KYIV, 25 April 2022, (TON): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed the West for more powerful weapons as he prepared to meet with top US officials in the war-torn country’s capital, while Russian forces concentrated their attacks on the east, including trying to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Zelensky announced the planned visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a news conference Saturday night in a Kyiv subway station.

The White House has not commented.

Zelensky said “he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.”

He said “you can’t come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons.”

NEW YORK, 25 April 2022, (TON): Security Council will convene for its quarterly open debate on “situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.”

A press statement said “Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is the anti-cipated briefer.”

There will be an open briefing, followed by closed consultations, on the political and humanitarian tracks in Syria.

Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen will brief on political developments, while Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths and a civil society representative will brief on humanitarian developments.

On Wednesday, the Council will convene for its semi-annual briefing on the implementation of the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSC Fram-ework) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region.

The expected briefers are Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia, Executive Secretary of the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region Joao Samuel Caholo and a civil society representative.

AMMAN, 25 April 2022, (TON): A royal palace statement said “Jordan's King Abdullah II traveled to Cairo on Sunday for three-way talks with the Egyptian and Emirati leaders.”

The statement added that the trip had not previously been scheduled.

Jordan's state news agency added “Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will also be in attendance.”

SRINAGAR, 25 April 2022, (TON): India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public event in Indian-administered Kashmir on his first major trip since stripping the region’s limited autonomy two years ago and addressed thousands of his supporters to mark Panchayati Raj a day that commemorates grassroots democracy in India.

In his address at Palli village in Samba district in the southern city of Jammu, Modi said “it’s a proud moment that democracy has reached the grassroots level in Jammu and Kashmir.”

He added that more than 30,000 representatives are now running the village system on their own.

But analysts and opposition leaders say the disputed region is without an elected government since 2018 before the region’s special status was revoked by the Hindu nationalist government.

Elections for district and village councils were held in 2020 but critics say the local bodies have no power to legislate or amend laws in the region now directly run from New Delhi.

NEW DELHI, 25 April 2022, (TON): An official said “demand for wheat varieties like Sharbati and Kathia grown in Madhya Pradesh has shot up in the international market amid short supply from Russia and Ukraine due to the ongoing war.”

Madhya Pradesh State Agricultural Marketing Board's Managing Director Vikas Narwal said “the government procurement of wheat dipped by 30 per cent due to a sharp rise in prices in the open market.”

He said "there is a steep rise in wheat export due to Russia-Ukraine crisis and mandis were seeing huge influx of this food grain.”

He added “Mr Narwal said that 1.76 lakh tonnes of wheat was exported from the state during the last marketing season, whereas about 2.5 lakh tonnes of wheat has been exported in the last one month of this marketing season alone. Two more months are still left for this marketing season to end.”

DHAKA, 25 April 2022, (TON): Mary Elizabeth, the crown princess of Denmark, is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh today on a three-day visit to hold a series of meetings in Dhaka and meet the Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar refugee camps.

The crown princess is the wife of Frederik, crown prince of Denmark.

An official said “she will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban in the morning soon after she arrives in Dhaka.”

Mary will hold a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at a hotel in Dhaka in the afternoon.

The crown princess, 50, will attend a lunch hosted by the Danish ambassador in Dhaka at her residence.

DHAKA, 25 April 2022, (TON): US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has said “US will not take any side in the upcoming elections in Bangladesh and reiterated his government’s commitment across the world to help countries strengthen democracy.”

The ambassador while addressing a seminar said "let me be clear: the United States will not pick a side in the upcoming elections. We simply hope for a democratic process that allows the Bangladeshi people to freely decide who will run their country.”

Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies organized the seminar on “Bangladesh and the United States Relations: Moving Towards Enhanced Cooperation and Partnership” at the BIISS Auditorium.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen spoke as the chief guest.

KABUL, 25 April 2022, (TON): The Economic Commission has tasked relevant ministries and the Chamber of Commerce with taking steps to use coal for generating electricity.

The Economic Commission issued the directives at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The Ministries of Water and Energy, Mines and Petroleum, Industry and Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce to identify joint priorities based on coal volume and power needs.

A government statement said the commission had earlier demanded the suspension of imports of inferior petroleum products to control damage to human health.

KABUL, 25 April 2022, (TON): An official said “Ministry of Finance has closed all border markets to prevent the illegal import of goods, especially commodities, to Afghanistan.”

A finance Ministry spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal said “the issue of border markets was crucial for us. The cabinet decided to close them all because some people were taking its advantage and were importing commodities illegally.”

According to the Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines “the closure of the markets will benefit the import of goods, especially commodities, to the country.”

Sakhi Ahmad Payman, the deputy head of the ACIM said “the closure of the border markets is a good step and will benefit Afghanistan because previously, commodities were imported illegally through these markets and there was no quality control on them.”

But a member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that nearly 400 people were working in these markets and that the decision would create problems for those living in bordering areas.

KABUL, 25 April 2022, (TON): Following an incident between the Islamic Emirate’s forces and Iranian border forces in Islam Qala, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced “the tensions have been removed and that the border crossing is open now.”

A dispute occurred between Afghan and Iranian border forces after Islamic Emirate forces wanted to pave a road alongside the border.

The move led to the closure of border crossing temporarily.

According to officials “following the incident, Afghan border forces seized an Iranian military vehicle that had entered the Afghan territory.”

Enayatullah Khawarazmi, a Defense Ministry spokesman said “the ministry of defense’s policy is clear; we are not careless about our borders and will not be so going forward. The tensions happened yesterday were caused by a misunderstanding and are removed now.”

Sources have said “the construction of the road has been halted temporarily and envoys from both sides are expected to talk over the issue.”