BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "We will build a new Bangladesh by removing the rubbish that Awami League has created in the country. That's why the people should be involved through elected parliament. He made this speech at the 'Bangladesh Youth Parliament 2024' organized at the Supreme Court building on Saturday (November 9) in the afternoon. Fakhrul said that no reform would be meaningful without people's participation. It has to be done in the parliamentary system, we need elections for this. Urging the government to give time, the BNP Secretary General said that if the opportunity is lost, we will be endangered as a nation. Fascists are getting an opportunity to plot because of various negative words, some media are re-promoting it, and it has to be stopped. Fakhrul also said that the strength and courage of the youth should be used together. Referring to the future in the hands of the youth, he said, "I hope the Youth Forum will help in realizing the desire of the people of the country to regain democracy."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh would rather work with those countries that will help in Dhaka's journey towards development and prosperity, not considering who engages in war with whom in Sunday (June 1). She said this to the contestants at the prize distribution ceremony of the competition titled 'Amar Chokhe Bangabandhu' at Ganobhaban on Sunday (June 2). Reminiscing on August 15, Sheikh Hasina said, 'After the assassination of the Father of the Nation, during the 6-year exile in Germany, Joy-Putul wanted to come home. They were crying all day. Indira Gandhi also tried hard, but we were not allowed to come to the country.' The Prime Minister said that the people of this country shed their blood during the liberation war with the slogan of Joy Bangla, that slogan of Joy Bangla was deleted from Bangladesh. The March 7 speech was banned. The Prime Minister said that there is a class of people in the country who are quite knowledgeable, but they only look at their own comfort.

'I have been visiting Bangladesh over the last two days to rebuild trust among our people,' said Donald Lu, assistant secretary of state at the US Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. He made the remarks after paying a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday (May 15). Lu said the United States worked hard to hold free, fair and violence-free elections in Bangladesh. We want to look forward, not backwards. 'I spoke to the minister today to find ways to strengthen our relationship. There are many important issues between Bangladesh and the United States. Such as the ban on RAB, labor law reform, human rights and business environment reform. To strengthen this relationship, we have to increase cooperation on a positive side.'

Authorities found the group of migrants, which included 11 children, after they were abducted in the northern city of Matehuala. Mexico's military on Thursday said that troops had managed to find all 49 missing migrants who were abducted from a bus earlier this week. Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said 650 police and soldiers were mobilized to search for the abducted group which included 11 children. Sandoval said the migrants were found in a number of groups in the central state of San Luis Potosi and neighboring Nuevo Leon in the north. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that a gang was responsible for kidnapping the group. Some migrants managed to flee captors Earlier on Thursday media reported that nine people wad been rescued after they fled, and at that time 40 were still missing. Officials said the migrants were traveling north towards the US in a bus from the southern state of Chiapas when they were attacked. Those who were rescued were from Venezuela and Honduras, according to reports citing authorities in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon. Some of the migrants told authorities that members of a criminal syndicate had boarded the bus when it stopped at a gas station. The gang demanded a ransom of $1,500 (€1,383) for each kidnapped person, said the National Confederation of Mexican Transporters. Latest incident in string of abductions "Unfortunately, there are gangs that engage in kidnapping," Lopez Obrador said. Gangs and drug cartels have long been active in the area where authorities had been searching for the migrants. In recent months, a string of such kidnappings has been reported, as gangs seem to increasingly charge migrants for fees to cross Mexico and then abduct them for ransom. The National Institute of Migration has said that more than 2,100 migrants were kidnapped in Mexico last year. Around 35 people, including tourists and migrants, were abducted last month in the country's northeast. They were later found in a desert area.

Eight people are being investigated for possible misconduct after a fire at a migrant facility in Mexico left 39 people dead. Prosecutors in Mexico have announced a homicide probe into the deaths of 39 migrants in a blaze at a detention center. Eight people have been identified as allegedly responsible for the deaths that occurred late on Monday in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez,  Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez told journalists at a briefing on Wednesday. The people include two federal agents, a state migration officer and five members of a private security firm, she said. An investigation was opened "for the crime of homicide and damage to property," though other possible crimes would also be considered, said Sara Irene Herrerias, head of the human rights unit at Mexico's Attorney General's Office. "None of the public servants or the private security personnel took any action to open the door for the migrants who were inside," Herrerias added. Authorities have come under increased scrutiny after a video surveillance footage posted to social media appeared to show guards leaving as fire surrounded a cell with migrants locked inside. The video showed men kicking on the bars of a locked door as their cell filled with smoke while three people in uniforms can be seen walking past without trying to open the door. Officials had said on Tuesday that a fire broke out overnight in the facility that holds people who have been detained while passing through the country in hopes of making it to the United States. Many of the people at the detention center at the time of the blaze were from Venezuela and Guatemala. All the victims were male and pressure has mounted on the Mexican government to determine why they died after authorities said the female migrants were safely evacuated from the center. "Who didn't let these people out? Clearly there is a serious crime," Rodriguez said, adding the video was part of the investigation. "They weren't capable of opening a gate." The security minister also added that the emergency protocols at the facility would be looked at and an examination of whether the private security company would take place. "It looks like these guards didn't have any training," she said. Meanwhile, Herrerias said that the prosecutors have requested several arrest warrants.

The minors found were found in an abandoned truck along with 212 unrelated adults in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz. It is the highest number of migrant children found traveling through Mexico in recent times. Authorities in Mexico found an abandoned truck carrying 103 unaccompanied minors, making it the biggest discovery of migrant children traveling through Mexico in recent times. The minors were traveling without adult relatives and were part of a group of 343 migrants from Central and South America, the National Migration Institute (INM) said in a statement on Monday. Along with the migrant 103 children, authorities also found 212 adults from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Ecuador in the trailer, the National Migration Institute (INM) said. Another 28 migrants were found traveling as families in the vehicle. The migrants were found safe wearing color-coded bracelets that were apparently used for identifying them as smugglers' clients. While the migrant children will be sent into custody of Veracruz's family services system, the adult migrants will undergo the process of determining their legal status in Mexico, INM said. The trailer was found without a driver in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, the INM said. It was customized with an extra floor to fit more people and had fans and ventilation ports in the roof. Migrants risk life in trucks Many migrants who are able to enter the United States often ask smugglers to bring their children afterwards. Earlier this year, around 57 migrant children from Guatemala were found unaccompanied in a truck at a checkpoint near the US-Mexico border. While trucks are widely used by smugglers to transport undocumented migrants to the US, it is a highly unsafe method. Last year in June, more than 50 migrants were found dead in San Antonio, Texas, after the truck carrying them was abandoned in the scorching sun. In December 2021, 56 migrants died when their truck overturned in southern Mexico.

India, with its business-friendly policies and plethora of talent, is the best place to invest in the technology and start-up sectors, said heads of several global companies such as Singapore’s DBS group, Canada’s Fairfax holdings, and Apollo chain of hospitals. “India is the best place to invest in the future. The growth is phenomenal,” said Prem Watsa, chief executive officer (CEO), Fairfax group, a financial holding company based in Toronto. The CEOs were speaking at an event in Gurugram on Wednesday organised by Indiaspora, a non-profit organisation established in 2012 with an aim to inspire and position the global Indian diaspora as a “force for good”. Chairperson and founder of Indiaspora, MR Rangaswami, said the event was dedicated to expanding the growth of Indian diaspora beyond the traditionally sought-after countries. “What about places like Trinidad, Ghana, Fiji; there are 30 million people part of the Indian diaspora worldwide. The aim is to be a force for good and connect people across the world, especially with entrepreneurs in India,” he told HT. Executive director of Indiaspora, Sanjeev Joshipura, said the aim of the non-profit organisation was three-fold — philanthropy and increasing social awareness; entrepreneurship and innovation; and most of all connecting diaspora industry leaders with resident Indian entrepreneurs. “This event is to inspire and foster a relationship between diaspora leaders and resident Indian entrepreneurs. This is also to celebrate the launch of the India office,” he told HT. The panelists deliberated on the topic — ‘what makes Indians such great entrepreneurs’. Of the Fortune 500 firms, 12 Indian-origin CEOs head some of the top multinational companies across the world, including Alphabet, Twitter, Microsoft and Adobe. The two things that work in the favour of Indians are demographics and the proficiency in English, said Piyush Gupta, CEO of the DBS group, a Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation. “Across the Indian diaspora, there is a sense of hunger,” he said. “It also helps that many are proficient in English, the language in which most business transactions happen.” Indians’ tenacity, capacity for jugaad (innovation), and their dedication ensure they achieve their targets, Gupta added. The key note address was delivered by World Cup winning former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev. Indians are fantastically driven and have the ability to take huge risks, said Shobhana Kamineni, executive vice-chairperson of the Apollo Group. “India’s technological growth, especially during Covid-19, has opened up an opportunity for it to become relevant in the health sector in several countries,” she said. “The opportunities are immense.” The panelists were also quizzed about the geo-political tensions and the growing sentiment of nationalism across the world. “After Covid-19, the world has become far more globalised than it was before,” said Piyush Gupta. “India’s reputation as a technological power hub has only grown. This is only going to accelerate further. Don’t subscribe to data localisation.” The panelists added that the tensions with China are providing an opening for India as an alternative. “This is opening up a supply chain for India, especially in the technology sector,” Gupta said. “Look at the automobile sector, semiconductors, India may just be able to achieve its target of Atmanirbhar Bharat.” A significant portion of the GDP is being consumed online, he said. “Whether it is the education sector, or financial services, the digital world is offering a range of services,” The DBS CEO added. Watsa said India provides unlimited business opportunities. “India has business friendly policies, there are already about 100 unicorns in India. Fairfax is already invested 7 million in India, and it hopes to double the number in the next 4-5 years,” he said. Asked about his interest in the privatisation of public sector banks, Vatsa said he was excited about the option but is waiting for the process to begin and refrained from commenting further. Source: Hindustan Times

India has embraced technology in every field of activity. It is adopting smart farming methods through technology and innovation in the agriculture sector and this may prove to be a game changer in the days to come by substantially raising farmers income.   How is this method beneficial? Smart farming involves the application of sensors and automated irrigation practices. It can help monitor agricultural land, temperature and soil moisture. This would enable farmers to monitor crops from anywhere. Moreover, smart farming can help integrate digital and physical infrastructures, which would benefit small farmers. Agri-based startups can reach out to the farmers and help them gain access to such viable and cost-effective solutions. Agri-based, tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming. In a unique move, the Indian government is implementing a Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), which includes India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA), Farmers’ Database, Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI), funding to the states on the new technology (NeGPA), revamping Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), Soil Health, Fertility and profile mapping.   According to a report published by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in 2019, there were more than 450 argi-based tech-driven startups in India as of 2019. This number has skyrocketed in the last two years as the sector witnessed a surge in investments and funding. Agri-based tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming.   Under the NeGPA programme funding is given to the governments in various Indian states for Digital Agriculture projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IOT), Block chain etc. Adoption of drone technologies is being done too. To promote smart farming, the government promotes startups in the agriculture sector and nurtures agri-entrepreneurs.   The ‘Per Drop More Crop’ component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through micro irrigation technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. PMKSY is a scheme initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.   The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) promotes innovation, extension and education in agriculture. A total of 1,575 field crop varieties were released for different agricultural crops during 2014-21. During 2014-21, 91.43 crore agri-advisories were provided to farmers through mobiles. ICAR developed 187 mobile apps on different farm and farmer related services during 2014-21.   The agriculture sector plays a vital role in enriching India’s economy. Agriculture accounted for almost 17.8 per cent of India’s Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019- 20. According to the World Bank’s collection of development indicators, employment rate in the Indian agriculture sector stood at 41.5 per cent in 2020. From a socio-economic standpoint, agriculture is a vital sector which requires focus and awareness at all levels.   According to India Brand Equity Foundation, the rising population and changing diets have created a huge pressure on land in India. Farmers are struggling to keep up as crop yields level off, soil degradation rises, water shortage increases, biodiversity declines, and natural calamities become more frequent. Furthermore, agriculture accounts for almost 14 per cent of India’s total greenhouse gas emissions.   In the meantime, the NITI Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission of India) conducted a study entitled “Efficacy of Minimum Support Prices on farmers”, in 2016, which found, among other things, that MSP declared by the government has encouraged 78 per cent of the farmers covered under the study for adopting improved methods of farming such as high yielding varieties of seeds, organic manure, chemical fertilizer, pesticides and improved methods of harvesting etc.   Additionally, oilseeds, pulses and copra of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) are procured from registered farmers under Price Support Scheme of the umbrella scheme of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), as per its prescribed guidelines.   The Indian national Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep Minimum Support Price or MSP at levels of one-and-half times of the cost of production. Accordingly, government has increased the MSPs for all mandated Kharif (including wheat), Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from the agricultural year 2018-19.   Moreover, India’s National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) is the only source of enrolment for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), on which farmer applications from various designated sources including banks/financial institutions are entered. Specific cut-off dates have been prescribed for enrolment of farmers, debit of premium, remittance of farmers’ premium to concerned insurance company and uploading of data of farmers on NCIP.   The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has been incentivising setting of food processing industries through central sector umbrella scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and centrally sponsored scheme ‘PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme across all the country.   Under scheme of creation of infrastructure for agro processing clusters, a component scheme of PMKSY, the scheme is aimed at development of modern infrastructure and common facilities to encourage entrepreneurs to set up food processing units based on cluster approach and also to create modern infrastructure for food processing closer to production areas and to provide integrated and complete preservation infrastructure facilitates from the farm gate to the consumer.   Source: Newsroomodisha.com

Indian Army chief General M M Naravane on Monday said the of COVID-19 pandemic has taught everyone many lessons and highlighted the importance of global and regional cooperation while tackling any pandemic or pandemic-like situation. He was talking at the inauguration session of PANEX-21, a trans-national, multi-agency exercise organised in Pune from December 20 to 22 with a focused aim to "foster jointness and develop capabilities in disaster management aspects for the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) nations". General Naravane said the outspread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world has taught everyone many lessons in terms of preventive control, mitigation strategy and protocols. "We all have witnessed in the recent past the massive disaster caused by the COVID-19 pandemic since the end of 2019 in the entire world and which is still causing havoc in many countries," he said. "India has already seen its worse effects during the second wave in April-May 2021, during which we lost a lot of precious lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has, indeed, congressed the world community together to tackle the problems, challenges and to mitigate at the earliest," he said. He noted that the development of various vaccines and vaccination drives to inoculate citizens at the earliest is a major step in this regard. "The outbreak of the pandemic also witnessed the world community rising to the circumstances with incredible and farfetched levels of not only cooperation amongst each other, but also garnering support to provide assistance in terms of medicines and other administrative requirements of the affected states during these testing times," he said. General Naravane said the country is well-versed that a natural disaster will not wait for the pandemic situation to subside. "Moreover, a dual disaster is a current reality that we must be prepared for, so as to mitigate its impact on our populations. Therefore, the importance of trans-national cooperation to gain regional cooperation on this is imperative. BIMSTEC is such a group of member nations which share many commonalities and have been involved culturally & economically since many years," he said. The BIMSTEC is a regional organization aims to regional cooperation and development comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, besides India. Sorce: The Telegraph.

Rashed Chowdhury, one of the killers of father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is currently residing in USA. Bangladesh government wants him to be deported from that country. In this regard State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam expressed his expectation that the new administration of USA will not provide shelter to any killer. The State Minister said, there will be no change in relation between the two countries as new president is going to take the charge. We hope the US administration will work according to our expectation. Our expectation is that the new US administration will not provide shelter to any killer and handover the killers of Bangabandhu. About Myanmar election Shahriar Alam said, we hope practice of democracy will continue in Myanmar through the election process. We also hope that whoever comes to power will take steps to solve the Rohingya crisis. AH