TOKYO, 3 March, 2021, (TON): A prodigious majority of Japanese said they were “interested in the Olympics”, however 58% were not interested to let it happen this year because of fears over COVID-19, a Yomiuri day by day survey showed on Wednesday.

In the overview, led between January 18^th and February 25^th, when a significant part of the nation stayed in a COVID highly sensitive situation, 30% of the respondents said they were "very interested" in the Summer Games and 40% said they were "somewhat interested", for a joined 70%.

Be apprehensions over the effect on COVID contaminations kept generally contradicted to holding the occasion this year; however the 58% in resistance is around 20 % focuses lower than prior assessments of public sentiment.

In the event that the Games were to go on as planned, 91% of respondents said viewers ought to be kept to a slightest or not permitted by any stretch of the imagination, the Yomiuri survey showed.

An overview by worldwide consultancy Kekst CNC distributed on Wednesday showed comparative paces of majority share resistance in Japan, at 56%, just as in Britain and Germany, at 55% and 52% correspondingly.

Number of COVID patients is low in Japan in contrast to the US and other European nations. Japan has so far confirmed 431,250 COVID-19 cases and 7,931 deaths as of March 1^st, Monday.

Japan has been an Olympic land since the Summer Games of 1964. Last March, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed and since then, the speculation has been endless. The Tokyo Olympic Games were reorganized to occur this year from July 23.

LAGOS, 3 March, 2021 (TON): UNICEF to provide psychosocial assistance to the 279 released schoolgirls abducted from the school hostel in Nigeria’s Zamfara last week.

Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s representative to Nigeria said that funds would collaborate with the Education ministry for safe return of all the children to school.

"While we rejoice at the release of the schoolgirls and look forward to their safe return to their families, we reiterate that attacks on students and schools are not only reprehensible but a violation of the right of children to education," he said.

"UNICEF calls on the government of Nigeria to take all measures to protect schools in the country so that children will not be fearful of going to school, and parents afraid of sending their children to school.

"Schools must be safe places to study and develop, and learning should not become a risky endeavor," he added.

Nigeria’s has been a victim of mass kidnappings for the past few years, however, the release of the girls resulted without any use of force rather with a series of negotiations and no ransom paid, a result of the peace accord that state governor initiated.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 3 March, 2021 (TON): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) confirmed its assistance for Myanmar in a positive, peaceful and constructive manner.

The organization has been closely following the current developments in the region and concurred that the political stability in any and all member states is essential to achieving a collective peaceful, stable and prosperous Community, according to the chair's statement released on Tuesday on the Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.

"We expressed our concern on the situation in Myanmar and called on all parties to refrain from instigating further violence, and for all sides to exercise utmost restraint as well as flexibility.

"We also called on all parties concerned to seek a peaceful solution, through constructive dialogue and practical reconciliation in the interests of the people and their livelihood," the statement said.

"We underscored the need to maintain our unity, centrality, and relevance in the region and to collectively address common challenges."

The Myanmar military staged the coup on 1 February and declared a year-long state of emergency for Myanmar witnessed continued protests demanding the release of former de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party and also the restoration of the democratically elected government.

ISLAMABAD, 3 March, 2021 (TON): A defense agreement is to be penned between Turkey and Pakistan that would open doors for Pakistan to co-manufacture missiles and fighter jets.

The reports revealed that both the countries are into meetings over the past few months to discuss the prospects of military hardware manufacturing and development.

"Officials from both sides have confirmed that the meetings did take place in January but did not comment on whether any deal was reached between the two countries on when another such meeting will take place," claimed the report.

Ankara sees Islamabad as a strategic ally and a potential partner in developing its Super-long-range missile defense project and TF-X fighter jets," told Turkish officials.

However, eyeing on the agreement it would also provide Istanbul a gateway to be part of the Thunder jets that Pakistan manufactures with China and collaborate in the defense projects with Pak.

BRUSSELS, 3 March, 2021, (TON): The European Union (EU) on Tuesday imposed restrictive measures on four Russian officials responsible for serious human rights violations in Russia.

The EU Council has adopted council Implementing regulation (EU) 2021/371 and Council Decision (CFSP) 2021/372, which designates 4 Russian officials for serious human rights violations.

The four individual listed were Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia's Investigative Committee; Igor Krasnov, the Prosecutor-General; Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard; and Alexander Kalashnikov, head of the Federal Prison Service.

Russian officials were sanctioned for their "roles in the arbitrary arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Alexei Navalny, as well as the repression of peaceful protests in connection with his unlawful treatment," said the Council of the EU in a press release.

This is the first time that the EU has made designations under its new EU global human rights sanctions Regime. Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy made the decision.

The restrictive measures that entered into force on Tuesday consist of a travel ban and asset freeze. In addition, persons and entities in the EU are forbidden from making funds available to those listed, either directly or indirectly, said the release.

The United States also announced on Tuesday sanctions and restrictions against Russian individuals and entities over the alleged poisoning of Navalny.

Alexei Anatolievich Navalny is a Russian opposition leader, lawyer, and anti-corruption activist. He came to international prominence by organizing anti-government demonstrations and running for office to advocate reforms against corruption in Russia, and against President Vladimir Putin and his government.

Navalny, a harsh Kremlin critic, fell into a coma on a flight from the Russian city of Tomsk to Moscow in August 2020. He was then transferred to a hospital in Berlin with suspected poisoning symptoms.

Navalny is now serving a prison sentence of two and a half years in a penal colony

Russia said the case with Navalny is a purely domestic affair and foreign intervention is not allowed.

CAIRO, 3 March, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday in a meeting at Cairo, Egypt FM Sameh Shoukry and Mariam al-Sadiq, FM of Sudan emphasized it would a direct threat to the water security of Egypt and Sudan if Ethiopia for the second time fills the Nile Dam unilaterally.

The two diplomats talked over a number of common interest issues including the developments in Libya, Palestine, Syria, Yemen and other countries in the region,  and the ways to tackle them, a joint statement stated.

The significance of reaching a binding legal agreement on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was also highlighted, that would achieve the interests of the three countries, preserve the water rights of Egypt and Sudan, and limit the damages of the project to the two downstream countries.

Both of the officials affirmed their political will and a serious desire to achieve this goal at the earliest possible opportunity, urging Ethiopia to show goodwill and engage in an effective negotiation process.

They also expressed appreciation for the efforts made by South Africa during its presidency of the African Union in guiding the path of the GERD negotiations.

Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the Nile water, while, Sudan has also recently raised similar concerns over the 4-billion-US-dollar dam.

During the successful bilateral talks, the two sides invited each other to have investment cooperation, and boost trade and economic relations.

RABAT, 3 March, 2021 (TON): Relating to the disputed Western Sahara’s misunderstandings, foreign ministry of Morocco has suspended its ties with the German embassy.

As the former U.S. President recognized Moroccan’s sovereignty over the WSahara in a deal to normalize Rabat and Israel’s relations, Morocco got infuriated by Germany’s criticism over it.

“Suspend all contact, interaction and cooperation with the German Embassy and embassy-related activities,” a letter leaked online from the Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita to the other government officials.
However, the leaked letter affirmed of its authenticity by the government official, but it was not supposed to be revealed to the public, he said.  

Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it was aware of media reports about the letter.
UN peacekeepers now monitor a cease-fire between Moroccan forces and Polisario, supporters who fought for the independence for Western Sahara.

WASHINGTON, 2 March, 2021(TON): The United States is centered around "future conduct" of Saudi Arabia and will anticipate that Riyadh should improve its basic liberties record, a U.S. representative said on Monday, after Washington forced approvals on certain Saudis for the killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi yet missed the mark concerning sanctions against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The United States on Friday declassified a report that said the crown sovereign affirmed an activity in 2018 to catch or kill Khashoggi and gave a few approvals against Saudi nationals and elements.

Washington's inability to punish the crown ruler has been reprimanded by rights gatherings and others, bringing up issues about responsibility and the Biden organization's promise to make common liberties an international strategy need.

Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has denied any contribution in Khashoggi's slaughtering, for which eight individuals were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia a year ago, however has said he bears extreme obligation since it occurred on his watch.

“We are very focused on future conduct and that is part of why we have cast this not as a rupture, but as a recalibration” of U.S.-Saudi relations, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a press briefing.

“We are trying to get to the systemic issues underlying the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi,” Prince said.

“The US greeted the current issue of two human rights activists in Saudi Arabia,” Price said, but asked Riyadh to do more by lifting the travel ban on them.

“We are urging Saudi Arabia to take additional steps – to lift travel bans on those released, to commute sentences and resolve cases such as those women’s rights activists and others,” he said.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday that the US kept the right to sanction Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who composed assessment sections for the Washington Post reproachful of the crown prince’s arrangements, was executed and dissected by a group of agents connected to the ruler in the realm's office in Istanbul in October 2018.

On Friday, the U.S. singled out the Rapid Intervention Force, or RIF, a unit of the Saudi regal gatekeeper that has occupied with counter dissenter activities. It additionally gave visa restrictions on 76 Saudis.

Price said he could not disclose the names of the 76 people and failed to say whether or not Mohammed bin Salman was among them. The US has urged Saudi Arabia to disperse the RIF, Price added.

NEW DELHI, 2 March, 2021 (TON): Rakesh Tikait, head of the Indian party Bharatiya Kisan Union has asserted that the Center's quietness for as long as couple of days shows that it is arranging a few stages against the farmers perturbation over recently established farming laws.

He forced that authorities should come ahead with a proposal for talks to renew with the protesting farmers.

“The government’s silence for the past 15-20 days is indicating that something is going to happen. The government is planning some steps against the agitation,” the BKU leader told local media.

At the point when gotten some information about the savagery during a farm truck march on Republic Day in New Delhi, he asserted that the public authority made the difficulty.

Indian Agriculture serve Narendra Singh Tomar had said on 24 February that the government prepared to continue chats with fighting ranchers on the off chance that they require the three combative homestead lawful rules to briefly wait for a one-and-a-half year and work out the distinction all through that point with the correspondence of a joint board.

The farmers have been fighting at the boundaries of the public capital for almost three months now. They have held a few rounds of arrangements with the Center to discover an answer for their requests.

While the Center has consented to save the usage of laws in suspension for one and a half years, it has denied to pull out the three farm laws.

The farmers have been overcoming New Delhi's colder time of year by dozing in the open for quite a long time on public thruways. Their fights have for the most part been tranquil yet a farm truck rally on January 26^th erupted into disturbance as certain farmers conflicted with police and one individual was executed and hundreds were harmed.

Seemingly forever to the impasse, the farmers are presently intending for brutal summers.

KATHMANDU, 2 March, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, a massive fire broke out in Dobhan Bazaar, the second biggest market after Phungling in Nepal's Taplejung District.

According to the reports, 40 houses connected to each other caught the fire.

Around 8:30 am in the morning in a cloth shop, the fire started that spread rapidly towards the town in less than half an hour, the media reported.  

"Most of the houses were constructed of wood and stones roofed with zinc sheets," witnesses reported.

Ganesh Bahadur Limbu, chairperson of Mringden Rural Municipality told, "This is a huge loss to our place," "We are holding a meeting with the chief district officer, security forces, and the local leaders to ascertain the actual loss." Limbu said, adding that although properties worth millions were destroyed, there were no casualties.

By the efforts of the local authorities, the fire was brought under control after four hours.