Ukraine crisis: India doubles its purchase of Russian oil

Today's headlines: Kim Jong-un pledges to strengthen his nuclear arsenal; Chinese Protestants open a theological school in Italy; Malaysia ready to replace Indonesia in palm oil exports; Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala sentenced to life imprisonment; Ukrainian deportees placed in monasteries and hostels of the Russian Orthodox Church.

INDIA-RUSSIA

In the two months since Moscow's attack on Ukraine began, Delhi has purchased more than twice as much Russian oil as it imported in all of 2021: 40 million barrels (scheduled delivery in June) versus 16 million. The Indian government has not sharply condemned Putin's war on Kiev.

NORTH KOREA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has promised to strengthen his country's nuclear power. The announcement came yesterday during the military parade for the 90th anniversary of the creation of the Pyongyang army. Among the weapons on display was an intercontinental ballistic missile, prohibited by UN resolutions.

CHINA

A group of 55 Christian Churches has opened a theological seminary for Chinese evangelicals in Rome, the first initiative of its kind in Italy. It will train pastors for the Chinese community on Italian soil and in the rest of Europe.  

MALAYSIA-INDONESIA

Following the Indonesian government's April 22 ban on refined palm oil exports, Kuala Lumpur says that with the reopening of its post-pandemic borders, its producers will be able to meet global demand.

TURKEY

A Turkish court yesterday sentenced philanthropist Osman Kavala to life in prison, without parole. He was charged with attempting to overthrow the government by financing protest movements, a case the EU says is politically motivated.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE

According to the Ukrainian investigative website Sledstvie.Info, a substantial number of Ukrainians deported to Russia have been placed in various monasteries and hostels for pilgrims of the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. It results from interceptions discovered by hackers of Anonymous and DDoSecrets. It would already be at least half a million the number of deported, including 100 thousand children.

TAJIKISTAN

A famous writer, Rakhim Esenov, considered the father of Turkmen literature, died in Ashgabat at the age of 96. For years he had been under the surveillance of the authorities, who wanted to force him to change the subjects of his main trilogy "The Seeker of the Crown", which he wrote over the course of thirty years, printing at his own expense in Moscow about a thousand copies.