Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China may have increased its defence outlay and set up an ambitious growth rate of 5% for 2023, but perhaps for the first time, the communist leadership may not have been able to restrain itself from highlighting the myriad economic challenges the country faces. The rare outpouring of woe in the country come on March 3 at the first session of the 5th National People’s Congress that opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Party and state leaders Xi Jinping Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu Wang Yang, Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Han Zheng, Cai QL Ding…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s climate policy is directed towards sustainable development and poverty eradication, while striving to decouple carbon emissions from growth and achieve energy efficiency across sectors, Yadav said. New Delhi The climate crisis is unlike other global issues, such as those of trade or finance, and traditional responses to it or the tendency to profiteer from a disaster need to be avoided, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said on Sunday. “I would like to remind especially friends from the global north that we must understand that this crisis is starkly different from other global crisis of trade and finance…

Saumya Dhaundyal: One of the sessions during the inception meeting of Business20 (B20) India, an engagement group under G20, was on ‘Fostering Financial Inclusion and Empowering Societies’. The session threw light on the need for broader social policies to support financial resilience, protect against risks, and promote the financial well-being of the people. Financial inclusion needs to be a core part of business and social responsibility strategies and not just left to policymakers to deal with. As 1.4 billion adults in the world remain unbanked—more commonly women, the less educated, poor and rural populations—more dedicated, multi-stakeholder strategies are needed to…

INTERNATIONAL DSEK: Amid the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and ahead of the Raisina Dialogue, India quietly held the second conference of intelligence and security chiefs and top officials from around the world, called the Raisina Security Dialogue, on March 1 which saw participation from over 26 countries, confirmed multiple sources. “India is trying to make its presence felt in bringing together global intelligence agencies for exchanges on issues of common concern. The focus of the discussions was largely on global security which encompassed counterterrorism, radicalisation, drug trafficking, and illegal arms smuggling, among others,” an official source with knowledge of the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The third presidential election for Nepal is scheduled for March 9, 2023. After months of disagreement among Nepal’s major parties, the date has been set. However, the declaration also brought to a political showdown between Ram Chandra Paudel, the leader of the Nepali Congress, and Subas Nembang, vice chair of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), who are both running for president, reported Pardafas. A weighted voting procedure is used to elect the president. As things stand, Paudel has the support of eight parties, including that of the CPN-Maoist Centre, led by current Prime Minister Pushpa…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Both India and Uzbekistan exhibited their combat power and dominance in the joint military exercise while understanding nuances of fighting multi-domain operations in the sub-conventional scenarios. India-Uzbekistan 15-day joint military exercise DUSTLIK concluded in Uttarkhand’s Pithoragarh on Sunday after exhibiting their combat power and dominance while understanding nuances of fighting multi-domain operations in the sub-conventional scenarios, officials said. Lt Col Manish Shrivastava, public relations officer, Defence, Dehradun, said the exercise provided an opportunity for both the armed forces to train in sub-conventional operations in a joint environment under the United Nations Charter. “Both nations share a common goal…

Suraj Yengde: If you are at Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport and are on a connecting flight, you will transition from main terminal gates Z to concourse C. No matter which direction you come from, you pass by mid-size advertorial screens that grab the attention of passers-by. Where one is used to seeing models demonstrating clothing brands or fragrances, one will be surprised to notice two Indian men, Narendra Modi and his protégé Shivraj Singh Chauhan, flashing through the screens with the G-20 as backdrop. The advert was sponsored by the BJP-ruled Government of Madhya Pradesh, which, like other states,…

SPORTS DESK: The 7th Boccia National Championship, one of the landmark events for the Indian Army concluded at the Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre, Delhi Cantonment on March 4. The Championship had begun on February 28th. On the concluding day, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Mission Olympics Wing of the Indian Army and the Paralympics Committee of India for promoting the Paralympics movement in the country and providing a platform for the transition of specially-abled Indian Army soldiers into para-athletes. Played with a ball, as a sport, Boccia is predominantly played by athletes with cerebral palsy but has…

INTERNSTIONAL DESK: A new frog species found in Arunachal Pradesh has been named after Chanakya of Maurya Empire. Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and St. Anthony’s College, Shillong have discovered three new species of Cascade frogs from Arunachal Pradesh. One has been named after Tawang, the other one has been named Sessa Orchid Sanctuary and the third one after Chanakya of Maurya Empire. The findings were published in the recent edition of the research journal, Records of the Zoological Survey of India. Scientifically all three new species belong to the True Frog family Ranidae, and these cascade-dwelling…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s Presidency has been regarded by experts across the world as an exceptional and unprecedented opportunity with immense scope and potential. With the motto of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India has embarked on the year-long journey of the G20 presidency. Indeed, there is an immense opportunity for steering international coordination towards economic stability and prosperity, which is in general an overarching goal of the G20 organisation. However, there is something more quintessential to India’s Presidency which has led experts and officials to attach a lot of expectations to it. Beginning as an organisation addressing macroeconomic issues and financial risks, the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s Chief Coordinator for G20 Presidency Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Saturday said G20 partners agreed that robust digital infrastructure plays a major role in achieving multiple national goals. “The G20 agreed that robust digital infrastructure plays a major role in achieving multiple national goals. Investing in digital infrastructure can bring in significant savings & productivity gains for the government in the long term,” Harsh Shringla said while speaking at the Knowledge & Experience Exchange Programmes For Emerging Economies Of The Global South held in Hyderabad on Friday. In his inaugural address, Shringla highlighted India’s financial inclusion success story…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s sole nomination for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site this year, ‘Maidams’ or the burial mounds of Ahom royalty in Assam’s Charaideo district, have met the technical requirements, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The nomination will be next evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, he said. “With great pride, happy to share a landmark achievement in our endeavour to get World Heritage Site status for Charaideo Maidams. The maidams have met all technical requirements of the UNESCO Secretariat,” Sarma said on Twitter on Friday. He also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Uplona Rashtriya Rifles under the aegis of Haiderbaeg sector Kilo (k) Force organized an Agniveer recruitment registration drive for the youth of Kashmir. This time there is a change in the recruitment process for Agniveers, candidates will undergo an online entrance examination (CEE) at designated centers, followed by physical fitness tests and then medical tests before the selection. All unmarried eligible male and female candidates born between October 1, 2002, to April 1, 2006, with requisite educational qualifications can apply to become Agniveer. The new recruitment process will substantially help the youth. Aefore the online entrance examination, there…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Revocation of Article 370, a temporary provision in the Constitution of India, three years ago changed the minds and hearts of Jammu and Kashmir residents and transformed their lives. The August 5, 2019 decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the regime to end the so-called special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate it into two Union Territories bringing the Himalayan region closer to Delhi and settling all the issues once and for all. Changes that took place in J&K after 2019 opened up the Union Territory to the world. Nearly 1.8 crore tourists visiting J&K in…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistani rupee suffered a big blow against the U.S. dollar as the greenback was traded at a historic low of 285.09 rupees in the interbank market on Thursday, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. It marks a 6.66-percent drop from Wednesday’s closing price of 266.11 rupees. Talking to Xinhua, Khurram Schehzad, chief executive officer of Alpha Beta Core, a Pakistani financial advisory and investment strategy firm, said that the core reason for this dramatic fall is the lack of confidence in the market. Uncertainty arose as Pakistan’s International Monetary Fund program is still pending, he said, adding…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: A business-to-business (B2B) match-making event will be held in the last week of May to expand business between Bangladesh and Japan. Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (JBCCI), UNIDO ITPO Tokyo and Haison International Limited will jointly organise the event in Japan, said a press release here today. The weeklong event is likely to take place from May 22-26 in Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, the release added. Speaking at a meeting organised by JBCCI in Dhaka on Thursday, UNIDO ITPO Industrial Development Officer Ikue Toshinaga called upon businesses to participate in the event and find new ways of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK:King Charles III will travel to France and Germany on his first state visits abroad, the German presidency said on Friday. “The fact that King Charles chose Germany and France as his first destinations before his coronation is also an important European gesture,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s office said in a statement, announcing that the British royal would be in Germany March 29-31. (AFP)

INTERNATIONAL DESK:The High Commissioner also laid a floral wreath at the Mausoleum to pay homage to Bangabandhu, an Indian high commission press release said here. In his written remarks at the Mausoleum, Verma highlighted the historic importance of the month of March in the history of Bangladesh and underlined Bangabandhu’s vision for the development of Bangladesh and Delhi-Dhaka partnership. Verma also took a guided tour of the museum, which showcases Bangabandhu’s life and legacy, and the supreme sacrifices that he made for the independence and progress of Bangladesh. Bangabandhu’s fight for democracy, inclusivity and social justice continues to inspire people…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has assured of the international organisation’s continuous humanitarian support to deal with the needs of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh. “This crisis is not forgotten. The EU remains one of the largest humanitarian donors, with €287 million since 2017,” he said after his meeting with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam in New Delhi on Friday. They discussed today’s global crises – climate change and vulnerabilities of the LDCs as well as the Rohingya refugees hosted by Bangladesh. Great to meet Josep…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The second of four G20 meetings in the Northeast was held in Mizoram on March 2, 2023, in the presence of 48 overseas business delegates, 17 diplomats from 17 countries, 85 entrepreneurs from Mizoram and 16 participants from other parts of the country. The main leg of the program was held in the Mizoram University, where the inaugural session started with opening remarks from Pradeep Bagla, Co-Chairman, CII North East Council followed by speeches from Som Parkash, Minister of State for Commerce & Industries, Government of India, Dr R K Ranjan Singh, Minister of State, External Affairs, Rupa…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Quad leaders, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Australian Foreign minister Penny Wong were delighted to participate in the group’s Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and terming it, “very good” and “excellent meeting.” Blinken on Friday said that the Quad recognizes that the Indo-Pacific region will shape the trajectory of the world in the 21st century and are committed to safeguarding its peace, stability, and growing prosperity. “Very good,”says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on being asked about the QUAD meeting in Delhi today. Blinken also took part in the panel discussion with EAM Dr S Jaishankar, Japanese…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The country’s export earnings of goods during the July-February period of the current fiscal year (FY23) maintained its healthy trend witnessing a growth of 9.56 per cent compared to the same period of the last fiscal year (FY22). According to the latest statistics of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the country’s export earnings reached $37,077.68 million during this eight-month period against $33,843.45 million fetched during the same period of the last fiscal year. However, the eight-month export target is 0.45 per cent lower than the strategic export target of $37,244 million. The EPB statistics also showed that the…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said despite the recent hike in the price of electricity in the country, the tariff of power still remains less than in many countries. “The increase in electricity price has exceeded cent per cent in the United Kingdom. It (price) has exceeded 20 to 100 per cent in European Union countries. It is 21 per cent in Germany and 95 per cent in Belgium. In this context, the increase in electricity prices in our country is comparatively less. The tariff has increased twice by…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The government today made two proposals, seeking assistance from foreign countries and international agencies, to relocate more Rohingyas to Bhashan Char from Cox’s Bazar camps for the better wellbeing of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. The proposals were placed to bear the expenses of their relocation and construction of more infrastructures in Bhashan Char to prepare its remaining two-third areas livable for the displaced Rohingyas. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah placed the proposals at a meeting with the foreign diplomats and representatives of different agencies stationed in Dhaka held at the Prime Minister’s Office. The…