KOCH BIHAR, 10 April, 2021 (TON): On Saturday the ruling party alleged that five Trinamool Congress workers have been shot dead in West Bengal’s Kooch Behar amid polling in 44 seats of the Indian state for the fourth phase of assembly elections, said the media.

Gunshots were fired after the BJP and Trinamool Congress workers clashed in the Sitalkuchi constituency, said the sources.

The Trinamool Congress said,"In booth No. 126 of Sitalkuchi, 5 people have been shot dead after BJP captured the booth."

The party, in the letter by Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien said, "This is a grave violation of the law and the Model Code of Conduct on manifold accounts. I strongly urge you to escalate the matter on priority and begin an intervention at the earliest to apprehend the perpetrators."

However, the Election Commission has sought a report on the matter.

LISBON, 10 April, 2021 (TON): Indicted for money laundering and forgery of documents, Portugal's former Prime Minister Jose Socrates will be the country's first head of government to stand trial, according to Friday’s decision by Judge Ivo Rosa.

While calling out to the cprruption charges, the magistrate said, "the facts against the accused are insufficient to uphold an indictment for passive corruption."

Socrates, who served as prime minister between 2005 and 2011, was accused in 2017 of 31 crimes of passive corruption, money laundering, forgery of documents, and tax fraud, in a process that has lasted seven years.

Prosecutors alleged that Socrates received around 34 million euros (40.5 million dollars) between 2005 and 2015 from companies.

However, Prime Minister Antonio Costa on Friday declined to comment on the lawsuit involving Socrates, whom he has always called a "friend."

KARACHI, 10 April, 2021 (TON): FIFA’s senior officials are furious over the situation in Pakistan football and are considering imposing a five-year ban on the country if the situation is not resolved in a few days at the local level, said the media sources.

FIFA the other day suspended Pakistan and has said that the suspension will be lifted only after it receives a confirmation from the PFF Normalization Committee that it has achieved complete access to the PFF headquarters, accounts and other necessary channels and can operate independently.

FIFA suspended Pakistan after a group of officials led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah ignored its deadline for handing over the PFF headquarters back to the NC.

The IPC minister Fehmida Fehmida said, “The suspension of PFF by the FIFA Bureau is highly painful and absolutely shocking to the millions of football fans.”

“The decision taken hurriedly by the FIFA Council is uncalled for as the Government of Pakistan has already condemned the act of taking over of Football House by a faction of PFF in unequivocal terms. Efforts are being made to bring both parties to the table. The Normalization Committee is also being requested to announce the roadmap for elections of PFF in line with the directions of FIFA,” she said.

However, the IPC minister once again requested all the factions of PFF to amicably resolve their disputes through dialogue. Moreover, she also appealed to FIFA authorities to lift the suspension for the sake of football fans in Pakistan.

MALE, 10 April, 2021 (TON): On Saturday, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih asserted that councils have been granted significant powers with the revisions to Decentralization Act, and asked the people to vote in the ongoing Local Council Elections to implement the new system.

After casting his vote in the Local Council Elections and Women’s Development Committee Elections, the President made the statement while speaking to press.

President Solih said that voting in the Local Council Elections is crucial to utilize the powers surrendered by the central government to local councils.

However, while noting that the election has had a significantly low voter turnout so far, President Solih said that he understands the election is being held under difficult circumstances, but hope to see more people come out to vote by afternoon.

ISTANBUL, 10 April, 2021 (TON): During a telephonic conversation between the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed regional issues, Turkey's presidential office said on Friday.

Views on developing closer cooperation between Turkey and Russia were also discussed, the presidency announced on Twitter.

Besides, amid tension augmented between Ukraine and Russia over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, on Saturday the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Turkey's Istanbul within the scope of the 9th meeting of the Turkey-Ukraine High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, where he is expected to meet the Turkish President.

NAIROBI, 10 April, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, Kenya’s High Court has temporarily has halted a move by the government to close the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps housing nearly 500,000 people.

The court issued a stay order following a petition filed to the high court that challenged a decision by the Interior Ministry calling on the UN refugee agency to formulate a plan to close the camps as soon as possible.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) promptly responded and warned of a catastrophe if refugees are ejected from the Dadaab and Kakuma camps which have a population of 218,873 and 196,666, respectively.

On 24 March, Kenya gave the UN Refugee Agency a 14-day ultimatum to formulate a plan to close the camps, Kenya’s Interior Ministry tweeted saying there is no room for further negotiations.

However, the case will be initially heard on 13 April.

KABUL, 10 April, 2021 (TON): As Kandahar has recently witnessed heavy clashes between security forces and the Taliban, Colonel Sharifullah Sartayib has been appointed as new police chief for Kandahar province, replacing Gen. Tadin Khan, who was appointed to the post in 2018.

On Saturday, Col. Sartayib took charge of his post at a ceremony attended by Kandahar governor Rohullah Khanzada, former police chief Gen. Tadin Khan and other officials. 

Meanwhile, sources from Kandahar said that Tadin Khan has been appointed as member of the leadership committee of the High Council for National Reconciliation.

Col. Sartayib was the commander of the 4th Battalion of the Border Force Regiment in Kandahar ahead of his new role as the police chief of the province.

PHUENTSHOLING, 10 April, 2021 (TON): The border gate between the Bhutan-India closed on Thursday morning in context of the election protocols across the border, and will open in the evening on Saturday.

Although the border gate in Phuentsholing has been completely closed, with no entry-exit of vehicles, the Southern Covid-19 Task Force (SC19TF) in Phuentsholing maintained that everything was under control (even) before the closure.

Bhutanese drivers have been instructed on the protocols and vigilance and have been following the Covid-19 protocols, said the Chairman of the SC19TF, Sonam Wangyel.

He also said that the Indian officials who carry out the inspections were following strict protocols. Right after the inspection, Bhutanese drivers and escorts disinfect the vehicles and sanitize.

Recently, monitoring on the highways has become stricter due to the ongoing elections in West Bengal.

As safety protocols and advocacies remained primary goal, smaller groups have been formed and assigned responsibility in their respective areas, Sonam Wangyel said.

Meanwhile, the gate has been closed after the request from the counterpart government because of the ongoing elections. Officials from both the countries are in touch and closure has been facilitated accordingly.

The gate will open on 10 April evening.

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.