Author: Arif ArifArman

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh and Switzerland today inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim of enhancing skill training capacity in Bangladesh, which would also widen opportunities to export the skilled workforce, specifically from the medical and IT sectors, to Switzerland. The signing ceremony was held at the bilateral meeting room in Palais des Nations after the meeting between President of the Swiss Confederation Alain Berest and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Permanent representatives of Switzerland and Bangladesh Jurg Lauber and Sufiur Rahman signed the MoU titled “Knowledge Partnership and Skill Enhancement” for their respective countries. President of the Swiss…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Saiqa Rashid is a talented artist and engineer whose creative spirit for art and calligraphy knows no bounds. The majestic beauty of Jammu and Kashmir serves as a constant source of inspiration for her artwork. Meet Saiqa Rashid, an Assistant Engineer at PDD (Power Development Department) has blossomed into a remarkable journey of self-expression and inspiration. From a young age, Saiqa,In the picturesque town of Wanbal Rawalpora, Srinagar, nestled in the breathtaking landscapes of Kashmir, had an innate talent for calligraphy and painting, a passion that was nurtured by her love for artistic endeavours. Throughout her childhood, she…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Indian government is sending another 20,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan amid a humanitarian crisis in the country, Khaama Press reported. The Khaama Press is an online news service for Afghanistan. This new project entails using Iran’s Chabahar port to carry 20,000 tons of wheat to Afghanistan. This generous deed intends to relieve the severe food scarcity that many Afghans are currently experiencing, as per Khaama Press. The project builds on the success of a previous wheat assistance delivery of 40,000 tons through Pakistan’s land border. The first shipment of 2,500 MT of the 20,000 MT…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan’s foreign direct investment (FDI) during the current financial year has shrunk to USD 17 billion, Pakistan vernacular media Daily Dunya reported. Daily Dunya is an Urdu daily newspaper from Pakistan. The FDI has been declined by 23 per cent as compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the ratio of investment to GDP was 13:6. The percentage remained the lowest among the regional countries. These figures should be eye-openers for the Pakistan government. But the government has been acquitted of the economic problems by blaming the ongoing political instability in the country and last year’s floods. As per…

TECHNOLOGY DESK: From Indian stack to digital payments to fintech, from space tech to consumer electronics, information technology to software support, building metaverse to transformative use of artificial intelligence, India’s success is evident across all domains, flexing muscles in the tech ring. Today, India has entered the realm of digitalization. Equipped with a strong and youthful workforce, innovative ideas, cost efficiency and reliable and efficient government policies, India is poised to grow by leaps and bounds in her pursuit of becoming a tech giant. Semiconductors, often known as the brain of modern electronics are indispensable and critical components to most…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Minister of State (Defence) Ajay Bhatt on Tuesday said that G20 has showcased that Jammu and Kashmir is on a path of development. “This government has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. Everyone knows how the government has been working. In Jammu and Kashmir as well, the government has been working for development,” he said. Taking a dig at the opposition, Ajay Bhatt said the Modi government has proven everyone wrong by peacefully organising the G20 event in the state. When Article 370 was abrogated and many in the opposition said that there will be rivers of blood. However,…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent fresh seasonal mangoes as gifts to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dhaka Tribune reported on Tuesday. Hasina has given mangoes to Indian dignitaries previously also as a sign of goodwill. She also gave mangoes to Sonia Gandhi, the former leader of the Indian National Congress, and other dignitaries, according to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, reported Dhaka Tribune. This year, the gift baskets included well-known mango kinds including Himsagar and Langra, primarily from the Rajshahi region of Bangladesh, which is famous for growing tasty, high-quality mangoes. Fortunately, summer…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday approved a $400 million loan to Bangladesh to advance reforms in domestic resource mobilization, improve efficiency and productivity of public spending, and help small businesses – especially women-led businesses – to access low-cost innovative bank financing. This loan is ADB’s second subprogram of the Sustainable Economic Recovery Program that was launched in October 2021 to support economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. “This subprogram enables Bangladesh to enhance revenues, promote efficiency and transparency in public spending and public procurement, deepen the reforms of state-owned enterprises, and help small businesses and microentrepreneurs…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: President Mohammed Shahabuddin today urged the lawyers to extend optimum cooperation to ensure justice for the people of the country. The President made the call when a 12-member delegation of the Bangladesh Bar Council, led by its Chairman Abu Mohammad Amin Uddin, paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban here this afternoon. “Lawyers are very conscious citizens of society. Justice can be ensured only through the coordination of the Bar and the Bench”, he observed, urging every member of the Bar Council to ensure transparency and accountability in their respective works. The President suggested the authorities concerned…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the sacred Buddhist temple of Sarnath in Varanasi alongwith the G20 delegates. The G20 delegates are present in Varanasi to attend G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting that was held on Monday. EAM Jaishankar along with the G20 delegates visited Sarnath on Tuesday. This is the third day that the G20 delegates are present in Varanasi. The Development Ministers’ Meeting was a three-day long event that started on Sunday. On Sunday, a day before the DMM, the delegates to the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took part in the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said India’s G20 presidency succeeded in getting the focus of the grouping back on the issues faced by the global south without diminishing the seriousness of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its consequences. Addressing a press conference after the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting here, Mr Jaishankar said the ‘G20 Action Plan on Accelerating Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ and ‘G20 High Level Principles on Lifestyles for Sustainable Development’ were unanimously approved at the meeting. “Right now our focus is how do you address the pressing needs of the developing countries,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As UK Development Minister Andrew Mitchell attended the G20 Development Ministerial Meeting in Varanasi on Monday, new climate and tech partnerships were announced to benefit all by tackling global challenges, informed the British High Commission in India. Mitchell joined India and G20 partners in calling for reinvigorated efforts to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The new UK support includes funding for a tech start-up focusing on sustainable agriculture, including through growing vegetables in an environmentally-friendly way, as per an official release by British High Commission. UK’s International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell is in India for the G20…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on day 2 of the G20 Ministers’ meeting in Varanasi on Monday not only urged everyone to adopt a game-changing action plan for women-led development but also said that attempts should be made to increase investment in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Delivering a special video address at the G20 Development Ministers’ meeting under the G20 Indian Presidency in Varanasi, PM Modi emphasized that it is the collective responsibility of the people not to let the Sustainable Development Goals fall behind. He continued by saying that the Global South needed to strongly convey…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ensuing state visit to the United States, a New Jersey-based restaurant has readied a special ‘Modi Ji Thali’ as the PM Modi will be arriving in the US. Prime Minister Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in June. The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22. PM Modi has a huge fanbase not only in India but overseas and there is an outpouring of love…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s journey towards becoming a self-reliant superpower is majorly contingent on its ability to turn itself into a manufacturing giant. Becoming self-sufficient and moving towards becoming a developed economy, India is set to emerge as a global hub of the textile industry with a staggering workforce of over 45 million individuals and an additional 100 million involved in related activities, the textiles sector emerges as a crucial contributor to the country’s foreign exchange revenues. Garnering a notable 5% share in global trade and accounting for 13% of the country’s overall export earnings, this sector sets its sights on…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Last month, as global leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Hiroshima for the G7 summit, China was hosting its inaugural ‘China-Central Asia Summit’ (C+C5) in Xi’an. At this summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasised the need to work together for a “China-Central Asia community with a shared future”. The Xi’an summit — which saw participation of heads of state of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — was used by President Xi as an opportunity to “cement and boost its strategic cooperation with Central Asia,” said the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a New Delhi-based think tank.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Bhutan’s Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck virtually inaugurated Bhutan TSHAR Institute in Kalapang Gewog of Bhutan’s Monggar district on Sunday, The Bhutan Live reported. The institute has been established by Tarayana Foundation as part of the project “Promoting Integrated Bamboo-Based Enterprises Development among SAARC Countries,” The Bhutan Live reported. The institute has been funded by the SAARC Development Fund and it aims to provide livelihood opportunities for bamboo artisans, farmers, youth, and rural communities in Bhutan. The institute will offer training and employment prospects in the bamboo industry, with a focus on youth, women, artisans, and farmers. It…

INERNATIONAL DESK: Bangladesh, following India’s footsteps, has decided to import fertilisers from Russia, which is among the world’s top fertilizer producers. The Sheikh Hasina government has signed a deal to import 180,000 tons of muriate of potash from Russia for the year 2023-24. Bangladesh needs 750,000 tons of fertilizers annually. The deal was recently signed in Moscow between the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and Russian Prodintorg. The Western sanctions on Russia, created difficulties for countries like Bangladesh that depend on imports of fertilizers and agricultural goods from Russia, Dhaka-based sources said. In the past Bangladesh procured 300,000 tons of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: After having sent 40,000 MT of wheat to the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan through the land border with Pakistan, the government will provide another 20,000 MT of the grain via Iran’s Chabahar port to the landlocked country grappling with food insecurity. The first tranche of 2,500 MT of wheat sent through the Chabahar port is expected to arrive in Herat this week, according to Taliban authorities. This is the first consignment of food aid sent to Afghanistan by India this year. In a landmark decision, and a peace outreach to the Taliban that seems to have served India well, the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: G20 delegates from Brazil, Germany, Japan, Indonesia and China on Sunday arrived at the Varanasi Airport to participate in the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to be held from June 11-13. Awadh’s Faruwahi dance and Kashi Vishwanath Damru Vadan Samiti gave a grand welcome to the foreign guests at the airport. The foreign guests also performed Damru Vadan and Indian dance at the airport. Among those who arrived were Australian politician Patrick Conroy, Brazil’s Ambassador to India Mauricio Lyrio, European commissioner for International partnerships Jutta Urpilainen, German minister for economic cooperation and development Svenja Schulze, Japanese Minister Shunsuke…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Former president Donald Trump used the first public appearance since his federal indictment to ratchet up attacks on the Justice Department, accusing prosecutors, without evidence, of a politically motivated campaign to keep him from the White House. Speaking on Saturday at Georgia’s state Republican convention, Trump alleged that president Joe Biden, a Democrat, orchestrated the criminal charges in order to undermine his main political rival’s presidential campaign, as well as to distract from federal and congressional investigations into Biden’s son. There is no evidence to support Trump’s allegations. The Justice Department maintains that all its investigative decisions are…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India with 89.5 million digital transactions in the year 2022 has topped the list of five countries in digital payments, according to data from MyGovIndia. As per the data, India in the year 2022 accounting for 46 per cent of the global real-time payments, adding that the digital payment transactions in India is more than the other four leading countries combined. India keeps dominating the digital payment landscape! With innovative solutions and widespread adoption, we’re leading the way towards a cashless economy. #9YearsOfTechForGrowth #9YearsOfSeva@GoI_MeitY@AshwiniVaishnaw@Rajeev_GoI@alkesh12sharma @_DigitalIndia,” tweeted MyGovIndia. mygovindia/status/1667207266888740864?s=48&t=Fh1PdKQvAKBIi_60UwQvcA” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>https://twitter.com/mygovindia/status/1667207266888740864?s=48&t=Fh1PdKQvAKBIi_60UwQvcA Second, on the list is Brazil which amounted…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Through innovative and dynamic processes, women in Kashmir are excelling in almost every sphere. Women across the valley are showing interest in becoming economically independent and coming up with their own unique ideas of becoming entrepreneurs. The story of two young women Huzaifa Bazaz and Arifa Jan indeed provides us with the opportunity to recognise and appreciate the contributions made by women of Kashmir in all disciplines. Huzaifa Bazaz, a young entrepreneur and MBA graduate from Srinagar has started an online shopping portal with her friends and her online venture is not just a business but rather an…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan’s multiple crises have become the breeding ground for heightened faith-driven terror attacks, marking a 73 per cent rise in incidents and casualties since August 2021, according to security experts within and outside the country. Pakistani analyst Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director of the Center for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad, wrote for East Asia Forum in March that terrorist attacks peaked in 2013, averaging just under four attacks a day, with nearly 2700 total fatalities. The latest trends suggest that 2023 may be worse, with almost 200 terror-related incidents and at least 340 fatalities by March. The trend…