Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel, embarked on a three-day visit to India in early April. His visit presented an opportunity for both nations to reflect on their long-standing bilateral ties and further reinforce their friendship. The joint statement issued after the visit underlined the extensive cooperation between India and Bhutan in different sectors, reported The Bhutan Live. In addition to the two existing facilities, India reaffirmed its support for Bhutan’s upcoming development objectives, which include the provision of standby lines of credit. Particular focus was given to the hydropower industry, which is the bedrock of relations…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Close on the heels of the Russian Deputy PM’s India visit this week, Russian companies have swung into action to boost International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) infrastructure and Iran’s ports and railroads to expand trade with India. Russian companies have launched discussions on options for their participation in boosting INSTC and expanding their presence in the Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf for trade with India and West Asia, ET has learnt. Moscow is also tapping into funds from West Asia to fund projects, ET has further learnt. Optimal use of INTSC figured high during Russian Deputy PM’s…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist Associations here on Saturday evening organised a peace rally to express solidarity with the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama following the controversy over his viral video for which he has apologised. They blamed China for trying to tarnish the image of the 14th Dalai Lama. The associations which took part in the peace rally included Himalayan Buddhist Associations Lahaul and Spiti, Buddha Sewa Sangh Shimla, Kinnaur Students Welfare Association Shimla, Lahaul-Spiti Students Welfare Association Shimla, Indo Tibetan Friendship Society Shimla, Bharat Tibet Samanvay Sangh Shimla, Regional Tibetan Women Association Shimla and Regional Tibetan Youth…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Indian nationals are among 66 people from “friendly and brotherly countries” evacuated by Saudi Arabia from violence-torn Sudan. The evacuation came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Saudi Arabia counterpart. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in Sudan. Sudan is facing violence due to fighting between the army and the paramilitary forces. There are reports of violence even amid 72-hour ceasefire. “In the implementation of the directives of the Kingdom’s Leadership, we are pleased to announce the safe arrival of the evacuated citizens of the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who co-chaired the 4th India-CARICOM ministerial meeting a day ago also held bilateral discussions with counterparts from several countries including those from Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Barbados and Jamaica. During the meetings, discussions included topics ranging from renewable energy, digital transformation, and reformed multilateralism to International Solar Alliance (ISA). On Saturday, Jaishankar met with Amery Browne, the Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago The two leaders discussed a development partnership focusing on digital transformation and health domains. “Good to meet Dr. Amery Browne, Foreign Minister of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a significant move, India, Iran, and Armenia have created a trilateral as senior officials of three countries met in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Thursday to boost International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) as well as another corridor that will connect Russia with Europe via Armenia. The delegations were led by Mnatsakan Safaryan, the deputy foreign minister of Armenia, Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, the assistant of the foreign minister of Iran, and JP Singh, the joint secretary, MEA. ET reported in March that Armenia, whose ties with New Delhi is acquiring strategic dimension, has proposed the Persian Gulf-Black Sea…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Kenyan government has lost the fight to seize 4,272 acres from East Africa Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) for free, derailing plans to build affordable homes in a multibillion-shilling property deal financed by Chinese and Qataris, The East African reported. A Kenyan High Court stopped the takeover of the land in Athi River valued at about Kenyan Shillings (KES) 6.4 billion (USD 47.8 million) because the country’s government failed to follow rules that guide compulsory acquisition, including consulting stakeholders like National Social Security Fund (NSSF), French firm Lafarge and the Nairobi bourse-listed cement manufacturer. EAPCC managing director Oliver…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan’s major national food security policy goal is to grow enough wheat to not only meet its consumption needs but also create a surplus for buffer stocks and export. To achieve this, the government annually sets national sowing, output and procurement targets before planting begins. This policy worked well and the country more than doubled its wheat production between 1990 and 2011. Since then, however, wheat production has hovered around 26m tonnes, peaking to above 27m tonnes in 2021. The government had set a target of 28.4m tonnes for the current harvest, an ambitious goal considering that last…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China is increasing its Antarctic footprint according to new satellite imagery collected by a Washington-based think tank that shows construction has resumed for the first time since 2018 on the country’s fifth station in the southern polar region. Beijing has sought to develop new shipping routes in the Arctic and expand its research in Antarctica, but Western governments worry its increasing presence in the polar regions could provide the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with better surveillance capabilities. The new station, on Inexpressible Island near the Ross Sea, is expected to include an observatory with a satellite ground station,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan said on Thursday foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will attend a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers in Goa next month, setting the stage for the first visit by a senior Pakistani leader to India in nearly a decade. The move is in line with Islamabad’s decision to not skip any important meetings under the framework of SCO, whose current chair is India. The announcement by Pakistan’s foreign office followed months of intense speculation on whether Bilawal or minister of state for foreign affairs Hina Rabbani Khar would attend the meeting in Goa during May…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia invited industry players from the European Union (EU) to become a part of the fastest-growing aviation market in the world as the two day EU-India Aviation Summit began on Thursday in New Delhi. During the summit, a declaration of intent was signed between the Airport Authority of India and Eurocontrol. A letter of intent memorandum of understanding was signed between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and European Union Aviation Safety for closer cooperation, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a press release. Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel Jyotiraditya…

SPORTS DESK: Mizoram’s midfielder Cindy Remruatpuii Colney has been named among the 23rd-member squad for the Women’s U1-7 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier Round 1 to play against host team Kyrgyz Republic from April 24, at Bishkek, the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. India (The Young Tigresses) is in Group F, which consists of hosts Kyrgyzstan, Republic and Myanmar. The Young Tigresses will play their opening game against the hosts on April 26 and then against Myanmar on April 28. According to head coach PV Priya, the team has been training and staying at the facilities of the Emerald Heights…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh will welcome observers from the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) in the upcoming general election. “We will welcome observers from the European Union and the United Kingdom in the next general election,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Thursday. She said this when the outgoing UK High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson paid a farewell call at her official residence Ganabhaban. PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. Mentioning that some local election observers have a different agenda, the Prime Minister said they have established voting rights of people in Bangladesh. She…

FAYAZ BUKHARI: The valley is covered in darkness as Abdul Kareem Jinded, 71, prepares his drum to break the silence of his neighbourhood in Srinagar. A wood-cutter by day, he wakes up at midnight during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to walk 3-4 miles (5-6 km) through the bylanes of Srinagar’s downtown or old quarter, knocking on doors shouting: “Wake up and eat your morning meal before it is late”. Devout Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, and usually eat a meal before the sun comes up. Jinded says his family has been playing the role of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: U.S. tech giant Apple could double or triple investments in India along with exports in the next few years, a minister said, as the company opened a second store in the big mobile phone market. Apple mainly assembles iPhones in India through contract manufacturers, but has plans to expand into iPads and AirPods. “I am very confident that this Apple-India partnership has a lot of headroom for investments, growth, exports and jobs – doubling and tripling over coming years,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the deputy information technology minister, told Reuters. His comments came after a meeting on Wednesday with Apple…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Differences between the top judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) and the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government has exacerbated to seemingly a point of no return. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial headed SCP bench remains adamant about holding provincial elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite the government’s disapproval, reported The Express Tribune. There are clear divisions among the SCP judges on the matter as some are against the apex court’s “suo moto” powers – alleged to be arbitrarily exercised by CJP Bandial – in this case and has reportedly asked…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The White House on Wednesday said the US is committed to continuing working together with India in groups like Quad to advance economic growth for the two countries and “expand cooperation of our shared priorities.” “We’re committed to continuing working together and in groups like the Quad to advance economic growth for our two countries and expand cooperation of our shared priorities,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Wednesday. The Quad is a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, the US, and Australia. Its primary objective is to develop a new strategy to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei will visit Taiwan this weekend, he announced, amid tensions between the island nation and China that have tested the loyalties of Latin American nations. Mr Giammattei’s announcement on Tuesday came just two weeks after he received Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen for an official visit during which she promised continued assistance for “democratic partners”. Ms Tsai then travelled to neighbouring Belize – the only other Central American country to retain diplomatic ties with Taiwan since Honduras shifted its allegiance to China in March. China considers self-ruled, democratic Taiwan part of its territory to be retaken…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Apple Inc. opened its first flagship store in India in a much-anticipated launch Tuesday that highlights the company’s growing aspirations to expand in the country it also hopes to turn into a potential manufacturing hub. The company’s CEO Tim Cook posed for photos with a few of the 100 or so Apple fans who had lined up outside the sprawling 20,000-square-foot store in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, its design inspired by the iconic black-and-yellow cabs unique to the city. A second store will open Thursday in the national capital, New Delhi. “India has such a beautiful culture and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Indian-origin businessman, PNC Menon, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sobha Group donated OMR 9.6 million over the next ten years to build 300 houses for orphans and needy families in Oman, reported Times of Oman. Menon said, “The most important things in one’s life are food, housing and education. So, I thought let us do housing only as this is the most important thing for any family. Therefore, we decided to construct 300 houses for 10 years. But today, I felt it should be not 10 years but five years,” while speaking to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda is likely to visit India on April 28, sources familiar with the development confirmed ANI. According to officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister Secretariat, the date was proposed by India to the Nepalese government. An official from the PM Secretariat confirmed to ANI, “If the political situation of Nepal remains normal in the coming days, the PM will embark on a 3-day visit to India. This will be his first international visit (since becoming PM for the second time).” The official also informed that the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Due to infectious coronavirus disease, the tourism business of Nepal has slowed down in the last few years. So, a total of 181 Chinese tourists made a land at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu on a chartered flight to celebrate Nepali New Year 2080 BS. Later, this topic got a good place in the media. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kiranti, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song had welcomed the Chinese tourists with garlands. Minister Kirati responded excitedly that the door to Chinese tourists has opened in Nepal’s tourism sector. He also said that…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations on Tuesday reiterated the importance of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and cooperating with India as well as reaffirmed their commitment to promoting cooperation in line with the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific. The comments mark the culmination of a three-day long meeting that were held in Karuizawa, Nagano in central Japan and comes ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit to be held in Hiroshima this May. “We reiterate the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive, prosperous, secure, based on the rule of law, and that…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The assistant director of the International Operations Division of US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Raymond Duda, arrived in the national capital, New Dehli, on Tuesday and will advance the agency’s cooperation with law enforcement in India. “A pleasure to welcome @FBI Assistant Director of International Operations, Raymond Duda, to New Delhi. During his visit, AD Duda will further the FBI’s cooperation with law enforcement agencies in India. International crime requires international cooperation,” US Embassy in India tweeted on his visit. Duda became the assistant director of the FBI’s International Operations Division in February 2022. He had most…