WASHINGTON, 14 March 2022, (TON): The State Department says it’s paying more than $2 million per month to provide 24-hour security to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a former top aide, both of whom face serious and credible threats from Iran.

The department told Congress in a report that the cost of protecting Pompeo and former Iran envoy Brian Hook between August 2021 and February 2022 amounted to $13.1 million.

The report, dated Feb. 14 and marked sensitive but unclassified was obtained by The Associated Press.

Pompeo and Hook led the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran and the report says US intelligence assesses that the threats to them have remained constant since they left government and could intensify.

The threats have persisted even as President Joe Biden’s administration has been engaged in indirect negotiations with Iran over a US return to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

KYIV, 14 March 2022, (TON): Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to an influx of refugees into the border town of Berehove in the Transcarpathia region and an exodus of its ethnic-Hungarian population fleeing conscription.

Around half of Berehove’s population of 22,000 is ethnic-Hungarian, the bilingual street signs, architecture and historical plaques testifying to its Magyar heritage.

But despite its location beside the Hungarian border and far from the fighting, the war has upended life in the town.

Its hotels, private boarding houses, and even schools now host refugees, some of the two million Ukrainians internally displaced by the war so far.

According to deputy mayor Istvan Vincze “4,000-5,000 refugees are currently in Berehove while much of the ethnic-Hungarian population has fled across the border.”

Now mostly Ukrainian is heard on the streets, while a screen on the main square plays an army promotional video on loop.

CAIRO, 14 March 2022, (TON): Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani will arrive in Moscow to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the situation in Ukraine.

This was announced by the official representative of the Foreign Ministry of the emirate Majid bin Mohammed al-Ansari.

The Qatari News Agency quoted the official as saying “this visit is connected with the most difficult period that the world is going through as a result of the escalation in Ukraine,”.

According to al-Ansari, the talks will discuss “the latest developments around the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, as well as diplomatic efforts being made to resolve the current situation.”

The Qatari Foreign Ministry emphasizes that “peaceful settlement is the only way” to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

RIYADH, 14 March 2022, (TON): The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center signed a deal with UNICEF to provide safe water supplies for drinking and human use in the Yemeni provinces of Marib, Al-Jawf, Hajjah and Saada.

The Saudi Press Agency reported “he agreement amounts to $5 billion and will benefit 33,235 people.”

It was signed by the center’s assistant general supervisor for operations and programs, Ahmed bin Ali Al-Beez, and the UNICEF representative for the Gulf, Eltayeb Adam, at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh.

It aims to provide safe drinking water for Yemen’s neediest areas, contribute to reducing the incidence of diseases resulting from drinking contaminated water, and boost hygiene and sanitation.

It also aims to raise health awareness and build capacity.

The agreement will benefit 33,235 people in Marib, Al-Jawf, Hajjah and Saada governorates.

ISTANBUL, 14 March 2022, (TON): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks in Istanbul, seeking a rapprochement against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Turkish presidency said in a statement after two hours of talks “the meeting focused on the benefits of increased cooperation between the two countries, in view of the evolution of the European security architecture.”

The statement added “despite the disagreements between Turkey and Greece, it was agreed to keep the channels of communication open and to improve bilateral relations.”

Mitsotakis said “we stressed the need to forge a positive agenda.”

The meeting between the leaders of the neighboring NATO members came as Ankara seeks to shore up its credentials as a regional power player by mediating in the conflict.

DHAKA, 14 March 2022, (TON): Li Jiming, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, has said that China will not build any military base in Bangladesh or any other foreign land.

He told reporters at a city hotel “China will not build any military facility or military base on any foreign territory, including in Bangladesh. China will not build anything militarily in any other country’s territory. That’s for sure.”

The remarks came in response to queries by journalists about a report carried by NIKKEI ASIA titled “India wary of China setting up Bangladesh missile maintenance hub.”

With China preparing to set up a maintenance facility in Bangladesh for surface-to-air missile systems it supplied in 2011, alarm bells are ringing in New Delhi, reads the report.

Ambassador Jiming said that he did not have any specific information about the media report and he would have to check it further.

DHAKA, 14 March 2022, (TON): President of Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis has said “Switzerland aims at further broadening its engagement with Bangladesh to tackle global peace and security challenges marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.”

On this day, March 13, five decades ago, Switzerland officially recognized Bangladesh as an independent State.

A press release said “the Swiss President extended his greetings to Bangladesh President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”

 In his congratulatory message, the Swiss President emphasized the longstanding collaboration between the two countries in many domains as wellas the continuous broadening and deepening of bilateral ties.

DHAKA, 14 March 2022, (TON): Romania has expressed keen interest to import municipal workers, from Bangladesh.

The proposal came while a meeting was held between Romanian delegation led by Bucharest city Mayor Robert-Sorin Negoita and Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh at the latter's office here this afternoon.

Mayor Robert-Sorin Negoita at the meeting said "there is a demand for Bangladeshi cleaners in Romania and the demand would be met from Bangladesh.”

DSCC Mayor thanked the Bucharest Mayor for the interest and assured him of providing necessary cooperation in this regard.

KABUL, 14 March 2022, (TON): The Ministry of Defense said “more than 15,000 pieces of weaponry and equipment, including vehicles, belonging to the former government were collected from the eastern provinces of the country.”

The ministry's delegation, which traveled to the 201st Khalid bin Waleed Corps, said “the weapons and equipment had been obtained in the past four months from Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman and Nuristan provinces.”

Saeedullah Rezwan, a member of the delegation sent by the Ministry of Defense to the 201st Corps of Khalid bin Waleed, said “according to a decree issued by the Prime Minister to each ministry, you should appoint a committee in your corps or in your province that registers and collects the vehicles which belong to each ministry.”

Rezwan added “twelve thousand weapons of various types have been registered and the inventory that has been made of vehicles is around 3,500.”

NEW DELHI, 14 March 2022, (TON): On a day when the Cabinet Committee on Security met to discuss the security preparedness and global situation in view of the Ukraine crisis, the three services chiefs also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sources said that the three services chiefs along with the other senior national security brass met the Prime Minister and briefed him on the security scenarios in and around the country.”

The meeting comes at a time when the Ukrainian crisis is going on and that will have both direct and indirect impacts on the country as both sides have close ties with India.

The Prime Minister's Office said in a release “meanwhile, during the CCS meeting attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, NSA Ajit Doval, the Prime Minister was briefed on the latest developments and different aspects of India's security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain.”