Timeframe: 10 to 16 December
Contributors: G.M.Sifat Iqbal, Affan Bin Saber, and Farhan Uddin Ahmed
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1. Politics
China diplomats leave UK over Manchester protester attack
China has expelled six officials from Britain – including a senior UK diplomat – two months after violence broke out at its Manchester consulate.
The UK asked the officials to waive their right to diplomatic immunity so that intelligence could question them about the October incident.
Foreign Secretary James cleverly expresses his disappointment that none of the six will now face trial.
The group included Consul-General Zheng Xiaoyuan, who denied beating a protester.
The pro-democracy protester, Bob Chan, a Hong Konger, was injured on October 16 after being dragged into the consulate grounds and beaten by men.
Mr. Zheng, who was effectively in charge of China’s Manchester outpost, denied assaulting Mr. Chan after being identified in the images and accused of doing so by a senior Conservative MP.
But he later told reporters he was trying to protect his colleagues, adding that Mr. Chan was “abusing my country, my leader. I think it’s my duty”.
China’s decision to expel diplomats is seen by some as an attempt to defuse the dispute and avoid further tit-for-tat exchanges between it and the UK.
Source: BBC
US military creates space unit in S. Korea to watch North
The U.S. military formally launched a space force unit in South Korea on Wednesday, its first such facility on a foreign territory that will likely enable Washington to better monitor its rivals North Korea, China, and Russia.
The activation of the U.S. Space Forces Korea at Osan Air Base near Seoul came after North Korea test-fired a barrage of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles designed to strike the U.S. mainland and its allies South Korea and Japan in recent months.
The United States and South Korea have expanded their regular military drills and pushed to further bolster their combined defense capability in the face of North Korea’s advancing nuclear program.
Source: AP News
2. Economics & Business
Hong Kong markets watchdog warns of cryptocurrency platform risks
Hong Kong’s financial markets watchdog has issued a warning over the risks of online platforms for cryptocurrency and other digital asset deposits.
“Investors are urged to be wary of the potential high risks” associated with so-called “virtual asset arrangements,” the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said in a statement.
The announcement comes at a tumultuous time for the cryptocurrency market.
This week the founder of failed crypto exchange FTX was arrested and charged.
“Whilst some VA [virtual asset] Arrangements are commonly labeled or marketed as ‘deposits’ or ‘savings’ products, they are not regulated and are not the same as bank deposits. Investors are not afforded any form of protection,” the SFC said.
Source: BBC
Bangladesh leads in headgear market
Bangladesh has been recognized as one of the lead exporter of the hats and caps globally. Its currently ranked 7th in the global export market worth $12.4 billion. The shipment reached US$ 193.43 million in the first five months of the current fiscal year (FY), 2022-23.
Bangladesh’s export of headgears and caps has reached a 50 per cent growth during the July-November period of fiscal year 23 despite the ongoing global economic crunch. Additionally during this time the country’s exporters made shipments of products worth $129.25 million according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data showed.
Through product diversification, Bangladesh is likely to touch the $50-billion export-earning-mark within a couple of years, exporters and analysts said. According to Ministry of Commerce officials , the government has set a target of exporting headgears and caps worth $410.10 million in the current fiscal year.
Source: The Financial Express
3. Science & Technology
Japanese company aims for the moon with own private lander
Blasting off atop a SpaceX rocket a Tokyo company aimed for the moon with its own private lander Sunday, alongside United Arab Emirates’ first lunar rover and a toylike robot from Japan that’s designed to roll around up there in the gray dust.
Since the company space designed its craft to use minimal fuel to save money and leave more room for cargo It will take nearly five months for the lander and its experiments to reach the moon by taking a slow, low-energy path to the moon, the lander is carrying an orange-sized sphere from the Japanese Space Agency that will transform into a wheeled robot on the moon. Also flying: a solid-state battery from a Japanese-based spark plug company; an Ottawa, Ontario, company’s flight computer with artificial intelligence for identifying geologic features seen by the UAE rover
landing on an unexplored part of the moon will yield “novel and highly valued” scientific data, says Emirates project manager Hamad AlMarzooqi. Additionally, the lunar surface is “an ideal platform” to test the new tech that can be used for eventual human expeditions to Mars.
Source: Indian Express
US Scientists announces breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy
A major breakthrough has been announced by US scientists in the race to recreate nuclear fusion.
On Tuesday researchers confirmed they have overcome a major barrier – producing more energy from a fusion experiment than was put in.
The experiment took place at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California.
LLNL director Dr Kim Budil said: “This is a historic achievement… over the past 60 years thousands of people have contributed to this endeavour and it took real vision to get us here.”
Physicists have pursued the technology for decades as it promises a potential source of near-limitless clean energy.
But experts say there is still some way to go before fusion powers homes.
Source: BBC
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.