MOSCOW, 27 February 2022, (TON): The Russian Defense Ministry ordered its troops to attack Ukraine in all directions in response to Kyiv's refusal to negotiate.

Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said that as a result they will intensify the attacks, which began.

He added that six Ukrainian ships were sunk near the Snake Island in Black Sea by Russian army.

He said "US RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9A Ripper strategical unmanned aerial vehicles were hovering in the provocation area when Ukrainian ships attacked Russian ships near Snake Island.”

He added “we evaluated that the US drones were directing the Ukrainian ships.”

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "the Ukrainian side has refused to negotiate" and Russian forces resumed their advance in accordance with the operational plan.

RIYADH, 27 February 2022, (TON): The Kingdom’s defense ministry said “the Royal Saudi Land Forces continued the Al Samsam 8 joint exercise with the Pakistani Army in Pakistan.”

During the past few days, the participants carried out several maneuvers that included special exercises in a number of areas, including encircling cities and liberating hostages.

They have also been trained ini irregular war operations, wh8ich will continue over the next few days.

The ministry said “the exercise aims to exchange information, expertise and concepts that will be positively reflected in raising combat efficiency in a variety of different environments.”

WASHINGTON, 27 February 2022, (TON): A senior US State Department official has said “Negotiators have made significant progress in the last week or so on an agreement to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal but very tough issues remain.”

He told reporters “there’s been significant progress over the last week or two. We have significantly narrowed the areas that still need to be resolved. And so, in that sense, there has been progress that has been moving toward a potential deal.”

“So we are in a better position than we have been. But at the same time it’s important to note that very serious issues remain.”

The aim of the negotiations is to return to the original 2015 bargain of lifting sanctions against Iran, including ones that have slashed its oil sales, in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities that extend the time

Tehran would need to make enough enriched uranium for an atomic bomb if it chose to.

SEOUL, 27 February 2022, (TON): North Korea fired what could be a ballistic missile on Sunday, military officials in South Korea and Japan said, “in what would be the first test since the nuclear-armed country conducted a record number of launches in January.”

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that North Korea had fired one suspected ballistic missile toward the sea off its east coast from a location near Sunan, where Pyongyang’s international airport is located.

The airport has been the site of missile tests, including a pair of short-range ballistic missiles fired on Jan. 16.

Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Sunday’s missile may have flown as high as 600 km (400 miles), to a range of 300 km (200 miles).

North Korea was threatening the security of Japan, the region and the international community, he said “there have been frequent launches since the start of the year, and North Korea is continuing to rapidly develop ballistic missile technology.”

ANKARA, 27 February 2022, (TON): A cargo ship owned by a Japanese firm hit by a missile off the coast of Ukraine in the Black Sea, local media reported.

According to the Japanese news agency Kyodo, one of the crew members of 20 Philippines nationals was injured in the Panamanian-registered cargo ship Namura Queen.

The firm said the ship is heading to Turkiye for damage assessment.

According to media reports “the Ukrainian authorities said the missile was fired by Russian forces.”

Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine entered its third day Saturday with the latest reports indicating that Russian troops clashing with Ukrainian forces in the capital Kyiv.

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2022, (TON): High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell has said on the World Non-Governmental Organisation Day, we honour all civil society actors who, every day, are at the forefront of the fight for human rights, the respect of democratic values and the rule of law.

The EU commends their role in supporting and giving a voice to the most vulnerable as well as their essential contribution to building peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

In 2022, the European Year of Youth, we pay special tribute to youth organisations as well as young human rights defenders around the world.

They are crucial actors of change and their commitment and courage are all the more needed to build a sustainable, fair and equal world and to shape a better future for all.

Today, with the unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation, international peace and rule of law are under attack.

KYIV, 27 February 2022, (TON): Ukrainian forces repulsed a Russian attack on Kyiv but sabotage groups infiltrated the capital, officials said “as Ukraine reported 198 civilians deaths, including children, following Russia's invasion.”

A defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed his pro-Western country would never give in to the Kremlin even as Russia said it had fired cruise missiles at military targets.

With explosions echoing around Kyiv on the third day of Russia's assault, Zelensky spoke in a video message, wearing olive green military-style clothing and looking tired but determined.

DHAKA, 27 February 2022, (TON): Malaysian Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said “there is huge potential for Malaysian investment in Bangladesh, especially in palm oil, rubber and timber industries, as the demand for such commodities has increased in Bangladesh in recent times.”

The minister said at a press conference at a city hotel “Bangladesh's rising market of 180 million people and growing housing and construction industries are a good opportunity for Malaysia to invest.”

Zuraida arrived on February 23, after visiting India, to see the potentials of boosting bilateral trade and investments.

"Compared to last December, palm oil import from Malaysia to Bangladesh has increased by 113 percent. Similarly, import volume of other products like timber and rubber has also gone up."

NEW DELHI, 27 February 2022, (TON): Atrainer aircraft crashed in Telangana's Nalgonda. The trainee pilot, identified as 28-year-old G Mahima from Tamil Nadu, died in the crash.

The aircraft - a Flytech Aviation Cessna 152 - had taken off from Macherla in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.

It is believed that it hit an electric pole before crashing to the ground. It was flying across the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border and crashed in an agricultural field in Tungaturthi village of Nalgonda district in Telangana.

DHAKA, 27 February 2022, (TON): About 150 Bangladeshis have entered Poland from Ukraine over the last two days, fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24.

Two officials of the Bangladesh embassy in Warsaw told that several hundred Bangladeshis were waiting in the cold in long queues on the other side of the border to get into Poland.

An official of the embassy, which also oversees diplomatic relations with Ukraine, said "it is expected that Poland will be prioritising their own citizens and Ukrainians at the border. There is a long queue as thousands of people are fleeing Ukraine.”

A team from the embassy is working at the Ukraine-Poland border to provide consular services to Bangladeshis. Two other teams, one from Italy and the other from Germany, were on the way to the border.

The officials said “the Bangladesh embassy and the Polish government are jointly arranging accommodation for those arriving in Poland.”