KABUL, 05 May 2022, (TON): A senior member of the Islamic Emirate, Anas Haqqani, told a gathering in the southeastern province of Khost on Wednesday that an assembly of clerics will be held soon, and problems related to girls' schools will be solved.

Haqqani, who visited Khost, said “attendees have been considered, including religious clerics and experts, and the meeting will be held in the near future.”

He said “you will hear good news. It will make everyone happy. We should understand that the foreigners are undermining us in this regard. A lot of people have been disappointed. And they have the right to be disappointed. It was a major (issue) for the people.” 

Without citing the name of a certain group or individual, Haqqani said “instead of fighting and bloodshed, the issue should involve negotiations.”

He said “I request that if a problem is solved via negotiations behind the curtain with (brothers), we should not be brought into the need for force and bloodshed.” 

NEW DELHI, 05 May 2022, (TON): According to people with knowledge of the matter “India is trying to get deeper discounts on Russian oil to compensate for the risk of dealing with the OPEC+ producer as other buyers turn away.”

The people said “India is seeking Russian cargoes at less than $70 a barrel on a delivered basis to compensate for additional hurdles such as securing financing for purchases in high level talks between the two countries.”

The people said “both state and private refiners in the world's third-biggest oil importer have bought more than 40 million barrels of Russian crude since the invasion of Ukraine in late February.”

That's 20% more than Russia-to-India flows for the whole of 2021, according to Bloomberg calculations based on trade ministry data.

India which imports more than 85% of its oil is among the few remaining buyers of Russian crude, a key source of revenue for Vladimir Putin's regime. Evaporating European demand is putting severe pressure on Russia's oil industry, with the government forecasting output could drop by as much as 17% this year.

NEW DELHI, 05 May 2022, (TON): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Heads of Government participated in India-Nordic Summit at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The second India-Nordic summit saw see the participation of the Prime Ministers of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

This meeting came shortly after PM Modi held bilateral meetings with the Nordic leaders.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said "the 2nd India-Nordic Summit commences. A boost to our multifaceted cooperation with the Nordic region in areas like emerging technologies, investment, clean energy, Arctic research and more.”

This summit is follow up to the first summit that took place in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018. The Stockholm Summit was the 1st time India engaged with the Nordic countries as a group on a single platform.

DHAKA, 05 May 2022, (TON): Bangladesh ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2022 showing that the South Asian country slipped ten notches compared to 2021 Index.

Reporters Without Borders, also known as Reporters sans frontières, released the index marking the World Press Freedom Day.

Bangladesh’s position was 152nd in 2021.

The report said “Internet plays a growing role in the circulation of news and information.”

The government’s comment on it was not immediately available.

The two leading state broadcasters, Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar radio, function as government propaganda outlets.

DHAKA, 05 May 2022, (TON): State minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak left Bangladesh for New York on an official visit.

A press release said “during the visit from May 4-14, he would attend the ‘Golden Jubilee Bangladesh Concert’ to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York.”

Palak will also join the signing ceremony of memorandum of understanding with Harvard University’s ‘Aspire Institute’ on knowledge sharing in the ICT sector.

NM Ziaul Alam, senior secretary, Department of Information and Communication Technology, see the state minister off at the VIP lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

WASHINGTON, 04 May 2022, (TON): Russia plans to annex much of eastern Ukraine later this month, a senior US official warned, and the Mariupol steel mill that is the city’s last stronghold of resistance came under renewed assault a day after the first evacuation of civilians from the plant.

Michael Carpenter, US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said “the US believes the Kremlin also will recognize the southern city of Kherson as an independent republic.”

He said “neither move would be recognized by the United States or its allies.”

Carpenter said “Russia is planning to hold sham referendums in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that would try to add a veneer of democratic or electoral legitimacy and attach the entities to Russia.”

He also said “there were signs that Russia would engineer an independence vote in Kherson.”

Mayors and local legislators there have been abducted, Internet and cellphone service has been severed and a Russian school curriculum will soon be imposed, Carpenter said. Ukraine’s government says Russia has introduced its ruble as currency there.

ROME, 04 May 2022, (TON): President Sergio Mattarella expressed his warmest wishes to all the people who profess the Islamic faith in Italy for a happy and peaceful Eid Al-Fitr.

He urged all political and religious institutions in the country, including schools and families, to commit to educate people on mutual respect and against incitement to hatred and violence, as the principles of the Italian constitution prescribe.

He said “is a moral obligation that we all have especially toward the youngest generations. With them and for them, we must build together a strong and resilient society that is able to reject and condemn any form of intolerance and discrimination.”

Mattarella added that the celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan invite us to reflect on the decisive role that religions can play as vehicles of peace, of encounter and sharing between individuals and peoples.

MOSCOW, 04 May 2022, (TON): The Kremlin said “Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on retaliatory economic sanctions in response to the “unfriendly actions of certain foreign states and international organizations.”

The document does not provide any details of which individuals or entities may be affected by the measures.

According to the decree, Russia will forbid the export of products and raw materials to people and entities that it has sanctioned.

The decree also prohibits transactions with foreign individuals and companies hit by Russia’s retaliatory sanctions, and permits Russian counterparties not to fulfill obligations toward them.

KABUL, 04 May 2022, (TON): The Washington Post reported that Afghanistan’s "fastest-growing drug industry operates from desert outposts in plain view.”

The Islamic Emirate has yet to comment in reaction to the report. 

The report said “the meth industry is growing at breakneck speed, stoking fears among Western experts and officials that, under the Taliban, Afghanistan could become a major supplier as demand rises globally.”

The report cited some independent experts, former government officials and drug traders as saying that hundreds of meth labs have appeared in Afghanistan over the past six years.

The report said “now its meth industry is growing at breakneck speed, stoking fears among Western experts and officials that, under the Taliban, Afghanistan could become a major supplier as demand rises globally.”

KABUL, 04 May 2022, (TON): Officials at the education department in Balkh said that province schools lack about 1,500 professional teachers, and also textbooks.

Based on figures of the department, over 500,000 boys and girls are educated in 600 schools across Balkh province, where all schools are open.

Abdul Jalil Shaheedkhil, head of the education department said “we face a shortage of 1,500 teachers, it should be addressed and solved.”

He added “local officials in Balkh province have taken steps to remove the challenges and bring reform to the education system.”

Abdul Jalil Shaheedkhil said “we recognized 95% of imaginary teachers (non-existent teachers on the payroll) in Balkh province, which is a great achievement to save the budget of the Islamic Emirate.”