Timeframe: February 5th to February 11th, 2022
Contributors: Anika Tahsin, Anika Bushra, Redwan Uz Zaman Reham and Farhan Uddin Ahmed.
To read the Bangla version, click here.
1. Politics
Most Biden detractors say he’s done nothing they like since becoming president
Nearly 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of how Joe Biden is handling his presidency, with most of that group saying there’s literally nothing Biden has done since taking office that they approve of. The finding, from a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS in January and February, highlights the entrenched politics driving the nation at the start of the midterm year, with little agreement across party lines on priorities for the government or how to handle the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: CNN
Iran unveils long-range missile as Vienna nuclear talks resume
Iran unveiled a new domestically-made missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers on Wednesday, state TV reported, a day after Tehran and Washington resumed indirect talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, says its ballistic missiles have a range of up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) and are capable of reaching its arch-foe Israel and US bases in the region. “Iran will continue advancing its ballistic missile program,” Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri told a ceremony at an IRGC base where the new missile was displayed, Iranian media reported.
Source: BDNews24.com
2. Economics & Business
The US and Japan to remove Trump-era tariffs
The US and Japan have agreed to remove Trump-era tariffs from around 1.25 million metric tonnes a year of Japanese steel imports. Under the deal, Japan says it will help to tackle excess steel supplies, which push down prices.
The agreement is aimed to stamp out “unfair practices” in the global steel industry, which is dominated by China.
The Biden administration has already made a similar deal with the EU but tariffs remain in place on UK imports.
Source: BBC
Increased Inflow of Foreign Direct Investment in Vietnam
Vietnam’s foreign direct investment (FDI) stood at 210 million dollars in January. While investing, investors review ease of investment, government assistance, and the business environment. Vietnam has shown tremendous growth in these areas, thus attracting higher FDI.
Source: Reuters
Unique ID program for online traders launching this Sunday
To bring the e-commerce sector of the country under further regulation, the government is launching Unique Business Identification (UBID) numbers for e-commerce platforms. Traders who operate in the f-commerce industry, meaning any individual or business, small or large, that trades goods and items on Facebook, must also register to get their own UBIDs.
An app, called UBID Apps, has been created to facilitate the registration process. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi will inaugurate the app at the Secretariat on Sunday.
Apart from this, the Central Logistics Management System (CCMS) is also being set up to resolve any grievances against any registered organization. Preliminary work is also underway to create a digital financial transaction platform called ‘Binimoy’. Money can be sent to any bank from any existing mobile financial service provider (MFS) through the ‘Binimoy’ app.
These two services will also be officially launched in a few weeks. A Central Logistics Tracking Platform (CLTP) will also be launched soon after CCMS and ‘Binimoy’.
Source: The Daily Star
3. Science & Technology
Meta threatens to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe
According to the latest EU law, companies like Facebook can only gather and process user data on European servers.
However, Facebook and Instagram process their data on US and European servers, and this process is essential for its overall business and ad targeting. Hence, Meta is threatening to close down its social media platforms if they cannot process, store and transfer data from European users on US-based servers.
Source: CNBC
Disclaimer: The information provided here is obtained solely from the third parties mentioned above. Youth Policy Forum (YPF) is not responsible for any misinformation or misrepresentation.