KABUL, 19 February 2022, (TON): The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said ”the talks on running the technical operations of five major airports have yet to be finalized with Turkish and Qatari companies.”

A spokesman for MoTCA said the sides are discussing the legal aspects of the contracts.

According to MoTCA, a technical team from Afghanistan recently visited Doha to hold talks, but the final decision has yet to be made.

Imamuddin Ahmadi said “the technical team of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation is still talking about handing over the technical activities of Kabul Airport with technical teams of Turkey and Qatar.”

Economists believe signing contracts with foreign companies will boost the reliability of Afghan aviation and foreign airlines will resume flights.

Shakir Yaqobi, an economist said “handing over the technical operations of the Afghanistan airports to Turkey will boost the confidence of international airlines to resume flights and it will also pave the ground for 24/7 flights in Afghanistan.”

NEW DELHI, 19 February 2022, (TON): A court in India has sentenced 38 people to death for their role in a series of bomb blasts in 2008 in the western state of Gujarat.

Fifty-seven people were killed and hundreds injured in the bombings, which took place in Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of Gujarat.

The court in Ahmedabad also sentenced 11 other convicts to life in prison until death.

The accused can challenge their sentences in a higher court.

On 26 July 2008, around 20 bombs exploded in the space of an hour across residential areas, market places, public transport and hospitals in Ahmedabad. Several unexploded bombs were also found.

NEW DELHI, 19 February 2022, (TON): Beijing said that it is seriously concerned about actions India has taken against Chinese companies this week, including banning apps.

Gao Feng, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said, during a press conference in Beijing "Indian authorities have taken a series of repressive measures against Chinese companies and related products in India, which has seriously damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

The rebuke comes days after India blocked access to 54 apps in the country over security concerns, according to details shared this week with CNN Business by a senior government representative from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Many of the banned apps are Chinese, belonging to tech companies such as Tencent, Alibaba and NetEase, Bloomberg reported, quoting unnamed sources.

DHAKA, 19 February 2022, (TON): Major General Shakil Ahmed has been appointed as the new director general of the Border Guard Bangladesh.

According to the Public Administration Ministry gazette “utgoing BGB chief Major General Md Shafeenul Islam has been transferred to the Armed Forces Division.”

DHAKA, 19 February 2022, (TON): The Foreign Service Academy of Bangladesh and the Matias Romero Institute of Mexico have signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral diplomatic cooperation.

On behalf of the Matias Romero Institute, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Carmen Moreno Toscano, and on behalf of the Bangladesh Foreign Service Academy, Bangladesh Ambassador to Mexico Abida Islam signed the MoU at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Counsellor Shahanaj Ranu, along with local officials of the Bangladesh embassy, was present at the ceremony.

Asia Pacific Wing of the Mexican Foreign Ministry Director General Claudia Franco Hijuelos, Matias Romero Institute Director Alejandro Alday Gonzales and other officials also attended the event.

Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Toscano said “the MoU will add new dimensions to the existing bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.”

LONDON, 18 February 2022, (TON): Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed collaboration to advance a durable resolution that ends the conflict in Yemen and creates the space for Yemenis to collectively determine their own future.

The State Department said “Blinken made the comments during a phone call with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg.”

Blinken renewed his support for Grundberg’s ongoing efforts to develop an inclusive political framework and reiterated that justice and accountability will be key to securing an enduring peace in Yemen.

He reiterated that ending the war in Yemen remains a top US foreign policy priority, and called for the urgent need for de-escalation.

RIYADH, 18 February 2022, (TON): Al Ekhbariya reported “the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said it carried out airstrikes in Yemen’s capital.”

The coalition said “the airstrikes were in response to threats and were necessary to protect civilians.”

The Iran-backed Houthi militia regularly target Saudi Arabia, mainly using drones and missiles against civilian infrastructure.

Last week, a drone attack on Abha International Airport in the Kingdom’s south left twelve civilians injured.

On Jan. 17, three civilians died after the militia used drones to attack the UAE.

The Houthi militia seized the capital from the Yemeni government in 2014 and continue to control large parts of the country.

LONDON, 18 February 2022, (TON): Thousands of Yemeni men who left their families to work in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s are fighting to have their pensions reinstated after they were abruptly cut off without explanation.

The men say they are now facing a daily struggle to survive in Yemen, which has been ravaged by seven years of civil war between the Iran-backed Houthis and the internationally recognized government, which is being supported by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.

The BBC has identified thousands of men, many of whom labored in factories across Britain, whose pension payments were suddenly stopped.

Thabet Muthanna Jubran arrived in Britain in 1967 and began working, like many fellow Yemenis, at Birmingham Small Arms factory in Small Heath, a metal manufacturer producing motorcycles and machine tools based in the heart of the bustling industrial city.

He told media “when I was in Britain I did not ask for benefits or insurance, I relied on my own sweat of my brow and I do not know why this has happened to us.”

WASHINGTON, 18 February 2022, (TON): The United States dismissed reports that Russia was withdrawing troops from Ukraine’s border, instead accusing Moscow of sending more soldiers as fears of an invasion grow.

Russia has increased its presence on the border with Ukraine by as many as 7,000 troops, some of whom arrived, said a senior White House official, slamming Moscow’s announcement of a withdrawal as false.

“We continue to receive indications they could launch a false pretext at any moment to justify an invasion.”

The official, who requested anonymity, added that while Moscow has said it wants to reach a diplomatic solution, its actions indicate otherwise.

Earlier Wednesday, the United States and NATO joined Ukraine in saying there was no sign of Russian troops withdrawing after military movements in occupied Crimea fueled reports that the crisis could be abating.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky marked what he had declared “Day of Unity” by watching Ukrainian soldiers train with new Western-supplied anti-tank weapons near Rivne, west of the capital Kyiv.

VIENNA, 18 February 2022, (TON): Iran has just days left to accept a deal on its nuclear programme at talks in Vienna, France warned, while Tehran s chief negotiator promised that an agreement was closer than ever.

“It is not a question of weeks, it is a question of days,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the Senate, adding that a major crisis would be unleashed if there is no agreement.

The Vienna talks, which involve Iran as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly, resumed in late November with the aim of restoring the 2015 deal.

That accord had offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, but the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and reimposed heavy economic sanctions, prompting Iran to begin rolling back on its commitments.