban to engage with the new Afghan government but remains concerned about the threat of Islamist groups spilling over into Russia via Central Asia.”

Russia hosted an international conference on Afghanistan last year to try to reach a peace deal and curb violence between the Taliban and the then Afghan government.

Russia has labelled the Taliban a terrorist organisation but has welcomed their members on numerous occasions for talks.

Since Russia's mediation efforts, the United States and its allies withdrew their troops from Afghanistan after 20 years there and the Taliban seized power in August as the U.S.-backed government collapsed.

Speaking at an Afghanistan-focused conference in China, Lavrov said that growing trade and economic ties between Afghanistan and countries in the region was contributing to the potential international recognition of their administration.

He said a Taliban envoy was already active in Moscow.

KABUL, 01 April 2022, (TON): Chinese leader Xi Jinping issued strong backing for Afghanistan at a regional conference, while making no mention of human rights abuses by the country’s Taliban leaders.

Xi pledged China’s support in a message to a gathering of representatives from Afghanistan, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in a central Chinese city that spotlights Beijing’s aspirations to play a leading role in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces last August.

Xi said “a peaceful, stable, developed and prosperous Afghanistan” is what Afghans aspire to, which serves the common interests of regional countries and the international community.”

Xi said in his message to the gathering in Tunxi, a center of the tourism industry in Anhui province “China has all along respected Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and is committed to supporting Afghanistan’s peaceful and stable development.”

Xi gave no specifics, although China has already shipped emergency aid to Afghanistan and is seeking to develop copper mining there.

KABUL, 01 April 2022, (TON): The UN’s aid coordination office, backed by Britain, Germany and Qatar, is launching its biggest-ever appeal for funds for a single country in hopes of collecting $4.4 billion to help Afghanistan, a decidedly ambitious call to assist the impoverished country again run by Taliban militants when much of the world’s attention is on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Martin Griffiths, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said “Ukraine is of vital importance, but Afghanistan, you know, calls to our soul for commitment and loyalty.”

“In simple terms, the humanitarian program that we are appealing for is to save lives.”

The UN says less than a year after Taliban fighters toppled its internationally backed government, Afghanistan is buckling beneath a debilitating humanitarian crisis and an economy in free fall. Some 23 million people face acute food insecurity.”

Griffiths told media “the economy is too weak to sustain the lives of everyday people, women, men and children.”

“Given these terrible circumstances, we are asking donors today to fund the largest humanitarian appeal ever launched for a single country: We are calling for $4.4 billion to help the people of Afghanistan, at their worst hour of need, for this year.”

DHAKA, 01 April 2022, (TON): The US military personal took part in a two-week long training exercise with their Bangladesh counterparts to strengthen its defense readiness and build operational interoperability.

A US embassy press release said “members of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the Oregon Army National Guard along with two members from the 303rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, attended the drill from March 19 to 31.

The bilateral exercise named "Tiger Lightning 2022 (TL22)" was sponsored by US Indo-Pacific Command and hosted by the Bangladesh Armed Forces that reinforced partnership between the Bangladesh Armed Forces and Oregon State National Guard.

Approximately 36 US personnel participated in this field training exercise (FTX) focusing on combined operations training and regional crisis response capabilities.

The Oregon National Guard assisted with key subject matter experts, focusing on the "E," in the area of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) & counter improvised explosive device (C-IED) training.

DHAKA, 01 April 2022, (TON): Bangladesh and South Korea agreed to explore elevating the comprehensive partnership to the next level on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations between the two nations.

A foreign ministry press release said “this was decided during the third Foreign Office Ministry Consultations (FOC) between the two countries held at State Guest House Padma here.”

Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and South Korean First Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun led the respective delegation during the FOC.

Two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in trade and investment, infrastructure development, human resources development, defence, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology, and regional and global issues of common interest and concern, including global peace and security and climate change.

Foreign Secretary pledged to extend all necessary cooperation to further promote Korean investments in Bangladesh.

RABAT, 31 March 2022, (TON): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Morocco, where he discussed regional security and met the United Arab Emirates de facto leader Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

His trip comes in the shadow of Russia s invasion of Ukraine, which along with sanctions against Moscow has sent wheat and fuel prices soaring in a serious blow to import-dependent North African countries.

Speaking to journalists in Rabat, Blinken said “the US recognised the disaster the supply crunch had caused.”

He said “we are discussing concrete steps we can take to help reduce the impact, particularly on the most vulnerable populations.”

Blinken also said he was “encouraging partners to speak out against Russian aggression” and said he doubted Russia s “seriousness” in talks with Ukraine held in Turkey.

DUBAI, 31 March 2022, (TON): Greece’s independent authority for transparency said “after an in-depth investigation it has found no basis for reports that Greek authorities have illegally turned back asylum-seekers entering the country from Turkey.”

The National Transparency Authority said in a statement “the allegations by the Lighthouse Reports non-profit organization last year concerning informal obligatory returns of asylum-seekers by masked men were not confirmed.”

The statement said “upon completion of the examination process and the laboratory examination of the relevant material, no supporting evidence emerged.”

Greece is a major entry point for people from the Middle East, Asia and Africa seeking a better life in the European Union. A record of about 1 million people arrived through neighboring Turkey in 2015, but in recent years the numbers have dropped drastically following tougher border management.

Greece has repeatedly been accused by human rights groups and Turkey, its historic regional rival from which thousands of migrants try to enter every year, of illegally sending back asylum-seekers who have reached Greek shores and dumping them at sea.

Similar claims have been made concerning asylum-seekers who cross the land border with Turkey and are allegedly clandestinely sent back. Athens strongly denies the practice, known as pushbacks.

RIYADH, 31 March 2022, (TON): The Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemeni government against Huthi rebels in Yemen s conflict announced a ceasefire from Wednesday morning and peace talks during the Islamic month of Ramadan starting next month.

It said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency “the coalition hereby announces the cessation of military operations in Yemen beginning at 0600 am (0300 GMT) Wednesday, March 30, 2022.”

It added “this coincides with the launch of Yemeni-Yemeni consultations with the aim of creating the appropriate conditions for their success and creating a positive environment during the holy month of Ramadan for peace making in Yemen.”

Ramadan is to start in the first days of April.

CAIRO, 31 March 2022, (TON): During a phone call from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed “Egypt’s readiness to make any possible efforts to maintain peace and stability around the world.”

According to a presidential statement ”the phone call touched upon a review of ways of coordinating efforts between Egypt and Britain regarding various international files, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict.”

During the call, El-Sisi praised “the remarkable development and qualitative leap in bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields.”

He stressed “Egypt’s aspiration to maximize fruitful cooperation during the coming period, enhance political coordination and exchange views in light of the common challenges facing the two countries at the international and regional levels.”

KYIV, 31 March 2022, (TON): The regional governor said “a Russian strike battered the regional government building in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, a key port under heavy assault for weeks.”

“The regional administration building was hit,” governor Vitaly Kim wrote on Facebook.

He said “most people inside the building had not been injured but several civilians and soldiers were unaccounted for.”

Kim said “we’re clearing the rubble. Half the building was destroyed. My office was hit.”

Images posted to Telegram on the governor’s official channel showed a tall administrative building with a large section torn away and debris piled up at the base of the building.