Timeframe: 14 October to 21 October.
Contributors: G.M.Sifat Iqbal, Affan Bin Saber, Anika Bushra, and Mansib Khan
To read Bangla, click here.
1. Politics
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced a long-march towards the capital.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he would begin a protest march with his supporters from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital on Friday to call for early elections. There were small protests by Khan’s supporters after Pakistan’s top election tribunal found Khan guilty of illegally selling gifts from foreign dignitaries and heads of state and removed him from his parliamentary seat. “I have decided to start the long march from Liberty Square in Lahore to Islamabad at 11 am [06:00 GMT] from Friday,” Khan told a news conference in Lahore on Tuesday. The distance between the two cities is about 380 km (236 miles). “I am marching to pressurize the government to announce elections immediately,” he said, adding that his supporters and party members should avoid violence. This will be the biggest long march in the history of the country. The government has already said protesters will be barred from entering Islamabad and expects to deploy around 30,000 law enforcement officers to surround the capital for security.
Source: AL-Jazeera
2. Economics & Business
Adidas cuts ties with rapper Kanye West over anti-Semitism
Clothing giant Adidas has cut ties with rapper Ye, known as Kanye West, saying it does “not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech”. Adidas’s Yeezy brand collaboration with Mr West was put under review, after he showed a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt design at Paris Fashion Week. Days later, the rapper posted anti-Semitic comments on his Twitter account. His products will be pulled from sale with immediate effect, said Adidas. The sportswear brand has previously said the Yeezy brand collaboration with Ye was one of the most successful in the company’s history.
Source: BBC
Canada’s economy lost nearly $13B due to labor shortage
As per a recent report, Canada lost almost $13 billion in the previous years due to a nationwide labor and skill shortage in the manufacturing sector. The pandemic left lingering effects on its labor market, which struggled with labor issues even before the pandemic. Additionally, more employees than average retired during the pandemic as well. The industrialists discovered a need for more technically skilled workers, such as welders and machinists, and fewer employees could also be found for management and supervisory roles. To retain workers, employers are increasing wages and benefits and are seeking the government’s help by asking them to support automation, promote trade, and raise immigration. Moreover, the CME requests the government to speed up the temporary foreign worker program, boost the Canada Job Grant, and provide tax credits to cover employee training expenses and equipment expenditures.
Source: Global News
3. Bangladesh (Economy)
DRUGS USED AS PAYMENT FOR BANGLADESHI FISHES IN TRIPURA
On October 17th a letter was sent by the foreign ministry of Tripura to the minister of home affairs of Bangladesh where it was stated that imported fish from Bangladesh are being paid in drugs. The letter mentioned that drug trade is carried out outside legal banking channels using ‘hundis’. On the meeting of Regional Meeting on Drug Trafficking and National Security, Tripura chief minister mentioned that the drugs are smuggled from Myanmar and is sent to Bangladesh via these types of trades. This corridor is used to carry various narcotic substances like yaba, heroin and other drugs. Referring to the letter home minister Asaduzzaman Khan mentioned on Sunday that this is an alarming topic and will hold a meeting in a day or two to discuss these matters and identify the culprits.
Source: Prothomalo
4. Science & Technology
WEED KILLING ROBOTS IMPLEMENTED IN ENGLAND
Manufactured by the Small Robot Company to get rid of unwanted weed using minimal chemical and heavy machinery, three robots namely- Tom, Dick and Harry were implemented in a field in England. Ever since 2017 this startup has been developing these automated weed killers and finally launched Tom in April of this month. According to the organization, these three machines works in conjunction to carry out the whole operation. Tom is used to scan about 20 acres of land per day after which Dick is used to zap weeds and finally it’s Harry’s job to plant seeds in the weed-free soil. Small Robot Company claims that once the fully system in up and running by 2023 the total cost farmer will drop by 40% and chemical usage will also decline by 90%. The price is expected to be £400 per hectare.
Source: Reuters
5. Environment.
Only 5% of plastic waste generated by US last year was recycled.
According to new research by Green peace, 5% of the plastic waste produced in the US was recycled. Moreover, recycling may not be the answer as the report found that very few plastic packaging in the US meets the definition of recyclable as per Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s new plastic economy initiative. The report revealed that in a 2020 survey of 370 recycling plants, many plants could not accept plastics, even bottles or jugs, as they were not wholly recyclable or recycled.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is obtained solely from the aforementioned third parties. Youth Policy Forum (YPF) is not responsible for any misinformation or misrepresentation.