COLOMBO, 10 April, 2021 (TON): A 15-member Presidential Task Force has been appointed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa aiming to achieve the goals set by the government through the “Gama Samaga Pilisandara” (Discussion with the Village) program.

The Task Force has a primary responsibility to direct all officers at the divisional level, including District Secretaries, Divisional Secretaries and heads of all other institutions, on the need for service, to expedite the implementation of the President's instructions and directives to resolve issues and problems raised by the people during the program.

The Task Force is tasked with expediting road, drinking water, electricity, telephone communications, playgrounds, schools, hospitals, vocational education institutes, urban universities, land transfers, banking and financial facilities, markets, warehousing and infrastructure projects, implemented by national level government institutions in the Pradeshiya Sabhas and Divisional Secretariat Areas under the Budget Provisions 2021 - 2023.

The Presidential Task Force for Gama Samaga Pilisandara Rural Development is chaired by Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa and consists of a team of state ministers and parliamentarians.

State Ministers Nimal Lanza, Dilum Amunugama, Kanchana Wijesekera, Sita Arambepola, and Prof. Channa Jayasumana, MPs Kader Masthan, Kapila Athukorala, Sanjeewa Edirimanne, Nipuna Ranawaka, Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, Tiran Alles, Chandana Kumara, Gewindu Kumara, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, Chinthaka Amal Mayadunne and Jayantha Weerasinghe are the other members.

BEIRUT, 10 April, 2021 (TON): For the reconstruction of the Beirut's port that was damaged following the August 2020 twin blasts, the German companies have offered a project worth $5 billion to $15 billion, said Michel Najjar Lebanese Public Works and Transportation Minister.

The project expected to create 15,000 jobs, will create a commercial and tourist hub valued at $2.5 billion and secure revenues of millions of dollars for the government, he said on Friday.

The Lebanese German Business Council held a press conference on Friday in Beirut, where representatives of the German companies were given an overview of the project.

German Ambassador to Lebanon Andreas Kindl said that this initiative represents a serious approach to developing the port of Beirut and the surrounding area.

However, the minister elaborated that the project will be based on a contract whereby private companies would finance the port's reconstruction and operate it for two or three decades before the government regains control.

DHAKA, 10 April, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina said, the return of the U.S. to the Paris Agreement will create new momentum in climate diplomacy.

Her Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said that she made the remarks in a meeting with John Kerry, the U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, at the Ganabhaban in Dhaka on Friday,

Kerry also emphasized the use of solar power and other renewable energy besides hydropower to reduce pollution.

He said the U.S. is eager to invest in renewable energy in partnership with other countries, just like he said on his visit to India.

Hasina said that her government has formed the Climate Trust Fund along with other initiatives to face the adverse impacts of climate change.

The official asserted that the U.S. will give $2 million in addition to $1 million to the Green Climate Fund.

Moreover, the special envoy lauded Hasina’s role in tackling the climate crisis, meanwhile, Hasina thanked the U.S. President Joe Biden for inviting her to the Leaders’ Summit on Climate. More than 40 countries are expected to join the summit to be held virtually on 22-23 April.    

KATHMANDU, 10 April, 2021 (TON): A visually impaired Chinese climber, Zhang Hong, a 46-year-old is attempting to summit Mt. Qomolangma this spring, Asian Trekking said on Friday.

Dawa Steven Sherpa, chief executive officer of Asian Trekking said, "If he manages to reach the top of Mt. Qomolangma, he will be the first Asian blind person to scale the world's tallest peak."

Earlier, two mountaineers Erik Weihenmayer, an American mountaineer and Andy Holzer, an Austrian climber, both visually impaired had reached the top of the Mt. Qomolangma in May 2001 and May 2017 respectively.

Sherpa said that the Chinese climber had been training hard with the aim of scaling the Mt. Qomolangma for the last three years.

According to the Asian Trekking, he has already conquered Muztagh Ata, a 7,509 meter peak in China's Xinjiang autonomous region two years ago.

Zhang is one of the 244 climbers who got climbing permits for Mt. Qomolangma from Nepali authorities.

The world's tallest peak has been a dream for many people with disabilities and some of them have already achieved their dreams by scaling the mountain. The height of the mountain was slightly increased to 8848.86 meters when Nepali and Chinese surveyors measured and jointly announced the new height in December last year.

KATHMANDU, 10 April, 2021 (TON): In an attempt to unseat Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and form a coalition government under its leadership,Nepali Congress has begun talks with the Nepal Communist Party-Maoist Centre and the Janata Samajbadi Party.

According to the party leader, on Friday, Nepali Congress President, Sher Bahadur Deuba, had called a meeting of the opposition parties which ended on a positive note.

In wake of the Supreme Court’s verdict on Oli’sdecision to dissolve the house on 20 December and call for fresh elections, opposition parties had been demanding his resignation on moral grounds but he has been holding fast. 

Two senior Janata Samajbadi Party leaders, Chairman Mahantha Thakur and Rajendra Mahato are separately negotiating with Oli to extend support to his government in case it falls into a minority.  

On Friday, as soon as the meeting began, Deuba told that they have decided to unseat Oli and take a lead to form a new government under the party's leadership.

Thakur said, "We have made clear our position that we are ready to support the new government to be led by Deuba and we also asked the Janata Samajbadi Party leaders to make their position clear whether it will support Deuba or not. But Janata Samajbadi Party leaders said that they need some time to discuss Deuba's proposal inside the party."

He added, "We have received the formal proposal to form a new government from the Nepali Congress. We will first discuss the proposal inside the party and will communicate to the Nepali Congress at earliest." 

However, during the meeting, Nepali Congress and NCP-Maoist Centre leaders had assured the Janata Samajbadi Party that once the new government will be formed, they will look into its demands and grievances. The party has also forwarded some demands to both Oli and the Nepali Congress. 

NEW DELHI/BEIJING, 10 April, 2021 (TON): The 11th round of the Corps Commander talks at Chushul between Indian and Chinese military delegates over the disengagement in Eastern Ladakh at various friction points lasted for 13 hours i.e. 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m..

Disengagement at friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and the 900 sq-km Depsang plains was discussed between the two.

The Indian military delegation was led by Lieutenant General P.G.K. Menon, Commander of the 14 Corps based in Leh.

Pangong lake disengagement, both the countries have planned to carry out disengagement on other friction points like Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang.

A senior Indian Army officer said, "The military dialogue is still on and it is important that before the onset of summer de-escalation takes place at Line of Actual Control (LAC). Both sides need retreat to original positions for things to ease."

 The build-up in Depsang was not being considered as part of the current stand-off that started in May 2020 as escalations here took place in 2013.

However, on 20 February 2021, Indian and Chinese military held the 10th round of military dialogue to deescalate tension at the LAC. So far, the disengagement process at both banks of the Pangong Lake has taken place.

It was on February 10 that China made an announcement that New Delhi and Beijing had agreed to disengage at Pangong Lake.

RIYADH, 9 April, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, the Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry affirmed that the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) concluded a mixed air exercise “Aces Meet 2021” with their U.S. and Pakistani counterparts at the Mushaf air base in Pakistan's Sargodha.
The maneuvers concluded in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki, the military attaché Maj. Gen. Awad bin Abdullah Al-Zahrani, and the commander of the Mushaf air base, Wing Commander Ali Naeem Zahoor.

According to Al-Maliki, this joint cooperation between the two enhances the strength of the relationship between the Kingdom and Pakistan, especially in the military field and also it enhances the Kingdom’s skills and accuracy.

Al-Zahrani said the exercises aim to strengthen and support the bonds of cooperation between RSAF and the Pakistani Air Force and to train in environments different to that of the Kingdom’s.

The Aces Meet 2021 is one of the most important exercises in which operational strategies and tactics are developed to simulate the realities of the battlefield in order to adapt to different combat situations.

WASHINGTON, 9 April, 2021 (TON): As a part of a foreign tour, the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Germany next week.

This tour will also include his visit to Israel, UK and the NATO headquarters in Belgium.

Austin will be the first of US President Joe Biden's cabinet to travel to Germany. 

According to the Pentagon’s statement issued on Thursday, the U.S. official will meet the Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Foreign and Security Policy Adviser Jan Hecker.

The talks aim to reinforce the value the US places on the bilateral defense relationship with one of our closest NATO Allies, the Pentagon said.

Besides, there will also be discussions on combating the malign influence of our shared strategic rivals, and continued dialogue on US force posture in Germany and elsewhere.

Austin will also visit US European Command and US Africa Command headquarters in Germany to meet with US troops and senior commanders.

However, Germany is one of the United States' closest and strongest allies. The United States and Germany work side by side to maintain peace and freedom, and Germany plays an important role in NATO's core mission of collective defense. 

ROME, 9April, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, the Italian PM Mario Draghi, called the Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan as a dictator.

 After being asked about a diplomatic row over seating arrangements during a meeting between Erdogan and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, the Italian PM spoke at a conference saying, “I am very sorry for the humiliation that the president of the commission had to suffer with these, let’s call them for what they are, dictators, but with whom we need to cooperate.”

The Turkish leader came under a torrent of criticism after images went viral of von der Leyen being left without a seat during their meeting in Ankara, which also included European Council President Charles Michel.

Later, the official images showed her seated on a sofa opposite Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

However, Turkey and the EU blamed each other for the arrangements during the meeting, which was meant to set a more positive tone in relations after months of spats.

Meanwhile, several European Parliament groups demanded an investigation into how Leyan was left standing while Michel took a seat.

The remarks made by the Italian PM could more sever the EU-Turkey ties.

KATHMANDU/NEW DELHI, 9 April, 2021 (TON): A telephonic conversation to be held on Friday today between the Nepal and Indian Foreign Ministers to discuss cooperation on coping with the pandemic and vaccination supplies.

The telephone talk between Pradeep Gyawali and S Jainshankar is taking place at a time when both Nepal and India are witnessing a surge in cases.

Nepali FM told the media, “Discussion will take place on effective monitoring of the border points, Covid-19-related cooperation and supply of vaccines to Nepal.”

 “We are maintaining extra vigil this time as there are concerns about new variants circulating both in India and Nepal,” said a senior official at Covid Crisis Management Centre.

However, the talks between the two countries is of much significance because the sudden surge of corona-virus cases in India is a cause for concern for Nepali authorities, as the two countries share a 1,800-kilometre-long open border through which people from both countries crossover.