BERLIN, 04 September 2022, (TON): G7 industrialized powers vowed to urgently move toward implementing a price cap on Russian oil imports in a bid to cut a major source of funding for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The G7 said “it was working toward a broad coalition of support for the measure but officials in France urged caution, saying a final decision could only be taken once all 27 members of the European Union had given their assent.”

Households on the continent have borne the brunt of rising energy prices, with governments under pressure to alleviate the pain of the resulting high inflation.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said “Russia is benefitting economically from the uncertainty on energy markets caused by the war and is making big profits from the export of oil and we want to counter that decisively.”

He added “the aim of the price cap on oil exports was to stop an important source of financing for the war of aggression and contain the rise in global energy prices.”

MANILA, 04 September 2022, (TON): Officials said “Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will travel to Indonesia and Singapore on his first overseas trip since taking office in June to strengthen security ties and discuss problems confronting the region, including strife in Myanmar.”

Marcos Jr. will also fly to the US to speak at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 20, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said in an online news conference.

Marcos Jr. will meet his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo, during a three-day state.

Daza said “the two leaders will witness the signing of a number of agreements, including the renewal of an expired 1997 pact governing defense activities from joint training to cooperation on border security.”

JAKARTA, 04 September 2022, (TON): Officials from the Southeast Asian country have said “the integration of a placement system for Indonesian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia will help lift a ban by Jakarta, improve protection of the group, and boost bilateral relations.”

Indonesian and Saudi officials have been working on establishing an integrated placement system between the two countries and renewed a technical arrangement agreement last month to speed up this process. 

Jakarta had placed a permanent ban on sending new domestic helpers to the Middle East in 2015 following a temporary suspension, although hundreds of workers still left for jobs in the wealthier region in the years since. 

LONDON, 04 September 2022, (TON): A major British charity group has raised £13.5 million ($15.5 million) to support relief efforts for Pakistan amid the devastating floods.

The Disaster Emergency Committee a collection of 15 leading charities in Britain gathered most of the funding from British Muslims across the UK, who dug deep into their pay packets and savings to support the Pakistani people after the committee issued an emergency appeal.

DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed told Sky News that the funds were raised in just over two days, thanking the hard efforts from his teams.

DUBAI, 04 September 2022, (TON): State news agency reported “Iraq has agreed to allow the entry of 500,000 Iranian pilgrims through Al-Sheeb port to perform the Arbaeen pilgrimage of Imam Hussein.”

Iraqi authorities said they have taken the necessary security and health preparations to receive the pilgrims through the port on the Iran-Iraq border.

INA statement said “authorities have also visited the border port to implement procedures that would simplify and facilitate the entry of pilgrims.”

Every year, pilgrims flock to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the shrine of Imam Hussein is located, to perform Arbaeen rituals.

GOMA, 04 September 2022, (TON): World Food Programme said “a United Nations helicopter has crashed while flying over the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu province.”

The UN Humanitarian Air Service chopper, went down near the city of Goma. There were no passengers on board and three crew members were injured, the aid agency told Reuters news agency in an emailed response.

Without providing further detail, the WFP said the cause of the crash was not yet clear. Eight peacekeepers were killed in March when a UN helicopter crashed in the area of Tshanzu, in North Kivu.

That helicopter was on a reconnaissance mission when it went down amid clashes between the Congolese army and a rebel group known as the M23.

WASHINGTON, 04 September 2022, (TON): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday denounced a new three-year sentence imposed on Myanmar’s ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and urged further pressure on the country’s junta.

Blinken said “we strongly condemn the Burma military regime’s unjust sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi to three more years of prison, including hard labor.”

“We must work together to hold the regime accountable for its escalating violence and repression of democratically elected leaders in Burma.”

The latest sentence, handed down behind closed doors, takes the total jail time the Nobel laureate and democracy figurehead is facing to two decades.

TEXAS, 04 September 2022, (TON): Officials said “at least eight migrants drowned and dozens of others were rescued after attempting to cross the Rio Grande river from Mexico into the United States.”

US Customs and Border Patrol said “the drownings occurred, when a large group attempted to cross the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas.”

Thirty-seven people were rescued, CBP said “but part of the rescue mission also led to the discovery of eight deceased migrants, two found by the Government of Mexico and six by agents.”

CBP said “a total of 92 migrants were detained in the group, 39 on the Mexican side of the river and 53 by US agents.”

No information was provided about the ages or nationalities of the migrants.

DHAKA, 04 September 2022, (TON): Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed has said “the US sanctions on some Rapid Action Battalion members, including him from his time leading the paramilitary force, are the result of a $100 million project.”

The IGP said “this at a reception organized in his honour on the occasion of his visit to the US on Thursday night.”

The IGP said “a vested quarter hired four international lobbyist firms and gave them $25 million each for the project. After trying for three years, these firms were finally able to persuade the US government to impose sanctions on RAB and me.”

At the event, Benazir once again clarified that he had no connection with the enforced disappearances that the US government has alleged.

DHAKA, 04 September 2022, (TON): Vietnamese Ambassador to Bangladesh Pham Viet Chien has pledged that his country will continue to work together with Bangladesh to achieve higher economic growth in line with the development goals of the two countries.

He said “I strongly believe Vietnam and Bangladesh will maintain a higher economic growth and keep moving towards realizing the targets to be upper middle-income countries in 2030 and then developed high-income countries in early 2040.”

The ambassador, while speaking at the 77th Vietnamese National Day reception at a city hotel night, said the two countries will continue to cooperate in living up to the dreams of the Fathers of Nations - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh.