LONDON, 17 May 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia aspires to strengthen its position as a global logistics hub connecting three continents, improve services and increase integration between logistics systems and modern modes of transportation.

Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Sugair, the director general of the Saudi Railway Polytechnic Institute, and Munir Jolamyehiya, the director general of the British X-Rail Group, signed a training agreement to train Saudis in the railway industry in the Kingdom.

The agreement was signed in presence of the chairman of the Saudi-British Joint Economic Committee, Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, the Saudi Minister of Transport Saleh Al-Jasser, the UK Minister of Railways Wendy Morton.

Al-Sugair said “the collaboration with X-Rail Group is a new step towards the development of national skills in transportation, particularly rail transport services. He stated that the agreement intends to train and qualify high school graduates and equip them to work in a variety of industries.”

These include signaling, communication, and railway control systems, in order to assist the transportation labor market and meet the growing demand for specialist cadres in this industry.

Chairman of the Saudi-British Joint Economic Committee, Dr. Majed Abdullah Al-Qasabi pose for a group photo with Saudi and UK officials in Riyadh.

RIYADH, 17 May 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai in Riyadh.

During the meeting, the two officials reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance, develop, and advance them in various fields.

They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest.

Ties between the Kingdom and Thailand were renewed in January, following Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit to Riyadh on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

KABUL, 17 May 2022, (TON): According to a UN statement “the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, is reportedly scheduled to visit Afghanistan from May 15 to May 26.”

The statement said “Bennett said he would engage with the de facto authorities and a broad range of stakeholders to assess the situation of human rights, including with regard to the implementation of obligations under international human rights instruments ratified by Afghanistan, and to offer assistance to address and prevent violations and abuses.”

Based on some reports, Bennett will visit Afghan provinces as well.

Walif Frozan, an international relations analyst said “unarmed people are being tortured, killed and mistreated. Mr. Bennett can provide a neutral report which can cover all cases.”

Sayed Javad Sijadi, a university instructor said “the special rapporteur will tell the Taliban leader that if the Taliban government wants to be part of the international community, there is no possibility to ignore human rights.”

DHAKA, 17 May 2022, (TON): A correspondent of Al-Jazeera, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories “Bangladesh has strongly condemned the 'heinous' assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh.”

A foreign ministry statement received said "Bangladesh believes that the Israeli occupation forces' attack on Abu Akleh, who was on duty reporting facts and documenting crimes committed against the Palestinian people, occurred in the context of Israeli violations of press and media freedom to silence the demand of self-determination.”

It added “this constitutes a flagrant violation of international laws and norms, and thus warrants an immediate investigation and accountability for those responsible.”

Furthermore, Bangladesh denounces the use of force and blatant display of disrespect by Israeli Police against the mourners attending Abu Akleh's funeral procession in East Jerusalem.

NEW DELHI, 17 May 2022, (TON): An official bulletin said “around 2 lakh people in 20 districts of Assam have been affected by floods, with the hill district of Dima Hasao getting cut off from the rest of the state after landslides triggered by incessant rain snapped rail and road links.”

Two flood-related deaths were reported in Cachar district, while three fatalities due to landslides were earlier recorded in Dima Hasao.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority bulletin said “around 1,97,248 people have been affected by the deluge, with Hojai and Cachar being the worst hit with 78,157 and 51,357 people affected population respectively.”

It said “altogether 652 villages in 46 revenue circles in 20 districts have been affected so far.”

Around 55 relief camps have been opened in seven districts, sheltering 32,959 people. Another 12 relief distribution centres are also operational in different affected districts.

KABUL, 17 May 2022, (TON): Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been asked to attend the Afghan Assembly, according to a Taliban diplomat.

The Taliban ambassador to Moscow, Jamal Nasser Gharwal, was reported by Russia’s Sputnik news agency as stating that the group had organized an “Afghan Assembly” conference and that Ashraf Ghani had been invited to visit Kabul.

Before the Taliban captured Kabul on August 15, 2021, Ashraf Ghani and his wife fled from the presidential palace, and there are claims that he carried about $21 million from the central bank’s reserves.

Political figures who had sought asylum outside of Afghanistan, according to Nasser Gharwal, are asked to attend. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had previously told the media that the meeting would take place soon.

According to reports “members of different sections society will be invited to the meeting, which is expected to be comprehensive.”

KABUL, 17 May 2022, (TON): UN Security Council must decide whether to adjust the current regime of sanctions against leadership of the Islamic Emirate, said the Hill, a US Washingon-focused news outlet, saying “it’s a consequential decision.”

The report said “the UN sanctions on the Islamic Emirate for years had included a ban on the leadership’s international travel, but the Security Council suspended that ban three years ago for the sake of a reconciliation process.

Torek Farhadi, a political analyst said “the US use this (sanction) as leverage but there is a possibility for its suspension to continue because the US is still hopeful of finding a diplomatic solution for Afghanistan, and traveling is important for that issue.”

The Hill noted that the Islamic Emirate’s leaders used their travel freedom to cut separate deals with Russia, China and other neighbors, reinforcing their government while refusing to negotiate with the elected Afghan government officials.

NEW DELHI, 17 May 2022, (TON): An outfit representing agriculture-based businesses said “about 5,000 trucks laden with the commodity and sent by Madhya Pradesh traders for overseas shipments are stuck at two major ports of the country due to the move.”

The organisation Madhya Pradesh Sakal Anaj Dalhan Tilhan Vyapari Mahasangh Samiti, a federation of wheat, pulses and oilseeds traders, announced to close their business in 270 agricultural produce markets of the state, in protest against the ban on wheat export.

The outfit, which has demanded lifting of the ban, said large consignments of wheat were transported from the state through these trucks to ports for export.

Gopaldas Agrawal, Mahasangh president, told media "due to the sudden ban on wheat export by the central government, about 5,000 trucks loaded with the grain, sent by the state's traders, are standing at Kandla (Gujarat) and Mumbai ports.”

NEW DELHI, 17 May 2022, (TON): The Army's Eastern Command chief said “China's People's Liberation Army is engaged in infrastructure capacity enhancement across the international border in Arunachal Pradesh.”

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command, Lt Gen RP Kalita, said “the Indian side is also continuously upgrading its infrastructure and capabilities to deal with any situation that may arise along the border.”

He said at a press conference "across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tibet region, a lot of infrastructure development is going on. The other side is constantly upgrading their road, rail and air connectivity as well as 5G mobile network so that they are in a better position to respond to a situation or mobilise forces.”

Lt Gen Kalita said “the Chinese authorities have built border villages close to the LAC that can be used for dual purposes.”

He added "we are continuously monitoring the situation. We are also upgrading our infrastructure and capabilities as well as the mechanism to handle the situation. These have put us in a robust position.”

By R. Hassan (TON Bangladesh)

For a country, recovering from deficits is one of the most vital aspects of stabilizing the economy. Recently, Bangladesh faced significant losses due to covid and post-pandemic disruptions. As the series' first credit, we have the credit for Bangladesh's first recovery and resilience development policy. Its purpose supports overarching goals of stabilizing the economy and preserving growth to assist policies in the fiscal and financial sectors.

Social security and energy policies are encouraged to be improved and modernized to improve operational efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An increase in resilience would help the country deal with future shocks like climate change, which could harm the country's stability.

"This credit will further expedite the government's initiatives to enhance its policies and regulatory framework" to "pave the way for an ecologically friendly, resilient, and inclusive recovery and low-carbon growth," she said, as per the AFP. "This credit would further speed up efforts by the government to tighten its policies and regulatory framework to prepare for a

New legislation has made it possible for non-resident digital service providers, such as search engines, social media platforms, and cloud computing enterprises to file VAT reports and make payments. That also applies to international corporations. We can enhance public spending efficiency by expanding national electronic government procurement's (e-GP) horizon. Each bank's recovery plans will be reviewed annually and brought up to date as needed to stay current and compliant. The new legislation will be enacted shortly to increase the reliability and productivity of payment and settlement systems. Digital and mobile financial services will benefit from this, and the economy will benefit.

The program's allocation of funds interest rate changes on a range of public savings instruments. This reduces the amount of market distortion that happens by bringing the rates of these instruments closer to those of the market.

Additional benefits include helping the government rapidly expand cash distribution programs in response to future shocks and increasing the use of the government-to-person payment network for cash programs. The government will be able to use the government-to-person payment network for cash-based initiatives more quickly due to this.

Climate-related emergencies such as flooding and cyclones can be dealt with more swiftly by the government if it focuses on new and existing beneficiaries for emergency assistance. As a result, the government will be able to help those in need of support.

In addition, this deal will enable Bangladesh to shift to a lower-carbon economy, which this agreement will facilitate. Both of these changes result from the most recent revisions to the National Building Code. As a Task Team Leader for the project, Bernard Haven, a Senior Economist at the World Bank, said this investment would help Bangladesh employ digital technology to promote green and resilient growth. As stated by Haven, "Fiscal and banking sector measures will assist in sustaining prosperity," while "increasing the coverage and efficiency of social protection programs" will safeguard the poor and vulnerable from economic shock and natural disasters.

World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) is in charge of disbursing this loan because of its ability to provide subsidized finance. In addition to the 30-year term, the credit comes with an installment plan.

The World Bank has been one of Bangladesh's most active development partners since its independence in 1971. During this time, the World Bank has provided significant grants and interest-free financing. The World Bank was one of the first development partners to support Bangladesh.

We in TON think that the recovery policy from Bangladesh is a positive move from the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and this step may take the country to a prosperous time.