Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and Canada have agreed to enhance momentum in commercial ties, and strengthen cooperation in science and technology, energy, education, consular issues, counter-terrorism, and streamlined mobility, according to Ministry of External Affairs. The India-Canada Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on April 11 in Ottawa during which both sides discussed contemporary regional issues including the Indo-Pacific region and cooperation in multilateral organizations a statement by the MEA read. The Indian delegation was led by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) in the MEA while the Canadian side was headed by David Morrison, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Global Affairs Canada. “They welcomed…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh Navy formally handed over 60 barrack houses for homeless and underprivileged people in Hatia, Noakhali district under the Ashrayan-2 project today. The Navy built these barrack houses under the direct direction of Prime Minister and under the Prime Minister’s Office and under the overall supervision of Armed Forces Division, said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release here. The newly built barracks have a total of 300 units. Each of which can hold a family. Each barrack has a separate kitchen and bathroom. Hatia Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Kaiser Khasru received the necessary documents of the…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked the authorities concerned to stress more on utilizing the untapped potentials of the ‘Blue Economy’. The Premier gave the directive while chairing a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area here today. Ministers, State Ministers, Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned attended the meeting. Later Planning Minister MA Mannan and State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam briefed the reporters about the outcome of the meeting. The Planning Minister said the day’s meeting approved a total…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China is becoming a power broker in the Middle East, however, the real test of Beijing is yet to come, reported Global Strat View. The Chinese-brokered landmark accord between Saudi Arabia and Iran after a thaw of seven years since 2016 formalized the agreement to restore diplomatic relations and bury the hatchet between the two countries. Rather than giving credence to any claims that China has brokered peace, we should view it as yet another exercise of the Chinese propaganda machine, said Global Strat View. The global perception of China taking a more active stance in world politics…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and the US held discussions over the Chinese spy balloons that were shot down by the American Air Force recently after being detected at a very high altitude there carrying out suspicious activities. Asked whether the issue of the Chinese Spy balloon incident came up for discussions with Indian officials, Pacific Air Force Commander General Kenneth S. Wilsbach said today, “He had very ‘brief’ conversations and dialogue with most of the air chiefs in the region, shortly after within few weeks after it was shot down by the United States down the Coast of South Carolina.” Also,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India did not believe in conflict between ecology and economy but gave importance to the co-existence between the two. The protection of wildlife was a universal issue, Modi said, launching the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), which was born out of a July 2019 message when he had called for an alliance of global leaders to obliterate demand and firmly curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Asia. The IBCA will focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan reviewed the operational preparedness in the eastern sector over the weekend, amid heightened tensions with China that has seen India shore up defences in the strategically-vulnerable Siliguri Corridor among other measures along the entire frontier. Gen Chauhan visited ‘forward areas’ in north Bengal and the Hasimara air base, where a squadron of the new Rafale fighters is based, as well as the headquarters of the 33 ‘Trishakti’ Corps at Sukna, where he was briefed on the operational situation along the northern borders in Sikkim, on Saturday and Sunday. “Accompanied by 33…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China has started the third day of live-free drills near Taiwan in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent visit to the United States, Al Jazeera reported. Chinese fighter jets and warships conducted simulated strikes on Taiwan during the weekend. Beijing’s actions sparked protests by Taiwan. Beijing’s drills on Monday are expected to include live-fire exercises off of China’s Fujian province, located only about 80km (50 miles) south of Taiwan’s Matsu islands, as per Al Jazeera report. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence on Monday detected 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval ships around Taiwan and its…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India will get 9 per cent of its electricity from nuclear sources by 2047, the centenary year of the country’s independence, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday. The Science and Technology minister made these remarks after reviewing the functioning of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai. Mr Singh said the rising share of nuclear power in India’s energy basket would help it get closer to the commitment of achieving the net zero target by 2070. He said the Department of Atomic Energy has been given the target of achieving 20 gigawatts (GW) capacity of nuclear power…

Medha Bisht: The Bhutan-China border engagement was in the headlines recently. A statement by the Bhutanese prime minister during his Europe tour was interpreted differently in Bhutan, India and China. The media in Bhutan claimed that the kingdom has an equal claim in negotiations as India and China, emphasising the limitations of the “small-state” caveat that overburdens strategic discourse in South Asia. In India, it was reported that the construction of villages by China along the Amochhu river suggested that Bhutan has ceded territory to China. Meanwhile, Chinese media claimed that India was the main obstruction in the formal demarcation…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Highways are integral to a country’s growth connection people and transporting goods and raw materials. A rapid expansion and makeover of Indian road network has ensured that India is steadily on track to reach standards at par with the best in the world. Nitin Gadkari, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways says that by 2024, India’s road infrastructure will be equivalent to US standards. This might not be an exaggeration considering the sheer number of projects that have been undertaken, and are in the pipeline. The development and maintenance of road infrastructure is a key government priority,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended best wishes to everyone associated with the 35th Australian Sikh Games organised by Australian National Sikh Sports and Cultural Council in Brisbane. In his message, PM Modi said the games will help the Sikh community to showcase its sporting skills, competitive spirit and teamwork on a bigger platform. “My best wishes for the 35th Australian Sikh Games. May the Games serve as an inspiration to motivate younger generations of Sikhs to excel in every sphere of life,” PM Modi said in his message. Taking to its official Twitter handle, the High Commission of…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The 22nd session of the 11th Parliament, which was a special session, was prorogued today after five working days. On the eve of the prorogation, the House unanimously adopted a motion on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh National Parliament. PM Sheikh Hasina, member of parliament from Gopalganj-3 constituency, moved the motion under Section-147 of the Rules of Procedure in the House on the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh National Parliament. Some 63 lawmakers took part in the discussion that lasted for 10 hours and 23 minutes. Earlier, President Md Abdul Hamid addressed the House on the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The First Global Buddhist Summit organised by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) will be held in Delhi on April 20-21. The theme of the summit is ‘Response to Contemporary Challenges from Philosophy to Praxis’. Dhammapiya, General Secretary of the IBC, stated that many issues in the world can be resolved by following the precepts of the Buddha. The summit is aimed at exploring answers to multifarious issues faced by humanity globally. Keeping Buddhism as its base, eminent scholars from across the globe will try to find solutions to various problems humans are encountering every day. It will cover…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute has found large deposits of 15 rare earth elements (REE) in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. REE of the lanthanide series are critical components in many electronic devices like cellphones, televisions, computers, and automobiles used daily and in various industrial applications. NGRI scientists were conducting a survey for non-traditional rocks like syenites when they made the significant discovery of the minerals in the lanthanide series. The elements identified included allanite, ceriate, thorite, columbite, tantalite, apatite, zircon, monazite, pyrochlore euxenite and fluorite. NGRI scientist PV Sunder Raju said, “Zircon of varying shapes was observed in…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The central government has established an online counselling centre named “Tele Manas” at the only major hospital for mental illness in the Kashmir Valley where mental health counsellors listen to patients’ problems on the phone and offer comfort and advice. Eighteen women’s councils have been organized at this centre since November last year and they are performing their services 24 hours a day. In such a situation, “Tele Manas” is receiving 80 to 100 calls daily and most of them are from female patients who are dealing with various mental problems. The patients do not have to reveal…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Adani Power on Sunday said that it has begun supplying electricity from its plant in Godda in Jharkhand to Bangladesh. Adani Power Ltd (APL), a part of the diversified Adani Group, has commissioned the first 800 MW ultra-super-critical thermal power generation unit at Godda in Jharkhand. The plant has started with supplying 748 MW of power to Bangladesh, a company statement said. The electricity supplied from Godda will significantly improve the situation in the neighbouring country as it will replace expensive power generated from liquid fuel, bringing down the average cost of power purchased, it stated. “The Godda…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh Bank has started releasing new taka notes for exchange from today, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, at specific branches of scheduled banks. The central bank in a notification said that until April 17 (except weekends and public holidays), these notes will be available through certain branches of banks in the Dhaka region and through the offices of Bangladesh Bank. At this time, new notes of Tk 5, 10, 20, and 50 will be exchanged in a special system. According to the central bank, the same person cannot receive new notes more than once. However, while withdrawing the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan is indulging in a blame game policy to seek concessions from India on Indus Water Treaty while continuing to indulge in poor water management at home. While attending recently concluded ‘UN 2023 Water Conference’, Hasan Nisar Jamy, Pakistan’s Water Resources Ministry Secretary stated, “Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which governs sharing of the Indus basin’s waters, is one example of such successful cooperation, which provides an effective mechanism for cooperation and management on water issues.” Islamabad is seeking it to be a model for all future trans-border water agreements. The observers in the UN Conference pointed out that…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s announcement of dates for the G20 meeting in Srinagar came despite opposition from Pakistan and also China, which had last month also objected to another. While Pakistan had lobbied its allies in G20, like Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and indeed China, to stop the meeting in Srinagar, Beijing had reacted to a meeting of the group in Arunachal last month by releasing “invented names” for 11 more places in the state to reinforce its claim over the region. India updated its G20 calendar on Friday to say that a meeting of the working group on tourism will take…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh, Japan, and India will hold a meeting in Tripura on 11-12 April to put in place connectivity initiatives to harness the commercial potential of the region. Asian Confluence, a think tank based out of North East India, in collaboration with India’s foreign ministry, is organising the event. It will be attended by deputy foreign ministers of Bangladesh and India along with the chief minister of Tripura and the Japanese envoy to India, reports the Economic Times. Japan is investing in Northeast India and Bangladesh including the deep sea port at Matarbari that will connect the landlocked region…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that after the Abrogation of Article 370, the benefit of government schemes has reached the last person in Jammu and Kashmir. “We are here in Udhampur and have already distributed aid materials, subsidy cheques and other benefits through the government of India schemes to the beneficiaries. I’m happy to say that this happened due to the abrogation of Article 370. Now, government schemes reached the border villages of Jammu and Kashmir,” Minister Rijiju said. The Minister addressed an awareness cum mega legal aid camp organized in Riwayat…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the expenditure of the highest-ever funds in the recently concluded financial year under the flagship Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS). According to a report, in 2021-22, the total amount received by the UT under CSS was Rs 7,655 crore which was enhanced to Rs 8,938 crore during 2022-23, registering a growth of nearly 15 per cent. Notably, benefits of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes have been reaching the last man in the queue after August 5, 2019–when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate J-K’s special status. According to the report, it is for the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a bid to combat the growing problem of drug addiction among young people in Kashmir, two social organizations, ‘Team 360’ and ‘Safe Women Safe World’, joined hands with the Indian Army to organize a foot march rally. The rally aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use and promote a drug-free lifestyle among the youth in the region. The foot march, which started from the Kaman Aman Setu towards the Uri town, saw enthusiastic participation from people across the region. The marchers, comprising volunteers from ‘Team 360’ and ‘Safe Women Safe World’ walked through the…