INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(5640, 5640, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>UNHCR and partners have urged the international community to redouble efforts for sustained financial support and solutions for forcibly displaced Rohingyas and the Bangladeshi communities that are hosting them as the dire situation enters its sixth year.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Under the leadership of the Bangladeshi authorities, the 2023 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis calls for US$ 876 million to reach 1.47 million people.</div><div><br></div><div>The Joint Response Plan brings together 116 partners, nearly half of them national organisations from Bangladesh, a UNHCR press release said.</div><div><br></div><div>The plan, which was launched today, aims to help some 978,000 Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char, and 495,000 Bangladeshis in neighbouring communities, with food, shelter, healthcare, access to drinkable water, protection services, education, as well as livelihood opportunities and skills development.</div><div><br></div><div>Every day, the nearly one million Rohingya women, children and men that fled from violence and persecution in Myanmar for Bangladesh wake up in a chilling fog of uncertainty about their futures.</div><div><br></div><div>They are desperate to return to their homes in Myanmar, which are currently out of reach, and instead live in extremely overcrowded, and sometimes dangerous conditions in Rohingya camps, relying almost entirely on humanitarian assistance for their survival.</div><div><br></div><div>While the situation has become protracted, the needs of refugees remain urgent. Women and children, who make up more than 75 percent of the targeted refugee population, face higher risks of abuse, exploitation, and gender-based violence. More than half of the Rohingyas in the camps are under 18, their futures on hold.</div><div><br></div><div>Since the onset of this humanitarian crisis in 2017, the Government of Bangladesh and local communities, with aid agencies, have been quick to respond to arriving refugees in what remains the world’s largest refugee camp. However, as global displacement continues to rise, so does the risk that the needs of Rohingyas and surrounding host communities will be forgotten.</div><div><br></div><div>With decreased funding, refugees stand to face even more challenges in their daily lives in terms of proper nutrition, shelter materials, sanitation facilities and livelihood opportunities.</div><div><br></div><div>The lack of funds has already forced the World Food Programme to cut its lifesaving food assistance to all Rohingyas living in the camps; despite concerted humanitarian efforts, 45 per cent of Rohingya families are not eating a sufficiently healthy diet and malnutrition is widespread. These ration cuts are likely to result in higher malnutrition rates, deteriorating health, school dropouts, increased incidents of child marriage, child labour and gender-based violence.</div><div><br></div><div>It is therefore vital to ensure continued funding and support to be able to deliver life-saving and life-sustaining assistance to the camp population while also investing in education, skills training and livelihood opportunities, allowing refugees to partially fulfill their basic needs with their own means.</div><div><br></div><div>The relocation of some 30,000 Rohingyas to the island of Bhasan Char needs to be complemented by significant investment in communal livelihood initiatives as a prerequisite for the viability and sustainability of the project.</div><div><br></div><div>The combination of prolonged displacement and deteriorating camp conditions has prompted an increasing number of refugees to resort to dangerous boat journeys to seek a better future. Last year alone, more than 3,500 Rohingyas attempted high-risk boat journeys across the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. Sadly, 10 per cent lost their lives or went missing.</div><div><br></div><div>The solutions to the Rohingya crisis ultimately lie within Myanmar. Many Rohingyas continue to express their desire to return home when conditions allow, yet currently there is no prospect for a safe, dignified and sustainable return in the immediate future. Hence, steadfast support from the international community remains crucial to support efforts by Myanmar to develop conditions conducive for return and to uphold the Rohingya right to return, while also supporting delivery of life-saving assistance and effective protection to refugees in the camps until they can return, with their rights ensured.</div><div><br></div><div>Given its geography, annual cycles of heavy monsoon rains and cyclones pose substantial risks to refugees in camps and host communities. Among the objectives of the Joint Response Plan, in coordination with the Government of Bangladesh, will be to strengthen disaster risk management and combat the effects of climate change through reforestation and promoting the use of renewable and cleaner energy sources.</div><div><br></div><div>The provision of cooking gas, which has significantly eased pressure on the environment, requires significant funding. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-07 16:43:52', '2023-03-07 16:43:52'),
(5641, 5641, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">People were still trapped inside the Gulistan building where at least 15 people have died, hours after a fiery explosion ripped through the 5-storey block on Tuesday evening.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People on the upper floors became trapped inside as it was not possible to get to the ground floor, as the columns holding up the building from the ground collapsed, said Brig General Md Main Uddin, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are unable to enter the ground floor because the building is now at risk due to the collapse of the columns. So, we are taking the help of the army,” he made the remarks while replying to a question from reporters after visiting the site of the blast in Fulbaria area of Gulistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since the Fire Service chief spoke, the chairman of RAJUK has however been able to confirm that everyone inside has, to the best of everyone\'s knowledge, been evacuated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The explosion took place at 4:50 pm. On receiving the news, our team reached the spot within seven minutes. As the building is risky, we cannot enter now. But we will take it to a slightly stable level and then start the rescue operation on the ground floor. Work is currently underway,” the Fire Service chief said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The army\'s help will be taken in the rescue operation, that\'s why the excavator came. So far, the death toll is 15 and the number of injured is 40. If we have more information, we will let you know later,” the DG added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Fire chief also deliberated on possible causes behind the disaster, although he was careful to add that at the time, nothing was known for certain.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We spoke to the members of the owners\' association here a while back and they said there was no gas line below but there was a water line. There was a water reservoir. We still don\'t understand what the reason for the explosion is. The army\'s expert team has arrived. They will now work to see if there is any other reason. We\'ll let you know - it\'ll take a while,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When asked if they found evidence of any explosives, Brig General Md Main Uddin: \"We have not received anything like this so far. As of now, I can\'t say why this happened. An army expert team has come and they will look into the matter and an expert team of the police has come. We hope to come to a conclusion together with the police and the army.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brig General Md Main Uddin did dangle out one clue as he wrapped up his presser, saying there were eight shops on the ground floor of the building: \"All of which sold sanitary products.\" UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 02:56:26', '2023-03-08 02:56:26'),
(5642, 5642, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Malaysian police have found the body of a young woman trapped in a car that was swept away by rushing waters, the fifth death of seasonal floods that have also forced more than 43,000 people to flee their homes.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police said in a statement Monday that a 23-year-old woman reported missing was believed to be driving to work earlier in the day on a flooded road in southern Johor state when her car was washed away. Rescuers retrieved the car hours later and found her body.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A man driving to work in a palm oil plantation in Johor was similarly found dead recently after rescuers retrieved his car from floodwaters. Three older people also drowned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Johor, the country’s second-largest state bordering Singapore with four million people, is the worst affected with over 40,000 evacuated to schools and community centers. The number of evacuees has dropped from over 50,000 a few days ago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several other states including remote areas on Borneo island were also hit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited flood victims Sunday in Johor and vowed to speed up flood mitigation projects in the state. “This matter cannot be delayed and should be dealt with more seriously so that (flooding) does not happen again,” he tweeted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Meteorological Department has said the country was experiencing its sixth episode of continuous heavy rain from the annual monsoon season that started in November. In December, tens of thousands of people were also evacuated due to flooding.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Images posted by police in Johor showed roads and homes disappearing under muddy waters, with only rooftops visible.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Further rain and storms are predicted Tuesday in parts of Johor and eastern Malaysian states on Borneo, which could cause more flash floods. Authorities also warned waters in over a dozen rivers nationwide have reached dangerous levels. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 03:01:06', '2023-03-08 03:01:06'),
(5643, 5643, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, addressing Canada\'s parliament on Tuesday during a visit to bolster support for Ukraine, said Europe would never accept Russian threats to its security.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We will never accept that a military power with fantasies of empire rolls its tanks across an international border,\" she said in a speech more than one year after Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 27-nation bloc, she added, \"will never accept this threat to European security and to the very foundation of our international community,\" she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Von der Leyen urged \"steadfast military and economic support\" for Ukraine while also renewing calls for Russia to \"pay for its crime of aggression\" after proposing in November to set up a specialized court to prosecute such crimes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the eve of International Women\'s Day, von der Leyen also praised Ukrainian women soldiers who had been barred from combat duties prior to the conflict, but \"did not care and started joining the army anyways.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This is not only a war in Ukraine. It is also a war on human rights, and it is a war on women\'s rights,\" she said to applause, citing UN accusations that \"Russia is using rape and sexual violence as part of its military strategy in Ukraine.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian women \"are fighting back,\" she said, noting that the number of them serving in the military had doubled since the start of the conflict. \"These women also smashed the glass ceiling right over the head of the Russian invaders.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, during a visit to a Canadian military base, von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged deliveries of generators to Ukraine, which has suffered repeated attacks on its power grid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Trudeau also announced the extension of Canada\'s mission to train Ukrainian combat engineers in Poland, due to end soon, to October and the deployment of medical trainers too.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Von der Leyen is, after her multi-day visit to Canada, to travel to the United States where she will be received on Friday by President Joe Biden.&nbsp; AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 03:47:22', '2023-03-08 03:47:22'),
(5644, 5644, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the expatriate Bangladeshis to strictly abide by the laws of the countries they work for, sounding a note of warning that Bangladesh will not make its minimum efforts to save them for committing any crime.&nbsp;</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It will not be tolerated anymore that the image of the country will be tarnished for offences of any person,” she said while addressing as the chief guest at a civic reception hosted to her by Bangladeshi expatriates staying at Bangladesh MH School in Doha of Qatar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister also asked the expatriates to go abroad following the legal ways and send remittances through the banking channels for which the government is giving 2.5 percent incentive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said her government has taken Bangladesh in a dignified position through round the clock hard work over the years and the image is being hampered due to criminal acts abroad by some people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Bangladeshi expatriates must have to follow the existing laws and rules of the countries where they are staying like they do in their own country. I have made it clear we will not try to save those who will be engaged in criminal acts,” she added.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister said the image of Bangladesh is being tarnished for misdeeds of some people and the scope of sending more Bangladeshis abroad for jobs is being hampered or stopped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have lost the scope of sending more people abroad,” she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She asked the expatriate Bangladeshis attending the reception to inform others that Bangladesh will not shoulder the responsibilities of crimes to be committed by anyone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina told the expatriate Bangladeshis that they have to think Bangladesh is their own country and they should not tarnish its image.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister asked the Bangladeshi embassies abroad to look into the welfare and problems of expatriate Bangladeshis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She called upon the expatriates to ask their relatives in Bangladesh to grow whatever they can by bringing every inch of land under cultivation as the global economic recession can hurt Bangladesh in any way.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister reiterated her call to exercise austerity in using electricity, gas and water and make savings as part of the preparation to avert any crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this connection, she said that she even turned her government residence Ganabhaban into a firm house by cultivating everything that include paddy, onion, garlic and other crops.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said she had already harvested 46 maunds of onions from the Ganabhaban and is expected to harvest 40-50 maunds more.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Briefly describing the measures taken by her government in education, health, energy, human resources development and employment generation, the Premier said Bangladesh has made tremendous prosperity in the last 14 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are working to meet the demand of the people and we want to give them a beautiful and dignified life,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister said they have given electricity to every house, increased the education rate to over 75 percent, reached healthcare services to every doorstep and made Bangladesh self-reliant in food production.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But, the BNP-Jamaat alliance didn’t give anything to the people instead of making their fortunes through unbridled corruption, money laundering and establishing the reign of terror and militancy alongside resorting to torture, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister said her government is now out to transform Bangladesh into a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041 to be free from hunger and poverty as envisioned by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 04:01:36', '2023-03-08 04:01:36'),
(5645, 5645, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Two Italian air force pilots were killed Tuesday during an exercise when the light aircraft they were flying collided mid-air and crashed to the ground, Italy’s air force said in a statement.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two U-208 aircraft crashed near the Guidonia military airport, located around 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of Rome. No injuries on the ground were reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the planes crashed into a car on a narrow residential street lined with apartment buildings; the other landed in a field.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences to the pilots’ families and colleagues. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 04:08:50', '2023-03-08 04:08:50'),
(5646, 5646, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka’s air quality is still in the \'unhealthy\' zone this morning.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 156 at 9:30 am, the capital of Bangladesh ranked 13th in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan’s Lahore, the United Arab Emirate’s Dubai, and Pakistan’s Karachi occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 211, 195, and 188, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’ while between 201–300 is ‘’very unhealthy’, and 301–400 is \'hazardous\', posing severe health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a particular city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections, and cancer, according to several studies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 04:35:21', '2023-03-08 04:35:21'),
(5647, 5647, '<p style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Two US citizens kidnapped by suspected Mexican drug traffickers were found dead Tuesday while two others survived, in what officials said appeared to be a tragic case of mistaken identity.</span><br></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Washington vowed to do everything in its power to ensure justice for the victims, who crossed the border into the crime-plagued city of Matamoros in Tamaulipas state on Friday for medical reasons.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Initial indications were that the abduction was the result of a \"mix-up\" rather than a targeted attack, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios told reporters.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The two survivors were returned to the United States via a land border crossing between Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas, officials said.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">US media named them as Latavia Washington McGee and Eric James Williams.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">One suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and the other was unharmed, according to Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The victims visited Mexico because one of them was planning to have cosmetic surgery, he said.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">It was not immediately clear whether the two deaths occurred before or during the rescue operation, but Villarreal said preliminary investigations suggested all four were alive until at least Monday.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"During the three days after the criminal act, the four people deprived of their liberty were transferred to various places, including a clinic, in order to create confusion and avoid rescue efforts,\" he said.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The bodies of the two US citizens who lost their lives were expected to be repatriated within hours once forensic studies were completed in Mexico, Villarreal added.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">- \'Relentless\' US pursuit -</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The victims had traveled to Matamoros on Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in an earlier statement.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">It offered a $50,000 reward for help leading to the return of the unidentified victims and the arrest of the perpetrators.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the (minivan). All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men,\" the FBI said.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">A 33-year-old Mexican woman died near the scene, possibly from a stray bullet, Mexican officials said.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The White House denounced the kidnappings as \"unacceptable\" and offered condolences to families of the victims.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"We\'re going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case,\" White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department would be \"relentless\" in pursuing justice on the victims\' behalf.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"We will do everything in our power to identify, find, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack on American citizens,\" he added.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Mexican authorities said they had arrested a suspect who was guarding the abductees at a house in Matamoros.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">- Cartel hot spot -</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"We\'re very sorry that this is happening in our country,\" Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters, offering condolences to the families of the victims.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"Those responsible are going to be found. They are going to be punished,\" he added.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Tamaulipas is one of the Mexican states most affected by drug trafficking and other organized crime.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said that the abduction was \"a tragic reminder\" that both countries must \"strengthen the fight against criminal organizations\" along their shared border.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Latin American country is plagued by cartel-related bloodshed that has seen more than 340,000 people murdered since the government deployed the military in the war on drugs in 2006.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The US State Department advises against travel to Tamaulipas due to dangers including \"gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault.\"</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Despite the risks, Matamoros, located on the banks of the Rio Grande river separating the two countries, is a major stopping point for irregular migrants heading for the United States. AFP</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</p>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 04:57:27', '2023-03-08 04:57:27'),
(5648, 5648, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC observed the historic 7th March, commemorating Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman\'s landmark speech in 1971, which called the nation to be ready to fight for freedom.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fiery speech of Bangabandhu on March 7 at a mammoth rally in the then \"Race Course Maidan\", now Suhrawardy Udyan, inspired the freedom-loving Bangalees to fight and earn the long-cherished independence of Bangladesh in 1971.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The day\'s program of the Embassy started with the formal hoisting of the National Flag by Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Muhammad Imran on the Embassy premises in the morning. Officials and employees of the Mission were present on the occasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, the Ambassador placed a wreath at the bust of the Father of the Nation at the Bangabandhu Corner of the Embassy in the presence of Embassy officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After laying the wreath, they stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the great leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The messages issued on the occasion by President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were read out by Minister (Political-I) &amp; Head of Chancery Dewan Ali Ashraf and Counsellor (Political-III) Shamima Yeasmin Smrite.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, a video film on the historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu was screened.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Afterwards, a discussion highlighting the significance of the day was organized.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taking part in the discussion, Ambassador Imran paid deepest homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of the historic March 7 and highlighted different aspects of his epic speech.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He termed March 7 as an unforgettable day in the history of the nation and said on this day in 1971, Bangabandhu delivered the momentous speech at the then Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka, effectively declaring the War of Independence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Realizing the importance of the historic speech, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has included the speech in its Memory of the World International Register, a list of the world\'s important documentary heritage, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ambassador Imran called upon all to work unitedly to build a hunger-and-poverty-free happy and prosperous \'Sonar Bangla\' (Golden Bengal), as dreamt by Bangabandhu, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The day’s program ended with offering a special prayers seeking divine blessings for eternal peace of the departed soul of Bangabandhu as well as Bangladesh\'s continued peace, progress and prosperity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">First Secretary Md Ataur Rahman conducted the program. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 05:01:55', '2023-03-08 05:01:55'),
(5649, 5649, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has called for robust international efforts to expedite repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With its limited resources and inadequate external support Bangladesh has to continue the humanitarian operation until the repatriation process for over one million Rohingyas is complete.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this context, the State Minister urged the international community to contribute generously to the humanitarian aid fund for them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He made the appeal while addressing the launching of Joint Response Plan (JRP) 2023 for Rohingyas in Geneva on March 7.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Minister also requested all humanitarian partners to prioritize sectors covering the basic necessities like food, health, site management and shelter, etc. in their assistance.  </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Recalling that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had opened the borders of Bangladesh to save the lives of Rohingyas back in 2016 and 2017 despite its serious ramification on the economy, environment, security, and socio-political stability of Bangladesh, State Minister Alam briefed the audience of Bangladesh’s numerous efforts, including development of Bhasan Char with its own resources to improve the living standards of the Rohingyas, ensure their education, and skills development opportunities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mentioning that Bangladesh is the largest donor, spending around 1.69 billion USD last year for the massive humanitarian operations for Rohingyas, ensuring safety and security in and around camps, restoration of the environment, and mitigation of sufferings of the Rohingyas and the host community, State Minister Alam warned that the impasse over commencing return of the Rohingyas to their home country might affect the security and stability of the entire region and jeopardize development initiatives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Repatriation has been mentioned as the top priority in JRP 2023.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under JRP 2023 an amount of USD 876 million has been sought and a chapter on Bhasan Char has been added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Minister recalled that 62.7% of the pledged amount under JRP 2022 was funded and it was quite challenging to meet the needs of the growing Rohingya population and mitigate the sufferings of the host community in Bangladesh with the received donation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also said that the Ukraine War and other multiple crises have worsened the funding crisis for Rohingyas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Minister expressed concern over the disinformation or biased projection of the government’s efforts to arrange education, skill development initiatives and even improve the security situation for the Rohingyas in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also remarked that uncertainty to commence repatriation is often being used as a domestic political tool by opposition parties in Bangladesh, projecting it as a failure of the present government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Minister urged all to check the ground reality prevailing in Bangladesh and talk to the government before relying on those “concocted stories”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Co-sponsored by the UNHCR and IOM, the JRP for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis was attended by ambassadors/permanent representatives of member states of the UN, representatives of NGO, INGOs, media, academician, and officials of UN bodies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Appreciating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s generosity in allowing Rohingyas to take shelter in Bangladesh and various efforts of Bangladesh including education for forcibly displaced Rohingyas, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Director General of the International Organization for Migration also called upon the international community to provide increased humanitarian assistance for the Rohingyas in their dire need.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They also acknowledged that repatriation is key to resolving the Rohingya crisis and Myanmar has to demonstrate political will to that end.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU, US, Norway, Switzerland, Australia and some other donor countries announced their respective contributions for the Rohingyas for 2023 in the JRP event.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Minister also met with High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk at the UN Office in Geneva and briefed him of the efforts made by the government under the dynamic leadership of Sheikh Hasina to promote and protect human rights of all. He reiterated the government’s commitment to consistent engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms.  </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Minister briefed the High Commissioner about Rohingya camp situations in Cox’s Bazar and the newly built Bhasan Char shelter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He emphasized burden sharing by the international community and its stronger commitment to their right to return and to ensuring justice and accountability for them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">High Commissioner Volker Turk applauded Bangladesh’s outstanding advancements in socio-economic arena, and its engagement with UN mechanisms. He praised Bangladesh’s humanitarian leadership in sheltering Rohingyas and efforts to advance world peace. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 06:17:42', '2023-03-08 06:29:04'),
(5650, 5650, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Firefighting units have started their rescue operation for the second day this morning at the building in Siddique Bazar of Dhaka’s Gulistan, where 17 people lost their lives in a deadly explosion yesterday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Three firefighting units started the rescue operation around 9 am but no one has been rescued yet, said Khaleda Yeasmin, duty officer of the Fire Service Control Room, around 11 am.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, a four-member probe body headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operation and maintenance), has been formed to look into the explosion that ripped through the 5-storey building in Gulistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The committee has been asked to submit its report within five working days, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire service and Civil Defense headquarters media cell.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yesterday, at least 17 people were dead and over 60 were injured in a massive explosion at a 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The explosion occurred around 4:50 pm, said Shahjahan Sikder.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The authorities handed over the bodies of the 17 in the morning, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police outpost.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 17 deceased were identified as Sumon, 21, son of Momin of Suritola; Munsur Hossain, 40, son of Mosharraf hossain of Jatrabari; Ishak Mridha, 35, son of Dulal Mridha of Barishal; Md Ismail, 42, son of Hossain Ali of Bongshal; Rahat, 18, son of Jahangir Alam of South Keraniganj; Alamin, 23, son of Billal Hossain of Chandpur; Hridoy Mia, 18, son of Hashem Mia of Kishoreganj; Idris Mir, 50, son of Kala Chan Mir of Jatrabari; Mominul Islam, 38, son of Abul Hashem of Chawkbazar; Nodi Begum, 34, wife of Mominul Islam; Moin Uddin, 50, son of Jamir Uddin of Munshiganj; Nazmul Hossain, 20, son of Yunus Hossain of Bongshal; Obaidul Hasan, 55, son of Shaheb Ali of Manikganj; Abu Zafar Siddique, 34, son of Mozammel Haque of Munshiganj; Akuti Begum, 70, wife of Anwarul Islam of Bongshal; Nurul Islam Bhuiya, 55, son of Mohammad Bhuiya of Jatrabari; and Abdul Hakim Siam, 18, son of Dulal of Keraniganj.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, hospital sources said according to the relatives, 3-4 people remain missing since the explosion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the injured, 11 people have been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The cause of the Gulistan explosion could not be ascertained yet. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 06:28:44', '2023-03-08 06:28:44'),
(5651, 5651, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">International Women’s Day is being observed in the country today, as elsewhere across the globe, with focus on gender equality and empowerment of women.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This year’s theme, ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’, highlights the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality and meeting the health and development needs of women and girls.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8 to put focus on women’s ongoing struggle for equality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Different organizations have chalked out elaborate programmes, including rallies, discussions and cultural events, to mark the day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages on the occasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private television channels are airing special programmes while newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 06:35:04', '2023-03-08 06:35:04'),
(5652, 5652, '<div><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime minister Sheikh Hasina left Doha for home on Wednesday morning wrapping her four-day official visit to Qatar.</b><br></div><div><br></div><div>A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the premier and her entourage departed Hamad International Airport at 8:00am local time (11am BD time). The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 3:00pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina arrived here on March 4 to attend the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5).</div><div><br></div><div>During her stay in Qatar, she attended the LDC5 conference, several side-line events and a civic reception.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM also held meetings with different leaders including Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UNGA President Csaba Korosi. UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 06:44:33', '2023-03-08 06:44:33'),
(5653, 5653, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Actor Sai Pallavi, who was last seen in Tamil film Gargi, is said to have landed a key role in Allu Arjun’s next part in the Pushpa franchise. Reports have emerged that Sai has been roped in to play a character that’s freshly added to Pushpa: The Rule. However, an official announcement from the makers is yet awaited.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is reported that Sai will be paired opposite Fahadh Faasil in the film, which is currently on the floors. As per reports, Sai Pallavi will be seen in an extended cameo in Pushpa: The Rule. She will join the sets in the next schedule and will finish her portion in a week’s time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reacting to the reports of Sai Pallavi being signed for Pushpa 2, several fans took to social media to share their excitement. One user wrote, “If true, this is going to be really exciting. It’ll be even more interesting if she gets to play a negative character (sic).” Another one said, “One dance number with Allu Arjun and Sai Pallavi please (sic).”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This will be the first time Sai Pallavi will be seen in an Allu Arjun-starrer. Pushpa 2 also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Anasuya Bharadwaj in important roles. Arjun recently completed filming a schedule of Pushpa 2 in Vishakhapatnam where the makers filmed the introduction song. Pushpa: The Rule went on the floors last November with a look test. The film’s cinematographer Miroslaw Kuba Brozek took to instagram to share a picture from the sets and captioned the post as the beginning of the adventure.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The second part will focus on the face-off between Allu Arjun and Fahadh Faasil, who was introduced as the prime antagonist towards the end of the first part. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, who plays the character Srivalli, Sunil and Anasuya Bharadwaj in key roles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Pushpa: The Rise, Arjun popularised the catchphrase ‘Thaggedhe Le’. Last November, he went on to introduce the new catchphrase for the second part at an event. He said that he hopes that the excitement he has for the movie touches the fans as well. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 07:07:26', '2023-03-08 07:07:26');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(5654, 5654, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said investing in women uplifts all people, communities, and countries.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Let us work together – across governments, the private sector and civil society – to build a more inclusive, just, and prosperous world for women, girls, men, and boys everywhere,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UN Chief made the call in a message marking International Women’s Day today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Women’s exclusion from the digital world has shaved an estimated $1 trillion from the GDP of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade — a loss that could grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 without action, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women and girls across all walks of life, in all corners of the world,\" Guterres said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But they also recognize the enormous obstacles they face — from structural injustices, marginalization, and violence, to cascading crises that affect them first and worst, to the denial of their personal autonomy and rights over their bodies and lives, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gender-based discrimination harms everyone – women, girls, men, and boys, said the UN chief, adding that \"International Women’s Day is a call to action.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Action needed to stand with women who are demanding their fundamental rights at great personal cost, he said, adding that action is also required to strengthen protection against sexual exploitation and abuse.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"And action to accelerate women’s full participation and leadership. This year’s theme stresses the need for technology and innovation to advance gender equality,\" Guterres said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Technology can expand pathways to education and opportunities for women and girls.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But it can also be used to amplify abuse and hatred.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Today, women make up under a third of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and maths,\" Guterres said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And when women are under-represented in developing new technologies, discrimination may be baked in from the start.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"That is why we must close the digital divide and increase the representation of women and girls in science and technology,\" said the UN chief. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 07:35:48', '2023-03-08 07:35:48'),
(5655, 5655, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Millions of Indians celebrated Holi - the festival of colours - at home and around the world.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The festival which marks the last full-moon day of the lunar month celebrates the beginning of spring and the victory of good over evil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People celebrate this day by smearing bright colours on friends and family, offering prayers and burning a bonfire to symbolically destroy the bad so that the good can triumph.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The festival is based on a Hindu legend and has a huge cultural significance in India. People see the festival as symbolising new beginnings, and as a time to mend relationships and start afresh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Huge processions are held in several parts of India to mark the festival. People dance and sing and hold sumptuous feasts with traditional fare. Schools are shut as children and adults devote the day to colourful celebrations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The festival is celebrated in a grand and unique way in cities like Vrindavan and Mathura in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Celebrations last for an entire week. Devotees undertake massive processions where they dance and throw colour at each other. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 07:53:34', '2023-03-08 07:53:34'),
(5656, 5656, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United States announced on Tuesday $26 million in new humanitarian aid for Rohingya in Bangladesh and elsewhere in that region of Asia.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Around one million members of the mostly Muslim Rohingya community live in relief camps in Bangladesh, many after fleeing a 2017 military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar. The onslaught caused one of the world\'s worst humanitarian crises.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This new funding allows our humanitarian partners to continue providing life-saving assistance to affected communities on both sides of the Burma Bangladesh border,\" State Department spokesman Ned Price said, using the old name for Myanmar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the new money raises to $2.1 billion the total of US aid provided to the Rohingya people since August 2017.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Nations said Tuesday it needs $876 million to meet the humanitarian needs of the Rohingya in Bangladesh, after dwindling donations forced a cut to their food rations. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 08:13:43', '2023-03-08 08:13:43'),
(5657, 5657, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The cause behind the explosion in the 5-storey Gulistan building will be known after examining the samples collected from the site, said Major Morshed Alam, director of bomb disposal unit of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Primary samples were collected from the blast site and sent to laboratory for test and the actual reason behind the explosion could be known after examining the samples,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We entered the damaged building carefully and it appeared that it is not an incident of fire, it’s an explosion. The level of explosion was huge,”Major Morshed said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There might be multiple reasons including leakage of gas pipeline behind the blast and there is a little possibility of air conditioner blast, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, a dog squad team is working there to check whether there is any existence of human alive or dead inside the building, said Morshed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, at least 17 people were killed and over 100 others injured in a massive explosion in a 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the injured, 11 people have been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Three firefighting units resumed the rescue operation around 9 am, said Khaleda Yeasmin, duty officer of the Fire Service Control Room, around 11 am.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A four-member probe body headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operation and maintenance), has been formed to look into the explosion .</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The committee has been asked to submit its report within five working days, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire service and Civil Defense headquarters media cell. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 08:54:29', '2023-03-08 08:54:29'),
(5658, 5658, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 487 people were dead and 712 were injured in 439 road accidents throughout the country in February this year, according to a latest report.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The report by Road Safety Foundation (RSF), released today, says that 96 people were killed in 183 motorcycle accidents across the country — 40.24% of the total deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the dead, 54 were women and 68 children.</div><div><br></div><div>Sixteen people were dead and seven were injured in nine waterways accidents while at least 14 people were killed and five were injured in 17 railway accidents during the same period.</div><div><br></div><div>RSF prepared the report based on nine national dailies, seven online news portals and electronic media information.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 108 pedestrians were killed in road accidents, which is 22.17 percent of the total deaths. Some 72 drivers and their assistants were killed, which is 14.78 percent of the total deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>According to RSF\'s observation and analysis, the highest number 168 (38.26%) of the accidents occurred on national highways, 177 (40.31%) on regional roads, 61 (13.89%) on rural roads and 29 (6.60%) on urban roads.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the highest 201 (45.78%) among the total accidents occurred due to losing control over the wheel, 68 (15.48%) due to collision, 112 accidents ( 25.51 percent) happened due to pushing or running over pedestrians, 47 incidents (10.70 percent ) involved hitting the rear side of vehicles and 11 (2. 50%) occurred due to other reasons.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka division had the highest number of accidents and deaths, with 24.84% of the deaths; Rajshahi division with 19.71% deaths; Chattogram division with 18.89%; while Khulna division with 9.85% deaths. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 10:35:55', '2023-03-08 10:35:55'),
(5659, 5659, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune and forgiveness, was observed in Bangladesh on Tuesday with religious fervour.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>According to Muslim belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night when Allah arranges the affairs of the following year.</div><div><br></div><div>On this night, Allah writes the destinies of all creations for the coming year by taking into account their past deeds.</div><div><br></div><div>Muslim devotees offered special prayers and recited from the Holy Quran seeking divine blessings for the wellbeing of mankind.</div><div><br></div><div>They passed the whole night offering prayers.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private TV channels and radio stations aired special programmes while newspapers published articles highlighting the significance of the night.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka Metropolitan Police have banned carrying and using all sorts of fireworks and low explosives in the capital during Shab-e-Barat, one of the most sacred nights in the Islamic calendar, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The 12-hour restriction remained effective from 6pm Tuesday till 6am the next day, DMP Commissioner Khandker Gulam Faruk added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 11:12:26', '2023-03-08 11:12:26'),
(5660, 5660, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military company claimed on Wednesday that his troops have extended their gains in the key Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut as fierce fighting continues in the war’s longest battle.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Yevgeny Prigozhin said Wagner troops have taken full control of the eastern part of Bakhmut. He claimed that they now control all districts east of the Bakhmutka River that crosses the city in the eastern Donetsk region. The center of Bakhmut is located west of the river.</div><div><br></div><div>Neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials commented on Prigozhin’s claim. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think-tank that closely monitors the fighting in Ukraine, said in its latest analysis that “Russian forces have likely captured the eastern part of Bakhmut, east of the Bakhmutka River, following a controlled Ukrainian withdrawal from eastern Bakhmut as of March 7.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Wagner Group has spearheaded the Russian offensive in Bakhmut that has lasted for six months and reduced the city with a prewar population of more than 70,000 to a smoldering wasteland.</div><div><br></div><div>Russian troops have enveloped the city from three sides, leaving only a narrow corridor leading west. The only highway west has been targeted by Russian artillery fire, forcing Ukrainian forces defending the city to rely increasingly on country roads, which are hard to use before the muddy ground dries.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukrainian authorities have hailed the defenders of the “fortress Bakhmut,” and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed Monday not to retreat from Bakhmut after chairing a meeting with his top generals.</div><div><br></div><div>For the Kremlin, capturing Bakhmut is essential for achieving its stated goal of taking control of the whole of Donetsk, one of the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed in September.</div><div><br></div><div>Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that the seizure of Bakhmut would allow Russia to press its offensive deeper into the region.</div><div><br></div><div>In a blustery video statement recorded near a landmark World War II T-34 tank monument from Bakhmut, Prigozhin said that the capture of the city would allow the Russian military to exploit the success and push deeper into the Donbas — the industrial region of eastern Ukraine that Russia claims — to make “the entire world shudder.”</div><div><br></div><div>But Western officials have emphasized that even if Ukrainian troops eventually retreat from Bakhmut, its capture will not have strategic significance or change the course of the conflict.</div><div><br></div><div>The Ukrainian military has already strengthened defensive lines west of Bakhmut to block the Russian advance, including in the nearby town of Chasiv Yar that sits on a hill a few kilometers west. Further west are Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the heavily fortified Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk.</div><div><br></div><div>The ISW observed that, in terms of the wider war, Russian forces are unlikely to capitalize on the possible capture of Bakhmut where they have relied on small units for urban combat.</div><div><br></div><div>“The continuing devolution of Russian force structure towards small assault detachments using simplified tactics, combined with mounting losses among the most effective Russian troops, will likely greatly limit the ability of Russian forces to properly exploit any paths of advance opened by the capture of Bakhmut,” the ISW said.</div><div><br></div><div>Russia is also likely short of the mechanized forces it would need to push on from Bakhmut, it added.</div><div><br></div><div>As the fighting raged in the east, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in the Ukrainian capital early Wednesday. The U.N. said that he is scheduled to meet with Zelenskyy later in the day “to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, as well as other pertinent issues.”</div><div><br></div><div>That deal allows Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports and permits Russia to export food and fertilizers. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 11:39:46', '2023-03-08 11:39:46'),
(5661, 5661, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A day after a deadly explosion in a 5-storey building&nbsp; in Dhaka\'s Siddique Bazar area,&nbsp; two&nbsp; bodies were recovered from the debris on Wednesday -- raising the death toll to 19.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>One of the deceased was identified as Momin Uddin Suman, 44, who used to work as a manager of a sanitary shop.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Mohammad Aktaruzzaman, deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, told reporters that they recovered two bodies from the basement of the damaged building.</div><div><br></div><div>“The rescue operation inside the building&nbsp; started in the afternoon after a dog squad identified the presence of the bodies,” he said, adding that the operation was conducted with heavy equipment.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Among the injured, 11 people have been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.</div><div><br></div><div>The explosion occurred around 4:50pm with a big bang on Tuesday at Siddique Bazar in Gulistan.</div><div><br></div><div>A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, Brac Bank office on one of the other floors and an adjacent 7-storied building were damaged but no building collapsed, Sikder added.</div><div><br></div><div>Visiting the spot on Wednesday, Home Minister Md Asaduzzaman said, “The five-storey building has turned risky and the whole building may collapse if pressure is created on it. So rescue operation in the basement should be started after creating a stable situation”.</div><div><br></div><div>A four-member probe body headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operation and maintenance), has been formed to investigate the explosion.</div><div><br></div><div>The committee was asked to submit its report within five working days, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire service and Civil Defense headquarters media cell. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 11:51:34', '2023-03-08 11:51:34'),
(5662, 5662, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has allegedly picked up the owner of a shop that collapsed during an explosion in a building at Siddique Bazar in the capital on Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The detainee is Abdul Motalib Mintu, the owner of ‘Bangladesh Sanitary’.</div><div><br></div><div>Mintu’s brother-in-law, Abul Khayer, told reporters on Wednesday that Mintu was picked up from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) burn unit at around 3 am.</div><div><br></div><div>“He went to the Dhaka Medical College hospital in search of his shop employees. His manager, Swapan, is yet to be found. Two employees were admitted to the hospital,” Abulr Khayer told reporters on DMCH premises.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile a DB official, who did not wish to be named, said Mintu was picked up by a team of DB\'s Lalbagh division. He is currently at the DB office in the capital’s Mintu Road.</div><div><br></div><div>“The explosion took place under his shop in the basement. That\'s why he\'s being questioned,”&nbsp; he told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 19 people were killed and over 100 others injured in a massive explosion in a 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter at Siddique Bazar in Gulistan area of the capital on Tuesday .</div><div><br></div><div>Among the injured, 11 people have been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.</div><div><br></div><div>A four-member probe body headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operation and maintenance), has been formed to investigate the incident.</div><div><br></div><div>The committee has been asked to submit its report within five working days, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire service and Civil Defense headquarters media cell. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 13:09:11', '2023-03-08 13:09:11'),
(5663, 5663, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina witnessed the annual Joy Bangla Concert commemorating&nbsp; the historic March 7 speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and Bangabandhu’s grandson and Center for Research and Information (CRI) trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq accompanied the Prime Minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, the premier arrived in Dhaka in the&nbsp; afternoon from Doha, the Capital of Qatar, after attending the 5th United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5: From Potential to Prosperity).</div><div><br></div><div>The concert began with observing a one minute silence in Dhaka’s Army Stadium to pay homage to the victims of Tuesday\'s explosion in a Gulistan building.</div><div><br></div><div>The Center for Research and Information\'s (CRI\'s) youth platform</div><div>Young Bangla has been organizing the Joy Bangla Concert for the seventh time since 2015, except the last two years for the Covid-19 pandemic.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The concert was organised mainly to instill the spirit of the Liberation War among the new generations.</div><div><br></div><div>It is usually held on March 7 every year, but this year\'s event was moved to March 8 due to the holy Shab-e-Barat.</div><div><br></div><div>Renowned bands-- Artcell, Avoid Rafa, Lalon, Chirkutt, Cryptic Fate, Karnival, Meghdol, Nemesis, and Arekta Rock Band-- are performing at the concert. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 15:18:25', '2023-03-08 15:18:25'),
(5664, 5664, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A building in the Bhajanpura area of the national capital collapsed on Wednesday, informed police officials. The police officials said that the reason for the collapse is yet to be ascertained.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>According to police officials, the fire department received information at 3:05 pm. The fire department officials have reached the spot.</div><div><br></div><div>A rescue operation is underway and further details are awaited.</div><div>Earlier on March 1, a four-storey building collapsed after catching fire in north Delhi\'s Roshanara Road but fortunately, there was no loss of life, said police. - NDTV</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 15:37:21', '2023-03-08 15:37:21'),
(5665, 5665, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has taken an initiative to sell six essential items to some one crore low-income group families ahead of holy month of Ramadan, a press release said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>As part of this, the TCB will start selling three essential items - edible oil, sugar, dates and chickpeas and lentils -- among such families from Thursday (March 9).</div><div><br></div><div>These essential items will be sold in two phases. In the first phase selling of the items will start from Thursday across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi will inaugurate the sales of essential items formally through a function at Tejgaon in the capital on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>The card holders can buy the six goods at subsidised rates from the TCB\'s specific sales points and dealers’ outlets.</div><div><br></div><div>A card holder can buy 2 litre soybean oil, 2 kg lentil, sugar, chickpea and 1 kg date at a time.</div><div><br></div><div>The card holders can buy sugar TK 60/per kg, date at Tk100, lentil at Tk 70, chickpea at Tk 50 and soybean oil at Tk 110 per litre. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 16:25:58', '2023-03-08 16:25:58'),
(5666, 5666, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday said that Russia should not be underestimated and that Ukraine needs immediate military supply.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking to reporters on the way to the informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm, Sweden, Stoltenberg said that it cannot be ruled out that the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut “may eventually fall in the coming days.”</div><div><br></div><div>However, he said that it would not “necessarily reflect any turning point of the war.”</div><div><br></div><div>“It just highlights that we should not underestimate Russia,” he stressed, urging NATO and EU countries to continue supplying Ukraine with military aid.</div><div><br></div><div>Stoltenberg and EU defense ministers will discuss plans on ramping up production of the European defense industry, reports Anadolu Agency.</div><div><br></div><div>“The current rate of consumption compared to the current rate of production of ammunition is not sustainable,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition to the “important steps” already taken by NATO, “we need to do more because we need to ensure that Ukraine gets its needs to defend itself against Russia’s war aggression, and we need to replenish our own stocks,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-08 16:36:07', '2023-03-08 16:36:07'),
(5667, 5667, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The death toll from the deadly explosion in a 5-storey building in Dhaka\'s Gulistan area rose to 21 as another victim succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital last night (March 08, 2023).</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased was identified as Musa Haider, 45. He had been undergoing treatment at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery with 94% burn injuries. He succumbed to his injuries around 10:35 pm last night, said Inspector Bachhu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police outpost.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, on Tuesday, at least 17 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a massive explosion in a 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, two bodies were recovered from the debris yesterday — raising the death toll to 19.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The explosion occurred around 4:50 pm with a big bang on Tuesday (March 07, 2023) at Siddique Bazar in Gulistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, BRAC Bank office on one of the other floors and an adjacent 7-storey building were damaged but no building collapsed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">A four-member probe body headed by Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of Fire Service and Civil Defense (Operation and maintenance), has been formed to investigate the explosion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The committee was asked to submit its report within five working days, said Shahjahan Sikder, Deputy Additional Director of Fire service and Civil Defense headquarters media cell. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>bnbd24/kh</b></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 07:42:38', '2023-03-09 07:42:38'),
(5668, 5668, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Family members are mourning two cousins from the Chandpur district, who left their shop to have tea in Dhaka’s Gulistan area where a deadly blast killed several people on Tuesday (March 07, 2023). Death toll as of now is 20.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Family members and relatives are still mourning the deaths of Al Amin, 23, son of Billal Hossain of Paschim Lalpur village, and Mansur Hossain, 24, son of Mosharraf Hossain of Chengarchar village in Matlab North upazila of Chandpur district. They demanded proper investigation into the explosion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kawsar, younger brother of Mansur, said Al Amin, son of his maternal aunt, visited Mansur’s shop located in Gulistan’s Phulbaria Super Market on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After having some conversation, Mansur and Al Amin went out of the shop around 4:15 pm, saying that they would return in 20 minutes after having tea in Siddique Bazar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Those 20 minutes didn’t end and they will not return,” cried Kawsar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, he heard about the explosion and went out looking for them. Failing to find them, he went to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where he found the bodies of Mansur and Al Amin.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Al Amin was a student of a private college in Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Md Mohiuddin, officer-in-charge of Matlab North Police Station, said the bodies of the two victims were handed over to their relatives on Wednesday night.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When the mortal remains of the two young men arrived in their respective areas, a pall of gloom descended on the area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They were buried at their respective family graveyards around 11 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Tuesday, at least 17 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a massive explosion in a 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, two bodies were recovered from the debris yesterday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Musa Haider, 45, a victim succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital last night, raising the death toll to 20.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The explosion occurred around 4:50 pm on Tuesday. A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, BRAC Bank office on one of the other floors and an adjacent 7-storey building were damaged but no building collapsed. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 07:46:38', '2023-03-09 07:46:38'),
(5669, 5669, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">River Police have arrested 29 fishermen for violating the two-month ban on catching hilsa fry – imposed by the government – in the Padma-Meghna river sanctuary area of Chandpur to increase the production of hilsa and protect ‘jatka’ (fry).</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The arrested fishermen were from Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, and Matlab North of Chandpur.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the arrest, river police seized about 28,56,900 meters of current nets, 5 fishing boats, and 188 kg of ‘jatka’ from the fishermen.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Contacted, Md Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Chandpur River Police Station, said law enforcers conducted a day-long operation in the sanctuary area to protect ‘jatka’ (hilsa fry less than 9 inches or 23 centimetres in length).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“During our operation, we’ve arrested 29 fishermen for violating the 2-month ban on catching jatka,” he told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Of the arrested fishermen, eight were sentenced to one month\'s rigorous imprisonment, and 18 others were regularly booked under the Fisheries Act with Sadar Model Police Station. Three minors were cautioned and released into the custody of their families.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government imposed a two-month ban on catching ‘jatka’ to increase the production of hilsa in the Padma-Meghna sanctuary under Chandpur, Shariatpur, Lakshmipur, Barishal and Bhola districts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Seventy kms sanctuary of Meghna in Sadar, Haimchar, Matlab North, and Matlab South upazilas of the Chandpur district are also under restriction.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Those who violate the ban are subjected to a maximum of two years imprisonment, a fine of Tk 5,000, or both. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 07:49:59', '2023-03-09 07:49:59'),
(5670, 5670, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Law Ministry on Thursday received a petition seeking another extended suspension of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s jail term sent by the Homer Ministry.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have received a file from the Home Ministry regarding the extension of Khaleda Zia\'s conditional release. We’ll send it back to the Home Ministry with our recommendations,” Law Minister Anisul Huq told UNB on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Replying to a question whether the BNP chief will be allowed to go abroad this time, the minister said, he still did not see the file. “But I can say that the previous conditions will remain in our recommendations.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read more: AL staging drama over issue of Khaleda\'s politics with evil motive</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s younger brother Shamim Eskandar submitted a fresh application recently to the Home Ministry seeking extension of her release period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the application, he asked to relax the conditions of her release and allow taking her abroad for treatment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government extended Khaleda’s conditional release in the two corruption cases several times.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The former prime minister was sent to Old Dhaka Central Jail after she was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment by a special court in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She was convicted in a second corruption case later.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 77-year-old BNP chief has been staying at her Gulshan residence since her release. A special team of her personal physicians has been overseeing her treatment. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 07:59:13', '2023-03-09 07:59:13'),
(5671, 5671, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Kylian Mbappe admitted that Paris Saint-Germain had performed to their \"maximum\" despite slumping to another early Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich on Wednesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>PSG, trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Paris, were beaten 2-0 in the return game at the Allianz Arena to drop out of the competition in the last 16 for the fifth time in seven seasons.</div><div><br></div><div>\"As I said at my first Champions League press conference this season, we were going to do our maximum. That\'s our maximum, that\'s the truth,\" Mbappe told reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>\"What were PSG missing? Not much when you look at the two squads. They have a great squad, built to win the Champions League.\"</div><div><br></div><div>PSG are still waiting for a maiden European Cup title despite the vast amount spent in the transfer market by their Qatari owners.</div><div><br></div><div>Christophe Galtier\'s men ended the tie with two 17-year-olds on the pitch in El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Warren Zaire-Emery.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We\'re going to question ourselves and then return to our daily life, the league,\" added Mbappe.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have to move on... We lost against a great team, trying to win the tournament.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Mbappe, who wore the captain\'s armband after Marquinhos went off injured in the 36th minute, signed a bumper new deal with PSG last year.</div><div>Despite the team sitting eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1, the Champions League failure will inevitably bring more questions about whether the France star will stay at the Parc des Princes, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"I\'m calm,\" he said when asked about his future. \"The only thing that matters to me is this season, to win the league, and then we\'ll see.\"</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 08:05:11', '2023-03-09 08:05:11'),
(5672, 5672, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and visiting United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which expires on March 18, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking after a meeting with Guterres in Kiev, Zelensky stressed the importance of the initiative for global food security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative after March 18 is critically necessary for the whole world,\" Zelensky said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For his part, Guterres said that about 23 million tons of grain were exported under the initiative, which helped lower the global food prices.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I would like to note the extreme importance of continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative,\" Guterres said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On July 22, 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with T?rkiye and the UN to allow Ukraine and Russia to export grain and fertilizer to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deal, due to expire on Nov. 19, 2022, was extended for another 120 days. Guterres has repeatedly called for the deal\'s further extension. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 08:11:00', '2023-03-09 08:11:00'),
(5673, 5673, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia unleashed a massive missile barrage targeting energy infrastructure across Ukraine early Thursday, hitting residential buildings and killing at least five people in the largest scale such attack in three weeks, officials said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Four people were killed in the Lviv region after a missile struck a residential area, Lviv Gov. Maksym Kozytskyi said. Three buildings were destroyed by fire after the strike and rescue workers were combing through rubble looking for more possible victims, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A fifth person was killed and two others wounded in multiple strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region that targeted its energy infrastructure and industrial facilities, Gov. Serhii Lysak said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air raid sirens wailed through the night across Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, where explosions occurred in two western areas of the city. Defense systems were activated around the country, and it wasn\'t clear how many missiles struck targets or were intercepted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The city\'s administration said Kyiv was attacked with both missiles and exploding drones and that many were intercepted but that its energy infrastructure was hit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said explosions were reported in the Holosiivskyi district of the city, and two people were wounded in the Sviatoshynskyi district, also on the west side of the city, and cars were ablaze there, the mayor added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The alarm in Kyiv was lifted just before 8 a.m., with the air raid sirens falling silent after some seven hours.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The missile barrage struck as Russia pushed its advance in Ukraine\'s eastern stronghold of Bakhmut, where a grinding fight between the two sides has gone on for six months and reduced the city to a smoldering wasteland.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It also came hours after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on extending an agreement that allows Ukraine to ship grain from its Black Sea ports and permits Russia to export food and fertilizers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In eastern Ukraine, 15 missiles struck Kharkiv and the outlying northeastern region, hitting residential buildings, according to Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov. He promised to reveal more details about the scale of the damage or any casualties in Ukraine\'s second-largest city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Objects of critical infrastructure are again in the crosshairs of the occupants,\" he said in a Telegram post.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported on Telegram that there were \"problems with electricity\" in some parts of the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The governor of the southern Odesa region, Maksym Marchenko, also reported strikes on Odesa, saying that energy facilities and residential buildings were hit. Marchenko warned on Telegram for people to stay in shelters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is occupied by Russian forces, lost power as a result of the missile attacks, according to nuclear state operator Energoatom.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was the sixth time the plant was in a state of blackout since it was taken over by Russia months ago, forcing it to rely on 18 diesel generators that can run the station for 10 days, Energoatom said. Nuclear plants need constant power to run cooling systems and avoid a meltdown.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The countdown has begun,\" Energoatom said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine\'s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko condemned the missile strikes as \"another barbaric massive attack on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine,\" saying in a Facebook post that facilities in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr regions had been targeted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian Railways reported power outages in certain areas, with 15 trains delayed up to an hour.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Preventive emergency power cuts were applied in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Odesa regions, supplier DTEK said. Klitschko said 40% of consumers in Kyiv were without heating because of the emergency power cuts. Water supplies were uninterrupted, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More explosions were reported in the northern city of Chernihiv and the western Lviv region, as well as in the cities of Dnipro, Lutsk and Rivne. Ukrainian media also report explosions in the western regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia has been hitting Ukraine with these massive missile attacks since last October. Initially, the barrages targeting the country\'s energy infrastructure took place weekly, plunging the entire cities into darkness, but became more spread out in time, with commentators speculating that Moscow may be saving up ammunition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The last massive barrage took place on Feb. 16. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 08:27:07', '2023-03-09 08:27:07');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(5674, 5674, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">It\'s a major international mystery with global consequences: Who was behind the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year in the Baltic Sea?</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The answer has broad implications for European energy security but could also threaten Western unity over backing Ukraine in defending itself from Russia\'s invasion. Or, it might shatter Russian and Chinese attempts to fix the blame on a hypocritical West.</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, nearly six months after the sabotage on the Russia-to-Germany pipelines, there is no accepted explanation. And a series of unconfirmed reports variously accusing Russia, the United States and Ukraine are filling an information vacuum as investigations into the blasts continue.</div><div><br></div><div>A look at the pipelines and what\'s known about the explosions.</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT ARE THE NORD STREAM PIPELINES?</div><div><br></div><div>The pipelines, known as Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, are majority-owned by Russia\'s state-run energy giant Gazprom and used to transport natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic to their termini in Germany.</div><div><br></div><div>Nord Stream 1 was completed and came online in 2011. Nord Stream 2 was not finished until the fall of 2021 but never became operational due to the launch of Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.</div><div><br></div><div>WHY ARE THEY CONTROVERSIAL?</div><div><br></div><div>Both pipelines bypass existing routes that go through Ukraine, meaning not only that Ukraine loses income from transit fees but is unable to directly use the gas they carry.</div><div><br></div><div>Of perhaps greater concern to the West, the pipelines were seen as a move by Russia to gain further, if not almost complete, control over Europe\'s energy supplies. Many in the West fear that Russia will use energy as a political weapon against European countries as it has done in the past with former Soviet states.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite those concerns and over the objections of the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, the German government under former Chancellor Angela Merkel moved ahead with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 project. The Biden administration waived sanctions against German entities involved in Nord Stream 2 after securing a pledge from Germany that it would allow backflows of gas into Ukraine and would act to shut the pipeline down should Russia try to use it to force political concessions.</div><div><br></div><div>After Russia\'s Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, Germany withdrew permission for Nord Stream 2, which had not yet come online.</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PIPELINES?</div><div><br></div><div>First, Gazprom halted gas flows through Nord Stream 1 on Sept. 2, 2022, citing issues related to European sanctions imposed against Russia over the war in Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>Three weeks later, both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were hit by explosions that rendered them inoperable and caused significant leaks of gas that was idle in the pipelines. Some have said the blasts caused the worst release of methane in history, although the full extent of the environmental damage remains unclear.</div><div><br></div><div>The depth of the pipeline and the complexity of using underwater explosives lent credence to the idea that only a state actor with the expertise to handle such an operation could be responsible. But no one claimed responsibility.</div><div><br></div><div>In the immediate aftermath of the explosions, U.S. officials suggested Russia may have been to blame while Russia accused the United States and Britain of being behind them. Investigations by European nations, including Denmark, through whose waters the pipeline travels, and Germany have yet to yield conclusive results.</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT THEORIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED?</div><div><br></div><div>After months of few developments in the probes, American investigative journalist Seymour Hersch, known for past exposes of U.S. government malfeasance, self-published a lengthy report in February alleging that President Joe Biden had ordered the sabotage, which Hersch said was carried out by the CIA with Norwegian assistance.</div><div><br></div><div>That report, based on a single, unidentified source, has been flatly denied by the White House, the CIA and the State Department, and no other news organization has been able to corroborate it. Russia, followed by China, however, leaped on Hersch\'s reporting, saying it was grounds for a new and impartial investigation conducted by the United Nations.</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, though, The New York Times, The Washington Post and German media published stories citing U.S. and other officials as saying there was evidence Ukraine, or at least Ukrainians, may have been responsible. The Ukrainian government has denied involvement.</div><div><br></div><div>Germany\'s Die Zeit newspaper and German public broadcasters ARD and SWR reported that investigators believed that five men and a woman used a yacht hired by a Ukrainian-owned company in Poland to carry out the attack. German federal prosecutors confirmed that a boat was searched in January but have not confirmed the reported findings.</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE FOUND RESPONSIBLE?</div><div><br></div><div>The implications of a determination that Ukraine was behind the explosions are not entirely clear. It\'s unlikely it would result in an immediate loss of Western support for Ukraine in the war with Russia, but it might dampen enthusiasm for future assistance if it was found that Ukraine or its agents carried out such an operation in European waters.</div><div><br></div><div>A determination that the United States or a proxy was responsible would give Russia and China additional leverage to go after the U.S. and its allies as hypocrites in their demands for the rule of the law, sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected.</div><div><br></div><div>A finding that Russia was behind the explosions would lend weight to Western claims that Moscow is in flagrant breach of international law and willing to use energy as a weapon against Europe.</div><div><br></div><div>There is no indication of when the European investigations will be complete - and it seems improbable, given the animosity and mistrust surrounding the Ukraine conflict, that its findings will be universally accepted. According to AP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 08:29:52', '2023-03-09 08:29:52'),
(5675, 5675, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Nepal\'s parliament members lined up Thursday to elect a new president, the third since the Himalayan nation abolished a centuries-old monarchy and became a republic.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The election of the president has fueled feuds among the main political parties and triggered political uncertainty.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 884 members of the federal parliament and provincial assemblies gathered in the capital, Kathmandu, to vote for the new president. The final results were expected to be announced Thursday night.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both candidates in the presidential race are prominent career politicians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ram Chandra Poudel is a senior leader of the Nepali Congress party and previously served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His opponent, Subash Chandra Nembang of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), has also previously served as Speaker.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The national election in November last year left a hung parliament, leading to a fragile coalition government taking power.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal\'s decision to support a candidate outside the coalition partners led to the alliance\'s biggest party pulling its support. As a result, Dahal was forced to seek a confidence vote in parliament later this month.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Analysts say the presidential election and confidence vote could lead to further instability.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The phase of political instability in Nepal has not ended despite the fact we had a successful national election and a new coalition government in place,” said Dhruba Adhikary, an independent analyst in Kathmandu.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides facing the vote of confidence, Dahal also lost the support of three key political parties that were part of the initial coalition government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His tenure has had a rocky start even before he could address key issues facing the country of 30 million.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nepal is still struggling to recover from the economic troubles brought by COVID-19, which led to a drop in the number of foreign tourists coming to climb the country\'s mountain peaks and hike its trails. Reviving tourism is necessary to bolster Nepal\'s economy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dahal also must balance relations between Nepal\'s two giant neighbors, India and China. Both New Delhi and Beijing compete for influence in the tiny Himalayan nation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nepal\'s new prime minister typically begins his or her tenure with a visit to one of these countries, but Dahal has not yet announced any such plans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Political turmoil and frequent changes in government are nothing new in Nepal, where eight different governments have ruled in the past 10 years. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 08:48:53', '2023-03-09 08:48:53'),
(5676, 5676, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Brazil star Neymar\'s upcoming surgery on his injured ankle in Qatar will be led by a renowned British specialist, the Aspetar hospital said Wednesday.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The hospital confirmed that the 31-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward will be operated on at the sports medicine clinic and that James Calder will lead the surgery.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Aspetar\'s expert ankle surgeon, Professor Pieter D\'Hooghe and renowned ankle surgeon Professor James Calder from London, will perform the surgery,\" the clinic said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The Brazilian was previously treated at Aspetar, with Calder involved, in January 2019.</div><div><br></div><div>Neymar is expected to miss up to four months of action, almost certainly ruling him out for the rest of the season.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I\'ll come back stronger,\" Neymar, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions for PSG this season, said on Twitter. According to AFP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 08:49:19', '2023-03-09 08:49:19'),
(5677, 5677, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Law Minister Anisul Huq on Thursday said that there is no foreign pressure on the government about the upcoming national election.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“If foreigners want to know (about election), we don\'t mind telling them about it as we do not do politics of killings or lies. We don\'t hide anything, so we have no objection and no hesitation to let the diplomats know about it,” Anisul said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with the ambassadors of Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Spain and France led by EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley at the secretariat in the afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The minister said they will not listen to anyone’s advice about the country\'s internal affairs as it is an independent nation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will do whatever is good for the citizens of the independent state,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When asked if there was any discussion on participatory elections, the minister said, \"We want a participatory election. We want everyone to take part in the election. I can also say that there is no question that the upcoming elections in Bangladesh will be free, fair and neutral.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will not go outside the constitution. The election will be held in the way as mentioned in the constitution. We want all the political parties of Bangladesh to take part in the election. But who will take part in the election and who will not it is up to the political parties,” he said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 09:40:39', '2023-03-09 09:40:39'),
(5678, 5678, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Like every year, Joy Bangla Concert 2023 has been organized by Young Bangla, youth platform of the Center for Research and Information (CRI). It was initiated in 2015 to commemorate the historic March 7 speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The biggest live music event in the country could not be held for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ending young music lovers’ long wait, the concert was held successfully yesterday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tonmoy Ahmed, engineer and coordinator of ALBD Web Team, has shared the behind-the-scenes stories of organizing the mega event for the seventh time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He mentioned the planning and implementation of the concert with Bangabandhu’s grandson and CRI trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“In February 2015, the country was mired in BNP-Jamaat’s anarchy – petrol bombs, people being burnt to death, and vandalism” said Tonmoy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“All of us, including Bobby bhai (Radwan Mujib), used to meet at office from time to time and talk about what we could do. Many pro-liberation organizations were protesting at that time. Bobby Bhai said, ‘On March 7, Bangabandhu had inspired seven and a half crore Bangalees to fight, despite the extremely adverse environment, and youths overwhelmingly responded to that call. Why can’t we do something on March 7 that can inspire the youths of the country to be more patriotic?’” – Tonmoy recalled.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ALBD Web Team coordinator said, “Since 2015, Joy Bangla Concert has been held every year. It continues to instil a sense of patriotism among Bangladesh’s young. March is the month of Bangabandhu, our independence and Joy Bangla Concert.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Referring to Radwan Mujib’s role behind the concert, Tonmoy said, “The person behind this event for the youths is Bobby bhai. The youth of Bangladesh will truly be indebted to him. With ‘Mujib’ as his middle name, he is an energetic young man holding Bangabandhu in his heart. I have been working with him since 2013 – for 10 years now, yet every day I see Bobby bhai coming up with something new. Working with him has been a learning experience.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Joy Bangla Concert: Untold stories of how the mega event came to be&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier yesterday afternoon, at the concert in Dhaka’s Army Stadium, youths swayed to timeless war-time melodies and rock songs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This year, the Joy Bangla Concert was held on March 8 due to Shab-e-Barat. The concert coincided with International Women’s Day yesterday. On the occasion, Young Bangla launched separate registration, urging women to join the concert.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The presence of women in the concert was certainly noticeable. There was also a separate corner for women.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fahima Tazreen Avija from Farmgate area, who attended the concert, said, “This participation of women in this celebration of the country’s independence sends out a positive message.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mahfuzur Rahman Rokon came to the concert with his friends. He said, “I’m really enjoying the live music. Our female friends are here too. The security here is good. We’re all having a good time”The performing bands encouraged the youths gathered at the concert. Along with the rendition of songs originally aired by Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, the rhythm of contemporary favourite rock music made for an unforgettable event.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This year’s Joy Bangla Concert started with a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the blast at Dhaka’s Gulistan. Artcell, Avoid Rafa, Lalon, Chirkutt, Cryptic Fate, Karnival, Meghdol, Nemesis, and Arekta Rock Band came up with performances one by one.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned to Dhaka yesterday afternoon after attending the fifth UN Summit of Least Developed Countries in Doha, Qatar. Later in the evening, she joined the concert.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed and Radwan Mujib Siddiq accompanied the premier on the occasion. She waved from the VIP box and greeted the youths at the Joy Bangla Concert. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 09:55:50', '2023-03-09 09:55:50'),
(5679, 5679, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Robbers snatched Tk 11.25 crore from a private security agency’s vehicle in Turag area of Dhaka’s Uttara this morning.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shariful Islam, inspector (Investigation) of Turag Police Station, said that the incident happened while a private security company’s vehicle with Tk 11.25 crore – of Dutch Bangla Bank Ltd – was going towards Savar EPZ area to deposit the money at the bank’s ATM booths.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At Uttara Sector-16, a group of eight armed people stopped the vehicle and took away the money at gunpoint, he said, adding that police are raiding nearby places to recover the money. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 10:03:26', '2023-03-09 10:03:26'),
(5680, 5680, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Beauty tools have become increasingly popular in recent years as people look for ways to enhance their beauty routines and achieve the best possible results.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>From facial cleansing brushes to LED light therapy masks, there are a wide variety of beauty tools available that can help to revolutionize your routine. In this article, we\'ll explore 10 of the best beauty tools available and how they can benefit your beauty routine.</div><div><br></div><div>Facial Cleansing Brush - A facial cleansing brush can deeply cleanse your skin, removing dirt, oil, and makeup residue that may be left behind after washing with your hands.</div><div><br></div><div>Jade Roller - A jade roller is a small handheld tool that is made of smooth jade stone. It can be used to massage the face and reduce puffiness, as well as stimulate circulation and lymphatic drainage.</div><div><br></div><div>LED Light Therapy Mask - An LED light therapy mask can help to reduce the appearance of acne, fine lines, and wrinkles. It works by emitting different wavelengths of light that can penetrate the skin at varying depths.</div><div><br></div><div>Hair Removal Laser - A hair removal laser can be used to permanently reduce hair growth on different parts of the body. It works by targeting the hair follicles with intense light energy, which damages them and prevents future hair growth.</div><div><br></div><div>Eyelash Curler - An eyelash curler can help to give your lashes a natural-looking curl. It works by gently squeezing your lashes against a curved rubber pad.</div><div><br></div><div>Gua Sha - A gua sha tool is a flat, smooth stone that is used to massage the face and body. It can help to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and promote lymphatic drainage</div><div><br></div><div>Foot Spa - A foot spa can help to relax and soothe tired feet, while also providing a deep clean and exfoliation. Many foot spas also come with massage rollers and heat therapy to further enhance the experience.</div><div><br></div><div>Hair Straightening Brush - A hair straightening brush combines the benefits of a hairbrush and a straightener, allowing you to quickly and easily straighten your hair while also detangling and smoothing it out. Source: Hindustan Times</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 10:16:50', '2023-03-09 10:16:50'),
(5681, 5681, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 15 people, including five policemen, were injured in a clash between two factions&nbsp; of Awami League at Chandraganj Bazar in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila on Wednesday.&nbsp;</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The clash broke out between the followers of Kazi Solaiman and Upazila Parishad Chairman Nurul Amin over the newly formed convening committee of Chandraganj Union Awami League around 7:30 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police detained 12 people from both sides.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the injured are Sub-inspector Zakir Hossain of the Detective Branch of Police, SI Abdur Rahim of Chandraganj Police Station and Constable Mozammel Hossain and Chhatra League activist Akbar Hossain.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Akbar is the brother of M Masudur Rahman, general secretary of Chandraganj Thana Chhatra League.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to locals, at the time of the incident, a joy procession was taken out congratulating the newly formed committee of Chandraganj Union Awami League. At that time, the attack was led by Masudur Rahman, general secretary of Chandraganj Thana Chhatra League. The two sides clashed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police resorted to charging with batons to stop the clash.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Masud is known to be a follower of Kazi Solaiman, a former secretary of the Chandraganj Union Awami League. A tense situation was prevailing in the area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">M Mahfuzjan Ashraf, Superintendent of Police of Lakshmipur, said, there has been a clash between the two groups of Awami League. When they tried to stop them, brickbats were hurled at the police.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Five policemen were injured. Later, the situation was brought under control after charging with batons. A total of 12 people from both sides of the Awami League have been detained in connection with the incident,” he said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 10:19:09', '2023-03-09 10:19:09'),
(5683, 5683, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Law Minister Anisul Huq on Thursday said that there is no foreign pressure on the government about the upcoming national election.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“If foreigners want to know (about election), we don\'t mind telling them about it as we do not do politics of killings or lies. We don\'t hide anything, so we have no objection and no hesitation to let the diplomats know about it,” Anisul said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with the ambassadors of Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Spain and France led by EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley at the secretariat in the afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The minister said they will not listen to anyone’s advice about the country\'s internal affairs as it is an independent nation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will do whatever is good for the citizens of the independent state,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When asked if there was any discussion on participatory elections, the minister said, \"We want a participatory election. We want everyone to take part in the election. I can also say that there is no question that the upcoming elections in Bangladesh will be free, fair and neutral.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will not go outside the constitution. The election will be held in the way as mentioned in the constitution. We want all the political parties of Bangladesh to take part in the election. But who will take part in the election and who will not it is up to the political parties,” he said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 10:50:50', '2023-03-09 10:50:50'),
(5684, 5684, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today emphasized on quick completion of the Bus Rapid Transit-BRTA project started from the Hazrat Shah Jalal Airport to Joydebpur&nbsp; intersection within the stipulated timeframe.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The urgency surfaced while Chinese Ambassador in Bangladesh Mr Yao Wen made a courtesy call on Obaidul Quader, also the general secretary of the ruling Awami League at his secretariat office here this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the call on, the Chinese envoy said “all the necessary steps would be taken to complete the project within the quick possible time.” Even the Chinese Ambassador also gave importance on strengthening party to party relations between the two countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The envoy also invited a delegation of the ruling Awami League to visit China. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 11:22:52', '2023-03-09 11:22:52'),
(5685, 5685, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Artificial intelligence (AI) may help scientists find the exact place to look for while finding life on Mars and other icy worlds, a new study has suggested, IANS reported.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A team of astrobiologists developed an AI model and tested its ability to look out for sparse life hidden away in salt domes, rocks and crystals at Salar de Pajonales at the boundary of the Chilean Atacama Desert and Altiplano — one of the driest places on the planet, resembling the features of a Martian surface.</div><div><br></div><div>Pajonales is a high altitude (3,541 m), high U/V, hyperarid, dry salt lakebed, considered inhospitable to many life forms but still habitable.</div><div><br></div><div>The results, reported in the journal Nature Astronomy, showed that the AI model helped scientists locate and detect biosignatures — any feature which provides evidence of past or present life — up to 87.5 per cent of the time.</div><div><br></div><div>It also substantially reduced the area — by up to 97 per cent — the team needed to search, signalling the efficacy of the AI model to one day detect signs of life on other planets.</div><div><br></div><div>Currently, researchers have limited opportunities to collect samples on Mars or elsewhere or access remote sensing instruments when hunting for life beyond Earth. The new AI model will help scientists’ with the exact place to look for while finding life on other worlds.</div><div><br></div><div>“We hope other astrobiology teams adapt our approach to mapping other habitable environments and biosignatures,” said lead researcher Kim Warren-Rhodes, Senior Research Scientist at SETI Institute.</div><div><br></div><div>“With these models, we can design tailor-made roadmaps and algorithms to guide rovers to places with the highest probability of harbouring past or present life — no matter how hidden or rare,” Warren-Rhodes added.</div><div><br></div><div>The team, including from the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), collected over 7,765 images and 1,154 samples and tested instruments to detect photosynthetic microbes living within the salt domes, rocks and alabaster crystals.</div><div><br></div><div>The study’s findings confirm (statistically) that microbial life at the Pajonales terrestrial analog site is not distributed randomly but concentrated in patchy biological hotspots strongly linked to water availability at km to cm scales. </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 11:38:00', '2023-03-09 11:44:17'),
(5686, 5686, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi today said that the number of family cards of the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) would be increased considering selling of essential items among the common people at subsidized rates.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tipu said this while inaugurating the sale operations of essentials of TCB as the chief guest at Tejgaon in the capital marking the Holy Month of Ramadan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Ours such kind of operation aims at delivering essentials among one crore families at affordable price. Such essentials would be sold ahead of the Ramadan. The prices of commodities have increased worldwide putting an impact on the local market also.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Considering the interests of the common people, the Prime Minister has been trying her best to sell essentials among the commoners at an affordable price. We\'re working to this end\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He informed that such operations of TCB would continue until March 30 while efforts are there so that the family card holders get their essential items at ease side by side there is distribution of more cards.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh, TCB Chairman Brig Gen M Ariful Hasan, Dhaka North City Corporation 25 number ward councilor Abdullah Al Monjur were present, among others, on the occasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Marking the Holy Month of Ramadan, some one crore families across the country including Dhaka are getting five essential items at subsidized rates from today. These items are edible oil, sugar, dates, chickpeas and lentil. The operations will be conducted in two phases while the first phase was inaugurated today.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under the operation, the price of per kg sugar is Taka 60, per kg lentil is Taka 70, per litre soybean oil is Taka 110, per kg chickpeas is Taka 50 while per kg dates is Taka 100.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One consumer will be able to buy highest 2 kgs of lentil, 2 litres of Soybean oil, one kg each sugar, chickpeas and dates. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">&nbsp;bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 11:43:06', '2023-03-09 11:43:06'),
(5687, 5687, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh stunned England by six wickets in the first T20I of their three-match series in Chattogram on Thursday, delivering a clinical performance in both bowling and batting.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh lost the ODI series by 2-1, but with this win, they made a great start to the T20I series.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Najmul Hossain Shanto continued his good form, hitting a half-century in this match and helping Bangladesh chase a challenging target of 157. He made 51 runs off 30 balls with eight fours, while Shakib Al Hasan remained unbeaten with 34 runs off 24 balls, including six fours.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rony Talukdar, who returned to the T20I team after eight years, helped the Tigers get off to a flying start by hitting 21 runs off 14 balls. Towhid Hridoy, who made his international debut in this match, also impressed, scoring 24 runs off 17 balls and contributing the only six of Bangladesh\'s innings.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, it was a collective batting effort from Bangladesh that secured their maiden T20I win against England.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and sent England to bat first. They scored 157 for 6, with captain Joss Buttler hitting the highest score of 67 runs off 42 balls. He and Philip Salt made 80 runs in the first wicket stand, providing England with a solid foundation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed broke the partnership, and England lost another quick wicket when Dawid Malan fell to Shakib for just four runs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">England lost their third and fourth wickets at 135, and eventually ended their innings on 156 for 6.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasan Mahmud was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, taking two wickets for 26 runs in his four overs. Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shakib Al Hasan each took one wicket.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The second and third T20I will be played in Dhaka on March 12 and 14. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-09 13:20:00', '2023-03-09 13:20:00'),
(5688, 5688, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate 23 projects worth Tk 570 crore during her upcoming visit to Mymensingh on Saturday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The projects, among others, include 4-storey academic buildings in 21 schools and colleges, sanitation projects in 32 municipalities, Sheikh Kamal indoor stadium, and five bridges.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier will also lay the foundation stone of 14 more development projects in the district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The projects worth Tk 2,762 crore, include the development of the road and drainage network of Mymensingh, and the construction of 7 regional offices for Bangladesh Public Service Commission among others.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League (AL) and its associate bodies in Mymensingh are preparing for the prime minister’s visit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the occasion of the arrival of the party President Hasina, the whole city and its alleys have already been decorated with banners, festoons, billboards and other colourful means to receive her.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier will also attend a scheduled grand rally organized by district and metropolitan units of the AL at the Circuit House.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">State Minister for Housing and Public Works Minister Sharif Ahmed, presidents, general secretaries and other leaders of the district and metropolitan units hung over 300 billboards across the city along with banners and festoons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Md Ekramul Haue Titu, mayor of Mymensingh City Corporation and president of the city unit, said they completed all kinds of measures to succeed in the rally to be thronged by over 10 lakh people. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 07:58:21', '2023-03-10 07:58:21'),
(5689, 5689, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Shots were fired inside a building used by Jehovah\'s Witnesses in the northern German city of Hamburg on Thursday evening, with several people killed and wounded, police said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We only know that several people died here; several people are wounded, they were taken to hospitals,” police spokesperson Holger Vehren said of the shooting in the Gross Borstel district of Germany’s second-biggest city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said he had no information on the severity of the injuries suffered by the wounded. Police did not confirm German media reports, which named no sources, of six or seven dead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">David Semonian, a U.S.-based spokesman for Jehovah\'s Witnesses, told The Associated Press in an emailed statement early Friday that members “worldwide grieve for the victims of this traumatic event.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The congregation elders in the local area are providing pastoral care for those affected by the event,” he wrote. “We understand that the authorities are still investigating the details of this crime. We appreciate the courageous help provided by the police and emergency services.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a Twitter update in the early hours Friday, Hamburg police said they believed there was only one shooter and they were gradually rolling back security forces from the area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The investigation into the motive behind the crime continues,” police said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamburg security officials said there would be a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss details.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The scene of the shooting was the Jehovah\'s Witnesses\' Kingdom Hall, a modern and boxy three-story building next to an auto repair shop.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vehren said police were alerted to the shooting about 9:15 p.m. and were on the scene quickly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said that after officers arrived and found people with apparent gunshot wounds on the ground floor, they heard a shot from an upper floor and found a fatally wounded person upstairs who may have been a shooter. He said police did not have to use their firearms.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vehren said there was no indication that a shooter was on the run and that it appeared likely that the perpetrator was either in the building or among the dead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Through the night, forensic investigators in protective white suits could be seen walking through the building continuing their work.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Student Laura Bauch, who lives nearby, said “there were about four periods of shooting,” German news agency dpa reported. “There were always several shots in these periods, roughly at intervals of 20 seconds to a minute,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said she looked out her window and saw a person running from the ground floor to the second floor of the Jehovah\'s Witnesses hall.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gregor Miesbach, who lives within sight of the building, was alerted by the sound of shots and filmed a figure entering the building through a window. Shots can then be heard from inside. The figure later apparently emerges from the hall, is seen in the courtyard and then fires more shots inside.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Miesbach told German television news agency NonstopNews that he heard at least 25 shots. After police arrived, one last shot followed about five minutes later, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His video, posted online by Bild newspaper, showed a person firing multiple shots into the building through a first floor window before the lights inside the room went out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Early Friday morning, investigators could be seen working outside the building as a light snow fell, placing yellow cones on the ground and windowsills to mark evidence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police had no information on the event that was underway in the building when the shooting took place. They also had no immediate information on a possible motive. Vehren said that “the background is still completely unclear.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher tweeted that the news was “shocking” and offered his sympathy to the victims\' relatives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jehovah’s Witnesses are part of an international church, founded in the United States in the 19th century and headquartered in Warwick, New York. It claims a worldwide membership of about 8.7 million, with about 170,000 in Germany.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Members are known for their evangelistic efforts that include knocking on doors and distributing literature in public squares. The denomination\'s distinctive practices include a refusal to bear arms, receive blood transfusions, salute a national flag or participate in secular government. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 08:04:38', '2023-03-10 08:04:38');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(5690, 5690, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Chinese leader Xi Jinping was awarded a third five-year term as president Friday, putting him on track to stay in power for life.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The endorsement of Xi\'s appointment by the ceremonial National People\'s Congress was a foregone conclusion for a leader who has sidelined potential rivals and filled the top ranks of the ruling Communist Party with his supporters since taking power in 2012.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The vote for Xi was 2,952 to 0 by the NPC, members of which are appointed by the ruling party.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Xi, 69, had himself named to a third five-year term as party general secretary in October, breaking with a tradition under which Chinese leaders handed over power once a decade. A two-term limit on the figurehead presidency was deleted from the Chinese constitution earlier, prompting suggestions he might stay in power for life.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">No candidate lists were distributed, and Xi and those awarded other posts were believed to have run unopposed. The election process remains almost entirely shrouded in secrecy, apart from the process by which delegates to the congress placed four ballots into boxes placed around the vast auditorium of the Great Hall of the People.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Xi was also unanimously named commander of the 2 million-member People\'s Liberation Army, a force that explicitly takes its orders from the party rather than the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In other voting, the party\'s third-ranking official Zhao Leji was named head of the National People\'s Congress. The vast majority of the body\'s legislative work is headed by its Standing Committee, which meets year-round.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A holdover from the previous party Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of political power in China headed by Xi, Zhao, 67, won Xi\'s trust as head of the party\'s anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, pursuing an anti-graft campaign that has frozen all potential opposition to the leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Shanghai party boss and member of the last Politburo Standing Committee Han Zheng was named to the largely ceremonial post of state vice president.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Xi, Zhao and Han then took the oath of office with one hand on a copy of the Chinese constitution. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 08:46:03', '2023-03-10 08:46:03'),
(5691, 5691, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The wounds from Sunday’s humiliating 7-0 rout by Liverpool remain fresh for Manchester United. But a 4-1 win against Real Betis in the Europa League was an encouraging response from Erik ten Hag’s players.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">None more so than Bruno Fernandes, who scored one and had a role in two more in the round-of-16 first leg on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I think he was the best player on the pitch, it showed his personality,” United manager Ten Hag said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dutchman had given his team the chance to begin making amends for Anfield by naming an unchanged lineup. It had the desired effect.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Marcus Rashford scored his 26th goal of the season.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Antony swept a shot into the top corner from distance. And Wout Weghorst, who had faced a backlash on social media for touching the famous “This is Anfield” sign, let his emotion show when firing in United’s fourth.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But perhaps no one needed redemption more than Fernandes, who received the brunt of the criticism after the collapse against Liverpool. On this occasion, his efforts were greeted with approval by United fans as well as Ten Hag.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Bruno was fantastic. He led the team with his control of the game and passing and then he scored a goal,” Ten Hag said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Portugal international raced toward the Stretford End after heading United into a 3-1 lead in the 58th minute and placed his hands over his ears as if to shut out the noise that has followed Sunday’s loss.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There was a moment when he let his enthusiasm overflow with a late challenge on Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, but this was the night when he channelled his passion in the right way by putting United within reach of the quarterfinals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former United captain and now TV analyst Gary Neville had labelled Fernandes’ performance against Liverpool a “disgrace.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Against Betis, he was United’s driving force.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Old Trafford crowd sang his name loud as he walked out onto the field to confirm he still had their support.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was his cross that led to the opening goal after six minutes when Luiz Felipe diverted the ball into Rashford’s path. The England striker drove into the box and lashed a shot into the top corner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The match was level at halftime after on-loan Leicester forward Ayoze Perez fired a low shot past David de Gea in the 32nd. Perez was only denied a second when Fernandes’ challenge diverted his shot against the post before the break.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Antony put United back in front seven minutes into the second half with a curling effort from outside of the box after being played in by Fernandes. United’s No. 8 went from provider to goal-scorer when he headed in Luke Shaw’s corner to put his team in complete control.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But perhaps the biggest cheer of the night came when Weghorst lashed the ball home in the 82nd after missing a host of earlier chances. The raw emotion was evident as he celebrated only his second goal since joining on loan from Burnley in January and his first at Old Trafford. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 08:50:41', '2023-03-10 08:50:41'),
(5692, 5692, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire artillery drill simulating an attack on a South Korean airfield and called for his troops to be ready to respond to the enemies\' \"frantic war preparation moves\" — apparently referring to the recent series of military drills between the United States and South Korea.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The North Korean state media report Friday came a day after South Korea\'s military detected the North firing at least one short-range ballistic missile toward the sea from a site near the western coastal city of Nampo. The South\'s Joint Chiefs of Staff was assessing whether more missiles may have been launched simultaneously.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States has recently sent long-range B-1B and B-52 bombers for several rounds of joint aerial drills with South Korean warplanes. The allies are also preparing this month for their biggest combined field training exercise in years to counter the growing threat of Kim\'s growing nuclear arsenal. North Korea views regular U.S.-South Korean military exercises as invasion rehearsals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pyongyang\'s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim urged his troops to be prepared to \"overwhelmingly respond to and contain\" the military action of the North\'s enemies, which he said were proceeding with \"all sorts of more frantic war preparation moves.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said frontline units should sharpen their capabilities to carry out their two main \"strategic missions, that is, first to deter war and second to take the initiative in war.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea\'s Unification Ministry later Friday urged North Korea to stop raising tensions with \"reckless nuclear and missile programs and military provocations.\" Vice spokesperson Lee Hyo-jung told reporters that North Korea must focus instead on caring for people\'s livelihoods and take a path toward building peace on the Korean Peninsula.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The KCNA report did not specify what types of weapons were involved in Thursday\'s exercise or how many rockets were fired. Some of the North\'s newer short-range weapons targeting South Korea includes large-sized multiple rocket launchers that experts say blur the boundaries between artillery and ballistic missile systems.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">North Korea describes some of its more advanced short-range systems as tactical weapons, which implies an intent to arm them with lower-yield battlefield nuclear weapons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Experts say the North with the wording is communicating a threat to proactively use those weapons during conventional warfare to blunt the stronger conventional forces of South Korea and the United States, which keeps about 28,000 troops in South Korea to help deter potential aggression from North Korea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kim\'s comments were in line with an escalatory nuclear doctrine the North set into law last year, which authorizes preemptive nuclear strikes in situations where it may perceive its leadership as under threat, including conventional clashes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Photos published by North Korea\'s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed at least six rockets being fired from launch vehicles lined up in an unspecified coastal forest area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kim watched the firings from an observation post along with military officials and his daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 10 years old.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She has appeared at several events tied to his military since first being showcased at an ICBM test launch in November, and analysts believe the events and elevated descriptions of her in state media are meant to show the world he has no intention to voluntarily surrender his nuclear weapons, which he apparently sees as the strongest guarantee of his survival and the extension of his family\'s dynastic rule.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Coming off a record year in missile testing, North Korea has conducted additional weapons demonstrations in 2023. Experts say North Korea with its heightened testing activity and threats is trying to claim a dual ability to conduct nuclear strikes against South Korea and the U.S. mainland.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kim\'s campaign is aimed at forcing the United States into accepting the North as a nuclear power and negotiating badly needed economic concessions from a position of strength, analysts say. Diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea has stalled since 2019.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The South Korean and U.S. militaries will conduct computer-simulated command post training March 13-23 and will resume their largest springtime field exercises, which were last held in 2018. The allies\' regular drills were canceled or scaled back to support diplomacy or because of the COVID-19 pandemic but they renewed them after the diplomacy collapsed and North Korea\'s threats and weapons testing escalated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader\'s powerful sister and one of Pyongyang\'s top foreign policy officials, warned that her country is ready if necessary to take \"quick, overwhelming action\" in the face of the allies\' expanded drills.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In previous statements, she threatened to turn the Pacific into North Korea\'s firing range and repeatedly implied that the North might test-fire an ICBM toward those waters on a standard ballistic trajectory, which would be seen as one of its most provocative weapons demonstrations yet.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All of North Korea\'s ICBM tests since 2017 have been conducted on a high angle to avoid the territories of neighbors. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 08:55:12', '2023-03-10 08:55:12'),
(5693, 5693, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Pakistan\'s foreign minister said Thursday his country is facing \"a perfect storm\" of troules — an economic crisis, the consequences of catastrophic flooding, and terrorism \"that is once again rearing its ugly head\" as a result of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 34-year-old son of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press that Pakistan, like other countries, is also beset by \"hyper-partisan and hyper-polarized politics.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Discussing his cash-strapped country\'s crushing need for financial help, he sharply criticized the International Monetary Fund, which last month delayed a $6 billion bailout over Pakistan failing to meet terms of a 2019 deal. The government blames that failure on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, now the opposition leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The IMF gave new instructions to Pakistan to raise and collect taxes as well as slash subsidies without burdening poor people, government officials said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zardari said his party supports expanding revenue collection and believes those who are well off should pay more, but he said Pakistan has been unable to achieve structural tax reform \"for the last 23 IMF programs that we have been a part of.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Is it really the time to nitpick about our tax policy and tax collection while we\'re suffering from a climate catastrophe of this scale?\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The IMF is not being fair to Pakistan, which is also dealing with 100,000 new refugees following the West\'s withdrawal from Afghanistan and \"a steady uptick of terrorist activities within our country,\" Zardari said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The IMF is stretching out talks on a bailout when the country needs money now to help \"the poorest of the poor\" whose homes and crops were washed away in the floods, he said. \"And they\'re being told that until their tax reform is not complete, we will not conclude the IMF program.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economically, he said, Pakistan had been able to keep its head above water despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the August 2021 Taliban seizure of power in Afghanistan, inflation and supply chain disruptions. But then last summer\'s floods killed 1,739 people, destroyed 2 million homes and caused $30 billion in damage — \"the biggest, most devastating climate catastrophe that we\'ve ever experienced,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the diplomatic front, Zardari said, Pakistan faces a number of challenges with its neighbors. He pointed to a host of bilateral issues with India, decades of \"tragedy and conflict\" in Afghanistan, and sanctions against Iran that hinder Pakistan\'s trade with the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan has \"a very healthy economic relationship with our neighbor China that obviously is also in the spotlight as a result of geopolitical events,\" he said. The government is \"very grateful\" to Beijing for another $1.3 billion loan announced March 3, especially in light of the destruction of the floods, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The government of China have supported Pakistan whether by rolling over our debt or by providing economic assistance in one form or the other,\" Zardari said. \"I am not concerned about this issue at the moment. We need help and support from wherever we can get it.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To meet its energy needs and provide relief to people paying for expensive imported fuel, he said, \"we are looking to work with anyone, including Russia, to meet our energy needs.\" He added that he believes there is now space for imports from Russia within the U.S. price cap.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In an ideal world, Zardari said, a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan should be completed, but \"unfortunately, I don\'t see that happening in the immediate future as a result of geopolitical complications.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last May, Zardari had said that the United States and Pakistan needed to move beyond past tensions over Afghanistan and enter a new engagement after years of strained relations under Khan\'s administration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We are on a healthy trajectory,\" he said Thursday, pointing to talks on climate, health, technology and trade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">U.S. and Pakistani officials also just met to discuss counterterrorism, an issue Pakistan\'s government has also raised in Afghanistan, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zardari insisted Pakistan\'s \"alleged influence over the Taliban has always been exaggerated\" — before and after the fall of Kabul. He said Pakistan, however, has always maintained the importance of engagement with the Taliban on terrorism and other issues, especially women\'s rights to education and jobs. He was at the U.N. speaking at several meetings promoting women\'s rights.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zardari said Pakistan would like to see the Taliban take action against all terrorist groups, including those linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic state. But he said there are questions about the Taliban\'s capacity to combat these groups because it doesn\'t have a standing army, a counter-terrosim force or an effective border management force.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zardari said his advice to the West is to engage with the Taliban \"regardless of what\'s going on on the ground.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The West should also not only maintain humanitarian aid to Afghanistan but provide economic assistance to get its economy and central bank running and help Afghans from falling into an even worse economic crisis, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zardari said he understands how difficult this will be with lawmakers in the United States, United Kingdom and European Union.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But without a functioning economy, he said, there won\'t be \"space\" for the Taliban to implement political decisions including trying to get them to keep prior commitments including on women\'s rights to education and jobs. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 09:44:41', '2023-03-10 09:44:41'),
(5694, 5694, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The National Disaster Preparedness Day-2023 was observed in the district like elsewhere across the country amid different awareness programme today.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The National Disaster Preparedness Day is observed at the initiative of the district administration with the theme \'Smart Bangladesher Protaya, Durjog Prastuti Sabsomoy\'.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the occasion of the day, a colorful rally was brought out from the premises of the Deputy Commissioner\'s office which paraded the important streets and ended coming at same place this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the rally, a discussion was held on the occasion of the day at the conference room of deputy commissioner office this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Taufiq-e-Lahi Chowdhury presided over the function.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additional Deputy Commissioner Ripon Kumar Saha, Additional Superintendent of Police Ripon Chandra, Bhola Press Club President M Habibur Rahman, District Red Crescent Society General Secretary Azizul Islam, District Fire Service and Civil Defense Deputy Assistant Director Md. Abdur Razzak, Relief and Rehabilitation Officer SM Delwar Hossain, among others, spoke.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The speakers said, the current government is much more capable of dealing with disasters. If appropriate measures are taken at the right time during the disaster, the damage can be reduced a lot.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The speakers called upon everyone to be more aware of this matter. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 11:05:30', '2023-03-10 11:05:30'),
(5695, 5695, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Ukraine\'s SBU security service said Friday it has detained two former aerospace officials over the destruction of the world\'s largest plane, the Antonov-225 cargo plane, soon after the Russian invasion.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an 88 metre (290 feet) wingspan, the unique Antonov An-225 plane named \"Mriya\", which means \"dream\" in Ukrainian, was destroyed last year during attacks on the Gostomel Airport near Kyiv, where it was parked in a hangar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The airport saw fierce fighting soon after the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022 as Russia attempted to seize the hub and use it to airlift armaments to Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Mriya plane was destroyed in the first days of Moscow\'s invasion. It had been used to fly in medical equipment from China during the pandemic in 2020.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The SBU accuses top officials at Antonov defence company, the plane\'s manufacturer, of preventing Ukrainian forces from protecting the airfield ahead of the invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"According to the investigation, on the eve of the full-scale invasion, the officials did not allow the National Guard of Ukraine to enter the territory of the Gostomel airport to prepare for its defence,\" the SBU said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The SBU said Antonov officials in January and February banned the Ukrainian military from building defensive fortifications on the airfield and barred them from entry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A former deputy director general of Antonov state enterprise \"is currently hiding from justice\", the SBU said, while the two other accused -- the ex-director general and head of the aviation security unit -- have been detained.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on a charge of obstructing the lawful activity of Ukraine\'s armed forces. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 11:09:56', '2023-03-10 11:09:56'),
(5696, 5696, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The DB in association with local police carried out the drives simultaneously at different parts of the metropolis from 6am of March 9 to 6am today, according to a DMP release. In those separate anti-drug raids, police seized huge drugs from their possessions.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the anti-drug raids, police seized 15,320 pieces of contraband yaba tablets, 24 grams and 42 puria (small packet) of heroin, 73.890 kilograms of cannabis (ganja) and 15 litre local made liquor from their possessions, the release added.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police filed 43 separate cases against the arrestees in these connections with respective police stations under the Narcotics Control Act. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 11:34:44', '2023-03-10 11:34:44'),
(5697, 5697, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A court here today set April 13 for submitting investigation report in a case lodged over robbery of more than Taka 11 crore from a microbus of a private security service providing company.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashek Imam passed the order, accepting first information report (FIR) of the case.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Alamgir Hossain, director (operations) of Money Plant Link Private Ltd, filed the case last night with Turag Police Station against 10-12 unnamed persons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Robbers looted the money from the microbus in Uttara area on the morning of March 9, by barricading the vehicle with another microbus. As the security company men, who were on the first vehicle for taking the money to refill Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited\'s automated-teller machines (ATMs) in Ashulia EPZ area, got down, the robbers started beating them and took the four trunks full of cash.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Detective branch (DB) of police however, managed to detain seven people allegedly involved in the robbery and recovered three trunks of money, within a couple of hours. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 12:06:41', '2023-03-10 12:06:41'),
(5698, 5698, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline under construction at Parbatipur in Dinajpur will ensure power and energy security in the northern region, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid on Friday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After visiting the project area on Friday afternoon, he gave reporters details about the benefits of the pipeline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Fellowship Receipt Terminal will be the first modern automatic and computerised system in the country. If something is done in the pipeline on the way or otherwise, the place of automaticity can be identified immediately, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two and a half to three lakh tonness of diesel will be imported annually from Numanigarh Refinery Station in India to Parbatipur Resort Terminal in Dinajpur through a 131.57-km underground pipeline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition to reducing the cost, it has created a big ring for fuel security. At least 40,000 litres of fuel have been stored at the terminal and depot for two months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The price of diesel per barrel imported in different ways is $11.50. Because of imports through the pipeline the price will come down to only $ 6.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With the import of diesel in Parbatipur, the supply of fuel will be ensured for cultivation for irrigation pumps in the agriculturally dependent northern region and power plant in Saidpur for the production of electricity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the end of the 15-year contract, it will either be renewed or run by the government itself.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are scheduled to inaugurate the supply of fuel to the pipeline through video conferencing on March 18.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On September 18, 2018, the two leaders inaugurated the pipeline construction work. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard on April 9 in 2018. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 12:13:40', '2023-03-10 12:13:40'),
(5699, 5699, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League has destroyed the country\'s economy, freedom of the press and the education system for its own sake, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said this while speaking as the chief guest at the biennial conference of Sylhet Metropolitan BNP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The law and order situation in the country has deteriorated. The power sector is being looted. The deal with (India’s) Adani Group will result in a loss of Tk 1.5 lakh crore. As a result of the agreement, the price of electricity will double,” said the BNP leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the price of coarse rice is Tk 70, fine rice Tk 170 and the price of an egg has increased by three to four times. The people are struggling to make ends meet, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the government and the Awami League have completely broken the electoral system.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sylhet Metropolitan BNP Member Secretary Miftah Siddiqui moderated the conference while BNP Vice-Chairman Dr ZMA Zahid Azad addressed the conference as the special guest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP chairperson\'s advisers Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Enamul Haque Chowdhury, CCC mayor and BNP central member Ariful Haque Chowdhury, among others, were present on the occasion. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 12:17:54', '2023-03-10 12:17:54'),
(5700, 5700, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Saudi commerce minister Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi arrived here this afternoon.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen welcomed Qasabi at Bangabandhu Bangladesh Airforce Base at around 05:15 pm, a Foreign Ministry press release said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Saudi commerce minister is visiting Bangladesh to attend \'Bangladesh Business Summit-2023\' to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tomorrow. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 12:41:19', '2023-03-10 12:41:19'),
(5701, 5701, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said whether BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia would be able to do politics and join polls depends on the court\'s decision.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Khaleda Zia is now out of jail on humanitarian ground. Her conviction was not withdrawn. Her jail sentence has been postponed on humanitarian ground,\" he told a function in the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The function was arranged on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Dhaka University\'s Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall and reunion of its Alumni Association.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, repeated that it is up to the court\'s decision whether Khaleda Zia will be able to do politics and join polls or not.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Claiming that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working to change the fates of the country\'s people, he said the countrymen have rejected the BNP because of looting public money.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About the BNP\'s movement, the AL general secretary said the BNP\'s movement has witnessed ebb while its leaders and workers have become senseless and are now talking nonsense. \"People have rejected BNP,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Responding to a statement of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Quader said the AL never practises the politics of luxury but the BNP does \"pocket politics\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chaired by Mohsin Hall Alumni Association president Prof Dr Md Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, the function was attended, among others, by DU vice-president Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, former chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Abdul Mannan, Mujibul Haque Chunnu, MP, cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, DU pro-vice chancellor Prof Abdus Samad and its treasurer Prof Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed and Sommilito Sangskritik Jote Golam Quddus. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 12:57:05', '2023-03-10 16:42:03'),
(5702, 5702, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ranbir Kapoor has reacted to the recent photo leak of his wife-actor Alia Bhatt. The actor was clicked by a paparazzo from another building while she was at her home.&nbsp;</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Alia had posted a collage of pictures of herself, taken inside the house without her consent. She wrote in the long note, \"Are you kidding me? I was at my house having a perfectly normal afternoon sitting in my living room when I felt something watching me.... I looked up and saw two men on the terrace of my neighbouring building with a camera right at me! In what world is this okay and allowed?\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a new interview, Ranbir called the entire episode ‘ugly’ and said they were pursuing the matter legally. \"It was invasion of privacy. You cannot shoot inside my house and anything can be happening inside my house, that is my home. It was totally uncalled for. We are going through the correct legal ways of dealing with it. I don’t want to talk much about it, but it was something which was very ugly,\" Ranbir told Miss Malini in an interview.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We respect the paparazzi. I think the paparazzi is a part of our world. It’s a symbiotic relationship ‘they work with us, we work with them’. But stuff like this is something which pushes your back to the wall and you feel very ashamed of somebody doing something like that,\" Ranbir added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many actors came out in support of Alia. Anushka Sharma, Arjun Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor and Karan Johar took to Instagram to slam the paparazzi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In support of Alia, Anushka Sharma wrote on her Instagram story, \"This is not the first time they are doing this. About two years ago we called them out for the same reason! You\'d think it would have made them more respectful of people\'s space and privacy. Absolutely shameful! They were also the only guys posting photos of our daughter despite repeated requests!\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Filmmaker Karan Johar was also furious at the incident. Venting his fury in an Instagram post, he wrote, \"There is no justification for this absolutely disgusting invasion of privacy!!!! Everyone from the entertainment industry is always for the media and the paparazzi and is accommodating... but there HAS to be a LIMIT... This is about anyone\'s right to feel safe in their own homes! This is not about actors or celebrities it\'s a basic human right!!!\" HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 13:08:26', '2023-03-10 13:08:26'),
(5703, 5703, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after years of tensions between the two countries, including a devastating attack on the heart of the kingdom\'s oil production attributed to Tehran.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deal, struck in Beijing this week amid its ceremonial National People’s Congress, represents a major diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider Middle East. It also comes as diplomats have been trying to end a yearslong war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two countries released a joint communique with China on the deal, which apparently brokered the agreement. Chinese state media did not immediately report on the deal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iranian state media posted images and video it described as being taken in China with the meeting. It showed Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, with a Saudi official and a Chinese official that state TV named as Wang Yi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“After implementing of the decision, the foreign ministers of the both nations will meet to prepare for exchange of ambassadors,” Iranian state television said. It added that the talks had been held over four days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saudi Arabian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Shortly after the Iranian announcement, Saudi state media began publishing the same statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tensions have been high between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The kingdom broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia days earlier had executed a prominent Shiite cleric, triggering the demonstrations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the years since, tensions have risen dramatically across the Middle East since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from Iran\'s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks in the time since, including one that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia\'s oil industry in 2019, temporarily halving the kingdom\'s crude production.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though Yemen\'s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels initially claimed the attack, Western nations and experts have blamed the attack on Tehran. Iran long has denied launching the attack. It has also denied carrying out other assaults later attributed to the Islamic Republic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and forced the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition armed with U.S. weaponry and intelligence entered the war on the side of Yemen’s exiled government in March 2015. Years of inconclusive fighting has created a humanitarian disaster and pushed the Arab world’s poorest nation to the brink of famine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A six-month cease-fire in Yemen’s war, the longest of the conflict, expired in October despite diplomatic efforts to renew it. That led to fears the war could again escalate. More than 150,000 people have been killed in Yemen during the fighting, including over 14,500 civilians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In recent months, negotiations have been ongoing, including in Oman, a longtime interlocutor between Iran and the U.S. Some have hoped for an agreement ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which will begin later in March.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.S. Navy and its allies have seized a number of weapons shipments recently they describe as coming from Iran heading to Yemen. Iran denies arming the Houthis, despite weapons seized mirroring others seen on the battlefield in the rebels\' hands. A United Nations arms embargo bars nations from sending weapons to the Houthis. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 13:22:10', '2023-03-10 13:22:10');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(5704, 5704, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A former member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses shot dead six people at a hall belonging to the congregation in the German city of Hamburg before killing himself after police arrived, authorities said Friday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police said an unborn baby also died, without clarifying whether the baby’s mother was among the dead. Eight people were wounded, four of them seriously.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There was no immediate indication of a possible motive for Thursday night’s attack, which stunned Germany’s second-biggest city, but prosecutors said there was no evidence for a terrorist link. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a former Hamburg mayor, described it as “a brutal act of violence.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamburg’s top security official said officers who arrived just minutes after receiving the first emergency call at 9:04 p.m. A special operations unit that was nearby reached the site at 9:09 and was able to separate the gunman from the congregation, Hamburg’s state Interior Minister Andy Grote said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We can assume that they saved many people’s lives this way,” he told reporters during a news conference. Grote called the shooting “the worst crime that our city has experience recently.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials said the gunman was a 35-year-old German national identified only as Philipp F., in line with German privacy rules. He fired more than 100 rounds during the attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamburg police chief Ralf Martin Meyer said the man had a weapons license and legally owned a semi-automatic pistol. He said the suspected shooter was previously investigated after authorities received a tip that he might not be suitable to bear firearms, but was found not to have broken rules.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police did not use their own firearms, a police spokesman said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The head of Germany’s GdP police union in Hamburg, Horst Niens, said he was convinced that the swift arrival of a special operations unit “distracted the perpetrator and may have prevented further victims.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Germany’s gun laws are more restrictive than those in the United States, but permissive compared with some European neighbors, and shootings are not unheard of.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, an 18-year-old man opened fire in a packed lecture at Heidelberg University, killing one person and wounding three others before killing himself. In January 2020, a man shot dead six people including his parents and wounded two others in southwestern Germany, while a month later, a shooter who posted a racist rant online killed nine people near Frankfurt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the most recent shooting involving a site of worship, a far-right extremist attempted to force his way into a synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day, in October 2019. After failing to gain entry, he shot two people to death nearby.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The German government announced plans last year to crack down on gun ownership by suspected extremists and to tighten background checks. Currently, anyone wanting to acquire a firearm must show that they are suited to do so, including by proving that they require a gun. Reasons can include being part of a sports shooting club or being a hunter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about a possible political response to the shooting, a spokesperson for Germany’s Interior Ministry, Maximilian Kall, said it was necessary to wait for the results of the investigations before drawing conclusions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Friday morning, forensic investigators in protective white suits could be seen outside the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Kingdom Hall, a boxy, three-story building next to an auto repair shop, a few kilometers (miles) from downtown Hamburg. As a light snow fell, officers placed yellow cones on the ground and windowsills to mark evidence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">David Semonian, a U.S.-based spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said in an emailed statement early Friday that members “worldwide grieve for the victims of this traumatic event.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The congregation elders in the local area are providing pastoral care for those affected by the event,” he wrote.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police spokesman Holger Vehren said police were alerted to the shooting Thursday night and were at the scene quickly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said that the officers found people with apparent gunshot wounds on the ground floor, and then heard a shot from an upper floor, where they found a fatally wounded person who may have been a shooter. They did not fire their weapons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Student Laura Bauch, who lives nearby, said there were around four periods of shooting, German news agency dpa reported. “There were always several shots in these periods,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bauch said she looked out her window and saw a person running from the ground floor to the second floor of the Jehovah’s Witnesses hall.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gregor Miebach, who lives within sight of the building, heard shots and filmed a figure entering the building through a window. In his footage, shots can then be heard from inside. The figure later apparently emerges from the hall, is seen in the courtyard and then fires more shots through a first floor window before the lights in the room go out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Miebach told German television news agency NonstopNews that he heard at least 25 shots. After police arrived, one last shot followed, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His mother, Dorte Miebach, said she was shocked by the shooting. “It’s really 50 meters (yards) from our house and many people died,” she said. “This is still incomprehensible. We still haven’t quite come to terms with it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jehovah’s Witnesses are part of an international church, founded in the United States in the 19th century and headquartered in Warwick, New York. It claims a worldwide membership of about 8.7 million, with about 170,000 in Germany.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Members are known for their evangelistic efforts that include knocking on doors and distributing literature in public squares. The denomination’s practices include a refusal to bear arms, receive blood transfusions, salute a national flag or participate in secular government. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-10 13:33:54', '2023-03-10 13:33:54'),
(5705, 5705, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A gunman stormed a service at his former Jehovah’s Witness hall in Germany, killing six people before taking his own life after police arrived, authorities in the port city of Hamburg said Friday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Police gave no motive for Thursday night’s attack. But they acknowledged recently receiving an anonymous tip that claimed the man identified as the shooter showed anger toward Jehovah\'s Witnesses and might be psychologically unfit to own a gun.</div><div><br></div><div>Eight people were wounded, including a woman who was 28 weeks pregnant and lost the baby. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the death toll could rise.</div><div><br></div><div>Officers apparently arrived at the hall while the attack was ongoing and heard one more shot, according to witnesses and authorities. They did not fire their weapons, but officials said their intervention likely prevented further loss of life at the boxy building next to an auto repair shop a few kilometers (miles) from downtown.</div><div><br></div><div>Scholz, a former Hamburg mayor, said the city was “speechless in view of this violence” and “mourning those whose lives were taken so brutally.”</div><div><br></div><div>All of the victims were German citizens apart from two wounded women, one with Ugandan citizenship and one with Ukrainian.</div><div><br></div><div>Officials said the suspected assailant was a 35-year-old German man identified only as Philipp F., in line with the country\'s privacy rules. Police said he had left the congregation “voluntarily, but apparently not on good terms,” about a year and a half ago.</div><div><br></div><div>A website registered in the name of someone who fits the police description says that he grew up in the Bavarian town of Kempten in “a strict religious evangelical household.”</div><div><br></div><div>The website, which is filled with business jargon, also links to a self-published book about “God, Jesus Christ and Satan.”</div><div><br></div><div>Philipp F. legally owned a semi-automatic Heckler &amp; Koch Pistole P30 handgun, according to police. He fired more than 100 shots during the attack, and the head of the Hamburg prosecutors office, Ralf Peter Anders, said hundreds more rounds were found in a search of the man’s apartment.</div><div><br></div><div>Germany’s gun laws are more restrictive than those in the United States but permissive compared with some European neighbors, and shootings are not unheard of.</div><div><br></div><div>Last year, an 18-year-old man opened fire in a packed lecture at Heidelberg University, killing one person and wounding three others before killing himself. In 2020, the nation saw two high-profile shootings, one that killed six people and another that took nine lives.</div><div><br></div><div>In the most recent shooting involving a site of worship, a far-right extremist attempted to force his way into a synagogue in Halle on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur in 2019. After failing to gain entry, he shot two people to death nearby.</div><div><br></div><div>The German government announced plans last year to crack down on gun ownership by suspected extremists and to tighten background checks. Currently, anyone who wants to acquire a firearm must show that they are fit to do so, including by proving that they require a gun. Reasons can include being part of a sports shooting club or being a hunter.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamburg Police Chief Ralf Martin Meyer said the man was visited by officers after they received an anonymous tip in January, claiming that he had “particular anger toward religious believers, in particular toward Jehovah’s Witnesses and his former employer.”</div><div><br></div><div>Officers said the man was cooperative and found no grounds to take away his weapon, according to Meyer.</div><div><br></div><div>“The bottom line is that an anonymous tip in which someone says they’re worried a person might have a psychological illness isn’t in itself a basis for (such) measures,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Germany’s top security official laid a wreath of flowers outside the hall to commemorate the victims and thanked police before taking questions from reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked whether the attack could have been prevented, Interior Minister Nancy Faser said it was necessary to wait for the investigation to conclude, but she acknowledged that changes were needed in the way background checks are conducted and information is exchanged between authorities.</div><div><br></div><div>She said a bill now making its way through the legislative process would require gun owners to undergo psychological tests.</div><div><br></div><div>On Friday morning, forensic investigators in protective white suits could be seen outside the hall. As a light snow fell, officers placed yellow cones on the ground and windowsills to mark evidence.</div><div><br></div><div>A special operations unit that happened to be near the hall arrived just minutes after receiving the first emergency call at 9:04 p.m., Hamburg’s top security official said. The officers were able to separate the gunman from the congregation.</div><div><br></div><div>“We can assume that they saved many people’s lives this way,” Hamburg state Interior Minister Andy Grote told reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>Upon arrival, officers found people with apparent gunshot wounds on the ground floor and then heard a shot from an upper floor, where they found a fatally wounded person believed to be the shooter, according to police spokesman Holger Vehren.</div><div><br></div><div>Gregor Miebach, who lives within sight of the building, heard shots and filmed a figure entering the building through a window. In his footage, shots can then be heard from inside. The figure later apparently emerges from the hall, is seen in the courtyard and then fires more shots through a first floor window before the lights in the room go out.</div><div><br></div><div>Miebach told German television news agency NonstopNews that he heard at least 25 shots. After police arrived, one last shot followed, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>His mother, Dorte Miebach, said she was shocked by the shooting. “It\'s really 50 meters (yards) from our house and many people died,” she said. “This is still incomprehensible.”</div><div><br></div><div>Jehovah’s Witnesses are part of an international church founded in the United States in the 19th century and headquartered in Warwick, New York. The church claims a worldwide membership of about 8.7 million, with about 170,000 in Germany.</div><div><br></div><div>Members are known for their evangelistic efforts that include knocking on doors and distributing literature in public squares. The denomination’s practices include a refusal to bear arms, receive blood transfusions, salute a national flag or participate in secular government.</div><div><br></div><div>David Semonian, a U.S.-based spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said in an emailed statement Friday that members “worldwide grieve for the victims of this traumatic event.” According to AP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 03:22:02', '2023-03-11 03:22:02'),
(5706, 5706, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Three years since the Covid pandemic began, nearly 200 prominent world figures called on Saturday for the vaccine inequity seen during the crisis to be relegated to history.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We ask world leaders to pledge ‘never again’,” the current and former dignitaries said an open letter.</div><div><br></div><div>It was published to mark the three-year anniversary since the World Health Organization first described the Covid-19 crisis as a pandemic.</div><div><br></div><div>The letter, coordinated by the NGO coalition People’s Vaccine Alliance, was signed by Timor-Leste President Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta, who won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, alongside the former leaders of more than 40 countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Several other Nobel laureates, faith leaders, and former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon were among the signatories, alongside a range of current and former UN agency heads.</div><div><br></div><div>With the end of the pandemic in sight, “the world is at a critical juncture,” they wrote.</div><div><br></div><div>“Decisions made now will determine how the world prepares for and responds to future global health crises. World leaders must reflect on mistakes made in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic so that they are never repeated.”</div><div><br></div><div>The letter criticized the glaring inequity that characterised the response to the pandemic, which has officially killed nearly seven million people worldwide, although the true toll is believed to be far higher.</div><div><br></div><div>While a number of highly effective vaccines against Covid-19 were developed at record speed, wealthy nations were quick to snap up most of the initial doses, leaving vulnerable people in many poorer nations waiting in vain for jabs.</div><div><br></div><div>Still today, fewer than a third of people in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose, while three quarters of people have in high-income countries, according to UN data.</div><div><br></div><div>“There are decades of publicly funded research behind Covid-19 vaccines, treatments and tests,” the letter said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Governments have poured taxpayer money by the billions into research, development and advance orders, reducing the risks for pharmaceutical companies,” it said.</div><div><br></div><div>“These are the people’s vaccines, the people’s tests and the people’s treatments,” it insisted.</div><div><br></div><div>But “instead of rolling out vaccines, tests and treatments based on need, pharmaceutical companies maximized their profits by selling doses first to the richest countries with the deepest pockets,” it said.</div><div><br></div><div>The letter pointed to a study last year in the science journal Nature estimating that 1.3 million fewer people would have died of Covid if the jabs had been distributed equitably in 2021, amounting to “one preventable death every 24 seconds” that year.</div><div><br></div><div>The letter urged leaders to support the tricky, ongoing international negotiations toward a pandemic accord, to ensure that equity is a key feature in the final agreement.</div><div><br></div><div>This, it stressed, would require governments to agree on the thorny issue of waiving intellectual property rules automatically if international public health emergencies arise, to ensure the sharing of medical technology and knowhow.</div><div><br></div><div>It also called for large-scale investments to develop scientific innovation and manufacturing capacity in the global south, to ensure that vaccines and treatments can be quickly developed and rolled out in all regions.</div><div><br></div><div>With such actions “world leaders can begin to fix the structural problems in global health that have held back the response to Covid-19, HIV and AIDS and other diseases,” it said.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is time to embed justice, equity and human rights in pandemic preparedness and response.” Source: AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 03:31:56', '2023-03-11 03:31:56'),
(5707, 5707, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked the business community leaders to find ways to bring commodity prices to a normal level.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Considering public suffering, the business community leaders will have to find ways to bring prices of essentials to a normal level. Otherwise, you will lose your markets,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said this while inaugurating Bangladesh Business Summit-2023 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), in partnership with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commerce Ministry and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), is arranging the three-day summit.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said people are going through a very difficult time due to high prices of essentials and inflationary pressure.</div><div><br></div><div>She said developing countries like Bangladesh as well as developed countries are facing severe problems due to price hike of essentials and high inflation caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, economic sanctions and counter-sanctions following the Covid-19 pandemic.</div><div><br></div><div>Ministers from seven countries including the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, China, Bhutan and the United Arab Emirates, CEOs of 12 multinational companies, and more than 200 foreign investors and business leaders from 17 countries are participating in the business summit. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 07:06:09', '2023-03-11 07:06:09'),
(5708, 5708, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said there will be no price hike of daily essentials if people refrained from purchasing excess items ahead of Ramadan.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members, police and executive magistrates will monitor markets and there will be no price hike of essential items if people do not buy excess items ahead of Ramadan,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The commerce minister said this while talking to reporters after attending a programme at Chandpur Police Lines Auditorium on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Due to the dollar price going up, prices of daily essentials have gone up in many countries and the prices of imported goods have also seen a rise in Bangladesh, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Keeping this in mind, the government has started selling edible oil, sugar, dates, chickpeas and lentils through state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) at low prices for one crore low-income families, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>From Thursday, TCB started selling daily essentials ahead of Ramadan.</div><div><br></div><div>The card holders can buy goods at subsidized rates from specific TCB sales points and dealers’ outlets.</div><div><br></div><div>A card holder can buy 2 litres of soybean oil, 2 kg lentils, sugar, chickpea and 1 kg dates at a time, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>According to reports, The card holders can buy sugar at TK 60 per kg, date at Tk 100 per kg, lentils at Tk 70, chickpeas at Tk 50 and soybean oil at Tk 110 per litre.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 07:19:33', '2023-03-11 07:19:33'),
(5709, 5709, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP and like-minded parties will hold rallies in all metropolitan cities on March 18 to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a non-party caretaker government.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The fresh programme of the simultaneous movement came from the opposition’s human chain programme observed in all district towns and 13 organisational divisional cities, including Dhaka on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir announced the programme while addressing a human chain in front of the party’s Nayaplatan central office. The senior leaders of BNP and its alliance partners also led the human chains in different areas of the capital, others cities and districts towns and announced a similar programme for March 18.</div><div><br></div><div>The programme is also meant for registering the opposition parties’ protest against the rise in the prices of power, gas and essential items, and mounting pressure on the government to quit power and to release BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia without any condition, drop the \'false\' cases against her and other party leaders and activist and accept the party’s 10-point demand.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from BNP, Ganotantra Mancha, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, Gonoforum and People\'s Party, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote Peshajibi Ganatantrik Jote formed human chains separately and announced a similar programme for March 18.</div><div><br></div><div>The Dhaka south and north city units of BNP formed human chains separately in the city’s Nayaplatan and Badda areas respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>Party standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain led the human chain programme of the Dhaka north city units. It was the ninth programme of the simultaneous by BNP and other opposition parties.</div><div><br></div><div>From December last year, BNP and like-minded parties and alliances started a simultaneous movement to bring down the government, or at least realise the all-important caretaker or non-party provision ahead of the next election, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka north and south city units observed a road march programme in five areas in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 07:54:41', '2023-03-11 07:54:41'),
(5710, 5710, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The death toll from the massive explosion that ripped through a 5-storey building in Gulistan\'s Siddique Bazar area has risen to 23, with one more victim succumbing to his injuries today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased was identified as Mirza Azam, 36, son of Shahjahan Mirza from Baufal upazila of Patuakhali district.</div><div><br></div><div>Azam had been undergoing treatment at the ICU of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.</div><div><br></div><div>Azam breathed his last at around 9:30 am today, said SM Ayub Hossain, resident surgeon of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.</div><div><br></div><div>He was admitted to the hospital with 80% burn injuries.</div><div><br></div><div>Azam worked at a sanitary shop in the five-storey building where the deadly blast occurred.</div><div><br></div><div>On March 7, at least 17 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a massive explosion in the 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area.</div><div><br></div><div>A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, BRAC Bank office on one of the floors and an adjacent 7-storey building were damaged but no buildings collapsed.</div><div><br></div><div>Three people, including the owner of the building at Siddique Bazar, were shown arrested in a case over the blast on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>A Dhaka court on Thursday put the three arrested people on a three-day remand. According to UNB reports </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 09:29:10', '2023-03-11 09:31:59'),
(5711, 5711, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A fire broke out at a cotton godown in front of a container depot in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram on Saturday morning.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Shafiqul Islam, station officer of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the fire started at the cotton warehouse of ‘Unitex Group’ in front of the ‘Namson Container Depot’ in Chhoto Kumira area around 10:30am.</div><div><br></div><div>On information, five firefighting units from two stations responded to the fire and brought the blaze under control around 12:00pm, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The firefighters are working to extinguish the fire, the fire service officer said adding that it will take time to put out the blaze.</div><div><br></div><div>The origin of the fire could not be known immediately, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on March 4, six people were burned to death and around 33 sustained injuries in a fire after a massive blast at ‘Seema Oxygen Plant’ in the upazila. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 10:00:31', '2023-03-11 10:00:31'),
(5712, 5712, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Shubman Gill struck a half-century after losing overnight partner Rohit Sharma early on day three to bring India to 129-1 at lunch in the fourth Test against Australia on Saturday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The hosts still trail Australia\'s 480 by 351 runs with Gill, on 65, and Cheteshwar Pujara, on 22, batting in front of a noisy weekend crowd at the world\'s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.</div><div><br></div><div>Australia\'s Mitchell Starc bowled to plan with his short balls and a heavy leg-side field, but Rohit took on the challenge as he smashed the left-arm quick for a four and a six at long leg.</div><div><br></div><div>The openers started the day on 36-0 and kept attacking on a pitch that still looks good for batting.</div><div><br></div><div>But Rohit fell to Matthew Kuhnemann\'s left-arm spin as the skipper got caught at cover for 35 against the run of play.</div><div><br></div><div>Kuhnemann reaped the rewards from Nathan Lyon\'s wily off-spin from the other end as the senior bowler varied his length and angle to keep the batsmen on their toes.</div><div><br></div><div>With Pujara playing the anchor role, Gill kept the runs flowing and reached his fifth Test half-century with a four.</div><div><br></div><div>Australia, led by Steve Smith in the absence of Pat Cummins, rotated their bowlers and Starc came back for a second spell in the morning session.</div><div><br></div><div>The pitch has been vastly different from the viciously spinning tracks in the previous three Tests and Usman Khawaja made Australia take early advantage with his 180.</div><div><br></div><div>The left-handed Khawaja and Cameron Green, who struck his maiden international century with 114, put on 208 runs for the fifth wicket before Australia\'s innings ended late on day two.</div><div><br></div><div>India lead the four-match series 2-1 after Australia won the third Test. The hosts need a win to clinch the series and secure a berth in the World Test Championship final in June. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 10:25:08', '2023-03-11 10:25:08'),
(5713, 5713, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Mymensingh, one of the oldest cities located on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, on Satuday turned into a place of euphoria as it became the ultimate destination of the mammoth streams of excited people in the region centering the grand rally of Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Enthusiastic people in colorful attires were seen rushing from the early morning towards the rally venue- Mymensingh Circuit House Ground- from rail station, bus terminal and river ghats chanting the slogan \"Joy Bangla\", \"Joy Bangabandhu\" and \"Sheikh Hasina\" as their only goal was to see and listen to the AL President.</div><div><br></div><div>Mymensingh district and city AL organised the huge mass gathering here at the Circuit House Ground where Sheikh Hasina delivered her address after five years as she appeared last on November 2, 2018 at the same venue.</div><div><br></div><div>Pinning upon the public rally of the Prime Minister, the entire Mymensingh turned into a city of jubilation with colorful gates, banners, posters and festoons.</div><div><br></div><div>The city was in festivity while people of all strata as well as leaders and activists of AL were in merry-making mood. Arrival of Sheikh Hasina enthralled the leaders and activists not only in Mymensingh city but also in the entire region.</div><div><br></div><div>Marking the visit of the Prime Minister, hundreds of thousands of people thronged the rally ground from early morning and within a few hours, the ground became full to the brim.</div><div><br></div><div>The crowd then spilled over the surrounding areas, roads and empty places, meaning the city turned into a human sea before arrival of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the stage at 02:50 pm which was made in the shape of a boat.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, from the morning, mass people, women and supporters were seen marching towards the venue in processions chanting slogans \"Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu\" and holding colourful placards, banners, festoons, and wearing colourful T-shirts, caps on heads, head bands, beating drums, carrying election symbol boat as well as national and party flag.</div><div><br></div><div>Women, wearing vivid sarees, in large and small groups as well as individually waited in the queue at the gate with smiling faces to enter the venue.</div><div><br></div><div>Colourful arches and gates were constructed on various roads of the city with the posters and banners of the prime minister. AL leaders set up banners, balloons, festoons and posters welcoming the premier and the party chief in city\'s all roads and streets.</div><div><br></div><div>Hundreds of thousands of leaders and followers of Awami League and its associate bodies from different districts of Mymensingh division and adjoining areas joined the rally with a fleet of reserve buses, trains, pickups, motorcycles while many were seen joining the rally on foot.</div><div><br></div><div>Special trains on Gafargaon-Mymensingh, Nandail-Mymensingh, Dewanganj Bazar-Jamalpur-Mymensingh, Netrokona-Mymensingh, Advocate Matiur Rahman Station-Mymensingh, Gouripur-Mymensingh, Ishwarganj-Mymensingh and Jaria-Jhangail-Mymensingh routes were operated for the convenience of people in joining the public rally of the premier.</div><div><br></div><div>All trains arrived here at the Mymensingh station overcrowded with passengers. Hundreds of people travelled climbing on the roof of the train to attend the Prime Minister\'s rally.</div><div><br></div><div>A group of people, who came from Kalmakandha Upazila in Netrokona district, said they arrived at the venue early to secure their place in the front row. Due to a huge crowd, they feared that they might not be able to enter the venue if they were late, they added.</div><div><br></div><div>To cheer up the people on the rally ground, local singers performed at the stages from the morning until AL leaders began addressing the rally.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 9:30 am today in the city\'s Rambabu Road area, women wearing monochromatic sarees were seen gathering to attend the public meeting.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>One of them, Shamima Sultana said, \"We had been waiting with great interest for a few days to see the Prime Minister. The women of our area were preparing to go to the public meeting since this morning.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, at 10am, a group of youths were seen walking towards the Circuit House ground in the Station Road area.</div><div><br></div><div>At 11:15 am, a procession of workers wearing the same color t-shirts was seen heading towards the rally ground in the Ganginara area of the city.</div><div><br></div><div>The same picture was seen by visiting different areas including Patgudam, Kalibari since the morning.</div><div><br></div><div>A few leaders and activists of Atpara Upazila Awami League from Netrokona said,\"Our target was to march in the city and enter the rally ground by 9 am. For that purpose, we are marching to Circuit House ground.” According to BSS reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 11:32:08', '2023-03-11 11:32:08'),
(5714, 5714, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Police in India have arrested three men in eastern Bihar state in connection with the death of a Muslim man who was attacked because he was suspected of carrying beef, a police official said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The victim, Naseem Qureshi, 56, died earlier this week after being attacked by a mob on suspicion of carrying beef, the sale and consumption of which is restricted in some parts of the country by local governments.</div><div><br></div><div>Qureshi was allegedly surrounded by more than 20 people and attacked, according to a police statement in court.</div><div><br></div><div>Police intervened but he died on the way to the hospital, according to the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Ramchandra Tiwari, head of Rasulpur police station in Bihar, where the crime took place, told Reuters news agency by phone on Saturday that three people were arrested.</div><div><br></div><div>Cows are sacred in Hinduism, and there have been frequent attacks on those accused of killing them for meat or leather, predominantly people from the minority Muslim population or those on the lower rungs of India’s ancient caste system</div><div><br></div><div>Hardline Hindu groups have been demanding a complete ban on cow slaughter across India.</div><div><br></div><div>Self-styled Hindu cow vigilante groups have taken to enforcing the law themselves ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014.</div><div><br></div><div>Bihar is currently ruled by a regional party, and Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party sits in the opposition. Soruce: Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 12:46:17', '2023-03-11 12:46:17'),
(5715, 5715, '<div><b>Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman said that the Matarbari deep sea port, expected to be become operational in 2026, would be a ‘game changer’ for Bangladesh.</b></div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>“Especially in infrastructure, we’re doing a lot of work…when the deep sea port in Matarbari becomes operational in 2026, it will be a ‘game changer’ for Bangladesh,” he said.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>The prime minister’s adviser said this while responding to a question at a session titled “Business Leaders Panel: Bangladesh -The Big Picture” held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>The session was part of the three-day Bangladesh Business Summit, 2023 inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today at the BICC in the capital.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Md Jashim Uddin, World Trade Organization (WTO) Deputy Director General Ambassador Xiangchen Zhong and CEO of CMA CGM Asia Pacific Limited Laurent Olmeta spoke on the occasion moderated by CNN anchor and business editor at large Richard Quest.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Salman said that the present government has been continuing its efforts to increase the capacity of Chattogram Port, Mongla Port and Payra Port.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Turning to the issue of grooming skilled manpower, he said that the government has been working for ensuring upskilling of human resources while the academic courses of the schools, colleges and universities are also being designed to face the 4IR.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Replying to another question, Salman said that the government is fixing the big things or issues side by side addressing the small things to move forward the country.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>He said that the government wants to use the technology to empower the citizens wirh an aim to build Smart Citizens, Smart Society and Smart Government.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>The prime minister’s adviser informed that discussions are going on with the concerned authorities of Japan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia to have support in operating the sea ports of Bangladesh.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>In this regard, he said that the government would not give any ownership rather some concessions to the interested parties to operate the ports.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>When his attention was sought by CNN anchor Richard Quest on the traffic congestion in the capital, Salman said Bangladesh is still at the growing stage with the ongoing works of many transforming projects like metro rail. “If you come here again after 5 years, then the current two hours ride will take only 20 minutes,” Salman added.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Responding to a question from the Richard Quest, the FBCCI president said that they want the government to provide policy support, logistics support and infrastructural development for the industries.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>“We want to develop our Human Resources and skills for accelerating our trillion dollar journey,” he said, hoping that there would be no ‘red tape’ in future while the business community would drive the economy forward.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Replying to another question, Jashim said he was not a frustrated man, rather the happiest man on the planet since the global CEOs and other high officials of global giants are taking part in this three-day Summit.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>“We came here to accelerate our trillion dollar journey, we want to go forward and work together,” he added.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>The FBCCI president said although the country’s export earnings were heavily dependent on jute just after the independence, with the passage of time, the focus shifted to RMG. But, now the jute, pharmaceuticals and light engineering, specially IT, have huge scopes.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>He said that they are also focusing on making the exports more sustainable side by side the big green factories are also being located in Bangladesh.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>The WTO deputy director general said that Bangladesh has huge scope for development in the shipping and logistics sectors, adding that the mega infrastructural projects are moving forward the economy, reports BSS.</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>He also noted that it is also very much necessary to ensure the facilities of these development projects becoming more widespread and far- reaching.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 13:03:49', '2023-03-11 13:03:49'),
(5716, 5716, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Eight houses were gutted in a fire which broke out in Natunbazar Old Cremation Grounds of Barishal town early today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>No casualties were reported.</div><div><br></div><div>Belal Uddin, deputy-director of Fire Service and Civil Defense, Barishal, said the fire broke out from the kitchen of one Nirod Baroi’s house and engulfed the adjacent seven houses around 5:30 am.</div><div><br></div><div>On information, a firefighting unit rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze after one hour.</div><div><br></div><div>Valuables of eight houses were gutted in the fire as all were asleep when the fire broke out.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the fire also partially damaged 30-40 houses in the area. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 14:55:21', '2023-03-11 14:55:21'),
(5717, 5717, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Doctors are still not certain when Brazilian striker Neymar will be able to return to play despite a successful ankle operation in a Qatari hospital, a Paris Saint-Germain medical chief said Saturday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The French club said before Friday\'s surgery that the 31-year-old could be out for up to four months, ruling him out of the rest of this season.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Neymar Junior was operated yesterday, it was very successful,\" Hakim Chalabi, PSG\'s medical director general told AFP.</div><div>\"Right now he is very good and he is happy.</div><div><br></div><div>\"He is not so painful and the surgeons who operated are very happy.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Neymar will stay at the Aspetar sports hospital in Qatar for at least two days. After a period of rest, PSG will start physiotherapy, Chalabi said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Later on we will evaluate a time for a return on the field. Right now it is a bit soon to talk about.\" The club\'s medical staff will consult with the surgeons after more examinations.</div><div><br></div><div>\"He is going to be on crutches for a few days but then after he should be back to half weight lifting.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Neymar was stretchered off with his latest injury in a Ligue 1 game against Lille last month. He injured the same ankle in 2018.</div><div><br></div><div>Chalabi said that after the operation, Neymar \"should be back at a normal level but with less risk of injury.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Fitness has been a regular concern since PSG signed Neymar for a world-record 222 million euros ($264m) in 2017.</div><div><br></div><div>He has played only 112 of PSG\'s 228 Ligue 1 matches since his arrival, AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 15:10:08', '2023-03-11 15:10:08');
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(5718, 5718, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said that the government wants to hold another ‘stage-managed’ election as per its blueprint to stay in power till 2041.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a human chain programme, he also alleged the government signed an anti-state power deal with India\'s Adani Group as a bribe to the neighbouring country to cling to power.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the government ‘ruined’ the constitution and made an arrangement for holding the election under a partisan government to establish a one-party rule system.</div><div><br></div><div>“Two elections were held under it in 2014 and 2018 without people’s votes… They now have a desire to stay in power till 2041. With that blueprint, they want to hold elections again in 2024 in the same manner,” Fakhrul said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Awami League considers itself the owner of the country while the people are its subjects. “Awami League government has been treating us as subjects. So, we have to work more and drum up more public support to involve them with our movement. They (AL) have to be defeated by creating a turbulent wave of people through the movement.”</div><div><br></div><div>As part of a simultaneous movement in cities and districts, BNP’s Dhaka south city unit arranged the human chain programme in front of its Nayapaltan central office. Thousands of leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies took part in the programme, led by Fakhrul from 11 am to 12 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP’s Dhaka north city unit also formed a human chain programme in the Badda area, led by party standing committee member Khandaker Mosahrraf Hossain.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from BNP, Ganotantra Mancha, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, Gonoforum and People\'s Party, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote Peshajibi Ganatantrik Jote formed human chains separately. BNP also observed a similar programme in all cities and districts in presence of the central leaders.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said the Awami League government has been indulging in widespread corruption and plundering, forcing the world-famous newspapers to file reports on its corruption.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the power purchase deal with the Adani Group is against the interests of Bangladesh. “We’re saying publicly that this agreement can\'t go in favour of Bangladesh in any way.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader warned that the people of Bangladesh will not accept the deal with Adani. “The question has been asked by many people from abroad how the Bangladesh government could sign this agreement. They signed the agreement because they want to stay in power with bribes.”</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said some ruling party leaders are saying BNP will finally participate in the next national election. \"I would like to say clearly that BNP won’t participate in any election under this government, led by Sheikh Hasina and under the current Election Commission.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He said their party has already initiated a movement to realise their 10-point demand, including the resignation of the Awami League government, dissolution of parliament and handing over power to a non-party caretaker government, paving the way for holding a credible election by forming a new election commission.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said their party does not want to engage in clashes and violence as they are carrying out the movement together with people in a peaceful manner to press home their 10-point demand.</div><div><br></div><div>“Accept our 10-point demand and resign immediately, dissolve parliament and hand over power to the caretaker government. “If you ask the rickshaw pullers whether they want to go to the election under Sheikh Hasina, they’ll all say no as they don\'t trust her. No fair and free election can be held under her,” Fakhrul said.</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the government is repeatedly trying to provoke BNP leaders and activists to engage in violence as BNP’s peaceful movement caused heartburn to it. \"People have initiated the movement, they’ll go back home with a victory.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader warned that they will gradually intensify their movement and force the government to step down.</div><div><br></div><div>About the frequent incidents of explosions in Dhaka and Chattogram, Fakhrul said these incidents are happening for the lack of monitoring, supervision and management by the authorities concerned. “They (govt) have turned this country into a hell,” reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government is least bothered about people\'s safety and suffering as its main job is to plunder public money.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 15:18:44', '2023-03-11 15:18:44'),
(5719, 5719, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said the elections conducted by electronic voting machine (EVM) system are reliable so far, no complaint has been received regarding EVM.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"The Election Commission (EC) has always been in favour of EVM system while conducting election,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The CEC said this while addressing the opening ceremony of a daylong workshop on \"Use of modern technology in electoral system: challenges and ways forward\" at a hotel in Cox\'s Bazar as the chief guest this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Chattogram Regional Election Office organised the workshop under the \"Capacity Building and Strengthening Project\" of the Election Commission Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>Main work of the EC is allowing the voter to exercise their right to vote, Habibul Awal said, adding: \"It\'s not the duty for the commission to see the voters who have voted for which party. If the voters can\'t able to vote, if</div><div>they\'re deterred, if their rights are undermined at the polling station- then we, along with all those concerned, will have to take responsibility for the failure.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The Chief Election Commissioner said that the EC has taken a stance in favor of EVMs after being widely trusted. So far, no complaint has been made over the elections using EVM system, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The EC has the capacity to use electronic voting machines (EVMs) in 50 to 80 constituencies in the upcoming Jatiya Sangsad (JS) polls, he continued.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We hope that if all political parties would participate, the polls will be fair, impartial and acceptable,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Md Ahsan Habib Khan addressed the function as the special guest with Chattogram Divisional Commissioner Dr. Md. Aminur Rahman in the chair.</div><div><br></div><div>Additional Secretary of Election Commission Secretariat Ashok Kumar Debnath, Project Director Brigadier General Abul Hasnat Mohammad Sayem, Chattogram Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Anwar Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of Cox\'s Bazar Muhammad Shaheen Imran, Superintendent of Police</div><div>Md. Mahfuzul Islam, among others, were present.</div><div><br></div><div>Election Commission officials, senior administration officials, police, representatives of civil society, new voters, public representatives and freedom fighters participated in the workshop. Source: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 15:28:31', '2023-03-11 15:28:31'),
(5720, 5720, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said that Dhaka has been pursuing multi-pronged, multi-spatial and multi-temporal consolidated approach to make its economy diplomacy a success.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><b>&nbsp;</b></div><div>\"We are pursuing a very consolidated approach towards the economic domain of diplomacy in the recent times,\" he said.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The foreign minister was addressing the \"Bangladesh Business Summit 2023\" inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Momen said the foreign ministry has developed three policy packages - economic diplomacy, public diplomacy and Regional peace and stability packages.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>He said his ministry has been working with the relevant ministries, investment promotion bodies, trade organizations while it established a dedicated wing for international trade, investment and technology inside the Foreign Office to coordinate domestic and foreign endeavours for better results.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>\"In addition, we have activated all our Missions abroad to put special focus and priority on economic diplomacy,\" he added.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>He said Bangladesh is a gateway to the South Asian region and offers easy access to markets with a combined population of over 3.5 billion people.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>\"We are a connectivity hub in South and East Asia . . . I welcome you all to invest and be a winner,\" he said.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The foreign minister said Bangladesh\'s strategic location, competitive cost of doing business, vibrant culture, young and resourceful people along with stable and business friendly government make it as an attractive destination for investment.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>\"I repeat we have a young and educated workforce, a strong legal framework, and a government that is committed to creating an enabling environment for business to grow,\" he said, adding that Bangladesh has lot to offer to investors.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>He said Bangladesh has implemented a one-stop service to facilitate foreign investors, and it (the country) is also setting up 100 special Economic Zone and 38 Hitch parks with lucrative investment packages.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;The foreign ministry said the summit is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of our nation, and it showcases the immense potential and opportunities that Bangladesh has to offer to the world.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have spirit, we have the initiatives and we can do, sky is our limit. We invite you to join us in our development journey for mutual benefits,\" he made the call to the foreign business participants.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Momen said as per the vision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is committed to move itself from \"Digital Bangladesh\" to Smart Bangladesh by 2041.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"We are creating smart labor force, smart students, smart productive capacity, smart infrastructure, smart government, smart rules and regulations and smart people to be the manufacturing Hub of the world,\" he said welcoming all to be a part of building Smart Bangladesh.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) organised the summit at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital city to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the country\'s apex business body FBCCI.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Commerce Ministry and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) are partnering the summit with the FBCCI.&nbsp; - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 15:32:38', '2023-03-11 15:32:38'),
(5721, 5721, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least nine people including artistes have been injured in an attack by some unidentified people on a cultural programme organized by Sirajganj Baul Shilpi Goshthi at Abdur Rouf Mukta Manch in the town.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Several musical instruments including keyboard, harmonium, and chairs were vandalized.</div><div><br></div><div>Sanjib Kumar, president of the organization, said the programme was inaugurated on Friday afternoon, marking the organization’s 18th anniversary.They resumed the cultural programme after a discussion.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Suddenly, a group of people attacked the venue. Our musical instruments, along with nearly 50 chairs at the venue, were vandalized,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The organization’s sound operator Suman and Baul singer Harun were among the injured, he added, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Officer-in-charge of Sirajganj Sadar police station Md. Humayun Kabir said they visited the spot on information.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-11 15:36:45', '2023-03-11 15:36:45'),
(5722, 5722, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The head of Russian paramilitary group Wagner said Saturday his fighters were near the centre of Bakhmut as a top Ukrainian commander insisted it was important to \"buy time\" ahead of an upcoming counteroffensive.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>British intelligence said in an update the frontline had shifted in the fight for Bakhmut, the longest and bloodiest battle of Moscow\'s one-year invasion -- but that any further Russian advance in the devastated town could be \"highly challenging\".</div><div><br></div><div>Some military experts have questioned the sense of the continued fight for Bakhmut, but Ukrainian officials say that the town\'s fall could lead to further Russian advances in the east.</div><div><br></div><div>In a video released on Saturday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner, said that his forces were close to the administrative centre of Bakhmut.</div><div><br></div><div>Standing on the rooftop of a high-rise building in what is said to be Bakhmut, Prigozhin is seen pointing towards a building in the distance.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This is the building of the town administration, this is the centre of the town,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is one kilometre and two hundred metres away,\" said Prigozhin, who was clad in full military gear.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking as artillery boomed in the background, Prigozhin said the most important thing now was to receive more ammunition from the army and \"move forward\".</div><div><br></div><div>Wagner has been spearheading offensives against cities in eastern Ukraine including Bakhmut. Both sides have suffered heavy losses.</div><div>Earlier this week Wagner said its fighters had captured the eastern part of Bakhmut.</div><div><br></div><div>- A \'killing zone\' -</div><div>The commander of Ukraine\'s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Saturday the fight for Bakhmut helped win time in preparation for a future counteroffensive.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The real heroes now are the defenders who are holding the eastern front on their shoulders, and inflicting the heaviest possible losses, sparing neither themselves nor the enemy,\" Syrsky was quoted as saying in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is necessary to buy time to build reserves and launch a counteroffensive, which is not far off.\"</div><div><br></div><div>British military intelligence said that the Bakhmutka River in the centre of Bakhmut now marked the front line.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Ukrainian forces hold the west of the town and have demolished key bridges over the river, which runs north-south through a strip of open ground 200 metres-800 metres wide,\" the British defence ministry said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This area has become a killing zone, likely making it highly challenging for Wagner forces attempting to continue their frontal assault westwards.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Prigozhin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, has been entangled in a power struggle with the defence ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>He has several times claimed battlefield victories ahead of Russia\'s army, criticised Russia\'s top brass and accused the military of not sharing ammunition with his forces.</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday he said he was ready to ask Russia\'s top commanders for forgiveness but at the same time appeared to mock Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.</div><div><br></div><div>He said they were \"outstanding military commanders\" and added that Russia\'s greatest military leaders including Georgy Zhukov and Alexander Suvorov \"could have learnt\" from them.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I absolutely -- totally -- support all their initiatives,\" Prigozhin added.</div><div><br></div><div>- Shelling of Kherson -</div><div><br></div><div>The Russian army kept shelling the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing three people and wounding another two, Ukrainian officials said Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Russian terrorists are shelling Kherson again,\" said Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine\'s presidential office, posting a picture of firefighters next to a charred car.</div><div><br></div><div>Several cars were damaged as a result of the shelling.</div><div><br></div><div>Galyna Kolisnyk, 53, said the Russians struck when she was in a store.</div><div><br></div><div>\"When we entered, literally five minutes later this tragedy happened,\" she told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Explosions began, our car got hit,\" she said. \"This is horrible.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Kherson is the capital of one of the four regions -- along with Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia -- that Russia claims to have annexed but does not fully control.</div><div><br></div><div>Since Russia\'s retreat from the city of Kherson late last year, it has been regularly pounded by Moscow\'s troops.</div><div><br></div><div>Donetsk\'s separatist mayor Alexei Kulemzin said Saturday that Ukrainian shelling had killed two people including a young boy.</div><div><br></div><div>In the Czech capital Prague meanwhile, thousands took to the streets Saturday in an anti-government protest demanding an end to military support for Ukraine. The country is battling record inflation levels caused mainly by a spike in energy prices due to the war.</div><div><br></div><div>Protesters called on the centre-right government of Petr Fiala to resign, accusing their leaders of caring more about Ukraine than its own citizens. Source: AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 08:47:32', '2023-03-12 08:47:32'),
(5723, 5723, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Rajshahi University students on Sunday demonstrated in front of the administration building of the university and locked the building, protesting “attack on them by locals and police” the previous night.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>They also shouted slogans with their six-point demand, calling for justice</div><div><br></div><div>Their demands are: justice for the attack on RU students by locals and police, stopping the entry of outsiders in the university and ensuring safety of the students, ensuring on-campus accommodation for all students, ensuring proper treatment of the injured students, taking necessary measures within 24 hours of the incident, and ensuring student representation in forming university policies.</div><div><br></div><div>Amanullah Khan, a student of Population Science and Human Resource Development department of the university, said, “Police were largely inactive in the incident, rather they threw tear gas shells and fired rubber bullets at us. Taking advantage of their inaction, local thugs attacked us. The agitation will continue if our demands are not met.”</div><div><br></div><div>At that time, he demanded the resignation of the university’s proctorial body and student advisor.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the university sources, a meeting was supposed to be held between the university authorities following the incident but the meeting has not started yet as the vice-chancellor of the university is in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital to visit the injured students at the time of filing this report. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 09:28:21', '2023-03-12 09:28:21'),
(5724, 5724, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday reiterated that the Election Commission is totally independent to conduct the country\'s next general election.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>She said this when visiting British Minister of State (Indo-Pacific) of Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Anne-Marie Trevelyan paid a courtesy call on her at Ganabhaban here on Sunday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting, they discussed different issues including election, Rohingyas and economic development of Bangladesh, Covid-19 pandemic and post-Covid situation.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>About the next general election, the premier said Bangladesh follows the Westminster-type democracy. “Our main goal is the welfare of the people. The Election Commission is totally independent. It will conduct the election,” the PM was quoted as saying.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the freedom of expression, Hasina said the media enjoys total freedom here. There was only one television channel in the country but her government opened television channels to the private sector. Now there are 24 private TV channels and more TV channels are in the pipeline, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The UK’s Indo Pacific state minister said the next stage of development is very important for Bangladesh on the way of its graduation from the status of a least developed country (LDC).</div><div><br></div><div>Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar and appreciated Bangladesh and Sheikh Hasina for providing shelter to the displaced people.</div><div><br></div><div>She also praised the administration for handling the recent fire incident in the Rohingya camp in a nice manner.</div><div><br></div><div>In this regard, the PM said a huge number of new babies are born in the displaced Rohingya community every year, intensifying the burden further on Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that the Covid-19 pandemic affected the whole world, she said Bangladesh emphasized on growing more food and took steps accordingly.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin, PMO Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin and UK High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson were present. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 09:41:03', '2023-03-12 09:41:03'),
(5725, 5725, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A high school teacher died after being hit by a train in Sadar upazila of Gopalganj this morning, police said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased has been identified as Badal Biswas, 43, son of Neel Ratan Biswas of Dalniya village under the Sadar upazila. He was a mathematics teacher of Guadhana Silna Bindu Bashini High School at the upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>Md Maridul, sub-inspector of Sadar Police Station, said the incident happened around 7 am when a Rajshahi-bound train hit the motorbike of the teacher while crossing a rail track in Naldanga area, leaving him dead on the spot.</div><div><br></div><div>On information, the body was recovered from the spot and sent to Gopalganj General Hospital for autopsy, he said, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The accident occurred on his way to school from home in the morning, the SI said, adding that the body will be handed over after the autopsy.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 10:10:13', '2023-03-12 10:10:13'),
(5726, 5726, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">India\'s superstar cricketer Virat Kohli hit his first Test century since November 2019, ending his long drought on day four of the fourth Test against Australia on Sunday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"King Kohli\" reached his 28th Test hundred off 241 balls with a single off Nathan Lyon, sparking wild celebrations at the world\'s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.</div><div><br></div><div>Appearing to tear up, he acknowledged the crowd and the dressing room before kissing the locket on his gold chain as he smiled and looked up to the sky.</div><div><br></div><div>Commentator Ravi Shastri screamed, \"a 600-kilo gorilla is off his back. He will grow a couple of inches taller by this evening\".</div><div><br></div><div>A placard in the crowd read \"Here to see King Kohli ruling in his kingdom\" as children in India shirts bowed in respect.</div><div><br></div><div>The star batsman resumed on his overnight score of 59 after he got his first Test half-century since January 2022 on day three on a pitch favouring the batsmen.</div><div><br></div><div>Kohli, 34, went through an extended lean patch last year, failing to reach three figures in more than 1,000 days.</div><div><br></div><div>He quit as Twenty20 skipper in late 2021 and in January 2022 was sacked from the one-day captaincy and gave up leading the Test side, too.</div><div><br></div><div>But he hit his first ton after 1,020 days in the Asia Cup T20 tournament in September last year and hasn\'t looked back since.</div><div><br></div><div>Kohli finished the T20 World Cup in Australia as the leading run-scorer and then hit three ODI centuries, including two -- 113 and 166 not out -- against Sri Lanka in January.</div><div><br></div><div>The former captain has a Test average of more than 48 in 108 matches since making his debut in 2011 and has struck 75 centuries across the three international formats.</div><div><br></div><div>Kohli remains behind Australia stand-in-skipper Steve Smith and England\'s Joe Root in the number of Test centuries between the \"fabulous four\" -- the leading four batsmen of the modern era.</div><div><br></div><div>Smith overtook Kohli during the Indian batsman\'s lean phase and now has 30 Test centuries since his previous 95th Test. Root has 29.</div><div><br></div><div>New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has 26 Test tons.</div><div><br></div><div>Kohli\'s previous Test hundred came against Bangladesh in what was the first day-night Test in India. Source: AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 10:27:56', '2023-03-12 10:27:56'),
(5727, 5727, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A top court in Pakistan on Friday suspended the non-bailable arrest warrant issued against ousted prime minister Imran Khan in a case of hate speech against state institutions after his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party filed a petition against the move, Hindustan Times reported.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against Khan on Thursday on behalf of a citizen for “spreading hate” against state institutions and their offices following his recent speech.</div><div><br></div><div>The suspension of the warrant came amid the arrival of a Quetta police team in Lahore to arrest the PTI chairman as per a court order, reported Geo News.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan’s party filed a petition in the Balochistan high court (BHC) against the orders of a judicial magistrate in Quetta, urging it to cancel the arrest warrant and also quash the First Information Report (FIR) filed against him at a police station in Quetta, capital of Balochistan.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 10:44:28', '2023-03-12 10:44:28'),
(5728, 5728, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Proctor, assistant proctor of Chittagong University (CU) and 15 others have resigned from their administrative posts.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Acting registrar of CU KM Nur Ahmed on Sunday said proctor Dr. Rabiul Hasan Bhuiya and assistant proctor Dr. Shahidul Islam submitted their resignation letters.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the reason behind their resignation could not be known immediately.</div><div><br></div><div>Contacted, Assistant Proctor Dr Shahidul said, “I have submitted my resignation as I need time for my research and students.”</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on March 7, CU 1st female assistant proctor and assistant professor of Chemistry Department Mariam Islam resigned from her post. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 10:58:18', '2023-03-12 10:58:18'),
(5729, 5729, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP had a closed-door meeting with the diplomats of the European Union (EU) countries in Bangladesh on Sunday where the party leaders told the envoys that their party will not go to the elections under the current government.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Like the people of Bangladesh, all democratic countries have been closely observing Bangladesh’s current situation and the atmosphere for the next election,” BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury told reporters after the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question, the BNP leader said they clearly told the EU envoys that their party will not go to the elections under the current government.</div><div><br></div><div>He said EU countries are trying to look at Bangladesh’s current democratic and human rights situation, the rule of law, human rights, freedom of speech, and media freedom.</div><div><br></div><div>“Especially, as there is an apprehension about the next election both in the country and beyond, they (EU naturally has a view on the matter. From that point of view, we had our discussion today (Sunday).”</div><div><br></div><div>The one and a half--hour meeting was held at ABC House in Gulshan where the ambassadors of France, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Norway and the Netherlands, led by EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, were present.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir led a four-member BNP delegation at the meeting. The other delegation members are Amir Khosru, BNP Organising Secretary Shama Obaed and Human Rights Affairs Secretary Advocate Asaduzzaman.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked what they discussed about the next election, Khosur said they talked about how the electoral system in Bangladesh has collapsed as an \'illegal\' government has been in power \'snatching\' the right to vote of the country’s people, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the foreign countries are also fearing that Bangladesh will fall into a crisis if the people of the country cannot exercise their right to vote in the next election. “From this apprehension, they (European Union) want to know how the next election is going to be held and how to make it neutral and participatory.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said those countries of the world are closely observing Bangladesh they clearly know that the people of this country will not be able to exercise their right to vote and elect their representatives, government and parliament under the current \"usurper regime\". </div><div><br></div><div>“They (EU countries) are aware of this fact and they also know the reasons behind it,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 11:18:37', '2023-03-12 11:53:46'),
(5730, 5730, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Describing the communal attacks on Ahmadiyya community in Panchagarh as a premeditated one, BNP on Sunday alleged that the government orchestrated it to make a political gain by putting the blame on its political opponents.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a press conference, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the government mainly tried to weaken the BNP’s ongoing movement for the restoration of democracy and tarnish the party’s image both at home and abroad by implicating it with communal violence.</div><div><br></div><div>“This incident was pre-planned. It’s been carried out in a planned way to divert people’s attention to a different direction from the ongoing movement for the restoration of democracy and create a negative impression of BNP both at home and abroad. The government did it with its own people,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader alleged that the government has chosen a path of brutal repression by putting the blame on the BNP leaders and activists for the communal violence that was carried out by the ruling party activists. “They did it to suppress the opposition and foil the ongoing movement.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said it is an old habit of the Awami League to put the blame on others by carrying out any incident by itself. “They blamed BNP for the arson attacks in the past.”</div><div><br></div><div>The press conference was held at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office to present the report prepared by the party’s committee members who investigated the communal incident.</div><div><br></div><div>As per a decision of their party standing committee, Fakhrul said they formed the probe committee led by party vice chairman Hafizuddin Ahmed.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the probe committee visited the violence-hit area on March 8 and prepared the report after talking to the victims and locals and relevant stakeholders.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said attacking the Ahmadiyya community in Panchagarh and damaging their houses and looting their valuables is an inhuman and shocking incident. “We don’t want to see such things in the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said their probe body saw a suspicion created in the public mind whether the incident is premeditated due to extreme negligence of duties on part of the government and police.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government has now created a reign of terror in the violence-affected areas by filing 20 cases against over 12,000 people, including 1,000 identified ones.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said police have already arrested 181 people and continued their drive to arrest others. “We think the government is arresting people wholesale only to hide the real offenders. They’re doing this with an ulterior motive fully out of their political vengeance.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leaders said the government has planned this kind of communal incident to completely suppress and divert the people\'s movement meant for restoring democratic rights.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said BNP always believes in communal harmony and the equal rights of all faiths.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said an incident like Panchagarh one is taking place in the country for the lack of democracy and the accountability of the government.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Restoring democracy and establishing a government of people by ousting the current fascist regime is the only solution to such a problem,\" reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, On March 4, a vested interest group spread rumours in different parts of Panchagarh district town and on social media saying that some Ahmadiyya community members slaughtered two Muslims.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 11:52:33', '2023-03-12 11:52:33'),
(5731, 5731, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Apple has launched a new yellow colour variant for the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus, and fans have been raving about the bright and cheerful hue.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>While some may assume that Apple\'s decision to release a yellow-colored iPhone with the 14 and 14 Plus models is a bold move. In fact, the first yellow iPhone made its debut years ago, long before the iPhone 14 was even planned.</div><div><br></div><div>To recall, Apple made a bold move and launched the iPhone 5c, the first-ever iPhone to come in a range of colors, including the sunny yellow variant that stole our hearts.</div><div><br></div><div>The iPhone 5c came with a lot of firsts, it was the first iPhone to be made from polycarbonate, which is a type plastic material that allowed it to come in a variety of colors, including yellow, blue, green, pink, and white.</div><div><br></div><div>It was the first time that Apple experimented with different colors for its iPhones. Before the 5c, Apple played it safe with metallic colors, but once they saw how much people loved having colorful options, they let their imagination run wild.</div><div><br></div><div>So it can be absolutely safe to say that the iPhone 5c paved the way for colourful iPhones. From that point on, Apple continued to release iPhones in a rainbow of colors, including the iPhone 11, which also got a Yellow colour variant and the latest addition being the iPhone 14 in a beautiful, bright yellow shade.</div><div><br></div><div>Even though Apple has added a new yellow colour, the price and specifications of the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus remain the same. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus\' yellow colour variants\' prices in India start at Rs 79,900 and Rs 89,900 respectively.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The phones will be available in 256GB and 512GB storage variants as well. The phones are not available for purchase yet as the sale of the new colour option will begin on March 14.However, customers can also pre-book the device on March 10.</div><div><br></div><div>Additionally, Apple has also introduced silicon cases for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in four new colours including Canary yellow, olive, sky, and iris. Source: India Today</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 13:35:14', '2023-03-12 13:35:14'),
(5732, 5732, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh secured a historic T20I series win against England, beating them by four wickets in the second match of the three-match series on Sunday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Mehidy Hasan Miraz\'s superb bowling effort helped restrict England to 117, while Najmul Hossain Shanto\'s unbeaten knock of 46 off 47 balls guided the Tigers to victory with seven balls to spare.</div><div><br></div><div>With this win, Bangladesh recorded their first-ever T20I series win against England, and they have one match left to play on Tuesday at the same venue.</div><div><br></div><div>In the last 18 balls, Bangladesh needed 16 runs. In the 17th over, Jofra Archer conceded only three runs and took the wicket of Afif Hossain with a lightning-fast delivery that splattered the stumps, with one of the bails flying close to the third-man boundary.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh sealed the match in the next over bowled by Chris Jordan, with Taskin Ahmed smashing two fours off the fourth and fifth ball to reach the target and break out in a fitting celebration, punching the air in joy.</div><div><br></div><div>For England, Archer was the best bowler who scalped three wickets in 13 runs in four overs.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Miraz recorded his career-best bowling figures of four for 12, making a great chance for Bangladesh to seal the series with one match in hand.</div><div><br></div><div>England started well, scoring 50 for two in 6.3 overs. However, they failed to continue their momentum and kept losing wickets on a regular basis.</div><div><br></div><div>Dawid Malan was swinging at everything from the beginning of the innings but could only score five for eight with one four, after slogging Taskin Ahmed off the 2nd ball of the 2nd over, with Hasan Mahmud taking a regulation catch at third man.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasan Mahmud removed England captain Joss Buttler off the last ball of the eighth over with a beautiful yorker, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took the next four wickets alone. England never found stability in their innings and needed to accelerate in the last couple of overs. However, they failed to do so, and eventually, the visitors tumbled for 117 for 10.</div><div><br></div><div>The third and final match of the series will be played on Tuesday at the same venue.</div><div><br></div><div>Before the T20I series, England won the ODI series with two consecutive wins in the first two matches in Dhaka. However, they have lost three matches since, including an ODI and two T20Is. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 13:49:04', '2023-03-12 13:49:04'),
(5733, 5733, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Sunday approved a Tk 4323-crore ‘Resilient Infrastructure for Adaptation and Vulnerability Reduction Project (RIVER)’ in a bid to reduce flood risk in the riparian and flash flood-prone community and enhance disaster preparedness.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Seven other development projects also got approval in the Ecnec meeting presided over by Ecnec chair and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the NEC conference room in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>“Today eight projects were approved and the overall estimated cost of the projects is Tk 12,167.15 crore (only additional cost of two revised projects counted here),” said State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam at a press briefing after the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Of the total money, Tk 3,097.91 crore will be drawn from the national exchequer, while Tk 8,912.77 crore will come from foreign sources and the rest Tk 156.47 crore from the own funds of the organisations concerned, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Of the approved 8 projects, 6 are fresh projects while 2 others are revised projects.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the meeting gave approval to time extension of four other projects without raising their cost.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the Planting Commission, the Resilient Infrastructure for Adaptation and Vulnerability Reduction Project (RIVER) will be implemented in 78 upazilas of 14 districts by June 2028 involving Tk 4,323.47 crore.</div><div><br></div><div>Of the project cost, Tk 4,275 crore will come from external sources (IDA).</div><div><br></div><div>The main objective of the RIVER project is to reduce flood risk for the riparian and flash flood-prone community and enhance disaster preparedness and response capacity.</div><div><br></div><div>The major project operations include construction of 500 primary schools cum flood shelter centres, installation of 100 solar power grids, development of 275 km link roads maintaining 150-metre height to connect flood shelter centres, construction of 500-metre bridges and 1,330-metre culverts, and development of 110km community infrastructure link roads.</div><div><br></div><div>Five other new projects include South Chattogram Regional Development (SCRD) project with the estimated cost of Tk 3,644.92 crore;&nbsp; Customs Modernization and Infrastructural Development Project with Tk 1,686.47 crore; Mymensingh District Rural Infrastructural Development project with Tk 1,000 crore; Rehabilitation and River bank projection of Meghna-Dhonagoda Irrigation Project with Tk 347.65 crore; and Promoting Gender Responsive Enterprise Development and TVET System (ProGRESS) Project with Tk 128.61 crore.</div><div><br></div><div>The two revised projects are Expansion of South-Western Power Transmission-Grid (1st revised) Project with additional cost of Tk 1,048.47 crore (now total cost raised at Tk 4,322.35 crore); and Urban Resilience Project (URP): Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit (PCMU) (3rd revised) with a cost reduction of Tk 12.44 crore (now its cost came down to Tk 32.86 crore). - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 14:02:27', '2023-03-12 14:02:27'),
(5734, 5734, '<div><br></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Virat Kohli hit a towering 186 before India finished their first innings on 571 to lead Australia by 91 runs on day four of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad on Sunday.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The star batsman, in his first Test ton since November 2019, fell to Todd Murphy in the final session as India lost their ninth wicket and Shreyas Iyer did not bat due to back pain. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 14:59:17', '2023-03-12 14:59:17'),
(5735, 5735, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The general point to point inflation rate in February increased slightly as it reached to 8.78 percentage up from 8.57 percentage points in January mainly because of the slight rise in food inflation.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The general point to point inflation rate in December last was 8.71percentage points, according to the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).</div><div><br></div><div>The point to point food inflation increased to 8.13 percentage points in February up from 7.76 percentage points in January.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the point to point non-food inflation declined slightly to 9.82 percentage points in February down from 9.84 percentage points in January.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to the reporters after the day\'s ECNEC meeting, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said the inflation rate has been falling in the country since September last until January while the wage rate is also increasing.</div><div><br></div><div>He said although the inflation rate witnessed slight increase last month, but it is not uncomfortable.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Alam said that currently the BBS is calculating CPI index based on the average of 412 commodities, but such number would be increased to 700.</div><div><br></div><div>Citing that the price of vegetables is now on the downtrend, he hoped that the prices of commodities would come down also.</div><div><br></div><div>Considering the ensuing Holy Month of Ramadan, the State Minister said there would be an additional demand among the consumers. \"But, there has been sufficient import of essentials for which I believe the prices of commodities will remain in a tolerable state.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The BBS data showed that the national wage index rate in February was 7.11 percent up from 7.06 percent in January. According to BSS reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 15:24:28', '2023-03-12 15:24:28');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(5736, 5736, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Strawberry has brought diversifications in both wholesale and retail fruit markets as its farming has been gaining popularity in the region, including its vast Barind tract, for the last couple of years.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Farming of the high-value cash crop has increased on two hectares of land more this year compared to the previous year only in Rajshahi district.</div><div><br></div><div>Mozder Hossain, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension, told BSS that interest of the farmers is gradually increasing as there are suitable production and marketing systems in this field.</div><div><br></div><div>Farmers\' level extension of strawberry farming has started bringing a new horizon in the field of agriculture and economic sectors in the region.</div><div><br></div><div>Many people including youths have made their fortunes through strawberry farming as its commercial farming is more profitable than many other seasonal fruits and vegetables.</div><div><br></div><div>Commercial farming of strawberries has been gaining popularity in the region, including the vast Barind tract for its economic prospects.</div><div><br></div><div>Strawberry, a succulent fruit popular in different parts of the globe, is being sold in retail markets at Taka 500 to 600 per kilogram on an average at present. It has gradually been becoming popular among both farmers and the consumers in general.</div><div><br></div><div>Professor Dr Manzur Hossain, who is a pioneer in the country\'s strawberry research, variety innovation and growers\' level farming expansion, said Bangladeshi strawberry variety has been adjudged as world\'s best strawberry.</div><div><br></div><div>Strawberry cultivation is as easy as growing potatoes or eggplant. Saplings can be planted in rows during the period between November and December every year.</div><div><br></div><div>Farming of the juicy fruit has already begun in many districts in the region, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The fruit will no doubt be a profitable crop for farmers, Professor Hossain, a senior teacher in the Department of Botany at Rajshahi University said, adding \"If it is grown on a large scale, the highly nutritious fruit will come within the reach of the common people. There will be no need for imports\".</div><div><br></div><div>With the average price of a kilogram of Strawberry standing at Taka 700, the commercially viable fruit presents great export potentials and ushers in economic prospects for those who wish to get high and fast returns from limited land resources, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Prof Hossain said they have innovated three varieties of strawberry through applying tissue culture methods.</div><div><br></div><div>All the varieties are being cultivated massively as those were found adaptive to the region\'s soil and environmental conditions, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Tazimul Haque, 54, a farmer of Baroipara village under Paba upazila, who has been cultivating the cash crop for more than 12 years, said there is a bright prospect of strawberry farming everywhere in the region.</div><div><br></div><div>The red juicy and nutritious fruit are now being supplied to markets in the capital, he said, adding strawberry cultivation is easier than potatoes or eggplant. Each plant bears around 250 to 300 grams of fruit and some 6,000 plants can be grown on one bigha of land.</div><div><br></div><div>Saplings can be planted in rows between November and December every year, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Bakkar Ali, a farmer of Parila village under Paba Upazila in the district, said a large number of people, mostly unemployed youths, have become dependent on strawberry farming to earn a living as its cultivation is easier and more profitable than other crops.</div><div><br></div><div>The youths are supplying strawberries to different markets across the country as the fruit is being used in preparing ice-cream, jams, jellies, pickles, chocolates and biscuits.</div><div><br></div><div>Illustrating the salient feature of strawberry, a high-valued cash crop, he said the plants start flowering within one month of plantation and fruits can be collected till March, reports BSS.</div><div><br></div><div>Due attention should be given to motivate the farmers so that they could be encouraged towards farming the cash crop commercially as it has high economic importance, he continued.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 15:30:21', '2023-03-12 15:30:21'),
(5737, 5737, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Intelligence teams of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have recovered over 2.53&nbsp; core more and arrested eight people from Dhaka, its adjacent areas and Sunamganj, three days after robbers snatched Tk 11.25 crore of a bank from a private security agency’s vehicle in Turag area of Uttara in the capital on Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The arrestees are Md. Sanoar Hossain, Md. Eman alias Milan, Md. Akash Madbar, Sagar Madbar, Md. Badrul Alam, Md. Mizanur Rahman, Md. Sonai Mia and Md. Enamul Haque Badsha.</div><div><br></div><div>With these, a total 6.43 crore have been recovered so far, said Additional Police Commissioner (Intelligence) Md. Harun-ur-Rashid while talking to journalists at DMP media center on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>“According to Money Plant Link Private Limited, robbers looted Tk 11.25 crore from a microbus in Turag area while going to deposit it in Dutch Bangla Bank’s booths. After the incident, intelligence department immediately raided Khilkhet area and recovered Tk 3.89 crore on the same day,” said the officer.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, various teams of Intelligence-Mirpur Division and Intelligence-Uttara Division conducted a series of drives in different&nbsp; areas of the capital and Sunamganj and arrested the eight accused. They&nbsp; recovered Tk 2.53 crore, the DMP official added.</div><div><br></div><div>A private car, used in the robbery, has also been seized, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“There was no personal security system or armed security personnel with the car during the transportation of Tk 11.25 crore. Most of the time big amount of money is transferred in this way where the security system is not enough to protect the money,” Md. Harun-ur-Rashid said, alleging that the private security agency didn’t inform local police about the money transformation, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Drives are on to recover&nbsp; the remaining snatched money and arrest the rest accused, he added.</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-12 15:45:38', '2023-03-12 15:45:38'),
(5738, 5738, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">About 30 migrants were missing and presumed drowned after the overcrowded boat they were on capsized during a rescue attempt by a cargo ship off Libya, Italy\'s coastguard said on Sunday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Seventeen migrants were saved and a search was underway for the missing after the early-morning attempted rescue in Libya\'s search-and-rescue zone, the coastguard said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"During the rescue operations... the boat capsized during the transfer of the migrants: 17 people were rescued and recovered by the (cargo) vessel while approximately 30 migrants were missing,\" said the coastguard.</div><div><br></div><div>The latest disaster in the Mediterranean comes exactly two weeks after a shipwreck off Italy\'s southern coast of Calabria that killed at least 76 migrants, with bodies continuing to wash ashore nearly daily.</div><div><br></div><div>That shipwreck has put Italy\'s right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the defensive as it tries to fend off sharp criticism that it failed to intervene in time to save the migrants.</div><div><br></div><div>Sunday\'s botched rescue is sure to increase finger-pointing over who is to blame for deaths even as an increasing number of migrants embark on the perilous Central Mediterranean crossing headed for Italy\'s shores.</div><div><br></div><div>Italy\'s coastguard said the boat in distress was in Libya\'s search-and-rescue zone, and that the deadly episode laid bare \"the inactivity\" of other countries in the Mediterranean.</div><div><br></div><div>Rome has long complained to its EU partners that it bears the brunt of the tens of thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe by boat each year.</div><div><br></div><div>First to be alerted to the boat in distress some 100 miles (160 kilometres) northwest of Benghazi was Alarm Phone, a charity that monitors migrant boats. It said it then alerted Italian authorities at 0118 GMT Saturday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>A surveillance plane of German NGO SeaWatch also spotted the boat and reported it was \"dangerously overcrowded and in frightening waves\".</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement, Italy\'s coastguard confirmed that Alarm Phone had notified Rome\'s rescue coordination centre, as well as Maltese and Libyan authorities, about the boat.</div><div><br></div><div>A merchant vessel that had headed towards the boat after the alert by SeaWatch reported difficulty in rescuing the boat due to bad weather, the coastguard said.</div><div><br></div><div>- Distress call -</div><div>Authorities in Libya -- which the coastguard said was responsible for search and rescue efforts in that zone -- reported \"a lack of availability of naval assets\" and requested the support of Rome, which dispatched three additional nearby merchant ships to the area, according to the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>SeaWatch also had tweeted on Saturday that Tripoli said it was \"unable to send a patrol boat.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The rescue operation began early Sunday morning after the cargo vessel \"Froland\" reached the site, during which the migrant boat overturned, the coastguard said.</div><div><br></div><div>Two migrants among the 17 pulled safely onboard needed urgent medical care and the ship headed to Malta to disembark them.</div><div><br></div><div>Merchant ships were still in the area searching for the missing, along with two Frontex planes, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The rescue operation took place outside the Italian SAR (search-and-rescue) area of responsibility, recording the inactivity of the other National Maritime Coordination and Rescue Centres involved in the area,\" the coastguard said.</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday morning, Alarm Phone said the migrants were \"exhausted and still out at sea, fighting the bad wind &amp; weather conditions,\" more than a day after authorities had been alerted.</div><div><br></div><div>Alarm Phone later said it had lost contact with the boat.</div><div><br></div><div>- Intercepting migrants -</div><div><br></div><div>Meloni\'s Brothers of Italy party won elections last year on a pledge to curb sea arrivals, and the ruling coalition has clamped down on migrant rescue charities.</div><div><br></div><div>Critics say the government\'s policy of treating migrant boats as a law enforcement issue, rather than a humanitarian one, may have fatally delayed help to the shipwrecked migrants.</div><div><br></div><div>In November, Italy renewed a controversial EU-backed deal with Libya to stop migrants from departing its shores for Europe, including training its coastguard and supplying vessels.</div><div><br></div><div>Human rights groups say many intercepted migrants end up in detention centres where they are tortured or sexually abused.</div><div><br></div><div>Last week, Meloni announced a new decree with stiffer punishments for human traffickers following a cabinet meeting held symbolically in Cutro, near the site of the shipwreck.</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday, the coastguard brought more than 1,300 rescued migrants safely to Italian ports after three packed boats ran into bad weather.</div><div><br></div><div>Thousands of people marched in Cutro Saturday to remember the victims of the shipwreck, carrying a cross made of the boat\'s splintered wood through the town to the water\'s edge. Source: AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 09:04:23', '2023-03-13 09:04:23'),
(5739, 5739, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Nine members, including a training commander, of militant group Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya have been arrested in a drive conducted by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Tongkaboti in sadar upazila of Bandarban.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Rab’s legal and media wing, revealed the information while briefing the media on Monday (March 13, 2023).</div><div><br></div><div>Members of RAB 1, 11, and 15 conducted a joined drive and arrested them along with arms and explosives, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The arrestees are training commander Didar Hossain alias Masum, Alamin Sardar, Sainun Raihan, Tahiyat Chowdhury alias Pavel, Md. Lokman Mia, Md. Imran Hossain, Md. Amir Hossain, Md. Ariful Rahman, and Shamim Mia.</div><div><br></div><div>With the new arrests, 68 members of the new militant outfit have been arrested so far, Al Moin said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Thirty-eight people were arrested from the Chattogram Hill Tracts, and two of them died,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Read More: Clash over Ahmadiyya event: Over 8,200 sued, 81 arrested in Panchagarh</div><div><br></div><div>Seventeen members of armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) have been arrested so far, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The elite force also seized arms and explosives from the arrestees, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>These arrests are not related to the attack on members of the army last Sunday, the RAB official said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 10:16:45', '2023-03-13 10:16:45'),
(5740, 5740, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rajshahi University vice-chancellor Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar has said those who set fire on rail line are not the students of the university but outsiders.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Prof Sattar said this in a press briefing at administrative building of the university around 1:30 on Monday, a day after the incident.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"We tried to make the agitating students understand to stop the demonstrations and are working to solve the issue,\" the VC said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We also assured the student of fulfilling their demands. The authorities will work to restrict the outsiders on the campus.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Students have been asked to bring university ID card while roaming on the campus, he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Prof Golam Sabbir said they are also working to ensure proper treatment of the students who were injured during the clash.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said the university will resume academic and administrative activities on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Police fired rubber bullet and hurled tear gas shells during the clash between the students and locals. University administration did not ask them to fire.\"</div><div><br></div><div>A 5-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident, he said adding, the committee was asked to submit the report within the7 working days.</div><div><br></div><div>A group of youths set fire to railway tracks on Sunday night following the clash between students and locals, halting rail communication between Rajshahi and Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 8pm, the students set fire to the rail line near the Faculty of Fine Arts of the university, Rajshahi Railway Station Super Abdul Karim said.</div><div><br></div><div>The clash took place in the city\'s Binodpur area near the university campus on Saturday night, leaving at least 200 students injured.</div><div><br></div><div>The students of the university blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway on Sunday&nbsp; to protest the “attack on them by locals and police on Saturday.”</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, the students demonstrated in front of the administrative building of the university and locked the building to protest&nbsp; the incident.</div><div><br></div><div>The protesting students shouted slogans with their six-point demand, calling for justice.</div><div><br></div><div>Justice for the attack on RU students by locals and police, stopping the entry of outsiders in the university and ensuring safety of the students, ensuring on-campus accommodation for all students, ensuring proper treatment of the injured students were among the demands. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 10:35:30', '2023-03-13 10:35:30'),
(5741, 5741, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Saudi Arabia is mulling a three-day weekend after the UAE enacted it last year.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>According to Saudi local media, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development responded to a tweet by saying that it is evaluating the present work arrangement to extend the weekend to three days, reports Khaleej Times.</div><div><br></div><div>The message, according to sources, emerged on the ministry’s Twitter account, which is meant to respond to inquiries from its recipients, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the tweet, the ministry is conducting a periodic evaluation of the present work system in Saudi Arabia to enhance job creation and make the market more appealing to local and foreign investors. It further stated that a draft of the work system had been posted on a survey platform for public comment.</div><div><br></div><div>In a landmark reform, the UAE implemented a shortened workweek on January 1, 2022 UAE – adopting a Saturday-Sunday weekend, with half workday on Fridays.</div><div><br></div><div>The new approach was implemented throughout all government bodies, and most private-sector businesses followed suit. On Fridays, the office is only open until noon. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 10:49:06', '2023-03-13 10:49:06'),
(5742, 5742, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Kane Williamson century led New Zealand to a dramatic last-ball, two-wicket victory against Sri Lanka on a rain-disrupted final day in Christchurch on Monday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>In a helter-skelter finish, the only Sri Lankans not guarding the boundary for most of the closing 10 overs were the bowler and wicketkeeper as New Zealand chased down their target of 285.</div><div><br></div><div>The winning run came from a bye after Williamson missed with his swipe at the ball.</div><div><br></div><div>He finished 121 not out with New Zealand 285-8 and Sri Lanka two wickets shy of their target.</div><div><br></div><div>The thrilling New Zealand win scuppered Sri Lanka\'s chances of making the World Test Championship final, handing the spot to India instead.</div><div><br></div><div>When rain wiped out the first two sessions on the fifth day, the umpires ruled there would be a minimum of 53 overs played in the evening, which meant New Zealand would have to average 4.85 an over.</div><div><br></div><div>After a steady but slow start which saw the hosts at 90-3, Williamson and Daryl Mitchell picked up the pace.</div><div><br></div><div>They put on 142 in 26 overs for the fourth wicket with the precision of a one-day partnership.</div><div><br></div><div>Sri Lanka paid a heavy price for Williamson being dropped by Niroshan Dickwella on 33 as he went on to produce his 27th century.</div><div><br></div><div>The 31-year-old Mitchell, a late arrival on the international stage, contributed 81 to lift his average to a phenomenal 59.04 from 26 innings.</div><div><br></div><div>In a match of see-sawing fortunes, Sri Lanka had the upper hand on the opening two days before a first-innings century from Mitchell and a swashbuckling 72 from Matt Henry -- the last 60 from only 35 deliveries -- swung the game in New Zealand\'s favour.</div><div><br></div><div>Sri Lanka fought their way back into contention on the fourth day with a defiant 115 from Angelo Mathews, who built partnerships of 105 for the fifth wicket with Dinesh Chandimal and then 60 with Dhananjaya de Silva.</div><div><br></div><div>When the Sri Lanka second innings folded at 302 it left New Zealand needing 285 to win on a ground where the highest fourth-innings score was 256-8 by New Zealand in a 2018 draw against England.</div><div><br></div><div>Devon Conway was removed for five, leaving the outcome on a knife-edge going into the final day.</div><div><br></div><div>When play resumed on Monday, Prabath Jayasuriya made early in-roads with the wickets of Tom Latham for 25 and Henry Nicholls for 20.</div><div><br></div><div>Asitha Fernando bowled Mitchell and Tom Blundell (three) and had Michael Bracewell caught for 10 to leave New Zealand 266-6 and needing a further 19 runs with 16 balls left.</div><div><br></div><div>Williamson kept going to take the game to the final ball as Tim Southee (one) and Matt Henry (four) came and went, with Neil Wagner not out nought.</div><div><br></div><div>For Sri Lanka, Fernando took 3-63 and Jayasuriya 2-92. The second Test starts in Wellington on Friday. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 11:38:45', '2023-03-13 11:38:45'),
(5743, 5743, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Monday said due to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s relentless efforts to protect public life during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh\'s economy is still booming.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>She made the remarks while meeting with Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Milton Dick on the occasion of the 146th IPU Conference in Manama.</div><div><br></div><div>“Even economies of many countries are struggling in the post-COVID-19 situation.</div><div><br></div><div>But Bangladesh brought economic stability in the country,” Dr Shirin Sharmin said.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ensured 100% electrification, maternal health protection, maternity allowance, scholarships to one crore female students, economic and political empowerment of women in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“Unprecedented progress has been made in the women education sector and skill development was also increased through information-technology based trainings. The government also formulated the ‘Delta Plan-2100’,” Bangladesh Speaker said.</div><div><br></div><div>She is now visiting Manama, the capital of Bahrain on the occasion of the 146th IPU Conference.</div><div><br></div><div>The government has ensured political and economic stability in the country, which is helpful in building a developed Smart Bangladesh by 2041. Besides, 100 special economic zones are being established in the country alongside the infrastructural development.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Shirin Sharmin expressed her hope that the Australian continuous support in the expansion of trade and the overall development of Bangladesh would be continued.</div><div><br></div><div>Appreciating the unprecedented development of Bangladesh, Australian Speaker Milton Dick said the ongoing global crisis, climate change and other challenges are currently facing all the countries.</div><div><br></div><div>He expressed that Australia will always stand by the side of Bangladesh to ensure inclusive sustainable development by facing these challenges.</div><div><br></div><div>Md Shahe Alam, Razee Mohammad Fakhrul, Umme Kulsum Smriti, Rahgir Alam Mahi Ershaf, Umme Fatema Nazma Begum, parliament secretariat secretary KM Abdus Salam, Joint Secretary MA Kamal Billah and other senior officials were present. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 11:43:10', '2023-03-13 11:43:10'),
(5744, 5744, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The head of Iran\'s judiciary says 22,000 people arrested in the recent protests that swept the Islamic Republic have been pardoned.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi on Monday as announcing the figure. The Associated Press could not independently verify the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>State media previously suggested Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could pardon that many swept up in the demonstrations ahead of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.</div><div><br></div><div>The protests began in September over the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the country\'s morality police. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 12:13:17', '2023-03-13 12:13:17'),
(5745, 5745, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The government has asked deputy commissioners to monitor markets strictly during the upcoming Ramadan and to take legal measures if necessary, Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain said today.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The government made the directives for the DCs today at the weekly cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the PMO, the cabinet secretary said while briefing reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked whether there was any directive from the PM about keeping prices of daily essentials stable, the cabinet secretary said, “It is being communicated always. Monitoring activities are on at different levels of the government to ensure that prices and supplies are stable during Ramadan,” reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Replying to a question about preparations ahead of Ramadan, Mahbub added, “The DCs have been asked to monitor the market strictly and enforce law if needed.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 12:40:31', '2023-03-13 12:40:31'),
(5746, 5746, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government has set the office timing for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, from 9 am to 3:30 pm, for all government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The decision was taken today at the weekly cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the PMO.</div><div><br></div><div>“During Ramadan, 9 am to 3:30 pm has been set as office hours,” Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain said while briefing reporters, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said there will be a 15-minute break from 1:15 to 1:30pm for Zuhr prayers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 13:35:14', '2023-03-13 13:35:14'),
(5747, 5747, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said most of the Awami League candidates will lose their security money if the next national election is held under a non-party neutral government.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this while speaking at an extended meeting of the Thakurgaon district unit BNP at his local residence&nbsp; on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>“Awami League won’t get even 30 seats if the election is held under a caretaker or neutral government. Their (most AL) candidates will lose their security deposit,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said the ruling party is against the caretaker government as it knows it will face a debacle in a fair and credible election.</div><div><br></div><div>Stating that political parties in Bangladesh do not trust each other, he said the caretaker government is the only solution in the current culture of Bangladesh’s politics to overcome the political crisis and have a fair and inclusive election.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader alleged that the government has been carrying out false campaigns and indulging in various misdeeds to divert the people’s democratic movement, demanding the restoration of the caretaker government system and rights of people and the resignation of this government, to a different direction.</div><div><br></div><div>He urged the government to refrain from conducting ‘false’ campaigns against BNP.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul alleged that the government wants to retain power by holding another ‘stage-managed’ election as they have already destroyed the electoral system. “But this time it won’t happen. The country’s people have woken up and they want to exercise their right to franchise.”</div><div><br></div><div>Govt behind Panchagarh communal violence</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP secretary general alleged that the government was behind the communal attacks on the Ahmadiyya community in Panchagarh. “This happened with the direct and indirect backing of the government. The government must shoulder the responsibility for the incident.”</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that Awami League leaders are blaming BNP for the communal attacks only to tarnish the image of the opposition party and hide the real offenders.</div><div><br></div><div>“Panchagarh incident was premeditated. It’s also an unexpected incident. The image of the country has been somewhat damaged while the image of the government has been seriously dented because of the incident,” Fakhrul observed.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the government has orchestrated the incident to thwart the BNP’s movement that was moving ahead in full swing.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul also said the people of the Ahmadiyya community clearly said in front of Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan that people around him were involved in this violence.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Among them, Abdur Rahman\'s name is notable. But none of them were arrested by the police, and no case was filed against them.”</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the government is trying to eliminate BNP leaders and activists in Panchagarh taking an advantage of the attacks on the Ahmadiyya community.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said cases have been filed against BNP leaders and workers and 180 of them have already been arrested. “A reign of terror has been created in Panchagarh. BNP leaders and supporters now can’t stay at home.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said attacking the Ahmadiyya community and damaging their houses and looting their valuables was a brutal and inhuman incident.</div><div><br></div><div>Even after such a horrific incident, Fakhrul said the government has been trying to put the blame on BNP instead of carrying out an impartially and fairly investigation to identify the real perpetrators, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, He bemoaned that some media outlets have been carrying out false propaganda involving BNP with communal violence. “The media should always play a neutral role. If you (journalists) don\'t play a neutral role, people will remember it and give a fitting reply when the time comes.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 14:40:04', '2023-03-13 14:40:04'),
(5748, 5748, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A massive fire broke out at Tejkunipara Slum in the city\'s Tejgaon area Monday night.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The fire originated at a shanty of the slum around 7:50pm and it engulfed the adjoining ones, said Anwarul Islam, warehouse inspector of fire service and&nbsp; civil defense headquarters (media cell).</div><div><br></div><div>On information, six firefighting units rushed to the spot, and they were trying to douse the fire, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Five additional fire tenders are on their way to join the fire efforts.</div><div><br></div><div>The origin of the fire could not be known immediately, according to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>No casualties were reported.</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 15:17:57', '2023-03-13 15:17:57'),
(5749, 5749, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said no pressures will work on her as she defied many pressures in the past.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"There is no pressure, which can be exerted on Sheikh Hasina. Keep it in mind,\" she said in reply to a question if she feels any international pressure regarding the next general election on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM was addressing a press conference at her official residence Ganabhaban this afternoon on the outcome of her recent official visit to Qatar where she attended the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) from March 4-8.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the source of her strength is only her people. Nothing will happen, no matter who exerts what pressure. \"We will do whatever is required for the welfare of the people,\" she added.</div><div><br></div><div>In this context, she said her government had constructed the Padma Bridge with its own finances, confronting all the hurdles and ignoring many pressures, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said that she had received numerous phone calls from ambassadors to foreign ministers of different countries to keep a person as the managing director (MD) of a bank.</div><div><br></div><div>In reply to another question, the PM&nbsp; ruled out the possibility of holding talks with the BNP ahead of the next generation election.</div><div><br></div><div>\"With whom will we hold dialogue? We held dialogue (with them) before the 2018 election. What was its result? They did nothing except making the election questionable,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also the President of ruling Awami League, said they (BNP) had given its nominations to 700 aspirants in 300 parliamentary constituencies in the 2018 national election. They withdrew their candidates in exchange of money and made the election questionable one, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Referring to another incident, the PM said she went to Khaleda Zia\'s residence to console her after her youngest son Koko died, but her (Hasina\'s) access to the house was denied.</div><div><br></div><div>\"What meeting with them after such a humiliation? It is a clear word. What is the point to sit in dialogue with those who don\'t know minimum courtesy?\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said attempts are being made to create an unstable situation in the country, but the conspirators won\'t succeed without creating a problem for the time being.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"Attempts are being made to create an unstable environment. But I believe that anyone can do nothing. They may create some problems for some time. But our people will resist it,\" she added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 15:34:43', '2023-03-13 15:34:43'),
(5750, 5750, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Daesh group has claimed responsibility for a bombing over the weekend at a cultural center run by the minority Shiite community in northern Afghanistan that killed one person and wounded eight people.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Tabian center of the Hazaras in Balkh’s provincial capital, Mazar-e-Sharif, was struck on Saturday, during an event honoring local journalists.</div><div><br></div><div>The regional affiliate of Daesh — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — is a key rival of the Taliban and has frequently targeted members of Afghanistan’s Shiite minority. The militant group has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021. Daesh attacks have also included Taliban patrols.</div><div><br></div><div>Daesh said in a statement posted on its media arm, the Aamaq news agency, that the explosives were planted in a bag that was left hidden at the center. The statements said those targeted work for an establishment “that engaged in war” against Daesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Abdul Nafi Takor, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the interior ministry said the person killed was a security guard at the center.</div><div>Three children were among the eight wounded.</div><div><br></div><div>The attack on the center came two days after a bombing in Mazar-e-Sharif killed the provincial governor, Daud Muzmal, and two others. Four people were wounded.</div><div><br></div><div>The Daesh group also claimed responsibility for that assassination on Thursday. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 16:01:21', '2023-03-13 16:01:21'),
(5751, 5751, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>President Abdul Hamid on Monday urged the physicians and the authorities concerned to find out the reasons why people go abroad for medical treatment despite having many reputed doctors and hospitals.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Despite having many reputed doctors and medical institutions in our country about 25 lakh Bangladeshis go abroad for treatment every year. So we have to think where the real problem is,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said this in the fourth convocation of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University held at Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Convention Hall in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>The president and chancellor of the university Abdul Hamid presided over the event while vice-chancellor Professor Dr Sharfuddin Ahmed delivered the welcome speech.</div><div><br></div><div>Saying that a doctor must first be a good listener to gain the trust of the patient, Hamid said many things may seem irrelevant but it is a matter of emotional satisfaction for the patient. So the patient should be treated with sufficient time, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said reports of various inducements by pharmaceutical companies to prescribe drugs to patients often appear in the press.</div><div><br></div><div>Emphasising on avoiding this sick and unfair competition, Hamid said the issue of introducing Generic Name like abroad should be considered.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamid mentioned that the number of doctors and nurses in proportion to the population in the country is insufficient and the number of specialist doctors is also less than the demand.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Many are being deprived of specialised treatment. You know humanitarianism is a divine virtue. Unwell people rely on a doctor and a nurse after God. Your kindness and treatment is a must for any patient,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The President said if doctors work with a generous mind, they can be considered a good doctor as well as a great person among the public.</div><div><br></div><div>Calling this university as a repository of knowledge not only in the field of medical services but also in all fields of research and medical science, Hamid asked the new graduates to maintain its continuity in their life what they have learned and seen here.</div><div><br></div><div>Saying Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University as the birthplace of experts in medical related subjects, he said that the result of their hard work is the country\'s expert doctors, medical scientists and medical teachers.</div><div><br></div><div>\"There is no substitute for research in improving the quality of education, while our medical education has very little research,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Emphasising on own research, Hamid said types of disease in our country are different from developed and western countries. That is why own research work can only make the real solution available to the patients of this country by inventing effective and affordable treatment methods for diverse diseases of this country.</div><div><br></div><div>Health Minister Zahid Maleque and Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni spoke as special guests while Prof Rajvardhan Azad, chairman of University Service Commission, Bihar, India was the convocation speaker.</div><div><br></div><div>The Institute of Postgraduate Medical Research (IPGMR) was converted into BSMMU in 1998. The last convocation of the university was held in 2018, before the global outbreak of Covid-19. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-13 16:04:32', '2023-03-13 16:04:32'),
(5753, 5753, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the development partners to focus on giving soft loans till the world economy comes into normalcy overcoming the economic recession steaming from the Russia-Ukraine war.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"It is necessary to continue giving soft loans till the global economy goes back to normalcy. The organizations and the developed countries would have to give special focus on it,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister was addressing as the chief guest a programme marking the celebration of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh-Asian Development Bank (ADB) partnership at a city hotel here.</div><div><br></div><div>She expressed her grave concern over the trend of increasing interest rate against loans by the development partners even in the global crisis for Russia-Ukraine war, economic sanction and counter sanctions which in most cases make their financing in development projects ineffective.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We don\'t want kindness from anyone, rather we want our due rights from the global partners,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister also expressed her resentment over imposing various unnecessary restrictions by business partners, saying: \"It (restrictions) sends our economies in danger\".</div><div><br></div><div>In the current global context, she urged the IMF to come up with flexible and innovative financing in accelerating skill, health, ICT, infrastructure development, climate change and human resource development.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier however thanked the ADB for supporting Bangladesh in its need, saying the ADB\'s cooperation has increased three times in the last one and a half decade since Awami League assumed power in 2009.</div><div><br></div><div>She added: \"We are seeing with pleasure that the ADB always stands beside Bangladesh in our bad time with innovative financing and technological support.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The premier recalled with gratitude that the ADB gave 2.29 billion USD support during the Covid-19 pandemic to deal with health emergencies and 230 million USD to overcome the damages of the flood in Bangladesh\'s north-western part.</div><div><br></div><div>She added: \"The relations between Bangladesh and the IMF will be more strengthened in the days to come.\"</div><div><br></div><div>President of ADB Masatsugu Asakawa, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Economic Relations Division Secretary Sharifa Khan, spoke at the programme.</div><div><br></div><div>ADB Country Director to Bangladesh Edimon Ginting gave the concluding speech.</div><div><br></div><div>A video documentary on how Bangladesh-ADB relations evolve and how Bangladesh made progress over the 50 years and the recent time was also screened. Source: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 11:19:09', '2023-03-14 11:19:09'),
(5754, 5754, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>State Ministrr for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that demand for electricity is increasing by about 100 MW every day.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We’re trying our best to manage the situation in different ways”, he told reporters on the sidelines of a Dissemination Workshop on the final report of “Multipurpose Use of Land for Renewable Energy Project in Bangladesh,” at Biduyt Bhaban in the city on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>It is predicted by the power sector insiders that the country may experience more than 3000 MW load shedding this year in the coming Ramadan as the demand for electricity is growing fast.</div><div><br></div><div>Though the country’s power generation capacity is more than 25,000 MW, it can generate about 12,000 due to primary fuel shortage.</div><div><br></div><div>The recent dollar crisis forced the government to suspend diesel-based power generation.</div><div><br></div><div>About renewable energy, Nasrul said the government will try to add about 1000 MW of solar power to the National grid within a year, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said that the government has a target to gradually convert about 13,000 diesel-run irrigation pumps to solar-run ones.</div><div><br></div><div>He also asked the officials of his ministry to expedite efforts to promote renewable energy generation.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 11:25:25', '2023-03-14 11:25:25'),
(5755, 5755, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">An intelligence team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested three more people including the mastermind, from Dhaka and Netrakona districts in connection with the robbery of Tk 11.25 crore of a bank from a private security agency’s vehicle in Turag area of Uttara in the capital.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>They also recovered Tk 58.7 lakh from their possession.</div><div><br></div><div>The arrestees are Mohammad Hridoy, 21, Mohammad Milon Mia, 29 and Akash, the mastermind of the robbery incident.</div><div><br></div><div>Tipped off, a team of intelligence team of DMP conducted separate drives in Karail slum of Banani area in the capital and Durgapur upazila of Netrakona district and arrested them, said a press release issued by deputy commissioner of police (media and public relations) of DMP, Faruk Hossain.</div><div><br></div><div>With this, 11 people have been arrested and Tk 7.1 crore recovered so far.</div><div><br></div><div>During interrogation, it was known that, among the robbers, Akash and Sohel Rana made the plot of the robbery incident and a number of people divided into different groups committed the robbery, the release added.</div><div><br></div><div>Sohel Rana, now fugitive, was a driver of Money Plant Link Limited, a private security agency, and he knew well about the&nbsp; movement of the vehicle.</div><div><br></div><div>The robber gang took the control of the vehicle on that day without any obstruction, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>During interrogation, police came to know that the members of the gang were collected from Sunamganj, Sylhet, Netrakona, Gopalganj and Barishal. After the robbery, they took their share and managed to flee the scene, the release said.</div><div><br></div><div>Akash and Sohel took a lion share of the money.</div><div><br></div><div>Robbers looted cash money worth Tk 11 crore cash from a vehicle of Money Plant Ltd while it was going to refill money at the ATM of Dutch Bangla Bank in Savar, in Turag area of Uttara in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, on Thursday, the intelligence teams recovered over Tk 2.53 core more and arrested eight people from Dhaka, its adjacent areas and Sunamganj, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>A private car, used in the robbery, has also been seized, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 12:03:24', '2023-03-14 12:03:24');
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(5756, 5756, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh delivered a breathtaking performance crushing England to complete a flawless whitewash in the three-match T20I series. In an outstanding third match in Dhaka on Tuesday, the Tigers roared to a triumphant 16-run victory, leaving the T20I world champions, England, stunned.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Despite losing the prior ODI series 2-1, the Tigers came back strong and demonstrated their ability to compete at the highest level. The loss in the ODI series at home was an unusual setback for Bangladesh, but the T20I victory made up for it.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are really disappointed to lose the series; congratulations to Bangladesh, they outplayed us completely,” England captain Joss Buttler said after the match. “We came back well, and we missed some opportunities in the field, which is disappointing.”</div><div><br></div><div>He pointed out that the match took a turn for the worse when they lost two quick wickets after reaching 100, which ultimately proved costly for them.</div><div><br></div><div>Batting first after losing the toss, Bangladesh scored 158 for two, with Litton Das hitting 73 off 57 balls with 10 fours and one six. Rony Talukdar scored 24 off 22 balls with three fours. The openers set a solid foundation for the hosts to aim for a big total. After Rony\'s dismissal, Litton and Shanto took on the responsibility and guided the team to a challenging total.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the dismissal of Litton slowed down Bangladesh\'s momentum, and in the last 18 balls, Shanto and Shakib Al Hasan could only add 19 runs to the board.</div><div><br></div><div>In reply, England started strong despite losing an early wicket and formed a big partnership of 95 runs off 76 balls with the help of Dawid Malan and Joss Buttler in the second wicket.</div><div><br></div><div>After the 13th over, they were cruising at 100 for one, but after the 17th over, they were at 123 for five. The tourists needed 31 runs off the last two overs to finish the series on a high note, but they failed.</div><div><br></div><div>In the 19th over, Bangladesh captain Shakib conceded only four runs, pushing England to its fourth defeat in the series.</div><div><br></div><div>In the last over, Hasan Mahmud conceded two fours off the first two balls as Chris Woakes was swinging with all his power. In the third ball, a single was scored, so England needed three sixes – 18 runs – but they failed to score that off the last three balls.</div><div><br></div><div>Malan hit a fifty, and the dangerous Buttler scored 40 for England, leading them to 142 for six, losing the match by 16 runs.</div><div><br></div><div>For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers once again, taking two wickets for 26 runs, while Tanvir, Shakib, and Mustafizur Rahman bagged one wicket each, with Mustafizur completing his 100th wicket in T20Is.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“We were really good in this series and fielded exceptionally well, and that was a major change. There\'s a World Cup next year, and we can build on this victory,” Shakib, the Bangladesh captain, said after the match.</div><div><br></div><div>He credited Litton, Rony, and Shanto for setting up a challenging total for the tourists.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh will now start gearing up for the next assignment— a home series against Ireland starting with the first ODI in Sylhet on March 18. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 13:35:41', '2023-03-14 13:35:41'),
(5757, 5757, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP is unwilling to hold any talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as it has claimed she does not live up to her commitments.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office on Tuesday, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam also hit out at the Prime Minister for her different comments about the political talks in 2018 and the next election and warned that BNP will not make any compromise on the question of a neutral election.</div><div><br></div><div>“We won\'t engage in any talks with her. Why should we hold a dialogue with her when she doesn\'t keep her word? That\'s why we didn\'t talk about dialogue for once,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul also said they will not sit in talks with those who put BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in jail before the election in a ‘false’ case for no reason.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister at her press conference ruled out the possibility of talks with the BNP ahead of the next general election.</div><div><br></div><div>\"With whom will we hold talks? We held a dialogue before the 2018 election. What was its result? They did nothing except making the election questionable,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Reacting to the PM’s remarks, Fakhrul said they long ago turned down the possibility of talks with the current government. “Awami League will be held responsible if the next election becomes uncertain or if something worse happens in the next election.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said people want a change as their backs have been pushed against the wall. “So, we’ll not make any compromise on the question of an acceptable election.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the Prime Minister’s remark on talks in 2018 is nothing, but a travesty of truth.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We also have the same question about the outcome of the talks. The Prime Minister, no matter how she came to power, committed in front of all and told the media that the government would not interfere with the election (in 2018) and police would no longer arrest, file fresh cases, and repress anyone until the election. Just three days later (of the talks), BNP leaders and activists across the country were forced to flee their homes in the face of repressions by the police.”</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul also recalled that his convoy was attacked when he went to the electoral area in his home district Thakurgaon. “Being the secretary general of BNP, my vehicle and the convoy came under attack when I first entered my area (during the last general election), and police just played the role of a silent spectator.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government also arrested many BNP leaders and activists by hatching different plots and setting fire to election offices and motorcycles, forcing the BNP leaders and activists to leave their houses and areas.</div><div><br></div><div>“Just before three days of the election, all my top election workers were arrested in Thakurgaon and the members of different intelligence agencies, including DGFI and NSI, took position all around my house there. This was my condition. Our 21 candidates were arrested and jailed before the election while many others could not come out of their homes,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also recalled that when they went to the Election Commission under the leadership of Dr Kamal Hossain with different allegations, the then Chief Election Commission badly misbehaved with them, forcing the Gonoforum President to come out of the room thumping on the table.</div><div><br></div><div>“After these things, Sheikh Hasina questioned what was the result of the dialogue. The results you (PM) know as you know what have you done? So, when she says these things, she ultimately denies the truth, cheats on people and misleads people. She has been suffering from extreme arrogance, and going beyond the basic things of democracy,” Fakhrul said</div><div><br></div><div>Under such circumstances, the BNP leader said how the Prime Minister expects that the political parties will go to polls when she remains in the government. “Not only BNP, but all political parties are now saying that it is not possible to join polls under this government. Even, the CPB has also said that it will not go to the elections under this government.”</div><div><br></div><div>He urged the Prime Minister to quit handing over power to a caretaker government if she is brave and confident enough that people love her.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul also said they will accept whoever comes to power in a credible election under a non-party caretaker government.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the Prime Minister\'s remarks that no pressure will work on her, he said it has manifested she has no responsibility towards the country and its people. “She has also no feeling about the future of the country and to make it a functional state.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said different countries are mounting pressure on the government for a credible election as Awami League resorted to all sorts of vote rigging, vote fraud, and terrorism in the last two elections to stay in power illegally obstructing people from going to the polling stations.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said Awami League knows very well that they will not be able to retain power through a fair election as the country’s people are not with them.</div><div><br></div><div>“That’s why they are creating a situation so that no one from outside the country can interfere in the election of our country and no one can talk about it…the foreigners those who are coming here are saying that they want to see a fair election. They (govt) are assuring the foreigners that everything is fine here and the Election Commission is independent and can arrange a fair election. But what they (govt) are telling the foreigners are lies and the travesty of truth,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question, Fakhrul said the government can take steps for the formation of a caretaker government through discussions with the political parties, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said they want a level-playing field and a healthy election atmosphere so that people can exercise their right to franchise. \"Create the election atmosphere, only then you can say why we’re not going to polls.”</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul also said that it is undeniable that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is one of the greatest sons of this country. “I feel bad the daughter of such a great man has pushed the entire nation towards destruction.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 14:25:17', '2023-03-14 14:25:17'),
(5758, 5758, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said on Tuesday the government will consider updating the Digital Security Act (DSA) if needed.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We are taking the criticism into consideration. The law was enacted for ensuring digital security, we will hold onto this aim,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister sat in a meeting with the representatives of civil society when the parties discussed this law criticised by many terming it draconian. Many say the DSA is regularly used to harass people.</div><div><br></div><div>“We discussed their concerns about the DSA. We will also talk about the Data Protection Act. We will again sit to discuss the laws,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Both parties agreed to have another meeting on the DSA on March 30.</div><div><br></div><div>TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said they demanded the abolition of the DSA.</div><div><br></div><div>“We pointed out our concerns about the DSA. There is no chance to make the DSA acceptable. The law minister also talked about the misuse of this law. We think this law should be abolished,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>They will discuss the new draft of the Data Protection law in another meeting on April 6.</div><div><br></div><div>“We would like to see the new draft positively. The government has given us an opportunity to review the draft. We hope they will consider suggestions,” said Iftekharuzzaman.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka University International Relations Prof Dr CR Abrar, Supreme Court lawyer barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, academic and activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin, rights activist Md Saimum Reza Talukder, and Sharmin Khan, were present, among others. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 14:57:10', '2023-03-14 14:57:10'),
(5759, 5759, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Importers are suspecting that onion price in the country may go up during Ramadan, as the government has decided to not issue new permits for importing Indian onions after March 15 through the Hili land port -- to ensure local farmers get a fair price.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Large consignments of onions are being imported now through Hili land port to keep prices stable during Ramadan. But the government decided to not issue new onion import permits from India, which may make the onion market unstable,” Senior Vice President of Hili Land Port Import-Export Group Shahidul Islam said while speaking at a press conference on Monday night.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>If onion imports stop after March 15, importers will suffer financially. Consumers also have to buy onions at higher prices during Ramadan, he added.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Mostafizur Rahman, general secretary of the organization, said that it is necessary to continue importing onions throughout the month of Ramadan and keep the prices stable.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Currently, imported onions are being sold at Tk 24 and domestic onions at Tk 26 per kg at retail level. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 15:13:37', '2023-03-14 15:13:37'),
(5760, 5760, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The World Bank has agreed to provide fund for developing the metro rail-centric communication system, constructing walkways beside canals and procurement of electronic buses.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It will provide support under the Integrated Corridors Management (ICM) project to turn every metro rail station from Mirpur-12 to Banglamotor integrated communication center, said a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka North City Corporation(DNCC) Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam discussed the matter with the Vice President for Infrastructure at the World Bank Guangzhe Chen at World Bank headquarters on Monday, said an official release.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Chief Engineer of&nbsp; DNCC&nbsp; Brigadier General Mohammad Amirul Islam, also a member of the delegation, said, \"Though the roads under metro rail have been developed, there is no good system for coming and going through the connecting roads from the metro rail stations. But, metro stations in developed countries have integrated corridor management for the movement of passengers.”</div><div><br></div><div>“The World Bank has agreed to provide financial support for this project. If everything goes well, the issue of financial cooperation is expected to be approved by the World Bank\'s board next November,” Amirul Islam said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Bank is interested to provide about 150 million US dollars, he added.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>A team led by Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam went to Washington DC on the occasion of the World Bank\'s 20th Conference on Transforming Transportation-2023 in Washington DC, USA. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 15:31:28', '2023-03-14 15:31:28'),
(5761, 5761, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>China is to resume issuing visas to foreign tourists for the first time since the Covid pandemic broke out three years ago.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The major easing of restrictions comes after Beijing declared victory over the virus and retreated from a zero-Covid strategy that has hurt its economy.</div><div><br></div><div>From 15 March, foreign offices can process applications for Chinese visas.</div><div>Visa-free entry will also resume in Hainan Island and Shanghai for cruise ships.</div><div><br></div><div>Tour groups from Hong Kong and Macau will also regain their visa-free privilege.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, valid visas issued before China closed to the world on 28 March 2020 will be honoured again.</div><div><br></div><div>The removal of the last cross-border restrictions imposed to tackle Covid marks a major step towards the resumption of normal life in post-pandemic China.</div><div><br></div><div>Tens of millions of international visitors came to China each year prior to the pandemic, and its tourism industry has been hard hit by strict anti-Covid measures.</div><div><br></div><div>But the country can expect a significant increase in international arrivals, after it reopens its borders, analysts say.</div><div><br></div><div>Chinese citizens will also be allowed to travel on tour groups to 60 countries, up from 20 previously.</div><div><br></div><div>China said its gross domestic product grew just 3% in 2022, the worst in nearly half a century.</div><div><br></div><div>For the current year, Beijing has set a 5% target with new Premier Li Qiang saying that the world\'s second largest economy is stabilising and picking up again.</div><div><br></div><div>The zero-Covid policy that was lifted in December sparked rare protests against China\'s leader, Xi Jinping. Source: BBC</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 15:36:40', '2023-03-14 15:36:40'),
(5762, 5762, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP on Tuesday demanded the immediate cancellation of the \'Jamuna River Narrowing Project\' as the party thinks it will have a serious bad impact on the environment and climate.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Our standing committee meeting yesterday (Monday) discussed a dangerous project taken by the government to narrow the Jamuna River,” said party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, Fakhrul said their party policymakers think that this project will seriously damage the environment, nature, people\'s livelihood and the climate of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“We demand cancellation of such a suicidal decision,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the media reports, the Water Development Board has prepared a project proposal of Tk 1,110 crore to reduce the width of the Jamuna River to 6.5 kilometers from 15 kilometers.</div><div><br></div><div>The Ministry of Water Resources has already sent the proposed project titled \'Sustainable Infrastructure for Jamuna River Bank Protection and Risk Mitigation\' to the Planning Commission.</div><div><br></div><div>Strongly opposing the project, Fakhrul said the government has already allocated money for this pilot project. “It is a deadly and suicidal project. The problem with the government is that they don\'t have a focus on matters that are urgently needed for the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said there is no initiative or project to free Buriganga and Shitalakkhya Rivers from pollution. \"In whose interest they want to narrow the Jamuna River which has been flowing for thousands of years.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader alleged that the government has taken the project to plunder a huge amount of public money by destroying a river. “This project must be stopped immediately and people must be given a clear idea about this project,\" reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul also said the government has chosen the power sector as the main area for indulging in corruption and they are looting thousands of crores of taka from the sector.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said the government is also raising the power tariffs frequently one after another to plunder public money.&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 15:46:14', '2023-03-14 15:46:14'),
(5763, 5763, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking a third consecutive term in office in elections in May, marks 20 years in power on Tuesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The 69-year-old, who served as prime minister from 2003-2014 and as president thereafter, started as a reformist who expanded rights and freedoms, allowing his majority-Muslim country to start European Union membership negotiations.</div><div><br></div><div>He later reversed course, cracking down on dissent, stifling the media and passing measures that eroded democracy.</div><div><br></div><div>The presidential and parliamentary elections set for May 14 could be Erdogan’s most challenging yet. They will be held amid economic turmoil and high inflation, just three months after a devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands.</div><div><br></div><div>Here’s a look at some of the key dates during Erdogan’s rule:</div><div><br></div><div>March 27, 1994: Erdogan is elected mayor of Istanbul, running on the pro-Islamic Welfare Party ticket.</div><div><br></div><div>Dec. 12, 1997: Erdogan is convicted of “inciting hatred” for reading a poem that the courts deem to be in violation of Turkey’s secular principles, and sentenced to four months in prison.</div><div><br></div><div>Aug. 14, 2001: Erdogan, who broke away from the Welfare Party with other members of its reformist wing, forms the conservative Justice and Development Party, or AKP.</div><div><br></div><div>Nov. 3, 2002: A year after it is founded, AKP wins a parliamentary majority in general elections. Erdogan however, is barred from running due to his conviction.</div><div><br></div><div>March 9, 2003: Erdogan is elected to parliament in a by-election after his political ban is lifted.</div><div><br></div><div>March 14: 2003: Erdogan replaces his AKP colleague Abdullah Gul as prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Oct. 3, 2005: Turkey begins accession talks with the European Union after Erdogan’s government introduces a series of reforms.</div><div><br></div><div>July 22, 2007: Erdogan wins 46.6% of the votes in general elections.</div><div><br></div><div>March 31, 2008: Constitutional Court accepts an indictment seeking the AKP’s closure for acts allegedly in violation of secularism. The court eventually rules not to shutter the party but cuts treasury financing for political parties.</div><div><br></div><div>October 20, 2008: The first of a series of trials against military officers, lawmakers and public figures begins. The suspects are accused of plotting to overthrow the government, in what turn out to be sham trials based on faked evidence and designed to eliminate Erdogan’s opponents. The trials were later blamed on the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.</div><div><br></div><div>Sept. 12, 2010: Erdogan wins a referendum on constitutional changes that allow the government to appoint high court judges, curb the powers of the military and ensure presidents are elected by a national vote rather than by parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>June 12, 2011: Erdogan wins general elections with a landslide 49.8% of the vote.</div><div><br></div><div>May 28, 2013: Nationwide anti-government protests erupt over plans to cut down trees in Istanbul’s central Gezi Park. Turkey’s largest ever protests result in eight deaths, while the government is accused of using excessive force against protesters.</div><div><br></div><div>Aug. 10, 2014: Erdogan wins Turkey’s first presidential election held by direct popular vote. Although the post is largely ceremonial, he is accused of exceeding his powers and meddling in the running of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>June 7, 2015: The AKP, headed by Ahmet Davutoglu after Erdogan became president, loses its majority in parliamentary elections, and is forced to seek a coalition.</div><div><br></div><div>Nov. 1, 2015: AKP regains a parliamentary majority in re-run elections following months of insecurity, including suicide bombings by the Islamic State group and reignition of a decades-long conflict with Kurdish militants.</div><div><br></div><div>July 15, 2016: Erdogan’s government survives a military coup attempt blamed on followers of U.S.-based cleric Gulen, a former ally. The failed coup results in nearly 290 deaths.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The government then embarks on a large-scale crackdown on Gulen’s network, arresting tens of thousands and purging more than 130,000 from government jobs. Many media and nongovernmental organizations are closed down and the crackdown then expands to critics, including Kurdish lawmakers and journalists. The EU accession talks, which had made slow progress, are frozen amid the democratic backtracking.</div><div><br></div><div>April 16, 2017: Voters in a referendum narrowly approve switching the country’s political system from a parliamentary democracy to an executive presidential system, abolishing the post of prime minister and concentrating a vast amount of power in the hands of the president. Critics call the system a “one-man rule.”</div><div><br></div><div>June 24, 2018: Erdogan wins presidential elections with 52.59% of the vote, becoming Turkey’s first president with executive powers, while his party’s alliance with a nationalist party secures a majority in parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>June 22, 2019: Erdogan’s party loses re-run election for Istanbul mayor by a landslide after it contests March elections which the main opposition party’s candidate had narrowly won. It’s the first time since Erdogan’s mayoral win in 1994 that his party and its predecessors lose Turkey’s most important city.</div><div><br></div><div>Feb. 6, 2023: A powerful earthquake devastates parts of Turkey and Syria, killing more than 48,000 people in Turkey. Erdogan’s government is criticized for its poor response to the disaster and for failing to prepare the country for a large-scale quake. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 15:54:13', '2023-03-14 15:54:13'),
(5764, 5764, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">India and Thailand have agreed to include Bangladesh in the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said on Tuesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>However, Myanmar is yet to provide its opinion on the matter, the foreign secretary said, while addressing the journalists after the third \'Foreign Office Consultation\' meeting at the Foreign Ministry today.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have shown our interest in joining this trilateral initiative. We have already talked to the Indians and Thais, and they are on board with it. The question is how Myanmar will react, as we haven’t had the chance to formally engage them on this issue,” he told reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from highway connectivity, air, and maritime connectivity issues were also addressed during the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>“An MoU is ready to be signed to increase air connectivity between the two countries,” Masud said.</div><div><br></div><div>Currently, 35 flights are being operated weekly on the Dhaka-Bangkok route, according to information provided during the press briefing.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, a Thai delegation led by Sarun Charoensuwan, permanent secretary of Thailand\'s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with a Bangladeshi delegation at the Foreign Ministry to review and explore the bilateral relationship between Thailand and Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Citing Thailand as a time-tested friend, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said:&nbsp; “We have seen the potential of our relationship and we believe that although the current level of trade is about little over $1 billion, it can easily be doubled in the near future.”</div><div><br></div><div>The government is working to create opportunities and necessary conditions for foreign investors to do business in the country, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Thai foreign secretary Sarun Charoensuwan lauded Bangladesh’s economic growth in recent years and said: “As Bangladesh is going to graduate from LDC in the coming years, we’re very happy to work with Bangladesh as we see potential to support one another in various aspects.” Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 15:59:14', '2023-03-14 15:59:14'),
(5765, 5765, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Pakistani police on Tuesday scuffled with supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan outside his home in the eastern city of Lahore as officers arrived to serve a warrant for the 71-year-old opposition leader to appear in court later this week on graft charges.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Police fired tear gas at the house as Khan\'s supporters hurled rocks and bricks at the officers. About a dozen police and some 35 of Khan\'s supporters were reported injured. Tear gas shells and pieces of bricks littered the pavement as Khan\'s followers fought back with batons snatched from the officers.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan has been ordered to appear before a judge in Islamabad on Friday to answer charges of illegally selling state gifts he had received during his term as premier and concealing assets.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April, has claimed that the string of cases against him, which include terrorism charges, are a plot by the government of his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, to discredit the former cricket star turned Islamist politician.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We will arrest him, and will do it on a court order,\" Shahzad Bukhari, deputy-inspector general of Islamabad police, told reporters earlier in Lahore. Bukhari was later also lightly injured in the violence and received first aid from police medics at the scene.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a top leader from Khan\'s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said the government was trying to disrupt law and order by sending police to Khan\'s house.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We are ready to find a middle way through talks with police, but we should know what the purpose of today\'s police raid is,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Fawad Chaudhry, another senior party leader, said Khan\'s legal team was in the process of submitting a request to the Islamabad High Court to have warrants against Khan suspended. Khan\'s lawyers were also legally challenging the warrants before another Islamabad court later Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>From inside his home, Khan urged his followers to fight on even if he is arrested in a message on Twitter. \"They think this nation will fall asleep when Imran Khan is jailed,\" he said. \"You need to prove them wrong.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Police said reinforcement were on their way Khan\'s house to bring the situation under control.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier Tuesday, the government barred officials from keeping valuable state gifts received while in office in an effort to set an example amid entrenched corruption. The ban states that no official — including the country\'s prime minister, figurehead president and Cabinet ministers — can keep a gift that exceed $300 in value.</div><div><br></div><div>The ban says any recipient must deposit such a gift with the state repository, known as Toshakhana in the Urdu language, within a month of receiving it. The gifts would from now on be perceived as state property, it added.</div><div><br></div><div>Impoverished Pakistan has been embroiled in a deepening economic crisis and is trying to negotiate a desperately needed bailout from the International Monetary Fund to avoid a default.</div><div><br></div><div>Until his ouster, Khan\'s government had blocked the release of any information about gifts officials received from visiting dignitaries. In the past, officials receiving a gift — regardless of its value — would symbolically reimburse state coffers with a small amount and keep the gift.</div><div><br></div><div>In a major U-turn, Sharif\'s government on Monday publicized a list of gifts given to officials from past administrations, listing each item\'s value and the minor amounts paid by the recipients since 2002. Source: AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 16:06:45', '2023-03-14 16:06:45'),
(5766, 5766, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The High Court on Tuesday asked the two city corporations in Dhaka to form a 7-member committee for each ward to examine the sewerage and gas pipelines to ensure safety of the residents.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel passed the order after hearing a writ petition.</div><div><br></div><div>Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk),&nbsp; Managing Director of Titas Gas, Managing Director of Dhaka Wasa, Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka North and South City Corporations have been asked to form the seven-member monitoring committees involving experts from the departments concerned.</div><div><br></div><div>The HC also asked the authorities concerned to take necessary measures for repairing if the committees find any fault in the sewerage and gas pipe lines and submit reports after every eight months.</div><div><br></div><div>On March 12, a writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking necessary directives in connection with the explosions in Science Laboratory area and Siddique Bazar of Gulishtan that claimed lives of 28&nbsp; people.</div><div><br></div><div>Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, a human rights organization, filed the writ petition.</div><div><br></div><div>Senior Advocate Manzill Murshid stood for the petitioner while assistant attorney general Toufique Sazawar represented the state.</div><div><br></div><div>The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain why the inaction of the respondents in taking effective measures to ensure the safety of Dhaka residents and monitoring the establishments on regular basis, should not be declared illegal.</div><div><br></div><div>Secretaries to the Housing and Public Works Ministry, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Local Government and Rural Development Ministry, Chairman of Rajuk, Managing Directors of Titas Gas and Dhaka Wasa, Chief Executive Officers of Dhaka North and South city corporations have been made respondents to the rule, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Advocate Manzill Murshid, said “Authorities’ negligence was the main reason behind the explosions in Science Lab and Siddique Bazar areas. The authorities concerned do not check the sewerage and gas pipe lines of hundreds of establishments in Dhaka.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-14 16:18:56', '2023-03-14 16:18:56'),
(5767, 5767, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh and Thailand have agreed to seriously explore the prospects of an FTA (free trade agreement) to further enhance the bilateral trade between the two countries.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Bangladesh also apprised the Thai side that a qualitative feasibility study is being undertaken by the Ministry of Commerce in this regard.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Bangladesh and Thailand agreed to hold the Joint Trade Committee (JTC) in Dhaka this year at a mutually convenient time to review the whole range of bilateral trade and investment portfolio, and increase the volume and diversity of trade to its true potential.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Bangladesh requested the Thai side to ease the trade regime of Thailand in the form of removal of non-tariff barriers, duty waiver/reduction etc. for Bangladeshi products to help achieve a better balance in the bilateral trade.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Bangladesh and Thailand held the third Foreign Office Consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka on Tuesday.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladesh delegation, while Sarun Charoensuwan, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, led the Thai side.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Senior officials of the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Agriculture, Industries, Civil Aviation and Tourism and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) also attended the meeting. The meeting discussed the whole gamut of the Bangladesh-Thailand bilateral relations. The 2nd FOC was held in Bangkok last year.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Both sides appreciated the existing excellent bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment for raising the profile of bilateral ties to newer heights in the coming days.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The two sides lauded the growing pace of engagement and enthusiasm in areas of political, economic, social and cultural ties and agreed to further explore new areas of cooperation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The meeting took stock of cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, health services, tourism, defence cooperation, consular cooperation, agriculture and agro-processing, manufacturing, connectivity, ICT, energy, cultural exchange and people to people contacts.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The two sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">During the meeting, the foreign secretary expressed satisfaction that both countries marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with commemorative events throughout 2022 in a befitting manner.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The permanent secretary for foreign affairs of Thailand assured that the country will continue its support to enhance collaboration and cooperation in combating transnational crimes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">By stressing the need for mutual accreditation and recognition of standards, the foreign secretary expressed hope that the draft MoU on testing and standardization of products would be finalized at the earliest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">A 15-member business delegation was accompanying the Thai permanent secretary who are taking part in various business events including the just concluded Business Summit and the business matchmaking and networking with the Bangladeshi business leaders held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Foreign Secretary Masud highly appreciated the presence of the Thai business delegation on the occasion of the 3rd FOC in Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Thailand appreciated the high potential and lucrative areas for profitable investment in Bangladesh, both in unitary and joint venture formats. Both sides agreed to mobilize greater dynamism in the B2B institutional cooperation between trade bodies and joint chambers of the two countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The foreign secretary lauded Thailand’s successes and experiences in the sectors of poultry, fisheries, and other agro-based industries and sought the Thai government\'s cooperation in agro-based industries to develop capacity through training and technology transfer.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">He also suggested partnership and research related collaborations on aquaculture and marine biodiversity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The foreign secretary appreciated the visit of Director General of South Asia and Central Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to the Cox’s Bazar Rohingya Camp the next day and called for a more proactive role by the Thai government for ensuring voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya people currently sheltered in Bangladesh to their homeland in Myanmar. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 04:53:55', '2023-03-15 04:53:55'),
(5768, 5768, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka’s air quality is still in the \'unhealthy\' zone this morning.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 187 at 9 am, the capital of Bangladesh ranked 3rd in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan’s Lahore and India’s Delhi occupied the first two spots, with AQI scores of 193, 189.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’ while between 201–300 is ‘’very unhealthy’, and 301–400 is \'hazardous\', posing severe health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a particular city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognized as increasing a person’s chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections, and&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 04:58:20', '2023-03-15 04:58:20');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(5769, 5769, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Clashes between Pakistan\'s police and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan persisted outside his home in the eastern city of Lahore on Wednesday, a day after officers went to arrest him for failing to appear in court on graft charges.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The police operation triggered clashes between Khan\'s supporters and police in the country\'s major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and elsewhere in Pakistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For the past 18 hours, police were firing tear gas at the house as the 70-year-old opposition leader\'s supporters hurled rocks and bricks at the officers. The upscale area of Zaman Park where Khan lives was under siege since Tuesday. The government was sending additional police to tackle the situation after hundreds of Khan\'s supporters showed unexpected perseverance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Early Wednesday, Khan emerged from his house to meet with his supporters, who faced tear gas and police batons the whole night to save him from arrest. He said he was ready to travel to Islamabad on March 18 under his arrest warrant, but police did not accept the offer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The confrontation outside Khan\'s house continued.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About a dozen police and some 35 of Khan\'s supporters were reported injured. Tear gas shells and pieces of bricks littered the pavement as Khan\'s followers fought back with batons they had brought to resist police, who were preparing for a final effort to arrest Khan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, was ordered to appear before a judge in Islamabad on Friday to answer charges of illegally selling state gifts he had received during his term as premier and concealing his assets.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The former premier has avoided appearances before the court since November, when he was wounded in a gun attack at a protest rally in the eastern Punjab province, claiming he was not medically fit to travel from Lahore to Islamabad to face indictment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last week, he went to Islamabad to appear before three courts, but he failed to appear before the fourth court to face indictment in the graft case, which is a legal process for starting his trial.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khan has claimed that the string of cases against him, which includes terrorism charges, are a plot by the government of his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, to discredit the former cricket star turned Islamist politician.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Tuesday, Sharif told Pakistan\'s Geo television that Khan\'s arrest was ordered by a court, and it was not political victimization.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will arrest him, and will do it on a court order,” Shahzad Bukhari, deputy-inspector general of Islamabad police, told reporters earlier in Lahore. Later, Bukhari was also lightly injured in the violence and received first aid from police medics at the scene.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a top leader from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said the government was trying to disrupt law and order by sending police to Khan’s house.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are ready to find a middle way through talks with police, but we should know what the purpose of today’s police raid is,” he said. “Don\'t worsen the situation. Let us sit and discuss what you want,” Qureshi asked the police.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said Khan could consider voluntarily offering his arrest, “but let us talk first.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fawad Chaudhry, another senior party leader, said Khan’s legal team was in the process of submitting a request to the Islamabad High Court to have warrants against Khan suspended. Khan\'s lawyers were also legally challenging the warrants before another Islamabad court Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">From inside his home, Khan urged his followers to fight on even if he is arrested. “They think this nation will fall asleep when Imran Khan is jailed,” he wrote on Twitter. “You need to prove them wrong.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police said reinforcements were on their way to Khan\'s house to bring the situation under control.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">TV footage showed tear gas shells falling inside Khan\'s house.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Angered over the expected arrest of Khan, his supporters took to the streets across Pakistan, blocking some key roads near Islamabad while asking the government to refrain from arresting Khan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will arrest this man on the court order and he ran away to avoid arrest,” said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, who is not related to the former premier. He said Khan will be produced before the court. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 05:03:42', '2023-03-15 05:03:42'),
(5770, 5770, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">After the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters started furiously working the phones to find out what was going on with the failed lender — and what would happen to its panicked depositors.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Waters, former chair of the House Financial Services Committee, had her doubts that another bank would step up as a savior and buy the defunct institution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Banks don’t just wake up and say: ‘Oh, there’s a problem with another significant bank and they’ve collapsed. Let’s just take it over,’’’ she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So began a frenetic weekend of nonstop briefings with regulators, lawmakers, administration officials and President Joe Biden himself about how to handle the demise of the nation\'s 16th-biggest bank and a go-to financial institution for tech entrepreneurs. At the core of the problem was tens of billions of dollars — including money companies needed to meet payrolls — sitting in Silicon Valley Bank accounts that were not protected by federal deposit insurance that only goes up to $250,000.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Something needed to be done, federal officials agreed, before Asian stock markets opened Sunday evening and other banks faced the potential for waves of panicked withdrawals Monday morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We were racing against the clock,” said Bharat Ramamurti, deputy director of the National Economic Council.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Waters was right to be skeptical about a sale being closed on the fly. The bank’s size — $210 billion in assets — and complexity made it difficult to quickly wrap up a deal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. officials told Republican senators Monday that they received offers for the bank over the weekend but didn’t have time to close; they said they could put Silicon Valley Bank up for auction again, according to a person familiar with the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss a private call.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But another plan was coming together. On Sunday, Waters was on the phone with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who briefed her on how it would work. The Fed was creating a new emergency program that allowed it to lend directly to banks so they could cover withdrawals without having to sell off assets to raise cash. The idea was to reassure depositors and prevent bank runs at other institutions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Sunday night, the Treasury Department, the Fed and the FDIC said the federal government would protect all deposits — even those that exceeded the FDIC’s $250,000 limit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It’s miraculous, really,’’ Waters said, calling it \"an example of what working together and what government can do with the right people in charge.’’</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The praise was not unanimous.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the call Monday with officials from the FDIC and the Treasury Department, Republican senators expressed concern that millionaire Silicon Valley depositors were being rescued — and the cost might be passed onto community banks in their home states in the form of higher assessments for federal deposit insurance, according to the person familiar with the discussion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The trouble started last Wednesday when Silicon Valley Bank said it needed to raise $2.25 billion to shore up its finances after suffering big losses on its bond portfolio, which had plunged in value as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. On Thursday, depositors rushed to pull their money out. An old-fashioned bank run was underway.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a House Ways and Means committee hearing on Friday morning, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency was “monitoring very carefully” developments related to the bank. “When banks experience financial losses, it is and should be a matter of concern,” she told lawmakers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden was briefed about the situation on Friday morning, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Then he celebrated an unexpectedly strong February jobs report, met with the leader of the European Union and jetted off to Wilmington, Delaware, to mark his grandson’s 17th birthday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His weekend would soon be consumed with phone and video calls focused on preventing a nationwide banking crisis. Regulators were so concerned, they didn\'t even wait until the close of business on Friday — the usual practice — to shut the bank down; they closed the doors during working hours.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was the second-biggest bank failure in U.S. history and trickier than most: An astonishing 94% of Silicon Valley Bank\'s deposits — including large cash holdings by tech startups — were uninsured by the FDIC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As administration officials and regulators worked through the weekend, Biden expressed concern about small businesses and their employees who relied on accounts that were now in jeopardy, the White House official said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There were also fears, the official said, that if Silicon Valley Bank depositors lost money, others would lose faith in the banking system and rush to withdraw money on Monday, causing a cascading crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ phone had started lighting up even before the weekend. Silicon Valley Bank had eight branches and offices in his home state, and word of its failure was traveling fast on social media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The panic within Massachusetts industry and nonprofit sectors became acute within a matter of hours,’’ Auchincloss said. “My phone started just exploding.’’</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Silicon Valley Bank wouldn\'t be the only bank to collapse. By Sunday evening, federal officials announced that New York-based Signature Bank, a major lender to New York landlords, had also failed and was being seized.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government\'s plan to cover deposits over $250,000 ended up applying to Signature\'s customers as well.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement Sunday, Biden said, \"The American people and American businesses can have confidence that their bank deposits will be there when they need them.\'\'</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Monday, Powell announced that the Fed would review its supervision of Silicon Valley Bank to understand what went wrong. The review will be conducted by Michael Barr, the Fed vice chair who oversees bank oversight, and be released May 1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now Biden and lawmakers are calling for legislative changes to tighten financial rules on regional banks, perhaps restoring parts of the Dodd-Frank law that tightened bank regulation after the 2008-2009 financial crisis but were rolled back five years ago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Waters said it might be time to raise deposit insurance thresholds. \"We can\'t just say this is an emergency and forget about it,\'\' she said. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 05:18:09', '2023-03-15 05:18:37'),
(5771, 5771, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">&nbsp;Setara Musa, a noted journalist who edited the women\'s section of various newspapers, passed away at a hospital in the city on Tuesday. She was 83.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Setara, daughter of the prominent journalist Abdus Salam, breathed her last at the hospital in the afternoon, said journalist Parveen Sultana Jhuma, her own daughter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The namaz-e-janaza of Setara, also the wife of prolific journalist ABM Musa, will be held at Iqbal Road Mosque in Mohammadpur after Esha prayer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, her body will be taken to Fatehpur in Feni on Wednesday morning where she will be buried after Zuhr prayer near the grave of her husband ABM Musa. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 05:24:58', '2023-03-15 05:24:58'),
(5772, 5772, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Russian fighter jet on Tuesday dumped fuel on an American drone over the Black Sea and then collided with it, causing the drone to crash, the US military said, slamming the manoeuvre as \"reckless\".</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US European Command said two Russian Su-27 fighters intercepted the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper over international waters and one clipped its propeller.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner,\" it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Moscow denied causing the crash of the drone, which the Pentagon said was on a routine ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"As a result of a sharp manoeuvre... the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle entered an uncontrolled flight with loss of altitude and collided with the surface of the water,\" the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that the two Russian jets had no contact with the US aircraft and did not use their weapons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US State Department said it had summoned Russia\'s ambassador to protest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">White House national security spokesman John Kirby later said, \"obviously, we refute the Russians\' denial\" and added that the United States is trying to prevent the fallen drone from getting into the wrong hands.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Without getting into too much detail, what I can say is that we\'ve taken steps to protect our equities with respect to that particular drone -- that particular aircraft,\" Kirby told CNN.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We obviously don\'t want to see anybody getting their hands on it beyond us.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Regular intercepts -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian intercepts over the Black Sea are common, Kirby told journalists in Washington, but this one \"is noteworthy because of how unsafe and unprofessional it was, indeed reckless that it was\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">NATO diplomats in Brussels confirmed the incident, but said they did not expect it to immediately escalate into a further confrontation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A Western military source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that diplomatic channels between Russia and the United States could help limit any fall-out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"To my mind, diplomatic channels will mitigate this,\" the source said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine in February last year has led to heightened fears of a direct confrontation between Moscow and the NATO alliance, which has been arming Kyiv to help it defend itself.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reports of a missile strike in eastern Poland in November briefly caused alarm before Western military sources concluded that it was a Ukrainian air defence missile, not a Russian one.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Unflyable and uncontrollable\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States uses MQ-9 Reapers for both surveillance and strikes and has long operated over the Black Sea keeping an eye on Russian naval forces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,\" said US Air Force General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"US and allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told journalists the drone was \"unflyable and uncontrollable so we brought it down\", adding that the collision also likely damaged the Russian aircraft, which he said was able to land following the incident.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several US Reapers have been lost in recent years, including to hostile fire.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One was shot down in 2019 over Yemen with a surface-to-air missile fired by Huthi rebels, the US Central Command said at the time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to media reports, a US MQ-9 crashed in Libya in 2022, while another went down during a training exercise in Romania earlier in the same year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reapers can be armed with Hellfire missiles as well as laser-guided bombs and can fly for more than 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) at altitudes of up to 15,000 meters (50,000 feet), according to the US Air Force. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 05:51:50', '2023-03-15 05:51:50'),
(5773, 5773, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">As Dhaka got an early morning splash of rain today, which should help with the excessive dust, the Met Office predicted more rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind in different parts of the country today.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind are likely to occur at one or two places over Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions,\" said a bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy skies elsewhere over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Day and night temperatures may fall slightly over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Country’s lowest temperature was recorded at 16 degrees C in Tetulia of Panchagarh district, while the highest temperature was recorded at 35.3 degrees in Rangamati district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, trough of westerly low lies over India\'s West Bengal and adjoining areas. Seasonal low lies over the south Bay. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 07:00:56', '2023-03-15 07:00:56'),
(5774, 5774, '<p style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Erling Haaland equalled a Champions League record with a five-goal haul to ease Manchester City into the quarter-finals at RB Leipzig\'s expense as a 7-0 win for the English champions secured an 8-1 aggregate victory on Tuesday.</b></span><br></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Haaland also set a new club record for goals in a season of 39 in the process as Pep Guardiola\'s men reached the last eight for the sixth consecutive season.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"My super strength is scoring goals,\" said Haaland. \"A lot of it is being quick in the mind and trying to put it where the goalkeeper is not.\"</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">City are yet to go all the way in the Champions League, but they have never had a striker of Haaland\'s quality to make the difference in the latter stages before.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">At just 22 he now has 33 goals in 25 appearances in Europe\'s premier club competition.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"Firstly, I\'m proud to play in this competition, I love it,\" added Haaland. \"Five goals! To win 7-0 is amazing.\"</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The weather was more akin to Haaland\'s homeland on a snowy night in Manchester, but City did not freeze under the pressure and kept their Champions League dreams alive.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The tie was delicately balanced after a 1-1 draw in eastern Germany three weeks ago, but a Leipzig side depleted by injury never looked like a match for their star-studded opponents.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Guardiola had kept Kevin De Bruyne in reserve for Abu Dhabi-backed City\'s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League at the weekend and on his return to the starting line-up, the Belgian was back to his best.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Ilkay Gundogan should have opened the scoring after just three minutes from De Bruyne\'s inviting cross.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Haaland\'s searing pace then created a chance out of nothing from Nathan Ake\'s long ball, but Janis Blaswich raced out from his goal to block.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Leipzig did have cause for complaint over two controversial calls that had a massive impact on the game before half-time.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Firstly, VAR spotted a handball against Benjamin Henrichs that led to a penalty that neither the City players nor the crowd even noticed.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">- Denied record chance -</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Haaland fired low to Blaswich\'s left to maintain his perfect record from the spot for City with his sixth penalty of the season.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Haaland teed up De Bruyne, who smashed a shot against the bar, and then showed his speed and strength to power home a header from the rebound.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Leipzig could have been gifted a route back into the tie when Ederson sprinted from his goal to wipe out Konrad Laimer.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">But rather than send the Brazilian goalkeeper off, Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic did not even award a free-kick.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Any doubt over the outcome was ended with the final action of the first half.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Ruben Dias rose highest to head Jack Grealish\'s corner onto the post and Amadou Haidara\'s attempted clearance ricocheted off Haaland into the net.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Gundogan\'s classy finish into the far corner four minutes into the second half rubbed more salt into Leipzig\'s wounds before Haaland started rewriting the record books.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Firstly, he hammered home at the second attempt after Blaswich parried his initial header to match Tommy Johnson\'s record of 38 goals for City in the 1928-29 season.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Haaland set a new mark with still three months of the campaign to go when he snaffled up another rebound after Blaswich saved from Manuel Akanji.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">In the process, he moved level with Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano\'s record of scoring five goals in a Champions League game.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">But Guardiola denied his star striker the chance of another record as he replaced him with Julian Alvarez with 25 minutes remaining.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"I told him I would love to score a double hat-trick, but what can I do,\" said Haaland.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Instead, it was left to De Bruyne to have the final say as he curled a superb strike into the top corner in stoppage time. AFP</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</p>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 07:05:11', '2023-03-15 07:05:11'),
(5775, 5775, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russian President Vladimir Putin explained Germany\'s stance regarding last year\'s sabotage attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines by the fact that Germany has never been truly independent after World War II.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Even European politicians themselves have repeatedly acknowledged publicly that Germany has never been a fully sovereign country after the Second World War. I didn\'t say that, but at least one well-known and respected German politician did. I can only agree to that,\" the Russian president told journalist Pavel Zarubin in an interview aired on Rossiya-1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The statement came as a response to the question of why Berlin remained silent and inactive regarding the Nord Stream sabotage, despite the project\'s importance for German economy and energy security. Putin emphasized that, at some point, the Soviet Union \"withdrew its troops and ended its de-facto occupation of the country.\" \"But, as we all know, the Americans did not. They continue to occupy Germany,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On September 27, 2022, Nord Stream AG reported unprecedented damage that occurred the day before on three strings of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipelines. On September 26, 2022, Swedish seismologists registered two explosions on the pipeline routes. The Russian Prosecutor General\'s Office subsequently opened a criminal case based on charges of international terrorism. TASS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 07:09:53', '2023-03-15 07:09:53'),
(5776, 5776, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia\'s ambassador to the United States on Wednesday called on Washington to stop \"hostile\" flights near his country\'s border, after an American drone was intercepted by Russian fighters over the Black Sea.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We assume that the United States will refrain from further speculation in the media and stop flights near Russian borders,\" ambassador Anatoly Antonov wrote on Telegram. \"We consider any action with the use of US weaponry as openly hostile.\" AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 07:21:43', '2023-03-15 07:21:43'),
(5777, 5777, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday announced that the government will provide free insulin to the diabetic patients of the country through community clinics.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said this while addressing the second graduation completion programme of Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Memorial KPJ Specialised Hospital &amp; Nursing College.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have decided that we will include insulin in the list of free medicines of the community clinics across the country for the diabetic patients,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Currently, the government is providing 30 types of medicines free of cost through the community clinics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will give away insulin free of cost so that the diabetic patients could get relief,” she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">KPJ Healthcare Berhad president Norhaizam Binti Mohammad was the speaker of the graduation ceremony.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Memorial KPJ Specialized Hospital &amp; Nursing College chief executive officer Mohd. Taufik Bin Ismail also spoke.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the graduates, Enamul Huq expressed his feelings.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PM also handed over certificates among 210 nurses and the Prime Minister’s award among six graduating nurses for their outstanding results in their respective sessions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A documentary on Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Memorial KPJ Specialized Hospital &amp; Nursing College was screened in the programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister also inaugurated Website, Hospital Management Software and Medical Journal of the hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Professor Deen Md. Noorul Haque, former Director General of Health Services, handed over an issue of KPJ Dhaka Journal of Medical Science to the Prime Minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Commissioner Sheikh Shamsuddin Ahmed handed over the dummy of a Slit Lamp and Operative microscope to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 07:31:36', '2023-03-15 07:31:36'),
(5778, 5778, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has asked actor Salman Khan to apologise or be \'ready to face the consequences\'. In a new interview, Lawrence threatened the actor saying that he will \'break his ego sooner or later\'. Last year in June, Mumbai Police had lodged an FIR against an unknown person for sending a \'threat letter\' to Salman and his father-lyricist Salim Khan. (Also Read | Salman Khan and father Salim Khan receive threat letter)</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The note had read, “Moosewala jaisa kar doonga (You will suffer the same fate as Moosewala)\" referring to the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29. The note was allegedly sent by Lawrence Bishnoi, though he had denied his involvement in it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In an interview with ABP news, Lawrence Bishnoi said that Salman humiliated his community by killing a blackbuck. Lawrence said, \"There is anger in our society for Salman Khan. He humiliated my society. A case was filed against him but he did not apologise. If he does not tender an apology, be ready to face the consequences. I will not depend on anyone else.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also added, \"There is anger in my mind for him since childhood. Will break his ego sooner or later. He should come to our deity\'s temple and apologise. If our society forgives, then I will not say anything.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In August last year, the Mumbai Police issued a firearm license for self-protection to Salman. After the threats, Salman was reportedly given a Y+ security cover by the Maharashtra government in November last year. It means that he will have four armed security personnel on his person at all times.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, news agency ANI, quoted Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell of Delhi Police, HGS Dhaliwal saying that Lawrence Bishnoi gang members \'tried to befriend the staff of Salman\'s house\'.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The official had said, \"They took stock of Salman Khan\'s farmhouse, saw the road access, noted the speed limit at which the vehicle would move in and out due to the potholes on roads. They posed as Salman Khan\'s fans and tried to befriend the staff of his house so that they could know the timings of his entry and exit and the people who accompany him.\" HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 07:42:37', '2023-03-15 07:42:37'),
(5779, 5779, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A biker and his pillion rider were killed when a bus hit their motorcycle in Baniachara area of Cox’s Bazar’s Chakaria upazila on Wednesday morning.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The accident occurred at around 10 am today on Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased were identified as Mohammad Ismail Siddiki and Arman Shakil, residents of Bandarban’s Lama upazila’s Faitong area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Imran Chowdhury, of Chiringa Highway Police Station, said a Cox’s Bazar-bound bus of Greenline Paribahan hit the motorcycle and left the two dead on the spot.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police seized the bus, the driver fled the scene.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Legal proceedings are underway, he said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 08:09:13', '2023-03-15 08:09:13'),
(5780, 5780, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Human Rights Watch accused the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday of arbitrarily detaining at least 2,400 Afghan asylum seekers in \"miserable\" accommodation for more than a year, pending resettlement elsewhere.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rights group said that between 2,400 and 2,700 Afghans evacuated to the UAE following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021 remain \"arbitrarily detained\" in makeshift refugee housing with limited freedom of movement and scarce access to legal counsel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UAE, for its part, said it was working with US counterparts to complete the resettlement process but denied reports of dire living conditions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Emirati authorities have kept thousands of Afghan asylum seekers locked up for over 15 months in cramped, miserable conditions with no hope of progress on their cases,\" said HRW\'s UAE researcher Joey Shea, calling for their immediate release.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One Afghan asylum seeker interviewed by HRW said: \"The camp is exactly like a prison.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UAE had agreed to temporarily host Afghans at the request of the United States, pending their resettlement elsewhere, an Emirati official told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The UAE continues to work with the US embassy to process travellers and liaise with US counterparts in efforts to resettle the remaining evacuees in a timely manner,\" the official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the press.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We understand that there are frustrations and this has taken longer than intended to complete.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UAE official dismissed HRW\'s allegations about conditions in the makeshift camp, saying authorities are providing \"high-quality housing, sanitation, health, clinical, counselling, education and food services\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But according to HRW, detained Afghans suffer \"prison-like conditions\", with no freedom of movement and around-the-clock surveillance. It described a \"mental health crisis\" in the camp, adding it has learnt of at least one suicide attempt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Governments should not ignore the shocking plight of these Afghans stranded in limbo in the UAE,\" Shea said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The US government in particular, which coordinated the 2021 evacuations and with whom many evacuees worked before the Taliban takeover, should immediately step up and intervene.\" AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 08:56:41', '2023-03-15 08:56:41'),
(5781, 5781, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Reacting to Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir calling the Ahmadiyya community’s recent religious event in Panchagarh “controversial”, a spokesperson of the community said it “goes against their constitutional right”.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The government gave permission to hold this controversial event,” Fakhrul said in a press conference on March 13, video of which has generated reaction among netizens on social media.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking on the issue, Ahmad Tabsir Chowdhury, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya community, said, “First, Mirza&nbsp; Fakhrul puts the blame squarely on the government, saying the attack on our religious event was staged by the government to divert public attention, and now he finds it convenient to call our congregation ‘controversial’.”</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to their constitutional right, Ahmad said, “Our religious gathering was set to be held within our premises. We have a right to hold such peaceful events.”</div><div><br></div><div>Ahmad questioned: “How can he disregard our rights by calling our congregation ‘controversial’? We didn’t seek permission from the government to hold our event in a busy commercial area like Paltan in Dhaka. Rather, we planned to hold it inside our premises, it was on our property.”</div><div><br></div><div>“When such irresponsible remarks come directly from a major political leader like Fakhrul, we are gravely disheartened,” the Ahmadiyya community spokesperson said.</div><div><br></div><div>He further requested all political parties to at least maintain a modicum of decency while making comments on issues involving any minority community.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul’s remark came at a time when Basherkella – a pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Twitter account – condemned police action to stop the violence over the Ahmadiyya religious event and called for “boycotting” the community. The Ahmadiyya community has called it a “hate campaign” against them.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum issued a statement on March 5, asking the government to officially declare the Ahmadiyya community “non-Muslim”, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 09:54:28', '2023-03-15 09:54:28'),
(5782, 5782, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least 10&nbsp; journalists and lawyers were injured as police charged batons on them at the Supreme Court premises amid scuffle between pro-Awami League and pro BNP lawyers over the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election on Wednesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The two-day voting in SCBA election started around 10 am but it was suspended immediately when some pro-BNP lawyers staged demonstrations demanding formation of election conducting committee led by a neutral person.</div><div><br></div><div>When the situation turned chaotic, police charged batons on the lawyers and journalists, leaving 10 people injured, said Barrister Kaisar Kamal, BNP law affairs secretary.</div><div><br></div><div>Barrister Kaisar Kamal said, “Police charged baton on some lawyers including Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Ruhul Kuddus Kajal. We have informed it to the Chief Justice.”</div><div><br></div><div>Jabed Akter, reporter of ATN News, Ibrahim Hossain, cameraperson of Boishakhi TV, Abdullah Al Maruf, multimedia reporters of Manabjamin, Humayun Kabir, cameraperson of&nbsp; ATN Bangla, Solaiman Swapan, cameraman Somoy TV, Mehedi Hasan, cameraman DBC, Fazlul Haque, reporter of Jago News and SM Nur Mohammad, reporter of Ajker Patrika were among the injured.</div><div><br></div><div>Of them, Jabed Akter was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>A seven-member sub-committee led by senior lawyer Mansurul Haque Chowdhury, was formed earlier for conducting the election. But he resigned from the post on personal ground on March 13.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, pro-Awami League Ainjibi Parishad formed a sub-committee led by freedom fighter Maniruzzaman while the pro-BNP Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Panel formed another committee headed by ASM Moktar Kabir.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, miscreants tore down 3000 ballot papers sometime on Tuesday night. A tense situation has been prevailing in the Supreme Court area over the issue. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-03-15 11:47:07', '2023-03-15 11:47:07');
