Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s industrial output, as measured by the index of Industrial production or IIP, in February rose 5.6% year on year, data from the Ministry of Statistics showed today. For the 11-month period from April 2022 to February 2023, industrial output registered a growth of 5.5%. The January IIP growth was revised to 5.2%. The data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed that the manufacturing sector’s output increased 5.3% in February 2023. Mining output rose 4.6% and power generation surged 8.2% during the month under review. And for the 11-month period from April 2022 to February 2023,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK:Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking additional humanitarian aid including medical equipment from India, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday. The request came during the recent three-day visit to India by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova who handed over Zelenskyy’s letter to Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi, a statement from the foreign ministry said. “Dzhaparova also called on Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakashi Lekhi. Besides holding discussions on a wide range of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest, she handed over a…

TECHNOLOGY DESK: Alibaba, a Chinese technology giant, has announced plans to roll out its own artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT-style product called Tongyi Qianwen, reports AP. In recent months, technology companies around the world have unveiled their own so-called generative AI chatbots. Earlier this year, Alibaba revealed it was working on a rival to ChatGPT, reports BBC. Tongyi Qianwen roughly translates as “seeking an answer by asking a thousand questions”, although Alibaba has not given an English version of the name. Its cloud computing unit says it will integrate the chatbot across Alibaba’s businesses in the “near future” but did not…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said there is a lot of potential in enhancing bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the areas of investment, agriculture, fisheries, pharmaceuticals, maritime connectivity and higher education. She said this while outgoing Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Dhaka Professor Sudharshan DS Seneviraine called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban here. Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the reporters after the meeting. The premier said Bangladesh attaches highest priority to the relations with the neighbours including Sri Lanka which is based on historical bondages and multitude of commonalities. She said,…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: A team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is due to arrive in Dhaka on April 25 to discuss the progress in the use of the first tranche of its US$4.7 billion loan programme for Bangladesh and the release of the second installment. The Ministry of Finance sources told UNB on Wednesday that during its April 25 to May 2 visit the mission will hold meetings with the officials of the Ministry of Finance’s Finance Division, Financial Institutions Division, Economic Relations Division (ERD), Bangladesh Bank, and National Board of Revenue (NBR). IMF Asia and Pacific Division Head Rahul…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The confrontation between the government and the Supreme Court has plunged the country into a more dangerous and unpredictable phase of the escalating political crisis. Pakistan Supreme Court ordered that elections in Punjab will be held on May 14, declaring the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to delay the polls in Punjab as “unconstitutional and illegal.” The apex court also ordered the government to give funds to the ECP and assure security for the provincial poll. The legal community welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court and expressed dismay over the internal divisions exposed in the process. The…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Lahore High Court Bar Association has released an “extremely concerning” notification, underlining the need for a witchhunt against supposed blasphemers in Pakistan, The Nation reported. The notification of the Lahore High Court Bar Association showcases how little progress Pakistan has made as a country with regard to “weaponizing” blasphemy. Further, according to the news report, Pakistan has learnt nothing from the mistakes committed as a country which has led to international humiliation and condemnation of violent and intolerant mindset. The notification has revealed that there are 400,000 blasphemers in Pakistan who have allegedly shared blasphemous texts or…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The practice of employing children as domestic workers has become a norm in Pakistani society. One in every four households in Pakistan employs a child in domestic work, predominantly children in the age group of 10 to 14 years, according to a study conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2022, wrote Rida Tahir, a barrister for Pakistan based The News International newspaper. According to Tahir, it is important to distinguish between child labour in domestic work and children performing non-hazardous household chores in their homes in reasonable conditions under supervision. Domestic labour entails children performing household…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: United Sindh Goods Transport Association’s office-bearers have urged the governor and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to help recover the organisation’s senior vice president, Raees Qureshi, who was picked up by police in plain clothes on Thursday, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported. Qureshi’s whereabouts are not known since his abduction. Khalid Bandhani, Sher Mohammad Bandhani and others, along with the missing transport operator’s brother Sajid Qureshi, while speaking at a press conference at the local press club, claimed that at around 1 am on April 6, policemen picked up Raees Qureshi and since then his whereabouts remained…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Expressing confidence in the Indian growth story, French business leaders on Tuesday said that the future of India is bright as it shines out among the world’s biggest economies, with Europe hovering on the brink of potential recession and US growth slowing. “India is a great place. It’s a democracy. There is a huge demography. The future of India is bright in terms of growth,” said Saint Gobain CEO Benoit Bazin to ANI. “India has been growing very fast, double-digit over the last 25 years and now is the third country in the profit pool of Saint Gobain…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said that France and India have truly been friends, partners and vibrant democracies working for global good during his address at the India-France Business Summit in Paris, France on Tuesday. He said that Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have strengthened the strategic partnership between the two countries which has completed 25 years now. The Minister said that both leaders have taken India-France ties to the next level with expanded engagement in trade, technology, tourism and investment. He noted that the friendship between the leaders and the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Car Pooling application BlaBlacar Co-founder And Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Brusson met with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in France’s capital Paris on Tuesday. Goyal and Blablacar co-founder discussed new opportunities and the tech systems in India. ‘The main discussion was what BlaBlacar car can actually do and how it can grow in India. He (Commerce Minister) gave some good ideas about how to develop even more in India,” BlaBlacar CEO said about his meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal while speaking to ANI. Explaining what the Blablacar is, Nicolas Brusson said, “Blablacar allows drivers to share their car…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and Canada have agreed to enhance momentum in commercial ties, and strengthen cooperation in science and technology, energy, education, consular issues, counter-terrorism, and streamlined mobility, according to Ministry of External Affairs. The India-Canada Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on April 11 in Ottawa during which both sides discussed contemporary regional issues including the Indo-Pacific region and cooperation in multilateral organizations a statement by the MEA read. The Indian delegation was led by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) in the MEA while the Canadian side was headed by David Morrison, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Global Affairs Canada. “They welcomed…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh Navy formally handed over 60 barrack houses for homeless and underprivileged people in Hatia, Noakhali district under the Ashrayan-2 project today. The Navy built these barrack houses under the direct direction of Prime Minister and under the Prime Minister’s Office and under the overall supervision of Armed Forces Division, said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release here. The newly built barracks have a total of 300 units. Each of which can hold a family. Each barrack has a separate kitchen and bathroom. Hatia Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Kaiser Khasru received the necessary documents of the…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked the authorities concerned to stress more on utilizing the untapped potentials of the ‘Blue Economy’. The Premier gave the directive while chairing a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area here today. Ministers, State Ministers, Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned attended the meeting. Later Planning Minister MA Mannan and State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam briefed the reporters about the outcome of the meeting. The Planning Minister said the day’s meeting approved a total…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China is becoming a power broker in the Middle East, however, the real test of Beijing is yet to come, reported Global Strat View. The Chinese-brokered landmark accord between Saudi Arabia and Iran after a thaw of seven years since 2016 formalized the agreement to restore diplomatic relations and bury the hatchet between the two countries. Rather than giving credence to any claims that China has brokered peace, we should view it as yet another exercise of the Chinese propaganda machine, said Global Strat View. The global perception of China taking a more active stance in world politics…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s debt diplomacy is not only a threat to the natural assets of the African countries but also a threat to the sovereignty of these countries. Unsustainable debt and the constrictive terms of Chinese loans have come under increased scrutiny in recent years as more governments have signed deals with China, reported Africa Daily. Concerns have particularly focused on some clauses that allow Chinese entities to seize property or assets when there are defaults. Between 2000 and 2020 alone, China lent a total of USD 59.87 billion to African countries and has become the largest creditor to Angola…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and the US held discussions over the Chinese spy balloons that were shot down by the American Air Force recently after being detected at a very high altitude there carrying out suspicious activities. Asked whether the issue of the Chinese Spy balloon incident came up for discussions with Indian officials, Pacific Air Force Commander General Kenneth S. Wilsbach said today, “He had very ‘brief’ conversations and dialogue with most of the air chiefs in the region, shortly after within few weeks after it was shot down by the United States down the Coast of South Carolina.” Also,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India did not believe in conflict between ecology and economy but gave importance to the co-existence between the two. The protection of wildlife was a universal issue, Modi said, launching the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), which was born out of a July 2019 message when he had called for an alliance of global leaders to obliterate demand and firmly curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Asia. The IBCA will focus on the protection and conservation of seven major big cats of the world — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan reviewed the operational preparedness in the eastern sector over the weekend, amid heightened tensions with China that has seen India shore up defences in the strategically-vulnerable Siliguri Corridor among other measures along the entire frontier. Gen Chauhan visited ‘forward areas’ in north Bengal and the Hasimara air base, where a squadron of the new Rafale fighters is based, as well as the headquarters of the 33 ‘Trishakti’ Corps at Sukna, where he was briefed on the operational situation along the northern borders in Sikkim, on Saturday and Sunday. “Accompanied by 33…

Thaslima Begum: It was the summer of 1971, and the distant murmurs of a war that began months earlier had made their way to Rajshahi in Bangladesh, across the north bank of the Padma River, to Noor Jahan’s door. The 14-year-old was playing in the courtyard with her little sister when a loud military truck came to a halt outside the family’s farmhouse. Armed soldiers threw the two girls into the back of the truck, where they discovered several women sitting back to back with their hands tied. “They told us to look down and to remain silent,” recalls Jahan,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China has started the third day of live-free drills near Taiwan in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent visit to the United States, Al Jazeera reported. Chinese fighter jets and warships conducted simulated strikes on Taiwan during the weekend. Beijing’s actions sparked protests by Taiwan. Beijing’s drills on Monday are expected to include live-fire exercises off of China’s Fujian province, located only about 80km (50 miles) south of Taiwan’s Matsu islands, as per Al Jazeera report. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence on Monday detected 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval ships around Taiwan and its…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India will get 9 per cent of its electricity from nuclear sources by 2047, the centenary year of the country’s independence, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday. The Science and Technology minister made these remarks after reviewing the functioning of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai. Mr Singh said the rising share of nuclear power in India’s energy basket would help it get closer to the commitment of achieving the net zero target by 2070. He said the Department of Atomic Energy has been given the target of achieving 20 gigawatts (GW) capacity of nuclear power…

Medha Bisht: The Bhutan-China border engagement was in the headlines recently. A statement by the Bhutanese prime minister during his Europe tour was interpreted differently in Bhutan, India and China. The media in Bhutan claimed that the kingdom has an equal claim in negotiations as India and China, emphasising the limitations of the “small-state” caveat that overburdens strategic discourse in South Asia. In India, it was reported that the construction of villages by China along the Amochhu river suggested that Bhutan has ceded territory to China. Meanwhile, Chinese media claimed that India was the main obstruction in the formal demarcation…