Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit to the United States said that for “normal bilateral ties” with China “peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential,” the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. “We have a core belief in respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, observing the rule of law and peaceful resolution of differences and disputes. At the same time, India is fully prepared and committed to protect its sovereignty and dignity,” PM Modi said in his interview to the US publication. The WSJ noted that India and the US share relationships with China that have…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gears up for his forthcoming visit to the United States on June 22nd, the global community is keenly observing the potential for a strengthened strategic partnership between these two democratic powerhouses. Amidst a myriad of discussion points, Digital Defence emerges as a critical area of focus. In a world where cyber threats are evolving at an unprecedented pace, the necessity for robust Digital Defence mechanisms is more pressing than ever. India and the United States, with their advanced technological capabilities and shared democratic values, are uniquely positioned to collaborate in fortifying the security…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Naeemur Rehman, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief announced on Monday that his party would protest the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government’s alleged use of force to win the Karachi mayoral election on June 23 (Friday) in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) office in Islamabad, reported Dawn. He said, “It will be a massive protest and we will question the ECP about the polls it held in Karachi (….) the ECP will have to declare the election invalid and rectify all its mistakes,” as per a report published in a Pakistan-daily. Dawn is an English-language Pakistan-based newspaper. After…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan Railways Employees (PREM) Union (CBA) protested at the diesel engine shed in Lahore against the delay in the current month’s salary payment. They added, “Only a few days are left until Eidul-Adha,’ The Express Tribune reported. So far, Pakistan Railways did not give salaries to its employees due to the severe financial crisis. It has caused a lot of trouble among the employees. Prem Union Lahore President Fiaz Ahmed Shahzad, Secretary Khizar Hayat Baig, Senior Vice President Muhammad Jameel Malik, and organizer Haji Aziz Madi have appealed to the Railways Minister Saad Rafique and CEO Arshad Salam…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was wanted in India with National Investigation Agency (NIA) having announced a cash reward on him, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in the parking area in Canada’s Surrey, according to a report in Vancouver Sun. Hailing from Bharsinghpur village in Punjab’s Jalandhar, Nijjar was based in Surrey and had been declared “absconder” by the NIA. Canada-based Vancouver Sun said Surrey RCMP S. Sgt. Tyner Gillies did not confirm the identity of the murder victim, who was found inside his grey truck in the parking lot. “Upon attendance police found…

INERNATIONAL DESK: Summits happen between equals. Only summits succeed or fail. Antony Blinken is only US Secretary of State. Nothing much was expected out of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. That the meeting came about at all is news. Such is the antagonism between the two countries that till the last minute neither side confirmed the meeting would happen. The US State Department made it official with just an hour to go. The meeting itself lasted 35 minutes, enough time for the shutterbugs to record the handshake and both leaders to articulate diplomatic inanities. Xi was…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Twenty-nine out of 30 students of the Oil India Ltd (OIL) Super 30 Itanagar’s 2022-’23 batch have qualified for the advanced Joint Entrance Exam (JEE). The results came out on Sunday. The qualified candidates are Koj Tami Gyambo, Terbin Bagra, Tarh Haniya, Chukhu Nyia Loma, Jarnu Bujuk, Neelam Doin, Jomson Ejing, Nending Pengo, Bujum Nalo, Karduk Gao, Gyati Pange, Gemi Riba, Lukge Jilen, Rubu Nomo, Kaling Tayeng, Karbi Yuro, Lire Nirin, Horli Amo, Zenith Singkom, Lishi Teshi, Biri Yachu, Chera Tanang, Gumli Romin, Sonam Lhamu, Bullo Anku, Miyam Perme, Neha Chungkrang, Tabom Pali, and Kuyung Lego. The OIL’s…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Four police personnel and two soldiers of the security forces were injured in different attacks of unidentified armed men in Bara tehsil of the Khyber district on Sunday, local and official sources said. The gunmen attacked the police post in Sarki Kamar area in Bar Qambarkhel Saturday night. As a result, four police identified as Shahfiullah, Naseem Khan, Khial Zar and Zarman Gul sustained injuries. The police repulsed the attack while the armed men managed to escape after the firing. The injured were shifted to a hospital in Peshawar. Soon after the incident, the police personnel reached the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The G20 exhibition on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) commenced on Saturday at Savitri Bai Phule Pune University with a grand inauguration by the union minister of state, Annapurna Devi. The event witnessed widespread participation from almost all states and union territories, with esteemed international and national organizations such as CBSE, NCERT, Microsoft, Google, World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, and numerous renowned NGOs. During the first day of the exhibition, Tripura garnered immense praise for its innovative approach in promoting ‘NIPUN.’ The bamboo-based Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) and the handmade TLMs crafted by the teachers emerged as the…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The holy Eid-ul-Azha, the second biggest religious festival of Muslims, will be celebrated in the country on June 29. The National Moon Sighting Committee announced the decision at a meeting held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the capital after the moon of the holy month Zilhaj was sighted in the sky of Bangladesh territory this evening. Religious affairs ministry secretary MD A Hamid Zamadder presided over the meeting. The Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated on the 10th day of Zilhaj. (BSS)

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said Bangladesh is keen to join BRICS, an economic bloc of five countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, if the platform invites Bangladesh. “We will surely join if they invite us. BRICS leaders are thinking of taking eight emerging economies, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and Indonesia,” he told reporters at the foreign ministry this afternoon. The foreign minister said Bangladesh has already become a member of the BRICS New Development Bank. “We want more money from different sources. If they (BRICS) invite us .. I…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan’s textile sector has faced a decline in textile exports for an eighth consecutive month on a year-on-year basis, demonstrating persistent challenges for the industry, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported. Textile exports witnessed a month-on-month rise of 7 per cent in textile exports in May 2023, which reached USD 1.32 billion. However, there was a significant year-on-year decline of 20 per cent in comparison to the same period last year, according to The Express Tribune report. The trend of declining textile exports on a year-on-year basis has continued for the past eight months, The Express Tribune reported citing…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a major development in the Greece boat tragedy case, wherein 78 people lost their lives, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), on Sunday, claimed to have arrested the main human trafficker from Sheikhupura, Punjab, Geo News reported. Earlier, on June 14, dozens of migrants and refugees on board the trawler that sank off Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, killed at least 78 people. As many as 750 men, women and children – also from Syria, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories – were on board the vessel, trying to reach relatives in Europe. The sinking was one of the worst disasters…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Former additional director of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Sajjad Bajwa has revealed that some ‘black sheep’ are there in the agency that is backing the agent mafia in Pakistan, ARY News reported on Sunday. In a statement, FIA’s ex-additional director revealed, “Some black sheep in FIA are backing the agent mafia. There are thousands of agents in Pakistan and the authorities will have to devise a strategy to catch them.” While commenting on the human traffickers in Gujrat and Gujranwala divisions, Bajwa said that some FIA officers pressurised the victim’s family to compromise and step back from…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan is trying to obtain USD 3-4 billion from friendly countries in case its deal with the International Monetary Fund does not get through, The News International reported. The IMF programme is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2023. Both sides, the IMF and Pakistan, had gone public despite showing their commitment to remain engaged for the completion of the 9th Review under the $6.5 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme, The News International said. In case the ninth review does not happen, the Q block (Ministry of Finance) is considering all available options to secure bridge financing…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh Bank (BB) on Sunday announced a tight monetary policy statement (MPS) for July-December of FY24, lifting the interest rate cap and giving priority to taming inflation and stabilising the exchange rate. Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder announced the new monetary policy in a press conference at Jahangir Alam Conference Hall, at 3pm. Chief Economist Dr Md Habibur Rahman gave a presentation on the new MPS highlighting the different measures relevant to the macroeconomy. The governor said, “The BB adopted a contractionary monetary policy to bring down the rate of inflation to a desired level, while remaining supportive to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Embodying a key chapter of history, a potential Independence Day release is in the works for a movie on Attari Junction. The station of Attari, during the era of Partition, stood as the final threshold for those bidding adieu to their homes in search of new ones. It was this station that witnessed the chilling sight of ‘ghost trains,’ bearing corpses across its tracks. The station, with its 161-year history, once more came into spotlight in the 2000s with the resurrection of the Samjhauta Express between India and Pakistan, a 3km journey from the Attari station to Wagah,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Deep in the tranquil heartland of Sikkim, a tiny Himalayan hamlet called Borong is safeguarding a craft that connects art, tradition, and spirituality. At the core of this story is a humble, handcrafted product – paper. But not just any paper; this is a product with a rich heritage that spans millennia and reaches as far as Buddhist monasteries and global art studios. The Borong-Polok Handmade Paper Unit, tucked away within the idyllic precincts of the Wildflower Retreat, 17 km from the bustling Ravangla Town of Sikkim’s Namchi district, is more than just a manufacturing unit. It is…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As the world is increasing harping on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), keeping tandem with that India is keenly preserving its blue economy. The Ministry of Earth Sciences is finalizing the National Policy on Blue Economy for the country. A draft policy framework on India’s Blue Economy has been prepared. The draft Blue Economy policy framework envisages the optimal utilization of all sectors of the maritime domain, (living, non-living resources, tourism, ocean energy, etc.) for sustainable development of coastal areas. This policy document contains key recommendations on National Accounting Framework for Blue Economy and Ocean Governance, Coastal Marine Spatial…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China has dropped the number of cremations held last winter from a quarterly report, withholding a key indicator of the pandemic death toll during the country’s largest Covid wave. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released summary statistics on marriage and social welfare for the fourth quarter of 2022 last Friday, after months of unexplained delays, which had prompted speculation that the country was not able to track the relevant data. Missing from the quarterly report was the number of cremations held across the country – a figure the ministry has made public since 2007. China’s ‘zero Covid’…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh Bank is ready to announce a contractionary monetary policy statement tomorrow, withdrawing the single-digit interest cap to combat rising inflation, the central bank sources said. Usually, contractionary monetary policy is used to contain inflation and reduce the level of money circulating in the economy. Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Abdur Rouf Talukder, will release the policy statement for the first half (July-December) of FY 2024 at a press conference in Bangladesh Bank tomorrow. The chief of BFIU, deputy governors, Chief Economist, executive director of the Research Department, and concerned officials of Bangladesh Bank will be present at the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s rapid development of sea power, including the expansion of its navy and ship-building capabilities, has raised concerns among historians who compare it to the swiftness with which the United States assembled its armada after the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. Beyond warships, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has significantly increased its ship-building capacities, acquired numerous port operations worldwide, and invested heavily in oceanographic research. As tensions rise in the Taiwan Straits and South China Sea, the Pentagon acknowledges that the United States no longer possesses the maritime capacity to match China in cargo transport…

Waliur Rahman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on his first state visit to the United States on June 21-24 following an official visit on September 22-25, 2014 and a working visit on June 7-8, 2016. Preceding the G20 Summit in September, this visit has captured the attention of global observers who remark that the significance of the visit may not be overstated, as it holds the potential to shape the course of Indo-US relations, enhance economic ties, and address pressing global challenges. White House spends time and money on the Indian Prime Minister as the US has made its…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has underscored an active role of the regional countries including ASEAN for the safe and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar. He also laid emphasis on efforts to end the armed conflicts and ensure a peaceful transition to a civilian administration through elections in Myanmar. The state minister shared the views at the two-day Oslo Forum hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway in association with the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue on June 13-14 in Oslo, Norway. The event drew retreats for over 100 international mediators…