De/Cypher Data Dive 📈
Af-Pak De/Cypher
18 March, 2024
Top Stories📜 this week
2 officers among 7 soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on post in North Waziristan: ISPR
A terrorist attack on a security force post in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, killed seven soldiers, including two officers, according to the ISPR. In the early hours of March 16, 2024, six terrorists attacked the post, killing five soldiers. Six terrorists were eventually neutralized during the clearance operation. Read more: Dawn
US Ambassador meets PM to express support for ‘democracy, independent press’
US Ambassador Donald Blome met with PM Shehbaz Sharif to express US support for Pakistan’s democracy and independent press. The discussions covered bilateral issues, IMF-led economic reforms, and collaboration on climate change projects. The PM expressed satisfaction with current bilateral relations, focusing on trade, investment, and macroeconomic reforms to stabilize the economy and attract foreign investment. Read more: Pakistan Today
PM gives one-year extension to PAF chief Zaheer Babar
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has granted Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu a one-year extension, effective immediately. Sidhu became the second PAF chief in history to be given an extension, following Air Chief Marshal Anwar Shamim Khan in 1981. The Defense Ministry awaited President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval before issuing the formal notification. Read more: The Nation
Pakistan likely to sign staff-level agreement with IMF next week
Pakistan is expected to sign a staff-level agreement with the IMF next week for the final $1.1 billion tranche of the SBA Agreement. The agreement includes plans to raise electricity tariffs on July 1 and implement fuel adjustments. Due to federal funding shortages, Pakistan declined the IMF’s request to revisit the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. Read more: The Business Recorder
Pakistan central bank expected to hold rates on Monday, cut in Q2 2024, Reuters poll finds
Pakistan’s central bank is expected to hold its key interest rate at 22% for the 6th consecutive straight policy meeting as inflation is a risk that the country faces. A poll of 17 analysts by Reuters believes the bank will hold its rate steady due to the expected bail-out that Pakistan is asking of the IMF. The month of Ramzan has seen heightened food inflation, gas prices and the country’s slowest consumer price index rise at 23.1%. Read more: Reuters
Balochistan reports first polio case in 3 years
Balochistan has reported its first polio case in three years, raising concerns among health officials. The two-and-a-half-year-old child from Dera Bugti tested positive, indicating the virus’s reemergence. Poliovirus has also been detected in Quetta’s environmental samples since August 2023, highlighting gaps in vaccination and surveillance. Read more: The Express Tribune
The urgent need for population control in Pakistan
Pakistan’s rising population at a rate of 2% per year, can lead to exponential socio-economic hardships for the country already grappling with high levels of inflation and economic uncertainty. Studies estimate the Pakistani population to reach 355 million by 2050. With the country’s limited resources, this could be disastrous as basic amenities such as education, healthcare, and employment will suffer. Read more: The Express Tribune
Renewable energy sources: Pakistan should turn to China
Pakistan’s energy crisis has serious repercussions on the economy and the people of the country who are facing high levels of inflation. The country does not have sufficient foreign funds to be able to able to import oil and gas from other countries and is presently seeking to close a bailout deal with the IMF for the same. A focus on developing Islamabad’s renewable energy capacities is the need of the hour. A potential partnership with China in building such capacities would be best suited for the country. Read more: The Express Tribune
Pakistanis feed predatory birds despite crackdown on practice
Despite a crackdown, Pakistanis continue to feed predatory birds as a form of charity, tossing meat off bridges in cities such as Lahore and Karachi. This long-banned practice benefits roadside vendors while raising concerns about bird aggression and airport safety due to increased kite numbers. Authorities are taking action, but the belief in this good luck ritual remains strong in Pakistan. Read more: Arab News
Pakistani platform targeting entrepreneural growth sets sights on thriving GCC market
Paklaunch, which supports Pakistani startups, plans to expand into the GCC to become the largest tech community by 2024. With $90 million raised for 90 startups and 400+ events since 2022, the company’s recent $1 million seed funding aims to expand into Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Aly Fahd founded Paklaunch in 2020, which grew from 1,200 to 350,000 members in three years and is now active in 40 countries. Read more: Arab News
Bangladesh De/Cypher
18 March, 2024
Top Stories📜 this week
President, PM pay homage to Bangabandhu at Tungipara
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his 104th birth anniversary in Tungipara, which coincided with National Children’s Day 2024. Read more: The Daily Star
Hijacked ship located near northeast Somalia
The MV Abdullah, hijacked near northeast Somalia, was discovered four nautical miles from shore with 23 crew members safe after five days in captivity. The crew sought help while the company worked on food and water supplies. Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud urged responsible action for a safe rescue, citing previous successful efforts. The vessel, which was carrying 58,000 tonnes of coal, was hijacked while en route to the UAE. Read more: New Age
179 Myanmar BGP personnel flee across border into Bangladesh in a day
On 11th Monday March, 179 Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) personnel fled into Bangladesh in a single day from the Chakdhola area of Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari after heavy fighting with armed rebels. They entered near Jamchari BOP, then from Myanmar’s Angthapaya camp. Bangladesh returned 330 Myanmar citizens, including 302 BGP personnel, following a recent spate of border clashes that resulted in casualties on the Bangladesh side. Read more: BD News 24
UK announces Tk 73 crore aid for Rohingyas
The United Kingdom has announced a Tk 73.20 crore aid package for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, which will be implemented by World Food Program (WFP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Refugee Agency,. The assistance will primarily provide food and cooking gas in Cox’s Bazar. Read more: Somoy News
UN, partners seek $852.4m to support Rohingya refugees, Bangladeshi hosts
The UN and partners launched the 2024 Joint Response Plan, led by Bangladesh, seeking $852.4 million to aid Rohingya refugees and host communities. Nearly 1 million refugees, mostly from Myanmar, are hosted by Bangladesh. The plan aims to provide 1.35 million people with essentials like food, shelter, healthcare, and education, especially focusing on vulnerable groups like women and children. Read more: The Business Standard
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to visit Bangladesh 18-21 March
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, will visit Bangladesh from March 18 to 21, alongside Swedish Minister Johan Forssell and UNDP’s Ulrika Modéer. The purpose of the visit, which will focus on SDGs, climate, gender equality, and digital transition, is to learn about Bangladesh’s development journey. They will meet with government officials, entrepreneurs, and visit Rohingya refugee camps to highlight the importance of the business sector in sustainable development. Read more: The Daily Sun
Irish Minister Simon Coveney to meet PM Hasina on 18th March
Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, Simon Coveney, arrived in Dhaka for a two-day official visit focused on enhancing bilateral trade and investment. The visit aims to strengthen the longstanding ties between Bangladesh and Ireland, with a particular emphasis on economic cooperation and the IT sector. Read more: Dhaka Tribune
‘Vendetta against Prof Yunus’ to negatively impact US-Bangladesh partnership: Senator
US Senator Richard Joseph Durbin warned Bangladesh’s ambassador to the US that the vendetta against Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus could jeopardize bilateral relations. Senator Durbin emphasized the importance of putting an end to Prof. Yunus’ harassment in order to foster a positive partnership. This warning comes amid discussions about the US-Bangladesh relationship, specifically Bangladesh’s assistance to the Rohingyas, which were highlighted by Senator Durbin’s meeting with the ambassador. Read more: The Daily Observer
Japan wants to work with BD to establish gender-balanced society: Envoy
Iwama Kiminori, the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, praised the country’s progress toward gender equality and expressed Japan’s willingness to collaborate to create gender-balanced societies. He emphasized the learning opportunities that Japan sees in Bangladesh’s achievements, emphasizing mutual learning toward the common goal of increasing female participation in society. Read more: The Financial Express
Japan chooses Bangladesh, others to get rid of surplus LNG: report
According to an Institute for Energy Economics report, Japan’s largest LNG buyers, which are facing a surplus, are expanding into South and Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh. Japan aims for 100 million tonnes per annum of LNG transactions by 2030, with a focus on Southeast Asian value chains. Following a $10 billion market development funding round, investments have been made in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Read more: New Age
Asia Headlines Quick Recap 🌏
World’s Top Solar Firm Longi Plans Thousands of Job Cuts on Glut
Longi Green Technology, the world’s largest solar manufacturer, is laying off 30% of its 80,000-person workforce due to industry overcapacity and competition. This move follows previous layoffs due to pricing pressures, with Longi’s net income falling 44% in Q3 2023. Analysts predict a potential industry rebound by late 2024, citing Longi’s $7.4 billion cash reserves in 2022. Read more: Bloomberg
China’s corruption watchdog zeroes in on cadres’ fake business investments
China’s top anti-graft watchdog is targeting cadres who take bribes in the form of “dividends” from fake business investments, a type of corruption that authorities say is becoming more common, secretive and complex. Read more: SCMP
Russia-China relations will become stronger, Vladimir Putin says in post-election victory speech
Russian President Vladimir Putin forecast that Russia-China relations would become stronger in the coming years. Putin spoke in central Moscow on Sunday after partial results showed he had won Russia’s presidential election by a landslide. Putin won 87.8 per cent of the vote, the highest ever result in Russia’s post-Soviet history, according to an exit poll by pollster the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) put Putin on 87 per cent. First official results indicated the polls were accurate. Read more: SCMP
India shines light on hair smuggling as China demand grows
An Indian investigation into an alleged hair smuggling racket has shone a light on illicit trade blamed for wiping out thousands of jobs and threatening the South Asian country’s competitiveness in a growing industry. India‘s Enforcement Directorate earlier this month said it had exposed the smuggling of hair to countries such as Myanmar and Bangladesh and on to China via a network of agents and suppliers catering to burgeoning demand for wigs, hair extensions and hairpieces. Read more: Nikkei
U.S. seeks to revive idled shipyards with help of Japan, South Korea
Struggling to keep up with China’s naval shipbuilding spree, the U.S. is looking to reopen closed or inactive American shipyards with the help of Asian capital, engineers and shipbuilding expertise. Last week, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visited two shipyards in South Korea and one in Japan, pitching at each stop the idea of joining projects to revive dormant shipyards in the U.S. Read more: Nikkei
Thank you for Reading!!!
