BEIRUT, 13 March, 2021 (TON): On Friday, the Parliament of Lebanon passed a law on a $246 million loan of the World Bank.

The law encompasses that the loan will provide assistance to about 150,000 families vulnerable when the Lebanon is at the verge to poverty.

The parliament also passed another law on a $5.5 million World Bank loan.

This loan will include several small and medium sized enterprises in Lebanon, the media said.

However, as the country is going through the U.S. dollar shortage, its currency’s collapse, and higher recession and inflation, it faces worst crippling economy and financial crisis.  

ISTANBUL, 13 March, 2021 (TON): A new package of reforms has been announced by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan for economy stabilization amid the pandemic crisis.

"Macroeconomic and structural policies form the backbone of Turkey's new reforms," Erdogan said.

"We will achieve our goals by working day and night to make Turkey one of the world's top 10 economies," he added.

The Turkish President insisted that the aim of the country is to manage the imports and exports; more exports, few imports. This will raise country’s potential for production efficiency.

 However, as the state leader hopes for the economic growth, many analysts state that the country has many times announced the economic reforms, that yielded limited results.

NEW DELHI, 13 March, 2021 (TON): On Saturday later, the BJPs Central Election Committee (CEC) will meet later to finalize party candidates for assembly polls in four states and one union territory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the CEC meeting, the sources said.

A BJP source said, “Names for all the seats for Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be also be finalized in the meeting, where polling will be held in the third phase on April 6.”

The meeting to be held at the party’s national headquarters in the evening would be attended by the Prime Minister Modi, BJP chief J.P. Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, National General Secretary (Organization) B. L. Santosh and other members of the CEC.

Voting will take place in all the 140 seats of Kerala, 234 seats of Tamil Nadu, 30 seats of Puducherry on 6 April.

As the names for seats going for polls in first two phases have already been announced, on Friday, the BJP leaders from West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu arrived in the Delhi to initiate discussions on names of probable short-listed by state unit with Nadda. These names would be party nominees and would be placed at BJP CEC list.

DHAKA, 13 March, 2021 (TON): As Bangladesh celebrates Golden Jubilee of its independence and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary; it is ready to welcome the world leaders to take part in the celebrations.

The celebrations that will take place from 17-27 March will also be attended by Nepal’s President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Bidya Devi Bhandari of Maldives, Sri Lankan PM Mahina Rajapaksa and Indian PM Narendra Modi.   

While, Modi, Solih and Rajapaksa will meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhandari and her counterpart Md Abdul Hamid will hold bilateral talks.

Programs at the National Parade Square in Dhaka will also be commenced and the leaders will deliver speeches.

The Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Kamal Khan said it clearly that pandemic precautions will be strictly followed.  

The invited guests have to undergo testing and carry a negative report to attend the event.

Around 500 guests from home and abroad are invited to the event venue.

However, presently high officials at the Prime Ministers' Office and the Foreign Ministry said Bangladesh has been in close contact with the governments of the four nations on signing instruments on various issues.

RAMALLAH, 13 March, 2012 (TON): On Friday, the Palestinian Labor Minister Nasri Abu Jaish got injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, the medical sources said.

During clashes with Palestinian protestors in the village of Beit Dajan, east of the West Bank city of Nablus, Abu Jaish got his back injured by a rubber-coated metal bullet fired by Israeli soldiers.

The injured were taken to the hospital in the city of Nablus the medical staff treated dozens of protestors, sources said.

Clashes between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli soldiers broke out in the village during a rally that the Palestinians organize every Friday in protest against Israeli settlement and confiscation of land, witness reported.

However, it is noticed that Beit Dajan has become a routine scene for weekly rallies against the Israeli settlement activities   

TEHRAN, 12 March, 2021 (TON): A call for the U.S. to withdraw its presence from Syria has been made by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He said on Thursday, "The Americans must leave Iraq, which is the will of the Iraqis and their law.”

While stating his remarks he referred to the resolution passed by the Parliament on 5 January last year urging the Baghdad government to end the presence of the foreign forces.

Besides, the leader also denounced the criticism of Iran’s presence in Syria ad other countries in West Asia, arguing that Iran’s presence is political rather than military, unlike the U.S.

Also he said that Iran’s presence seeks to defend the legitimate governments in place, however, at the request of the governments.

He slammed the U.S. and said, US critics magnify Iran's regional presence, and at the same time Washington attack a country without permission and establish a military base.

However, the American troops provide military equipment and training to the Iraqi forces as they are leading international coalition talks with the Islamic State and countering the terror groups operating n the country through airstrikes.  

LONDON, 12 March, 2021 (TON): Considering the ongoing situation in Myanmar, Britain on Friday, called on its people either to leave the Southeast Asian country or stay at home if not able to do so.

The move has come a day after the rights group confirmed the killing of 12 protestors as the junta alleges Aung San Suu Kyi for illicit payments.

British Foreign Ministry said, "The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises British Nationals to leave the country by commercial means unless there is an urgent need to stay."

"Political tension and unrest are widespread since the military takeover and levels of violence are rising" it added.

As the world is witnessing historic pro-democracy protests of the decade where violence has risen and the uprising is taking several deaths and causing de-stability and insecurity, Great Britain calls for the restoration of democracy and condemned the violence in the sanctioned country.

BIRENDRANAGAR, 12 March, 2021 (TON): As the provincial government pledged to address the demands of the Badi people residing in four districts of Karnali province, the group has eased the 16 days old protest.

On Wednesday, the protests broke off following a five-point agreement with the provincial government.

As the community submitted a memorandum of their demands on 24 February through the Chief District Office of Surkhet, Dal Rawal, social development minister for Karnali Province said, “The provincial government has exercised its authority and made the agreement with the Badi community. So the agreement has already come into effect.”

The agreement was signed by Dr. Rajendra Mishra, secretary at the Ministry of Land Management, and Hikmat Badi, coordinator of the Badi Struggle Committee.

Outside the Chief Minister’s office in Birendranagar, more than 400 people from the Badi community of Surkhet, Dailekh, Kalikot, and Jajarkot districts had been camping sit-in demanding the government to allot plots and introduce welfare schemes for them.

 Badi community is the most deprived and marginalized group in the country that has protested subsequently for the rehabilitation and social integration of its people, including when the court’s order for the provision of birth registration was delayed, later the government signed a 26-point agreement with the community and a five-point agreement this time.

MOSCOW, 12 March, 2021 (TON): On Friday, a top Russian official stated that the ones attending the Afghan peace process meeting to be held next week in Moscow have confirmed their attendance.

The Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan and Director of the Foreign Ministry's Second Asian Department, Zamir Kabulov said in a statement.

On asking about the American representatives’ participation in the consultations, he said that the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad had confirmed his participation.

He also confirmed Russia’s invitation to the U.S., China, Pakistan, representatives of the Afghan government, and the Taliban to Moscow for the meeting scheduled to be held on March 18.

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that Doha had also received an invitation from Russia.

The peace talks are going to be held as a result of the U.S. and the Taliban’s signed agreement in February 2020 that called for a full withdrawal of American military forces from the conflict-ridden country by May 2021if Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, however, President Biden that the conditions are not met.  

SEOUL, 12 March, 2021 (TON): The foreign ministry of South Korea announced to suspend defense exchanges with Myanmar, besides, bans arms exports to the country after a military coup and violent suppression of the protests.  

It also declared to limit exports of other strategic items, reconsider development aid and grant humanitarian exemptions for Myanmar nationals to allow them to stay in South Korea until the situation improves.

The ministry said in a statement, "Despite repeated demands of the international community, including South Korea, there is an increasing number of victims in Myanmar due to violent acts of the military and police authorities."

The crisis has struck the Southeast Asian country since the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February, and detained her and other officials of her National League for Democracy.

The last defense export to Myanmar was conducted in 2019.

Despite, South Korea claiming to limit the exports it spends millions of dollars on the development projects there and would reconsider some unspecified cooperation with Myanmar for livelihood and providing humanitarian assistance to its citizens.