Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India on Saturday said it has the backing of G20 members to push ahead with the issues flagged during its presidency and is hopeful of differences over the Ukraine-Russia conflict being resolved in time for the leaders’ summit in Delhi in September. “We have had very constructive and positive discussions. We have already got 99%. The other 1% is not in India’s hands, someone else has created that. Everyone, emerging markets, developed countries, G7, all want to make India’s presidency a success. It’s a question of timing,” India’s sherpa Amitabh Kant said after the conclusion of the second…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India, Denmark on Saturday exchanged views on multilateral, regional issues including India’s G20 presidency, India-EU Free Trade Agreement, Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, co-operation at the UN, and climate change. The two sides during the 7th round of India-Denmark Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Copenhagen on Saturday, undertook a comprehensive review of their bilateral relations, acknowledged that bilateral relations have grown significantly and have benefited from the signing of the first-of-its-kind Green Strategic Partnership in September 2020, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release. The consultations were co-chaired by India’s MEA Secretary (West) Sanjay Verma and Denmark’s State Secretary…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: At least 39 Chinese nationals have been arrested by the Aluthgama police in connection with an online financial fraud. Police said the suspects had defrauded millions of money over several months through the internet from the accounts of people in different countries. The group had been staying in a tourist resort in the Kaluamodara area in ​​Aluthgama and Police said they were arrested based on complaints received through several embassies. While the arrested Chinese nationals were taken to the Alutgama police, several smartphones and cash in their possession were also taken into custody by police. (DAILY MIRROR)

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The earlier situation of “emergency control” at the India-China border is a matter of the past, and overall it is stable at present, a senior Chinese diplomat said here. Interacting with journalists on Friday evening, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India, Chen Jianjun, said the two Asian giants continue to maintain communication via diplomatic and military channels, promoting the transition of the border situation to “normalised management and control”. “The current border situation is overall stable,” he said. Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh could soon start trading with India using rupee instead of US dollar, trial for which has been done by Bangladesh Bank recently. The ministry of commerce has placed a written recommendation at the last cabinet meeting regarding the possibility and opportunity of using rupee instead of dollar. Currently Bangladesh exports goods to India worth around USD 2 billion. “The use of rupee will start with Bangladesh’s $2 billion trade with India. Bangladesh Bank has almost finished all kinds of trials in this regard. Trading in rupee will be introduced in both countries only after bilateral decision on…

Bertil Lintner: MYANMAR’S military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, had probably not intended or expected to change the geopolitics of Southeast Asia when he staged an ill-timed and unwelcome coup in February 2021. By overthrowing a mostly democratically elected government, he managed to antagonize the West, which had hailed what it called “a democratic transition” in Myanmar. When a former general, Thein Sein, formed a new government in March 2011 following elections in November 2010, a number of breathtaking initiatives were taken. Political prisoners were released, and the previously heavily censored press began to enjoy unprecedented freedoms. Political parties…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Rise in terrorism in Pakistan has become a cause of concern not just for its neighbours but also for the people living in the South Asian country as extremist groups continue to hunt the youth of the country by radicalising them. Moreover, the lack of freedom of expression and the plunging economy is adding more to it, Voice of Vienna reported. A crackdown on sources of funds for these extremist groups can help tackle the situation of a surge in terror in Pakistan as unemployment, and lack of freedom of expression in society are already resulting in a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Following Imran Khan’s exit in 2022 via a no-confidence vote, Pakistan has been mired in several crises under the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) coalition government. Terrorist attacks on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, economic crisis, dwindling forex reserves and threats to constitutional and human rights show Islamabad is fighting chaos and anarchy on multiple fronts. THE MAIN SIX CRISES THAT ARE HAUNTING PAKISTAN: Political Crisis: When the PDM combine submitted the no-confidence motion against former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, it triggered a political crisis. Continuous instability damages the political system and helps sow the roots of many…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India is turning more optimistic about achieving a consensus from Group of 20 nations on the language used to describe Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter. Representatives from various countries have stayed in the same room in recent meetings, marking a contrast with the regular walkouts during similar talks last year in Indonesia, said the person, who asked not to be identified as the meetings are private. That has raised hopes for some sort of a compromise similar to that achieved last November on the resort island of Bali, the person said,…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Metro rail’s Shewrapara and Uttara South stations opened to the public on Friday. With the opening of the two stations, all 9 stations on the Uttara-Agargaon route are now operational. Meanwhile, MAN Siddique, the managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) said metro rail will run from 8 am to 2 pm instead of 8:30 am to 12:30 pm from April 5. “Considering the passengers’ demand and aiming to provide more services, the timing has been changed,” he said in a press conference on Thursday. He also said the metro rail will start in full swing…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Bangladesh has long pursued a nonaligned foreign policy but it appears to be “moving closer to a full embrace” of the Indo-Pacific Strategy pursued by the US and its partners in the region, which revolves around countering China. Last month, Dhaka finalised a draft of its Indo-Pacific Outlook focused on objectives that mirror those of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, such as the need for a free, secure, and peaceful region, according to Foreign Policy’s South Asia brief by Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program and Senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center. This move comes…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Some of the steps being taken by Beijing along the India-China border have been provocative, a top White House official has said while reiterating that the United States is destined to work more closely with New Delhi Kurt Campbell, the Deputy Assistant to the US President and Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, told a Washington-based think-tank that India is not an ally of the United States and will never be so. “But it does not mean that we will not be close partners and share many things. That’s how we need to understand the role that India will play…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves decreased by USD 345 million to USD 4.2 billion, the central bank said on Thursday, leaving the country with barely a month’s worth of import cover, reported Geo News. In its weekly bulletin, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said that its foreign exchange reserves have decreased as of the week ended March 24, which will provide an import cover of less than a month. The net forex reserves held by commercial banks stand at USD 5.6 billion, USD 1.3 billion more than the SBP, bringing the total liquid foreign exchange reserves of the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs of India V Muraleedharan on Friday said that the G20 under India’s Presidency has turned into a people’s movement. Muraleedharan was speaking on the second day of the second G20 Sherpas meeting under India’s G20 Presidency at Kumarakom village of Kerala. “We had 46 meetings across 26 countries. The biggest difference in this G20 under India’s Presidency compared to the earlier G20 is that this is not an exclusive diplomatic exercise, it has become a people’s movement. Amongst the various topics discussed, we have suggested and is newly…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Allegations are piling up against China for interloping in Canada’s most recent federal elections to support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party. A Conservative candidate, who ran close to Vancouver, said his defeat in 2021 was caused by a systematic misinformation campaign. In 2019, a member of Conservative Party of Canada, Kenny Chui, got elected as a member of Parliament for Steveston Richmond-East. Well over 50 per cent of the people in his Vancouver suburb are of Chinese descent. Nevertheless, he was defeated by a Liberal Party candidate, who is now the constituency’s MP, in the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: United Kingdom has raised concern over the expanding network of Chinese schools in Tibet where cultural coercion is being allegedly practised on little children, who are being brainwashed through colonial and communist tools. Free Tibet, an NGO, has shared a video of Tim Loughton, MP and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet, and of Dr Gyal Lo on its official Twitter handle. The former is heard thanking the latter for informing him about the network of Chinese colonial boarding schools in Tibet. Loughton, in the video, is heard saying, “So, I am really pleased we’ve…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A Chinese hacking group that is likely state-sponsored and has been linked previously to attacks on U.S. state government computers is still “highly active” and is focusing on a broad range of targets that may be of strategic interest to China’s government and security services, a private American cybersecurity firm said in a new report Thursday. The hacking group, which the report calls RedGolf, shares such close overlap with groups tracked by other security companies under the names APT41 and BARIUM that it is thought they are either the same or very closely affiliated, said Jon Condra, director…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India on Thursday said that the world was facing several challenges, including dealing with climate change, poverty and development, and sought the support of G20 members to keep the grouping “non-political.” India’s sherpa Amitabh Kant said Delhi is working with all members to ensure challenges around global debt and recession, in several parts of the world, are addressed, and “one issue can’t hold back other things”, in what was seen as a reference to the Ukraine war. Sherpas from G20 nations are meeting in Kumarakom for the second meet of the key representative of world leaders and will…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan Police on Wednesday morning shot at and critically injured a class IX student near Karachi’s Rizvia Society underpass, the Dawn reported. According to Dawn, the student, 15-year-old Ayaan, and his friend, Awais, were riding motorbikes when the police signaled them to pull over. As the police got hold of Awais, Ayaan tried to turn his motorbike, but a policeman fired at him leaving him seriously wounded, claimed the police and Ayaan’s family. Ayaan was then taken to the Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) for treatment. LNH spokesperson Anjum Rizvi told the media that the 15-year-old boy was being…

INTERNATIOAL DESK: 24 Ore System’s editorial staff denounced the repeated publication of advertorials, disguised as legitimate articles on the benefits of investing in China, inside the influential paper. On Tuesday, the union of journalists working at 24 Ore system often considered “Italy’s Financial Times”, issued a public communique criticising the publication of covert Chinese propaganda in Sunday’s paper, Decode39 wrote. Similar incidents have already occurred, leading the editorial staff to call out the “aggravating recidivism” of the group’s advertising arm, 24 Ore System. After past protests, the editorial staff had been assured of advance notice of the publication to take…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday emphasised enhancing economic cooperation between Bangladesh and Vietnam for the mutual benefit of the two countries. She made the observation while outgoing Ambassador of Vietnam Pham Viet Chien called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban, PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim told reporters. He said during the meeting they expressed satisfaction the growing bilateral relations between the two countries. Hasina mentioned that Bangladesh and Vietnam have many common issues like victorious struggle for the liberation of their countries. The people of the country admired the Vietnamese struggle for independence, the PM said…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Nepal’s ruling coalition on Wednesday agreed on a power-sharing deal, paving the way for Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ to expand his Cabinet. The top leaders of the ten ruling parties held two rounds of meetings at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar to reach an agreement on the distribution of ministries among various political parties. Prachanda is likely to expand his Cabinet on Thursday following the deal. Power sharing and the distribution of ministerial portfolios had been major bottlenecks among the members of the ruling alliance as the demand for Cabinet posts was exceeding the…

TECHNOLOGY DESK: Tech titans are rushing to stake their claim in the lucrative AI chatbot market, but they’re trading off all-important transparency in the process. AI Chatbots are like buses: you’ll wait half an hour in the rain with none in sight, then three come along all at once. In March 2023, OpenAI released its newest chatbot, GPT-4. It’s a name that sounds more like a rally car than an AI assistant but it heralds a new era in computing. Google responded with Bard, its more grandly named search chatbot. Chinese search giant Baidu launched its cheeky-sounding Ernie Bot. Salesforce…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Jack Ma, one of China’s most prominent entrepreneurs, returned to China this week after traveling overseas for more than a year, in what is being interpreted as evidence of an improved climate for the nation’s private sector. He paid a visit Monday to the Yungu School, a private academy in Hangzhou funded by Ma’s Alibaba Group, which includes one of the world’s biggest online commerce companies. There, he talked about “the future of education with the campus directors” and “the challenges and opportunities” that “new technological change brings to education,” according to the school’s WeChat account. Earlier this…