Author: Arif ArifArman

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: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu signed Memoranda of Understanding Agreements for strengthening cooperation and knowledge sharing with SAI Indonesia and SAI Turkiye on Monday. The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Summit of Supreme Audit Institutions-20 (SAI20) in Goa on Monday. The CAG India is the Chair of the SAI20 Engagement Group under India’s G20 Presidency. The delegates from the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of the G20 countries, guest SAIs, invited SAIs, international organizations, engagement groups and other invitees would are attending the SAI20 Summit. SAIs of Australia, Brazil, Indonesia,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: United States is looking forward to having Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said in a press briefing on Monday (local time). He said that the US and India have a “significant defence partnership” and “terrific cooperation” in Quad. In response to a question on whether US President Joe Biden is committed to holding a joint news conference with PM Modi during his visit, Kirby said, “I don’t believe that the full agenda has been fleshed out for the state visit, but we are very much looking forward to…

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: The month of May was a mixed bag of emotions for Kashmiris as the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting was wrapped up in Srinagar amid much fanfare and bringing back nostalgia for the good old days when the city was a global crowd-puller. In Srinagar, the air smells victorious. For centuries it has been the epicentre of spiritual conquests and served as the hot pot of amalgamation of cultures. There hasn’t been one person in history who wasn’t mesmerized and magnetized by its charm. It has absorbed the aura of enlightened minds, personalities, wrinkles and tides of times,…

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: The Indian Air Force is going to hold a big multinational aerial exercise over its western desert which will include forces from countries including the US. The multinational exercise is being planned to be held around the last quarter of 2023 where the air forces of around 10 to 12 countries are expected to participate, government sources told ANI. The exercise would see the participating air forces carry out complex aerial missions involving a large number of aircraft from these countries, the sources said. The Indian Air Force has just returned from a multinational exercise in France where…

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…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the students to groom themselves properly to take the country forward, further raising their heads with self-dignity on the world stage, not bowing to anyone. “We’ll have to keep in mind that we’ll take the country forward. Inshallah, this Bangladesh and Bengali nation will move, raising their heads in the world arena with self-dignity and self-esteem. We’ll not bow our heads to anyone. It is our promise,” she said. The premier said this while inaugurating the distribution of stipends, tuition fees and awards among insolvent and meritorious students at her office.…

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…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Sirajul Islam, a visionary farmer, has cultivated a breathtaking mango orchard in Tripura’s Udaipur under Gomati district, captivating all who lay eyes on it. Spanning a vast area along the enchanting Gomati River, this mango garden stands as a testament to nature’s beauty and agricultural prowess. Unparalleled in size within the region, Sirajul Islam’s mango orchard has become a symbol of wealth and admiration. During a conversation with the media, Sirajul Islam revealed that his garden is located in the Jamjuri Panchayat area of Kakraban Block in Udaipur, with his residence conveniently adjacent to the Jamjuri Railway Station.…