DHAKA, 24 January 2022, (TON): A delegation of British MPs reaffirmed their solidarity with the Rohingyas and assured them of remaining by their side with their legitimate demands for citizenship, security, and freedom of movement in Myanmar.

According to a statement of the foreign ministry “they made the remarks during an interaction with the Rohingya leaders at the camps in Kutupalong. The delegation also visited the Rohingya camp in Bhashan Char.

The UK Conservative Party MPs Thomas Patrick Hunt and Paul Bristow noted that the British people, especially the British Muslims, felt strongly about the Rohingya situation, and that the international community had a responsibility to stand by this large group of people being generously supported by Bangladesh.

MP Bristow recalled the UK's humanitarian assistance of £320 million since 2017 when some 750,000 Rohingya fled a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

He said “the UK would continue to raise the issue of further improving the living conditions of the Rohingya while they awaited their repatriation.”

KABUL, 24 January 2022, (TON): A Taliban delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has started three days of talks in Oslo with Western government officials and Afghan civil society representatives.

The closed-door meetings in the Norwegian capital will see Taliban representatives meeting with women’s rights activists and human rights defenders from Afghanistan and from the Afghan diaspora.

The delegation will be pushed on promises to uphold human rights in return for access to billions of dollars in frozen humanitarian aid, Al Jazeera has learned.

The leverage the West has on the Taliban is nearly $10bn of Afghan money that is held predominantly in the United States.

Reporters said “Amir Khan Muttaqi is going to be trying to get some of that money back to pay civil servants’ salaries and to make sure that there is enough food in the country because the humanitarian situation has been getting quite desperate.”

KABUL, 24 January 2022, (TON): Officials from the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that currently flights via air corridors have been suspended and there are only cargo flights via air corridor to China.

According to ACCI officials “the suspension of flights via air corridors has created challenges in exporting merchants’ goods abroad. The officials said they have been trying to solve the problem, but have made no progress to date.”

ACCI’s deputy head Khairuddin Mayel said “ACCI had been trying to bring facilities and easiness, but so far, there is no progress.”

Before the collapse of the former government, Afghan goods used to be transported out of the country to world markets through air corridors from airports in four provinces: Kabul, Kandahar, Balkh and Herat.

Meanwhile, a number of traders urged the Islamic Emirate to solve the problem and facilitate the export of goods to world markets via air corridors.

SRINAGAR, 24 January 2022, (TON): Ahead of Republic Day and in view of new and emerging threats, a multi-layer security arrangement backed by aerial surveillance has been put in place across Jammu and Kashmir to thwart any untoward incident during celebrations.

According to the official handout, in Jammu, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will preside over the main Republic Day function to be held at M A Stadium.

The DDC chairpersons will be the chief guests at the functions in their respective districts.

LG's Advisor R R Bhatnagar, it said, will preside over the function here at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium.

The Mayors and the DDC chairpersons of the twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar shall attend the main functions in the respective cities.

A senior police officer told “extraordinary security arrangements have been put in place at Jammu and Srinagar to ensure smooth conduct of Republic Day celebrations.”

Greater Kashmir adding that all the security arrangements have been finalised and the area where the chief guest will address the gatherings have been sanitised.

All the high-rise buildings, the officer said, around the main venue of the Republic Day functions in Srinagar and Jammu have been occupied by sharpshooters of the police and paramilitary CRPF to prevent any untoward incident.

NEW DELHI, 24 January 2022, (TON): Pakistan has released 20 Indian fishermen who will be handed over to India's Border Security Force (BSF) at the Wagah border in Lahore on Monday.

The fishermen were arrested for illegally entering Pakistani waters and fishing without permission. They were in Karachi's Landhi Jail but were released a day earlier by the government on a humanitarian basis.

According to officials, there are 588 Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails out of which cases of 42 are pending while sentences have been handed down.

They said that there are 620 Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails.

DHAKA, 24 January 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen urged the new Omani envoy in Bangladesh to undertake new and emerging areas of cooperation including environment and climate change, agriculture and food security, blue economy and enhanced trade between Bangladesh and Oman.

a press release said “Dr Momen was speaking to the newly appointed Oman's Charge d' Affaires (CDA) to Bangladesh Abdul Ghaffar Bin Abdul Karim Al-Bulushi in Dhaka.”

The minister expressed his gratitude to the Sultanate of Oman for hosting over half a million Bangladeshi expatriate workers who have been diligently contributing to both the countries' economic development.

Momen commended the judicious role and leadership of late Sultan Qaboos to the development of modern Oman.

Al-Bulushi apprised the minister about the great contribution of the Bangladeshi workforce in Oman.

He further expressed his commitment that he would dedicate his office to the exploration and expansion of the cooperative areas that the Bangladesh foreign Minister suggested.

DHAKA, 24 January 2022, (TON): Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen called upon all to build a stronger coordination amongst stakeholders for branding Bangladesh abroad correctly through identifying the country’s strengths as a nation.

He also highlighted the need for open, inclusive, and fact-based programming for projecting a correct and aspirational image of the country.

The minister made the remarks while speaking at the inter-ministerial meeting of the Committee on "Branding Bangladesh Abroad" on Preparation, Planning, Implementation and Monitoring of Possible Challenges of Bangladesh in the context of graduation from Least Developed Countries.

Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman also attended the meeting held at the Foreign Ministry.

During the meeting, it was decided that a common branding platform would be set up upon which the country’s all government and non-government organizations could find complementary support systems for branding Bangladesh from their respective fields.

MOSCOW, 23 January 2022, (TON): The Iranian foreign minister said “Iran and Russia discussed the construction of new nuclear power plants in Iran.”

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Twitter that he had a discussion Thursday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow where they talked about the acceleration of the construction of new nuclear power plants, the development of comprehensive cooperation in the light of the recent agreements between the leaders of the two countries and the facilitation of the consular affairs of the citizens of both countries.

He added that "excellent cooperation” will be established in the new period of relations with Russia.

The two ministers met as part of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Russia.

Iran's first nuclear power plant was built by Russia in the southern city of Bushehr.

LONDON, 23 January 2022, (TON): UK media reported that Male migrants who try to cross the English Channel will be detained under a new UK government proposal.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tasked Home Secretary Priti Patel with drawing up new plans in the latest effort to deter Channel migrant crossings.

Under the plan, male migrants would be housed in immigration detention centers after being intercepted at sea or discovered on UK territory.

Government officials believe that the plan will deter migrants from making the hazardous journey across the Channel.

Last year, a record 28,381 people successfully made the trip, many in small dinghies. That figure could double this year, according to government statistics.

Patel and the French government have claimed that about 70 percent of all migrants who cross the Channel are single men aged under 40.

LONDON, 23 January 2022, (TON): Investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia and Sweden were in the spotlight during a two-day Saudi-Sweden event at Expo 2020 Dubai this week.

A series of panel discussions explored how to boost trade relations between the two countries on Jan. 16-17 at the two countries’ pavilions as part of the Expo.

The event was organized in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Investment (MISA), Invest Saudi, the Embassy of Sweden, and Business Sweden.

The first day, hosted at the Sweden Pavilion, included opening remarks by Niclas Trouvé, ambassador of Sweden to Saudi Arabia; Hussain Hanbazazah, commissioner general of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pavilion; and Jan Thesleff, Commissioner General of the Swedish Pavilion.

Hanbazazah highlighted how Swedish companies have operated in the Kingdom for more than 70 years, noting that Saudi Arabia is Sweden’s largest economic partner in the Middle East and No. 1 trade partner among the Scandinavian countries, with the volume of trade exchange in the past five years reaching more than US$6 billion.