NEW DELHI, 20 August 2021, (TON): Government said that India and Bangladesh have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of disaster management, resilience and mitigation.

A statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said “the MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Bangladesh will be benefited from the Disaster Management mechanisms of each other and it will help in strengthening the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building in the field of disaster management.”

The MoU has been signed between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under MHA and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief of Bangladesh. The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi was informed of the MoU, signed in March.

According to MHA, the MoU envisages extending mutual support on the request of either parties at the time of large scale disaster (natural or man-made) occurring within their respective territories, in the field of relief, response, reconstruction and recovery.

It also provides for exchange of relevant information, remote sensing data and other scientific data apart from sharing of experience/best practices of disaster response, recovery, mitigation, and capacity building for ensuring resilience, etc.

DAMASCUS, 20 August 2021, (TON): Israeli air raids targeted the Damascus and Homs regions in Syria late on Thursday, official Syrian news agency reported, saying that the country’s air defences intercepted several Israeli missiles.

The agency cited a Syrian military source as saying that the air raids came from the direction of Beirut, to the southeast.

The source said “our air defence tools have intercepted the missiles and downed most of them, and the aggression’s impact is being assessed now.”

Lebanese media outlets had reported low-flying Israeli jets above Beirut.

Lebanon’s civilian aviation chief Fadi al-Hassan told media  that two flights heading towards Beirut were temporarily asked to change course because of the Israeli operation, but they eventually landed safely in the Lebanese capital.

Israel has been regularly bombing Hezbollah and government targets in Syria for the past few years, but it rarely acknowledges such attacks.

The Israeli military has recently used Lebanon’s airspace to launch the attacks in an apparent effort to avoid confrontation with the Russian air force, which is active in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said “at least three missiles targeted weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah in the Damascus countryside. It is unclear whether the attack caused any casualties.”

COLOMBO, 20 August 2021, (TON): The newly appointed Foreign Minister Prof. G.L Peiris assumed duties at the Ministry  (18 August, 2021) at a simple ceremony graced by outgoing Foreign Minister and the new Minister of Education Dinesh Gunawardena; State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya; State Minister of Women and Child Development, Preschools & Primary Education, School Infrastructure & Education Services Piyal Nishantha De Silva; Member of Parliament and General Secretary of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Sagara Kariyawasam; Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage and other officials.

The Buddhist clergy led by the chief incumbent of the Bellanwila Rajamaha Viharaya Ven. Dr. Bellanwila Dhammaratana Nayaka Thero invoked blessings on the occasion.

Thereafter, both incoming Minister Prof. G.L Peiris and outgoing Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena met the senior staff of the Ministry.

Addressing the occasion, Minister Prof. G.L Peiris stated that he was pleased to be back at the Ministry after six years. He commended the outgoing Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena for the leadership provided to the Foreign Ministry during the last two years and stated that in all activities of the Foreign Ministry, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena ensured that Sri Lanka’s inherent self-respect and dignity was not compromised.

MALE, 20 August 2021, (TON): Parliament Speaker, former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has expressed concern over the situation in Afghanistan, calling Taliban’s control in the country a threat to the entire South Asian region.

In an interview to Indian TV last, Nasheed said “the change in Afghanistan will be welcomed by extremist communities throughout South Asia.”

He said “extremist communities throughout South Asia will welcome this change in Afghanistan. The Taliban taking over and therefore for the extremists to have a safe haven for them to plan, for them to train, and for them to attack communities within South Asia.”

Nasheed said it will also leave countries in South Asia more vulnerable to attacks.

He said “the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, wherever they want to attack, they will now have a free hand to do this. It’s very worrying.”

WASHINGTON, 20 August 2021, (TON): The Taliban must decide whether they want to be recognised by the international community, US President Joe Biden said in an interview aired.

He added that he did not think the group had changed its fundamental beliefs.

Asked if he thought the Taliban had changed, Biden told media, "No."

He said "I think they're going through a sort of existential crisis about: Do they want to be recognised by the international community as being a legitimate government? I'm not sure they do, group appeared more committed to its beliefs.”

But, he added, the Taliban also had to grapple with whether it could provide for Afghans.

Biden said in the interview "they also care about whether they have food to eat, whether they have an income that can run an economy, they care about whether or not they can hold together the society that they in fact say they care so much about."

DUBLIN, 20 August 2021, (TON): The country's foreign affairs minister has said that the Irish government is working to evacuate 36 of its citizens from Afghanistan.

That includes a "small number" waiting at Kabul airport.

Simon Coveney said “three Irish citizens had already been evacuated.”

He said sending Irish military personal would "complicate rather than simplify things" and there were agreements with other countries to make space for Irish citizens.

He said "we are working with EU partners, the UK and US to make sure there are places on flights leaving Kabul for them."

"Certainly the easiest way, in our view, to get Irish citizens out is to work in partnership with other countries who are trying to do the same for their own citizens.”

"We already have agreement with some of them that they would ensure there is space for Irish citizens as well."

KATHMANDU, 20 August 2021, (TON): The government has recommended General Staff of Nepali Army Prabhu Ram Sharma for appointment as the Chief of Army Staff (CoAS).

A meeting of the Council of Ministers recommended to the President for Sharma’s appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Spokesperson of the Government of Nepal Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said.

The government also decided to announce a public holiday to the Newar Community across the country on the occasion of Gaijatra. Prior to this, a public holiday was given in the Kathmandu Valley only.

Likewise, nationwide public holiday is announced on the occasion of Krishna Janamashtami that falls on August 30.

According to Karki, today’s cabinet meeting also approved Military Service (Fourth Amendment) Regulations 2078.

Similarly, the cabinet meeting decided to allow to fell the trees and use 5.22 hectares of land in Kalbhairabh and Gaurishankar Community forests in Makawanpur district for the development of different structures needed for the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast-track.

NAYPYITAW, 20 August 2021, (TON): A military council-appointed ward administrator in Mandalay’s Chan Aye Thazan Township was shot in the head by two gunmen, according to a ward resident who arrived at the scene after the assassination.

According to the resident “Aung Swe Tun, 47, was the administrator for Shwe Hlan ward. He was killed at his office and the perpetrators immediately fled the site of the murder.”

The resident told media that young people from the ward had been arrested by the junta’s armed forces in recent days, and speculated that this may have prompted retaliation from local resistance.

He alleged that Aung Swe Tun was a military informant.

He said “he personally showed the soldiers the way to the houses on 79th and 29th streets [in Shwe Hlan ward] where they arrested the youth.”

Local media attempted to contact Aung Swe Tun’s family to comment on the allegations, but had received no response at the time of reporting.

WASHINGTON, 20 August 2021, (TON): US troops may stay in Afghanistan past an Aug 31 deadline to evacuate Americans, President Joe Biden said, and the Pentagon said “the US military does not currently have the ability to reach people beyond the Kabul airport.”

"If there's American citizens left, we're going to stay until we get them all out," Biden told media in an interview conducted on a day many US lawmakers pressed him to extend the deadline that he had set for a final pullout.

Biden has come under fierce criticism for his handling of the withdrawal, which in recent days has been dominated by scenes of chaos in and around the Kabul airport with people desperately trying to get out of the country.

Biden defended his decisions, saying problems were inevitable in ending the 20-year US involvement there.

He said "the idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens.”

He also said “the Taliban is cooperating for now in helping get Americans out of the country but we're having some more difficulty in evacuating US-aligned Afghan citizens.”

MOGADISHU, 20 August 2021, (TON): An official said that at least two people were killed and several others wounded on Thursday evening in a suicide bomb explosion in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The site of the blast was near the headquarters of the country’s National Intelligence and Security Agency, with a soldier among those killed, a police official in Mogadishu told Anadolu Agency.

“The police believe that the attack was caused by a suicide bomber wearing a suicide vest but an investigation is underway,” said the official, requesting anonymity as he is not authorized to talk to the media.

He added “at least three people, including two soldiers, were wounded in the attack and rushed to hospitals for treatment.”

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Somali-based terror group al-Shabaab has claimed recent attacks in the Horn of Africa country.