JEDDAH, 12 December 2022, (TON): Iran’s currency fell to a record low against the dollar, with nationwide anti-government protests now in their third month.

A breakdown in negotiations to restore Tehran’s nuclear deal has also hurt the value of the rial.

Traders in Tehran were exchanging the rial at around 370,000 to the dollar on Sunday, up from 368,000.

Iran’s currency was trading at 32,000 rials to the dollar at the time of the 2015 nuclear accord that dropped international sanctions in exchange for tight controls on Iran’s nuclear program.

TAIPEI, 12 December 2022, (TON): Taiwan’s premier on Sunday accused China of violating international trade rules and “discriminating” against the island after it halted more Taiwanese imports.

According to Taiwan’s finance ministry, Chinese customs authorities “suddenly suspended” imports of certain alcoholic beverages from the island.

It said the move was related to a regulation Beijing imposed on January 1 that requires all food and alcoholic beverage exporters to the mainland to be registered with Chinese customs. Some Taiwanese companies had still been under review.

DHAKA, 12 December 2022, (TON): The United Kingdom has announced an additional 4.5 million British Pounds funding to address the ongoing Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh.

The UK is lifting its funding from the start of the crisis in August 2017 to a total of £345 million, a press release issued by the British High Commission Dhaka said.

In this connection, the British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert Chatterton Dickson said, "The UK remains committed to supporting Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh."

Dickson said "the UK continues to push for a long-term solution that will enable the Rohingya to return to Myanmar on a safe, voluntary and dignified basis, when the conditions there allow."

ROME, 12 December 2022, (TON): Italy, which has vowed a tough line on immigration, took in more than 500 migrants as two charity rescue ships were allowed to dock at ports in the south of the country after several days at sea in bad weather.

MSF said “the Geo Barents ship, operated by the Doctors without Borders charity and which had 248 migrants aboard, arrived in Salerno in the southwestern region of Campania.”

On the other side of the country, the Humanity 1, another rescue vessel run by the charity SOS Humanity, docked in the port city of Bari after the Italian authorities agreed to grant it permission.

CAIRO, 12 December 2022, (TON): Cairo’s envoy to Moscow has said “visitors from Russia remained an important part of Egypt’s tourism trade.”

And addressing representatives of major Russian tourism companies at a forum organized by the Egyptian Embassy in Russia, ambassador Nazih Al-Najari highlighted efforts to further increase traveller numbers.

Amr El-Kady, chief executive officer of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, joined the event via video call. Moscow-based representatives of national flag carrier EgyptAir were also among the audience.

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 December 2022, (TON): Calls are mounting on Malaysia’s government to allow the safe disembarkation of Rohingya stranded on a boat within its waters, amid concerns that a number of them have already died from starvation and dehydration.

The boat carrying 160 people, including 120 women and children, sailed from Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh on Nov. 25.

The coastal region has since 2017 become the world’s largest refugee settlement, as Bangladesh accepted nearly 1 million members of the Muslim Rohingya minority fleeing a widespread and systematic assault by security forces in neighboring Myanmar.

DHAKA, 12 December 2022, (TON): German Ambassador to Bangladesh Achim Troster had a "closed door" meeting with BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

The 45-minute meeting that began around 3:00 pm was held at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office.

After the meeting, Amir Khosru briefed reporters about the talk.

He said "the German Ambassador along with an official of their foreign ministry came here to our office to talk to us. But we don't want to disclose what we discussed since it was a private meeting.”

He said it is the responsibility of the foreign diplomats to report at their headquarters about the political, social, economic and cultural affairs of the countries they have been given postings.

WASHINGTON, 12 December 2022, (TON): US efforts to negotiate the freedom of a former Marine held in Russia as part of the swap involving basketball star Brittney Griner were thwarted by Moscow’s demand for the release of a convicted murderer held in Germany, according to a top US official and media reports.

The swap of Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout raised questions as to why the US side had failed to secure the simultaneous release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine accused by Moscow of spying a charge Washington flatly rejects.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby was asked about reports negotiations stumbled over a demand for the release of Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel in Russia’s domestic spy organization serving a life sentence for murder in Germany.

DUBAI, 12 December 2022, (TON): UAE-Saudi relations are strategic, strong, and sustainable, the Emirati foreign minister said on Sunday during a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said that relations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia are enhanced continually for the benefit of their countries and peoples, and support regional and global security and stability, Emirates News Agency reported.

The foreign ministers discussed in Abu Dhabi the long-standing and historic relations between their countries and cooperation paths and ways to enhance them in light of their strategic bilateral partnership.

KYIV, 12 December 2022, (TON): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with US President Joe Biden and with the leaders of Turkiye and France, an increase in diplomatic activity around the war started by Russia that is dragging into a 10th month.

Zelensky said “we are constantly working with partners.”

While Zelensky has held numerous talks with Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan since Russian forces invaded in late February, the accumulation of discussions in just one day is not a regular event.

Zelensky said “he had thanked Biden for unprecedented defense and financial help the United States has provided for Ukraine and talked with the US president about an effective anti-aircraft defense systems to protect the population.”