TEHRAN, 07 March 2022, (TON): Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday after talks in Tehran that they agreed on an approach to resolve issues crucial in efforts to revive the country’s 2015 nuclear deal.

They said in a joint statement “both aimed to resolve a standoff over the origin of uranium particles found at old but undeclared sites by early June.”

The announcement came shortly before Russia said it would seek guarantees from the US before it backs the deal, potentially scuppering hopes an agreement could be wrapped up quickly.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the UN agency and Iran “did have a number of important matters that we needed to resolve,” but that they had now “decided to try a practical, pragmatic approach” to overcome them.

Grossi said “it would be difficult to believe or to imagine that such an important return to such a comprehensive agreement like the (nuclear deal) would be possible if the agency and Iran would not be seeing eye to eye on how to resolve these important safeguards issues.”

Mohammed Eslami, president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said “the two sides had come to the conclusion that some documents which need to be ex- changed between the IAEA and the Iranian organization should be exchanged” by May 22.

KABUL, 07 March 2022, (TON): Chief spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid said that efforts are made to attract foreign aid to Afghan media outlets.

Zabiullah Mujahid made the remarks in an interview with the Bakhtar news agency in Helmand province.

He expressed hope that Afghan media outlets that are suffering from dire economic and financial woes will fully be backed.

The chief spokesman further added that the IEA’s leadership is working to attract financial support from countries that are willing to back Afghan media outlets.

About access to information, Zabiullah Mujahid denied the access being curtailed and added that journalists have access to information and that journalists can seek information from officials of the IEA.

KABUL, 07 March 2022, (TON): Officials at the Afghan embassy in Poland say that so far, 3,000 Afghans have entered Poland since the Ukraine war.

The embassy’s diplomats say that in cooperation with the Polish border police, they will issue travel documents for other Afghans detained in Ukraine after they have been identified.

Sayed Ismail Yousefi, an Afghan envoy in Poland said “according to statistics provided by the Polish Foreign Ministry two days ago, more than 3,000 of our compatriots were able to enter Poland, and these numbers are changing because a large number of people still cross the border and return to Poland every day.”

According to statistics, more than 5,000 Afghan refugees were living in Ukraine, most of them young people who had gone to study in the country, but as the conflict intensified in the country, the families of these students in Afghanistan urged the Islamic Emirate to try to move them to a safe place.

Qasm Khan, the father said “Ehsanullah has crossed from Ukraine to Poland, but my other son Siddiqullah is trapped in Ukraine.”

Mohammad Arsalah Kharwati, deputy minister for refugees and returnees said “based on the information we have available so far, Afghans have not encountered any particular problems that have harmed them.”

KABUL, 07 March 2022, (TON): The Organization for Islamic Cooperation has opened it office in Kabul which will coordinate OIC’s humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan for addressing the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Muhammad Saeed Al-Ayash has been appointed as director of OIC’s Afghanistan office, OIC said today on twitter. The office was opened on March 4, 2022.

According to OIC, the office will follow up the implementation of the outcome of the organization’s extraordinary ministerial meeting held in Pakistan last December.

It said “the OIC office in Kabul will coordinate the OIC’s humanitarian efforts with Afghanistan and international partners. It will be strengthened with human and material resources in conformity with the resolution adopted by the extraordinary ministerial conference on the situation in Afghanistan. This is to enable it fulfil its obligations to support the Afghan people in various fields.”

At the OIC meeting on Afghanistan in Pakistan, a draft resolution was passed to establish a humanitarian trust fund to channel humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

NEW DELHI, 07 March 2022, (TON): Of 50,000 tonnes of wheat pledged by the Indian government to the people of Afghanistan, Delhi is planning to send 8,000 tonnes this month to help counter the humanitarian crisis.

In total, India plans to send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan via a land route through Pakistan. 2,000 tonnes were already sent in February.

The head of SILO markazi, a government organization that stores wheat aided by donors, Nasratullah Mansour, suggested that the aid was not sufficient to meet the needs of the poor.

He said “this wheat cannot solve the problems of all the people. It is currently being distributed due to high demand.”

The Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority said it has received assistance from more than six countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, China and Pakistan.

DHAKA, 07 March 2022, (TON): The Canadian University of Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of friendship between America and Bangladesh at its auditorium.

Dr Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat, founder and chairman of Board of Trustees of CUB, chaired the program while Prof Bill Poucher, president of ICPC Foundation, attended as the chief guest.

Among others, ASM Mainuddin Monem, managing director of Abdul Monem Ltd., Barrister Mahbubur Rahman, director general of Crime Investigation Department, Shahnul Hasan Khan, executive Chairman, Board of Trustees given the speech in the program.

In his speech, Prof Bill Poucher emphasized the need for concerted efforts to bring peace to the world.

He said "I will not be here to see what you are doing 50 years from now. But I do believe that the world you will create as a citizen will be extraordinary. Never before has so much opportunity been the source of knowledge or the main force of the soul of any society.”

Dr Nafeez said "in the last 50 years, innumerable ties have been formed between the people of Bangladesh and America. The generosity of Bangladesh and humanity in tackling the Rohingya refugee crisis is an example to the world.”

DHAKA, 07 March 2022, (TON): Thirteen Indian fishermen, who were arrested for trespassing into Bangladesh from India, were released after serving six months and 24 days in jail.

Indian Assistant High Commissioner Sandwip Kumar, on behalf Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami, received the fishermen from Mongla police this noon.

Mongla Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Monirul Islam said “earlier in the day, the fishermen were released from Bagerhat District Jail following a court order.”

OC Mohammad Monirul Islam said “all of them live in 24 parganas of India.”

DHAKA, 07 March 2022, (TON): Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates are likely to sign four to five MoUs during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming visit to the Gulf nation to further strengthen bilateral relations.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told the media “this visit will play an important role in keeping the labour market intact and creating new avenues for investment in Bangladesh to strengthen economic relations.”

He said “Bangladesh wants to enhance trade and investment between the two countries through more collaboration.”

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Secretary Mashfee Binte Shams, and other senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present.

Before the media briefing, the foreign minister held a meeting with relevant ministers and PM's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman to review investment proposals from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

KYIV, 06 March 2022, (TON): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed NATO for ruling out a no-fly zone over his country saying the Western military alliance knew further Russian aggression was likely.

Earlier, NATO rejected Ukraine’s request to impose a no-fly zone to halt Russia’s bombing, but Western allies did warn President Vladimir Putin of fresh sanctions if he does not stop the war.

Zelensky said “knowing that new strikes and casualties are inevitable, NATO deliberately decided not to close the sky over Ukraine.”

“We believe that the NATO countries themselves have created a narrative that the closing of the skies over Ukraine would provoke direct Russian aggression against NATO.”

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had said “the alliance would not intervene in the conflict over fears of a direct clash with Moscow that could spiral into a wider conflict.”

Stoltenberg said after the urgent meeting “the only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukraine’s airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes.”

CAIRO, 06 March 2022, (TON): Egyptian students returning from Ukraine via Poland arrived in their country on board two Air Cairo planes.

Egypt’s government announced on Friday that it had sent two planes to Poland to return 177 Egyptian students.

Egypt’s Ambassador to Poland Hatem Taj El-Din said his embassy “has received hundreds of phone calls from Egyptian students stranded in Ukraine.”

He added “the embassy is coordinating with the Polish side to facilitate the entry of stranded Egyptian students.”

He said “500 Egyptians have arrived in Poland so far.”

Mohamed Abdel-Aty, first secretary of the Egyptian Embassy in Ukraine, said the evacuation of Egyptians is taking place in a more disciplined manner than in the initial days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

He added “coordination is underway with the Egyptian community and its leaders in various cities in Ukraine, as well as with the Ukrainian Supreme Authority for Emergency Management to determine safe paths and the presence of a police escort on buses moving to the border.”