Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Ukraine war is turning out to be a pivotal moment in the transition from a unipolar world. We may or may not yet be a multipolar world but among the old certainties that have crumbled is the ability for major Western developed countries to build and maintain the narrative of consensus that they seek on issues that matter to them. It is now certainly clear that while few in the world wish for war, especially war that could potentially involve nuclear exchange, few have bought, in its entirety, the Western version of the war in Ukraine. More…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Ratna (not real name) and her classmate Shafiul Islam Safi of a madrasha student in Paba upazila in the district. Shafi opened a fake facebook ID after using the name and photograph of Ratna and sent her photo to messengers of different persons through the fake ID. Sensing the matter Ratna had lodged a complaint with Paba Police Station for her own security. Subsequently, the case came to the Rajshahi Divisional Cyber Tribunal upon completion of the legal procedures. After examining the recorded depositions of the prosecution witnesses and other relevant evidence the tribunal convicted and sentenced Shafi…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the global and individual country’s efforts need to be streamlined through responsive policy, planning and governance, to make the actions regarding climate change issue successful. “Since origins of the climate change are global, their solution and management would also have to be global,” she said. The prime minister came up with this view while delivering her pre-recorded speech in the two day 5th International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. The International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) is the annual conference of Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and its partners.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Several foreign delegates who attended the Employment Working Group Meeting in Guwahati under India’s G20 presidency on Monday thanked the government and the people for the warm hospitality. A three-day Employment Working Group Meeting was organised in Guwahati, Assam, which began on Monday and will continue till April 5. Many foreign G-20 delegates, who reached Guwahati, in a conversation with ANI, thanked the Indian government for the hospitality they received upon reaching the country. Deputy Director General for Foreign Relations to the Ministry of Labour for the Republic of Turkey, Ali Aybey said, “I would like to thank…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday said India has decided to work closely with other Central Asian countries on cultural exchanges and to strengthen age-old cultural linkages to bind the people of the region together. It has been decided that the participating countries will organize a culture program of one country in another, to showcase the culture of all the countries together. The minister on Monday virtually hosted the first India-Central Asia Culture Ministers’ Meeting. “This was the first meeting. In the coming days, we have decided to work closely with other central Asian countries on…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Keeping up the high tempo of bilateral and mutual cooperation in the maritime domain, the 10th Edition of the annual Indian Navy and Sri Lanka Navy bilateral maritime Exercise SLINEX-2023 started on Monday in Colombo. Deputy High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Vinod Jacob on Monday took part in the opening of the annual bilateral naval exercise ‘SLINEX2023.’ SLINEX-2023 aims to enhance interoperability, improve mutual understanding and exchange best practices/ procedures in multi-faceted Maritime operations between both Navies. While addressing the forces, Vinod Jacob said it is the first SLINEX held after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vinod Jacob…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today held a meeting with Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Jaishankar noted that Bhutan King’s vision for strengthening the unique partnership with India is “deeply appreciated.” Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar stated, “Deeply privileged to call on His Majesty the King of Bhutan today evening. His Majesty’s vision for Bhutan’s future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated.” On Monday, Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck arrived in India for a three-day visit at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Despite the Western pressure amid the ongoing Ukraine war, trade between India and Russia has reached a record high in 2022-23. According to Aleksey Valkov, director of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the trade between the two nations reached a new high of $39.8 billion in 2022-23, While noting New Delhi as an emerging export site, Valkov who organised a mega Indo-Russian business summit in the national capital between March 29-30, asserted India is growing as a vital provider of medications, automobile and machine components, textiles and clothes, and food goods to Russia. The increase in…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said that doctors in Bangladesh are now capable of performing critical operations, including kidney transplant as the country has advanced in healthcare. “Bangladesh has made a huge progress in medical treatment. Doctors are now capable of carrying out many critical operations, including kidney transplant,” she said. The prime minister said this when a delegation of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) led by its vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Sharafuddin Ahmed paid a courtesy call on her at the latter’s official residence Ganabhaban. PM’s Deputy Press Secretary KM Shakhawat Moon briefed reporters after the…

Haroon Rashid Bhat: Those who offer their services are better, nobler, and far more virtuous than those who don’t. The people of our locality never forget the service of the late Sona-Ullah Ganie, nicknamed Soni-Kak, a humble person with a lot of good qualities. Besides the caretaker of the village mosque, he was a well-known Ramadan drummer -Sahar-Khan. During the month of Ramadan, when most of the people remained in deep slumber at night, he started his walk through the lanes. By-lanes of our village awaken the believers of Islam for pre-dawn meals, chanting loudly Waktay-Sahar, Waktay- Sahar, and singing…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s Secretary for Food & Public Distribution Department, Sanjeev Chopra, has appreciated the reforms introduced by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), J&K for holistic transformation and streamlining of the public distribution system. Interacting with the officers of the FCS&CA Department here on Monday, the Union Secretary hailed the commendable efforts made by the department to make the public distribution system hassle-free and at the same time stressed the need for immediate integration of e-Pos with the weighing scale. He asked the department to build adequate capacity and be ready for implementation of Route…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s bilateral relations with Kazakhstan, its biggest trading partner in Central Asia and the ninth largest country in the world, have witnessed significant developments in the past few years. Celebrating 30 years of this partnership last year, the two countries reiterated their commitment to enhancing the ever-growing cooperation. The India-Kazakhstan strategic partnership agreement was a pivotal moment in facilitating diplomatic relations in pursuit of regional growth. The agreement, signed in 2009 during the state visit of Kazakhstan’s first President Nursultan Nazarbayev as the chief guest on India’s Republic Day, indicated the importance both countries attached to the expansion…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India has contributed USD 500,000 to the UN Women, the United Nations agency for gender equality and women empowerment for their core budget. India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations took to Twitter to say that India “reaffirmed our valued partnership of women-led development and gender parity.” He further said that he is looking forward to working with the UN Women to further augment the relationship. “Delighted to hand over India’s contribution of USD 500,000 to ED (Executive Director) Sima Bahous @unwomenchief to core budget of UN Women. Reaffirmed our valued partnership for women-led development and #gender parity.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has asserted that India’s stance on the Line of Actual Control, which separates India from China, will remain undeterred. Jaishankar was speaking at an interaction session with intellectuals in Dharwad. A programme was organised by the BJP Mahanagar unit at Dharwad on Sunday. “We have serious a dispute with China and after 2020, there is tension on the border,” he said, adding, “Our relationship with China is not normal and it could not be normal if there is a large military force at the Line of Actual Control.” In context with the Chinese…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Civil societies have always played an important role in shaping the socioeconomic foundation of India. In order to highlight the importance of civil society, India has formed the Civil20 group as part of its G20 presidency. C20 India 2023 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 that provides a platform for civil society organisations (CSO) around the world to voice people’s aspirations to the world leaders of G20. It gives CSOs a forum to protect the agency of this sector, reflects the primary and common concerns affecting the people of the world, and promotes social…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the world is fascinated with the digitisation of India. “What is the world’s fascination with India? Today? It is in the digitisation of India,” the EAM said while interacting with intellectuals in Dharwad, Karnataka. “In 2014, six crore people had access to broadband. Today, it is 80 crore. From six it has gone to 80. Internet was used by 25 crore people. It is today 85 crores. We have laid optical fiber cable of 25 lakh kilometres in this country,” Jaishankar said. “The number of mobile users has crossed 100…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has given a strong message to separatist Khalistanis, following several acts of vandalisation of the Tricolour, that India will not accept its national flag being pulled down. Jaishankar made the above remarks in his interaction with intellectuals in Dharwad on Sunday. A programme was organised by the BJP Mahanagar unit at Dharwad. “The days when India would have taken this lightly are behind us and this is not the India which will accept its national flag being pulled down by somebody,” Jaishankar said. “It is a message not only to those so-called Khalistanis…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has reduced the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by Taka 244 per 12-kg cylinder to Tk 1,178 from the existing rate of Taka 1,422 at retailer level. Chairman of the BERC Md Nurul Amin made the announcement at a press conference at his office in city’s Karwan Bazara. He said the new price of the LPG would be effective from today (Sunday) evening. According to the BERC, now the price of LPG stands at Tk 1,178 per 12-kg cylinder, which was Tk 1,422 in March. The chairman said the government fixed the…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today laid emphasis on exploring overseas employment opportunities in new countries and sending skilled workforce there, urging expatriate Bangladeshis to send remittance to the country through legal channels. “We have to find new employment areas and new countries (for sending workforce). We will arrange befitting training (for the workers) that a country needs,” she said. The Premier said this while delivering the introductory speech at the second meeting of the national steering committee on expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment at her official residence Ganabhaban. Mentioning that the government has already started sending workers to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The meeting of the G20 Sherpas is broadly coming to an agreement that they will work on a “new” consensus-based diplomatic language on the Russia-Ukraine war over the next five months, just in time for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September this year, sources said Saturday. This was the broad takeaway after two days of meetings between top officials — named Sherpas and their deputies, the Sous-Sherpas — at the scenic Kumarakom in the Kerala backwaters. “We cannot agree on a language on the Russia-Ukraine war right now, since the leaders’ summit is some months away. So, the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China couldn’t let go of its “weak” neighbour Myanmar as it provides Beijing with direct access to the Indian ocean and also makes it possible to bypass the contested South China Sea, Bertil Lintner writes in Global Asia. In the South Korean-based East Asia Foundation, the writer said that China sees Myanmar as the crucial link in Beijing’s foreign policy as it will make it possible to bypass the contested and potentially vulnerable Strait of Malacca for exports as well as the import of gas, oil and minerals. The grip of Myanmar’s military on the country since the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: How do you see the atmosphere at the Sherpas meeting? It has been really encouraging and India’s leadership has been very strong. The US came with a very strong desire to make sure that the G20 is a success this year. We are very excited about the agenda that India has laid out with the focus on development, focus on SDGs (sustainable development goals), focus on climate and the focus on green and all of those addressing the real challenges being faced by the world right now including developing and emerging markets. Being able to work together and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Goods and services tax collections rose 12.7% to Rs 1,60,122 crore in March, the second-highest monthly mop up, with the integrated GST kitty swelling to a new high. Collection of integrated GST or IGST, levied on inter-state sales and imports, was pegged at Rs 82,907 crore in March, higher than the previous record of Rs 81,939 crore in April 2022. The March collections, for transactions in February, point to strong domestic demand despite revenue from imports seeing a slower rise. “During the month, revenues from import of goods was 8% higher and the revenues from domestic transaction (including…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Myanmar’s Coco Islands in the Bay of Bengal have long been the subject of geopolitical intrigue. The most common allegation is that since the early 1990s, Myanmar has allowed a Chinese signals intelligence facility on the archipelago. Little evidence exists for such a facility, bar a heavily weathered radar station, but recent satellite photographs have raised concerns, especially for India, of increased activity on the islands, writes policy institute Chatham House. The militarization of the Coco Islands could pose a significant security challenge to India This has implications for India’s strategic interests in the region, as New Delhi…