Author: Tusak Longi

Japan’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori announced in August that Bangladesh was among four countries selected by the Japanese government to receive defense aid under the Official Security Assistance (OSA), which is aimed at providing equipment, supplies and infrastructure development assistance to partner countries in the form of grants, rather than loans, to “reinforce” the region’s “comprehensive defense architecture.” Aside from Bangladesh, Japan chose the Philippines, Fiji and Malaysia to receive OSA grants to improve the region’s defensive capabilities. A common thread running through the countries that Japan chose for OSA defense cooperation is the context under which these countries operate — all are concerned about…

The United States Embassy in Dhaka has said it notes the passage of the new Cyber Security Bill by the Bangladeshi Parliament. “We regret that the government of Bangladesh did not give stakeholders adequate opportunity to review and provide input on the new law to ensure it meets international standards,” it said in a statement on Thursday. “Unfortunately, the CSA retains many aspects of its predecessor, the Digital Security Act. The new legislation continues to criminalize freedom of expression, retains non-bailable offences, and too easily could be misused to arrest, detain and silence critics.” However, State Minister for Foreign Affairs…

Apple has extended support for NavIC to some of the new iPhone 15 models, seemingly complying with New Delhi’s push to adopt India’s home-grown alternative to the GPS navigation system. On the tech specs page of the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple says that the new models support NavIC. This is the first time Apple has added support for NavIC to any of its iPhone models. However, the company has not specified which features will be included in the deployment. An Apple spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The standard iPhone 15 and…

ISLAMABAD: After former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), another major political entity, the Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Sunday demanded that elections should be held on the basis of the latest population census results, accepting that redrawing hundreds of constituencies would delay polls by “a few” weeks or months. Pakistan’s election dispute deepened after the outgoing government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the results of the latest population census a few days before he dissolved the National Assembly. According to Pakistan’s constitution, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is bound to redraw hundreds of provincial and federal constituencies…

A youth-run farm located in Trashigang’s Kanglung district has become a successful venture in Bhutan by growing pineapples, reported Bhutan Live. The Marpheng Organic Farm is run by Kanglung native Kinga Wangchuk, age 26. For most young people, commercial farming is not their first job choice. However, individuals who desire to start farming could find inspiration from the Marpheng Organic Farm, which raises pineapples. The youth organization was given the Land Use Certificate for a farm with a larger than 18-acre plot of land through the King’s People’s Project. It is carried out by the Trashigang district administration and the…

Beond, a Maldives-based all business class airline has revealed more details, as it gears up for its launch in the coming this fall. The company, which initiated in 2022, is preparing to introduce a business-class service aboard the Airbus A321. The aircraft will feature 68 flat seats with operations slated to start in fall 2023. Beond’s initial fleet will consist of Airbus A319s, each accommodating 44 passengers. This strategy allows the airline to offer its services before moving to the larger A321 model. The carrier’s debut routes will link the Maldives with Dubai and Delhi. Italian firm Optimares developed the…

The northern state of Haryana — bordering on the Indian capital, New Delhi — has become the latest hot spot for religious violence in Indiaafter a hard-line Hindu group marched through the Muslim-dominated Nuh district in late July. Clashes in the state, which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), resulted in the death of six people and left more than 50 injured. Government responds to religious violence The violence then spread to the city of Gurugram, where a mob set fire to a mosque and killed one of its leading imams. The rioters also torched shops and vehicles in a mostly…

Pakistan said Saturday that “unprovoked” cross-border shelling by India had killed at least two civilians and “critically” injured another inside the Pakistan-administered part of the disputed Kashmir region.The alleged incident comes more than two years after the nuclear-armed rival South Asian nations agreed to fully adhere to a 2003 cease-fire along their de facto Kashmir frontier, the Line of Control.A Pakistani military statement said the Indian army Saturday “opened indiscriminate fire onto a group of shepherds in the Sattwal sector,” resulting in the death of two civilians while another was “critically” injured.”While a strong protest is being launched with (the)…

Multimodal logistics company NLC has delivered goods from Pakistan to Central Asian countries via Afghanistan in record time. Using the TIR system, eight National Logistics Cell (NLC) trucks with 40-foot containers carried commercial products from Pakistan to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan via Afghanistan 70-80% faster compared to alternative transport options. The trucks covered 3,000km from Karachi (Pakistan) to Tashkent (Uzbekistan), 3,800km to Almaty (Kazakhstan), and 4,600km to Astana (Kazakhstan) without having to unload and reload the goods onto other trucks at each border. IRU Director of TIR and Transit Tatiana Rey-Bellet said, “Pakistani transport companies are increasingly using TIR to expand their…

On April 26, 2023, Russian troops attacked the Kherson region 65 times, having fired 386 projectiles. The relevant statement was made by Kherson Regional Military Administration Head Oleksandr Prokudin on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Russian troops used heavy artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aircraft. The city of Kherson came under enemy fire 10 times. According to Prokudin, Russian projectiles targeted residential areas across the Kherson region’s settlements. A power substation was hit in the Beryslav district, as well as administrative buildings within the Stanislav village community. As a result of Russian attacks, one civilian was reported killed and three…