KABUL, 08 May 2022, (TON): The Ministry of Economy announced it had set up a monitoring committee in Kabul and other provinces to oversee humanitarian aid in the country.

According to the ministry “the aim of establishing this committee is to distribute humanitarian aid to vulnerable and needy people in a transparent manner.”

Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy minister of the MoE said “our oversight work is completely transparent. In the provinces, the Department of Economy, together with the relevant departments and the cooperation of the governor, oversees the assistance. For example, if there is medicine, we monitor it with the cooperation of the Ministry of Health.”

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned of rising poverty in Afghanistan. The head of UNOCHA said that women and children in Afghanistan need more humanitarian assistance.

KABUL, 08 May 2022, (TON): The Islamic Emirate denied the clashes between the Islamic Emirate and the Resistance Front’s forces in the central province of Panjshir.

A spokesman for Panjshir’s governor, Abubaker Sediq, said “there was a small amount of gunfire but the situation was controlled by the Islamic Emirate.”

He said “we deny this allegation. This is a plot by some biased individuals. This is not true. There was a small amount gunfire yesterday evening in the Abshar area by the opponents, but the Islamic Emirate controlled the situation.”

Meanwhile, the Resistance Front claimed that clashes are still underway in Abshar district of Panjshir province, and they have overrun several areas.

Sebghat Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Resistance Front said “an extended region of the Panjshir province, including a large part of Abdulah Khail and Abshar valley, fell to the resistance forces.”

This comes as reports of clashes between the Islamic Emirate and the Resistance Front in Panjshir have been posted on social media.

KABUL, 08 May 2022, (TON): The Ministry of Education said “the expected assembly of the Islamic scholars about the fate of the girls’ schools above grade six will be held Kabul.”

However, the ministry didn’t provide details about the exact date of the assembly. 

“There have been several meetings over the past month and a half. Earlier, Anas Haqqani, a senior member of the Islamic Emirate said they will have a gathering on the fate of girls’ schools.”

Aziz Ahmad Riyan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education said “as long as I know, the religious clerics of the country will have a gathering in this regard and will discuss this issue and they will find a proper solution in this regard.” 

The ministry also expressed concerns over the shortage of textbooks in the schools. 

Riyan said “around 2,500 schools lack facilities. They need to be provided with facilities.” 

NEW DELHI, 08 May 2022, (TON): India is expected to step up its economic assistance to Sri Lanka with the country being on verge of bankruptcy and with its usable foreign reserves down to less than $50 million.

The fresh assistance could focus on humanitarian requirements and both governments are in close touch, ET has learnt. The Lankan government has sought urea supply from India.

Earlier India has supplied fuel, medicines and rice.

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet recently cleared a proposal to source more fuel from India, through a $200 million short-term loan facility from the Exim Bank of India.

NEW DELHI, 08 May 2022, (TON): Pushing for the adoption of technology in delivering formal education, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “a hybrid system of online and offline learning should be developed to avoid overexposure to technology in school-going children.”

While chairing a high-level meeting to review the progress in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

He said “in the two years since its launch, the new policy has seen many initiatives being unrolled to achieve the objectives of access, equity, inclusivity, and quality, as laid down under the policy.”

The PM's office said in a release that NEP has given a big push to online learning with higher education institutions being allowed to run full-fledged online courses and the permissible limit of online content being raised to 40%.

DHAKA, 08 May 2022, (TON): State minister for information Junaid Ahmed Palak had said that the United Nations Development Program is formulating the ‘Digital Strategy 2022-25’, which will further strengthen the culture of innovation and boost the digital transformation of Bangladesh.

a release said “state minister made the remark while attending a meeting with Robert Opp, chief digital officer of the UNDP, and Yolanda Jinxin Ma, head of digital policy and global partnerships of UNDP on Friday at the UNDP headquarters in New York.”

The state minister said “UNDP’s long-term support to the A2I programme, Partnerships for a Tolerant and Inclusive Bangladesh, the Human Rights Programme, Youth Co:Lab and in building a digital society in different government levels has been widely appreciated.”

DHAKA, 08 May 2022, (TON): Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi celebrated "Bangla New Year-1429" with a festive mood upholding the rich cultural heritage and rituals of the Bangalees.

As part of the celebration, "Mangal Shobhajatra" was brought out on the chancery premises this morning by the mission's officers, employees, staffs and their family members.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran and Mrs Zakia Hasnat Imran led the "Mangal Shobhajatra" procession, which is considered an expression of the secular identity of the Bangladeshi people.

The processionists wearing masks and colourful dresses and carrying different types of replicas of birds, animals and other motifs paraded different roads on the mission campus and later dispersed at the main gate of the high commission.

Later, a spectacular cultural function symbolizing Bangladesh's rich cultural heritage was organised at Bangabandhu Hall of the high commission.

WASHINGTON, 07 May 2022, (TON): President Joe Biden said “he has chosen Karine Jean-Pierre to be White House press secretary, succeeding Jen Psaki and becoming the first Black and openly gay person to serve as the public face of a US administration.”

Psaki, who leaves the job on May 13, had said “early in the Biden administration, which started in January of 2021, that she planned to stay about a year.”

Jean-Pierre has served as deputy press secretary since the beginning of Biden’s term. She worked on his 2020 presidential campaign, in President Barack Obama’s White House, and was chief public affairs officer for MoveOn.org, a progressive advocacy group.

Biden has pledged to name top officials, cabinet members and judges who reflect the diversity of America, where white people make up less than 60 percent of the population but have traditionally held most top government jobs.

He said in a statement “Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people”

DUBAI, 07 May 2022, (TON): UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed condemned an attack in the central Israeli city of Elad.

Three Israelis were killed and four more wounded on Thursday night after two assailants got out of a car swinging axes at passers-by.

Speaking during a call his his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, Sheikh Abdullah expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

He also congratulated Lapid on Israel’s 74th Independence Day, which was also marked on Thursday.

During the call, they discussed prospects for enhancing UAE-Israel cooperation at various levels and building on their bilateral relations, and exchanged views on the situation in the region, as well as a number of regional and international issues.

The statement on WAM said “Sheikh Abdullah affirmed that UAE-Israel relations are moving forward toward broader horizons at various levels, highlighting the eagerness of both countries and their leaderships to strengthen their ties and expand their cooperation to advance the mutual interests of their countries and peoples.”

NEW YORK, 07 May 2022, (TON): Russian diplomats presented on Friday at an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on the “Arria formula” evidence of the crimes of the Ukrainian military and nationalist groups, which, in particular, prevented the evacuation of the civilian population.

According to Russia’s permanent representative to the world org-anization Vasily Nebenzya, the Ukrainian authorities and their Western sponsors do not want light on reality to be shed.

Nebenzia drew the attention of his colleagues to the deployment of heavy equipment by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in residential areas and the use of civilians as human shields, which is a violation of international humanitarian law.

The diplomat said “we have reason to believe that all these principles are systematically violated by the Ukrainian army and paramilitary formations.”

“Many eyewitnesses testify that the Ukrainian army uses civilians as hostages, human shields.”