Author: Arif ArifArman

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken has said Bangladesh is “quickly becoming a regional leader” with a rapidly growing economy, an increasingly well-educated workforce, and a dynamic youth demographic. Blinken said he looks forward to “deepening their partnership” with Bangladesh in the years ahead. “Americans and Bangladeshis are stronger together because of our cooperation on the defining issues of this era,” he said in a press statement on behalf of the United States of America, conveying his best wishes to the people of Bangladesh on its Independence Day. Blinken said the United States is proud of its…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As PTI Chairman Imran Khan reached a Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday to secure interim bail in three terrorism cases, he told reporters that a “reaction” to the “atrocities done to the PTI” would come from the public today at the party’s Minar-i-Pakistan rally and urged supporters not to back off “under any circumstance”. Talking to the media outside the court while sitting in his vehicle, Imran said a public “reaction would come today to whatever method they (the government) will use”. “We will not back off under any circumstance,” the former premier vowed. He further asserted,…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The nation is set to celebrate the 53rd Independence and National Day tomorrow vowing afresh to take the country towards prosperity with the Liberation War spirit. On March 26, 1971, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence following the crackdown on unarmed Bangalees on the midnight of March 25 by the Pakistani occupation forces. After the nine-month War of Liberation with the supreme sacrifices of three million martyrs and the honour of two lakh women, Bangladesh achieved its cherished independence on December 16, 1971. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Ele­c­tion Commission of Pak­istan (ECP) in its detailed judgement released on Fri­day explained reasons for rejecting the Pakistan Tehre­ek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) application for cross-examination of witnesses, inclu­ding bank officials concerned, declaring that the process for confiscation of prohibited funds received by the party has started. The ECP in its order stated that entertaining the application for cross-examination at this stage would mean reopening the entire matter that had been decided in August last year. Current proceedings to execute the last year findings were about confiscation of the prohibited contributions or donations received by the party, it elaborated. “The…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The current outstanding payment on account of circular debt for Chinese Independent Power Producers (IPPs) has risen up to Rs350 billion with growing demands to clear the backlog. “The outstanding backlog of Chinese IPPs stands at Rs350 billion, which is being accounted at the rate of 14% while the remaining 86% is being paid regularly. The CPPAG stated that it will be further improved,” it was announced during a CPEC review meeting held here on Friday. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired the meeting and discussed progress on Special Economic Zones, ML-1, KCR and various new development initiatives to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The First Trade and Investment Working Group (TIWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency will be held from March 28 to March 30 in Mumbai, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said while addressing a press conference here on Friday. Commerce Secretary said that during this three-day Meeting, over 100 delegates from G20 member countries, invitee countries, regional groupings and international organisations will engage in deliberations to accelerate global trade and investments. Barthwal said that “on the first day, a seminar on ‘Trade Finance’ will be held at the Ballroom, Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai. The role of banks, financial institutions, development…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India is considering sending tigers to Cambodia to help it reintroduce the big cat to its forests, officials said on Friday. New Delhi signed a pact with Phnom Penh for the world’s first transnational tiger reintroduction programme last year, they said. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), conservationists in Cambodia declared tigers “functionally extinct” in 2016. Cambodia’s last tiger was seen on a camera trap in the eastern province of Mondulkiri in 2007. In September 2017, the Cambodian government announced plans to reintroduce tigers in the country with the help of the WWF. “Recently, India signed an…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s post-pandemic recovery is sending a clear and urgent message to the nation’s fallen property tycoons: shape up, reorganise and get on with working out their debt. The rush is on. China Evergrande’s Hui Ka-yan and his beleaguered industry peers have set March as a key target. By the end of the month, they want to have a done deal with their creditors, or at least have something to show. If not, they could miss Beijing’s lifeboat for the sector and lose any remaining goodwill among creditors over the crisis that has simmered for two years. Hui, the…

INTERNATIONL DESK: A growing number of local government-owned enterprises in China have begun pulling back from funding regional projects, aiming to transform themselves into market-driven entities as Beijing doubles down on efforts to reduce the country’s implicit debt risks. China’s new leadership team is scrambling to get on top of financial risk, especially among local governments that had their finances stretched by Covid control measures, while at the same time witnessing a plunge in revenue from land sales and taxes. Implicit government debt refers to liabilities the government may eventually take some repayment responsibility for, despite being generated by state-owned…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Taking a strong view of pro-Khalistan supporters pulling down the Indian tricolour at the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said India would not accept differential standards of security. He also accused the UK of not meeting the obligation of providing security to the diplomats of the Mission, which is expected of a country where a high commission or a consulate is located. “On the flag and the security of the high commission, in this particular case in the UK – whenever any country sends an embassy anywhere abroad, it…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Lahore High Court, on Friday, extended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s protective bail till Monday in five cases registered against him in Islamabad, including two for “vandalism,” ARY News reported. The former premier had been granted protective bail in the five cases on March 17 when he secured protective bail in a total of nine. In the court today, the former premier arrived at the LHC in tight security. A two-member bench comprising Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh and Justice Anwaar Hussain heard Imran’s plea and extended the bail till March 27. During…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has presided over the plenary session of the UN 2023 Water Conference. He chaired the third plenary session of the Conference on Thursday, according a message received here today. The Foreign Minister also delivered the closing remarks at the high-level event entitled “Water for Peace: From Source to Sea” at the UN Headquarters organized jointly by Bangladesh, Global Center on Adaptation and Deltares. In his remarks, focusing on the ‘Source to Sea’ approach on water cooperation, Momen stressed the need for sustainable water management for promoting global peace and stability. The Permanent…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: President Md Abdul Hamid today emphasized on collective efforts to turn the country into ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu as part of paying everlasting tributes to the martyrs of the 1971 genocide. “We can pay our eternal respect to every soul, who gave his or her life in 1971 genocide, by turning the country into ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu,” he said in a message on the eve of the Genocide Day. The President said, “Today is the dreadful 25th March, the Genocide Day. On this day in 1971, Pakistani occupation forces carried out the most…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The ongoing G20 summit under India’s presidency is creating a strong event for sustainable growth of multilateralism at large through mutual dialogue. The primary deliberation focused largely on broad macroeconomic issues and has been expanded to include mutual trade, climate change, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, anti-corruption and prioritising counter-terrorism. The group has vast potential to calm world geopolitics and help amplify developmental efforts towards poor nations. The ongoing summit spreads the vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India’s G20 presidency maxim. Altogether, the 19 members and the European Union of the assembly are a geographic behemoth that controls…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Around 6,000 international tourists paying the new Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) visited the country since the reopening of borders six months ago. Another 7000 tourists paying the old tariff visited the country in the same period. To attract more tourists, the Tourism Department is working on introducing family-oriented tourism products and making Bhutan an all-season destination. Since 23rd September last year, up until yesterday, the country received around 31,000 tourists. More than half of them were from the region. Just before the pandemic, in 2019 the country recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals at more than 315…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As India & China remain in a stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army and Air Force have conducted a 96-hour multi-domain air and land exercise, ‘Vayu Prahar’, in the eastern sector. Sources in India’s defence and security establishment said the exercise was conducted in the second week of March. The main aim, they explained, was to formulate plans that can lead to synergy in multi-domain operations. Essentially, multi-domain operations are used to coordinate activities across multiple branches of the military to achieve converging results. “The conduct of Vayu Prahar exercise enabled coordination and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s space policy has strived to achieve a fine balance between capabilities, entrepreneurship, and innovation. The question is how to move ahead in spacefaring in the prevailing geopolitical circumstances. The Indian Air Force (IAF) recently published its revised and rather ambitious doctrine that aims to transition India from an air power to an aerospace power. Clearly, it implies a paradigm shift in outlook and capabilities. But can India achieve it alone? The answer by itself would be affirmative but loses significance when time and cost are taken into consideration. A better question to ask is: Can India do…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Locals from the Azam Warsak area in Birmal Tehsil in Lower South Waziristan district on Thursday protested against electricity load-shedding, reported The News International. They have been protesting for three days and said that the government was providing two hours of electricity to the residents of the Azam Warsak area in Birmal Tehsil. They said that the people should be provided electricity from the Gomal Zam Dam as per the promises made to them, reported The News. The protesters said that they would extend the protest to other parts of the district if the government did not meet…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Entrepreneur Tage Rita from Arunachal Pradesh recently won a deal worth Rs 75 lakh on Shark Tank India (Season 2) for her winery NaaraAaba. With a long history of helping businesses succeed, Shark Tank India is well known for its assistance to business owners. With its fund, the program is stepping up its commitment to entrepreneurs by offering them immediate financial assistance. Entrepreneur Tage Rita had the opportunity to present her line of Kiwi wines under the brand name Naara-Aaba this year during season 2 of Shark Tank India. The Naara-Aaba winery is one of the first businesses…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is considering recalling Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ameer Khurram Rathore, The News International reported. The development comes a year after he was posted there by former Pakistan PM Imran Khan who did that through the premature removal of Lt-Gen (R) Bilal Akbar. The process of recalling Pakistan’s envoy has started but has not been finalised yet, The News International reported citing a foreign office source. Earlier, Rathore was posted as Pakistan’s High Commission in Canada. Hardly a month after his posting in Canada, he was asked to get ready for his posting…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said her government considers power as a scope to serve the people, reiterating her steadfast commitment to build developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041. “We see the power as a scope to serve the people. It has been possible to make development as the democratic process continues by now since Awami League assumed office after winning 2008 general elections confronting many hurdles,” she said. The premier was handing over “Swadhinata Purashkar-2023” (Independence Award-2023), the highest national civil award, to nine distinguished persons and one organisation in recognition of outstanding contribution to their…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China has been playing a long game to establish its hegemony in the South Asia region. Inflicted by the ‘Middle Kingdom’ complex, it views the world as an arrangement of concentric circles of power with itself being at the centre. It is increasingly becoming a revisionist power which wants to topple the existing global order, negate the international rules-based order, assert its Great Power status on other countries, and is trying to displace the USA as the world leader. To give effect to its vicious ambitions, the major instrument it is using is ensnaring weaker countries in a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Seems like the competition is only getting tougher as Google on Wednesday announced that it is finally opening up access to its ChatGPT competitor ‘Bard’. This release will be an early experiment for users to collaborate with generative AI. Google is granting early access to ‘Bard’, which has been first rolled out in the US and UK. Google will be expanding the access to ‘Bard’ over time to more countries and languages. “You can use ‘Bard’ to boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity. You might ask ‘Bard’ to give you tips to reach your…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Almost 30 million Pakistanis have no access to clean water, 80 per cent of people living in 24 major cities do not have access to clean water, and 16 million slum dwellers of Karachi do not have access to running water, Asian Lite reported. Pakistan has experienced several issues since its independence, but the most critical problem in the country is that of water shortage. According to one estimate by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan will be fully dry and barren by 2025 if the necessary steps are not taken to preserve water. For Pakistan, several factors…