Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The government is expected to spend ₹4.46 lakh crore more on infrastructure projects than the original estimates, a report released by the infrastructure and project monitoring division of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Tuesday said. The original cost of 1,423 projects being monitored by the ministry was estimated at ₹ 20.38 lakh crore, but anticipated cost has risen to ₹24.85 lakh crore, the report said. Until February, the government had already incurred ₹13.63 lakh crore on these projects, which is more than half of the anticipated cost. The ministry monitors projects with a value…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: US Secretary of Air Force Frank Kendall on Tuesday said America is interested in peace and stability in the Indo-pacific region and added that India is the major defence partner. In an interview with ANI, Kendall, weighing in on the Chinese activities in the Indo-Pacific, said, “We’re looking at ways to cooperate because of our shared values and our shared interests. We’re all interested in peace and stability in the region and a clear and open and free Indo-pacific. Those are things that we shared and we shared with a number of other nations. So that’s our goal.”…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Indian economy has remained resilient amidst high tides of uncertainty and is better positioned than many parts of the world to head into a challenging year ahead, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its State of the Economy report on Tuesday. “Even as global growth is set to slow down or even enter a recession in 2023…India has emerged from the pandemic years stronger than initially thought,” it said. The report said a direct impact of the US banking crisis on India’s economic activity could be limited, but markets were bracing for tighter financial conditions.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Ongoing China’s mega development projects in the South Asia region are impacting the climate and environment, experts raised concerns. In the 52nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, organised by the Organisation for Poverty Alleviation and Development and European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), experts highlighted the construction of highways, buildings and dams in Gilgit Baltistan by China under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project. Talking about the impact, Myra MacDonald, a former journalist and an author said, “My focus is, yeah, ultimately China is spending billions of dollars, you…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam today said the US’s 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Bangladesh contains some “fundamental shortcomings and mistakes” and Dhaka will raise those to Washington. “We will raise these shortcomings with the US side so that such things do not exist in the next year’s report,” he told reporters at the foreign ministry here. The state minister said there will be high-level bilateral meetings at various levels between Bangladesh and US where Dhaka will discuss the issue. Alam said the report use open sources like “controversial” rights group Odhikar…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The recent norms of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources for displaying content in open maps has once again come in the news. It is a new irritant causing discontent for the neighbouring countries. Many see this as a practice that would further complicate China’s already existing border disputes. Chinese new norms require displaying places in bordering areas in maps published in foreign language with explanatory designations in brackets with phonetic transcription of the same in Chinese language. China has unresolved border disputes with most of the neighbouring countries including Central Asia, Russia and Japan. This new norm of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s “state-sponsored” hackers, who were conducting contract work in service of government espionage, and data theft have become the main concern for Norway and Netherlands, according to an article on Portal Plus authored by Valerio Fabbri. The hackers employ a sophisticated mix of social engineering techniques, including the use of dating sites, employment sites and massaging platforms to gain victims’ trust. Concerned over China’s government espionage, the Norwegian Intelligence Service (PST) and the National Security Agency (NSM) in this year’s threat assessments have highlighted that China was targeting individuals through social media. Security intelligence has also expressed concerns…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s “state-sponsored” hackers, who were conducting contract work in service of government espionage, and data theft have become the main concern for Norway and Netherlands, according to an article on Portal Plus authored by Valerio Fabbri. The hackers employ a sophisticated mix of social engineering techniques, including the use of dating sites, employment sites and massaging platforms to gain victims’ trust. Concerned over China’s government espionage, the Norwegian Intelligence Service (PST) and the National Security Agency (NSM) in this year’s threat assessments have highlighted that China was targeting individuals through social media. Security intelligence has also expressed concerns…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: INS Sujata, a patrol vessel of the Indian Navy visited Port Maputo in Mozambique during its overseas deployment from March 19 to March 21. The ship was received by Captain Nitin Kapoor, DA Pretoria, Commandant NRN Siva Babu, Coast Guard Afloat Support Team and Captain Florentino Jose’ Narciso from Mozambican Navy amidst the fanfare of Mozambican Navy Band and traditional dance performances at the jetty, the Ministry of Defense said in an official press release on Tuesday. As the ship visited Mozambique, the Commanding Officer, INS Sujata called on Rear Admiral Eugenio Dias Da Silva Muatuca, the Commander…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Google has suspended Pinduoduo, a popular Chinese budget shopping app, from its Play Store after finding malware in versions of the app. In a Tuesday statement, Google said versions of the app that are not in the Play Store have been found to contain malware. “We have suspended the Play version of the app for security concerns while we continue our investigation,” a Google spokesperson said. It has also enforced Google Play Protect, which scans apps installed on Android phones for harmful behavior, on the allegedly malicious apps, according to the statement. “Google Play Protect enforcement has been…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Exports to the United States from China’s far west Xinjiang region tumbled to below US$1 million for the first time on record in February, eight months after a law effectively banning American imports over forced labour concerns came into effect. Companies from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region exported US$497,440 worth of goods to the US last month, representing a drop of almost 90 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to Chinese customs data. The reading was the lowest since 2017 – the earliest available data from China’s customs portal. Apparel, which was once the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In the world of fast-paced diplomatic activity, Japan and South Korea have shown that they can no longer remain strange bedfellows when China is racing against time to dictate its terms in the Indo-Pacific region. For the first time after a gap of 12 years, the two countries held their formal summit in Tokyo on March 16, settling the vexatious wartime labour issue while promising to turn a new leaf in their relationship on several fronts, including diplomacy, security, and economic cooperation. The last formal summit between Tokyo and Seoul was held in December 2011 when then-South Korean…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: For audiences in China, Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia this week was a show of strength and a testament to Beijing’s bid for global leadership. On the second day of Xi’s trip to Moscow, Chinese media was awash with coverage of the visit as evidence of China’s mettle when it comes to standing up to Washington. Xi on Tuesday continued talks with senior Russian officials and invited his counterpart Vladimir Putin to visit China, even as the Russian leader comes under mounting criticism, including an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The US in its “2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” raised concern over human rights violations in China, Pakistan and Myanmar. In Xinjiang, in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the country report described how genocide and crimes against humanity continued to occur against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups. “Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. These crimes were continuing and included: the arbitrary imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Families in Afghanistan called on the Taliban yet again to open schools for girls in grades 7 to 12 as they are worried about the future of their daughters in the country under the regime of the organisation, TOLOnews reported. This comes as Afghanistan enters a new education year, however, the female students in the country are still denied their basic right to attain education. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, schooling above grade six has been closed, which, later in December last year, barred girls and women from going to universities and working with NGOs. In…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Monday said Bangladesh will soon graduate from being classified as a least developed country, and they have already launched the Joint Study Group on the possibility of an Economic Partnership Agreement with Bangladesh. He said this also reflects the important Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) principle of “excluding no one.” The Japanese Prime Minister was delivering a policy speech at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). He described Japan’s plan to develop a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” “To achieve this, India is an indispensable partner. I believe that Japan and India…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Monday said the countries which are acknowledging genocide in Myanmar must also recognize the genocide Pakistani military had committed in Bangladesh in 1971. “We are immediately raising this with those countries,” he told reporters after a seminar at Foreign Service Academy while talking about the heinous attack of Pakistani military on the unarmed civilians during the nine months of Bangladesh Liberation War. The seminar titled “Recognition of Bangladesh Genocide 1971” was held at Foreign Service Academy. The state minister said since there is already a Genocide Day in the…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said a glorious chapter opened in the country’s military history with the commission of its first ever submarine base in Cox’s Bazar. “A glorious chapter started in the military history of Bangladesh as a full-fledged and modern submarine base is being commissioned in the Bangladesh Navy,” she said. The premier was addressing the commissioning ceremony of the country’s first submarine base ‘BNS Sheikh Hasina’ of Bangladesh Navy at Pekua in Cox’s Bazar through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganabhaban here. She said her government established the Bangladesh Navy as a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations during the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference, according to the statement released by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, on Sunday, lauded the work of WFP in promoting food self-sufficiency and supporting governmental and global efforts to ensure long-term solutions to the challenge of hunger. At the conference, Tomar also thanked the ministers for being a part of the global conference organized by India with the aim…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Kannada blockbuster film ‘Kantara’ was screened at the Pathe Balexert theatre Geneva on March 17. An audience of about 220 people including the UN representatives, Heads of International Organisations from Germany, Brazil, UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), ITU (International Telecommunication Union) WHO (World Health Organisation), Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Indian diaspora attended the screening. The audience gave a rapturous response to the film. Set in the fictional village of Dakshina Kannada, ‘Kantara’ followed the character of Rishab Shetty (who is also the director of the movie), playing the role of a Kambala champion, who had…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Is China thinking of using artificial intelligence (AI) to further its militarisation and island building activities in the South China Sea? This is what a report by the South China Morning Post said while highlighting that China is mulling to bolster its maritime claims in the hotly contested South China Sea. The Hong Kong-based news outlet cited a report by China’s peer reviewed journal, Operations Research and Management Science which, in an article published on February 14, said the Tianjin-based Civil Aviation University of China’s Transportation Science and Engineering College ran an AI simulation of the construction and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked visiting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s for inviting him for the G7 Summit in Japan later this year during their bilateral meeting held here on Monday. PM Modi held bilateral delegation-level talks with his Japanese counterpart at Hyderabad House here. “Today Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida invited me to the G7 Leaders’ Summit which will be held in Hiroshima in May. I thank him for this,” PM Modi said at the joint press statement after the meeting. “I welcome Japanese PM Fumio Kishida to India. In the last one year, PM Fumio Kishida…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India was able to repel a Chinese military incursion in contested border territory in the high Himalayas late last year due to unprecedented intelligence-sharing with the U.S. military, U.S. News has learned, an act that caught China’s People’s Liberation Army forces off-guard, enraged Beijing and appears to have forced the Chinese Communist Party to reconsider its approach to land grabs along its borders. The U.S. government for the first time provided real-time details to its Indian counterparts of the Chinese positions and force strength in advance of a PLA incursion, says a source familiar with a previously unreported…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India and Japan on Monday signed two documents on the renewal of a memorandum of cooperation on the Japanese language and exchange of notes on a 300 billion Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. At a special briefing by Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on the visit of Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida to India, he said, “There were two documents signed on the sidelines- Renewal of MOC (Memorandum of Cooperation) in the Japanese language, essentially focussing on higher level language learning and second agreement was Exchange of notes on JICA loan for 300 bn on…