Pope Francis led Easter Sunday celebrations, amid renewed focus on his health. He called for peace in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, and for prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine. Crowds cathered in St. Peter's Square for the Mass presided over by Pope Francis that began Easter Sunday celebrations in the Vatican.  Francis, seated on a chair with a large golden crucifix behind it, waved and spoke with other clerics at the service that started at around 10 a.m. local time (0800 UTC/GMT) on Sunday.  Appeal for cease-fire in Gaza, and Russia-Ukraine prisoner swaps Francis called for steps towards deescalation in the conflicts in both Ukraine and Gaza during his Easter message at around noon.  "Peace is never made with weapons. But with outstretched hands and open hearts," Francis said during his "Urbi et Orbi" ("to the city and to the world") blessing from the loggia overlooking the square.  "I appeal once again that access to humanitarian aid be ensured to Gaza, and call once more for the prompt release of the hostages seized on October 7 and for an immediate cease-fire," the pope said, following the passage of a resolution with similar demands through the UN Security Council.  On the subject of Ukraine, a difficult issue for the pontiff following Kyiv's criticism of his recent calls for Ukraine to show the "courage of the white flag" and negotiate with Russia, he recommended instead a large-scale prisoner swap as a show of good faith between the two sides.  "In calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine," he told worshippers.  Toured area in popemobile after service The pontiff used his open-topped popemobile to tour the square and the avenue connecting the Vatican to the River Tiber after the service, greeting tens of thousands who'd lined up to see him.  Sunday's ceremony is the highpoint of the Catholic church's most important religious festival.  According to Christian traditions, Easter celebrates Jesus' resurrection and the victory of life over death. St. Peter's Square was bedecked with flowers gifted from the Netherlands on Sunday, a tradition now going back decades. Swiss Guards lined the courtyard. Pope's health back in focus amid Christianity's most important festival On Saturday, Pope Francis led the Easter Vigil ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica, condemning selfishness and apathy in the world and voicing hope for peace.  This followed him skipping the Good Friday procession at short notice in what Vatican officials said was a precautionary step given the weekend's busy itinerary.  The 87-year-old Argentine pontiff has been in poor health in recent months and Friday's cancellation revived attention in the Italian and international press.  Francis had missed the "Via Crucis" (Way of the Cross) procession on Good Friday in 2023 as well, but that had been announced well in advance following a hospital stay with bronchitis. He underwent a hernia operation a few weeks later.  He also missed one other homily around a week ago and delegated speaking roles to others at some recent events where he was said to appear fatigued. But on Saturday, having arrived in a wheelchair, Francis spoke for around 10 minutes during a two-and-a-half-hour ceremony and stayed afterward to talk with participants.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to take initiatives for creating a large international fund to help the Rohingyas in Bangladesh. The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with visiting UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. After the meeting, PM's Speechwriter Nazrul Islam briefed reporters on Monday (March 18). Including Rohingya issue, various bilateral and multilateral issues along with climate change were discussed in the meeting.  

The U.S. is pushing Japan and the Netherlands to expand their restrictions on semiconductor-related exports to China, seeking to cover equipment for older-generation chips as well as chipmaking chemicals. The U.S. imposed sweeping export curbs in October 2022 to limit China's access to semiconductors seen as key for technologies such as artificial intelligence and self-driving vehicles, as well as high-tech weapons. Japan and the Netherlands followed suit last year at Washington's behest, but shipments to China of products not covered by the bans, mainly midrange to high-end chipmaking gear, have grown sharply. This has alarmed Washington, spurring it to press for tougher measures by two countries that are major players in the field. The current curbs broadly restrict exports of gear for making semiconductors in the 10- to 14-nanometer range or smaller. The U.S. wants this expanded to encompass some equipment for older, generic chips. Washington likely has its eye on lithography equipment, which prints circuits onto silicon wafers, and etching systems, used in three-dimensional stacking of memory chips. Japanese players such as Nikon and Tokyo Electron have particularly advanced capabilities in those fields. Essential chipmaking chemicals such as photoresist, for which Japanese companies including Shin-Etsu Chemical control over 90% of the market, are also believed to be in Washington's crosshairs. The Netherlands, home to semiconductor gear maker ASML, has been asked to stop companies from maintaining and servicing chipmaking equipment sold to China before last year's trade curbs took effect. The U.S. has urged Germany and South Korea to stop supplying necessary components as well, according to Bloomberg. Japanese officials and companies have been taken aback by the pressure. "We have no plans to take new measures at this time," Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Saito said Friday. Tokyo last July added 23 items to its list of products subject to export restrictions, including equipment for making advanced semiconductors. It already requires permission to export photoresist for extreme ultraviolet lithography. If Tokyo tightens its curbs on equipment for older chips, Japanese companies might lose market share without meaningfully affecting China's access to products that it still could source from elsewhere. A Shin-Etsu representative said the company cannot comment regarding semiconductor materials. Photoresist maker JSR said it "cannot comment while the details are unknown." The pressure from the U.S. comes amid signs that its initial strategy to slow China's chipmaking advances has not worked as well as hoped. Huawei Technologies in August rolled out smartphones with 7-nm chips -- technology subject to the U.S. curbs -- that China asserts were homegrown. It may have improved on equipment for making older chips that fell outside the restrictions, or used parts and technology acquired before the restrictions took effect. Washington tightened its controls in October, essentially banning exports to global subsidiaries and offices of Chinese companies. The U.S. appears worried that its efforts may be ineffective without another round of coordinated action by allies.   Source: Nikkei Asia

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that it is strange to increase the prices of commodities during the holy month of Ramadan. She said this in the first session of the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday (March 5). The Prime Minister said that the holy month of Ramadan is coming. I extend my Ramadan greetings to the countrymen in advance. We have decided in the cabinet meeting to take measures so that the prices of commodities remain at a tolerable level during the month of Ramadan. "We'll take effective measures so that the prices of commodities remain under control. Inflation has largely occurred after the Ukraine-Russia war, sanctions counter-sanctions and the Corona pandemic," PM added.

The UN's nuclear watchdog has lamented a lack of access for inspectors in Iran and also noted continued uranium enrichment in a quarterly report. Recent public comments from Tehran were not reassuring either, it said. Iran is continuing to enrich and stockpile uranium, some of it to levels close to what would be needed to make nuclear weapons, a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday.  The IAEA report said that Iran had both increased the size of its overall uranium stockpile, and also accelerated production of 60% enriched uranium in the previous quarter.  The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's total uranium stockpile, enriched to any level, stood at an estimated 5,525.5 kg as of February 10. That is 1,038.7 kg more than what the UN nuclear agency accounted for the last time it released a report in November. It's also 27 times the limit once agreed with Iran in a 2015 international deal that the US broke under President Donald Trump and which has not been revived since. The country also produced some 25 kilograms of uranium with a purity of 60% between the end of October and February 25, according to the UN's nuclear watchdog. However, its stockpile of highly enriched uranium shrank during the same time period, because some of that highly enriched material had been mixed with lower grade uranium again and diluted. Typical nuclear bombs would require uranium enriched to 80% or more likely 90% purity although with enough material, more impure uranium can in theory be used. Most nuclear power plant reactors require uranium enriched only to 3.67%.  Public statements on nuclear capabilities 'only increase the ... concerns' The IAEA noted recent comments from Iran praising its nuclear production facilities and announcing that more would be built.  "Public statements made in Iran regarding its technical capabilities to produce nuclear weapons only increase the Director General's concerns about the correctness and completeness of Iran's safeguards declarations," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying in the report. Iran, which asserts that its nuclear program is for civilian and research purposes only, has in recent years taken several steps seemingly designed to limit IAEA oversight of its activities, including deactivating surveillance devices on site and barring certain IAEA inspectors.  International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said he deepy regretted that Iran had yet to reverse its decision to withdraw the "designations for some inspectors, which is essential" to monitoring Iran's nuclear stockpile. He called on Tehran to "cooperate fully and unambiguously with the agency," saying: "Only through constructive and meaningful engagement can these concerns be addressed."  Iran said last week that it had invited Grossi to visit the country for an international conference on energy in May of this year.  

"If we want to to boost our exports, the export market should be expanded on the other hand diversification of products is very important," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized while Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) called on her at the Prime Minister's Office. PM addressed the BGMEA leaders to pay special effort to ensure the quality of the products today (Feb 11). Deputy Press Secretary of PM, KM Shakhawat Moon, told reporters in a media briefing that the BGMEA delegation briefed the prime minister about business, commerce, exports and current market situations. Notably, the BGMEA leaders pointed out some problems in trade and commerce caused by various reasons, along with current global situation, PM listened to them attentively and assured them that the detected problems will be solved soon.

The preliminary election results show no political party has achieved a simple majority in parliament, and any indications of support from the country's powerful military are being closely monitored. Pakistan needs "stable hands" and must move on from the politics of "anarchy and polarization," the Chief of Army Staff said Saturday. General Syed Asim Munir's statement came after no party was able to gain a simple majority in parliament in Thursday's general election. "The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization," Munir said.  Pakistan's powerful military wields massive political influence, with generals having run the country for nearly half its history.   Votes still being counted Independent candidates linked to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won most seats. The PTI's main rival three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-M), took the second-highest number of seats. Both declared victory victory on Friday. Munir said elections were "not a zero-sum competition of winning and losing."  Complicating matters, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), headed by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has outperformed expectations by securing enough seats to play kingmaker.  With most votes counted on Saturday independents had won at least 99 seats, 88 of them loyal to Khan. Sharif's PML-N took 71 and the PPP snapped up 53. Only 15 of the elected 266-seat National Assembly were still to be announced. On Saturday, the Army chief said he "wishes that these elections bring in political and economic stability and prove to be the harbinger of peace and prosperity for our beloved Pakistan."   Parties begin coalition talks Khan was barred from contesting the election after being handed several lengthy prison sentences in the days leading up to the vote. He was ousted from government in April 2022 by a no-confidence vote that Khan said the military had orchestrated. The United States, Britain, and the European Union expressed concerns about the vote, urging a probe into reported irregularities. However, Pakistan's foreign office said on Saturday that international comments on the nation's elections ignore the "undeniable fact" that Pakistan had conducted elections successfully. Coalition talks between Sharif's party and other groups were reportedly underway.  "We don't have enough of a majority to form a government without the support of others, and we invite allies to join the coalition so we can make joint efforts to pull Pakistan out of its problems," Sharif told supporters. Khan's party chief, Gohar Ali Khan, meanwhile said the PTI would try to form a government. He also said if complete results were not released by Saturday night, the party would hold a peaceful protest on Sunday.  

A new conservative political party is looking to tap into discontent among men who say it is unfair that they have to put in 18 months of military service when women are not obliged to serve. A new conservative party set up in South Korea ahead of the general election in April has provoked debate about the future of the nation's military by calling for women to complete compulsory military service if they want to subsequently take up careers in the police, fire brigade or the corrections service.  At present, all able-bodied Korean men are required to serve at least 18 months in one of the branches of the nation's armed forces, but all female members of the military are volunteers. That policy has been sustainable for the armed forces until now but — faced with a shrinking population — it will soon be unsustainable for national defense, the leaders of the New Choice Party said recently as they began their election campaign. Announcing the party's platform in late January, joint-founders Keum Tae-sup and Ryu Ho-jeong said requiring women to complete the same mandatory service would help to solve gender conflicts in Korean society as well as bolster the nation's armed forces. Imbalance in North-South forces At present, approximately 360,000 men and women serve in the South Korean ground forces, facing the 1.1-million-strong North Korean army across the heavily fortified border. As the South's birthrate continues to decline, however, it is anticipated that its army will have a pool of 290,000 service personnel to call on in a decade and just 190,000 in 20 years from now. North Korea, however, will still have a standing army of more than 1 million men and women. "Gender is a heated topic in South Korea at the moment, especially as we get closer to the election," said Kim Seong-kyung, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.  "In the last general election, the threat posed by North Korea was high up on the agenda and won or lost votes for parties, but we also saw women increasingly gaining a voice and the spread of feminism in Korean society as women spoke out against cyber-bullying because of their gender and other similar issues," she told DW. "But when young women raised their voices and we saw the MeToo movement here, young men reacted against that," she said. "These are the young men who feel that the nation's patriarchal system no longer exists, that their lives are really difficult, that only they have responsibility, and a sense of anger that only men have to serve in the military." Targeting dissatisfied men That resentment towards women has manifested itself in the emergence of a populist conservative party that is unabashedly targeting dissatisfied 20- and 30-year-old males. Another New Choice Party policy that is proving successful is the proposal to scrap the scheme that allows pensioners to travel free on Seoul's subway system, which the party is portraying as adding to the burden on working men. Han Ye-jung, a lawyer in Seoul, is strongly opposed to the party's proposals. "They say they are doing it to guarantee gender equality? That's not good enough," she said. "This is a male-dominated society, where men are the priority and enjoy all the privileges simply because they are men," she said. "For me, the price that they have to pay for that privilege is the time they have to serve in the military." Han believes that military service should remain optional for women and there should be no link between mandatory service and future job opportunities in other public sector jobs, but she stressed that the issue will not need to be addressed imminently. "That party will not win many votes in the election in April because they just do not have enough support for their policies, which is not surprising as they are doing nothing to appeal to female voters," she said. Alternative solutions Some analysts have put forward alternative solutions to the problem of a dwindling population in a country facing a belligerent and unpredictable neighbor, including longer periods of conscription and increased integration of technology into the armed forces, but both have drawbacks. Men are unlikely to want to serve even longer in the armed forces, while technology is expensive and far from infallible, while existing systems still require human oversight. Neither of South Korea's two main parties — the ruling People Power Party of President Yoon Suk-yeol, and the main opposition Democratic Party — has made commitments on women compulsorily serving in the armed forces. And the Defense Ministry this week said it was not drawing up plans to introduce female conscription.   Kim agrees that the New Choice Party is a fringe political group that is unlikely to attract sufficient votes to give it a voice in the new parliament, although the issues facing the armed forces that it has raised will need to be addressed sooner or later.   "There are simply not enough people in South Korea at a time when tensions with North Korea are worsening," she said. "This is the reality and we also need to reflect changing mindsets among the younger generations. We need to have the discussion on whether women should also serve in the military and the issue is going to become even more heated in the next couple of years."  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday (Jan 24) asked the Planning Commission to identify which of the running projects can be completed quickly with little cost to reap maximum economic benefits from them.   “We have to prioritize the development programs that can be finished with little money. Because I think that the quicker we can finish these projects the quicker there will be returns and the country will get the benefits,” she said. The prime minister said this in her introductory speech at the first meeting of the commission after forming the new government at the NEC auditorium of the Planning Commission in Sher-E-Bangla Nagar. She is also the chairperson of the commission.   She asked the officials concerned to avoid delays in the implementation of projects and their extension. Sheikh Hasina asked them to deeply look into the costs of the projects and the expected returns. “While taking up new projects, please look deeply into their expenditure, how much loan is involved, how much we have to repay with interest, how much time we would get for repaying the loans,” she said. She also asked them to examine whether the country can take out that much loan. “This is urgently needed before taking up any project,” she said. Besides, she said, the government has to consider the returns and effectiveness of a particular project for a particular area. “How much the general public will benefit and how much it would inject into the economy. We have to look into that,” she added. The prime minister mentioned that Bangladesh is bracing for the biggest challenge in 2026 when it will complete its graduation to a developing country.   “We have to be specific about what kind of facilities we will get as a developing country. From those, we have to pick up the best facilities for us. And we have to start our work according to that,” she said. She mentioned that many facilities as an LDC country might not be available after graduation, although they will be available till 2029 and the government has already requested to extend those up to 2032.   “We have to consider all these elements while counting our challenges and find out the ways to face those,” she said. She requested all to work hard so that the positive results of the independence and spirit of the liberation reach everyone in the country and the people enjoy developed and prosperous lives. She also vowed to turn the country into a smart one by 2041.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Saturday urged the public not to be influenced by "gray zone" tactics after an uptick in Chinese balloons detected floating over Taiwan. In a statement, the ministry said its analyses had concluded that the main purpose of several balloons detected in the lead-up to election day on Jan. 13 was to "harass and rattle the people in Taiwan." The ministry urged the public to remain calm in the face of Chinese cognitive warfare against Taiwan and not to be influenced by "gray zone" tactics. The ministry's statement comes after the New York Times reported Thursday that the balloon float-overs could be a Chinese attempt to influence the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections, citing foreign and local military experts. The piece quoted one Taiwanese expert as saying that China could resort to the concerted use of balloons to step up its espionage work in Taiwan, citing the Chinese spy balloon that was hovering over the United States before it was shot down by a U.S. Air Force F-22 last year. Asked by CNA to comment on the prospect of Chinese balloons being used to gather intelligence in Taiwan, the ministry said that it had camouflaged or covered military assets in advance with the help of its early warning mechanisms in light of that risk. The MND began reporting sightings of Chinese balloons drifting across the median line of the Taiwan Strait in early December. However, it was not until this month that the balloons began frequently floating across Taiwan, according to the MND. The MND said that balloons floating across Taiwan peaked between Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, when three were spotted over a 24-hour period. In its statement, the ministry said that the balloons had seriously compromised the safety of several international air routes and condemned China for disregarding the safety of passengers. In response to the risks, the ministry said it immediately contacted agencies concerned with civil aeronautics to inform them of potential danger. Asked whether the ministry has shot down any of the balloons or intends to do so in response to future events, the ministry said it would respond according to the altitude and possible purpose of airborne objects and the level of threat they pose. So far, it has taken appropriate measures according to the "rules on responding to contingencies during normal times," the ministry said.