PARIS, 07 February 2022, (TON): French President Emmanuel Macron has said “he thinks a deal to avoid war in Ukraine is possible and that it is legitimate for Russia to raise its own security concerns.”

Before talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, he called for a "new balance" to protect European states and appease Russia.

He restated that the sovereignty of Ukraine was not up for discussion.

Russia has massed troops on Ukraine's border but denies planning to invade.

Moscow has made a string of demands, including that the Nato defence alliance rule out Ukraine becoming a member, and that it reduce its military presence in eastern Europe.

Western countries have rejected this, instead suggesting other areas of negotiation, for example talks on cutting back nuclear weaponry.

ANTANANARIVO, 07 February 2022, (TON): At least 10 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced after Cyclone Batsirai brought strong winds and rain to Madagascar.

Batsirai the second major storm in two weeks made landfall on the east coast, with gusts of 235km/h (146mph) and high waves hitting coastal areas.

Whole villages are reported to be almost completely destroyed.

The cyclone has now weakened, according to the national weather service.

Madagascar was already reeling from Tropical Storm Ana, which killed 55 people when it hit the Indian Ocean island nation last month.

Cyclone Batsirai has compounded the destruction, making landfall near the south-eastern city of Mananjary, 530km from the capital Antananarivo, at around 20:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Electricity had not been available in Mananjary for two days and the water supply had been disrupted, according to local media. One resident told Reuters that even schools and churches due to be used as evacuation centres had had their roofs torn off.

BEIRUT, 07 February 2022, (TON): The new Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Spanish General Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, will take up his duties in mid-February.

This was reported to a media correspondent by a source at the UNIFIL headquarters in An-Naqoura. According to him, the appointment was signed by UN Secretary General António Guterres.

The source said “saenz will replace his Italian counterpart, General Stefano del Cola, who led the peacekeeping operation on the Lebanese-Israeli border for the past four years.”

He specified that UNIFIL included 13,048 soldiers and officers from 46 countries. The Spaniards (632 people) are deployed in the eastern sector of South Lebanon, at the base in Marjayoun.

Since 2005, Saenz has already served three times with the Blue Helmets in southern Lebanon and served as Chief of Staff of UNIFIL, according to the source. The Spanish general previously participated in the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, served at the headquarters of the ground NATO rapid reaction force in Valencia and the European forces in Florence.

AMMAN, 07 February 2022, (TON): The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, in cooperation with the Jordan Hashemite Charitable Organization, recently distributed 2,300 blankets and 1,150 bags of winter supplies to needy Jordanian families and Syrian and Palestinian refugees in a number of governorates, helping 5,750 people.

The aid is part of the second phase of KSrelief’s project to alleviate the suffering and improve the livelihoods of refugees and vulnerable families in Jordan.

The center also distributed nearly 120 tons of aid, including 1,600 food baskets, 4,000 bags of flour, 800 bags of winter supplies, and 1,600 blankets in Takhar province in Afghanistan, benefiting 800 families in need, as part of its work to support Afghans.

KABUL, 07 February 2022, (TON): The Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced that five Afghan air force pilots who left Afghanistan after the republic government’s collapse, have returned to the country and resumed work.

Officials at the ministry further said that they will persistently strive to encourage all professional staff of the previous government to return to Afghanistan.

Enayatullah Khwarizmi, MoD’s spokesman said “five Afghan pilots who left country, based on propaganda, answered our call and came back to Afghanistan.”

With the fall of the republic government, many of the experienced military and air force staff of Afghanistan fled the country to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, but no details are available about where these five pilots are returning from.

Khwarizmi said “the leadership of the Ministry of Defense has consistently called on everyone to come back and serve their country.”

In the meantime, Anas Haqqani, a high member of the Islamic Emirate, welcomed the return of Afghan pilots on Twitter, saying Afghanistan currently needs professionals.

KABUL, 07 February 2022, (TON): The US Senate in a report said “there were from 15,000 to 16,000 Americans between August 17 and August 30 among whom only 6,000 were evacuated during the chaos Kabul evacuation.”

The report views that the US officials confirmed only 100 Americans left in Afghanistan while the US Department of State said in October 2021 that there were 363 US citizens left behind but the real number is now believed to be 9,000.

NEW DELHI, 07 February 2022, (TON): Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy slammed the BJP-led government in the state over the hijab ban, saying that it will create more problems for girls in getting education and by bringing this topic the BJP is planning to gain its vote bank.

Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, the JDS leader said "from a few days there are some small organisations involved in politics and are trying to create more trouble to girl students in the Muslim community.”

Kumaraswamy said “on one hand, the BJP is talking about a policy of educating girls, called 'Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao' and now BJP's concept has changed to 'Beti Hatao' (keep away the girl child), instead of 'Beti Padhao'.”

He further slammed Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and said that he does not have control over his ministers as they are making vague statements. The former Chief Minister also urged the government to allow girls to continue to wear hijab.

He added "no need to give permission to some schools in coastal to start a new trend, in some colleges few girls started wearing a scarf (hijab) from few days and issue started. Let them follow the same tradition which has before. They have to follow the status quo. No need to bring a new rule.”

NEW DELHI, 07 February 2022, (TON): India has earmarked USD 26.7 million to Afghanistan, keeping a continuing focus on its people, without recognizing, like the rest of the world community, the Taliban government.

The sum allocated in India’s Annual Budget for the year April 2022-March 2023 is less compared to USD 47.6 million of 2021-22, which can be easily explained by the lack of formal ties, especially the economic relations since the Taliban took control last August.

Like the world community, India seeks an inclusive government in Afghanistan that allows a role for women and for the ethnic minorities, besides freedom for girls to study and women to work.

Taliban have so far not heeded to the global appeal.

India responded to a global appeal for medicine last December and flew two tons of aid, a gesture that was appreciated by the Taliban with the hope for continued medical supplies.

However, India and Afghanistan have not been that lucky on economic aid. After protracted modalities worked out with Pakistan, India this month is expected to send the much-awaited aid of wheat.

However, delays have been caused by Pakistan’s refusal to allow the use of its territory for India to reach a landlocked Afghanistan.

DHAKA, 07 February 2022, (TON): Bangladesh Railway signed a deal with Indian Hindustan Engineering and Industries Limited to procure 420 broad-gauge wagons involving Taka 231.19 crore for the railways.

Project director concerned M Mizanur and vice president of the Indian supplier company Prodip Guha signed the deal on behalf of their respective sides at Rail Bhaban here.

Railways minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan was present at the signing ceremony as the chief guest.

The minister said "the aim of the present government is sustainable development and that's why the railway communication is being developed as a balanced transport mode.”

He said that the newly procured wagons will boost freight transportation by replacing old and over aged wagons of Bangladesh Railway.

Sujan added “the wagons will be delivered within 27 months from the effective date of contract.”

DHAKA, 07 February 2022, (TON): Officials said “Bangladesh and the United States plan to hold the next round of partnership dialogue in March as the two sides seek to have a deeper engagement on core issues of mutual interest.”

An official told media “both sides are now in discussions to find a convenient date in the third week of March for the 8th Bangladesh-US partnership dialogue.”

Issues related to cooperation on development, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, governance, particularly human rights, security and counterterrorism front are likely to be reviewed and discussed in the partnership dialogue.

A diplomatic source said “once the date is finalized, US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Ambassador Victoria Nuland will arrive in Dhaka to co-chair the partnership dialogue with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen.”