Author: Arif ArifArman

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today stressed the need for collective global efforts for building a prosperous world through Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). “Let’s work together to build a prosperous and poverty and hunger-free world by supporting the poor people through MDBs,” she said. The Premier said this in her pre-recorded video keynote speech at the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) panel discussion titled “Development Cooperation: Long-term Resilience and the Role of Multilateral Development Banks” held at the UN Headquarters in New York in the USA. “I acknowledge the role of ECOSOC in supporting the financing facilities towards successful…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China and the United States are playing “transit diplomacy” over Taiwan. Americans played it when the Taiwanese President made a fleeting visit to their country while China expresses its anger by launching military drills, reported Europe-Asia Foundation (EAF). China has expressed anger over the meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. The US has not fully used the opportunity when Taiwan’s President made a visit to America and Washington officially downplayed Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the US. The meeting held between Kevin McCarthy and Tsai Ing-wen at the Ronald Reagan Presidential…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China is using imports, foreign investments, commercial joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and industrial and technical espionage to help achieve its military modernization goals, reported Geopolitica.info. The US Department of Defense (DoD) in its 2021 report had underlined that the Chinese strategy encompasses several methods to acquire foreign technologies, especially those in advanced commercial sectors such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics. Beijing’s strategy to support military gains through corporate takeovers remains a key part of its modernization program. For Beijing, the acquisition of foreign strategic technology companies and their capabilities play a key role in supporting the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: ‘Sarhad’ a Pune-based non-government organisation is all set to convert Aragam village of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district into India’s largest book village in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir government. The NGO has submitted a proposal which has already been discussed with the District administration to create a book village in Aragam village in collaboration with the J-K government. Explaining why it has chosen the Aragam village, an NGO official said, “The village is located in the scenic region where the beauty of nature can solace to the visitors’ minds and make them more creative and probe the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As India achieved a “key milestone” of holding the 100th G20 meeting under its presidency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India’s G20 Presidency has worked to further global good and create a better planet. Modi tweeted, “Guided by the principle of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ and in line with our ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India’s G20 Presidency has worked to further global good and create a better planet.” Briefing the media, G20 chief coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, “On the whole we intend to have 200-plus meetings in 60 cities across India… The…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s G20 Presidency Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday said over 12,000 delegates from 111 countries have participated in 100 G20 meetings hosted by India so far. “We have started our hundredth meeting under our presidency. If you take the approximate number of meetings that we will cover under our presidency as 200, we have reached an approximate halfway mark in terms of the meetings we’re holding,” Shringla said. He said: “Now if you look at the 100 meetings we have held, we have had these meetings in 41 different cities across the length and breadth of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Sri Lankan cabinet has given the go-ahead to amend the country’s civil aviation law to allow public-private partnerships in the aviation sector, a development that may open up opportunities for Indian companies. Sri Lanka may allow the participation of private companies in ground handling at the airports at the initial stage, said people familiar with the matter. In December 2022, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay, had said that India was ready to work with the Sri Lankan government in upgrading and expanding the facilities at the Palaly international airport in Jaffna. It would…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and Russia are in ‘advanced negotiations” for a new bilateral investment treaty (BIT) that is necessary to boost the confidence of investors, foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Monday as he described India’s relationship with Russia as among the “steadiest” of major relationships of the world. While the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the Eurasian Economic Union had been interrupted by the pandemic, Jaishankar said he would work towards progress in the talks as it would make real difference to the trade relationship. With annual bilateral trade having shot up to $45…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged the Iranian President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi to take efforts to ensure that Iranian women could live with dignity and honour with equal opportunity for education and work with their male counterparts. She made this call when the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran phoned her on Monday afternoon. After exchanging pleasantries, both leaders shared views on the issues of bilateral, regional and international interests, said a press release issued by the PMO. Hasina cited that Bangladesh abstained from voting for UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) resolution to remove…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Tony Radakin on Monday met CDS General Anil Chauhan and said, “India and the UK are natural partners in a world that is becoming more contested and volatile.” Both Chiefs also reviewed progress on various pillars of the UK-India defence partnership and exchanged views to further expand ties in all domains. “We share many of the same democratic instincts and values and are committed to the rule of law. We are respected military powers, both undergoing significant investment and modernisation and exercising together across, land, sea and air. But we…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday interacted with Sikh Diaspora at the “Celebrating Togetherness” event at India House in Washington. Sitharaman interacted with them and extended Baisakhi greetings. “Members of Sikh diaspora from all across the joined in #CelebratingTogetherness event at India House. FM @nsitharaman interacted with them and extended Baisakhi greetings. Highlighted the initiatives by the Govt for the community,” Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu said in a tweet. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated and interacted with various groups. Earlier, the Finance Minister paid tribute to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar. She was also joined by…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday expressed grief over the death of an Indian national working in a Dal Group Company in Sudan’s Khartoum, who was hit by a stray bullet. Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, “Deeply grieved to learn about the death of an Indian national in Khartoum. The Embassy is making all efforts to extend fullest assistance to the family. The situation in Khartoum remains one of great concern. We will continue to monitor developments.” Sharing details about the deceased Indian national, Indian Embassy in Sudan tweeted, ” It has been reported that Mr Albert…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and the United States are building the foundations for a strong, peaceful, and harmonious global community, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said as she also wished that the relationship between the two countries grows from “strength to strength”. Speaking at a reception at India House, which was hosted by Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Ms Sitharaman said, “We are together and building strong foundations for a strong, peaceful, and harmonious global community.” “I wish this relationship between the United States of America and India grows from strength to strength, and all of us will surely contribute towards…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular leader and is a visionary, United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said adding that his commitment to the people of India is “indescribable”. Addressing the Reception at India House, which was hosted by Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Raimondo said, “I had an incredible opportunity to spend more than an hour and a half with Prime Minister Modi, who is I don’t need to tell anyone here who he is. He is the most popular world leader for a reason. He is an unbelievable visionary. And his level of…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Rail communication has been disrupted from Chattragram to Dhaka as Dhaka-bound Sonar Bangla Express hit a freight train at Hasanpur Railway Station of Cumilla on Sunday evening. Six bogies and the locomotive of Sonarbangla Express were derailed injuring at least 20 passengers on the spot where six of them are in critical condition. Several of the injured were being treated at Nangalkot Health Complex. Two trains collide at Hasanpur Station in Cumilla; at least 20 injured Officer-in-charge of Laksham Railway Police Station Jashim Uddin said, the Dhaka bound freight train was stationed in a line on the Hasanpur…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: There were up to four additional Chinese spy balloons that were noted by US intelligence, reported The Washington Post citing a recent trove of leaked classified Pentagon documents. Questions still linger on the true capabilities of the one that flew over the continental United States in January and February, according to previously unreported top-secret intelligence documents. A spy balloon that attracted national attention when it traversed US airspace earlier this year was one of at least three other balloons documented by the United States. Another balloon flew over a US carrier strike group in an unreported incident. The…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A decisive victory for Russia in the war against Ukraine will be equally detrimental to China and its interests because if Russia wins then its influence in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa will increase, giving China little space to go unchallenged in these regions, reported Geo-politik. Experts, therefore, feel that China will see that Russia remains engulfed in the war against Ukraine and it’s quite naive to expect that China’s President Xi Jinping will genuinely desire that the Ukraine war should come to an end so soon. French President Emmanuel Macron last week made a state…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Dongguan city in Guangdong province of China was once praised “world’s factory within the world’s factory”, and the epitome of China’s industrial prowess now seems to have lost it. The closure of Dongguan Gogo Garment, the city’s largest lingerie manufacturer closed on January 10 as the company cited dwindling customer orders and failed attempts to break into the domestic market as the reasons behind its downfall, The Diplomat reported. Founded in the 1980s, Gogo Garment had specialized in Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) production for prestigious international lingerie brands, boasting a workforce that had grown to nearly 10,000 employees…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, are working on improving the warning time to the public in case of an earthquake to 40 seconds or more. Currently, the institute’s Department of Earthquake Engineering sends out a warning just a few seconds before an earthquake is about to strike. Professor M.L. Sharma, head of the institute’s early earthquake detection system, has incubated a start-up — Seismic Hazard and Risk Investigations — which is working on advancement of the warning system. Explaining how the system works, he said: “We have installed a sensor in a highly seismic zone,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: For Bhutan, India is not just a friend, but also the birthplace of Buddhism, a faith that promotes peace and compassion. To the people of Bhutan, India represents the land of eight sacred sites, with Bodh Gaya as the spiritual epicentre. Bhutan and India have shared a long unique bond of friendship, which continues to grow stronger each day. The role of Buddhism in fortifying this connection cannot be overstated, The Bhutan Live stated. A lesser-known symbol of the enduring spiritual and cultural ties between these two nations is the Royal Bhutan Monastery in India. Constructed in 2003…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: High Commissioner of Uganda to India Joyce Kakuramatsi Kikafunda on Saturday termed the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to her country as beautiful and also said that India is going to be the voice of the Global South and it will bring her country’s issues to the G20. Ugandan High Commissioner Kikafunda expressed her views on India’s presidency of G20 and believes New Delhi can be the voice of Global South. “We believe that they (India) are going to be the voice of the South. India is already going to be a superpower. So we believe…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that with both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank having projected India as the fastest growing major economy in 2023, it will stay on course and is projected to grow at 7 per cent in 2022-23 as per the government’s own economic survey 2022-23. She said this during the plenary meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) at the IMF headquarters in Washington. In her intervention, the finance minister highlighted that conducive domestic policy environment along with the Indian government’s focus on structural reforms has kept…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: United Kingdom House of Lords Member Baroness Verma on Saturday said the UK and India will have a great Free Trade Agreement (FTA) deal and that the negotiations between the two countries are going well. Baroness Verma told ANI, “I think first of all my expectations are we’re going to have a great FTA and I think it’s a very complicated, complex agreement. And we can’t expect things that are so complicated and so complex to be done overnight. But I know from all the conversations we’ve had, that everybody is working incredibly hard on all of the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China said Sunday it had launched a satellite into orbit, with authorities in Taiwan saying rocket debris had fallen into the sea where Beijing announced a no-sail zone this week. Maritime authorities in China’s eastern Fujian province this week banned ships from an area north of Taiwan from 9:00 am (0100 GMT) to 3:00 pm (0700 GMT) on Sunday due to “possible falling rocket wreckage”. Taiwan’s transport ministry said Beijing had also planned to prohibit aircraft from entering the zone criss crossed by a number of international routes for around half an hour from 9:30 am, though Chinese…