TALIBAN VOW TO RESTORE ISLAMIC RULE IN AFGHANISTAN

The Taliban warned Washington on Friday against defying a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan, promising a "reaction," which could mean increased attacks by the insurgent group.

The Taliban issued their warning at a press conference in Moscow, the day after meeting with senior Afghan government negotiators and international observers to try to jumpstart a stalled peace process to end Afghanistan's decades of war.

President Joe Biden's administration says it is reviewing an agreement the Taliban signed with the Trump administration. Biden told ABC in an interview Wednesday that the May 1 deadline "could happen, but it is tough," adding that if the deadline is extended it won't be by "a lot longer."

"They should go," Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban negotiation team, told reporters, warning that staying beyond May 1 would breach the deal. "After that, it will be a kind of violation of the agreement. That violation would not be from our side. . . Their violation will have a reaction."

He did not elaborate on what form the "reaction" would take, but in keeping with the agreement they signed in February 2020, the Taliban have not attacked US or NATO forces, even as unclaimed bombings and targeted killings have spiked in recent months.

"We hope that this will not happen, that they withdraw and we focus on the settlement, peaceful settlement of the Afghan issue, in order to bring about a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire at the end of reaching a political roadmap (for) Afghanistan," Shaheen said.

EUROPE BECOMES FIRST REGION TO SURPASS 1 MILLION COVID-19 DEATHS

Coronavirus-related deaths in the European region surpassed 1 million on Friday as vaccination efforts attempt to keep up with new variants causing a third wave of infections that could once again overwhelm hospitals. Since the pandemic began, at least 37,221,978 infections and 1,000,062 deaths were reported in the European region, according to a Reuters tally. The region, which includes 51 countries, has about 35.5% of all coronavirus deaths and 30.5% of all cases in the world. The region includes Russia, the UK, the 27 members of the EU and other nations.

The European region has administered about 12 vaccine shots for every 100 people, behind the US which has administered about 34 doses per 100 people, according to figures from Our World in Data. With the number of EU Covid-19 related deaths above 5,50,000 and less than a tenth of the population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the situation was worsening. “We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states, and we need to accelerate the vaccination rates.”

The number of infections in Europe have started picking up. On Thursday night, France announced new restrictions on 16 regions, including Paris and Nice. The region is currently reporting a million new cases about every six days. As Germany plans to lift the lockdown and revive its economy, an expert at the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Tuesday that the number of infections is rising exponentially, with the country entering a third wave of the pandemic.

VLADIMIR PUTIN'S OFFER OF A CALL WITH JOE BIDEN WAS TO SAVE TIES: KREMLIN

The Kremlin said on Friday that President Vladimir Putin's offer to speak on phone with US President Joe Biden was intended to prevent bilateral ties from completely falling apart over the American's remark that the Russian leader was a killer.

Putin made it clear that "it makes sense to have a talk to maintain Russia-US relations instead of trading barbs," and he wanted to make it public to help defuse tensions over Biden's "very bad remarks," said his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.

In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Biden replied "I do" when asked if he thought Putin was a "killer." Russia responded by recalling its ambassador in Washington for consultations and Putin on Thursday pointed at the US history of slavery, slaughtering Native Americans and the atomic bombing of Japan in World War II in an "it-takes-one-to-know-one" response.

At the same time, Putin noted that Russia would still cooperate with the United States where and when it supports Moscow's interests, adding that "a lot of honest and decent people in the US want to have peace and friendship with Russia." He proposed the phone call with Biden in the next few days to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, regional conflicts and other issues, and he suggested that the conversation be open to the public.

Peskov said Putin's offer to make the call public was intended to prevent Biden's statement from inflicting irreparable damage to the already-frayed ties.

"Since Biden's words were quite unprecedented, unprecedented formats can't be excluded," Peskov said. "President Putin proposed to discuss the situation openly because it would be interesting for the people of both countries."

Peskov said the Kremlin hasn't heard back from the White House on the call offer, adding that it wasn't going to repeat the proposal.

COVID: GERMANY WARNS OF 'EXPONENTIAL' RISE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES

Coronavirus cases are rising exponentially in Germany, officials warn, as continental Europe braces for a third wave of infections.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was likely that the country would now need to apply an "emergency brake" and re-impose lockdown measures.

France, Poland and other nations are also reintroducing restrictions.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn has said that Europe lacks the vaccines needed to significantly reduce cases.

"We have to be honest about the situation - in Europe we don't have enough vaccines to stop a third wave through vaccinations alone," he told reporters.

The vaccine rollout across the EU has been hindered by delayed deliveries as well as the suspension in several countries of the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, over fears of possible side effects.

On Friday, Ms Merkel defended Germany's decision to temporarily suspend the rollout of the vaccine and said she did not believe its reputation had been damaged.

"I would get vaccinated with AstraZeneca," the 66-year-old said, adding: "I would like to wait until it's my turn."

Meanwhile, Germany will order Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine if it is authorised for use in the European Union, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday, adding that Berlin could secure supplies on its own if the bloc would not.

ATLANTA SHOOTING: BIDEN CONDEMNS ANTI-ASIAN RACISM

President Joe Biden has urged Americans to speak up against hate, warning that "our silence is complicity" in the face of racist acts.

Mr Biden made the remarks in Georgia where he met Asian-American leaders in the wake of Tuesday's attack on three Atlanta-area massage parlours.

The shootings left eight dead, including six Asian women.

Though police have not called race the motive for the attack, it came amid a spike in anti-Asian violence.

Hate crimes against people of East Asian descent have risen during the Covid-19 pandemic, and racism has been an "ugly poison that has long haunted and plagued our nation," one that Americans must work to extinguish, Mr Biden said.

Mr Biden also urged Congress to pass the coronavirus-related hate crimes bill introduced earlier this month by two Asian-American lawmakers.

The bill would "expedite the federal government's response to the rise of hate crimes exacerbated during the pandemic, support state and local governments to improve hate crimes reporting, and ensure that hate crimes information is more accessible to Asian American communities," the White House said.

There has been a sharp rise in attacks on Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic, which activists have linked to rhetoric blaming Asian people for the outbreak.

However, Mr Biden added that "for all the good that laws can do, we have to change our hearts".

"Hate can have no safe harbour in America. It has to stop," he said.

TURKEY LEAVES TREATY PREVENTING VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC ABUSE AGAINST WOMEN

Turkey has left the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty intended to prevent violence and domestic abuse against women, according to a decree published on Saturday in the Official Gazette.

The discussion on the treaty, signed by 45 countries and the European Union in 2011 in Istanbul, divided the ruling AK Parti and the country last year as conservatives argue it is undermining traditional values and family structure. Protesters took to the streets across the country to demonstrate that the pact should be bolstered by legislative changes and need to be implemented strictly.

SAUDI ARABIA: DRONES ATTACK RIYADH OIL FACILITY; NO DAMAGE

A drone attack struck an oil installation in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh on Friday, the Saudi state-run news agency reported, igniting a blaze at the facility deep in the kingdom's territory.

The dawn attack caused no injuries or damage, and did not disrupt oil supplies, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. The kingdom is facing more frequent airborne assaults as Saudi-led coalition forces battle Iran-backed Houthi rebels across the southern border in Yemen.

Most recently, drones struck Ras Tanura, the country's largest crude oil refinery with capacity of 550,000 barrels a day, raising concerns about the expanding capabilities of Saudi Arabia's regional foes.

Details about Friday's attack remained slim, and authorities did not name the impacted facility. Aramco, the kingdom's oil giant, does have a refinery just southeast of Riyadh. That refinery produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products for consumption around the kingdom's capital.

VOLCANO ERUPTS NEAR ICELAND'S CAPITAL REYKJAVIK

A volcano has erupted south-west of Iceland's capital Reykjavik, the country's meteorological office says.

It says the fissure is about 500-700 metres long (1,640-2,300ft) at Fagradalsfjall on Reykjanes peninsula. The last eruption there was some 800 years ago.

Iceland has recorded more than 40,000 earthquakes in the past three weeks.

In 2010, the eruption of another volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, brought air traffic to a halt across Europe.

However, the eruption of Fagradalsfjall is not expected to spew out much ash or smoke, so aviation should not suffer disruption.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office says the eruption of Fagradalsfjall began at about 20:45 GMT on Friday, and was later confirmed via webcams and satellite images.

A coastguard helicopter was sent to survey the area, about 30km (19 miles) from Reykjavik.

It then sent first images of the lava snaking its way down after the eruption.

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 1.2 km from Fagradalsfjall just several hours earlier.