Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today said that members of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) will be deployed for nine days during the upcoming general election in February. “The Ansar force will play a responsible role and help ensure that the election is held in a festive and orderly manner,” he said. He made the remarks while briefing reporters after attending a handover ceremony of 31 vehicles to the Ansar, purchased with funds from the Bangladesh Ansar Welfare Trust, at the force’s headquarters in Khilgaon this morning. Describing Ansar as the country’s largest force,…
Author: diplomaticjourna_diplomaticjourna
The United States and Japan signed an agreement on Tuesday for “securing” supplies of critical minerals and rare earths, the White House said, as President Donald Trump visited Tokyo. The deal comes as the United States tries to boost access to critical minerals with China tightening controls on rare earths. The objective of the deal is “to assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earths supply chains”, the statement said. It said the United States and Japan would “jointly identify projects of interest to address gaps in supply chains for critical minerals and rare…
Eswatini has been blessed this year by visits from not one but two travel photographers from the ‘Low Countries’. As well as Kim Paffen from the Netherlands visiting in June and being amazed by what she saw, Belgian photographer Jonathan Ramael returned to the Kingdom in August/September. This was Jonathan’s third visit to The Kingdom of Eswatini, whose beauty and variety keep drawing him back! Jonathan visited as a guest of the Eswatini Tourism Authority with the brief to freshen up their image library with new, stunning images of attractions and experiences across the country. He did not disappoint! The images…
Gross domestic product (GDP) figures mean nothing to the average businessman who is living ‘hand-to-mouth’, trapped by debt and struggling to keep staff employed. This financial stress is captured by the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) data, which confirms that credit extended to the private sector and small firms, is falling sharply. Eswatini Contractors Association (ECA) said the economic growth is not translating to the local construction sector, with domestic contractors systematically excluded from major infrastructure works. The ECA said while donor-funded and nationally financed projects continue to expand, the exclusion of Swati contractors from meaningful participation undermines national development…
Staff Correspondent : The United States has sent a second so-called “third-country” deportation flight to the tiny Southern African nation of Eswatini, shrugging off human rights concerns. Eswatini’s government confirmed on Monday it had received 10 deportees from the US who were not nationals of the kingdom. That came after five other deportees from the US were sent to Eswatini in July. The White House confirmed the deportations on Monday, saying the individuals had committed serious crimes. Neither the US nor Eswatini confirmed the nationalities of the individuals who arrived on Monday. However, US-based immigration lawyer Tin Thanh Nguyen said they included…
In Japan, Donald Trump will meet the emperor, hold talks with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and make a speech on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier. In his stay from Monday to Wednesday, the US president will also sign deals on critical minerals and shipbuilding, and may even be gifted some gold-plated golf balls, media reports said. AFP looks at the main issues for the visit. – Hosting US troops – Tokyo is Washington’s closest regional ally. A security treaty obliges the United States to defend Japan if attacked and allows US troops to be stationed there. But Trump…
Leading Japanese entrepreneur and politician Miki Watanabe has announced plans to establish a driving school in Bangladesh to hire skilled drivers for his country. Watanabe, founder of the Watami Group, made the announcement during a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna here on Saturday evening, said CA’s Press Wing. “We are now looking for a 12,000-square-metre area to set up a driving school,” Watanabe told the Chief Adviser, adding that there is a high demand for qualified drivers in Japan and Bangladesh can be a key source of such manpower. The Chief Adviser…
Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md. Mahfuj Alam today said the government will increase facilities for newspapers and private television channels, urging the media owners to enhance benefits for journalists accordingly. He was speaking at the ‘Meet the Reporters’ programme organized by Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) at its Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium in the capital. Emphasizing the need for increasing journalists’ salaries, the adviser said the government plans to fix a minimum salary for entry-level journalists. “Media outlets that will fail to provide the minimum wage will not be eligible for any government benefits,” he added. Mahfuj Alam said the government will…
Election Commission (EC) Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed today said there is no situation so far to be panicked or concerned regarding the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad election. “So far, there is no reason for panic or concern,” he told journalists at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon. About the preparations, Akhtar Ahmed said “It is not necessary that everything must be completed exactly as per the EC’s initial plan. Certain adjustments are made depending on the situation.” “Some tasks have already been completed, while others are still in progress and will take a bit more time. Not every activity…
US President Donald Trump headed to Japan on Monday, the second leg of an Asia tour, in advance of a meeting with China’s Xi Jinping aiming to end the bruising trade war between the world’s largest economies. Washington and Beijing sounded hopeful notes at the weekend over the chances of sealing a deal, which helped on Monday to push Japan’s Nikkei above 50,000 points for the first time. Trump is expected to land in Tokyo in time for an evening appointment with the Emperor of Japan, before a meeting on Tuesday with the nation’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. The…
