NEW DELHI, 1 March, 2021 (TON): The Congress took a jab at PM Modi’s first shot of vaccine and said just like the LPG price hike, the public too got another injection of rising prices on the everyday commodity.

"Janta gets another 'injection dose' of Price Rise from BJP," Jaiveer Shergill said in a tweet as cylinder price once again rises by Rs 25 making it the sixth consecutive rise in 2 months (cooking gas cylinder price rose by Rs 225 over past two months).

He said, rising GDP (Gas Diesel Petrol) Prices can now easily be classified as "The Great Robbery."

The price of the domestic use cylinder was last week hiked by Rs 25 on Thursday, the third increase in the month of February itself, taking its price Rs 794 a cylinder in Delhi.

However, the oil companies shave maintained an almost equal increase in the price of subsidized LPG cylinders as well.

DUBAI, 1 March, 2021 (TON): If Washington wants to hold talks to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the U.S. has to lift the sanctions, says Iran on Monday.

“President Joe Biden's administration should change Trump's maximum pressure policy towards Tehran. If they want talks with Iran, first they should lift sanctions,” said foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh.

The deal was abandoned by the former U.S. President Donald Trump that Iran is concerned about.

However, Tehran will continue to work with the UN nuclear watchdog.

COLOMBO, 1 March, 2020, (TON): An express train from Kandy to Colombo crashed into an Army at the rail route crossing in the Thelangapatha region among Kelaniya and Wanawasala in morning on Monday, March 1^st.

“The bus was traveling from Hekitta to Panagoda Army camp when four Army personnel were on board”, said Police.

The bus crashed into the train and collided with into a close by store.  

An individual who was selling lottery tickets along with another person present on the spot were injured when the transport hit them and were raced to the Colombo National Hospital.

No Army work force was harmed in yet the transport was damaged because of the accident.

NAYPYITAW, 1 March, 2020, (TON): A Myanmar court filed another charge against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday, a lawyer acting for her said, as protesters marched in defiance of a crackdown by security forces that killed at least 18 people the previous day.

Suu Kyi took part in a court hearing via video conferencing in the capital, Naypyitaw and asked to see her legal team, Lawyer Min Min Soe said as reported by media.

The leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) has not been seen in public since her government was ousted on 1^st February, in military coup and she was detained along with other party leaders.

She was initially charged with illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios. Later, a charge of violating a natural disaster law by breaching corona virus protocols was added.

On Monday, a charge was added under a section of the colonial-era penal code prohibiting the publication of information that may “cause fear or alarm” or disrupt “public tranquility”, Min Min Soe said.

The next hearing will be on March 15.

As Suu Kyi appeared in the video conference court hearing, police in the main city of Yangon used stun grenades and tear gas to disperse protesters, witnesses said, a day after the worst violence since the coup. Protesters marched in Myanmar on Monday, March 1^st.

Myanmar's military has seized power after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders.  Troops are patrolling the streets and a night-time curfew is in force, with a one-year state of emergency declared. Confrontations developed as more people came out despite the police operation.

MOSCOW, 1 March, 2020, (TON): In a visit to Russia, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar has welcomed Russia`s opposition to the return of the Taliban`s government.

"We strongly support Russia`s position on the Afghan peace process, particularly the stance that the return of Taliban regime will not be acceptable," Atmar said after his meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

"We also welcome Russia`s stance on the UN sanctions on the Taliban," Atmar added.

"Durable peace in Afghanistan is possible only within the framework of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The Republic will not allow international terrorism to operate in Afghanistan and this is in the interest of Russia," said the Minister.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said that Russia is not in favour of removing the Taliban leaders` names from the UN blacklist without progress in the Afghan peace talks.

Meanwhile, State Ministry for Peace Affairs Sayed Saadat Mansoor Naderi called on the Taliban to demonstrate flexibility in the talks and agree on a ceasefire, which is the main demand of Afghans.

"Afghans want an end to the bloodshed. Afghans want dignified peace, let`s not waste this opportunity. The solution lies in the negotiating table," Naderi said.

The MoFA statement comes days after the Russian Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov in an interview said that Moscow prefers that all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan agree on the establishment of an inclusive and transitional coalition government.

Afghanistan has been in long conflict for almost thirty-five years, which has seriously hampered poverty reduction and development, strained the fabric of society and depleted its coping mechanisms.

However, defeating the Taliban with use of force and rebuilding core institutions of the state is merely a war without victory of any party. Negotiations and political settlement is the only limited approach towards creating a neutral Afghanistan with complete peace in the war-torn country.

NEW DELHI, 1 March, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, Jitendra Singh the Union Minister said while addressing the students on National Science Day, that India is rapidly emerging as a frontline nation in scientific innovation.

At Jammu University Singh said, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the last few years, the government has taken some revolutionary and pragmatic decisions to give fillip to indigenous scientific innovations which will be key to Aatmanirbhar Bharat."

For the first time after independence, Singh mentioned of the decision to unlock India's space technology to private players.

Moreover, Singh mentioned about the fact that ISRO has achieved another landmark by successfully launching the PSLVC51/Amazonia-1 on National Science Day.

NAIMEY, 1 March, 2021 (TON): Mahamene Ousmane, Niger’s former president and now opposition leader called on the release of political prisoners and a stop to frequent harassment and threats to activists.

After Mohamed Bazoum was announced the winner of the presidential run-off on Tuesday, over seven hundred have been arrested since the beginning of election unrest.

Ousmane directly accused Niger’s interior minister Alkache Alhada of the unrest and detention of several opposition protesters.

Further, Ousmane called upon the international community not to recognize the results of the elections citing gross irregularities.

Violence erupted after the electoral commission declared former interior minister Mohamed Bazoum the winner of Sunday's runoff vote with 55.75 percent, while opposition candidate Mahamane Ousmane garnered 44.25 percent.

DHAKA, 1 March, 2021 (TON): The government will deploy police personnel at the camps abandoned by soldiers in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal informed Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma aka Santu Larma, leader of the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti or PCJSS, of the plan in a meeting on Sunday.

Kamal said some of clauses of the accord have been fulfilled while some others have not. He said it while referring to the 1997 peace accord between PCJSS and the Awami League government.

“The army is leaving the camps for the sake of peace following the accord. But we still need to keep law and order there. So we’ve decided to deploy police in the camps.”

As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s instructed to pay special attention to the CHT as bloodshed has continued in the three districts, on which the decision grounded.

CHENNAI, 1 March, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said while terming the PM Modi a formidable enemy, we have defeated much bigger enemy than this.

Rahul G. said during an interaction with academicians at the St Xavier College in Tirunelveli, "We are fighting a formidable enemy that is dominating money in the country and crushing the opponents. But we have done this before. We have defeated a much bigger enemy (British)."

"Seventy-two years ago, the British were much more powerful than how Narendra Modi will ever be. Who is he when compared to the British Empire," he asked.

"People of this country sent the British Empire back and in the same way we will send Narendra Modi back to Nagpur," Rahul Gandhi said in an obvious reference to RSS headquarters in Maharashtra.

He will defeat the Prime Minister by following the path of love and non-violence, the Congress leader said.

"We will do it without any hatred, anger and violence. They can do whatever on us. Abuse, kick and spit on our face. We will not do it back," he said.

The Congress on the whole nudge the government by calling it turning education, agriculture and healthcare into financial commodities.

RIYADH, 1 March, 2021 (TON): In a meeting between the head of KSrelief and the EU’s ambassador to the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian efforts have been hailed as “professional.”

 Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), met Patrick Simonnet, head of the EU delegation to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman.

Issues of bilateral interest related to relief and humanitarian affairs were discussed.

Simonnet praised KSrelief’s professional mechanisms, its preparation and coordination of humanitarian and relief programs, and its support for the needy around the world.

KSrelief has implemented 1,536 projects worth almost $5 billion across 59 countries and as per the recent report, the countries and territories that have benefitted the most from the projects include Yemen ($3.47 billion), Palestine ($363 million), Syria ($304 million) and Somalia ($202 million).