Election to 233 local government bodies, including by-polls to Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) and general election to Mymensingh City Corporation (MCC), will be held on March 9. Election Commission (EC) secretariat secretary Jahangir Alam announced the polls schedule at a press conference held at Agargaon Nirbachan Bhaban today (Jan 24). According to the schedule, the last date for submission of nomination papers to the returning officers is on February 13 and nomination papers will be scrutinized on February 15. Appeals against cancellation of candidatures will be settled on February 19 and 20.   The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is February 22 and symbol will be distributed on February 23.   Voting will take place from 8am to 4pm on March 9.   EC secretary said voting of city corporations, pourashavas and district councils will take place in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). But ballot paper will be used in general elections of union parishads and different vacant posts, he added.   Jahangir Alam said Regional election officials will act as returning office for Mymensingh and Cumilla city corporation polls.   Source: BSS

The results of 214 out of 299 constituencies have been received till 11:40 pm on Sunday (January 7). According to the unofficial results, Awami League candidates secured 157 seats . Apart from this, 49 independent candidates and 8 Jatiya Party candidates have been elected. The party that wins more than half of the 300 seats i.e. 151 or more seats forms the government. As such, Awami League has already secured 157 seats . As a result, the party lead by Sheikh Hasina is going to form the government for the fourth consecutive time.

Tibetans in earthquake-affected areas of China’s Qinghai Province have received scarce help from the Chinese government, except for “some tent facilities” and utilities checks for those whose homes were destroyed by a December earthquake, at least three sources inside the country told Radio Free Asia.   A magnitude 6.2 earthquake rocked the northwestern Chinese provinces of Qinghai and Gansu on Dec. 18 — one of the most powerful earthquakes the country has seen in recent years — killing at least 149 people and injuring over 780 others.    The earthquake brought down buildings across Jishishan county and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu — the worst hit province — as well as in parts of neighboring Qinghai, a province on the Tibetan plateau. The affected areas in Qinghai are mainly populated by Tibetans. In the absence of adequate aid from the Chinese government, Tibetans in other parts of Chinese-occupied Tibet as well as Tibetan lay and monastic communities have sent funds and supplies to those displaced by the quake, said the sources, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons.    “Other than laying a few tents three days after the quake, the Chinese government did not provide any special assistance or aid, but many Tibetan individuals, organizations, and monasteries from all over Tibet have volunteered help with funds and relief materials, so we have not faced any immediate difficulties,” at least two sources told RFA. Another source noted that more than a week after the earthquake, Chinese authorities had conducted checks to see if water and electricity supplies were flowing but that no other aid or housing and relocation facilities had been provided.   China’s local housing and urban-rural development bureau, however, said it is building 15,000 prefabricated houses in Gansu for quake-affected people and estimates they will be completed by the end of December, Chinese state media reported.

The German government failed at meeting emissions reduction targets in transportation and construction, the court ruled. A German court sided with environmental groups on Thursday, ruling that the federal government had failed to meet its own climate goals in the transport and building sectors. The ruling comes a day before Chancellor Olaf Scholz was due to travel to the COP28 climate summit. Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the BUND environmentalist groups had taken the German government to court, accusing it of violating Germany's Climate Protection Act, which currently stipulates annual targets for each sector to reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Specifically, the law requires individual ministries to implement an immediate action plan to reduce emissions if a sector misses the targets of the law, which are the reduction of 65% emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In Thursday's ruling, the court said Berlin must adopt an "immediate program" to reduce emissions in the transportation and construction sectors. Stefanie Langkamp, a spokeswoman for the Climate Alliance Germany network, said the verdict was a "severe reprimand" for the government. "It is internationally embarrassing and damaging that a court judgment is needed because the German government is not complying" with its own climate laws, she said. High emissions in transport and building The government was brought to court for not doing enough to get back on track with its climate goals, after missing emissions targets for transport and building in 2021.  That year, the transport sector exceeded its CO2 emissions target by 3.1 million tons, according to BUND, and in the construction sector, it exceeded emissions by 2.5 million tons. "The court has allowed the appeal. The Federal Government will examine the ruling and its justification in detail as soon as it is available in writing and then examine the next steps," Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck said in response. The ruling comes as the coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been under over its promises to tackle climate change after another court ruling reduced its ability to respond to the crisis. This month, Germany's Constitutional Court ruled that the government had acted illegally when it transferred €60 billion ($65 billion) of unused borrowing money from COVID-19 funds to a "climate and transformation fund." The ruling wiped out €60 billion from the climate fund, which had been worth €212 billion.  

The Indian government has set an emission limit of two-kilogram carbon dioxide for every kilogram of hydrogen produced to be classified as “green” from renewable sources, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said on Saturday. It said its notification would bring widely awaited clarity for green hydrogen production in India. “With this notification, India becomes one of the first few countries in the world to announce a definition of Green Hydrogen,” the ministry said in the statement detailing what emissions would be accounted for. India wants to become a global hub for the production of green hydrogen and is aiming for annual production of 5 million tons of fuel by 2030, which would cut about 50 million metric tons of carbon emissions and save more than $12 billion on fossil fuel imports. It is an ambitious plan for a country whose hydrogen consumed is currently produced mostly with fossil fuels. While hydrogen fuel only emits water when used as fuel, it is made by electrolysis plants that split water molecules. At issue is what energy is used to produce it and the carbon emissions involved in the process. Earlier this year, officials told Reuters India, which holds the rotating G20 presidency this year, suggested a 1 kg CO2 emissions limit for green hydrogen, half of the threshold announced on Saturday. Although first production is expected only in 2026, India has been negotiating bilateral agreements with the European Union, Japan and other countries to start exporting the fuel. Source: Arabnews

Little-known politician Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will serve as caretaker prime minister until elections take place. The ceremony on Pakistan's Independence Day comes amid ongoing political turmoil in the country. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, a former senator for Baluchistan province, was on Monday sworn in as head of a caretaker government in Pakistan that will oversee parliamentary elections constitutionally due within 90 days. Kakar is taking over the reins from and with the approval of Shehbaz Sharif, who took power in April 2022 following the controversial ouster of popular ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote in parliament. In Pakistan, it is customary for a caretaker administration to be appointed for the election period. Parliament was officially dissolved last week. Who is Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar? Kakar, who was sworn in on Monday in a ceremony broadcast live on TV, has been representing Baluchistan province in the Senate since 2018. He quit as the leader of the small Baluchistan Awami Party and as a senator on Sunday after being named as interim prime minister by Sharif and opposition leader Raza Riaz. Outgoing Premier Sharif said in a farewell address late on Sunday that "I have confidence in the caretaker prime minister's ability to conduct free and fair elections."   Kakar will first have the job of selecting a Cabinet to look after the day-to-day running of the country going into the elections, which some observers feel may be delayed partly owing to the political and economic crises facing the nation. Among other things, Khan's ouster has been a major contributor to sharp divisions in the country. What problems face Pakistan? Pakistan has been in the grips of considerable political turbulence since Khan, who has since been sentenced to three years' jail on graft charges and disqualified for five years from standing for office, was removed from power. Authorities have been taking vigorous action to suppress Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in recent months, among other things by detaining thousands of his supporters and officials. Despite the fact that Khan, who has appealed his conviction, could not at present run in elections, the PTI party is likely to remain  a potent rival to Sharif's ruling Pakistan Muslim League party. Pakistan has also been in a state of economic turmoil in recent years, with rampant corruption, the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters all putting its economy under severe strain. In July, the International Monetary Fund approved a $3 billion (€2.7 billion) bailout package for the country to help stabilize the faltering economy.

India expressed the hope that the upcoming general election in Bangladesh would be held peacefully on Friday, August 11. Responding to a media query, India's External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a weekly media briefing here this afternoon that, he doesn't have any particular comments on "internal development" there (Bangladesh). BSS Reported "I think, I have spoken it last week...Look, I don't have really any particular comments on internal development there (Bangladesh)," he said. On the issue of caretaker government, he declined to make comments on it saying those are Bangladesh's international affairs. But he mentioned that the "Constitution of the country (Bangladesh) has a position on it". Earlier, on August 3, the MEA Spokesperson said New Delhi wants Bangladesh's election and democratic process to be decided by the people of the country and expected that the polls would be held in a peaceful atmosphere, noting "what happens in Bangladesh, impacts us (India)". In the regular press briefing, he said India is closely monitoring (the situation in Bangladesh) by its High Commission in Dhaka and hoped "there is peace and no violence and the elections are held as per plans."

The government will release two commemorative coins of ₹ 100 and ₹ 75 to mark India's G20 presidency. According to a gazette notification issued on July 24, the commemorative ₹ 100 coin will bear the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the centre with the legend Satyamev Jayate in Devnagari on its obverse side. It will also be flanked on the left periphery with the word 'Bharat' in Devnagari script and on the right periphery with the word 'India' in English. The reverse side of the coin will have the design of the logo of India's G20 Presidency in the centre and Vasudhev Kutumbkam will be written in Devnagari script on the upper periphery of the coin and the inscription 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' in English will be written on lower periphery of the coin, as per the notification. These features will also be there on the ₹ 75 coin. The standard weight of both coins would be 35 grams each and they will be of 44 millimetres in diameter. India's presidency of the G20 is from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. The G20 is an inter-governmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies. Under India's presidency, the leaders' summit is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10. Commemorative coins are typically issued by the government to mark a special  Source: NDTV

Concerns over the growing influence of pro-Khalistan radicals within the British Sikh community have been raised in 'Bloom Report,' an independent report that former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson commissioned, reported Khalsa Vox. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in October 2019, appointed Colin Bloom as an Independent Faith Engagement Adviser in order to make suggestions on how the government should interact with religious organisations in England.  One of the most troubling aspects highlighted by Colin Bloom in the report is the manipulation of young, impressionable minds by Khalistani separatists. It underscores a more insidious dimension of the extremist issue: the exploitation of the innocent. It is notable to mention that attacks by the Khalistani elements on Indian missions across the world have been rising over the course of time. On March 19, earlier this year, a group of Khalistanis vandalised the High Commission and showed disrespect to the Indian National Flag in London. Such threats and attacks from pro-Khalistani elements rose after the killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Nijjar. A ‘Kill India’ rally was scheduled by Khalistani elements in Australia, UK, Canada and even in US following Nijjar's death.  However, the objectives of Bloom Report included determining what the government can do to acknowledge and support the contributions made by religious organisations within communities, the best way to remove obstacles and foster understanding between religious communities, the steps the government can take to promote shared values and combat harmful cultures and practises, and how it can promote, in addition to the freedom of religion, the values of freedom of speech, democracy, and the rule of law? The sections of the study on Khalistan radicalism in the UK have, as they should have, created a firestorm of outrage, as per Khalsa Vox. Khalsa Vox is a new-age online digest that brings to you the latest in Punjab politics, history, culture, heritage and more. The Bloom Review, an independent report commissioned by the UK government to examine how it should interact with people of faith, has been dismissed by a group of Sikh attorneys in Britain who claim it is "colonialist" since it devotes 13 pages to “faith-based extremism.” The perceived broad-brush approach of the report is the root of the problem. It is an egregious misrepresentation to say that the whole Sikh community is represented by the small percentage of Sikhs who participate in radical Khalistani activities. The vast majority of Sikhs are law-abiding, non-violent people who have little to no ties to radicalism. Even though the Bloom Report does acknowledge the majority of peaceful people, its focus on the radical minority has troubling ramifications. But the report's conclusions cannot be discounted in any manner. The problem here is that a few extreme Sikh diaspora members have come up and claimed to speak for the whole community. Given that radicals from Khalistan have committed several violent and aggressive crimes, that is both dangerous and deceptive. According to the report, violent Sikh activists have attacked several politicians, professors, and bureaucrats and have abused or threatened anybody who criticises them. The UK government's inability to distinguish between the radical objectives of the dictatorship and the mainstream Sikh populations has raised concerns in the study, according to Khalsa Vox. Here, one must ask: Is the Bloom Report entirely inaccurate? Despite its obvious flaws, it would be premature to dismiss it completely. It prompts legitimate worries about the existence of a minor but mighty extremist element inside the Sikh community, a danger that cannot be ignored. It highlights a more insidious aspect of the extremist problem: the exploitation of the innocent. In reality, this brainwashing of young Sikhs is a covert strategy to provoke them to pursue separatist goals under the pretence of preserving cultural heritage and freedom. The spread of extremist ideologies is dangerous, but so is the potential long-term harm to these young minds and the social fabric of our communities. This calls for alertness, knowledge, and—most crucially—open discussions about the intricacies of our past and the dangers of radicalization, read the report. The Bloom Report should be seen as a wake-up call. It emphasises the necessity of addressing and combating extremism in our community. Our first course of action should be to inform young people about the dangers of extremism, emphasise the values of peace and tolerance that Sikhism upholds, work with law enforcement to combat extremism, and publicly denounce extremist tendencies wherever we see them, reported Khalsa Vox. The bombing of the Kanishka flight, attacks on Indian embassies and consulates in nations like Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, plans to bomb targets in London, and the plot to attack a police station in Birmingham serve as sobering reminders that the extremist problem is real and far from being insignificant. The recent comments made by Lord Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon highlight how urgent the situation is. "People have been threatened and beaten up," he said. Such acts of intimidation and violence are intolerable. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, 'To ensure education, health care, socio-economic development of people and overall infrastructural development, Awami League government has been working relentlessly. On Saturday, July 01, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made this statement while attending a meeting on the occasion of exchanging the Eid greetings with Gopalganj's Kotalipara Upazila Awami League leaders and activists. At the beginning of the meeting, 11 union and municipal Awami League leaders, associate and fraternal organization presidents, general secretaries and elected public representatives of Kotalipara spoke.  At this time, they congratulated the Awami League president Sheikh Hasina on Eid ul Azha.