Week 48 of 2022 – YPF Around the Globe (English)

Timeframe: 2 to 19 December

Contributors: G.M.Sifat Iqbal, Affan Bin Saber, and Anika Bushra

To read Bangla, click here.

1. Politics

Taliban Conduct First Public Execution Since Return To Power

The Taliban are believed to have carried out their first public execution since returning to power in Afghanistan last year.

A Taliban spokesman said a man named Tazmir was killed in a crowded sports stadium in southwestern Farah province after confessing to the killing.

Dozens of the group’s leaders, including most of their government’s top ministers, attended the execution.

It comes weeks after judges ordered the full implementation of Sharia law.

Supreme Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada issued the order last month, ordering judges to hand down punishments that could include public executions, public mutilation, and stoning.

However, the exact crime and associated punishment are not officially defined by the Taliban.

Source: BBC 

Suspected German coup plot spawns dozens of arrests

German police rounded up dozens of people including a self-styled prince, a retired paratrooper and a former judge Wednesday, accusing the suspects of discussing the violent overthrow of the government but leaving unclear how concrete the plans were.

One of the alleged ringleaders arrested Wednesday is Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, a 71-year-old member of the House of Reuss who continues to use the title despite Germany abolishing any formal role for royalty more than a century ago.

Federal prosecutors said Reuss, whom the group planned to install as Germany’s new leader, had contacted Russian officials with the aim of imposing a new order in the country once the German government was overthrown. There is no indication that the Russians responded positively.

A German official and a lawmaker said investigators may have detected real plotting, drunken fantasizing, or both. Regardless, Germany takes any right-wing threat seriously and thousands of police officers carried out pre-dawn raids across much of the country.

Source: AP News

2. Economics & Business

Taiwanese chip giant invests $40bn in US plant

Computer chip giant TSMC has said it will triple its investment in a massive US plant to $40bn (£33bn).

It is one of the largest foreign investments in American history.

The announcement came as President Joe Biden and the Taiwan-based firm’s boss opened the factory in Arizona.

The Biden administration is pushing ahead with plans to bring onshore manufacturing of key components in everything from phones to military jets.

TSMC is the world’s largest manufacturer of microchips for clients including Apple and other companies

Its Arizona plants will make the 3-nm and 4-nm chips used for iPhone processors. Semiconductors are sometimes referred to as the “brains” of electronics such as smartphones, car components and AI technology.

TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said the firm will build two semiconductor fabrication plants with the first expected to be online by 2024. The overall investment will be around $40 billion. This is the company’s largest investment outside of Taiwan.

The investment is a boost for Mr Biden after supply chain disruptions that have l

Source: BBC

Bangladesh Bank plans to fund the farming sector more

From the next calendar year Bangladesh Bank is planning to give more funds into the farming sector through banking channels to strengthen the country’s food security amid warnings of a possible food crisis worldwide, senior bankers have said. The central bank would raise the banks’ agriculture credit disbursement target in terms of percentage of their total annual lending program while the amount of disbursement under the bank’s own channel is planned to be increased, At a meeting last week, BB Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder asked the top executives of private commercial banks to enhance the farm credit to ensure food security of the country.

A former managing director of Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) said: “The Agri credit is always a demanding one and any move to increase it is a good step towards modern agriculture practices.”

Source: The Financial Express

3. Science & Technology

Police ‘killer robots’ to be implemented in San Francisco

Robot equipped with explosives were voted by the board of supervisors to be used by the police department of San Francisco to be used in extreme circumstances.
San Francisco Police Department mentioned that as of right now there is no usage of such robots. They also mentioned that the robots could be used to “incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects who pose a risk of loss of life”. There may be future scenarios in which lethal force could be used by a robot.
A spokesperson for the police said, “robots could potentially be equipped with explosive charges to breach fortified structures containing violent, armed, or dangerous subjects”. Advocates for the measure said it would only be used in extreme situations.

Source: BBC

4. Environment

France bans short haul domestic flights in favour of train travel

The European Commission has approved the move which will abolish flights between cities that are linked by a train journey of less than 2.5 hours.

The decision was announced on Friday. The changes are part of the country’s 2021 Climate Law and were first proposed by France’s Citizens’ Convention on Climate – a citizens’ assembly tasked with finding ways to reduce the country’s carbon emissions.

Initially, the ban will only affect three routes between Paris Orly and Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux where there are genuine rail alternatives.

The ban on short-haul flights will be valid for three years, after which it must be reassessed by the Commission.

Source: Euro News

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.

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