Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India on Wednesday said it has allowed exports of 1.43 lakh tonnes of non-basmati white rice to Bhutan, Mauritius, and Singapore. The export is permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification, reports our New Delhi correspondent. For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. The DGFT notification late last night said export of 79,000 tonnes of non-basmati white rice to Bhutan, 14,000 tonnes to Mauritius and 50,000 tonnes to Singapore have been allowed. India banned the exports of non-basmati white rice on July 20…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India will host the G20 summit next month which will see the “biggest participation” in the history of the grouping with arrangements in place for the mega event including that for the stay of leaders of member countries and the invited guest countries. Delhi Police to be in charge of security and there will be 24/ 7 medical facilities in hotels, officials said. The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, US, UK and the European Union.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A meeting between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India was held on Tuesday to launch the new US-India Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) under the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership. “RETAP was announced during the June 22, 2023 meeting in Washington DC, between His Excellency Joseph R Biden, President of the United States of America and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Modi, when the two leaders announced the expansion of collaboration on new and emerging technologies to accelerate the clean energy transition. This launch marks…

INTERNATIONBAL DESK: Sugar prices in Pakistan have increased to Rs 185 per kg, with the country’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) asking relevant agencies to check for the hoarding and smuggling of sugar, Dawn reported. The rising wholesale rates have been providing an opportunity for various online mart and retail shop operators to make a windfall on the already piled-up stocks. Market traders claimed it appeared that sugar continued to be smuggled to Afghanistan through informal channels followed by unabated hoarding and speculation, Dawn reported, adding that the price rise was surprising as sugar stocks in the country stood at 2.27…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: United Kingdom Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will be in China on Wednesday for a bilateral visit during which he will raise Beijing’s human rights obligations, including in relation to communities in Xinjiang and Tibet. UK government said in a statement that Cleverly will hold bilateral meetings with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Vice President Han Zheng and will discuss issues such as climate change. This is the first visit of a UK Foreign Secretary to China in over over five years The statement said that the climate change issue cannot be tackled without China – as the world’s…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The rising air pollution in Pakistan may lead to a shortening of life expectancy in Pakistan in the country’s most polluted regions like Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur and Peshawar, The News International reported citing a report. The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) has stated that air pollution may reduce life expectancy by at least seven years. Notably, particulate pollution is the second greatest threat to human health in Pakistan (behind cardiovascular diseases). This is reducing 3.9 years of life expectancy on average in Pakistan, according to the AQLI —…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: While the caretaker government struggles to find a solution to ‘electricity price shock’ against the backdrop of countrywide protests, a potential petroleum price shock looms over the horizon later this week, that may push all fuel products beyond Rs300 per litre. This comes as the caretaker set up continues brainstorming sessions for the third straight day in a bid to find ways to provide relief to the protesting masses, but without any success. The prices of both major petroleum products — petrol and high-speed diesel — are estimated to go up by about Rs9-10 per litre and Rs18-20…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Tiptala transit at Olangchung Gola in the Taplejung district of Nepal which was closed during the Covid times is still not open after four years of normalcy, Nepal’s state news agency RSS reported. The closure of the border point with China has resulted in the halt of trade between the local people and neighbouring China as well as limited their mobility. The border crossing was closed to stop the spread of COVID-19 following the request of the Government of China shortly after Chinese workers returned home from road construction on the Nepal side, it has been said.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: First, her dreams of becoming a doctor were dashed by the Taliban’s ban on education. Then her family set up a forced marriage to her cousin, a heroin addict. Latifa* felt her future had been snatched away. “I had two options: to marry an addict and live a life of misery or take my own life,” said the 18-year-old in a phone interview from her home in central Ghor province. “I chose the latter.” It was not an isolated act of desperation. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, there has been a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A foreign couple claimed on Sunday that they had been harassed by police in the Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Jamrud area, however, the authorities refuted this report, calling it “fake propaganda,” Dawn reported. Slava Skolaniya — a Russian man who is in Pakistan for tourism with his wife told Dawn, “We were travelling in Khyber’s Jamrud when we were intercepted by police personnel who questioned us aggressively and ordered us to not go ahead from there onwards.” The Russian tourist said the police asked for documents, which were shown to them. Despite this, he claimed that the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As Russia comes under renewed pressure to revive the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine, the US and EU are also talking to India to see if it can use its influence with Moscow to ensure resumption of Ukrainian grain exports. While the deal was brokered by the UN and Turkiye last year to attenuate the effects of the war on global food security, India also had played a role in reaching the agreement, as foreign minister S Jaishankar said earlier this year. While EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was reported to have approached all G20 foreign…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday invoked “mutual trust” and “democratic values” to pitch for investments in India, as he cited disruptions in the supply chain during Covid-19 to hit out at China. Without naming China, the PM said the pandemic had caused irreversible changes. “A profitable marketcan be sustained when there is a balance in the interests of producers and consumers. This also applies to nations. Treating other countries only as a market will never work. It will harm even the producing countries sooner or later. Making everyone equal partners in progress is the way forward,”he said…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India is fully geared to host the G20 Summit, which is to be hosted in the national capital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the latest edition of his monthly radio broadcast — ‘Mann Ki Baat’. He added that the summit next month, which is being hosted under India’s presidency of the G20, will give the world an insight into the country’s potential and rising global heft. With world leaders and delegates from over 40 countries expected to attend the event, Prime Minister Modi said the event in India will witness the biggest participation in the history of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In the heartlands of Arunachal Pradesh, a trailblazing entrepreneur is reshaping the landscape of sustainable living while preserving the rich tapestry of indigenous art and craftsmanship. Meet Ninna Lego, the visionary force behind House of Macnok (HoM), a dynamic startup that celebrates local culture, heritage, and skills through an array of exquisite jewelry, home decor, accessories, and wellness products. Lego’s journey is one of passion, business acumen, and unwavering commitment to the welfare of her community. Hailing from the serene town of Mariyang nestled in the Upper Siang district, Lego brings to her enterprise a unique blend of…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma today said digital connectivity is a rapidly emerging dimension of India-Bangladesh partnership going beyond trade, transport and energy connectivity. He made the remark when jointly laid the foundation stone of the Knowledge Park at Chattogram being built with Indian government’s concessional Line of Credit, said a press release issued by Indian High Commission here. The envoy hoped that it would propel economic and technological partnership between the two countries to newer heights. Highlighting the project’s importance in India-Bangladesh cooperation in ICT sector, Verma also mentioned that the recently launched India-Bangladesh Startup…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid today said that the government wants to build a transmission line between Bangladesh and Nepal. “We want to install transmission line from Bangladesh to Nepal, so that we can export electricity to Nepal in winter. Apart from this, import of hydropower from Nepal is almost final,” he told Pankaj Gupta, South Asia Regional Director (Infrastructure) of the World Bank (WB) at his ministry office. The WB regional director paid a courtesy call on Nasrul Hamid and discussed various issues related to mutual interests. Informing about the ongoing and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A Chinese national who was caught distributing illegal Chinese-branded cigarettes in Colombo was imposed a fine of Rs.1 million by the Fort Magistrate yesterday. Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage imposed this fine when Kollupitiya Police produced the foreigner arrested for distributing a stock of Chinese branded cigarettes, which the sale and consumption is entirely prohibited in Sri Lanka. Two officials attached to the Kollupitiya Police on information arrested the Chinese national and found 6,400 sticks of cigarettes, which was valued at Rs.760,000. Kollupitiya Police Inspector S. Vishva, Sub Inspector W. Perera and Constable Chanaka (83997) made the discovery. The…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Assam’s capital, which has hosted many big events in the recent past, will be the venue of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Intergovernmental Group’s meeting. The FAO Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea represents a forum for intergovernmental consultation and exchange on trends in production, consumption, trade and prices of tea, including a regular appraisal of the global market situation and short-term outlook. FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. The meeting will be held from November 22 to 24. Assam, known the world over…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, has said the Global Development Initiative (GDI), a twin sister of BRI, is aimed at supporting the timely achievement of all 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by revitalizing global development partnership and promoting stronger, greener and healthier global development. “We hope that Bangladesh would make good use of China’s aid, preferential loans, and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund to actively carry out policy dialogue, experience sharing, capacity building and practical cooperation,” the envoy told UNB during his first interview since his arrival here late last year.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a significant development, Rajouri Chikri Wood Craft from Rajouri district and Mushqbudji Rice of Anantnag district of have received the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag. The process for GI Tagging of nine products was started by NABARD in consultation with Department of Handicrafts & Handloom and Department of Agriculture in December 2020, during the difficult times of COVID. The GI tags have now finally been granted to these two products after a long legal process. In total, four products have been granted GI tag with NABARD support. Chikri is a pale, honey colored, fine grained soft wood found…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and people, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday. The Chinese President met PM Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on current China-India relations and other questions of shared interest. “President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated leaders and people of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE over the decision on their full membership of BRICS and said India has always supported the expansion of the organisation. In a statement in the presence of other leaders from BRICS countries, PM Modi said India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation. “India has always supported the expansion of BRICS. India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation,” he said. PM Modi said India has “historic…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The long-term growth and prosperity for all economies is rooted in a functional multilateral system, French Minister delegate Olivier Becht said on Thursday at G20 Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting in Jaipur. France’s Minister delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness, and French Nationals Abroad also laid emphasis on ensuring a level playing field and the organization’s continued relevance to make multilateral trade more resilient. Addressing the first session of the meeting, Olivier Becht said, “I am very happy to have this in-person Ministerial meeting with all of you here in the beautiful city of Jaipur. I want to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Central government on Thursday began its arguments on the pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370, saying there was no “constitutional fraud” in repealing the provision that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud told the Centre that it will have to justify the procedure adopted for abrogation as the court cannot postulate a situation “where the ends justify the means”. The bench said, “We cannot postulate a scenario where ends justify the means” and both have to be consistent, as…