China will work with all parties involved to usher Belt and Road cooperation into a new stage of high-quality development, and make relentless efforts to achieve modernization for all countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday. Global modernization should be pursued to enhance peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation and bring prosperity to all, Xi said. Xi noted that China is endeavoring to build itself into a stronger country and rejuvenate the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization. "The modernization we are pursuing is not for China alone, but for all developing countries through our joint efforts," he added. Source: CCTV

Hundreds of people joined the annual cannabis legalization protest in Germany's capital Berlin on Saturday, days before the cabinet is due to discuss a draft law that will overturn a ban on the drug. Police said between 500-600 people took part in the Hanfparade (Hemp Parade). The numbers were, however, about a third of last year's 1,500 participants. The parade started with a rally at the city's Rotes Rathaus (Red town hall) and the protest route included the Unter den Linden boulevard, the government district and Alexanderplatz. "Hemp is great for peace and climate," was the motto of this year's demonstration. The Hemp Parade has been held annually since 1997. The purpose is to call on the government to liberalize laws on soft drugs such as marijuana and hashish, which are derived from the cannabis plant. Parade organizers also advocate for easier access to medical cannabis and the widespread use of hemp, which is the same plant species as cannabis. Germany set to ease drug laws The government is planning to legalize cannabis, potentially allowing adults to possess up to 25 grams of cannabis and grow a maximum of three plants for personal use.  Under aproposed law, the drug could be cultivated and sold by so-called cannabis clubs, subject to strict rules, including in neutral packaging and a maximum of 50 grams per customer per month. The cabinet is due to discuss the bill in the coming week, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach was cited by DPA news agency as saying. Pro-cannabis advocates within the coalition government are hoping to legalize the drugs this year. The Health Ministry thinks the measure could save the country's police, legal system and prisons more than €1 billion ($1.11 billion) in costs per year. However, the proposed law faces many hurdles, including from the German Judges' Association (DRB), which believes that it will be cumbersome to uphold. "This very small-scale law would necessitate a high level of control, which would lead to numerous new disputes and to many proceedings before the courts," DRB federal director Sven Rebehn told DPA on Saturday. DRB says the proposed law will also have little impact on the black market for drugs.  Germany's police criticizes law Earlier this month, the deputy head of the German police union (GdP) said the new law would place a huge burden on the police. GdP deputy federal chairman Alexander Poitz told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) network that the draft bill lacked precision and foresight. "At no point in the draft paper does it become clear how the expected increased technical and personnel effort of the police and other authorities are to be managed," Poitz said. The planned law would allow people to smoke marijuana in public, but not within 200 meters of schools, day-care centers, playgrounds or sports fields. "I hope that the Federal Ministry of Health doesn't think our colleagues would measure the required 200-meter distance between a consumer and a day-care center with a tape measure." The Free Democratic Party (FDP), the smallest in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition, has also criticized the plans. "In its current form, it would create a real bureaucratic monster that can hardly be controlled," Kristine Lütke, the FDP's addiction and drug policy spokesperson told the Rheinische Post newspaper last month. "The FDP parliamentary group firmly rejects an upper limit for possession. After all, no one controls how many bottles of wine someone stores in the cellar," she said. Instead, she called for "proportionate and accurate regulations that provide real protection for young people and at the same time do not lead to an additional burden on the police and the judiciary." The draft is likely to change as the lower house of the German parliament, or Bundestag, debates it.

Awami League has called a countrywide demonstration today for opposing BNP's "arson terrorism". The protest rally will continue in every city, district and upazila including Dhaka. Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader announced the demonstration at a press conference after an emergency meeting at the party's central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital on Saturday afternoon. He said, "Bnp has started 'arson terrorism' again." In that time, he announced the demonstrations and protest rallies started from from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Sunday, in all thanas of Dhaka city north and south and countrywide demonstration and rallies. Top leaders of Awami League's affiliated organisations joined the meeting.

Bengaluru-based, Sikkim-origin hard rock/heavy metal band Girish And The Chronicles has struck gold this time. The band has been keeping their audience and hardcore fans on their feet all these years of tremendous performances. This time they shared the stage with the internationally famed Guns and Roses. It was indeed a matter of pride that a Sikkim-based band shared that same stage as Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Dizzy on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. The Sikkim-based group played before their musical heroes at the sold-out show. Girish And The Chronicles, who recently released their latest album ‘Back on Earth’ in January this year, will perform at several places in Abu Dhabi, followed by a European tour including festivals and club gigs in June and July. Earlier, bandleader Girish Pradhan and bassist Yogesh Pradhan performed at a tribute to Guns N’ Roses on May 20 in Bengaluru, joining the Kishan Baalaji Collective. The band took to social media to talk about what might arguably become the biggest gig of their lives. “Take a deep breath! Now here’s an example of the phrase, ‘Dreams do come true’. We are opening for Guns and F****** Roses @gunsnroses on the 1st of June, 2023, in the heart of the UAE! Unbelievable right? We can’t wait to share the stage with our all time favourite Rock ‘n Roll heroes! Totally stoked and really don’t have the words to express what we are feeling right now, but one thing’s for sure, we are so proud to represent Sikkim and India today. And Ofcourse, we will also be going in as cool Bangalore boys,” the statement said. While Guns N’ Roses will follow up with performances in Israel and Europe, Girish And The Chronicles – comprising Girish, Yogesh, guitarist Suraz Sun and drummer Nagen Mongranti – too will head to Europe in June and July. Among the confirmed performances include Summerside Festival in Sweden on June 24, plus shows in Lille, France in June 29, Ghent, Belgium in June 30 and four shows across Spain in July. As a vocalist, Pradhan remains one of the most sought-after in hard rock and heavy metal circles at the moment. Part of metal band Firstborne with drummer-composer Chris Adler (formerly of Lamb of God and Megadeth), the vocalist also leads vocals for Whitesnake guitarist-composer Joel Hoekstra’s solo project, called Joel Hoekstra’s 13. Late last year, Pradhan also announced he was part of rock supergroup The End Machine, comprising guitarist George Lynch (formerly of rock band Dokken), bassist Jeff Pilson (currently part of Foreigner) and others. Source: nenow.in

The grand event of ‘Arunachal Fashion Week – The Artisans Movement’, presented by Yana In Style, was held at Waii International Hotel in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on April 22. The event was organized to promote and preserve the traditional handicrafts and textiles of Arunachal Pradesh. The charitable event provided a platform for artisans and weavers from remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh to exhibit and showcase their creations and products. The event aimed to revive the rich textiles and promote the products of local designers and artisans by providing networking alliances with partners and markets within the country. The Arunachal Fashion Week – The Artisans Movement by Yana In Style (You Are Not Along In Style) was inaugurated by the special guest of the evening, Talo Potom, deputy commissioner of Itanagar Capital Complex, Arunachal Pradesh. The evening was filled with glamour and glitz as designers and weavers showcased their creations in a ramp walk/fashion show. The event also included cultural and awards programmes, clothing and handicrafts exhibition stalls, and an after-party. The fashion week showcased the social and cultural aspects of different tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. The designers and weavers were determined to succeed in their mission to promote and preserve loom heritage as well as the vast variety of textiles, indigenous to Arunachal Pradesh. The event also included the Spring/Summer Fashion Queen and King Award and the Buyer of the Year award. The total footfall for the event was approximately around 350. The designers who participated at the Arunachal Fashion Week were Rupa Rebe, Risha Tok, Angie Chakpu Namchoom, Juno Pinggam, Mikbi Riba, Jibom roley, Yachi Natung taniang, and Yana Ngoba Chakpu, who was also the organizer of the event. Hiphop artist and music composer, along the chain of rap culture from Itanagar, Karik Yomcha aka Meverick aka karick_y performed at the event. The event was a huge success, with visitors appreciating the traditional handicrafts and textiles of Arunachal Pradesh. The Arunachal Fashion Week – The Artisans Movement by Yana In Style is an excellent initiative to promote and preserve the local artisans and weavers of Arunachal Pradesh. The event has helped to create a bridge between local artisans and designers with buyers and markets both locally and nationally. Apart from promoting the traditional handicrafts and textiles of Arunachal Pradesh, the event also worked towards providing a livelihood to many artisans and weavers.

Amid all the noise surrounding India assuming charge of the G20 presidency from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, and its subsequent meets across states, it is easy to sideline a meeting of similar calibre that is being held in the Northeast. To explore partnership among business communities from G20 member countries towards developing a common agenda for development of critical sectors of the economy as a growth driver, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will be organising B20 programmes across four states in Northeast India.  The Business 20 or B20 is a group that represents the private sector within the Group of 20 (G20) Forum. This organization was created to provide a platform for the business community to engage with the G20 and to offer recommendations on policies that can support global economic growth and development. To further explore this partnership, the CII, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Northeastern state governments, will organize B20 programmes in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim. These B20 programmes will showcase the potential that the Northeast region offers for global and local investors, as well as highlight opportunities for multilateral business partnerships in industry sectors where the Northeastern states have core strengths. The B20 programme in Imphal, scheduled from February 17-19, will focus on ICT, medical tourism, healthcare, and handloom. The B20 programme in Aizawl, scheduled from March 1-3, will focus on urban planning, infrastructure, and skill development. Gangtok will host a B20 programme focusing on tourism, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and organic farming from March 16-19. Finally, the B20 programme in Kohima, scheduled for April 4-6, will focus on agriculture and food processing. In addition to the Business 20 meetings, each state will organize an excursion to tourist sights, a cultural program, and a gala dinner for participants to acquaint them with Northeast India. At the precursor program of B20 India Initiatives for Northeast states, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of State of External Affairs, emphasized the unique strengths of the Northeast region and its business potential. He invited representatives of diplomatic missions, and bilateral and multilateral agencies to take part in the B20 programs scheduled in the Northeast. Sharing the growth statistics, Dr Singh highlighted that the number of airports in the region increased from nine to sixteen over the last eight years. The number of flights connecting the region also increased by over 100%, going from approximately 900 flights before 2014 to about 1,900 flights today. Additionally, many Northeastern states have been added to the Indian Railways map for the first time, while the length of national highways increased by 50% since 2014. Efforts are also being made to expand the waterways, Dr Singh said. Muktesh K Pardeshi, OSD of G20 Operations, mentioned that in addition to the B20 events being organized in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim, other events such as Youth 20, Science 20, and Space 20 are being organized in the remaining states of the Northeast. Harsh Vardhan Singla, the Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency, announced that the B20 events in the Northeast will provide a platform for one-on-one interaction with state ministers as well as some union ministers. The residence commissioners of Manipur, Mizoram, and Sikkim in Delhi and the home commissioner of Nagaland highlighted the business opportunities in their respective states. Pradeep Bagla, Co-chairman of the CII North-East Council, extended an invitation to diplomatic missions from G20 countries to facilitate trade and business delegations to participate in the B20 initiatives in the northeastern states. Source: East Mojo

At Dhaka University, a rally stage built to mark the 75th anniversary of Bangladesh Chhatra League, broke down this afternoon while Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader was delivering his speech. Obaidul Quader was delivering his speech as the chief guest at the programme.  At one point of his speech, the stage, crowded with Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and activists, collapsed, confirmed witnesses. Quader, however, stood up and completed his speech, sources said.

The global commodity price and supply-chain shock due to the war in Europe, the macroeconomic outlook for 2023, and the financing of sustainable infrastructure were some of the main points discussed on Day 1 of the meeting of the Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) of the Group of Twenty (G20) in Bengaluru on Tuesday. This is the first meeting of the Finance Track of G20 under India’s Presidentship and is expected to set the agenda for the meeting of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru as well, in February. The three-day FCBD meeting will see discussions on the global macroeconomic situation, international financial architecture, sustainable infrastructure and its financing, international taxation, and financial inclusion, the finance ministry tweeted. The ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are jointly co-hosting the FCBD meeting. Heading the meeting are Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth and RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra. Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran was also present. “In the first session on global economy and framework for growth, the G20 finance deputies led the discussions on global economic outlook and risks, besides policy responses, to tackle emerging global challenges. Members spoke on immediate challenges of global inflation, food and energy security, along with deliberation on the issue of climate change,” the ministry said. As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions by Western economies, about a third of the global economy is expected to slip into recession in calendar 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund. The Finance Track of the powerful G20 grouping is older than the Sherpa Track since G20 was formed with the intention of governance of the global economy. There are five working groups in the Finance Track, dealing with issues such as infrastructure, climate and sustainable infrastructure financing, global taxation, debt levels, and sustainability, especially in low-income nations, multilateral institutions, cross-border financial crimes, and regulation of crypto currency and other digital assets. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has spoken about the key focus areas of the Finance Track. Last month, she had said that climate and sustainable development financing, multilateral institution reforms, regulation of digital assets, impact on developing economies from the spillovers of the actions of Western central banks, energy and food security in the backdrop of the war in Europe, and sanctions on Russia and their impact on the global economy could be items on the agenda. Source: Business Standard  

The world is currently in the early stages of a third wave, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.     "We are now in the early stages of a third wave," he said in his opening remarks at the 8th meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee on COVID-19.     The WHO head said that in the past week cases of COVID-19 were increasing globally, and deaths have started to go up again. Moreover, "deaths are increasing again" after 10 weeks of declines, he added. "The Delta variant is one of the main drivers of the current increase in transmission, fueled by increased social mixing and mobility, and inconsistent use of proven public health and social measures," he stated.     According to Ghebreyesus, "the Delta variant is now in more than 111 countries," so the WHO expects "it to soon be the dominant COVID-19 strain circulating worldwide, if it isn't already."     The WHO head slammed "a shocking disparity in the global distribution of vaccines". Meanwhile, lack of access to vaccines leaves most of the world's population "at the mercy of the virus", the WHO director general said recalling that "many countries still have not received any vaccines, and most have not received enough".     Although, Ghebreyesus argued, "COVAX can work, but the scale is still far too small, with just over 100 million doses shipped". Source: TASS/BSS AH

The novel coronavirus pandemic is at a very dangerous stage at the moment, despite the global community's successes in fighting it, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday.   "While we have progress in controlling the pandemic, it remains in a very dangerous phase," the WHO chief said at a meeting of the ACT Accelerator Facilitation Council. In the current situation, "the only way out is to support countries in the equitable distribution of PPE [personal protective equipment], tests, treatments and vaccines," he continued. Ghebreyesus added that states with sufficient instruments to fight the novel coronavirus have already started to ease pandemic-related restrictions. "Meanwhile, countries without access to sufficient supplies are facing waves of hospitalizations and death," he added. The WHO director general also raised the issue during another event on Tuesday, while attending the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-Level Political Forum. In his address, Ghebreyesus noted "steep epidemic" in African, Asian and American countries. "In fact, these cases and deaths are largely avoidable," he said, calling upon the global community to "use all the tools at our disposal to prevent transmission." According to Ghebreyesus, the pandemic demonstrated that "relying on a few companies to supply global public goods is limiting and risky." "We have to learn the lessons of COVID-19," he said, calling upon the global community "to prepare for the next one." In late December 2019, Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Since the start of pandemic, 183,934,913 cases have been reported worldwide, while the death toll stands at 3,985,022. The number of cases grew by 326,231 in the past 24 hours, while the number of deaths increased by 6,347. The international partnership named the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, or ACT-Accelerator, was officially launched on April 24 by the WHO, the EU, France, and philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates. As the WHO explained, the new initiative "is a unique partnership of many of the world's international health organizations who have come together to share, and build on, individual expertise to create a powerful global solution that will ensure equity in access to tests, vaccines, treatments across the world with one goal: to reduce the burden of the COVID-19.". Source: TASS/BSS AH