Haque Specialized Group's News

India must withdraw its troops on the Doklam plateau or “face consequences”, said a senior Chinese diplomat in New Delhi on Thursday. The remarks that mark a serious escalation in rhetoric over the ongoing tensions between the two countries, as their armies continue a six-week long stand-off near the India-Bhutan-China trijunction off Sikkim, according to The Hindu. “The crossing of the boundary line by Indian troops into the territory of China using the pretext of security concerns for a 3rd party (Bhutan) is illegal,” the Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission Liu Jinsong told journalists, adding that “The troops should be withdrawn immediately, otherwise there will be serious consequences.”  ....

Published at: 2017-08-04 00:00:05

KERALA: In a hilly village in Kerala’s Kannur, three passionate conservationists stood guard over king cobra eggs for over a hundred days, till they hatched. The men managed to get locals involved as well, convincing them not to destroy the numerous eggs laid by a king cobra sometime in May, according to a global media report. Chandran MP, a member of the Forest Department’s Rapid Response Force, got a panic call on April 22 after a cobra was spotted in Kottiyoor. Vijay Neelakantan and Gowri Shankara were with Mr Chandran and eventually spotted the king cobra’s nest and eggs. Experts say this was likely the mother king cobra’s first nesting, and she may have abandoned the eggs out of fear, after being spotted. And from there started their attempts at engaging with concerned locals, who were worried about the the possibility of several hatchlings emerging out of the eggs. King cobras are considered among the most venomous snakes in the world. Despite living nearly 90 kilometres away from the location of the king cobra’s nest, the conservationists would travel every other day to check on the eggs. King cobra eggs usually take approximately 80 to 105 days to hatch. After 72 days, they started a round-the-clock vigil, till they saw the king cobra hatchlings emerge, nearly 30 days later. While they refuse to give out the exact number of hatchlings, saying they want to avoid panic among locals, Mr Neelakantan assures NDTV the hatchlings were released deep into the forest.  ....

Published at: 2017-08-04 00:00:05

CAIRO: The commander of Libya’s self-styled national army in the east has ordered naval bases to confront any vessel entering the country’s territorial waters without military permission. A statement released by the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar Wednesday says the command was directed to eastern bases in Benghazi, Ras Lanuf, Tobruk, as well as the capital Tripoli, in the west, after an Italian patrol boat arrived there. Italy sent the mission to help the coast guard curb the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, upon request by the UN-backed government in Tripoli. Libya’s eastern-based parliament, rivals to Tripoli and allied with Haftar, strongly opposed the move. Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 civil war that toppled and killed dictator Muammar Qaddafi. It’s now split between rival governments and militias, according to AP.  ....

Published at: 2017-08-04 00:00:05

President Donald Trump embraced a proposal on Wednesday to slash legal immigration to the United States in half within a decade by sharply curtailing the ability of American citizens and legal residents to bring family members into the country, according to NYT. The plan would enact the most far-reaching changes to the system of legal immigration in decades and represents the president’s latest effort to stem the flow of newcomers to the United States. Since taking office, he has barred many visitors from select Muslim-majority countries, limited the influx of refugees, increased immigration arrests and pressed to build a wall along the southern border. In asking Congress to curb legal immigration, Mr. Trump intensified a debate about national identity, economic growth, worker fairness and American values that animated his campaign last year. Critics said the proposal would undercut the fundamental vision of the United States as a haven for the poor and huddled masses, while the president and his allies said the country had taken in too many low-skilled immigrants for too long to the detriment of American workers.  ....

Published at: 2017-08-04 00:00:05

Syful Islam A committee formed to assess the merit of allowing overseas investment by resident Bangladeshis may submit shortly its report recommending an avenue for the businesses to seize opportunities abroad. Sources said the body, formed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in mid-March, would suggest granting the scope on a limited scale, keeping in mind its impact on foreign-currency reserves. "Suggestions came to open the avenue at least to some extent. Precaution, prevention, and proper monitoring have to be taken into consideration," committee head Ajit Kumar Paul, an executive member of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), told the FE. A cabinet committee, headed by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, had decided in principle in mid-May to allow Bangladeshi investments abroad amid strong pleas made by several companies.  Before that a policy on facilitating overseas investment has to be framed. "We will suggest pursuing conservative approach in this regard. The scope may be offered on case-to-case basis," said Mr Paul, who heads the six-member inter-ministerial committee. "Various suggestions have come from the meetings. We are compiling those and submit the report by mid-August," he noted. Presently, making equity investment abroad for resident Bangladeshis is not open under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. But under sub-section 6 of section-4 of the Act, the central bank in consultation with the government can identify areas of equity investment abroad. In recent months, Bangladesh Bank has received a good number of applications seeking permission to make overseas equity investment. Local conglomerates Akij Jute Mills Ltd, Ha-Meem Group, and Nitol-Niloy Group sought permission to send abroad US$37 million to invest in Malaysia, Haiti and Gambia respectively. However, the central bank has suggested that the government weighs a number of factors, including the ratio of private-sector investment in the country and foreign-exchange-reserve situation, before allowing Bangladeshi investors to make offshore investment. The committee, led by MR Paul, is tasked to take into consideration the level of economic development of the country and the strategies, foreign-exchange rules, and the need for investment within the country. Former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Matlub Ahmad earlier had told the FE there is an urgent need for framing a policy on the country's investment abroad. The businessman, however, suggested that the government should not allow equity investment abroad on a wholesale basis. He also urged ensuring proper monitoring of those investments and repatriation of profits. Former central bank governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, talking to the FE earlier, said the government should examine the pros and cons before allowing equity investment abroad. "Since our monitoring and supervision systems are not efficient enough to allow wholesale-scale overseas investment, there is a need to look into the compliance issues before doing so," he said. Responding to a query he said the government needs to make capital account convertible before allowing investment abroad. Executive director of the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh Dr Ahsan H Mansur also advocated for allowing equity investment abroad on a limited scale. But he suggested tagging conditions like employment generation for Bangladeshi nationals with the offshore investments. The reporting mechanism of equity investments should be very well to keep track of the capital going abroad, he told the FE earlier.     syful-islam@outlook.com....

Published at: 2017-08-04 00:00:05