DHAKA, 16 February 2022, (TON): State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam today said there is no pressure from the US administration on Bangladesh regarding any issue rather Dhaka and Washington have planned greater engagement and exchange of high-level visits in the coming months.

He made the remark while his attention was drawn by journalists at his office about media reports on the Monday's Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

During the Mondays' meeting at the parliament, the junior minister said “no member of the committee has said Washington is mounting pressure on Dhaka.”

He further said conversation at the parliamentary standing committee is highly classified and there is no option to disclose the discussion beyond the committee.

DHAKA, 16 February 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged Canada to assist Gambia financially for the proceeding of the Rohingya genocide case against Myanmar in the International Court of Justice case.

A foreign ministry press release said “the minister made the remark while holding a virtual meeting with Canadian International Development minister Harjit Sajjan on Monday marking the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.”

During the meeting, Momen urged Canada to take a leadership role in resolving the Rohingya crisis fearing that their prolonged stay here may result into huge security threat and regional instability due to the possible emergence of extremism and terrorism in the camps.

The foreign minister thanked Canada for its consistent political and humanitarian support for the displaced and persecuted Rohingyas as well as the ongoing genocide case in the ICJ.

Dr Momen also reiterated Bangladesh’s strong expectation that Canada would deport Nur Chowdhury, the convicted killer of the Father of the Nation Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to ensure justice and rule of law.

DUBAI, 15 February 2022, (TON): Turkey’s president arrived in the UAE on Monday for a two-day visit.

He was greeted on arrival in Abu Dhabi by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Sheikh Mohamed also oversaw an honor-guard welcome for the Turkish president at the Al-Watan Palace.

Sheikh Mohamed and Erdogan discussed bilateral relations and promising new prospects for cooperation and joint work between the UAE and Turkey in various fields that serve mutual interests.

They also exchanged views on a number of issues and developments in the Middle East, and stressed that the two countries agree on the importance of supporting efforts and peaceful solutions aimed at enhancing security, peace, and stability in the region.

The crown prince expressed hope that the visit would create “further momentum to strengthening cooperation and building a new prosperous phase of partnerships” that was in the interests of the two countries, their peoples, and the region.

JERUSALEM, 15 February 2022, (TON): Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will travel to Bahrain on Monday in the highest-level visit since the countries established relations under a 2020 US-sponsored deal.

His office said “bennett will meet with Bahraini Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.”

It said in a statement “the leaders will discuss additional ways to strengthen bilateral ties…especially the advancement of diplomatic and economic issues, with an emphasis on technology and innovation.”

His office said “bennett was also scheduled to meet representatives of Bahrain’s Jewish community.”

The trip follows a visit to Manama by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz earlier this month that saw the two countries sign a defense agreement.

KYIV, 15 February 2022, (TON): The Canadian government said “Canada is temporarily relocating some of its military personnel based in Ukraine to an undisclosed location in Europe ahead of an anticipated Russian invasion.”

The government said in a statement "as a result of the complex operational environment linked to Russia’s unwarranted aggression against Ukraine, the Canadian Armed Forces is in the process of temporarily relocating components of Joint Task Force – Ukraine (JTF-U) to elsewhere in Europe.”

It said “however, the move "does not signal the end of the mission.”

It added “it will allow Canada to refocus its efforts while ensuring the safety and security of the Canadian Armed Forces.”

It said "force protection is the top priority for our training mission, of which operational security is a key component.”

"Thus, while we can confirm we have relocated some of our forces outside of Ukraine, we will not discuss numbers, locations, or future intentions."

CAIRO, 15 February 2022, (TON): Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawky Allam and Abdullatif Al-Asheikh, Saudi minister of Islamic affairs, call and guidance, discussed strengthening religious cooperation in the face of extremist ideology.

Allam, who met with Al-Asheikh in Cairo said “cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia is the product of historical brotherly relations between the two countries.”

Allam added “the two sides signed agreements “to confront extremist ideology,” correct “religious concepts distorted by terrorist groups,” and spread “religious tolerance.

He said he values the great efforts made by the Saudi king and crown prince to serve God and Muslims, citing as an example the management of the Hajj pilgrimage during the coronavirus pandemic.

BANGKOK, 15 February 2022, (TON): Thailand’s prime minister welcomed the chief of the Muslim World League, who arrived in Bangkok for meetings with Thai officials and religious leaders.

MWL Secretary General Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa was received by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha upon his arrival.

Thai government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said that the prime minister welcomed Al-Issa’s visit, which is hoped will “lead to close cooperation between Thailand and the MWL.”

Wangboonkongchana said in a statement: “It is hoped that the secretary-general’s visit will bring a close relationship between Thailand and the Muslim world.

“The prime minister stressed that Thailand is ready to support the mission of the MWL.”

Thailand authorities said ahead of the visit that besides meeting officials, Al-Issa would also hold interfaith dialogues with religious leaders in the Southeast Asian nation, where a majority of the population follow Buddhism.

VIENNA, 15 February 2022, (TON): Iran is in a hurry to strike a new nuclear accord as long as its national interests are protected, its foreign minister said “as Tehran and the United States resumed indirect talks on salvaging Tehran’s 2015 agreement with world powers.”

The talks, with European intermediaries shuttling between the two, have been held in Vienna since April amid growing Western fears about Tehran’s accelerating nuclear advances, seen by Western powers as irreversible unless a deal is struck soon.

The 2015 deal limited Iran’s enrichment of uranium to make it harder for Tehran to develop material for nuclear weapons, in return for a lifting of international sanctions against Tehran.

But it has eroded since 2018 when then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States and reimposed far-reaching sanctions on Iran.

The Islamic Republic has since breached the deal’s limits and gone well beyond, rebuilding stockpiles of enriched uranium, refining it to higher fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output.

GHAZA, 15 February 2022, (TON): Israeli forces have shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian in West Bank clashes during what Israel on Monday described as an operation to demolish the home of a terrorist suspected of a recent attack.

The Palestinian health ministry said Mohammed Abu Salah was killed in the village of Silat Al-Harithiya near the flashpoint town of Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel’s army in a statement said its troops along with border police had entered the village “to demolish the floor of the residence in which the terrorist Muhammad Jaradat resided.”

It said “Jaradat and others had carried out the recent fatal shooting of a Jewish settler in the West Bank.”

The army said “violent riots broke out ahead of the planned demolition, with the participation of hundreds of Palestinians, some of whom hurled explosives at Israeli troops.”

The army statement said “the troops identified a number of armed rioters, and fired toward them in order to neutralize the threat.”

Israel regularly destroys the homes of individuals it says have carried out attacks on Israelis, in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

OTTAWA, 15 February 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers Monday to quell the paralyzing protests by truckers and others angry over Canada’s pandemic restrictions, outlining plans not only to tow away their rigs but to strike at their bank accounts and their livelihoods.

He declared “these blockades are illegal, and if you are still participating, the time to go home is now.”

In invoking Canada’s Emergencies Act, which gives the federal government broad powers to restore order, Trudeau ruled out using the military.

His government instead threatened to tow away vehicles to keep essential services running; freeze truckers’ personal and corporate bank accounts, and suspend the insurance on their rigs.

“Consider yourselves warned,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said “send your rigs home.”

Freeland, who is also the finance minister, said the government will also broaden its anti-money-laundering regulations to target crowd-funding sites that are being used to support the illegal blockades.

Trudeau did not indicate when the new crackdowns would begin.

But he gave assurances the emergency measures “will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address.”