WASHINGTON, 02 May 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia has been removed from a US watchlist of countries it deems are weak at enforcing Intellectual Property rules.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative has taken the Kingdom off its Priority Watch List in its annual Special 301 Report, after Saudi Arabia tightened up its IP enforcement procedures.

These efforts have been led by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, which has created specialized IP enforcement courts, conducted strong IP awareness and offered training to IP specialists in 76 different authorities to increase government compliance with the laws.

The authority has also established the permanent National Committee for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property to coordinate IP enforcement, issue reports and case studies and develop IP legislation and regulations.

NEW DELHI, 02 May 2022, (TON): India should replace marriage and inheritance laws that are based on religion with a uniform civil code, the chief minister of a northeastern state said on Sunday, taking aim at rules that allow Muslim men, for example, to have four wives.

Successive governments have steered clear of adopting such a code for fear of angering voters from India's Hindu majority as well as its Muslim and Christian minorities.

But members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party and its hardline affiliates want to roll out the code in some states to gauge the strength of any backlash prior to a national push.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of the state of Assam and a senior member of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said "a majority of the Muslim people that I have met want a uniform civil code.”

He said “no Muslim woman wants her husband to marry three to four wives, just ask any Muslim women and they will endorse what I am saying.

More than 30 per cent of Assam's population of about 34 million belongs to the Muslim community.

DHAKA, 02 May 2022, (TON): Unicef says “breakthrough for Rohingya refugee children living in the Cox's Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh sees the first 10,000 children enrolled to receive education based on the national curriculum of their home country Myanmar.”

The UN agency said “this milestone will be reached this month.”

The Myanmar Curriculum Pilot, launched by Unicef and partners in November 2021, is a critical step forward toward ensuring the fundamental right to education for Rohingya refugee children.

It will help prepare the children for their return to Myanmar.

Sheldon Yett, Unicef representative to Bangladesh said "there is a tremendous demand for education among Rohingya refugee children, and Unicef and partners are on the ground in the camps, responding to that demand.”

There are over 400,000 school-aged Rohingya children in the Bangladesh refugee camps.

NEW DELHI, 02 May 2022, (TON): US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has suggested encouraging India to voluntarily disengage from Russia instead of slapping sanctions on New Delhi for buying oil and weapons from Moscow.

Mr Blinken said “where we can, it is far preferable to get countries to voluntarily not engage in these practices, and that’s where our diplomacy is focused.”

Democratic senators urged Secretary Blinken at these hearings to put more pressure on India for continuing to do business with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine.

Senator Bob Menendez, who heads the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said “they go buy oil from Russia. They buy the S-400 [anti-missile system]. They abstain at the United Nations.”

He said “but they are a member of the Quad.”

NEW DELHI, 02 May 2022, (TON): As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a tour of three European nations, India once again called for the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, noting that was an appreciation of its position on the crisis by its partner countries.

At a media briefing, newly appointed Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra underlined the context, clarity, importance and positive dimension of India's position on Ukraine and asserted that there should not be any doubt about it.

On his first trip abroad this year, Modi will embark on a three-day visit to Germany, Denmark and France beginning Monday amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

He said "our position on Ukraine has been clear. First, there should be a cessation of hostilities; second, a solution must be found out through dialogue and diplomacy.”

He added “this view has been conveyed very clearly to various countries.”

KABUL, 02 May 2022, (TON): Afghanistan's interim prime minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund called on Afghanistan’s neighbours and the international community to stop meddling in his country’s internal matters.

At the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers, the interim prime minister deplored the freezing of the country’s assets by Washington and urged them to stay committed to its promises.

Akhund was quoted by the Afghan news channel “we said that we will do no harm to anyone or any country and we do not want to be interfered with by any country. We keep our promises because we are Muslims. We call on foreign countries to not create problems for Muslims, and to keep your promises.”

The interim prime minister also claimed that his countrymen were celebrating the first day of Eid in a good security situation and called on the Afghans, who had left Afghanistan, to return to their country.

Akhund said “what else do you want from the Mujahideen? (Islamic Emirate forces)? You, your property, your children and your trade were protected.”

The channel citing the Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate’s office in Qatar Mohammad Naeem said that Maulvi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader, attended Eid prayers in the southern city of Kandahar.

KABUL, 02 May 2022, (TON): Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement “his country sees “promising areas” for developing trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.”

Lavrov added “Russia wants to work directly with Kabul in the areas of agriculture, transit and energy.”

The minister said “we see promising areas for developing cooperation and direct contacts between business circles. First of all, it is agriculture, energy, as well as transport, taking into account Afghanistan’s high transit potential.”

Lavrov said “in general, the more than 140 enterprises built by the Soviet Union in Afghanistan remain the backbone of the Afghan economy, and this creates additional opportunities for increasing our cooperation in the trade and economic sphere.”

KABUL, 02 May 2022, (TON): Afghanistan Central Bank said “more than $ 760 million has been delivered to Afghanistan so far from the international community.”

Central Bank officials said “the money that the world donated to Afghanistan is beneficial in maintaining the value of the Afghan currency.”

Saber Momand, spokesman for the Central Bank of Afghanistan said “in total, $761,600,000 has been delivered. This aid preserves the value of the Afghani.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy, called on the international community to provide humanitarian assistance in coordination with the institutions of the Islamic Emirate.

Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesman for the Ministry of Economy said “humanitarian aid provided through the United Nations should be done in coordination with ministries and government departments so that aid reaches the vulnerable families in a transparent manner and with accountability and reporting.”

ANKARA, 01 May 2022, (TON): Turkish President Erdogan said “Turkey will continue its efforts to overcome the crisis between Russia and Ukraine with determination and sincerity.”

Turkish leader’s office said “in a telephone conversation between President Erdogan and UN Secretary General António Guterres on Saturday, the latest developments related to the war in Ukraine were discussed. Guterres informed President Erdogan about his contacts in Moscow and Kiev.”

It is specified that during the meeting, President Erdogan said that Turkey is ready to provide maximum support for studies led by the UN both on the humanitarian contact group and on issues of evacuation and humanitarian assistance.

JEDDAH, 01 May 2022, (TON): The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has condemned in the strongest terms an attack on a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul that killed more than 50 worshippers.

The explosion tore through the Khalifa Sahib Mosque in the western area of the city after Friday prayers for a special Ramadan congregation.

The OIC General Secretariat said “the repeated and indiscriminate attacks highlight the volatile security situation in Afghanistan, and called for the de facto authorities to take a resolute stand against whoever sponsors or orchestrates them.”