INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11897, 11897, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Rockets streaked through the morning sky in Gaza on Oct. 7 as Amal Al-Taweel hurried to the hospital in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, already in labor. After a difficult birth, she and her husband, Mustafa, finally got to hold Ali, the child they spent three years trying to have.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rola Saqer’s water broke that day as she sheltered from Israeli airstrikes in Beit Lahia, a Gaza town near where Hamas militants streamed across the border hours earlier in the attack that kicked off the war. She and her husband, Mohammed Zaqout, had been trying to have a child for five years, and not even the terrifying explosions all around would stop them from going to the hospital to have their baby that night. Saqer gave birth to Masa, a name that means diamond in Arabic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The families emerged from the hospitals to a changed world. On the babies\' second day of life, Israel declared war on Hamas and its fighter jets swooped over the neighborhoods where Ali and Masa were supposed to grow up. In the six months since the children were born, the couples have experienced the trials of early parenthood against the backdrop of a brutal conflict.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The families\' homes were leveled by airstrikes, and they\'ve had no reliable shelter and scant access to medical treatment and baby supplies. The infants are hungry, and despite all of the plans the couples made before the war, they fear the lives they had hoped to give their children is gone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I was preparing him for another life, a beautiful one, but war changed all of these features,” Amal Al-Taweel told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “We barely live day by day, and we don\'t know what will happen. There is no planning.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saqer recalled the hope she had before the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This is my only daughter,\" she said, rocking Masa gently in a cradle. \"I prepared many things and clothes for her. I bought her a closet a week before the war. I was also planning her birthdays and everything. The war came and destroyed everything.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">FROM NUSEIRAT TO RAFAH</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Al-Taweel family spent the first days of Ali\'s life going between their home and relatives\' houses in search of safety. Nearby buildings kept being struck — first one next to Amal\'s sister\'s home, and then one next to her parents\' place.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the family sheltered at home on Oct. 20, Israeli authorities issued an evacuation order warning that a strike was imminent and residents had 10 minutes to leave.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I had to evacuate. I couldn’t take anything; no IDs, no university certificates, no clothes for my child — nothing,” Amal Al-Taweel said. “Even milk, diapers, and toys that I bought for my child.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The family found temporary refuge at Amal\'s parents\' house in central Gaza, where 15 family members took shelter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Not far away, Saqer, her husband and daughter crammed into a relative’s two-bedroom house where more than 80 members of her extended family were staying. It became so crowded, she said, that her male relatives built a tent outside so that the women and children could sleep more comfortably indoors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As Israeli ground troops advanced on central Gaza in December, both young families headed Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah, which is now home to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">TENT CAMPS, NO FOOD</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like many who have sought refuge in overcrowded Rafah, the Al-Taweel family lived in a tent, where they stayed for over a month.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It was the worst experience of my life; the worst conditions I have ever lived in,” Amal Al-Taweel said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has severely restricted aid deliveries of food, water, medicine and other supplies into Gaza during the war, which began with Hamas\' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which militants killed about 1,200 people and took roughly 250 hostages.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has exacted a terrible toll: More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials whose death count doesn’t distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel\'s offensive has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, displacing over 80% of the population and leaving more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ali, who was diagnosed with gastroenteritis before the family fled to Rafah, had chronic vomiting and diarrhea — signs of malnutrition that the U.N.\'s main health agency says are now common in one of every six young Gazan children. He is underweight, at just 5 kilograms (11 pounds).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I can’t even feed myself to properly feed my child,” said Amal Al-Taweel. “The boy is losing more weight than he gains.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His parents fretted about the rashes on his face, trying to shield him from near-constant sun exposure in the tent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mustafa Al-Taweel spent months waiting tables at a Gaza City cafe to save up for baby food, toys and clothes. Now, he can\'t buy his son even the simplest foods in Rafah. The war has brought shortages of the most basic necessities, with diapers and formula hard to find or unaffordable. They\'ve had to rely on canned food provided by the U.N.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“His father was working every day to provide him with milk, diapers, and many other things he needed,” said Amal Al-Taweel. “Even the toys are gone. There’s nothing we can afford to provide him.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Needing help, the Al-Taweels decided to return to Amal’s parents\' home in central Gaza in February.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Not far from where the Al-Taweels lived in Rafah, Masa and her parents found a spot in the Shaboura refugee camp. They lived in a small tent the couple made by stitching together flour bags, Saqer said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Muddy water pooled around the tent when it rained, and the area always smelled of sewage. Doing anything involved waiting in line, meaning a trip to the bathroom could take hours.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Masa grew sick. Her skin turned yellowish and she seemed to have a perpetual fever, with sweat beading on her small forehead. Saqer tried to breastfeed but couldn\'t produce milk because she, too, was malnourished. Sores broke out across her breasts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Even when I endure the pain and try to breastfeed my daughter, what she drinks is blood, not milk,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Desperate, Saqer sold aid packets the family received from the U.N. to buy formula for Masa. Eventually, she decided to go back to central Gaza to seek medical treatment for her daughter, leaving her husband behind to mind their tent and setting off in a donkey-pulled cart.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BACK TO CENTRAL GAZA</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both mothers tried their luck at the Al-Aqsa hospital once they arrived in central Gaza. Saqer was lucky — doctors there told her that Masa had a virus and gave the baby medicine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But they told Amal that Ali needed surgery for a hernia that they couldn\'t perform. Like most other Gaza hospitals, Al-Aqsa is only conducting life-saving surgeries. After nearly six months of war, Gaza’s health sector has been decimated. Only 10 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are still partially functioning. The rest have either shut down or are barely functioning because they ran out of fuel and medicine, were raided by Israeli troops or were damaged by fighting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the families ponder the future, they can\'t imagine that their babies\' lives will be close to what they had envisioned. Saqer said that even if her family were able to return to their home in northern Gaza, they would find only rubble where their house once stood.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The same I suffered in Rafah; I will suffer in the north,\" she said. \"All of our lives will be spent in a tent. It will certainly be a hard life.” - AP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 11:29:16', '2024-04-07 11:29:16'),
(11898, 11898, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>There\'s a pungent odor on Ratna Raju\'s farm that he says is protecting his crops from the unpredictable and extreme weather that\'s become more frequent with human-caused climate change.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The smell comes from a concoction of cow urine, an unrefined sugar known as jaggery, and other organic materials that act as fertilizers, pesticides and bad weather barriers for his corn, rice, leafy greens and other vegetables on his farm in Guntur in India\'s southern Andhra Pradesh state. The region is frequently hit by cyclones and extreme heat, and farmers say that so-called natural farming protects their crops because the soil can hold more water, and their more robust roots help the plants withstand strong winds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Andhra Pradesh has become a positive example of the benefits of natural farming, and advocates say active government support is the primary driver for the state’s success. Experts say these methods should be expanded across India\'s vast agricultural lands as climate change and decreasing profits have led to multiple farmers\' protests this year. But fledgling government support across the country for these methods means most farmers still use chemical pesticides and fertilizers, making them more vulnerable when extreme weather hits. Many farmers are calling for greater federal and state investment to help farms switch to more climate change-proof practices.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For many, the benefits of greater investment in natural farming are already obvious: In December, Cyclone Michaung, a storm moving up to 110 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) brought heavy rainfall across India\'s southeastern coast, flooding towns and fields. A preliminary assessment conducted a few weeks later found that 600,000 acres of crops were destroyed in Andhra Pradesh state.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Raju\'s natural farm, however, where he was growing paddy at the time, “the rainwater on our farms seeped into the ground in one day,” he said. The soil can absorb more water because it\'s more porous than pesticide-laden soil which is crusty and dry. Planting different kinds of crops throughout the year — as opposed to the more standard single crop farms — also helps keep the soil healthy, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But neighboring farmer Srikanth Kanapala\'s fields, that rely on chemical pesticides and fertilizers, were flooded for four days after the cyclone. He said seeing Raju\'s crops hold firm while his failed has made him curious about alternative farming methods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I incurred huge losses,” said Kanapala, who estimates he lost up to $600 because of the cyclone, a substantial sum for a small farmer in India. “For the next planting season, I plan to use natural farming methods too.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local and federal government initiatives have resulted in an estimated 700,000 farmers shifting to natural farming in the state according to Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a government-backed not-for-profit launched in 2016 to promote natural farming. The state of Andhra Pradesh hopes to inspire all of its six million farmers to take up natural farming by the end of the decade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Indian federal government’s agriculture ministry has spent upwards of $8 million to promote natural farming and says farmers tilling nearly a million acres across the country have shifted to the practice. In March last year, India’s junior minister for agriculture said he hoped at least 25% of farms across India would use organic and natural farming techniques.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But farmers like Meerabi Chunduru, one of the first in the region to switch to natural farming, said more government and political support is needed. Chunduru said she switched to the practice after her husband’s health deteriorated, which she believes is because of prolonged exposure to some harmful pesticides.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the health effects of various pesticides have not yet been studied in detail, farm workers around the world have long claimed extended exposure has caused health problems. In February, a Philadelphia jury awarded $2.25 billion in damages in a case where a weed killer with Glyphosate — restricted in India since just 2022 — was linked to a resident\'s blood cancer. In India, 63 farmers died in the western state of Maharashtra in 2017, believed to be linked to a pesticide containing the chemical Diafenthiuron, which is currently banned in the European Union, but not in India.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Right now, not many politicians are talking about natural farming. There is some support but we need more,” said Chunduru. She called for more subsidies for seeds such as groundnuts, black gram, sorghum, vegetable crops and maize that can help farmers make the switch.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Farmers\' rights activists said skepticism about natural farming among political leaders, government bureaucrats and scientists is still pervasive because they still trust the existing farming models that use fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides to achieve maximum productivity. In the short-term, chemical alternatives can be cheaper and more effective, but in the long term they take a toll on the soil\'s health, meaning larger quantities of chemicals are needed to maintain crops, causing a cycle of greater costs and poorer soil, natural farming advocates say.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Agroecological initiatives are not getting adequate attention or budgetary outlays,” said Kavitha Kuruganti, an activist who has advocated for sustainable farming practices for nearly three decades. The Indian government spends less than three percent of its total budget on agriculture. It has earmarked nearly $20 billion in fertilizer subsidies this year, but only $55 million has been allocated by the federal government to encourage natural farming. Kuruganti said there are a handful of politicians who support the practice but scaling it up remains a challenge in India.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A lack of national standards and guidelines or a viable supply chain that farmers can sell their produce through is also keeping natural farming relatively niche, said NS Suresh, a research scientist at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, a Bengaluru-based think-tank.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But because the practice helps keep the plants and the soil healthy across various soil types and all kinds of unpredictable weather conditions, it\'s beneficial for farmers all around India, from its mountains to its coasts, experts say. And the practice of planting different crops year-round means farmers have produce to harvest at any given time, giving an extra boost to their soil and their wallets.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chunduru, who\'s been practicing natural farming for four years now, hopes that prioritizing natural farming in the country can have benefits for producers and consumers of crops alike, and other farmers avoid the kind of harms her husband has faced, reports AP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We can provide nutrient-rich food, soil and physical health” to future generations, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 11:36:06', '2024-04-07 11:36:06'),
(11899, 11899, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members arrested five suspected members of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF)and recovered two firearms from a hilly area in Sadar upazila on Saturday night.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, it is not yet known whether the recovered firearms are those looted on April 2 from the police and Ansar members engaged in the security of Sonali Bank in Ruma upazila.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">RAB will provide more details later, they said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Saturday, RAB started a crackdown on terrorist activities in Bandarban. More than 100 RAB members took part in the operation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khandaker Al Moin, director of RAB\'s legal and media wing, informed media about the operation at a press conference on Friday morning. The drive began in Ruma and Thanchi upazilas of Bandarban on Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, abducted manager of Sonali Bank\'s Ruma branch Nizam Uddin was rescued from the Bathel Para area of Bandarban through the mediation of the Rapid Action Battalion on Thursday, after 48 hours of his abduction by KNF members.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The separatist group kidnapped the Sonali Bank manager on April 2, and tried to loot Tk 1.5 crore from the vault of the Ruma branch. Unable to take the money, they kidnapped the bank manager.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They also carried out robberies at Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi upazila of Bandarban on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A tense situation has been prevailing in the upazila after the incidents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Senior officials of the home ministry, security forces and administration have already visited the area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">So far, eight cases have been filed with Ruma and Thanchi police stations. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"42\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 11:42:22', '2024-04-07 11:42:22'),
(11900, 11900, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A fisherman was killed after being struck by lightning at Komolpur village in Dumuria upazila in Khulna on Sunday morning.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased was identified as Obaidullah Gazi, son of Delwar Hossain Gazi of the village, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>According to locals, a thunderbolt struck Obaidullah when he went to Komolpur village for fishing around 8am, leaving him dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Sukanta Kumar Saha, officer-in-charge (OC) of Dumuria Police Station, confirmed the matter.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 11:44:49', '2024-04-07 11:44:49'),
(11901, 11901, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A top military commander Saturday renewed Iran\'s promise to retaliate after an airstrike earlier this week widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s joint chief of staff, told mourners gathered for the funeral of Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahdi that Iran will decide when and how to stage an “operation” to take revenge. Zahdi was the highest ranking commander slain in Monday’s attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The time, type, plan of the operation will be decided by us, in a way that makes Israel regret what it did,\" he said. \"This will definitely be done.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound was a significant escalation in a long-running shadow war between the two archenemies, and Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In all, 12 people were killed in the strike: Seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Friday, the commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, warned that “our brave men will punish the Zionist regime,” escalating threats against Israel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tensions have flared against the backdrop of the six-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and raised renewed fears of a broader regional conflict. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 17 years, is one of Iran’s proxies, along with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both Hezbollah and the Houthis have carried out attacks along the fringes of the Gaza war, with Hezbollah engaging in daily cross-border exchanges with Israel and the Houthis frequently targeting Red Sea shipping.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bagheri made the comments in Isfahan, Zahedi’s hometown, about 440 kilometers (270 miles) south of the capital Tehran. - AP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 11:48:34', '2024-04-07 11:48:34'),
(11902, 11902, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Sudanese paramilitary forces have killed at least 20 people in an attack on a village south of the capital Khartoum, a local activists’ committee said today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “attacked the village of Um Adam” 150km south of the city yesterday, said a statement from the local resistance committee, one of many pro-democracy groups that coordinate aid.</div><div><br></div><div>Sudan’s war between the military, under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, began last April 15.</div><div><br></div><div>Many thousands of people have been killed, including up to 15,000 in a single town in the war-ravaged Darfur region, according to United Nations experts.</div><div><br></div><div>The war has also displaced more than 8.5 million people, practically destroyed Sudan’s already-fragile infrastructure and pushed the country to the brink of famine.</div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday’s attack resulted in “over 200 wounded with both serious and minor injuries, and more than 20 martyrs, not all of whom we could tally”, the statement said.</div><div><br></div><div>A medical source at the Manaqil hospital, 80km away, confirmed to AFP that they had “received 200 wounded, some of whom arrived too late”.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’re facing a shortage of blood and we don’t have enough medical personnel,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 70% of Sudan’s health facilities are out of service, according to the UN, while those remaining receive many times their capacity and have meagre resources.</div><div><br></div><div>Both sides in the conflict have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and looting and obstructing aid.</div><div><br></div><div>Since taking over Al-Jazira state just south of Khartoum in December, the RSF has laid siege to and attacked entire villages such as Um Adam.</div><div><br></div><div>By March, at least 108 villages and settlements across the country had been set on fire and “partially or completely destroyed”, the UK-based Centre for Information Resilience has found. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 12:09:16', '2024-04-07 12:09:16'),
(11903, 11903, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Israeli military has withdrawn all ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip except for one brigade, a military spokesman said today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The military did not immediately provide further details.</div><div><br></div><div>It was unclear whether the withdrawal would delay a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which Israeli leaders have said is needed to eliminate Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>The withdrawal comes as Egypt prepares to host a new round of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire and hostage release deal.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched after the attack by Hamas on Israel six months ago on Oct 7, has focused in the past months on the south of the Palestinian enclave.</div><div><br></div><div>Rafah has become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians sheltering in the territory near the border with Egypt.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 250 hostages were seized and some 1,200 people killed during the Oct 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 33,100 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to the health ministry in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>An Israeli brigade is typically made up of a few thousand troops. - Reuters</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 13:04:04', '2024-04-07 13:04:04'),
(11904, 11904, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The allure of river journey is facing a downturn as the Padma Bridge has significantly bolstered road transport options, leading to a noticeable dip in waterway passenger numbers. This shift is particularly evident at Dhaka’s Sadarghat launch terminal, where, ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, launch owners are in limbo over the need for special services due to reduced demand.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Navigational challenges have further exacerbated the situation, lengthening travel times and inflating operational costs for launch owners. Consequently, travelers are increasingly shunning waterways in favor of road options.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The enhanced efficiency in road transport, exemplified by the Padma Bridge, has directly impacted passenger flow to waterway services, with our figures halving recently,” stated Badiuzzaman Badal, Senior Vice-President of the Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carrier Association (BIWPCA).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Moreover, severe traffic congestion in critical areas leading to the Sadarghat terminal has deterred potential passengers, contributing to the decline. Presently, only 50-55 launches depart daily for southwestern destinations, carrying fewer than half of their usual passenger loads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Badal emphasised that unless there\'s an uptick in travelers, the number of operational launches will remain unchanged. However, he hinted at a possible increase in service should the Eid holiday rush materialise.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the past, Eid seasons saw launches operating beyond their capacity. This year, however, the scenario has drastically changed, with passenger numbers dwindling to almost half. Despite the downturn, launch owners are refraining from raising fares, underlining their commitment to affordability.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mohammad Shaheed Mia, President of the National Committee for the Protection of Shipping, Road, and Railways, highlighted the longstanding reliance on waterways by people of the southwestern region, noting a significant drop in passengers from Barishal and Chandpur.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ashish Kumar Dey, President of the Shipping and Communication Reporters Forum (SCRF), pointed out that while launch travel remains a preferred, cost-effective mode for many, its patronage has fallen by 35 to 45 percent over the last eighteen months due to various factors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite the challenges, an estimated 2.5 million individuals are expected to depart Dhaka via launches this Eid, according to Dey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Alamgir Kabir, Joint Director of the Bangladesh Inland Waterways Transport Authority (BIWTA), reported a subdued start to the Eid exodus at Sadarghat, with many launches operating at half capacity. However, optimism remains that passenger numbers may rebound as the Eid holiday draws closer. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 13:25:09', '2024-04-07 13:25:09'),
(11905, 11905, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>With a decades-old tradition of solidarity iftars bringing Filipinos of different faiths together during Ramadan, this year the occasion has also become a platform for Muslim and Christian communities to raise awareness about Palestine.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the Christian-majority country where more than 110 million identify as Roman Catholics, Muslims make up about 10 percent of the population. Most live on the southern islands of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the holy fasting month, many of them take part in Duyog Ramadan — a tradition established in the 1970s — where Christians and Muslims in Mindanao organize solidarity iftars to engage the local community and foster collaboration between faith traditions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the organizers of the meetings has been the Moro-Christian People’s Alliance, whose iftars this year focused on Palestine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Ramadan is a time of reflection and spiritual growth for Muslims. As a result, by raising awareness and engaging in conversations about Palestine throughout Ramadan, we may foster empathy and motivate collective action,” Amirah Ali Lidasan, secretary-general of MCPA, told Arab News.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Themed “Strengthen Bangsamoro solidarity with the Palestinian people’s aspiration for justice, peace and right to self-determination,” the iftar meetings included screenings and talks about Palestinian history and present.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On March 30, the MCPA held a discussion at the Salam Mosque Compound in Quezon City in commemoration of the Great March of Return — the peaceful demonstrations that were held in Gaza on the border with Israel each Friday from March 30, 2018, to Dec. 27, 2019. They demanded the end of the Israeli blockade of the enclave and the right to return to the homes of their ancestors, who were expelled from them in 1948 when Zionist militias removed 750,000 Palestinians from their villages to clear the way for the creation of Israel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israeli snipers opened fire at protesters during the Great March of Return demonstrations, killing at least 223 people and injuring almost 30,000 others, with many sustaining bone-shattering wounds that left them disabled.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We chose Palestine because of the intensifying attacks since Oct. 7 last year that led to more than 30,000 killed and 13,000 of them were children,” Lidasan said. “We believe it is important to persuade people to continue supporting the calls for a ceasefire and to understand the Palestinian people’s collective struggle.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The group also invited Christian church leaders, some of whom have visited Palestine, to speak about the plight of Palestinians and what she described as “Zionist Israel’s genocidal campaign,” and organized iftars for Christians with Filipino-Palestinian evacuees from Gaza.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to Lidasan, it is essential for the Moro communities to understand the struggle of Palestinians and align it with their own.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The biggest concentration of Moro people is on the Mindanao island, at the heart of a four-decade separatist struggle until 2014 peace deals were reached with the Philippine government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was also the arena of US-sponsored counterterrorism operations. In 2002, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the US launched Operation Enduring Freedom — Philippines, which targeted militant groups in Mindanao, and left a record of hundreds of extrajudicial killings and cases of torture.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The MCPA will continue to raise awareness on Palestine after Ramadan, including through a forum in April to discuss proceedings in the International Court of Justice, in which South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza against the Palestinian people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It also plans to hold protest actions with the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association and grassroots alliance BAYAN on May 15 — the day of commemoration for the Nakba, also known as the “catastrophe,” the destruction of Palestinian society and homeland in 1948, and the permanent displacement of a majority of the Palestinians. It is commemorated on May 15, the date of Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is critical that we encourage (people) to recognize the struggles of Palestinians living under occupation, facing displacement and enduring injustice, and to take action,” Lidasan said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The solidarity iftar events provide an opportunity to foster empathy and understanding.” - Arab News&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 13:30:54', '2024-04-07 13:30:54'),
(11906, 11906, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit Brazil in July next as the visiting Brazilian foreign minister brought an invitation from the Brazilian President in this regards.&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>&nbsp;</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“There is an invitation by (Brazilian) President Lula to our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and there might be a visit by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Brazil in next July,” he told reporters after holding a bilateral meeting with the visiting Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira at the state guest house Jamuna this afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign minister said during the meeting, they discussed about possible visit of Bangladesh premier to most influential South American country Brazil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2023, President Lula and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Brazilian foreign minister said that his country’s President hoped that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would visit Brazil soon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Referring to the meeting between Brazilian President Lula and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in South Africa last year, he said both the leaders had a wonderful meeting and they built very good personal relations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her effort in improving quality of life of Bangladesh people, the Brazilian foreign minister said they have similar position in many aspects such as fight against hunger.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We (Brazil and Bangladesh) have similar agendas and it allows us to develop even more our bilateral relations,” he said.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brazil is keen to continue deepening relations with Bangladesh, in favour of the development of both countries, the promotion of South-South cooperation, and the fight against poverty, hunger, and climate crisis. - BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-07 14:02:54', '2024-04-07 14:02:54'),
(11907, 11907, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit Brazil in July at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We have discussed the possible visit of our Prime Minister to Brazil. There is an invitation by President Lula. There might be a visit by the Prime Minister to Brazil next July,\" Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud told reporters at State guesthouse Jamuna at a joint briefing after his bilateral meeting with his Brazilian counterpart.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said his government is thankful for the positive contributions that Bangladesh has been providing to G20 discussions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He brought a personal letter of the Brazilian President which he will hand over to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his meeting scheduled for Monday morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Luda had a meeting on August 24 at Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the meeting, the two leaders renewed commitment to a shared vision and a common goal to forge a fairer world, free from hunger and poverty, where dignity, sustainable development, prosperity, and peace prevail in the societies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While responding to a question, the Brazilian FM said over the past decade, Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has shown significant social and economic achievements.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Today, he said, Bangladesh and Brazil are key players from the Global South.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our governments\' common goal is to reduce inequality, fight against hunger and poverty and to promote sustainable development of our societies,\" said the Brazilian Foreign Minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the bilateral trade is equally promising, reaching almost USD 2.5 billon in 2023 and laid emphasis on diversification of trade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the business meeting, to be held on Monday, will be useful for their entrepreneurs to explore new investments and opportunities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Monday afternoon, the Brazilian Foreign Minister is scheduled to deliver a lecture on Brazil\'s priority areas at G20 as the current chair.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The event will be held at Foreign Service Academy at 3 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Country’s apex trade body, FBCCI, will host an iftar and dinner in honour of the Brazilian Foreign Minister and business delegation members on Monday evening.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Hasan described the visit of the Foreign Minister of Brazil as very significant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government of Brazil earlier congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her recent election victory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brazil expressed its willingness to continue deepening relations with Bangladesh, in favour of the development of both countries, the promotion of South-South cooperation, and the fight against poverty, hunger, and climate crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brazil-Bangladesh diplomatic relations, established in 1972, have strengthened in recent years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Brazilian Foreign Minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka at 11:55 pm on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additional Foreign Secretary (Bilateral) Dr Nazrul Islam will be there at the Dhaka airport to see him off. 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, '2024-04-07 15:51:24', '2024-04-07 15:51:24');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11908, 11908, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Israel\'s military announced Sunday it had withdrawn its forces from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, wrapping up a key phase in its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group and bringing its troop presence in the territory to one of the lowest levels since the six-month war began.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But defense officials said troops were merely regrouping as the army prepares to move into Hamas’ last stronghold, Rafah. “The war in Gaza continues, and we are far from stopping,” said the military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local broadcaster Channel 13 TV reported that Israel was preparing to begin evacuating Rafah within one week and the process could take several months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Still, the withdrawal was a milestone as Israel and Hamas marked six months of fighting. Military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity under army policy, said a “significant force” remained in Gaza to continue targeted operations including in Khan Younis, hometown of the Hamas leader, Yehya Sinwar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AP video in Khan Younis showed some people returning to a landscape marked by shattered multistory buildings and climbing over debris. Cars were overturned and charred. Southern Gaza\'s main hospital, Nasser, was in shambles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It’s all just rubble,” a dejected Ahmad Abu al-Rish said. “Animals can’t live here, so how is a human supposed to?”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel for weeks has vowed a ground offensive in nearby Rafah. But the city shelters some 1.4 million people — more than half of Gaza\'s population. The prospect of an offensive has raised global alarm, including from Israel\'s top ally, the U.S., which has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians. Allowing people to return to nearby Khan Younis could relieve some pressure on Rafah.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">White House national security spokesman John Kirby repeated on Sunday the U.S. opposition to a Rafah offensive and told ABC the U.S. believes that the partial Israeli withdrawal “is really just about rest and refit for these troops that have been on the ground for four months and not necessarily, that we can tell, indicative of some coming new operation for these troops.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel\'s military quietly drew down troops in devastated northern Gaza earlier in the war. But it has continued to carry out airstrikes and raids in areas where it says Hamas has resurfaced, including Gaza\'s largest hospital, Shifa, leaving what the head of the World Health Organization called “an empty shell.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The six-month mark has been met with growing frustration in Israel, where anti-government protests have swelled and anger is mounting over what some see as government inaction to help free about 130 remaining hostages, about a quarter of whom Israel says are dead. Hamas-led militants took about 250 captives when they crossed from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several thousand protesters called for a “hostage deal now” at a rally outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, organized by hostages\' families. In southern Israel, weeping relatives gathered at the site of a music festival where more than 300 people were killed on Oct. 7.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It’s an impossible reality for us, it’s an impossible reality for the Gazans and the people of this country. We just want to live,” said one protester, Talia Ezrahi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I would agree to anything to return the hostages and stop the mass killings in Gaza,” said another protester, Michal Fruchtman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Negotiations in pursuit of a cease-fire in exchange for the hostages’ release were expected to resume in Cairo on Sunday. An Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad intelligence agency was going to Cairo, according to an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pressure rose for action now.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This doesn’t seem a war against terror. This doesn’t seem anymore a war about defending Israel. This really, at this point, seems it’s a war against humanity itself,\" chef José Andrés told ABC, days after an Israeli airstrike killed seven of his World Central Kitchen colleagues in Gaza. Aid deliveries on a crucial new sea route to the territory were suspended.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Humanity has been all but abandoned” in Gaza, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.N. and partners now warn of “imminent famine” for more than 1 million people in Gaza as humanitarian workers urge Israel to loosen restrictions on the delivery of aid overland, the only way to meet soaring needs as some Palestinians forage for weeds to eat. Thousands of aid trucks have been waiting to enter Gaza.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“It’s a slow-motion massacre of people to subject them to the kind of deprivation of food and water that they have been subjected to for the last six months,” Doctors Without Borders USA executive director Avril Benoit told CBS.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mothers who have given birth in Gaza since the war began are especially vulnerable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Health Ministry in Gaza said the bodies of 38 people killed in Israel’s bombardment had been brought to the territory’s remaining functional hospitals in the past 24 hours. It said 33,175 have been killed since the war began. It doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says two-thirds of the dead are children and women.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel’s military continued to suffer losses, including in Khan Younis, where the military said four soldiers were killed. Over 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Oct. 7, according to Israel’s government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Concerns about a wider regional conflict continued as a top Iranian military adviser warned Israel that none of its embassies were safe following last week’s strike in Damascus — blamed on Israel — that killed two elite Iranian generals and flattened an Iranian consular building. Israel has not directly acknowledged its involvement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“None of the embassies of the (Israeli) regime are safe anymore,” Gen. Rahim Safavi, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim agency. - AP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 05:08:05', '2024-04-08 05:08:05'),
(11909, 11909, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Islam presents a unified paradigm that transcends time and space, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding reality and guiding human behavior. At the heart of this paradigm lies the belief in the oneness of Allah (Tawhid) and the submission to His will (Islam), principles that have been upheld by all prophets throughout history.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">From the first human, Prophet Adam (As.) who received divine guidance to establish monotheism and moral conduct, to the subsequent prophets like Nuh (As.), Musa (As.), Daud (As.), Isa (As.), and finally, Muhammad (Sm.), each brought a message consistent with the overarching Islamic paradigm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the paradigm remains constant, the Shariah which i understand as a methodology, revealed to each prophet varied according to the needs and circumstances of their communities. Prophet Nuh (As.), for instance, was tasked with guiding his people through a great flood, emphasizing repentance and obedience to Allah\'s command. Prophet Musa (As.) received a comprehensive legal code suited to the Children of Israel, addressing their social, moral, and ceremonial practices.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prophet Daud (As.) was given guidance on kingship and justice, while Prophet Isa (As.) preached love, compassion, and spiritual renewal. With the final revelation to Prophet Muhammad (Sm.), Islam reached its culmination, providing a dynamic methodology that adapts to changing times and contexts.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Quran, revealed to the Prophet (Sm.), serves as a timeless guide, addressing the complexities of human life and offering principles of faith, morality, and social justice.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additionally, the Sunnah (traditions) of the messenger, recorded in the Hadith, provide practical examples and guidance for Muslims to follow in their daily lives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Furthermore, the methodology of Islam continues to evolve through the process of Ijtihad, allowing scholars to interpret and apply Islamic principles in light of contemporary challenges.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This dynamic approach ensures that Islam remains relevant and applicable to all aspects of life, while remaining firmly rooted in its unified paradigm of monotheism, submission to the Almighty, and ethical conduct.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Islam, the vast majority of Shariah rulings are derived through interpretation and reasoning based on the principles and guidance found in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These principles provide a framework for understanding the objectives (Maqasid) of Islamic law, which include the preservation of faith, life, intellect, lineage, and property.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For example, the Quran and the Sunnah provide general principles such as justice, equity, compassion, and mercy, which serve as guiding principles for Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh). Scholars employ various methodologies, including textual analysis, precedent (Qiyas), analogy (Istihsan), public interest (Maslahah), and consensus (Ijma), to derive specific rulings on matters not explicitly addressed in the primary sources.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Each ruling is justified based on its alignment with the overarching goals and principles of Islam, as well as its relevance to the specific context and circumstances of the time.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This dynamic approach allows Islamic law to remain relevant and adaptable to changing realities while remaining faithful to its foundational principles and values.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this way, the vast array of Shariah rulings in Islam can be seen as applications of the unified paradigm and dynamic methodology, reflecting the ongoing process of interpretation, reasoning, and adaptation in light of the core principles of the faith.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In essence, Islam stands as a unified paradigm and dynamic methodology, offering timeless principles and practical guidance for believers of all times and places, from the dawn of humanity to the present day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><i><b>(Dr. Muhammad Tazammol Hoque, Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Jagannath University)</b></i></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'Dr. Muhammad Tazammol Hoque', '[\"21\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 05:22:08', '2024-04-08 05:22:08'),
(11910, 11910, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Md Ahsan Habib Sagar, a 31-year-old businessman specialising in Thai aluminum, has been missing since April 3. Sagar, who ventured out from his home in Chattogram\'s Boalkhali upazila for business commitments, has not been seen or heard from for the past five days.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rumi Aktar, Sagar\'s wife, has taken decisive action in response to her husband\'s unexplained disappearance. Last night, she filed a case against unidentified individuals at the Chandgaon Police Station, citing fears of abduction and extortion.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This legal move came after her initial complaint to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-7) on April 5, signaling her growing concern for her husband\'s safety.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The case documents reveal that Sagar was headed to the Kaptai Rastar Matha area for work-related reasons when he vanished. Efforts to contact him have been in vain, as his mobile phone remains switched off, complicating search efforts. Despite exhaustive searches at likely locations, there has been no trace of Sagar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officer-in-Charge Jahidul Kabir of the Chandgaon Police Station acknowledged the complexity of the situation, citing the switched-off mobile phone as a significant hurdle in locating Sagar. Despite the challenges, an abduction and extortion case has been officially registered, underscoring the severity of the situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kabir expressed optimism about resolving the case, emphasising ongoing efforts to locate the missing businessman. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 05:28:46', '2024-04-08 05:28:46'),
(11911, 11911, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>For many religious muslims, praying is not necessarily a big deal. Engaging in consistent salah is pursued for the sole purposes of making Allah happy as well as bringing peace and contentment into an individual’s life. However, did you know that praying also benefits your mental and physical health as well?</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Yes, you heard me right! In a study conducted by Dr. Lisa Miller, a renowned psychologist from Columbia University, it was found that people who prayed regularly had thicker cortices. For clarification, the cortices are the outer layer structure of the brain, and cortical thickness is found to be correlated with a high IQ. The cortices, when thinned out can lead to mental illness, especially depression.</div><div><br></div><div>Praying, as has been scientifically proven and as personally experienced by myself, is a very spiritual experience that can help you in a number of ways. Individuals can learn a number of things that include self gratitude, understanding of your existence, and most of all, it helps put your life into perspective.</div><div><br></div><div>While praying in itself is a very spiritual experience, it would be an object of interest to illustrate the added health benefits of prayer in the Islamic tradition. In this article, I have listed down 10 ways praying will benefit your physical and mental health!</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer Makes You a Better Person</div><div>Praying is an act of religious activity where the aim is to please God Almighty. When a person prays, he or she automatically tries their best through their actions to become a better person. By that, I mean not lie, hurt anyone, be kinder, etc. And collectively, all of these actions are conducted in an effort to please God, therefore humbling an individual with their sense of purpose.</div><div><br></div><div>It is important to realize that every religion teaches us these basic core values, but within Islam especially, the concept of prayer goes beyond these basic laws. Islamic prayer motivates a person to not be greedy and give out to the poor, which helps a person not become materialistic or too engrossed in the material affairs of the world.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer Improves Your Physical Health</div><div>A Muslim has to pray five times a day. There is a specific way they have to pray that involves some physical activity. Be it the bending of the knees in ruku, or the prostration of the body in sujud, prayer in the Islamic tradition is an active process.&nbsp; Each action of the prayer is great for blood circulation and your body parts. So when you hear a prayer call, signifying prayer timings for Muslims, go quickly as it will not only improve your spiritual being but your physical health too!</div><div><br></div><div>Imagine getting up five times a day, specifically for the morning prayer call when the sun is coming up. This gives you a better sense of routine and helps you become active for the better part of the day as well. For a point of comparison, the Islamic prayer is similar to that of yoga, which is also a form of meditation and prayer, sharing similar yet less comprehensive benefits.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer Increases Your Lifespan</div><div>This might come as a shock to some, but it is true. Praying can possibly increase one’s lifespan! Allah has truly given humanity the ultimate medicine to prolonging life! How cool is that?</div><div><br></div><div>Given the above stated material, many are wondering how praying increases one’s lifespan. However, it can be claimed that prayer does so by reducing one’s cortisol or stress levels, and improving your body’s health by keeping you active through physical exercise five times a day. All in all, prayer will help one live a happy, active, and healthy lifestyle, which will only prolong your lifespan.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer is Beneficial for Blood Circulation&nbsp;</div><div>The actual form of praying is well known for improving blood circulation, which helps regulate your heart better and eventually reduces one’s stress levels as well. When you go into the \'sajdah form or the prostration form, it is the best form of exercise for you due to the abundant circulation of blood in your head.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayers Can Make You a Happier Person</div><div>According to a study conducted by Dr. Andrew Newberg, praying regularly makes a person happier. Why? Well, one can theorize that it makes a person motivated with a sense of peace knowing that he or she has pleased God. As humans, we love that we can make someone happy, and making someone happy often makes us happy. And when coupled with the fact that in Islam the ultimate goal is to worship Allah, an individual is much better able to understand their purpose.</div><div><br></div><div>In fact, in the abovementioned study, Dr. Andrew Newberg states that praying increases the levels of dopamine in your brain, which makes an individual a happier and more peaceful human being.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer Helps you with Post-Surgical Recovery</div><div>Many studies have found that prayers can help in quick surgical recovery. It is often recognized that prayer helps with the healing of surgical scars quicker as compared to when you are not praying. Why is that? This may be due to the fact that when one is praying, it relieves stress, thereby helping an individual with a quicker healing process.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer Saves You from Depression and Anxiety</div><div>A number of individuals are sometimes met with the answer that they should pray in response to mental health issues that they are dealing with [such as depression, anxiety]. To which some individuals get annoyed, however, it is true that if you are a true believer and pray, it will help you with your depression and anxiety.</div><div><br></div><div>According to a UK-based study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, \"praying can reduce your risk of developing depression and anxiety.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Prayers Keep You Away from Chronic Diseases</div><div>Prayers are also a great way of helping individuals with chronic diseases such as ulcers, headaches, migraines, hypertension, and even diabetes. Given the fact that many of these diseases can often be tied to internal stress as well as overall lack of mental health well being, praying can help to alleviate these diseases. This is simply due to the positive feeling praying gives to the worshipper.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer Gives us a Positive Outlook on Life</div><div>If you believe in religion, a common motif that is present is the concept of hope. It can definitely help to have a positive outlook on life, because when an individual believes in pleasing God almighty, it leads one to believe in his ultimate plan and to deal with all the worldly affairs not so seriously.</div><div><br></div><div>A number of issues occurring within this world can put us in a hopeless position. But the belief in God and his plans can give us hope in dealing with all the things that go wrong and the courage to do the right actions within this temporary world.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer Reduces our Stress levels</div><div>Last but not least it is important to realize that everything within our entire lives is planned by God, and that you can only accept and believe in Him and His doing. This knowledge will help us reduce stress and deal with our personal and professional life situations that can often stress us out.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p><b>benefits your health</b><br></p>', 'Islamic Desk', '[\"36\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 05:43:49', '2024-04-08 05:43:49'),
(11912, 11912, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The all-time kings of Europe take on the current holders in the standout tie of the Champions League quarterfinals.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>For the third year running Madrid and City meet in a match-up in which the winner has gone on to lift the trophy in the past two seasons. And it would be difficult to look beyond either team going on to continue that streak this time around.</div><div><br></div><div>City is still in contention for back-to-back trebles after winning the Premier League title, Champions League and FA Cup last year.</div><div><br></div><div>Madrid, reinvigorated by the signing of Jude Bellingham last summer, is eight points clear at the top of the Spanish league and aiming for a record-extending 15th European Cup title.</div><div><br></div><div>The Spanish giant also has a point to prove after being routed 4-0 by City in the second leg of last year\'s semifinals.</div><div><br></div><div>Then it was City who had a score to settle, having suffered a late collapse at the Bernabeu to crash out in the semifinals in 2022.</div><div><br></div><div>Manager Pep Guardiola will likely know how motivated Madrid will be to exact revenge — just as his players were last year — and that adds a subplot to a tie that is already heavy on intrigue.</div><div><br></div><div>Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain versus Barcelona is another clash of heavyweights, with Kylian Mbappe aiming to finally lead the French champions to European club soccer\'s elite trophy before walking away at the end of the season.</div><div><br></div><div>Premier League title-chasing Arsenal takes on a Bayern Munich team that is limping towards the end of a miserable campaign in the German league, while Atletico Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund.</div><div><br></div><div>REAL DEAL?</div><div><br></div><div>Madrid has all its attacking players clicking.</div><div><br></div><div>Bellingham has struck 20 goals in 32 games this season, including four in the Champions League. Vinícius Júnior is peaking just in time to face City with five goals in his last three appearances. Brahim Díaz provides a spark off the bench. And Rodyrgo ended a six-week scoring drought in Madrid’s last game, a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, to keep it on course for winning the domestic league title.</div><div><br></div><div>Madrid is on a 27-game unbeaten run at its Santiago Bernabeu Stadium across all competitions dating back to last April.</div><div><br></div><div>City has found its scoring form over the past week after hitting four goals in each of its games against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to stay on the heels of title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.</div><div><br></div><div>ENRIQUE REUNION</div><div><br></div><div>After a difficult start to his coaching career at PSG, when he had to put up with Mbappe’s bitter contract saga, Luis Enrique has steadily won over fans and the French media - even if it meant dropping Mbappe or taking him off in games.</div><div><br></div><div>Enrique won the treble as Barcelona coach in 2015 with Lionel Messi in his team and is still in contention to do the same at PSG with Mbappe.</div><div><br></div><div>Losing has become a distant memory for PSG, which is undefeated in 27 matches since a loss away to AC Milan in November during the Champions League group stage. But playing a rested Barcelona side could be the toughest test of the season.</div><div><br></div><div>Xavi Hernández attempted to shock his team into getting its act together by saying he would quit at the end of the season, something that has coincided with a certain improvement.</div><div><br></div><div>Barcelona has gone unbeaten in 11 straight games since Xavi said in late January that he was renouncing the final year of his contract.</div><div><br></div><div>Robert Lewandowski, teenager Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are all playing well of late, but the midfield is a big question mark due to injury concerns.</div><div><br></div><div>TUCHEL TROUBLE</div><div><br></div><div>Bayern Coach Thomas Tuchel wants to end a “frustrating” season, and his tenure, on a high with a trip to Wembley for the Champions League final. But its preparation for Arsenal could hardly have been worse after its latest defeat, this time to Heidenheim on Saturday after leading 2-0.</div><div><br></div><div>“There’s still the goal of going to Wembley,” Tuchel said Friday. “Everything is being put toward this target. It can’t happen that we ease off even 1% in our conviction or in our ambition.”</div><div><br></div><div>The mood at Arsenal is very different with Mikel Arteta\'s team looking better equipped to last the course in the race for the title this year after a late collapse last season.</div><div><br></div><div>The Champions League run feels like an unexpected bonus, but victory against Bayern will strengthen belief that a trophy double could be on.</div><div><br></div><div>ATLETICO SLUMP</div><div><br></div><div>Atletico has slumped in recent weeks, with six losses and only four wins in its last 12 games overall, as it missed the goals and creativity of Antoine Griezmann. The France forward is now back playing and will be looking for his first goal since Jan. 18.</div><div><br></div><div>Diego Simeone’s side was enjoying a 25-game unbeaten run at its Metropolitano Stadium until Barcelona delivered a 3-0 rout at Atletico on March 27.</div><div><br></div><div>Dortmund has generally saved its best for the Champions League this season. It isn’t a Bundesliga contender this year, but wins over Newcastle, AC Milan and most recently PSV Eindhoven have shown it means business in Europe. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 06:57:38', '2024-04-08 06:57:38'),
(11913, 11913, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon Brazil to import directly Readymade Garment (RMG) products from Bangladesh.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"RMG goods from Bangladesh have been being exported to Brazil on a limited scale through the third party. It will be more affordable for Brazil if the country directly imports RMG items from Bangladesh,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier came up with the remarks while a delegation of Brazil led by its Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira paid a courtesy call on her at her office here this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM\'s Speech Writer M Nazrul Islam briefed the newsmen after the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Stressing the need for ensuring trade balance between Bangladesh and Brazil, Sheikh Hasina said the trade balance between the two countries has highly tilted to Brazil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brazil can import more products including jute and jute goods and leather items from Bangladesh to make sure the trade balance between the two countries, she continued, reports BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said Bangladesh mainly imports sugar, soyabin oil and cotton from Brazil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There are huge scopes to increase bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Brazil,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina has also stressed the need for enhancing the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Brazil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 07:01:07', '2024-04-08 07:01:07'),
(11914, 11914, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Distinguished fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Professor Mustafizur Rahman said Bangladesh’s example of how fast a strong economy can become a weak one will be placed in the textbooks.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said Bangladesh’s economy was in a good position even 18 months ago, but now the situation is very uncertain.</div><div><br></div><div>Prof Mustafiz said this while spraking as the key speaker in a seminar titled ‘Macro Economy Stability and Next Budget’ organised by Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) in its auditorium on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Waseqa Ayesha Khan MP, State Minister for Finance was present in the seminar as the chief guest. ERF President Mohammad Refayet Ullah Mirdha in the chair, Former BGMEA President Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), business leader Shams Mahmud also spoke in the event.</div><div><br></div><div>The State Minister Waseqa Ayesh said that initiatives have been taken to reduce tax deductions in the next budget.</div><div><br></div><div>“The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is scrutinizing sectors in this issue. Now there is no need for tax breaks in so many sectors. Priority projects will be given importance in the next budget as well,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from this, discussions are going on to increase private sector investment, said Waseqa.</div><div><br></div><div>She further said that universal pension system will be taken to all people in the next budget.</div><div><br></div><div>CPD’s Fellow Mustafiz also said, “If there is a problem in the economy, it will be the first to suffer. Then it’s bleeding. Later gangrene occurs. In the end, surgery is required. So it is better to solve the problem of the economy in the beginning.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said, “A businessman travels abroad in business class 10 times a year. Drives a Mercedes Benz all year round. But looking at the income on his tax records, it looks like he needs a charity. Sometimes he is a bank loan defaulter.”</div><div><br></div><div>The challenges of the 21st century cannot be met with 20th century institutions. So the institutions and regulators should be reformed and allowed to work independently, said prof Mustafiz. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"33\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 07:53:05', '2024-04-08 07:53:05'),
(11915, 11915, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The reposts and expressions of shock from public figures followed quickly after a user on the social platform X who uses a pseudonym claimed that a government website had revealed “skyrocketing” rates of voters registering without a photo ID in three states this year — two of them crucial to the presidential contest.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Extremely concerning,” X owner Elon Musk replied twice to the post this past week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Are migrants registering to vote using SSN?” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of former President Donald Trump, asked on Instagram, using the acronym for Social Security number.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Trump himself posted to his own social platform within hours to ask, “Who are all those voters registering without a Photo ID in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Arizona??? What is going on???\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">State election officials soon found themselves forced to respond. They said the user, who pledges to fight, expose and mock “wokeness,” was wrong and had distorted Social Security Administration data. Actual voter registrations during the time period cited were much lower than the numbers being shared online.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Stephen Richer, the recorder in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, refuted the claim in multipleX posts while Janet Nelson, the secretary of state in Texas, issued a statement calling it “totally inaccurate.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yet by the time they tried to correct the record, the false claim had spread widely. In three days, the pseudonymous user’s claim amassed more than 63 million views on X, according to the platform’s metrics. A thorough explanation from Richer attracted a fraction of that, reaching 2.4 million users.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident sheds light on how social media accounts that shield the identities of the people or groups behind them through clever slogans and cartoon avatars have come to dominate right-wing political discussion online even as they spread false information.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The accounts enjoy a massive reach that is boosted by engagement algorithms, by social media companies greatly reducing or eliminating efforts to remove phony or harmful material, and by endorsements from high-profile figures such as Musk. They also can generate substantial financial rewards from X and other platforms by ginning up outrage against Democrats.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many such internet personalities identify as patriotic citizen journalists uncovering real corruption. Yet their demonstrated ability to spread misinformation unchecked while disguising their true motives worries experts with the United States in a presidential election year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They are exploiting a long history of trust in American whistleblowers and anonymous sources, said Samuel Woolley, director of the Propaganda Research Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“With these types of accounts, there’s an allure of covertness, there’s this idea that they somehow might know something that other people don’t,” he said. “They’re co-opting the language of genuine whistleblowing or democratically inclined leaking. In fact what they’re doing is antithetical to democracy.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The claim that spread online this past week misused Social Security Administration data tracking routine requests made by states to verify the identity of individuals who registered to vote using the last four digits of their Social Security number. These requests are often made multiple times for the same individual, meaning they do not necessarily correspond one-to-one with people registering to vote.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The larger implication is that the cited data represents people who entered the U.S. illegally and are supposedly registering to vote with Social Security numbers they received for work authorization documents. But only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in federal elections and illegal voting by those who are not is exceedingly rare because states have processes to prevent it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Accounts that do not disclose the identities of those behind them have thrived online for years, gaining followers for their content on politics, humor, human rights and more. People have used anonymity on social media to avoid persecution by repressive authorities or to speak freely about sensitive experiences. Many left-wing protesters adopted anonymous online identities during the Occupy Wall Street movement of the early 2010s.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The meteoric rise of a group of right-wing pseudonymous influencers who act as alternative information sources has been more recent. It\'s coincided with a decline in public trust in government and media through the 2020 presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These influencers frequently spread misinformation and otherwise misleading content, often in service of the same recurring narratives such as alleged voter fraud, the “woke agenda” or Democrats supposedly encouraging a surge of people through illegal immigration to steal elections or replace whites. They often use similar content and reshare each other\'s posts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The account that posted the recent misinformation also has spread bogus information about the Israel-Hamas war, sharing a post last fall that falsely claimed to show a Palestinian “crisis actor\" pretending to be seriously injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since his takeover of Twitter in 2022, Musk has nurtured the rise of these accounts, frequently commenting on their posts and sharing their content. He also has protected their anonymity. In March, X updated its privacy policy to ban people from exposing the identity of an anonymous user.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Musk also rewards high engagement with financial payouts. The X user who spread the false information about new voter registrants has racked up more than 2.4 million followers since joining the platform in 2022. The user, in a post last July, reported earning more than $10,000 from X\'s new creator ad revenue program. X did not respond to a request for comment, which was met with an automated reply.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tech watchdogs said that while it’s critical to maintain spaces for anonymous voices online, they shouldn’t be allowed to spread lies without accountability.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Companies must vigorously enforce terms of service and content policies that promote election integrity and information integrity generally,” said Kate Ruane, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The success of these accounts shows how financially savvy users have deployed the online trolling playbook to their advantage, said Dale Beran, a lecturer at Morgan State University and the author of “It Came from Something Awful: How a Toxic Troll Army Accidentally Memed Donald Trump into Office.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The art of trolling is to get the other person enraged,\" he said. \"And we now know getting someone enraged really fuels engagement and gives you followers and so will get you paid. So now it’s sort of a business.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some pseudonymous accounts on X have used their brands to build loyal audiences on other platforms, from Instagram to the video-sharing platform Rumble and the encrypted messaging platform Telegram. The accounts themselves — and many of their followers — publicly promote their pride in America and its founding documents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It\'s concerning that many Americans place their trust in these shadowy online sources without thinking critically about who is behind them or how they may want to harm the country, said Kara Alaimo, a communications professor at Farleigh Dickinson University who has written about toxicity on social media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We know that foreign governments including China and Russia are actively creating social media accounts designed to sow domestic discord because they think weakening our social fabric gives their countries a competitive advantage,\" she said. \"And they’re right.” - AP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"18\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 08:02:20', '2024-04-08 08:02:20'),
(11916, 11916, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In the wake of the Eid-Ul-Fitr celebrations, with a significant exodus of residents leaving the capital for festive reunions, Dhaka\'s air quality remains alarmingly poor. Dhaka ranked fourth on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality as of April 8, 2024, with an AQI score of 163 at 9 am.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite the usual dip in vehicular traffic during the holiday season, the air in Dhaka was classified as \'unhealthy\' today, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI). This ranking places it behind only India’s Delhi, Thailand’s Chiang Mai, and Nepal’s Kathmandu, which scored higher on the AQI with readings of 233, 187, and 172, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AQI serves as a barometer for the health implications of the air we breathe, categorising air quality levels from \'moderate\' to \'hazardous.\'</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Dhaka, the predominant pollutants include particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. The city\'s struggle with air pollution is not seasonal but a year-round concern, with air quality typically worsening in winter and showing slight improvement during the monsoon months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This persistent air pollution crisis is not unique to Dhaka; it reflects a global health emergency as highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO). Air pollution is a silent killer, responsible for an estimated seven million deaths annually worldwide, attributed mainly to stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The high AQI reading, despite fewer vehicles on the road, underscores the complex and enduring nature of Dhaka’s air pollution problem. - unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 08:21:28', '2024-04-08 08:21:28'),
(11917, 11917, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Coca-Cola has unveiled the much-anticipated return of Coke Studio Bangla with season 3 set to premiere on April 13.</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Building upon the resounding success of its predecessors, the third instalment boasts a staggering lineup of over 180 musicians and artistes from Bangladesh and around the globe.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The upcoming season of Coke Studio Bangla will feature a repertoire of 11 new songs, showcasing an eclectic mix of artistes from diverse backgrounds and presenting a myriad of Bangla music genres. Continuing the tradition set by the previous seasons, Shayan Chowdhury Arnob assumes the role of music curator for season 3, alongside fellow music producers such as Pritom Hasan, Emon Chowdhury, Shuvendu Das Shuvo, and others.Expressing his excitement for the upcoming season, Arnob, music curator of Coke Studio Bangla, remarked, \"We are thrilled to embark on yet another journey of musical brilliance and cultural celebration. This season promises to be a testament to our commitment to innovation and creativity, as we push the boundaries of music and storytelling even further.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The global success of the first two seasons has attracted the interest of foreign artistes, leading to exciting collaborations in season 3. Returning fans can anticipate fresh offerings from familiar faces like Arnob, Pritom, Emon Chowdhury, and Meghdol, while also welcoming debut performances from iconic artistes like Habib Wahid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ju-un Nahar, managing director of Coca-Cola Bangladesh, expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from fans, stating, \"The passion and enthusiasm of our fans have been truly amazing. It is their support that inspires us to push beyond conventions and create something extraordinary. Season 3 holds many surprises for our audiences, and we believe everyone will love the new offerings.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Krishnendu Chattopadhyay of Dope Productions and Adnan Al Rajeev of Runout Films have spearheaded the visual output of season 3.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd/RR/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 08:35:08', '2024-04-08 08:35:08');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11918, 11918, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A makeshift ferry sank off Mozambique’s northern coast on Sunday, killing more than 90 people including children, local media reported.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The overcrowded boat was carrying 130 people and many of those who drowned were children, according to TV Diário Nampula, a local online outlet. The boat was operating between Lunga and the Island of Mozambique in Nampula province in the north of the country when it capsized, the report said.</div><div><br></div><div>Rescue efforts continued on Monday, as people were still reportedly missing.</div><div><br></div><div>Some people had been traveling to attend a fair while others were trying to “flee from Lunga to the Island of Mozambique for fear of being contaminated by cholera, which has affected that region in recent days,” TV Diário Nampula reported.</div><div><br></div><div>Other news reports quoted Jaime Neto, the secretary of state in Nampula province, as saying that misinformation about an alleged cholera outbreak caused people to panic and board the boat, which ordinarily serves as a fishing vessel, in an attempt to flee.</div><div><br></div><div>Mozambique and neighboring southern African countries Zimbabwe and Malawi have in recent months been affected by a deadly cholera outbreak that authorities are battling to contain.</div><div><br></div><div>Many areas of Mozambique are only accessible by boats, which are often overcrowded. The country has a poor road network and some areas are unreachable by land or air. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 09:24:56', '2024-04-08 09:24:56'),
(11919, 11919, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Weeks before India heads into a two-month-long election with nearly a billion voters, political party merchandise and flag makers are expanding operations and working overtime to meet a surge in demand.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ahead of the first voting day of the seven-phase election on April 19, garment makers are temporarily converting factories where they usually make saris into production hubs for election flags and banners.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One such factory owner, Mukesh Agarwal, said there are as many as 40 similar factories in Mathura, a temple town in Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state and a key political battleground.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The cheapest and best items used for political campaigns are banners and flags,” Agarwal said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Election merchandise is a low-margin, high-volume business, where the price of a party badge can start from 1 rupee ($0.01).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Agarwal said some factories can produce a million flags a day if demand continues to increase.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During an election, India is plastered with posters from hundreds of political parties and thousands of candidates.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“As many people have little education, party workers use flags to promote their symbols and hang them outside houses and make them the medium of their campaigns,” Agarwal said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A textile hub in Surat, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, is the center of election merchandise along with several smaller hot spots like Mathura in the north and Hyderabad in the south.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Elections give the economy a boost as political parties spend on goods and services as varied as small merchandise and helicopter rental.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gulshan Khurana, general secretary of a traders association in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar market, said political parties spend 30 billion to 50 billion rupees on election merchandise, creating as many as 10 million jobs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khurana, who has been a market trader for nearly 50 years, said there has been a nearly 30 percent increase in business compared with the last election in 2019, when Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party spent a record sum to retain power.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An opinion poll last week predicted an easy win for a Modi-backed coalition. Opposition politician Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress said at the Friday release of his party’s manifesto that the election is “much closer than being propagated.” - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 09:54:05', '2024-04-08 09:54:05'),
(11920, 11920, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh Film Archive under the Information Ministry and Getty Images, a visual media company of the United States, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collect and preserve footages on the Liberation War and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The MoU was signed on Friday at the Getty Images office in New York, said a media release of the ministry on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr Md Mofakkharul Iqbal, director of the project on “Collection and preservation of audio visual documents of the Liberation War from local and foreign sources and capacity building of Bangladesh Film Archive” and Arran Birchenough, Asia Pacific director (Tv and sales) of Getty Images, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective sides.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Senior Secretary to the Ministry of Information Humayun Kabir Khandaker, officials from Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC and Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York were present.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the declaration of independence by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the first hour of March 26, 1971, the news was circulated in different media of the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the long nine months of the Liberation War, various international media published various pictures and news on the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Through this MoU, Getty Images will assist Bangladesh Film Archive in collecting and preserving these priceless documents, said the release. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 10:04:52', '2024-04-08 10:04:52'),
(11921, 11921, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>To support severely impacted businesses—especially those relying on imports for raw materials—amid a shortage of US dollars in Bangladesh, IFC is investing $30 million in Pran Dairy Limited (PDL) and Habiganj Agro Limited (HAL), both part of the PRAN Group.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It aims to improve the resilience of the food processing market while creating jobs, fostering gender diversity, and strengthening the economy.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the first of IFC’s USD term loans to be used for working capital purposes in Bangladesh, which will enable PDL and HAL to sustain operations, increasing exports and preserving over 30,000 jobs, said a media release on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>The IFC will further support PRAN Group to improve participation of women as well as inclusion in their workplace through relevant policies and practices.</div><div><br></div><div>The F&amp;B accounts for approximately 13 percent of the manufacturing production value and employs 19 percent of the industrial manufacturing workforce with a projected compound annual growth rate of 12 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the current paucity of foreign exchange, higher energy prices, and power shortages in the country has disrupted the import of raw materials while constraining local commercial banks’ lending ability. Against this backdrop, IFC’s longer-term US dollar financing will help improve access to foreign exchange, supporting Bangladeshi companies to navigate the crisis, it reads.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Uzma Chowdhury, Director (Finance) of PRAN-RFL Group said, “As a net importer, regular access to US dollars is critical. But given the prevailing shortage, it has been difficult for us to access USD funds for working capital in a timely manner. By providing scarcely available US dollar working capital, IFC will help ensure the long-term stability of the company’s operations and allow us to contribute to the country’s economic stability.”</div><div><br></div><div>Martin Holtmann, IFC Country Manager for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal said, “Reiterating our commitment to supporting clients during a crisis, IFC’s financing aims to ease the current lack of access to foreign exchange while enabling private sector growth in Bangladesh. We are optimistic it will help improve food security while prioritizing support for strategically important industries through innovative solutions. By backing PRAN Group, IFC will also contribute to diversifying Bangladesh\'s export base, key to creating jobs, expanding market opportunities, and enhancing economic resilience.”</div><div><br></div><div>Since 2010, the IFC has invested over $3.8 billion to help the private sector grow in Bangladesh. - unb</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 10:15:19', '2024-04-08 10:15:19'),
(11922, 11922, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) forecast rains or thunder showers in Dhaka, 7 other divisions in 24 hours commencing 6pm on Sunday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely at a few places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram &amp; Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Mymensingh &amp; Rangpur divisions with hails at isolated places,” said Met office bulletin on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Day and night temperature may fall by (1-2)°C over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mild heat wave is sweeping Rajshahi and Dinajpur and it may abate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Country’s highest temperature was recorded in Rajshahi at 36.7 degree Celsius. - unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 10:19:06', '2024-04-08 10:19:06'),
(11923, 11923, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a crackdown ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), in coordination with Bangladesh Railway authorities, has arrested individuals engaged in the black marketing of train tickets.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This action was part of enhanced security measures implemented following directives from the Prime Minister, aimed at ensuring passengers can safely travel to their homes to celebrate Eid with their families.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Commander Khandaker Al Moin, Director of the Legal and Media Wing at RAB headquarters, announced the arrests during a press briefing at Dhaka’s Kamalapur Railway Station on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>Commander Moin elaborated on the initiatives taken to curb the black marketing of train tickets, noting the effectiveness of selling 100 percent of tickets through apps in reducing such illegal activities. Despite these efforts, a determined group exploited the system, but swift action by RAB-3 ensured they were apprehended and brought to justice.</div><div><br></div><div>The RAB Commander also emphasised the comprehensive security measures in place, with RAB and other forces deployed to safeguard passengers during their Eid journeys, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He reassured the public that there are no specific threats related to the Eid celebrations but urged passengers to travel safely and avoid unnecessary risks.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"42\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 10:31:29', '2024-04-08 10:31:29'),
(11924, 11924, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Three more solar power plants in private sector are under process to get the approval from the government.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">According to official sources, the solar power plants are 100 MW power plant at Banshkhali in Chattogram, 300 MW at Islampur in Jamalpur and 100 MW at Sadar Upazila in Rajbari district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Consortium of Huiheng Wind Power Limited of Hong Kong and Jupiter Energy Ltd., of Bangladesh will develop the 100 MW Banshkhali plant while SAL-GTECH Consortium will set up the 300 MW Islampur plant and Consortium of Sungrow Renewable Energy Investment Pte. Ltd. and Theia Power (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., will set up the 100 MW Rajbari power plant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Official sources said the Power Division has already moved three separate proposals to the Cabinet Division to place the offer of the three consortiums to the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) for final approval of the government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“If the CCGP approves the proposals, the Power Division will ask the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to sign power purchase agreement with them,” a top official of the Power Division told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He, however, did not disclose the detail tariff rate of the solar power from these plants, but said the BPDB will buy electricity from the plants under long term contract with a tariff rate of about 10 US cents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In recent months, the government has been emphasising increasing the share of renewable energy, specially, solar power for power generation as part of its plan to raise its share to 40 percent by 2041 from the existing below 3 percent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has recently said that despite several odds Bangladesh will generate 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2041.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He reiterated the country\'s target at Ministerial-level Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable on “Implementation of COP28 Decisions in the Energy Sector – Opportunities, Constraints, and Next Steps: The Way Head” in the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2024 on March 20.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Currently, as per statistics of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), so far about 989.61 MW of solar power plants were set up across the country of which 371.48 MW is off-grid and remaining 618.13 is on-grid while the country’s on-grid total power generation capacity is more than 25,000 MW and off-grid power generation capacity is another 5000 MW.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Power Division’s official documents show that in the last 3 years the government approved proposals for setting up of about 13 solar and wind power plants having total capacity of 609 MW by 2025, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Letter of intent (LOI) and notification of award (LOI) were issued to the private sponsors of these renewable energy projects,”said a top official referring to the documents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said of these projects, two are wind power projects having (30+70) 100 MW and remaining 11 are solar power projects.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 10:46:57', '2024-04-08 10:46:57'),
(11925, 11925, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Police arrested four members including a woman of the armed group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) over bank robberies of the district last night.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Additional Superintendent of Police Hossain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi said that police arrested three KNF members and a car driver suspected of involvement in bank robbery from Thanchi upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>The arrested were identified as Bhanunan Nuam Bom of Raunin Para of Rowangchhari upazila, Geminiu Bom of Simtlang Para of Thanchi Union, Ame Lancheo Bom and driver Mohammad Kofil Uddin resident of T&amp;T Para of Thanchi upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the three KNF members were arrested in connection with the bank robbery by raiding Reicha check post area of Bandarban Sadar on Sunday and the car driver was arrested from Thanchi upazila around 11 pm last night and the Volvo car used in the robbery was seized.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, a joint operation is underway to nab the KNF terrorists in connection with the bank robbery and police station attack in Bandarban.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The operation has been going on in the remote hills including Ruma, Thanchi and Rowangchhari upazilas of the district for a few days.</div><div><br></div><div>Law enforcement forces are making extensive preparations to conduct joint operations more vigorously. Necessary steps are being taken for the overall security of the upazila. As part of this, four Special Armored Vehicles (APCs) have been brought to Bandarban to deal with the ongoing situation. And this Special Armored Vehicle (APC) is being sent to Rowangchari, Ruma and Thanchi upazilas, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shah Mojahid Uddin said that law and order activities have been increased in every area of the district.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The members of the armed group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) recently attacked the Ruma Upazila Parishad office, tried to rob Sonali Bank\'s Ruma Branch in Bandarban, and abducted its manager Nezam Uddin.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the KNF members looted two branches of Krishi and Sonali banks located in Thanchi Bazar area in Thanchi upazila on Wednesday. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"42\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 10:58:31', '2024-04-08 10:58:31'),
(11926, 11926, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">On the occasion of Eid, the government is distributing enough clothes and food items to the underprivileged.</span><br></div><div>&nbsp;- Environment Minister Saber Chowdhury.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Dhaka, April 8, Monday:</div><div>Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said that the government is distributing enough clothes and food items so that the underprivileged people of the country can wear new clothes and eat special food to celebrate Eid.&nbsp; Arrangements are being made so that people can celebrate Eid happily with their loved ones.&nbsp; Eid gifts are being given to all women, men and children.</div><div><br></div><div>The Environment Minister said these things while addressing the chief guest at the Eid gift distribution ceremony at Manda Hyder Ali School and College in the capital on Monday (April 8).</div><div><br></div><div>The Environment Minister also said that there has been a lot of development in the country under the leadership of Hon\'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp; It will take some time to reap the benefits of all the ongoing developments.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The government is working relentlessly to increase all kinds of opportunities for the people.&nbsp; He said, under the direction of the honorable Prime Minister, Awami League and its organizations are helping the people with the Iftar party money.&nbsp; Let us all stand by the common people and make their Eid happy.</div><div><br></div><div>Mugda Thana Awami League President Mosharraf Hossain Bahar, Sabujbagh Thana Awami League General Secretary and Councilor Chittaranjan Das, Councilor Shafiqul Alam Shamim and Councilor Khairuzzaman Khairul along with local Awami League and its organizational leaders were present.</div><div><br></div><div>Environment Minister today distributed 12 hundred sarees, lungis at Manda Haider Ali School and College, 22 hundred to Manda Panchayat tola, 16 hundred to Chata Mosque in Danober Gali and 5 hundred to Hawai Gali in Goran as Eid gifts.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;bnbd/R/fas</div>', NULL, 'staff correspondent', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-08 12:47:08', '2024-04-08 12:47:08'),
(11927, 11927, '<div align=\"left\"><p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways witnessed huge pressure of vehicles as the holidaymakers started leaving Dhaka and adjacent areas to celebrate Eid on the last working day on Tuesday.</span><br></p></div>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Passengers from 22 districts of the northern region are rushing to their village homes to share Eid joy with their families through Chandra of Gazipur on the Dhaka-Tangail highway.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A long queue of vehicles was seen on the highway centering the Chandra three-intersection early Tuesday but now the situation is under control.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">During a visit on the highway, the UNB Correspondent saw that a number of buses, trucks and pick-up vans are standing in rows for carrying northern region-bound passengers at Chandra point of the highway.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Traffic congestion was seen in many points in the morning while the passengers alleged about charging extra fare.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The situation on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway is also the same as the vehicles were seen passing slowly due to the huge pressure of vehicles at Chandona intersection.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Mahbub Alam, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said highway police, district police and traffic police, in coordination with others, are constantly trying to keep the traffic situation normal after deploying additional members and monitoring through CCTV cameras.</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">He hoped that the situation would be normal by noon. - UNB</p>\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\">bnbd24/fas</p>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-09 08:47:42', '2024-04-09 08:47:42'),
(11928, 11928, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday greeted the people of the country on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Let us share the joy and happiness of Eid-ul-Fitr with everyone, including relatives and neighbours,” she said in a video message.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said after a month of fasting, the holy Eid-ul-Fitr has come again. “Eid means joy.”</div><div><br></div><div>She prayed that May Eid-ul-Fitr bring endless joy, happiness and peace in everyone’s lives.</div><div>“stay well, stay healthy and safe. Eid Mubarak,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday as the Shawwal moon was not sighted here on Tuesday evening.</div><div><br></div><div>The decision was announced after a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee that reviewied the information of Shawwal moon sighting at the Baitul Mukarram office of Islamic Foundation. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-10 14:00:27', '2024-04-10 14:00:27'),
(11929, 11929, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Amid the Eid festivity, Sunday morning marked the annual Pahela Baishakh cultural celebration held at Ramna Park in the capital by Chhayanaut, the country’s distinguished cultural institution, widely revered for celebrating the beginning of the Bengali New Year with its flagship festivity on April 14.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Began at 6:15 am beneath the banyan tree at Ramna (Ramna Batamul) with a mesmerising flute performance of the \"Raag Aheer Bhairav\" tune by Mortuza Kabir Murad, the cultural festivity was followed by the performances of the country’s distinguished artists, captivating audiences with songs, recitations, and other performances.</div><div><br></div><div>The cultural event featured 31 performances, including 11 chorus-songs and 15 solos, with readings and recitals by renowned artists including Satyam Kumar Debnath, Khairul Anam Shakil, Chandana Majumder, Tania Mannan, Ramendu Majumder, Jayanta Chattopadhyay and others, shedding spotlights on the themes of nature, love for humanity, self-purification and patriotism.</div><div><br></div><div>Audiences from every part of the capital gathered for the celebration, singing and dancing to welcome the new Bengali calendar year 1431 with good tidings.</div><div><br></div><div>In the last part of the program, Chhayanaut’s Executive President Dr Sarwar Ali read out the New Year speech. The event came to its closure with a group rendition of the national anthem.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar live telecasted the 2:17 hours event, and Chhayanaut also streamed the festivity live on its YouTube channel and was also streaming the event at https://www.youtube.com/@ChhayanautDigitalPlatform.</div><div><br></div><div>Strict security measures were put in place at the venue by the security enforcement unit of the government and the volunteers of the 13th Hussars Open Rover Scout Group, alongside Chhayanaut volunteers.</div><div><br></div><div>Founded in 1961, Chhayanaut has earned global fame for organising the traditional, extravagant cultural festivity of Pahela Baishakh at Ramna Park every year since the year of 1967. The only exception was in 1971, during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, and then in 2020-2021, due to the global outbreak of COVID-19.</div><div><br></div><div>The traditional cultural presentation of Chhayanaut marking the Pahela Baishakh is widely regarded as one of the most coveted and long-awaited festivities in Bangladesh, and it has earned fame as one of the grandest regular cultural celebrations in the world. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 09:51:28', '2024-04-14 09:51:28'),
(11930, 11930, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In celebration of Pahela Baishakh, the Bangla New Year, a vibrant Mangal Shobhajatra procession started from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University on Sunday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The procession, a symbol of unity, cultural pride, and resilience, commenced its journey at 9:18 am on Sunday, captivating onlookers with its mesmerising display of traditional artistry and spirit.</div><div><br></div><div>Led by enthusiastic participants, the Mangal Shobhajatra traversed through the bustling streets of Dhaka, weaving its way past iconic landmarks such as Shahbagh, Dhaka Club, and Shishu Park. Adorned in colourful costumes and wielding symbolic artifacts, the procession echoed the rich cultural heritage of Bangladesh while ushering in the new year with joyous fervor.</div><div><br></div><div>The Faculty of Fine Arts, known for nurturing creativity and artistic expression, served as the perfect starting point for this spectacle of cultural significance. With its students and faculty at the forefront, the event exemplified the institution\'s commitment to promoting and preserving Bangladesh\'s diverse cultural tapestry.</div><div><br></div><div>As the procession made its way to its culmination point at TSC, the air resonated with cheers, music, and the collective jubilation of participants and spectators alike. The Mangal Shobhajatra not only celebrated the arrival of the Bangla New Year but also served as a testament to the resilience and spirit of the Bangladeshi people in the face of adversity.</div><div><br></div><div>Amidst the challenges of the modern world, events like these reaffirm the importance of cultural traditions in fostering unity, resilience, and a sense of belonging. The Mongol Shobhajatra stands as a beacon of hope, reminding the power of culture to inspire, unite, and uplift communities as they embark on a new journey into the year ahead. - unb</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 09:54:51', '2024-04-14 09:54:51'),
(11931, 11931, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A 22-year-old youth died after being hit by a train at Ghatina Bridge in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj on the Dhaka-Ishurdi railway line on SUnday</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased was identified as Yadul Islam (22) of Adarsh Gram village of the upazila.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Md Mahbubur Rahman Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Sirajganj Bazar Railway Police Station, confrmed the matter, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident happened when Yadul was crossing the railway line at Ghatina Bridge around 9:30 am on Sunday, killing him on the spot, said the OC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On receiving the news, the railway police recovered the body of the deceased from the spot and sent it to the Sirajganj Shaheed M Mansur Ali Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. A case has been filed in the concerned police station in connection with the incident, added the police official.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 10:01:18', '2024-04-14 10:01:18'),
(11932, 11932, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gunshots were fired outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan\'s Mumbai home early this morning, according to police.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At 5 am today, two unidentified men on a motorbike shot five bullets into the air outside Khan\'s Bandra residence before fleeing the area, reports NDTV.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A bullet also hit the first floor of Khan\'s residence, according to police, who added that the shooting was carried out using a foreign weapon. Mumbai Police has initiated an investigation into the incident and is attempting to locate the persons who fired the shots, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, India\'s National Investigation Agency (NIA) stated that Khan was among the top 10 targets that imprisoned gansgter Lawrence Bishnoi intended to assassinate, citing the actor\'s infamous 1998 black buck hunting incident, which the gangster claimed angered the Bishnoi community.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bishnoi said that his henchman, Sampat Nehra, had surveilled Khan\'s Bandra apartment, laying the groundwork for a possible hit. However, Haryana Police\'s Special Task Force arrested Nehra, said the report.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following another threat call on April 11, last year, Mumbai Police elevated Khan\'s security status to Y+. An Indian student in the United Kingdom was given a lookout circular (LOC) after allegedly sending a threatening email to Khan, added the report.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 10:05:42', '2024-04-14 10:05:42'),
(11933, 11933, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Two people died and another person was injured after their motorcycle hit a tree in at Alamdanga upazila of Chuadanga early Sunday</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The accident happened around 2:30 am last at Parlakhshippur village of the upazila.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased were identified as Khalid Hossain (18), son of Sentu Mia of Borai village in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila, and Tamim Hossain (18), son of Ariful Islam of the same village. The injured person was identified as Sajib Ali (19), son of Shariful Islam of Sindhuria village in Chuadanga Sadar upazila.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Alamdanga Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Gani Mia confirmed the matter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police and locals said that the three youths had gone to a concert in Kushtia at night. While they were returning home their motorcycle lost control and hit a tree in Parlakhshippur village. Khalid and Tamim died on the spot. Sajib was seriously injured. He has been admitted to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital, reports unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The bodies of the deceased are being to the Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsies, said the OC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 10:10:48', '2024-04-14 10:10:48'),
(11934, 11934, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>After 6 days of Eid and Pahela Baisakh vacation, offices, courts, banks-stock markets are set to open on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The holidaymakers are arriving in the capital after celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, the biggest religious festival of the Muslim community.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the occasion of Eid, April 10, 11, and 12 (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) were public holidays. After Eid, there was a weekly holiday on Saturday, April 13, and a Bengali New Year holiday on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh on Sunday, April 14. As a result, employees are enjoying holidays from 10th to 14th April.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After six consecutive days of holidays, all will join work on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, many of the government and private sector workers who have gone outside Dhaka for Eid have taken optional leave. As a result, it will take a few more days to start the proceedings in full swing in the offices, courts, banks, and stock market.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, schools and colleges will also open next week. Then the capital will return to normal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In previous years, it has been seen that on the first working day after the Eid holiday turnout remains poor. - unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"33\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 10:28:31', '2024-04-14 10:28:31'),
(11935, 11935, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday said the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Abdullah and its 23 sailors were released from the clutches of Somali pirates through international pressure and negotiations.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added that he had no information about the pirates being paid ransom.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khalid said this while talking to reporters at his Minto Road residence in the capital on Sunday (April 14). The Bangladeshi sailors were released after 31 days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Bangladeshi ship and sailors were captured by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on March 12.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We have no involvement in money or ransom. We have no information that the ship was released by paying money. Many are showing different types of pictures, none of these pictures are true. We do not know where these pictures are coming from, how they are coming,” said the state minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"As far as it has been done, our Department of Shipping, various international organisations, the European Navy, the Indian Navy, the Somali Police… I want to thank the Puntland Police of Somalia; they have been cooperating with us all the time. The wings of the International Maritime Organisation have been very helpful to us.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We have been negotiating with the pirates for a long time. There is no question of ransom here. We had discussions and various types of pressures were given. Those pressures have also worked here.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“They (the pirates) also had their own security concerns. The pressure was on them all the time,” added Khalid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also said, \"It had gone to an extreme, that\'s why they got off the ship (there). And the pressure was so much, that when they took control of the ship, there were 20 pirates. Yesterday, when they left the ship, there were already around 65 pirates on board. You have to understand, how much pressure they underwent in the mainland. Everyone left there (the ship) together yesterday. They were surrounded within two nautical miles. The other fleets (various forces) were in position when they left,” reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our Department of Shipping was talking to them at that time and helped them to leave, by moving the fleets a little further away,” said the state minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Describing it as a huge operation, Khalid said, \"If we put all the emails we have sent together, those will fill a big basket. We had to keep corresponding every moment. Everyone has realised that we were so prompt and so serious.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Department of Shipping will take steps to prevent such unwanted incidents from happening in the future, added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 10:35:09', '2024-04-14 10:35:09'),
(11936, 11936, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>KSRM Group, the owner of MV Abdullah, has claimed that the ship and its 23 crew members were safely released through negotiations with the pirates, using the experience of the 2011 hostage situation involving their ship “Jahan Moni”.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our other ship \'Jahan Moni\' was hijacked in 2011. It took us a long time to rescue the ship because we lacked experience. However, using that experience, we were able to quickly rescue MV Abdullah this time,” said Meherul Karim, CEO of KSRM Group, at a press conference held at the company\'s office at 12:00 pm in Chattogram’s city’s Agrabad Goasail Danga on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added that all the sailors and crew of the ship are safe and sound. No one was harmed. However, when asked about the ransom, Meherul Karim declined to comment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Saturday night around 12 am, the Somali pirates freed the ship along with its 23 sailors. The ship owner confirmed the release of the ship to the Bangladeshi media at 3:45 am.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Describing the process of rescuing the ship, Meherul said, \"We were constantly tracking the ship\'s position since it was hijacked. We were monitoring where it was being taken from time to time. A few days after the hostage-taking, one of the pirates who could speak English started contacting us. We also started communicating from our side, following all international protocols. This is how MV Abdullah was released after a successful month-long communication.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added that, \"Two days ago, we took videos of each crew member of our ship to confirm their safety. All the rules were followed. There were 65 pirates on the ship. On Saturday around 3 am, the ship\'s captain informed me that the pirates had disembarked from the ship in a speedboat.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When journalists asked the KSRM CEO about the ransom, he said, \"I apologise. I can\'t tell you anything about any ransom. We have an agreement with everyone on this issue. I can\'t go out of the agreement.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shahariar Jahan Rahat, Deputy Managing Director of KSRM Group, said at the press conference, \"We have to keep some things confidential. We cannot promote piracy.\" He added that if the amount of ransom money is disclosed, it will be legitimized.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shahariar said MV Abdullah will reach Dubai on April 19 or 20. The sailors and crew will then return to Bangladesh by flight or ship. He said that the decision on how they will return to the country will be taken after talking to the sailors and crew.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Earlier on Sunday, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said at a press conference that the news and pictures being circulated about ransom are not true. The sailors were released through extensive international pressure and negotiations. It may take 15 to 20 days for them to return. According to unb reports</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 11:31:13', '2024-04-14 11:31:13'),
(11937, 11937, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The governor of Russia’s Kurgan region today urged people to evacuate flooded areas immediately, saying rain was exacerbating the already tough situation there and the coming night would be difficult.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The water level in the Tobol River has risen by 25cm over the past two hours to 5.32m, governor Vadim Shumkov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“You need to leave while the sun is up,” he appealed to local people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Gather your families, documents, and valuables and leave beforehand. The situation can worsen sharply at night and you might have not enough time to react.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Interfax news agency also cited the government of the Tyumen region to the northeast of Kurgan as saying that two villages there were being evacuated as the authorities feared the area could be threatened by the Ishim River.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The TASS news agency cited Russia’s emergencies ministry as saying more than 14,000 houses across Russia have been flooded.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Kazakhstan, also hit by floods, more than 1,000 houses in the city of Petropavlovsk have been flooded, the authorities said today, with more than 4,500 people evacuated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, more than 107,000 people have been evacuated in the country since the beginning of the floods. - Reuters</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 11:34:30', '2024-04-14 11:34:30'),
(11938, 11938, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A source within Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said Israel struck today one of its buildings in Lebanon’s east, close to the Syrian border, as tensions soared after Iran directly attacked Israel.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The Israeli strike targeted an area … near Baalbek and targeted a two-storey building belonging to Hezbollah,” a source within the group told AFP, adding there were no casualties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also reported that “an enemy air strike targeted a building” in the village of Nabi Sheet and “destroyed it”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier today, Hezbollah said it had twice launched barrages of rockets towards the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, after it joined in the major Iranian drone and missile attack against Israel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Iranian attack was in response to an April 1 air strike widely blamed on Israel that destroyed an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, killing seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamas ally Hezbollah has exchanged near-daily cross-border fire with Israel since the Palestinian group attacked southern Israel on Oct 7 triggering the war in the Gaza Strip.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The violence has so far killed at least 363 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also including at least 70 civilians, according to an AFP tally.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Israel, the military says 10 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes on both sides of the border. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 11:37:42', '2024-04-14 11:37:42');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11939, 11939, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">People in Bilbao in northwestern Spain normally spend April dodging the showers but yesterday many hit the beach as temperatures were up to 10°C above normal.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Portuguese were also hitting the beach near Lisbon as temperatures rose to as high as 29°C.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many people swapped umbrellas for ice creams as temperatures reached 21°C in Bilbao and were expected to hit 27°C elsewhere today, Aemet, the state weather forecasting agency said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Temperatures, both on today and tomorrow, will be between 5°C and 10°C higher than normal in much of the country, and between 10°C and 15°C (higher) in the northern third of the peninsula and the Canary Islands,” Aemet said in a post on the social media site X.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Temperatures more often experienced in summer months were being recorded in April, Aemet said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Portugal, temperatures were also higher than usual for this time of the year, according to weather agency Ipma yesterday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the central region of Santarem, temperatures are expected to reach 31°C, reports Reuters&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, by next week temperatures in much of Spain will dip again, particularly in northern Spain, Aemet said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 11:42:59', '2024-04-14 11:42:59'),
(11940, 11940, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Iran on Sunday urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to an unprecedented attack overnight, which Tehran presented as a justified response to a deadly strike on its consulate building in Damascus.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The matter can be deemed concluded,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a post on social media platform X just a few hours after the start of the operation late Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the Iranian mission warned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi warned Sunday Israel and its allies against any “reckless” actions after Tehran’s drone and missile attack, which marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israeli territory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“If the Zionist regime (Israel) or its supporters demonstrate reckless behavior, they will receive a decisive and much stronger response,” Raisi said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After numerous countries condemned the attack, Tehran’s foreign ministry summoned the French, British, and German ambassadors “following the irresponsible positions of certain officials of these countries regarding Iran’s response,” a statement said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran informed the US that its attacks against Israel will be “limited” and for self-defense, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Late Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps announced that they had launched “dozens of drones and missiles” toward military sites on Israeli territory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus” earlier this month, the Iranian mission to the UN said, dubbing it “legitimate defense.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel’s army said it had shot 99 percent of the drones and missiles with the help of the United States and other allies, declaring Iran’s attack “foiled.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Iranian army chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri said the attack has “achieved all its objectives.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bagheri said Iran’s retaliation targeted an “intelligence center” and the air base from which Tehran says the Israeli F-35 jets took off to strike the Damascus consulate on April 1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Both these centers were significantly destroyed and put out of order,” he said, though Israel maintains that the attack only resulted in minor damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“There is no intention to continue this operation,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Experts have suggested that Saturday’s slow-moving drone attack was calibrated to represent a show of power but also allow some wiggle room.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It appears that Iran telegraphed its attack on Israel to demonstrate it can strike using different capabilities, to complicate the (Israeli army’s) ability to neutralize the assault but also to provide an off-ramp to pause escalation,” said Nishank Motwani, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Washington.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Tehran can escalate if it chooses to across a range of vectors,” said Motwani, including via Lebanon’s Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, sea attacks, “or hitting soft Israeli targets globally.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over the last two weeks, the Iranian authorities had repeatedly vowed to “punish” Israel after the death of seven Guards including two generals of the Quds Force in the attack that levelled the Iranian consulate in Damascus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran has blamed Israel for the attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the days after the strike, Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel will be “slapped for that action.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since a revolution in 1979 in Iran which toppled the US-backed Shah, Israel has been the sworn enemy of the Islamic republic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran has often called for the destruction of Israel, with support of the Palestinian cause one of the pillars of the Islamic revolution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, until Saturday Tehran had also refrained from a direct attack on Israel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Instead, it has backed members of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” against Israel, including Hezbollah and Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthi rebels, since the outbreak of war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hours before the strikes on Saturday, Iran seized an Israeli-linked container ship in the Gulf which Washington called “an act of piracy.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the night, Tehran also warned the United States, urging it to “stay away” from its conflict with Israel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“If necessary,” Tehran “will not hesitate to take defensive measures to protect its interests against any aggressive military action,” Iran’s foreign ministry said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The next slap will be fiercer,” warned a new mural unveiled overnight in Tehran’s Palestine Square, where several thousands gathered, shouting “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before Tehran launched its attack, Israel warned Iran that it would suffer “the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has not revealed what a potential response would look like.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An Israeli attack on Iran’s territory, possibly targeting military or nuclear sites, could not be ruled out, according to experts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a precaution, Iran’s Imam Khomeini international airport and the Mehrabad airport, which is mainly dedicated to domestic flights, will remain closed until Monday at 06:00 am (0230 GMT), according to ISNA news agency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several international airlines have suspended flights over Iranian airspace.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Countries including Russia and France have asked their citizens to avoid traveling to Iran and Israel. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 11:48:35', '2024-04-14 11:48:35'),
(11941, 11941, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Pope Francis on Sunday made a “pressing appeal” against a “spiral of violence” after Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel, warning of a potential regional conflagration.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I make a pressing appeal for an end to any action which could fuel a spiral of violence that risks dragging the Middle East into an even greater conflict,” the Argentinian pontiff declared following his traditional Sunday prayer in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I am praying and following with concern, but also pain, the news that has come in recent hours about the worsening situation in Israel due to Iran’s intervention,” the pope told worshippers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“No one should threaten the existence of others. All countries must, however, side with peace and help Israelis and Palestinians to live in two states, side by side and in security,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“That is their right,” Francis insisted as he once again repeated earlier calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and “negotiation.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The pontiff futhermore demanded the world “help the population facing a humanitarian crisis” in Gaza and urged the “immediate release of the hostages kidnapped months ago” by Hamas, setting in train the latest chapter of violence in the region. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-14 11:50:54', '2024-04-14 11:50:54'),
(11942, 11942, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh wants to see an effective role from those countries that are supposed to play an effective role in de-escalating the Iran-Israel tension.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh also wants to see killings in Gaza are stopped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Bangladesh is in favour of peace, not for war,\" said Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday evening at the state guest house Padma.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The people of the Middle East are facing a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict, António Guterres said on Sunday, urging “maximum restraint” across a region “on the brink”, hours after Iran launched attack drones and missiles against Israel overnight Saturday.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is vital to avoid any action that could lead to major military confrontations on multiple fronts in the Middle East...Now is the time for maximum restraint,” the UN Secretary-General told delegates at the opening of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">FM Hasan said because Israel attacked the Iranian embassy in Syria, Iran got the opportunity to attack. \"Otherwise it would not have happened. Iran has \'retaliated\' - that is what Iran says.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We hope that all the countries that are supposed to play a role will immediately take effective measures to resolve the Iran-Israel tension and stop the indiscriminate killing of people in Gaza. We are never for war, we are for peace,\" he said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign minister wished the journalists present there on Bengali New Year.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Responding to a question on Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, the foreign minister said that the hostage sailors and the ship were safely rescued due to the all-out efforts of the government and those concerned.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, he had a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister of Antigua and Barbuda E. P. Chet Greene who is now on a five-day official visit to Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They discussed issues of mutual interest and ways to strengthen ties in the coming days.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 09:14:53', '2024-04-15 09:14:53'),
(11943, 11943, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The unprecedented attack by Iran on Israel early Sunday ratcheted up regional tensions, confirming long-held fears about the Israel-Hamas war spiraling into a broader conflagration. But Iran, Israel, the United States and Hamas also walked away with some gains.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Here’s a look at the fallout.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">ISRAEL’S RESPONSE COULD RESTORE FAITH IN ITS MILITARY</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the more than 300 drones and missiles headed toward Israel in the early hours of Sunday, the country was able to successfully put to the test its aerial defense array, which, along with help from allies, blocked 99% of the projectiles and prevented any major damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By contrast, Israel’s military had suffered a bruising defeat at the hands of a far less equipped enemy when Hamas stormed from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7. That was a major blow to Israel’s image as a regional military powerhouse and shattered any sense of invincibility. The response to Iran’s attack could be what restores faith in the country’s military, even as its forces are bogged down in Gaza, more than six months after Israel declared war on Hamas there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has also boasted about the coalition of forces that helped it repel the Iranian assault. It’s a much-needed show of support at a time when Israel is at its most isolated because of concerns surrounding its conduct during the war against Hamas, including a worsening humanitarian crisis and a staggering death toll in Gaza.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">IRAN SHOWS OFF ITS MIGHT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran vowed repeatedly that it would respond to an apparent Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus on April 1 that killed two generals. Sunday’s assault allowed Iran to show to its citizens that it won’t stand by when its assets are attacked and that it was serious when it threatened revenge.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With its strike, Iran was able to exhibit its fierce firepower, instill fear in some Israelis and disrupt the lives of many through school cancellations. But with little damage actually caused in Israel, Iran might hope that any response will be measured. Several hours after it launched the drones and missiles, Iran said the operation was over.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">THE UNITED STATES STOOD BY ISRAEL</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.S. was a key player in repelling the assault, demonstrating to its allies around the world the power and reliability of American support.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now, as Israel mulls how and whether to respond, that alliance will be put to the test, with the Biden administration seeking to exert its leverage on Israel and prevent it from carrying out a response that might worsen the conflict.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">HAMAS MAY BENEFIT FROM IRAN’S DIRECT INVOLVEMENT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamas, which is backed by Iran, welcomed the strike on Israel. Since launching its Oct. 7 attack, Hamas had hoped that regional partners might come to its assistance and drag Israel into a broader war. While some have done — including the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthis — Iran had not directly entered the fray until Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamas could hope that the attack is the first salvo in deeper Iranian engagement in the war in Gaza. It also could hope that violence in the West Bank, where an Israeli teen was killed and settlers rampaged in Palestinian towns, continues to heat up. At the very least, Iran’s attack may have emboldened Hamas to dig in its heels in current negotiations over a cease-fire, hoping the increased military pressure on Israel might lead it to accept the militant group’s harder-line terms for a deal. - AP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 09:30:17', '2024-04-15 09:30:17'),
(11944, 11944, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Syria on Sunday said ally Iran acted in self-defence with a massive overnight attack on Israel that Tehran said was in retaliation for a deadly Israeli strike on Iran\'s consulate in Damascus.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Iran\'s response... is a legitimate right to self-defence\" against Israel, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian by phone, according to a report carried by state news agency SANA.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mekdad also described the Iranian response as \"appropriate\", SANA added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran had vowed to avenge the strike on the consular section of its embassy in the Syrian capital on April 1 that killed seven Revolutionary Guards including two generals from the Quds Force, the Guards\' foreign operations arm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A separate statement Sunday from Syria\'s foreign ministry expressed Damascus\'s \"solidarity with the Islamic republic of Iran\" and emphasised its \"condemnation of the Zionist aggression against the Iranian diplomatic premises\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tehran has also said its overnight attack on Israel was carried out in \"self-defence\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Amir-Abdollahian inaugurated a new consulate in Damascus this week and accused the United States of approving the deadly strike. - AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 09:51:55', '2024-04-15 09:51:55'),
(11945, 11945, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Have you ever wondered why human beings tend to sleep at night and work during the day? With exceptions aside, that’s how almost everyone functions. Lack of sleep makes us cranky throughout the day. Why does that happen? It\'s all related to our biological master clock or circadian rhythm.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">What is Circadian Rhythm? </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The circadian cycle refers to the metabolic changes that occur within a living organism over 24 hours. The term ‘Circadian’ comes from two Latin words Circa meaning around and Diem meaning day. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Circadian rhythm is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. This rhythm is influenced by external cues such as light and temperature along with internal factors including genetics and hormones.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">How Does Circadian Rhythm Work? </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Just like a master clock regulates the time zone across the world, there’s also a master clock in the human body that regulates sleep patterns and sense of time. It\'s situated in the hypothalamus of the brain, specifically in an area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The SCN receives input from the eyes, particularly light-sensitive cells in the retina, which helps synchronize the internal clock with the external day-night cycle.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The circadian rhythm regulates the sleep-wake cycle by controlling the time alertness of the human body through melatonin production. Additionally, it also plays a significant role in body temperature regulation. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Circadian rhythm disorder is generally caused due to genetic factors, erratic light exposure, medical conditions, age-related changes, psychological stress, etc.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Symptoms of Circadian Rhythm Disorder </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are several symptoms of circadian rhythm disorder. The common ones include: </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Insomnia</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The most common symptom of circadian rhythm disorder is difficulty with sleep or insomnia. A patient gradually develops difficulty in either falling asleep or staying asleep. Waking up multiple times at night is also attributed to this disorder. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Increased Daytime Sleep</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A decrease in sleep quality results in increased daytime sleepiness. This symptom is directly related to sleep difficulty as waking up multiple times during the night results in drowsiness throughout the day. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Early Wakeup </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a more advanced stage, a person might find it difficult to fall asleep after waking up during the night. Sleep deprivation triggers fatigue which inherently harms other body processes. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Concentration Difficulty </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People with circadian rhythm disorder may find it difficult to concentrate or face memory-related problems. The lack of balanced sleep affects certain cognitive functions of the brain and affects decision-making capabilities. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mood Swings </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Circadian rhythm disorder may trigger severe mood swings. It increases the risk of depression and anxiety leading to BPD at later stages. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, physical symptoms like headaches and gastrointestinal issues may be caused by the disorder. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Types of Circadian Rhythm Disorder </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The difference in sleep-wake cycle characteristics resulted in several types of circadian rhythm disorders. The prominent ones are: </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder of DSPD is the most common type of this disorder. A person with DSPD has a convoluted biological clock which makes it difficult for them to sleep at conventional bedtimes.  As the name suggests, DSPD delays the conventional sleeping time by several hours. The subsequent result is sleepiness continued well into the day. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">ASPD is the opposite of DSPD. In this case, an individual might experience a sleep cycle well in advance compared to the conventional sleeping times. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Irregular Sleep-Wake Rhythm Disorder</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder is usually triggered by insomnia or fragmented sleeping patterns. Waking up multiple times during a sleep cycle may induce an irregular disorder. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shift Work Sleep Disorder</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shift work sleep disorder is seen among people with unconventional work hours. For example, a person working night shifts may find it difficult to sleep during the day. The result is sleepiness and drowsiness in the subsequent work shifts at night. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Non-24-hour sleep-wake Disorder is usually noticed among individuals with complete blindness. The lack of light perception makes the brain lose perception of the light-dark cycle in 24 hours. As a result, affected individuals experience a gradual shift in their sleep-wake schedule, leading to periods of insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jet Lag Disorder</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jet lag disorder is seen among individuals who travel between several time zones. Unlike the other types, jet lag disorder usually improves once the body gets adjusted to the new timezone. However initial symptoms may include sleeplessness, digestive issues, and reduced cognitive functions. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">How to Reset the Circadian Rhythm</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Circadian rhythm can be restored through certain lifestyle changes. In addition, behavioral strategies, and sometimes medical interventions may be needed to improve the condition. Here are some strategies to get started. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Practicing a Consistent Sleep Schedule </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the best ways to reset the circadian rhythm is to maintain a strong routine. It is recommended to go to bed and wake up at a fixed time every day, even on weekends. This would allow your body to get used to a consistent cycle and adjust accordingly. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Light Exposure </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Circadian rhythm is greatly regulated by light and dark. Try and increase your light exposure when you wake up in the morning. Go for a short walk or spend some time on the balcony. The more you’re exposed to natural light in the morning, the more the body adjusts to the wake period. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Limit Night Time Exposure </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Just as the opposite of morning, limit the light exposure at night. It is advised to avoid the use of blue light emitting sources like TV and mobile late at night. This will help in the production of melatonin which will naturally induce sleep. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Create a Relaxing Environment </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Avoid stressful work during the night if possible. Create a relaxing environment by listening to slow music, reading a book, taking a shower, or practicing meditation to ease brain functions. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Avoid Day Naps </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It can be helpful to avoid naps during the day. If you can’t entirely avoid them, try and limit naps to no more than 30 minutes. Long naps during the day will interfere with nighttime sleep. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Avoid Stimulating Substances </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is recommended to avoid stimulating substances like coffee, tea, or nicotine before sleep. It might trigger hyperactivity in the brain which will deter the usual sleeping time. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Consult a Healthcare Professional</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If the disorder persists, consult a healthcare professional. A trained medical practitioner can provide personalized treatment for the disorder.  </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Final Words </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The circadian rhythm or biological clock ensures a healthy sleep-wake cycle in the human body. When this rhythm goes off balance it may result in several complications in physical and emotional health. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fortunately, it is possible to reset the circadian rhythm without medical intervention unless in extreme cases. Make sure to lead a routined and disciplined lifestyle including a timely sleep schedule to maintain a healthy rhythm. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"36\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 10:40:57', '2024-04-15 10:41:43'),
(11946, 11946, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A 23-year-old young man was found dead at Hatirjheel lake in the capital on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased was identified as Foyez Quader Chowdhury, son of Fazlul Quader Chowdhury of Shahjahanpur area.</div><div><br></div><div>Local people spotted the floating body of Foyez and informed police in the morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Police recovered the body and sent it to the local hospital morgue for autopsy, said Awlad Hossain, officer-in-charge of Hatirjheel Police Station.</div><div><br></div><div>According to Foyez’s family, he left home around 11 pm and did not return home.</div><div><br></div><div>However, police suspected that Foyez might have committed suicide after jumping into the lake. - unb</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 11:08:14', '2024-04-15 11:08:14'),
(11947, 11947, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Monday said that the number of wealthy people who are like former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed has increased in the country.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi said it in a press conference held at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office in the capital citing recent media reports on&nbsp; Benazir Ahmed’s alleged corruption and lavish lifestyle.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi said these rich people were blessed by Sheikh Hasina for killing and forcefully disappearing BNP’s thousands of leaders and activists.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Besides, corruption in the name of mega projects, looting banks is not a fairy tale now, it’s real.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said it is true that there is a close relation between corruption and those who exist at the apex of power.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the Awami&nbsp; League regime, they have become affluent who control tender, syndicate with blessings of ruling quarter, he claimed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">On one side, the Awami League and their oligarch are celebrating Eid&nbsp; lavishly, there was no joy of Eid among the&nbsp; country’s poor and limited-income&nbsp; people on the other side, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“How people will buy Eid clothes for their family members where they are struggling to ensure their daily meal,” Rizvi said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The poor people celebrated this year’s Eid with ‍starvation and unprecedented sorrows, he said, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Awami League’s 15 years’ misrule and embezzlement of people’s money have caused a silent famine,” Rizvi claimed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“They also deceived people of the country by holding a staged, one-sided and dummy election,” he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi also said Bangladesh which was born after a nine- month war against Pakistani rulers is being crushed under the feet of a tyrant, said the BNP leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 11:38:28', '2024-04-15 11:38:28'),
(11948, 11948, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka city is still to get its usual look though the city dwellers have started returning to the capital after holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr and Pahela Baishakh.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The bustling capital looked empty with most of the roadside shops, shopping malls closed and few public and private vehicles plying the streets in the morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government, semi-government, and private offices including banks and financial institutions opened today but there was a low presence of employees.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials and staff were seen exchanging Eid greetings with colleagues by embracing each other.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A small number of buses and private vehicles were seen plying the streets in Malibagh, Shantinagar, Gulshan, Firmgate , Dhamondi, Mirpur&nbsp; and Shahbagh areas in the morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Md Yousuf, an employee of a private bank, said, “Still a festive environment is prevailing in the city. There is no traffic jam or chaos on streets. It took me only 6 minutes to reach Gulshan from Rajarbagh area by car that usually takes 30 to 40 minutes on the other regular days due to traffic congestion. It’s a temporary relief for Dhaka dwellers.”&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the occasion of Eid, April 10, 11, and 12 (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) were public holidays. After Eid, there was a weekly holiday on Saturday, April 13, and a Bengali New Year holiday on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh on Sunday, April 14.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, many of the government and private sector workers who went outside Dhaka to celebrate Eid took optional leave.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a result, it will take a few more days to start the proceedings in full swing in the offices, courts, banks, and stock market.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, schools and colleges will also open next week. Then the capital will return to normal. - unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"39\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 11:42:07', '2024-04-15 11:42:07'),
(11949, 11949, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A fire which broke out at a slum in Firingi Bazar area of Chattogram port city on Monday afternoon has been brought under control.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Dinmoni Sharma, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defense said the fire broke out at the slum around 1:30 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On information, nine firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control around 3 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, no casualty was reported and the extent of the damages caused by fire could not be ascertained yet. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"39\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 12:05:37', '2024-04-15 12:05:37'),
(11950, 11950, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Bangladesh government has earmarked Tk 385 billion for agricultural development over the next three years, targeting an average annual growth of 10% in the sector by the 2025-26 fiscal year.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This investment underscores agriculture\'s pivotal role in achieving food security and driving equitable economic growth, according to the \'Medium Term Macroeconomic Policy Statement (2023-24 to 2025-26)\'.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite a diminishing share in GDP, agriculture remains critical for the livelihood of the majority, particularly in rural areas. To boost food production and resilience against adversities, the government\'s strategy includes developing high-yield and adversity-tolerant crop varieties, expanding mechanization and irrigation, and improving access to affordable inputs like seeds and fertilizers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The policy document highlights several initiatives aimed at modernizing agriculture through technology. These include increasing the use of surface water for irrigation over groundwater to conserve resources, incorporating renewable energy solutions, and employing remote sensing for crop monitoring.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government also continues to support the sector with subsidies, financial incentives, and technological innovations to foster a sustainable and self-reliant agricultural framework.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Significant contributions also come from the fisheries and livestock sub-sectors, which not only bolster GDPâ€”2.53% and 1.91%, respectivelyâ€”but also provide essential protein sources and livelihoods for over 12% of the population. Achievements in these areas include self-sufficiency in fish, meat, and egg production, with milk expected to follow. Moreover, these sectors are vital for foreign exchange earnings through exports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Looking ahead, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is set to launch development projects to enhance production capacities, adopt advanced management technologies, and improve conservation efforts, particularly for young hilsa fish (\'jatka\').</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Water resource management is another focal area, given its importance to sustainable agriculture. Initiatives are underway to improve surface water availability through the excavation of water bodies and the enhancement of coastal afforestation, aiming to secure equitable water shares from transboundary rivers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Amid threats of substantial economic losses due to climate changeâ€”projected at a 6.8% reduction in GDP by 2030â€”the government has prioritized comprehensive strategies to mitigate these impacts. The Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan is designed to equip vulnerable sectors and communities with the tools to enhance resilience and stability against climate-related disruptions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Through these multifaceted efforts, Bangladesh is taking decisive steps to not only safeguard but also advance its agricultural heritage in the face of evolving global challenges. According to UNB reports</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 12:31:06', '2024-04-15 12:31:06');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11951, 11951, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are increasingly wielding strong-arm tactics to subdue political opponents and critics of the ruling Hindu-nationalist party.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A decade into power, and on the cusp of securing five more years, the Modi government is reversing India’s decadeslong commitment to multiparty democracy and secularism.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has brought corruption charges against many officials from its main rival, the Congress Party, but few convictions. Dozens of politicians from other opposition parties are under investigation or in jail. And just last month, Modi’s government froze the Congress party’s bank accounts for what it said was non-payment of taxes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Modi administration says the country’s investigating agencies are independent and that its democratic institutions are robust, pointing to high voter turnout in recent elections that have delivered Modi’s party a clear mandate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yet civil liberties are under attack. Peaceful protests have been crushed with force. A once free and diverse press is threatened. Violence is on the rise against the Muslim minority. And the country’s judiciary increasingly aligns with the executive branch.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To better understand how Modi is reshaping India and what is at stake in an election that begins April 19 and runs through June 1, the AP spoke with a lawyer, a journalist, and an opposition politician.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Here are their stories:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DEFENDING MODI’S CRITICS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mihir Desai has fought for the civil liberties and human rights of India’s most disadvantaged communities, such as the poor and Muslims, for nearly four decades.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 65-year-old lawyer from India’s financial capital Mumbai is now working on one of his – and the country’s – most high-profile cases: defending a dozen political activists, journalists and lawyers jailed in 2018 on accusations of plotting to overthrow the Modi government. The accusations, he says, are baseless – just one of the government’s all-too-frequent and audacious efforts to silence critics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the defendants in the case, a Jesuit priest and longtime civil rights activist, died at age 84 after about nine months in custody. The other defendants remain in jail, charged under anti-terror laws that rarely result in convictions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“First authorities came up with a theory that they planned to kill Modi. Now they are being accused of being terrorist sympathizers,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The point of it all, Desai believes, is to send a message to any would-be critics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to digital forensics experts at U.S.-based Arsenal Consulting, the Indian government hacked into the computers of some of the accused and planted files that were later used as evidence against them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To Desai, this is proof that the Modi government has “weaponized” the country’s once-independent investigative agencies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He sees threats to Indian democracy all around him. Last year, the government removed the country’s chief justice as one of three people who appoint commissioners overseeing elections; Modi and the opposition leader in parliament are the others. Now, one of Modi’s cabinet ministers has a vote in the process, giving the ruling party a 2-1 majority.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It’s a death knell to free and fair elections,” Desai said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A POLITICIAN’S PLIGHT IN KASHMIR</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para, 35, was long seen as an ally in the Indian government’s interests in Kashmir. He worked with young people in the majority-Muslim, semi-autonomous region and preached to them about the benefits of embracing India and its democratic institutions – versus seeking independence, or a merger with Pakistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Beginning in 2018, though, Para was viewed with suspicion by the Modi government for alleged connections to anti-India separatists. Since then, he has been jailed twice: in 2019 on suspicion that he and other political opponents could stoke unrest; and in 2020 on charges of supporting militant groups -- charges he denies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The accusations stunned Para, whose People’s Democratic Party once ruled Kashmir in an alliance with Modi’s party.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But he believes the motivation was clear: “I was arrested to forcibly endorse the government’s 2019 decision,” he said, referring to a clampdown on the resistance in Kashmir after the elimination of the region’s semi-autonomous status.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Modi’s administration argues the move was necessary to fully integrate the disputed region with India and foster economic development there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After his 2020 arrest, Para remained in jail for nearly two years, often in solitary confinement, and was subjected to “abusive interrogations,’’ according to U.N. experts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“My crime was that I wanted the integration of Kashmir, not through the barrel of the gun,” said Para, who is seeking to represent Kashmir’s main city in the upcoming election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Para sees his own plight within the larger context of the Modi government’s effort to silence perceived opponents, especially those with ties to Muslims, who make up 14% of India’s population.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is a huge ethical question … that the largest democracy in the world is not able to assimilate, or offer dignity to, the smallest pocket of its people,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The campaign to turn once-secular India into a Hindu republic may help Modi win elections in the short term, Para said, but something much bigger will be lost.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It risks the whole idea of this country’s diversity,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A JOURNALIST FIGHTS CHARGES</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In October 2020, independent journalist Sidheeq Kappan was arrested while trying to report on a government clampdown in the northern Uttar Pradesh state ruled by Modi’s party.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For days, authorities had been struggling to contain protests and outcry over a gruesome rape case. Those accused of the crime were four upper caste Hindu men, while the victim belonged to the Dalit community, the lowest rung of India’s caste hierarchy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kappan, a 44-year-old Muslim, was detained and jailed before he even reached the crime site, accused of intending to incite violence. After two years in jail, his case reached India’s top court in 2022. While he was quickly granted bail, the case against him is ongoing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kappan’s case is not unique, and he says it highlights how India is becoming increasingly unsafe for journalists. Under intense pressure from the state, many Indian news organizations have become more pliant and supportive of government policies,</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Those who have tried to be independent have come under relentless attack by the government,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign journalists are banned from reporting in Kashmir, for example. Same goes for India’s northeast Manipur state, which has been embroiled in ethnic violence for almost a year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Television news is increasingly dominated by stations touting the government’s Hindu nationalist agenda, such as a new citizenship law that excludes Muslim migrants. Independent TV stations have been temporarily shut down, and newspapers that run articles critical of Modi’s agenda find that any advertising from the government – an important source of revenue – quickly dries up.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, the India offices of the BBC were raided on tax irregularities just days after it aired a documentary critical of Modi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The advocacy group Reporters Without Borders ranks India 161st on a worldwide list of countries’ press freedoms, reports AP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kappan said he has barely been able to report news since his arrest. The trial keeps him busy, requiring him to travel to a court hundreds of miles away every other week. The time and money required for his trial have made it difficult for him to support his wife and three children, Kappan said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is affecting their education, their mental health,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 13:38:16', '2024-04-15 13:38:16'),
(11952, 11952, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Despite resumption of the Summit Group’s Floating Storage and Regasification Unit, one of the country\'s two LNG terminals, overall gas supply failed to improve. Rather, it witnessed a further fall due to the start of the Bibiyana Gas field’s maintenance programme.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, officials said the Bibiyana Gas field, one of the country’s largest gas supply sources, went into routine maintenance on April 13 and will come back to full production within three days on April 16.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials from both state-owned Petrobangla and Chevron, the operator of the Bibiyana Gas field, noted that they are hopeful of getting full-scale supply from Tuesday.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Petrobangla\'s official data shows that the production from BIbiyana gas field came down to 453 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) on Monday from its regular production of 1200 MMCFD.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Official sources said, the Summit Group finally became successful in commissioning its LNG terminal and resumed re-gasification of imported LNG on April 12.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The official data of state-owned Petrobangla shows that the supply of imported gas has increased by 162 million cubic feet (MMCFD) to 792 MMCFD from 630 MMCFD following the commissioning of the Summit Group’s LNG terminal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The gas supply has further increased to 936.30 MMCFD on April 14,” a senior official of the Petrobangla told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The country has two LNG terminals, set up by the private sector, in Maheshkhali having total regasification capacity of 1100 MMCFD. One is owned and operated by US-based Excelerate Energy having 600 MMCFD capacity while another one is owned and operated by Summit Group having 500 MMCFD.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The gas supply situation witnessed a fall when the Summit Group’s LNG Terminal went into a routine maintenance programme in the first week of March. It was scheduled to return to service and resume production on March 3.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“But initially it failed to come back to production as per schedule and finally it resumed production a few days later,” the Petrobangla official said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Official data shows that the country’s gas supply was 2,345 MMCFD on Sunday and Monday against low demand of 3,632 MMCFD at the tail end of the Eid vacation.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, the official data shows that despite a low demand in the power supply, the country had to experience load shedding of over 300 MW on Monday during the day\'s peak period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PGCB Data shows the country’s load shedding was recorded to 305 MW at 10 am when the demand was 11,400 MW.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The evening peak demand was forecast to be 14,000 MW on Monday and the officials apprehend more loadshedding tonight. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 14:16:18', '2024-04-15 14:16:18'),
(11953, 11953, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has granted a one-day extension to Mustafizur Rahman\'s No Objection Certificate (NOC), allowing him to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), according to a BCB source.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mustafizur was previously scheduled to leave the IPL on April 30th but can now play for his team, the Chennai Super Kings, on May 1st. He will return to Bangladesh on May 2nd.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh will face Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series starting May 3rd in Chattogram. Mustafizur is expected to join the national team but may miss the first match. The last two matches of this series will take place in Dhaka.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The left-arm pacer has excelled in the IPL, taking 10 wickets in five matches. He has been one of the main bowlers of Chennai in this edition of IPL.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the Zimbabwe series, Bangladesh will travel to the USA for a three-match T20I series in preparation for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in the USA and the West Indies - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 14:23:22', '2024-04-15 14:23:22'),
(11954, 11954, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A large portion of expatriates\' income remittances in Bangladesh comes through the bank branches located in Dhaka, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB) analyst on the District-wise scenario of inward remittances.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This figure means that most of the families of expatriates stay in Dhaka or they have most of their accounts in the bank branches of Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chittagong ranks second while Sylhet and Comilla are in third and fourth position in terms of expatriate income or remittances.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After that, the position of coastal district Noakhali, Brahmanbaria, Feni, Moulvibazar, Chandpur, and Narsingdi. This position is calculated from July 2023 last year to February 2024, which is revealed in the central bank\'s district-wise expatriate income report.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the report, in eight months from July-February, expatriates sent remittances amount US $15.07 billion. Out of this, the expatriates sent $2.16 billion last February. In the previous month of January, the expatriate income in the country was $2.10 billion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among this, Dhaka district received $5.23 billion in July-February, and Chittagong district received $1.42 billion in expatriate income. During this period, Sylhet district received $870 million, Comilla $810 million, and Noakhali $460 million. Apart from this, $380 million came in Brahmanbaria, $370 million in Feni, $360 million in Moulvibazar, $350 million in Chandpur, and $250 million in Narsingdi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bank officials say more expatriate income is expected to come from expatriate-dominated districts. But that is not as many expatriates have settled abroad, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rather, they (Expatriates) are selling the wealth in the country and taking it abroad. As a result, money laundering is increasing, they said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"33\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 14:34:49', '2024-04-15 14:34:49'),
(11955, 11955, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Claiming BNP\'s falsehood over the number of its imprisoned party men, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today sought the list of imprisoned BNP leaders, otherwise BNP would have to seek apology to the nation.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The number of BNP\'s captive leaders was 20,000 and how it becomes 60 lakh...so, reveal the list of 60lakh jailed activists, otherwise Mirza Fakhrul Islam must have to seek apology to the nation for his falsehood\", he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister made this comment while briefing the journalists at Awami League President\'s political office at Dhanmondi here this afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Talking about the Mujibnagar Day on April 17, the ruling party leader said \"it [April 17] is the oath day of the first government of the Independent Bangladesh ...but BNP does not accept it.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even they refuse June 7, a red-letter day in the history of freedom movements of the people of Bangladesh and the nation has since been observing June 7 as the historic Six-Point Day, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\'So, I never believe that BNP will do positive politics with the spirit of Bengali culture\", Quader added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharply criticizing that the BNP was born to destroy the Spirit of Liberation of Bangladesh, the road transport and bridges minister said they want to strike on the root of the land [Bangladesh]. \"Suddenly one became an announcer of our independence through blowing a whistle and it was the role of BNP in 1971\", he noted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Replying to a query on Israel and Palestine, the minister said \"We don\'t want war... We want peace\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about the continuation of government\'s step on checking commodity price like the holy Ramadan, Quader said the programme would be continued till fulfill the peoples\' requirement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Awami League Joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing secretaries BM Mozammel Huq and Mirza Azam, Relief and Social Welfare Affairs secretary Aminul Islam Amin, Cultural affairs secretary Ashim Kumar Ukil and deputy office secretary Sayem Khan, among others, attended the function. - BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 14:49:35', '2024-04-15 14:49:35'),
(11956, 11956, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat today described Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi\'s programme defying the directives issued by the government for the sake of public safety and its negative statement as unexpected and unfortunate.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;\"Udichi Shilpigoshthi\'s programme defying the directives, issued by the government\'s security affairs agency for ensuring security of Pahela Baishakh, was inconsiderate and unfortunate incident,\" he told journalists at his Secretariat office here.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Arafat said, \"The government gets hurt and very much shocked at this behavior of Udichi\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many people were killed and many others became paralyzed after being injured in bombings at Ramna Batamul in the capital and Udichi\'s programme in Jashore on Pahela Baishakh, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The state minister said several members of police sacrificed their lives to prevent terrorist attack at Holey Artisan, Eid Jammat at Sholakia Maidan and in Sylhet and saved lives of people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the government remains always vigilant to ensure the safety of people\'s lives and property in every event, no terrorist attack or terrorist incident has occurred in Bangladesh in the recent past, he mentioned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the government seeks everyone\'s cooperation in this regard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Arafat said in 1993, the then Begum Khaleda Zia\'s government obstructed the celebration programme of Bengali year of 1400.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The purpose of their obstruction was not security rather for discouraging this universal and non-communal festival of Bangalee nation, the state minister said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Under the leadership of Bangabandhu\'s daughter, all organizations having faith in the spirit of Liberation War including Bangladesh Awami League or we all had celebrated Pahela Baishakh in Suhrawardy Udyan,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Noting that ensuring security is the duty of the government, the state minister sought cooperation from all as any joyous festival doesn\'t turn into sorrowful incident.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He questioned who would take the responsibility if any accident occurred there where Udichi held programme defying government\'s prohibition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We think that those who will hold programme without following rules or directives should take that responsibility,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mentioning said Pahela Baishakh is celebrated in a proper manner under the initiative of the Awami League government, Arafat said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s government introduced allowance for Bengali New Year for celebration of the Pahela Baishakh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, in response to the Cultural Affairs Ministry\'s appeal, Bangladesh\'s \"Mangal Shobhajatra\" was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2016, categorised on the representative list as a heritage of humanity. - BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 15:21:00', '2024-04-15 15:21:00'),
(11957, 11957, '<div><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury said on Monday that though the level of challenges in environmental pollution control activities is very high, people\'s expectations have to be met.</b><br></div><div><br></div><div>People\'s hopes can’t be destroyed if they make any complaint, it should be settled at the earliest, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister said this while addressing the officials of the ministry at a special meeting held at the conference room of the ministry at Secretariat on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>It should be ensured that government programmes are environmentally friendly. To fulfil their respective responsibilities to ensure the protection of public health, he asserted.</div><div><br></div><div>Underscoring the use of single-use plastic and the need to make banner festoons with environmentally-friendly materials, Saber said eco-friendly municipality, zero waste villages should be implemented.</div><div><br></div><div>Environmental awareness should be increased through the education system. Necessary initiatives should be taken to include environment, forests, climate change and biodiversity in the textbooks next year 2025, the minister thinks, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Secretary of the ministry Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Administration) Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Additional Secretary (Development) Md. Mosharraf Hossain, Additional Secretary Tapan Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary (Development) Dr. Fahmida Khanam, Director General of Department of Environment Dr. Abdul Hamid and senior officials of the ministry were present in the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-15 15:49:54', '2024-04-15 15:49:54'),
(11958, 11958, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least 14 people were dead and several were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a pickup van on Dhaka-Khulna highway.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident took place at Sadar upazila in Faridpur district this morning. Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">MD. Hasanuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Faridpur Sadar Kotwali Police Station, said that a Magura-bound bus of Unique Paribahan from Dhaka collided with a Dhaka-bound pickup van. Eleven people died on the spot and two died after being taken to hospital. At least four people were injured in the incident. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The injured have been admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, reports unb.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On information, a Fire Service team rushed to the spot and conducted rescue operations, said the OC.  </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 06:33:33', '2024-04-16 08:16:51'),
(11959, 11959, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A mild to moderate heatwave is sweeping over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet and it may continue, according to BMD’s weather bulletin on Tuesday.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Meanwhile, rain and thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally winds may occur in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Sylhet divisions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, for the rest of the country, the weather is expected to remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy skies, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country, added the bulletin. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 06:43:23', '2024-04-16 06:43:23'),
(11960, 11960, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Showcasing a festive tribute to the nation\'s woven treasure Jamdani, which UNESCO has designated as an intangible cultural heritage, as well as the legacy of handloom (Taat) and the exquisite craftsmanship behind the textile artistry, popular music platform Coke Studio Bangla’s third season returned on April 13 with the song \"Tati.\"</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Performed by Bangladeshi singer and weaver Md Gonjer Ali, Nigerian rapper Louis Anthony who is better known by his stage name Oli Boy and featuring renowned Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan, the song has been trending during the festive occasion of Eid and Pahela Baishakh, garnering over a million views on YouTube within two days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The maiden track of the third season is an amalgamation of three songs - “Gayer Bodhu” written by Md Gonjer Ali, “Hana di Reshomer Bone” written by Shatarupa Thakurta Roy, and “Time to Giger” written by Oli Boy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chandra Shekhar Shaha, a researcher and one of the pathfinders in modern crafting and textile design in Bangladesh, collected Jamdani Weaving verses used in the song, while Faizan R Ahmad (Buno) worked on the track as its Chief Sound Engineer, mixed and mastered by Saadul Islam.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The song not only showcased a harmonious tapestry of the country’s traditional handloom through its melodic presentation; but the Steadicam-operated music video itself, produced by Runout Films under the direction of Adnan Al Rajeev, also portrayed a majestic set with a tantalizing display of Jamdani everywhere, and through the classy attires of the performers as well.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Describing the song, Coke Studio Bangla Curator and Producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob said: “Jamdani is our heritage, identity and pride - however, the rhythmic verses and tunes of our handlooms were unknown to me.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“After discovering those hidden gems and our weaver brother Gonjer Ali, creator of many of these types of songs, we blended the track with my old song “Tati,” (Hana di Reshomer Bone), written by Shatarupa didi. To set the song on Afrobeat (African tunes), we found Oli Boy, who has been working in our garments industry for the past three years - and speaks and sings in Bengali.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Popular actress Jaya Ahsan\'s appearance in this song was a surprising addition, and Arnob commented, \"Jaya Ahsan is a friend of mine, and I enjoy her wearing Jamdani saree on all occasions at home and abroad. Not everyone knows that she is also an excellent singer.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jaya also shared her association with the track, saying: “All of Bangladesh\'s traditional sarees, such as the Jamdani and Muslin styles, are my favourites - and because of my passion for sarees and Arnob\'s earnest request, I became associated with this song and gained valuable experience working with an amazing team. I have represented the Jamdani sarees of Bangladesh on a global scale several times, and I\'m confident this song will appeal to music lovers who appreciate sarees and the tradition of our magnificent handlooms.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Syeda Sadia Afrina, the owner of Thread Bangladesh which provided the Jamdani wardrobe for the performers, stated: “For the first time, someone took a major initiative in the music industry which will help this generation and the next to know more about our weaving heritage and the history behind it - and this is perfectly aligned with our core values in Team Thread. Thanks to the entire Coke management Abeer Rajbeen, Adnan Al Rajeev, Jaya Ahsan and the whole team of “Tati,” and a sincere thanks to Shayan Chowdhury Arnob bhai for making this beautiful composition about our weavers.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The lineup for the background vocal of the song featured Md Ariful Haque (also with dotara as well), Jannatul Ferdous Akbar, Sheikh Mumtahina Mehzabin, Baby Akter, Karishma Sanu Shovvota, Shanta Islam, Nishat Ara Khaled, and Md Makhon Miah.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DotBirth Limited is associated with season 3 as its creative agency, and the new season will feature 11 new songs with more than 180 musicians and artists from across Bangladesh and the world, including Arnob, Pritom, Emon Chowdhury and Meghdol. In addition to that, new artists will be making their Coke Studio Bangla debut this season, including the iconic Habib Wahid. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 08:12:09', '2024-04-16 08:12:09'),
(11961, 11961, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Traders have proposed increasing the prices of edible oil by Tk 10 per litre as the tax exemption deadline on it expired on April 15.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh Vegetables Oil Refiners\' and Vanaspati Manufacturer\'s Association (BVORVMFA) sent a letter to the senior secretary of the commerce ministry in this regard on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The letter was issued by executive officer of BVORVMFA Nurul Islam Mollah.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The letter stated that as tax exemption on the import of raw materials and production of edible expired on April 15 so it will be supplied at the prices fixed before the exemption of VAT.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per new rate, a litre bottle of soybean oil will be sold at Tk 173, while 5 litre bottle at Tk 845 and a litre palm oil at Tk 132.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In February the National Board of Revenue reduced  the Value Added Tax on refined and crude (non-refined) soybean and palm oil to 10 percent from 15 percent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, state minister for commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu at a meet the press at Dhaka Reporters ‘Unity on Tuesday said there is no scope to hike prices of edible oil, reports unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the edible oil price can be adjusted with the international market rate but it will take time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The state minister also said the price hike would be considered on the import of new shipment of the edible oil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 08:34:49', '2024-04-16 08:35:26'),
(11962, 11962, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Israel’s military chief said Monday that the country will respond after Iran launched an attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says “all sides must show restraint” to avoid a rising spiral of violence in the Middle East. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris will try to “convince Israel that we must not respond by escalating.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Iranian attack on Saturday marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The attack happened less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An Israeli military spokesman said that 99% of the drones and missiles launched by Iran were intercepted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,700 people, according to local health officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel’s military chief says the country will respond to Iran’s missile strike over the weekend.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Monday that Israel is still considering its steps. But he said the Iranian strike of missiles and attack drones “will be met with a response.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Halevi spoke during a visit to the Nevatim air base, which Israel says suffered light damage in the Iranian attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been huddling with top officials to discuss a possible response</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals Monday morning, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 around 7 a.m., a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade to free Palestine,” according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organizers. Similar demonstrations blocking a freeway in California’s Bay Area also took place Monday, reports AP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">O’Hare warned travelers on the social platform X to take alternative forms of transportation with car travel “substantially delayed this morning due to protest activity.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 08:54:31', '2024-04-16 08:54:31');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11963, 11963, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">MSI has taken the wraps off the Cyborg 15 AI at CES 2024. MSI has already engraved its name among the greats for manufacturing powerful gaming laptops. The Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK is an effort from MSI to provide a gaming laptop with a standard GPU and chipsets within budget. Does it make it any better to integrate Ai in the features? Let’s find out.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Key Specs and Features of MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Design</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK excels in performance and offers a sleek and functional design. Its translucent black color gives it a modern and professional appearance. With dimensions of 359.36 mm by 250.34 mm by 21.95-22.9mm and weighing just 1.98 kg, it perfectly balances portability and usability. The package includes an MSI Essential Backpack, enhancing its travel-friendliness.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The laptop features a 4-zone RGB gaming keyboard with backlighting, providing both style and functionality. This device has a numeric keypad for convenient data entry. The touchpad is the primary pointing device, but it lacks a dedicated navigation key. Overall, the physical attributes of the Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK&nbsp; contribute to its appeal as a versatile and visually appealing laptop option.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Display</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Cyborg 15 AI offers a good-grade display. With its 16.5-inch FHD LED panel utilising IPS technology, users can enjoy crisp and vibrant visuals with satisfactory color accuracy. The 1920 by 1080 resolution ensures sharp details for work and entertainment purposes. Notably, the display\'s 144Hz refresh rate provides smooth and fluid motion, which is particularly beneficial for gaming and multimedia tasks. While it covers 45% of the NTSC color gamut, it still delivers satisfying color reproduction for everyday uses.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Performance and Hardware</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK boasts an impressive performance thanks to its cutting-edge hardware configuration. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, featuring 16 cores and 22 threads, this laptop delivers exceptional speed and multitasking capabilities. With a base frequency of 1.40GHz and a turbo boost reaching up to 4.80GHz, it handles demanding tasks effortlessly. Its 16GB of DDR5 RAM, clocked at 5600 MHz, ensures smooth operation even during intensive workloads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A1VEK sports a speedy 512GB NVMe PCIe SSD card offering ample space for your files and lightning-fast data access. The Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card with 6GB of GDDR6 dedicated memory delivers stunning visuals and smooth gameplay for gaming enthusiasts and creative professionals alike. Overall, the MSI Cyborg 15 AI is a powerhouse that excels in performance, making it an excellent choice for users seeking top-tier computing capabilities in a portable package.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ai Features</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The new Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK has tried to organize the laptop\'s overall performance with AI\'s support. The primary functionalities offering AI optimization can be divided into two categories: MSI AI Engine and MSI AI Artist.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AI engine feature spontaneously optimizes the performance of the chipset, memories, and other parts by the demand of a particular task. AI engine balances performance for tasks that don’t require heavy usage of chipsets and energy. It accelerates the laptop’s performance and picks it up to extreme performance mode during heavy gaming, video rendering, etc.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The MSI Artist is a downloadable software. It comes with an integrated image-generative AI function. Users can get images and graphics from it by prompting in text instructions. One primary difference between the AI Artist and other cloud-based AI software is the AI Artist can be used offline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Battery and Charging</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK offers reliable performance, power efficiency, and portability. Its 3-cell battery with a capacity of 53.5Wh provides up to 3.5 hours of backup time, ensuring extended usage without frequent recharging.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Its 120W AC adapter ensures quick and efficient charging when needed. This combination of battery life and fast charging capability makes the Cyborg 15 AI suitable for users who require productivity on the go without being tethered to a power outlet for extended periods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pros and Cons of MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pros</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Fast storage</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Smooth gaming</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Doesn\'t get too hot</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Affordable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cons</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Limited 3D performance</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Doesn\'t outperform some comparably priced models.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Price of MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK laptop is available at BDT 189,770 in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Conclusion</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The MSI Cyborg 15 AI is a high-performance laptop with a sleek design, boasting a good display with a 144Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals. The Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, combined with a powerful graphics card ensures good speed and multitasking capabilities. The AI engine can be a useful feature if a user needs automatic performance optimising capacity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite some minor drawbacks like a grainy webcam and middling display, the Cyborg 15 Ai offers great value for its price. Gamers who prefer a few AI features on their laptop can buy the MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK. If you don’t have a knack for performance-optimizing AI on a laptop, you can check out the other options. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"18\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 09:00:36', '2024-04-16 09:00:36'),
(11964, 11964, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In a new move the Planning Commission seeks to include the goal of building Smart Bangladesh in the government\'s Medium Term Development Plan.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At present, initiatives have been taken to formulate the Ninth Five Year Plan (2026-2030) by the General Economic Department (GED) of the Commission, according to an official document procured by UNB this week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It said that the possible development philosophies in the Ninth Five Year Plan will be- Implementation of \'Vision 2041\' and construction of \'Smart Bangladesh, successfully addressing the challenges of transition from least developed countries (LDCs), achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Upper Medium income country status by 2031.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The others will be- accelerate growth, strengthen macroeconomic stability, Inflation control, employment generation and poverty alleviation, sustainable use of natural resources and natural disasters and coping with the impact of climate change, ensuring regional balanced development and planned urbanisation, and evelopment of important institutions and establishment of rule of law.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the plan, efforts will be made to implement the promises given in the election manifesto 2024 of Bangladesh Awami League besides incorporating the concept and strategy of building Smart Bangladesh in setting overall and sector-wise development targets, strategies and activities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These are- keeping prices affordable; ensuring vocational education and employment; Building smart Bangladesh based on modern technology; Increasing efficiency and capacity in the financial sector including banking; making health care affordable for low-income people;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Inclusion of all in the universal pension system; integrated farming systems, mechanisation and with a view to profitable agriculture increased investment in processing; and industries and services by leveraging visible infrastructure and increasing investment expanding the sector.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The document mentioned that current Awami League government has adopted a significant number of development plans in the medium and long term as part of the measures taken with the aim of economic development in the last 15 years (2009-2024).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a result of the adoption and implementation of all these plans, Bangladesh has now been recognised as a role model for development in the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The current Awami League government formulated the \"First Perspective Plan of Bangladesh (2010-2021)\" as a long-term plan to achieve the specific goals of economic and social development of Bangladesh with the aim of \"Vision 2021\" to continue the overall development and progress of the country, one of the goals of which was To promote Bangladesh to an information technology dependent middle income country by 2021.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government has adopted and successfully implemented the 6th Five Year Plan (2011-2015) and 7th Five Year Plan (2016-2020) as medium term plans to realise the development vision of “Bangladesh First Vision Plan (2010-2021)”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a result, on July 1, 2015, Bangladesh was upgraded from a low-income country to a lower-middle-income country. An average growth of 7.13 percent was achieved during the 7th Five Year Plan period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The document said that present government formulated an integrated, centenary master plan, \'Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100\', taking into consideration agriculture, fisheries, industry, forestry, public health, environment and environment etc., to address the impacts of climate change, food security, better water resource management and sustainable development.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The formulation and approval of this master plan in the continuous development journey will be marked as a milestone in the history of development planning of the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The implementation of \'Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100\' has already started. Projects are being taken up and implemented by various ministries/departments in respective fields.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The vision of the \'Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100\' is: \'Building a safe, climate resilient and prosperous delta\'.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The current government has adopted \"Realisation of Vision 2041: Vision Plan of Bangladesh 2021-2041\" to make Vision 2041 a reality with the aim of building Golden Bangla, the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plan is based on two main objectives, which are: (a) Bangladesh will be a developed country by 2041, with a per capita income of more than 12,500 US dollars at current prices and fully compatible with the digital world; and (b) Bangladesh will be a golden Bengal, where poverty will be a thing of the distant past.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The document stated that the “Vision 2041 or Vision Plan (2021-2041)” will be implemented through a series of four five-year plans, the first of which “8th Five-Year Plan (July 2020-June 2025)” is currently under implementation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In preparing this plan, along with the main goals of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), fourth industrial revolution, challenges of transition from underdeveloped countries to developing countries have been taken into consideration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition, the 8th Five Year Plan has also recommended some effective strategies to address the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The motto of this plan, formulated with the aim of sustainable development, is \'not leaving anyone behind, but development with everyone\'.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The key themes emphasized in the 8th Five Year Plan are accelerated prosperity and maximum employment generation, inclusive growth, increased productivity and poverty reduction.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this plan, promotion of labour-intensive, export-oriented manufacturing-based growth, diversification of agriculture, dynamism of cottage, small and medium industries, strengthening of modern service sector, increasing export of non-sector services, acceleration of technology-based enterprises and strengthening of foreign employment are particularly important in this plan. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 09:25:56', '2024-04-16 09:25:56'),
(11965, 11965, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Informed sources denied to Al Arabiya on Monday Saudi Arabia’s participation in intercepting Iranian drones during its attack on Israel on Saturday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Israeli news websites had published statements attributed to an official Saudi website stating that the Kingdom participated in the recent defense coalition that confronted the Iranian attacks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“There is no official website that published a statement about Saudi participation in intercepting attacks against Israel,” the sources told Al Arabiya.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel on Saturday evening into Sunday morning and described the attack as a response to several crimes, including the strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tehran indicated that the attack targeted military targets, while the Israeli army announced that it intercepted 99 percent of the Iranian missiles. - Arab News</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 09:53:55', '2024-04-16 09:53:55'),
(11966, 11966, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rains began overnight, leaving massive ponds on streets as whipping winds disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, the world\'s busiest for international travel and the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police and emergency personnel drove slowly through the flooded streets, their emergency lights flashing across the darkened morning. Lightning flashed across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world\'s tallest building.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm and government employees were largely working remotely if able. Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets and highways to pump away the water.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Initial estimates suggested over 30 millimeters (1 inch) of rain fell over the morning in Dubai, with as much as 128 mm (5 inches) of rain expected throughout the day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In neighboring Oman, a sultanate that rests on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, at least 18 people had been killed in heavy rains in recent days, according to a statement Tuesday from the country\'s National Committee for Emergency Management. That includes some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle with an adult, which saw condolences come into the country from rulers across the region. - AP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\",\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 10:06:22', '2024-04-16 10:06:22'),
(11967, 11967, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>World leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, and the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, emphasized on Monday the need to prevent escalation in the Middle East following Iran’s failed attack on Israel.</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They urged restraint and rational decision-making to avoid further instability in the region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">EU’s Borrell says Middle East on cliff edge</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Monday the Middle East stood “on the edge of the cliff” and called for de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday night in response to a suspected Israeli attack on the Tehran’s consulate in Damascus that killed seven officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards including two senior commanders.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the April 1 airstrike on the consulate in Syria’s capital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We’re on the edge of the cliff and we have to move away from it,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Spanish radio station Onda Cero. “We have to step on the brakes and reverse gear.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Borrell said he expected a response from Israel to the unprecedented aerial attack by Iran but hoped it would not spark further escalation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said there was “profound division” within the Israel’s right-wing governing coalition between hardliners seeking fierce retaliation and a “more moderate and sensible” faction.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That faction advocates for retaliation, Borrell said, “but in a way that avoids a response to the response”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Borrell, who spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian late on Sunday, said the EU needed to have the best possible relations with Iran despite the sanctions the bloc has imposed on the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear energy programme and other issues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It’s in everyone’s interest that Iran does not become a nuclear power and that the Middle East is pacified,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">UK\'s Cameron urges Israel restraint after Iran attack</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">British Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Israel not to retaliate after Iran’s drone and missile attack, saying it should “think with head as well as heart” because Tehran’s strike had been a near total failure.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The strike by more than 300 missiles and drones from Iran caused only modest damage in Israel as most were shot down by its Iron Dome defense system and with help from the US, Britain, France and Jordan. It followed a suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s embassy compound in Syria on April 1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I think they’re perfectly justified to think they should respond because they have been attacked, but we are urging them as friends to think with head as well as heart, to be smart as well as tough,” Cameron told BBC TV.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said he was urging Israel not to escalate the tensions in the Middle East.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“In many ways this has been a double defeat for Iran. The attack was an almost total failure, and they revealed to the world that they are the malign influence in the region prepared to do this. So our hope is that there won’t be a retaliatory response,” he told Sky News.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cameron said Britain would also work with allies to look at imposing more sanctions on Iran, and it urged Israel to return its focus on agreeing a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Macron says will do everything to avoid Middle East ‘conflagration’</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France would help do everything to avoid an escalation in the Middle East.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will do everything to avoid a conflagration that is to say an escalation,” he told the BFMTV news channel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“For several years now we have had an air base in Jordan to fight terrorism,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Jordanian airspace was violated... We made our planes take off and we intercepted what we had to intercept.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Experts say Israel was able to neutralize most of the missiles and drones.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne on Sunday said he had asked the foreign ministry to summon the Iranian ambassador on Monday to express a “message of firmness.” - AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fsa</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 10:35:57', '2024-04-16 10:35:57'),
(11968, 11968, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Dhaka tribunal on Tuesday extended bail of Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and three officials of Grameen Telecom, who were sentenced to six months jail in a labour law violation case, till May 23.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Labour Appellate Tribunal Judge MA Awal passed the order when they filed a petition seeking permanent bail in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Yunus sought permanent bail to avoid repeated appearance at the Labour Appellate Tribunal, said his lawyer Barrister Abdullah Al Mamun, who filed the petition.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 28, the Labour Appellate Tribunal granted bail to Yunus and three others, who had challenged the verdict of labour court in the labour law violation case.</div><div><br></div><div>On that day, the Labour Appellate Tribunal stayed the sentence of the labour court. At the same time, the court accepted the appeal for hearing.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, on January 1, Yunus and three other accused were sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in the case. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"42\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 11:43:02', '2024-04-16 11:43:02'),
(11969, 11969, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Lightning and heavy rains have killed hundreds of people across Pakistan and Afghanistan.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At least 50 people have died in Pakistan in storms that have been lashing the country, officials said on Tuesday, as they urged emergency services to remain on high alert. Authorities in Afghanistan also reported a death toll of 50 the same day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most of the deaths in Pakistan were reported in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where torrential rains and flash floods triggered landslides, damaged homes and uprooted trees.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rains caused dozens of houses to collapse in the northwest and in eastern Punjab province. A spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority said 21 people had died, with more rains expected this week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A spokesman for the disaster management authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan, said 21 people died there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rain also lashed the capital, Islamabad, and killed seven people in southwestern Balochistan province. Streets flooded in the northwestern city of Peshawar and in Quetta, the Balochistan capital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in televised remarks that he had ordered authorities to provide relief aid. Authorities have now declared a state of emergency in the southwest of the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has asked emergency services to remain vigilant amid the forecast of severer weather conditions. - Al Jazeera&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 12:11:36', '2024-04-16 12:11:36'),
(11970, 11970, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Russia and Ukraine on Monday traded blame before the United Nations Security Council for the attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said have put the world “dangerously close to a nuclear accident.”</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Without attributing blame, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said his agency has been able to confirm three attacks against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since April 7.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“These reckless attacks must cease immediately,” he told the Security Council. “Though, fortunately, they have not led to a radiological incident this time, they significantly increase the risk … where nuclear safety is already compromised.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The remote-controlled nature of the drones that have attacked the plant means that it is impossible to definitively determine who launched them, Grossi told reporters after the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“In order to say something like that, we must have proof,” he said. “These attacks have been performed with a multitude of drones.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zaporizhzhia sits in Russian-controlled territory in southeastern Ukraine and has six nuclear reactors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fears of a nuclear catastrophe have been at the forefront since Russian troops occupied the plant shortly after invading in February 2022. Continued fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces — as well as the tense supply situation at the plant — have raised the specter of a disaster.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine and its allies on Monday again blamed Russia for dangers at the site, with the United States saying, “Russia does not care about these risks.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“If it did, it would not continue to forcibly control the plant,” US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council, which met at the initiative of the US and Slovenia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia, for its part, said Ukraine was to blame for the attacks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The IAEA’s report does not pinpoint which side is behind the attacks,” Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. “We know full well who it is.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Over the last few months, such attacks not only resumed,” Nebenzia said, “they significantly intensified.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, called the attacks “a well-planned false flag operation by the Russian Federation,” which he alleged Russia had designed to distract the world from its invasion of its neighbor.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Zaporizhzhia facility is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world. Fighting in the southern part of Ukraine where it is located has raised the specter of a potential nuclear disaster like the one at Chernobyl in 1986, where a reactor exploded and blew deadly radiation across a vast area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Neither Russia nor Ukraine in recent months has been able to make significant advances along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line crossing eastern and southern Ukraine. Drones, artillery and missiles have featured heavily in what has become a war of attrition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia and Ukraine have frequently traded accusations over the Zaporizhzhia plant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The most recent strikes did not compromise the facility, which is designed to withstand a commercial airliner crashing into it, the IAEA said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features. - AP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 12:22:33', '2024-04-16 12:22:33'),
(11971, 11971, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has granted a one-day extension to Mustafizur Rahman\'s No Objection Certificate (NOC), allowing him to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), according to a BCB source.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mustafizur was previously scheduled to leave the IPL on April 30th but can now play for his team, the Chennai Super Kings, on May 1st. He will return to Bangladesh on May 2nd.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh will face Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series starting May 3rd in Chattogram. Mustafizur is expected to join the national team but may miss the first match. The last two matches of this series will take place in Dhaka.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The left-arm pacer has excelled in the IPL, taking 10 wickets in five matches. He has been one of the main bowlers of Chennai in this edition of IPL.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the Zimbabwe series, Bangladesh will travel to the USA for a three-match T20I series in preparation for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in the USA and the West Indies - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 12:32:03', '2024-04-16 12:32:03'),
(11972, 11972, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The BNP has decided not to participate in upcoming upazila elections saying that Sheikh Hasina government and her subservient Election Commission, civil and police administration cannot organize a free, fair, participatory and acceptable election.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The environment for holding free, fair and participatory polls is not visible.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP took the decision in a standing committee meeting on Monday night. BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman virtually joined in the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi sent a press release to media over the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Monday was anyway the last day of nomination submission of the first phase of forthcoming sixth upazila parishad election. According to UNB reports</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 12:34:14', '2024-04-16 12:34:14'),
(11973, 11973, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Former Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said Bangladesh-India relationship is a relationship that has to be nurtured and kept moving forward through continuous cooperation.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The relationship is not just moving forward, it is growing by leaps and bounds. We have to continue maintaining the momentum of the relations with fresh impetus,” he said while responding to a question in a podcast.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shringla who served as High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, joined Pratim Ranjan Bose to discuss global politics and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pratim Ranjan Bose is a media commentator, researcher, and consultant. He writes newspaper columns and appears on national TV.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shringla, Chief Coordinator of India’s G20 Presidency in 2022-23, said Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have developed a very good relationship which is referred to as golden chapter for Dhaka-Delhi ties and two countries have addressed most of the irritants of the relations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Responding to a question of the possibility of fresh Indian credit, he said every country has credit absorption capacity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shringla said India-Bangladesh relations are in a satisfactory stage and must move forward in every aspect including the line of credit. “It is very important to work closely for implementation of the projects.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He appreciated PM Modi’s Neighbourhood First policy and highlighted that 50% of Indian line of credit is directed to the neighbourhood. “You cannot expect to prosper and develop if your neighbors are not doing the same.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cooperation during Covid-19 through sharing vaccines, exemption from recent ban on onion exports and trade facilitations are giving dividends, said the former Indian diplomat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said electricity cooperation with Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh will flourish and an under-sea electricity cable to Sri Lanka can bring long term stability to the island nation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Responding to a question on reported “Boycott India” campaigns in the Maldives, Shringla said ties are too strong to be disturbed by *Boycott India* campaigns.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I can tell you very safely that people of these two countries by and large have a very strong affinity and positive outlook,” he said, highlighting the engagement through tourism, medical care and education sector.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shringla said the people to people relationship is the most vital PM Modi’s policy is very broad and foresighted when it comes to neighbours.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about joining politics, Shringla said he is not formally in politics but he is happy to support those efforts for his country under the guidance of PM Modi and noted that India witnessed enormous transformation and achievements.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said India wants a multipolar world with it being one of the poles. India surpassed all expectations under Modi and is facing resistance both from outside and inside but ready to move on,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shringla also shed light on India-US relations noting that there are remarkable achievements. “US companies started investing heavily in India. The ties reached a stage where it will remain unaffected.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Indo-Pacific and QUAD are very important to the USA and the cooperation will increase, he observed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shringla said India is committed to ensuring security of maritime trade through the Gulf of Aden and Suez, reports unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said India’s role in providing maritime security will rise in the western Indian ocean and perhaps even in the eastern Indian ocean.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have to display more robust participation in global security. Today we have been more proactive. Those efforts will continue. We have to ensure that we are part of the solution,” Shringhla said,m adding that, “We hope to see there will be greater stability.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 12:48:44', '2024-04-16 12:48:44'),
(11974, 11974, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Four people died and at least 19 more were missing after a boat ferrying them across a swollen river capsized in India-held Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rescuers in rubber boats joined by marine commandos were scrambling to find survivors as hundreds of worried and mourning family members gathered at the riverbanks after the accident.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The missing included several children who had been on their way to school when the boat overturned in the Jhelum river in the city of Srinagar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have four dead from the tragedy,” Muzaffar Zargar, the superintendent for the city’s main hospital, told reporters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Three others were being treated, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At least 26 people were on the boat when it capsized, a top official in occupied Kashmir told AFP on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to speak to media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Days of rain across the occupied valley had swelled the river.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The small vessel had no motor, but its crew propelled it between the riverbanks by pulling a rope fixed at both ends.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Witnesses said the rope snapped with the force of the fast-flowing water, crashing against a pillar of a partially built footbridge nearby.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I am deeply grieved by the loss of lives due to a boat accident in Srinagar,” Kashmir’s top political official Manoj Sinha said in a post on social media platform X.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” he said, adding that “all possible help” was being provided to relatives of those who died.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many office workers and schoolchildren take a boat across the river in the morning to avoid road traffic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Accidents are common on the treacherous roads of the mountainous region but passenger boat disasters are rare. - AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 13:04:31', '2024-04-16 13:04:31'),
(11975, 11975, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>President Mohammed Shahabuddin today asked the university authorities to formulate world-standard and modern curriculums as the newly appointed vice-chancellor (VC) of Chittagong University (CU) Professor Dr. Md. Abu Taher paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban here.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"Modern curriculums should be formulated so that the students can establish themselves as competent at the national and international levels,\" President\'s press secretary Md Joynal Abedin quoted the President as saying during the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Mohammed Shahabuddin, also the chancellor of the universities, said the country\'s higher education needs to be compatible with science and information technology (IT).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The authorities concerned of the universities should take necessary initiatives to expand formal education as well as non-formal educational programs in the field of the higher education, he hoped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The head of state added that necessary initiatives should be taken so that the students can attain proper knowledge about the country\'s Liberation War, independence, culture and traditions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, during the meeting, the President was apprised by the VC of the academic and overall activities of the University of Chittagong.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President\'s Office Secretary Md Wahidul Islam Khan, Military Secretary Major General SM Salahuddin Islam and Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin were present. - BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-16 14:07:47', '2024-04-16 14:07:47');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11976, 11976, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 11 people were killed and 25 others injured when a speeding truck ran through several vehicles before plunging into a roadside ditch near Gabkhan bridge in Jhalakathi municipality area on Wednesday, police said.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The accident occurred around 1:30 pm when the truck ploughed through ten vehicles including an auto-rickshaw and a private car, standing in front of the toll gate. It then hurtled into the roadside ditch, leaving seven people dead and 25 others injured, said Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The injured were taken to different hospitals. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 09:03:51', '2024-04-17 09:03:51'),
(11977, 11977, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has attended the \"9th Our Ocean Conference Greece 2024\" held in Athens on April 16-17.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He led a delegation at the Conference which is a regular platform for governments, international organisations, academia, private sectors and NGOs to come together with the aim of sharing&nbsp; a common vision for the protection of oceans and taking actions to support this vision.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The conference was inaugurated by the Greek President through a video message, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the first day, apart from various plenary sessions on greening of the shipping sector, confronting plastic pollution, effective management of marine protected areas, ocean-climate nexus, the foreign minister participated in a high-level segment with the participation of Heads of State/Government, preceded by an event where the Geek Prime Minister delivered the keynote speech.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign minister also took part in a working lunch hosted by the Greek foreign minister in honor of the participating toreign ministers.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the morning of 16th April, on the sidelines of the conference, the foreign minister had a bilateral meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ocean plays a key role in human existence; it is essential for people\'s survival, well-being and prosperity.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It provides food, regulates our climate, and generates most of the oxygen we breathe.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It also serves much of the world’s economy, supporting sectors from tourism to fisheries and to international shipping while it is connected to our culture and is a major source of inspiration.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the health of seas and the ocean, and of marine ecosystems in particular, is threatened by unsustainable practices such as discharges of wastewater and marine litter, unregulated and unreported fishing, unsustainable shipping and tourism activities, said the speakers.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To mitigate the negative impacts from human interventions and improve the current state of our oceans, it is essential to join efforts on a global scale, they said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Collaboration among nations, NGOs, private entities, academia, professional groups, civil society organisations and more, is of paramount importance for implementing effective solutions, fostering sustainable practices, and safeguarding the delicate equilibrium of oceans.</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 09:13:41', '2024-04-17 09:13:41'),
(11978, 11978, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Iran said on Wednesday its military was ready to confront any attack by Israel, with the air force saying it was prepared for action.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran’s navy commander said also that it was escorting Iranian commercial vessels to the Red Sea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran carried out its first-ever direct attack on Israel last weekend in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus on April 1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has said it will hit back and its war cabinet was meeting on Wednesday to discuss options.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Any attack by the Zionist regime (Israel) on our soil will be dealt with a severe response,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday at a parade held for Army Day, state media reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force warned at the same event that its warplanes, including Russian-made Sukhoi-24s, were in their “best state of preparedness” to counter any Israeli attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have full readiness in all fields, including our air coverage and bombers, and are prepared for any operation,” Brig. Gen. Amir Vahedi said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A direct attack on Revolutionary Guards bases or nuclear research facilities within Iran is one of the options Israel has to strike back. Targets outside of Iran are also a possibility.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Admiral Shahram Irani said the Iran Navy was escorting Iranian commercial ships to the Red Sea, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The Navy is carrying out a mission to escort Iranian commercial ships to the Red Sea and our Jamaran frigate is present in the Gulf of Aden in this view,” Irani said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tehran was ready to escort vessels of other countries, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Red Sea has seen significant disruption to Israel-bound shipping due to attacks from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On April 13, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the MSC Aries, a Portuguese-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz which Tehran says is linked to Israel, according to Reuters reports&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 10:12:52', '2024-04-17 10:12:52'),
(11979, 11979, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A brutal heat wave sweeping across Bangladesh. could put millions of Bangladeshi at greater risk of heal-related illnesses. Here\'s what you can do to stay cool and safe this week - and throughout the scorching summer months.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Heat exhaustion and heat stroke occur when your body starts to lose the ability to regulate its core temperature. Excessive exposure to heat can cause many symptoms, including:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">☼ Dizziness</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">☼ Fatigue</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">☼ Headaches</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">☼ Excessive sweating</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">☼ Nausea and Vomiting</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">How to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">1. Maintain a healthy weight</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People who are obese are at much greater risk for heat-related illnesses. Carrying excess weight can affect your body’s ability to regulate its temperature and cause you to retain more heat. Talk to your doctor if you need help managing your weight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">2. Wear appropriate clothing</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Limit sun exposure when you’re outside by wearing a wide-brimmed hat and light, loose-fitting clothing. Also consider bringing an umbrella, awning, or overhang to protect yourself from the sun.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">3. Stay hydrated</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Staying hydrated is key to maintaining a healthy body temperature, particularly during exercise. Drink plenty of fluids the day before and the day of physical activity. During exercise, keep a drink handy that contains salt, electrolytes, and small amounts of sugar, such as Gatorade or Powerade to replenish those substances you have lost while sweating.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">You tell us: What are your go-to drinks to stay hydrated in the summer? Tag us on Twitter @MedStarHealth #LiveWellHealthy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">4. Get used to the heat</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you spend most of your time in the air conditioning and suddenly try to run five miles outdoors, your body might not be ready for that kind of heat exposure. It’s safer to gradually expose yourself to activity outside during the summer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">5. Be extra careful if you’re sick</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Infections such as the flu can cause your body temperature to spike. If you’ve recently overcome an illness, be cautious about the amount of time you spend outside and spend exercising for a couple of weeks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">6. Use the buddy system</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you’re older than 70, you’re more susceptible to heat stroke due to underlying medical conditions that can affect their body temperature. If you live alone or can’t get around well, the risk is increased, especially if your air conditioner breaks. Use the buddy system - find a friend or relative who can help when the temperature rises. - Medstar Health</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', '<p>&nbsp;\'Heat-stroke\'<br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"24\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 11:30:55', '2024-04-17 11:30:55'),
(11980, 11980, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh is preparing to introduce remote sensing and drones to detect crop damage caused by extreme weather events or diseases, said the Asian Development Bank (ADB).</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Around 20 officers of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are initially receiving training to learn how to use the state-of-the-art technologies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Malay Choudhury, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, and Edimon Ginting, ADB Country Director for Bangladesh inaugurated a workshop titled “The Use of Drone and Satellite Image for Crop Monitoring and Crop Damage Assessment” in Dhaka on Tuesday to initiate a seven-day training programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DAE and ADB jointly designed the training programme that will continue till April 25 April, according to ADB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Renowned geospatial experts from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will conduct the training.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The trainees will receive four days of classroom training on geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing analysis for crop damage detection and participate in a three-day field trip to Sylhet to learn how to collect ground data using mobile devices.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local DAE officials are expected to participate in the training in Sylhet, where the 2022 floods caused major crop damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Proper assessment of crop diseases and losses are critical to take appropriate measures to ensure agricultural productivity and food security in the context of growing threats of climate change in Bangladesh, said Country Director Edimon Ginting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“ADB will continue to bring in innovative solutions including advanced technologies to help Bangladesh tackle climate impacts,” Ginting added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With advanced geospatial technology, our officers will be able to assess crop damage and provide effective government programs to mitigate the expected damage caused by climate change in the future, said Badal Chandra Biswas, Director General, DAE.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the training program, ADB and DAE plan to produce joint reports on crop damage assessment in the Sylhet region, conduct a project evaluation study of an ADB-supported integrated water management project in Gopalganj areas, and implement a nationwide climate disaster assessment in a small local government unit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific financed by the Government of Japan provided the grant fund for the training program through the Asian Development Bank. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 11:48:34', '2024-04-17 11:48:34'),
(11981, 11981, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said that there is nothing to worry about downgrading growth forecast for Bangladesh by IMF for the current fiscal year.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said he is satisfied over the recovery of Bangladesh’s economy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The finance minister said this in response to a question from a Bangladeshi journalist on the sideline of the World Bank-IMF spring meeting in Washington DC on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The finance minister said that he is not too worried about the GDP growth forecast by the IMF as the country has already started to recover from crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Initiatives taken by the government for economic reforms are working,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though people are slowly getting relief, those who see negatively are not happy, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The International Monetary Fund (IMF) again has revised downward the growth forecast of Bangladesh\'s economy to 5.7 percent for the current fiscal year of 2023-24.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The IMF made the revised projection in its World Economic Outlook released April 16.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The IMF growth forecast highlighted different global and local challenges, including persistently high inflation, unemployment, lower remittance flow, and a fell industrial investment target.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The global lender for the second time cut economic growth forecast for Bangladesh. In October last year, it projected 6 percent growth, cutting down its previous prediction from 6.5 percent for the FY2023-24, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, the IMF growth forecast comes a week after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Bangladesh\'s GDP will expand 6.1 percent in FY 2023-24, riding on exports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Early this month, the World Bank said Bangladesh will register subdued growth for reduced private consumption affected by high inflation.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"33\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 12:07:47', '2024-04-17 12:07:47'),
(11982, 11982, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the state has been behind the disappearances of BNP central organizing secretary and former member of parliament (MP) M Ilias Ali and others.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this while speaking at a press conference at BNP Nayapaltoncentral office to mark M Ilias Ali’s 12 years of disappearance on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that Ilias Ali went missing along with his driver Ansar Ali from in front of South Point school and college, Banani Road 2, on April 17, 2012.</div><div><br></div><div>The car used by the politician was recovered from Dhaka\'s Mohakhali area the same day, but the two of them could not be traced even after 12 years, reports unb.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said nowadays, it is clear to the country’s people that Ilias Ali was made to disappear by this \"fascist government.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Ilias Ali was a headache for the state and a foreign power as he was the key leader of a mass movement raised in Sylhet area against Tipaimukh Dam and border aggression. He was also active against Hasina’s autocratic rule, Rizvi added.</div><div><br></div><div>After Ilias Ali’s disappearance the government had staged different dramas in the name of finding him by search, Rizvi claimed.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the contents of dramas were sent from the prime minister\'s office.</div><div><br></div><div>Not only Ilias Ali but other BNP leaders like Saiful Islam Hiru, Chowdhury Alam (former councilor), Zahidul Karim Tanvir, Md Mazharul Islam Rasel, Al Amin, Sazedul Islam Sumon, Md Abdul Quader Bhuyan Masum, Jakir Hossain Munna, Mir Ahamed Bin Quasem, Abdullahhil Azami, Iftekhar Ahamed Dinar and many more were disappeared, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi ‍said according to the Asian Human Rights Commission a total of 623 people were forced to disappear from 2009-2022 further adding that Bangladeshi human rights organisation Odhikar’s in its last updated report said that from January to June, 2023, 16 people were missing and disappeared.</div><div><br></div><div>He also claimed according to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) about six hundred people disappeared in the last 15 years.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 12:38:01', '2024-04-17 12:38:01'),
(11983, 11983, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government has set a target to elevate capital expenditure in the medium term (2025-26 fiscal) aiming to achieve sustained economic growth.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The government has set the target as it thinks that there is no alternative to increasing capital expenditure which has profound impacts on the production level of the economy.</div><div><br></div><div>“In the medium term, capital expenditure has been targeted to increase to 6.68 percent of GDP by FY 2025-26,” according to an official document of the finance ministry obtained by UNB this week.</div><div><br></div><div>The allocation was estimated at 6.41 percent of the GDP for 2024-25 fiscal while 6.50 percent for the running 2023-24 fiscal year.</div><div><br></div><div>The government allocated capital investment through either Annual Development Program (ADP) or the non-ADP capital expenditure.</div><div><br></div><div>It was 6.09 percent of GDP as per the revised budget for FY 2022-23, according to the official document titled ‘Medium Term Macroeconomic Policy Statement (2023-24 to 2025-26)’.</div><div><br></div><div>The document mentioned that the focus of the ADP will be to sharply improve and strengthen infrastructure, build a social protection system, and alleviate infrastructure constraints to private investment by fast-tracking nationally important projects.</div><div><br></div><div>The ADP is the main source of public sector capital formation. Data shows that ADP implementation varies in different fiscal years.</div><div><br></div><div>Between FY 2016-17 and FY 2021-22, ADP implementation as a percentage of budget allocation was between 76.0 and 88.6 percent, and implementation as a percentage of GDP ranged from 3.6 to 4.7 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>The government has taken various steps to increase the implementation efficiency of relevant agencies, the document said.</div><div><br></div><div>The government has also launched the iBAS++ digital platform, bringing all the line ministries together on this platform, and has simplified the process of managing and releasing funds.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, in the last fiscal year, project directors were given the power to release all instalments of government funds.</div><div><br></div><div>These initiatives will play an important role in ensuring maximum utilisation of project funds, reducing wastage, and expediting project implementation. In the medium term, the size of ADP will be aligned with that of the 8th Five Year Plan.</div><div><br></div><div>The Annual Development Programme (ADP) and Non- ADP capital expenditure are the two major categories of capital formation through government expenditures, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Moreover, capital expenditure includes loans and advances, development programmes financed from the revenue budget, non-ADP projects and Non- ADP FFW (Food for Work) and transfer.</div><div><br></div><div>The estimated size of the development budget is Tk 2,77,582 crore, which is 36.4 per cent of the total budget. Development budget\'s main component is the ADP, and its related expenses are 94.7 per cent.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"33\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 12:53:46', '2024-04-17 12:53:46'),
(11984, 11984, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>US President Joe Biden on Wednesday urged a tripling of tax on Chinese steel and aluminum, citing “unfair competition” as he seeks to win blue-collar votes in November’s election.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Biden’s call comes as the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced it is launching a probe into China’s trade practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors in response to a recent petition by five US unions.</div><div><br></div><div>The president is preparing to address steelworkers in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the second day of a three-day trip through the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania.</div><div><br></div><div>Both Biden and his election rival Donald Trump are competing for vital blue-collar voters, promising to revive American manufacturing.</div><div><br></div><div>“Chinese policies and subsidies for their domestic steel and aluminum industries mean high-quality US products are undercut by artificially low-priced Chinese alternatives produced with higher emissions,” the White House said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>A senior US official told reporters that China accounts for about half of global steel production, while exporting the metal at a significantly lower cost than US steel prices.</div><div><br></div><div>As the USTR reviews tariffs imposed on China during Trump’s administration, Biden urged it to triple an existing rate under Section 301 of the Trade Act.</div><div><br></div><div>Currently, the average tariff on steel and aluminum under this section is 7.5 per cent.</div><div><br></div><div>The so-called Section 301 investigation was the primary tool the Trump administration used in the trade war with China to justify tariffs.</div><div><br></div><div>The White House added on Wednesday that Biden is also directing officials to work with Mexico to prevent tariff evasion by China. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 13:21:14', '2024-04-17 13:21:14'),
(11985, 11985, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced today the appointment of renowned spin bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed to its national team. The former Pakistan leg-spinner and World Cup winner brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to the role.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mushtaq, 53, has previously served as spin bowling coach for prominent cricketing nations, including England, West Indies, and Pakistan. His impressive resume also boasts a stint as Pakistan\'s bowling consultant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is a great honor for me to be a part of the Bangladesh cricket team as a spin bowling coach,” Mushtaq stated. “I am looking forward to the role and want to pass my experience to the players because they are very coachable and I always believe that they are one of the most dangerous teams around.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mushtaq’s appointment comes ahead of Bangladesh\'s preparation camp for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe later this month. He will be working closely with the team until the culmination of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, set to take place in the West Indies and USA. - UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 13:41:31', '2024-04-17 13:41:31'),
(11986, 11986, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to keep sharp eyes on the emerging situation of the Middle East following Iran\'s retaliatory attack on Israel.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also asked them to take necessary preparations to face possible impacts, considering that some sectors of Bangladesh might be affected if this conflict continues for a long time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier issued the directives during an unscheduled discussion at the Cabinet meeting. She chaired the meeting at her office here in the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain briefed reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat in the afternoon after the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"> “The Prime Minister said all concerned should keep an eye on the reality that is emerging in the Middle East. All members of the cabinet and ministries concerned have been asked to keep a sharp eye on the emerging situation,” he said quoting the PM.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ministries concerned were asked to take preparation from right now for possible reactions of the conflict, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It has been asked to take preparation for how we will deal with the matters or what we can do in facing these things, if the conflict continues for a long-term,” said the Cabinet Secretary.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If the conflict turns long-term, then it would leave impacts in various sectors, the authorities of the sectors concerned were asked to take plan to face the impacts, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In reply to a question over the sectors that might be affected, Mahbub said all were asked to take preparation in their respective sectors. “If a crisis is created, the price of fuel may go up. So, it was asked to make a plan for what should be done in that case,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 13:47:26', '2024-04-17 16:17:47'),
(11987, 11987, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Turkiye will take steps to strengthen its medium-term economic program and the three main priorities are to increase public savings, prioritize investments and accelerate structural reforms, President Tayyip Erdogan said.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking on Tuesday evening after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said his economic team had made preparations for such steps to strengthen the program, MTP, and, “hopefully we will share them with the public very soon.”&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have three main priorities in strengthening the MTP. These are to increase public sector savings, prioritize investments, and accelerate structural reforms.”&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said both the finance ministry and the budget authority were carrying out studies on public sector savings, with more than 15 articles being worked upon.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We mean not only reducing expenditures, but making existing expenditures more efficient, prioritizing them, and making them contribute more to the economy’s competitiveness, efficiency and social welfare,” state broadcaster TRT reported him as saying.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan also said on Tuesday evening that economic growth will approach 4 percent this year with a positive impact from exports, and forecast that the current account deficit will be 2.5 percent of gross domestic product at the end of the year.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Official data on Wednesday showed that Turkiye’s current account deficit stood at $3.265 billion in February, less than a Reuters forecast for a deficit of $3.7 billion.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan told a panel in Washington on Tuesday that Turkiye is on track to reach its 36 percent inflation target by the end of the year after peaking at around 75 percent in the coming months. Source: Reuters&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 14:05:58', '2024-04-17 14:05:58'),
(11988, 11988, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government has decided to arrange universal pension promotion fair across the country to attract people to this scheme.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the National Pension Authority (NPA), pension fairs will be held in 64 districts of of eight divisions to remove the apprehensions of people and ensure spontaneous participation of all classes of people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As part of the initiative, the NPA is going to organise a fair in Rajshahi division. The fair will be held at Haji Muhammad Mohsin Government High School premises in Rajshahi city on April 19.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister\'s Office Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah will open the fair as the chief guest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There will be a total of 70 stalls of different institutions at the fair. There will be also booths of Sonali Bank, Agrani, City, and BRAC Bank for financial transactions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local administration will assist the NPA to organise the fair smoothly. - unb</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/fas</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 14:18:40', '2024-04-17 14:18:40'),
(11989, 11989, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Travelers were warned against heading to Dubai International Airport and advised to check the status of their flights with the airline due to the heaviest rainfall in 75 years, Emirates News Agency reported.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dubai Airports said flights continued to be delayed and diverted following the deluge and urged passengers to contact airlines for the latest travel information.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions,” the airport wrote on X.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Emirates Airlines suspended all travel procedures for passengers leaving Dubai on Wednesday, but added they would continue for arrivals and transit passengers. The Dubai airport website showed until midnight. The airport’s website showed extensive delays for some flights.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UAE witnessed a record rainfall on Tuesday, with the National Center of Meteorology reporting that 254 mm fell in Al-Ain in fewer than 24 hours. This is the highest level since records began in 1949.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday morning, the authorities were busy clearing up the debris following the downpour, which caused chaos across the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Ras al-Khaimah, the country\'s northernmost emirate, police said one 70-year-old man died when his vehicle was swept away by floodwater.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In neighboring Oman, 19 people died, including children, following three consecutive days of heavy rain. Local media published images of flooded communities and the Times of Oman reported more rain was expected on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The skies were clear in Dubai, but the roads were quiet in some areas after government employees and all schools were ordered to work remotely for a second day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">UAE media and social media posts showed significant damage in some parts of the country, including collapsed roads and flooded homes. Others included images of roads and car parks under water, with some vehicles completely submerged.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Zayed Road, a 12-lane highway through Dubai, was partially flooded, leaving people stuck for hours in long traffic jams. - Arab News</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 14:51:30', '2024-04-17 14:51:30'),
(11990, 11990, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>“Giving elaborate details of targeting of human rights defenders and journalists in Kashmir, CIVICUS call for release of activists, compliance with international norms.”</b></span></div><div><br></div><div>NEW DELHI: A new CIVICUS Monitor report, published ahead of the India’s 2024 elections, shows that the Indian government used an array of restrictive laws and policies to silence dissent by targeting critics including civil society groups, human rights defenders and independent media.</div><div><br></div><div>In its 11-page report, the CIVICUS Monitor dedicates at least two pages to Kashmir and highlights that human rights work in Kashmir has almost come to a complete standstill due to arrests of activists and continuous harassment of civil society organisations and activists through raids and interrogations.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term in power was sustained by a pattern of repression to undermine democracy and civic space, the global civil society alliance, CIVICUS, said today.</div><div><br></div><div>Over twenty organisations collaborate on the CIVICUS Monitor to provide an evidence base for action to improve civic space on all continents.</div><div><br></div><div>Civic space in India is rated as “repressed” by the CIVICUS Monitor and it has called upon the government to drop all charges against human rights defenders, activists and protesters, and immediately and unconditionally release all those detained; review and amend India’s criminal laws to conform to international law and standards and take steps to ensure that all human rights defenders in India can carry out their legitimate activities without any hindrance or fear of reprisals.</div><div><br></div><div>Crackdown on Civil Society</div><div><br></div><div>The report highlights how civil society organisations have faced an increased crackdown through the cancellation of their registrations, raids and investigations by law enforcement agencies.</div><div><br></div><div>The authorities also blocked access to foreign funding for civil society groups, critical of the government, through the restrictive Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which the UN has deemed in contravention of international law and standards, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>Human rights defenders critical of the government were also implicated and jailed in politically motivated cases under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a draconian anti-terror law. Under the UAPA’s draconian provisions, activists remain in detention for long periods and are often denied bail even on health grounds as exemplified in the Bhima Koregaon case, the report states.</div><div><br></div><div>It also highlights that India also witnessed an increase in attacks and restrictions against independent media and journalists in recent years such as the targeting of NewsClick with raids, searches and seizures by various government agencies.</div><div><br></div><div>“The increasing use of restrictive laws during Prime Minister Modi’s second term to crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders and independent media, highlights a government that has become intolerable of any form of dissent. These laws have become tools for judicial harassment and are incompatible with India’s international human rights obligations as well as India’s Constitution”, said Marianna Belalba Barreto, Research Lead for the CIVICUS Monitor.</div><div><br></div><div>CIVICUS also highlights in the report that since the 2019 elections, major protests in India have been met with arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force by the police, including protests against the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019 and the farmers protests.</div><div><br></div><div>Authorities used Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a colonial-era provision, to arbitrarily restrict or deny assemblies.&nbsp; Internet shutdowns were also used to prevent people gathering in protests and fabricated charges were brought against protesters, with some still remaining in detention, it adds.</div><div><br></div><div>Silencing Kashmir</div><div><br></div><div>The CIVICUS Monitor takes a serious view of the crackdown on civil liberties in Kashmir.</div><div><br></div><div>The human rights landscape in Kashmir has drastically deteriorated, with a sharp decline in activism and media freedom, it notes. Since August 2019, the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution and the subsequent division of Jammu and Kashmir into federally administered territories have exacerbated the situation, it states.</div><div><br></div><div>It highlights that the central government’s actions have led to a stifling environment where dissenting voices are targeted and silenced.</div><div><br></div><div>This crackdown has created a pervasive atmosphere of fear and censorship in the region, the report states.</div><div><br></div><div>The report highlights the case of human rights defender Khurram Parvez from the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, who has been detained under the UAPA for more than two years. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on politically motivated charges, highlighting the systematic targeting of activists.</div><div><br></div><div>Similarly, journalist Irfan Mehraj was arrested under accusations of terrorism financing, further illustrating the suppression of dissenting voices, the CIVICUS Monitor states. According to Kashmir times reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 15:28:09', '2024-04-17 15:28:09'),
(11991, 11991, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh Cricket Board\'s (BCB) Cricket Operations Chairman, Jalal Yunus has sparked debate with his statement that star left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman has nothing more to gain from playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This declaration comes despite Mustafizur\'s strong performance for the Chennai Super Kings, where he has taken 10 wickets in five matches, including a four-wicket haul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BCB extended Mustafizur\'s IPL participation by one day, allowing him to play on May 1. He is expected to join the national team camp on May 3.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Mustafizur has nothing left to learn by playing in the IPL. His learning process is over. In fact, many IPL players can learn from Mustafizur. Bangladesh will not benefit from this. Others will benefit from having Mustafizur,” Jalal asserted in Mirpur on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jalal emphasised that the IPL is not limited to four-over spells for Mustafizur and expressed concern over the physical demands of the tournament\'s tight schedule, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Our concern is Mustafizur\'s health. His fitness. They (the IPL teams) will want to take 100% from him. They don\'t have a headache about his fitness, but we do,” Jalal added. “What do we need? We need a fresh Mustafizur. We don\'t want an exhausted Mustafizur.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He explained that the decision is part of managing Mustafizur\'s workload due to his recent heavy involvement in cricket.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jalal\'s comments drew a reaction from renowned Bangladeshi cricket coach Mohammed Salah Uddin, who took to social media with a mocking response: “Nothing (is) expected better than that, brilliant thinking. Best jokes ever (I) heard,” accompanied by laughing emojis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 15:37:39', '2024-04-17 15:37:39'),
(11992, 11992, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Two members of a notorious criminal gang were arrested by Indian police on Tuesday for firing at the home of Bollywood actor Salman Khan in retaliation for the superstar’s killing of two antelopes.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Bishnoi gang, accused of several murders and extortion rackets, hails from a wider desert-based religious sect that considers the species to be the reincarnation of their guru.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khan, 58, has been in the crosshairs of the group since 1998 for shooting two blackbucks on a recreational hunting trip. The gang’s jailed leader Lawrence Bishnoi has threatened Khan with assassination in the past.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two men on a motorbike shot at Khan’s first-floor apartment during the early hours of Sunday in the upscale Mumbai neighbourhood of Bandra, also firing several rounds in the air before fleeing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khan, who is always guarded by armed policemen owing to threats to his life, was home when the gunshots were fired. The two men aged 24 and 21 were arrested in the western state of Gujarat, police said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We were able to locate the two accused near a temple,” Kutch district police officer Mahendra Bagaria said. “One of our teams reached the temple and nabbed the accused.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Members of the Bishnoi community pursued a criminal case against Khan for the blackbuck shooting for 20 years. Khan was sentenced to five years in jail by a local court for violating the Wildlife Protection Act in 2018. - Dawn&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 15:50:57', '2024-04-17 15:50:57');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11993, 11993, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat today blasted Khaleda Zia government for its decision not to officially observe April 17 (Mujibnagar Day), a historic day memorable for formation of the country’s first government on this day in 1971.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A cabinet division document of 2002 revealed that BNP government decided not to observe April 17 as it found no importance of the day, Arafat wrote in a Facebook post today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He wrote- Today is a historically memorable day for the nation as first cabinet of independent Bangladesh took oath on this day.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“But from a cabinet meeting today I came to know that the cabinet led by Khaleda Zia adopted a resolution in 2002 not to observe a number of important days including April 17 saying ‘those days do not need to be observed in the present context’, reports BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Can you imagine it? The oath taking day of independent Bangladesh\'s first government (cabinet) was not important to them!” he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is much more that the cabinet of Khaleda Zia which was constituted with war criminals and rajakars did not scrap the celebration of March 26 and December 16 as the Independence Day and the Victory Day,” Arafat wrote.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-17 16:08:49', '2024-04-17 16:08:49'),
(11994, 11994, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday inaugurated the Livestock Services Week and Fair aimed at promoting poultry and dairy farmers through development of the sector.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister formally opened the 2-day fair at the old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar beside the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).</div><div><br></div><div>Department of Livestock Services of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry has organised the fair.</div><div><br></div><div>The fair will remain open from 10 am to 8:00 pm every day. No entry fee is needed for the visitors.</div><div><br></div><div>The farmers of poultry and dairy sector across the country will join the event to display their cattle and birds in the fair.</div><div><br></div><div>Simultaneous fairs have been organized at 466 upazilas of 64 districts.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister visited the fairground and stopped at various stalls to see the livestocks displayed at the show.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the organisers, some 25 pavilions and 30 stalls have been set up in the fair ground to showcase the varieties of livestock of the country. Of those, seven pavilions have been dedicated to the government authorities.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 3,000 farmers out of total 55,000 members of the BDFA from Dhaka, Cumilla, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Bogura, Pabna, Sirajganj, Jashore, Benapole, Kushtia, and Chuadanga, and other districts joined the fair, reports unb</div><div><br></div><div>According to the organisers the fair will provide the grassroot farmers to conduct business with the mega companies.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 09:07:04', '2024-04-18 09:07:04'),
(11995, 11995, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum has been named in influential US weekly TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world for 2024. Tabassum was named in the Innovators section of the list for her commitment to sustainable design that “prioritises local cultures and values, as well as the perils faced by our shared planet.”</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The citation for Tabassum, written for TIME by Sarah Whiting, dean of the Harvard School for Design, says: “Tabassum’s altruism even extends to buildings themselves. She cares for her creations as creatures partaking in the resources of our earth: describing her Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which won the prestigious Aga Khan Award, she said a building “has to be able to breathe without artificial aids.” Elsewhere in the country, which faces increased flood risks due to climate change, she has developed houses that are cost-effective and easy to move—clearly, buildings shouldn’t just breathe; they should avoid getting their feet wet. While she practices very locally, she teaches, lectures, and is recognized internationally, modeling architecture not as an individual signature but as a collective Esperanto.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tabassum\'s work was previously honoured with the 2016 Aga Khan Award for Architecture and with the Soane Medal by the American Academy of Arts and Letters Awards in 2021.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She was also named as the winner of the Millennium Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale in 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tabassum is the principal architect of Marina Tabassum Architects, which she founded in 2005. Previously she was at URBANA, which she co-founded in 1995, shortly after graduating from BUET in 1994, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She broke into the limelight with her design for the Bait ur Rauf Mosque in Abdullahpur, that won her the Aga Khan Award, and pioneered a new generation of architects in embracing indigenous design principles for mosques, distinguished by the lack of domes, the use of plinths, the earthen palette, and the intelligent, at times bewitching use of light streaming in through perforations on the roof and walls.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 09:54:09', '2024-04-18 09:54:09'),
(11996, 11996, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami alert Wednesday after eruptions at Ruang mountain sent ash thousands of feet high. Officials ordered more than 11,000 people to leave the area.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The volcano on the northern side of Sulawesi island had at least five large eruptions in the past 24 hours, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said. Authorities raised their volcano alert to its highest level.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At least 800 residents left the area earlier Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Authorities urged tourists and others to stay at least 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the 725-meter (2,378 foot) Ruang volcano.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials worry that part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami as in a 1871 eruption there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tagulandang island to the volcano\'s northeast is again at risk, and its residents are among those being told to evacuate, reports AP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said residents will be relocated to Manado, the nearest city, on Sulawesi island, a journey of six hours by boat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 09:59:23', '2024-04-18 09:59:23'),
(11997, 11997, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A day after edible oil refiners demanded an increase of Tk 10 against per litre bottle of soybean oil, the government on Thursday fixed the price of per litre bottle of edible oil at Tk 167, hiking by Tk 4, reports unb.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu said this at a press conference on the reassessment of price of edible oil at the conference room of the Ministry of Commerce on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the government move, a consumer now will have to pay an extra amount of Tk 18 to purchase a five litre bottle of edible oil, which earlier cost Tk 800.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, the government cut the price of per litre of unpacked palm oil by Tk 2 which now will cost Tk 147.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, on Wednesday, the edible oil refiners sought to hike its retail price by Tk 10 per litre, saying that a value added tax (VAT) reduction, which they had been enjoying for the last two months, expired last Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"33\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 10:17:07', '2024-04-18 10:17:07'),
(11998, 11998, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed said that Bangladesh Army is doing everything in contributing to achieving Bangladesh’s foreign policy and helping the country become a Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is our duty to defend our motherland, to maintain sovereignty of the country and we remain prepared for that. We are doing everything,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The army chief said this on Thursday while speaking at a seminar titled “Defence Diplomacy, Strategy for Bangladesh” hosted by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its auditorium.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mentioning Bangabandhu’s foreign policy dictum “Friendship to all, malice towards none” he said they are doing everything to implement this foreign policy</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Diplomacy is nothing but an effort to achieve national interest in any form,” said the army chief, putting emphasis on sustained economic growth with maintaining national security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He mentioned how the army, in aid to civil power, is doing a lot of nation building activities, disaster management efforts at home and abroad and doing some internal security duties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The army chief said wherever there is an opportunity, whether it is told and untold, they take the opportunity and do everything for the benefits of Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Talking about military diplomacy, he said they need to enhance the capability by putting in more resources and budget. “We know how to do it but we should have that capability to do it.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regarding the Myanmar issue, the army chief said some of the military leaders in Myanmar are facing international sanctions and there is a risk of putting themselves in trouble.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“To make one friend happy, we cannot antagonize another. There are dynamics that we have to look into. Practical connotation has also been taken into consideration. We are doing our best and we are on the right track,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">General Shafiuddin said they have indigenously produced some remotely operated vehicles which are good innovations for Bangladesh Army. “Thus, we are saving a lot of foreign currency as earlier we needed to import these equipment.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said military persons not only learn how to fight a war but also know how to prevent or avoid any war to achieve the national interest. “We are on the right track and we will not be failing in discharging our duties.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the same time, General Shafiuddin said they never forget the main role of military forces which is to protect the sovereignty of the country and they should be ready in doing that, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said intention can change overnight but capability does not change overnight. “You are my friend today but what happens if you are not my friend tomorrow? We should be capable of defending our national interest, our motherland but the main foreign policy dictum says every tone for us.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BIISS Chairman Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarker and its Director General Major General Md Abu Bakar Siddique Khan, among others, spoke.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"42\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 10:34:17', '2024-04-18 10:34:17'),
(11999, 11999, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The prevailing heat wave condition is likely to continue over the districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, Bagerhat, Jashore, Chuadanga and Kushtia, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, a mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping over Dhaka, Rangpur and Barishal divisions, rest part of Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and the district of Moulvibazar and it may continue, said a regular bulletin of the Met office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The heat wave that has been going on will continue and remain unchanged but in some places the temperature may fall due to rainfall activity but there will be no impact of it in the other areas where there is no rainfall activity” Hafizur Rahman, a meteorologist told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions with hails at isolated places, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Due to the increase of moisture incursion, the discomfort may increase, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, a trough of westerly low lies over West Bengal and adjoining area. Seasonal low lies over South Bay.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 10:54:46', '2024-04-18 10:54:46'),
(12000, 12000, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Google and its ties with the Israeli government are front and center in headlines again, as several workers have been arrested and fired in the US for staging sit-ins at the company’s offices.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Workers have been protesting for years against the tech giant’s work with the Israeli government and military, calling for the shutdown of Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion agreement that also includes Amazon, which they say has made Google an “active arm of the Israeli genocidal war machine” against Palestinians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their concerns have been backed by tech experts and analysts such Antony Loewenstein, who believes the controversial project plays a central role in Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Project Nimbus is a key asset for Israel’s military-industrial complex in its war in Gaza and across occupied Palestine,” said Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory, a widely acclaimed book on Israel’s arms and surveillance industry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Project Nimbus agreement was announced by Israel’s Finance Ministry in 2021 and, on the face of it, related to the tech giants jointly providing cloud computing services and helping Israel build local cloud storage server centers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other details of the contract were mostly kept secret, but reports from outlets such as The Intercept revealed some startling details, like how the cloud services would give Israel greater AI-powered capabilities for facial and image recognition used for mass surveillance of Palestinians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It also included enhanced means for tracking objects and sentiment analysis, a discredited technology with high risks of misuse.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Soon after the deal was announced, workers from Google and Amazon came out against it, saying Israel would use it “for further surveillance of and unlawful data collection on Palestinians,” and facilitate the “expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian land.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over the past three years, protests have continued and workers of Google and Amazon set up groups like No Tech for Apartheid, dedicated to advocacy against projects such as Nimbus, which they say “are helping to make Israeli apartheid more efficient, more violent, and even deadlier for Palestinians.” - Anadolu Agency</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 11:10:45', '2024-04-18 11:10:45'),
(12001, 12001, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Beijing on Thursday accused the United States of hypocrisy in response to accusations by President Joe Biden that China is “xenophobic” and “cheating” on trade.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“I would like to ask him: are you talking about China or the US itself?” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said when asked about the comments.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a speech on Wednesday to union members, Biden called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing it of cheating as he courted blue-collar voters on an election campaign trip to the battleground state of Pennsylvania.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” the 81-year-old Biden said to cheers at the headquarters of the United Steelworkers union in Pittsburgh, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Democrat said Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidising them so heavily”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden also said that he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminium if Beijing was confirmed to be using anti-competitive practices.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 11:33:34', '2024-04-18 11:33:34'),
(12002, 12002, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Human-caused climate change contributed to an unusually intense and lethal hot spell throughout West Africa’s Sahel region in April, according to a study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international network of scientists focusing on extreme weather events.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The heatwave caused temperatures in Mali and Burkina Faso to climb to more than 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) between April 1 and April 5, an unusual spike for the season that likely led to numerous deaths, said the study published on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>The extreme weather also coincided with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan and frequent power cuts, heightening the risk of heat-related casualties.</div><div><br></div><div>“Even minimum temperatures, overnight, remained relatively high, making it so that people did not get a break from the heat,” the study added.</div><div><br></div><div>‘Human-induced’ climate change</div><div>The WWA’s observations and climate models found that “heatwaves with the magnitude observed in March and April 2024 in the region would have been impossible to occur without the global warming of 1.2C to date”, which it linked to “human-induced climate change”.</div><div><br></div><div>Although the Sahel is accustomed to bouts of heat during this time of year, the extreme hot spell in April would have been 1.4C cooler “if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels” such as coal and other activities such as deforestation.</div><div><br></div><div>The study noted that the five days of extreme heat was a once-in-a-200-year event.</div><div><br></div><div>But it warned that “these trends will continue with future warming”.</div><div><br></div><div>The WWA recommended that countries formulate heat action plans that would warn citizens when extreme temperatures are imminent and offer guidance on how to prevent overheating.</div><div><br></div><div>It additionally called for strengthening critical infrastructure such as electricity, water, and healthcare systems to adapt to the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat. - Al Jazeera</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 11:53:05', '2024-04-18 11:53:05'),
(12003, 12003, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The UK’s House of Lords rejected the government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda for asylum processing in a vote on Wednesday after it approved two amendments to the legislation.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The upper chamber of Parliament voted in favor of a proposal to exempt Afghans who worked with UK military personnel from being deported to the East African country, and of another that would see a committee established to monitor safety in Rwanda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The bill will return to the House of Commons early next week, where MPs have previously refused to back amendments made to it by the Lords.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has made the Rwanda scheme a core part of his pledge to lower illegal migration across the English Channel before the next general election, says the bill in its current form is “the right way forward.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, a previous version of the scheme was rejected by the UK Supreme Court in 2023 as unlawful.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plan has also drawn cross-party criticism for its expense, worries about its effectiveness, the government’s inability to implement it and for the way it treats people in need of asylum, including former Afghan soldiers, translators and their families, many of whom risked their lives to assist the UK during operations in Afghanistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Numerous Afghans have been identified as having been threatened with deportation to Rwanda for entering the UK illegally, with many claiming safe legal routes either don’t work in practice or don’t exist.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Independent highlighted the cases of a former Afghan Air Force pilot hailed as a “patriot” by former colleagues, who crossed the Channel in a small boat, and of two former Afghan special forces soldiers belonging to units known as “Triples” run by the British Army, who were wrongly denied assistance by the UK Ministry of Defence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Along with reporting by Lighthouse Reports and Sky News, hundreds of other former Triples soldiers have also been identified hiding in Pakistan, awaiting an MoD review after many were refused entry to the UK.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Lords amendment on protections from deportation for former Afghan military personnel was proposed by a former UK defense secretary, Lord Browne of Ladyton, and supported by two former chiefs of the UK’s defense staff.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Wednesday Home Office minister Michael Tomlinson said peers should reject the amendments to “send a clear signal that if you come to the UK illegally, you will not be able to stay.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Lord Browne told the Lords: “Now is the time to give these people the sanctuary their bravery has earned.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added the government needed to be reminded of “the political consequences of their failure not to give either an assurance that is bankable or to accept this amendment. Because there is little, if any, support in your lordships’ House for their failure to do this and there (is) certainly no majority support in the country to treat these brave people this way.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lord Coaker, shadow home affairs spokesperson in the Lords, added: “Why on earth would the government oppose that particular amendment? It’s one of those things that is completely unbelievable.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday, Conservative MP Sir Robert Buckland told the Commons: “There is still a class of people who have served this country, who have been brave and have exposed themselves to danger, who have not yet been dealt with, reports Arab News</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Many of them are in Pakistan, and I think that it would have been helpful to have perhaps seen an amendment in lieu to deal with that point.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 12:21:46', '2024-04-18 12:21:46'),
(12004, 12004, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Ukraine\'s prime minister has told the BBC there will be a \"Third World War\" if Ukraine loses its conflict with Russia, as he urged the US Congress to pass a long-stalled foreign aid bill.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Denys Shmyhal expressed \"careful optimism\" that US lawmakers would pass the hotly contested measure, which has $61bn (£49bn) earmarked for Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The House of Representatives is set to vote on the package this Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The proposal includes funding for Israel as well as the Indo-Pacific.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia says any fresh American aid for Ukraine will not make a difference on the battlefield, as situation on the front line is looking \"unfavourable\" to Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to the BBC in Washington DC on Wednesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal said of the US security assistance: \"We need this money yesterday, not tomorrow, not today.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If we will not protect... Ukraine will fall,\" he added. \"So the global, the global system of security will be destroyed... and all the world will need to find... a new system of security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Or, there will be many conflicts, many such kinds of wars, and in the end of the day, it could lead to the Third World War.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is not the first time Ukraine has issued such an alarming warning about the consequences of its potential defeat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that if Russia won the conflict, it could next invade Poland, triggering World War Three.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Kremlin officials have ridiculed such claims as Western scaremongering. Last month President Vladimir Putin dismissed suggestions that Russia might one day attack Eastern Europe as \"complete nonsense\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia has never attacked a country within Nato, which includes Poland. Nato\'s collective defence pact means that an attack on one member constitutes an attack on all, reports BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Wednesday\'s interview, Prime Minister Shmyhal was asked about a recent claim by Republican House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul that members of his own party were being \"infected\" by Russian propaganda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Shmyhal said: \"We should understand that disinformation and propaganda is influencing here in the United States on many people, in European Union on many people, such as in Ukraine.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 12:29:13', '2024-04-18 12:29:13'),
(12005, 12005, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government is going to launch a two-hour international news analysis programme on Bangladesh Television (BTV), said state minister for information Mohammad A Arafat on Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He came up with this announcement while talking to reporters after a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Pranay Kumar Verma in his office at the Secretariat on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>He said, \" We have discussed cooperation on various issues, particularly about the international news analysis programme on BTV. Discussion was held whether it is possible to cooperate with Indian news agency ANI.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The state minister said, \"Since BTV is shown in India, we will gradually increase the time of this news analysis. We will try to make it an international standard. There will be news from various South Asian countries. We would also try to attract Indian viewers so that they watch them,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>“Collaborating with the Indian Film and Television Institute, we have to see whether any more co-productions like ‘Mujib: The Making of a Nation’ film can be done or not.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Indian institutions that are working on checking disinformation and propaganda, their experience, processes and methods will be exchanged between the two countries, he said</div><div><br></div><div>\"We will try to gather as much as possible the experiences that India has in the field of film and television so that we can develop further in these fields,\" added the state minister.</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 12:31:34', '2024-04-18 12:31:34'),
(12006, 12006, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today laid emphasis on ensuring food and nutrition security, calling upon the private sector to step forward for the development of the country’s poultry, fisheries and livestock sectors.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I want the private sector to come forward. I would like to see more entrepreneurs in the private sector. I want to help in every way. Through this, we also want to increase the employment of the people of the country,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier said this while addressing the opening ceremony of the Livestock Services Week and Exhibition-2024 as the chief guest at the old Trade Fair Ground in city’s Sher-e-Banglanagar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that if everyone does business and trade on their own initiative instead of chasing behind the jobs after graduation, then “we can progress a lot”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina urged all to encourage the country’s youth to become entrepreneurs, so that, in future, they don’t need to depend on anyone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Referring to the attaining of food security, she said, “We believe that we can ensure our nutrition as well.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister also mentioned that buffaloes and sheep are being produced in the country’s char lands, even in Bhasanchar, where the Rohingyas have been given shelter and buffaloes, sheep, poultry and fishes are being farmed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“If we use the land we have, we can meet our own needs,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She urged all to come forward in the country’s dairy and other sectors as well.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We want to further develop our livestock sector. Online systems have already been developed to serve this livestock sector,” she said, hoping that it will be useful enough for it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With Fisheries and Livestock Minister Md. Abdur Rahman in the chair, its Secretary Md Selim Uddin delivered the welcome address.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers’ Association Imran Hossain spoke as the representative of the country’s dairy sector while Joint Convener of Bangladesh Poultry Industry Central Council (BPICC) Mashiur Rahman spoke as the representative of poultry sector.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the outset of the programme, a documentary on the progress and achievement of the present government in the livestock sector was screened.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said the main aim of her government is to ensure food security first, then ensure nutrition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“. . . and we’ve taken that step. We’ve given priority on research as it is not possible to produce high yielding varieties without it,” she said, adding no country can advance without proper research works.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina also said the government is working to mechanise agriculture, and for that, they have given special attention on this issue and are providing subsidies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Besides, we’ve taken huge programmes to increase the production of protein in the country,” she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier said Khaleda Zia announced to arrange rice and pulse for the countrymen during her tenure. But, she (Khaleda) failed to provide rice and pulse for the people, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Then, during 2007, Caretaker Government’s chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and then army chief Moinuddin Ahmed asked people to have potatoes, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Someone wanted to feed us pulse and someone wanted to feed us potatoes,” Sheikh Hasina said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mentioning that Bangalees like rice and fishes, she said it is enough for them to get rice and fishes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We want rice-fishes. We have a look on the issue. Now, there is no shortage of rice-fishes, pulse-fishes,” she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina also emphasised improving the storage capacity of all products including food grains, and fish and meat items for ensuring food security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She asked concerned people to provide nontoxic food for the fisheries and livestock animals for ensuring safe food.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier encouraged the private entrepreneurs’ to work for improving poultry, fisheries and livestock sectors in the country, reports BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The government will provide all support,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She asked for following international norms in packaging along with cleanliness in agricultural production and its processing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina, however, said Bangladesh is yet to be able to extract resources from the deep sea although it has attained vast maritime boundaries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Actually, we’re not getting any entrepreneur for this purpose. This is the reality,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier said Bangladesh has attained huge maritime areas, which has been announced blue economy to utilise the marine resources.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“But, it is the matter of unfortunate that we have yet been able to extract resources from the deep sea,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-18 12:42:20', '2024-04-18 12:42:20'),
(12007, 12007, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said the government is depriving many leaders of the party of fresh air and day light by throwing them into the jails.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi said it in a sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club organised by Zia Projanmo Dal (ZPD) demanding the release of BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and&nbsp; other imprisoned leaders.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The jails have turned into permanent residence for many BNP leaders and activists as without any reason they have been imprisoned for months, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Top BNP leaders like the secretary general, standing committee members, vice- chairman, join secretary general have suffered prison terms for three-four month before their release recently,\" he alleged.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina’s policy to imprison BNP leaders and activists is not finished yet, he charged.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PM, he said, is afraid of BNP and knows that there is no popular support for her.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A government lacking support of the people turns autocratic, Rizvi said adding, it suppresses the people when they raise their voice for rights.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“They resort to all means of suppression such as imprisonment , making ‘Ayana Ghar for torture, use law enforcement&nbsp; agencies to kill opponents&nbsp; and use party cadres to thrash the oppositions,\" said the BNP leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Awami League government imprisoned&nbsp; 25 to 26 thousand BNP leaders and activists before January 7 dummy election, he claimed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A large number of BNP men still remains in prison while a few walked out after serving 3-4 months jail terms, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi said does the government has any honest answer as to why so many BNP members are being put in jail.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The prime minister is doing this only to retain her illegally gained state power, he alleged. 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, '2024-04-19 11:40:31', '2024-04-19 11:40:31'),
(12008, 12008, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Severe heat wave is sweeping Khulna division and Rajshahi, Pabna and Tangail districts, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The heat wave condition will remain unchanged for the five days commencing 9 am on Saturday, it predicted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Country’s highest temperature was recoded in Chuadanga at 41 degree Celsius on Friday. The district also experienced&nbsp; the season’s highest temperature in the previous three days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping&nbsp; Barishal division, rest part of Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions and Chandpur and Moulvibazar districts and it may continue, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chattogram divisions with hails at isolated places.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Day and night temperatures may rise slightly over the country. Due to the increase of moisture incursion, the discomfort may increase, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A trough of westerly low lies over West Bengal and adjoining area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 09:10:03', '2024-04-20 09:10:03'),
(12009, 12009, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In the wake of the current heat wave condition, the daily assembly at government primary schools across the country will remain suspended until further notice.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Primary and Mass Education Ministry issued a notice, signed by its senior information officer Mahbubur Rahman Tuhin, in this regard on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>The ministry is observing the prevailing heat wave situation, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>A mild to severe heat wave is sweeping different parts of the country for the last several days.</div><div><br></div><div>The highest temperature in the capital was recorded at 38.4 degrees Celsius on Friday while Chuadanga experienced the season’s highest temperature at 41.3 degrees Celsius, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) on Friday issued an alert saying that the prevailing heat wave over the country may continue and increase further in the next 72 hours commencing 9 am on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>“Due to moisture incursion, the discomfort may increase,” said the Met office special bulletin.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 09:30:01', '2024-04-20 09:30:01');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(12010, 12010, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Two people died from heat stroke in Chuadanga and Pabna districts respectively on Saturday as the country continues to experience a heat wave for the past few days, forcing the authorities concerned to close all schools, madrasas and colleges till April 27.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased were identified as Jakir Hossain, 33, son of Amir Hossain of Thakurpur village under Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga and Sukumar Das, 60, a resident of Shalgaria Jakir Moar in Pabna district town.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Amir Hossain said his son Jakir went to a cropland to irrigate in the village in the morning. After around one hour, they came to know that Jakir fell sick due to the heat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, he breathed his last on the way to Damurhuda Upazila Health Complex, said the father.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The health complex’s Resident Medical Officer D Mohibullah said they heard that a farmer died from the heat stroke while working in the cropland.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pabna General Hospital’s on-duty physician Dr Zahedul Islam said Sukumar suddenly fell sick amid the scorching heat while taking tea at a tea stall in the city’s Rupkotha Moar at noon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, locals rushed him to the hospital where physicians declared him dead upon arrival, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, Chuadanga recorded the season’s highest temperature at 42.3 degree Celsius on Saturday afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tahmina Nasrin, weather observer at Chuadanga First Class Meteorological Observatory, said after a continuous intense heat wave, the temperature has increased further and a very severe heat wave has started, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The heat wave is going on because there is no rain. If it rains, the temperature will drop considerably, she said, adding that there is no rain forecast for now. However, if there is a storm, it may rain with it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Moreover, the season’s highest 41.6 degree Celsius temperature was recorded in Pabna’s Ishwardi on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 12:40:57', '2024-04-20 12:40:57'),
(12011, 12011, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh began talks with Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday as Middle East tensions run high, Turkish media reported.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan has sought but failed to establish a foothold as a mediator in the Palestinian conflict that has roiled the region since October 7, with a reported Israeli attack on Iran and Gaza bracing for a new Israeli offensive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Erdogan has remained discreet about his meetings with the Hamas head.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will keep the agenda between us and Mr.Haniyeh,” Erdogan said when questioned by journalists on Friday. Hamas said the war in Gaza would figure in the talks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkish media reported that the meeting at the Dolmabahce palace on the banks of the Bosphorus began shortly after 2:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With Qatar saying it will reassess its role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel, Erdogan sent Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Doha on Wednesday in a new sign that he wants a role.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Even if only I, Tayyip Erdogan, remain, I will continue as long as God gives me my life, to defend the Palestinian struggle and to be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people,” the president said Wednesday when he announced Haniyeh’s looming visit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamas - designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union - has had an office in Turkiye since 2011 when Turkiye helped secure the agreement for the group to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan has maintained links with Haniyeh, who has been a frequent visitor.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fidan was a past head of Turkish intelligence and the country provided information and passports to Hamas officials, including Haniyeh, according to Sinan Ciddi, a Turkiye specialist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington. This has never been confirmed by Turkish authorities, however.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If Qatar withdraws from mediation efforts, Turkiye could seek to increase its mediation profile based on its Hamas links.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fidan on Saturday held talks with visiting Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, with both men emphasising the need to deliver more humanitarian aid to devastated Gaza where the threat of famine looms.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has said it is preparing an offensive against the Gaza city of Rafah and the reported Israeli attack on the Iranian province of Isfahan has only clouded hopes of a peace breakthrough.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Erdogan can only expect a “very limited” role because of his outspoken condemnation of Israel and its actions in Gaza, according to Ciddi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, the Turkish leader likened the tactics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and called Israel a “terrorist state” because of its offensive against Hamas after the militant group’s October 7 attacks on Israel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ciddi said Erdogan would not be welcome in Israel and at most might be able to pass messages between Palestinian and Israel negotiators.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The expert said that Turkiye would not have a major influence either over Hamas in deciding the fate of hostages it has held since October 7.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The unprecedented Hamas attacks resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Militants also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, reports Arab News</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to press reports, that have never been denied, Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders were in Istanbul when the attacks were launched. They were requested to quietly leave after a photo showed them celebrating the deadly assault, the report said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 12:51:25', '2024-04-20 12:51:25'),
(12012, 12012, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza’s southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel’s war against the Islamic militant group Hamas has led to a dramatic escalation of tensions in an already volatile Middle East.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The strike late Friday hit a residential building in the western Tel Sultan neighborhood of the city of Rafah, according to Gaza’s civil defense. The bodies of the six children, two women and a man were taken to Rafah’s Abu Yousef Al-Najjar hospital, the hospital’s records showed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the hospital, relatives cried and hugged the bodies of the children, wrapped in white shrouds, as others comforted them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fatalities included Abdel-Fattah Sobhi Radwan, his wife Najlaa Ahmed Aweidah and their three children, his brother-in-law Ahmed Barhoum said. Barhoum also lost his wife, Rawan Radwan, and their 5-year-old daughter Alaa.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This is a world devoid of all human values and morals,” Barhoum told The Associated Press Saturday morning, crying as he cradled and gently rocked the body of Alaa in his arms. “They bombed a house full of displaced people, women and children. There were no martyrs but women and children.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">No victims were registered from a second overnight strike in the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rafah, which lies on the border with Egypt, currently hosts more than half of Gaza’s total population of about 2.3 million people, the vast majority of whom have been displaced by fighting further north in the territory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite calls for restraint from the international community, including Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States, the Israeli government has insisted for months that it intends to push a ground offensive into the city, where it says many of the remaining Hamas militants are holed up.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Such a ground operation has not materialized so far, but the Israeli military has repeatedly carried out airstrikes on and around the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The war was sparked by an unprecedented raid into southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups on Oct. 7 that left about 1,200 people dead, the vast majority of them civilians, and saw about 250 people kidnapped and taken into Gaza, reports AP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel says about 130 hostages remain in Gaza, although more than 30 have been confirmed to now be dead, either killed on Oct. 7 or having died in captivity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 13:03:55', '2024-04-20 13:03:55'),
(12013, 12013, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A honey collector died in an attack by a tiger at Notabeki under Satkhira range of the Sundarbans on Saturday.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The deceased was identified as Maniruzzaman Bachhu, son of Abul Kashem Gazi of Dumuria village in Shyamnagar upazila.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nure Alam, assistant range officer, said Maniruzzaman along with others went to the Sundarbans for collecting honey on April 2 with permission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Saturday, the tiger attacked Maniruzzaman and tried to drag him to the deep forest, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another honey collector&nbsp; rescued him from&nbsp; the tiger’s clutches after hitting it but he died shortly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 13:12:47', '2024-04-20 13:12:47'),
(12014, 12014, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Roads in Bangladesh have become more dangerous with fatalities and injuries almost every day and the two highways from Dhaka to Khulna and Barishal are two of those which have witnessed 320 fatalities in the past one year.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unskilled drivers, over-speed, negligence of authorities concerned and rules violation are blamed for the frequent road accidents on highways although the highway police claimed that several measures have been taken to reduce road accidents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The recent deadly road crash on Dhaka-Khulna highway that claimed 15 lives raised question whether these measures were adequate to control the fatal accidents .</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On April 16, 15 people including five members of a family died in a collision between a bus and a pick-up van on Dhaka-Khulna highway at Kanaipur of Faridpur district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A five-member probe body was formed to investigate the accident and&nbsp; two more members including an expert from Buet were also included in the committee, headed by Additional district Magistrate Ali Siddique.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The committee was asked to submit its report within three working days. At least one representative from the Roads and Highways division, Highway police, district police and Fire Service were also included in the committee.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">National Committee to protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) said the authorities concerned including police and BRTA can’t avoid responsibility for the Faridpur road crash on Dhaka-Khulna highway.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Condemning the authorities’ negligence, the NCPSRR said although carrying passengers on trucks, pick-up vans and good- laden vehicles is prohibited the vehicle was heading towards Dhaka from Faridpur’s Boalmari with 25-30 passengers on board.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On March 8, three people died and ten others were injured when a bus overturned on Dhaka-Barishal highway in Bhanga.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, nine people died in separate accidents in January.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Roads and Highways division and highway police blame over-speed, unskilled drivers, reckless plying of motorbikes and pedestrians’ desperate bid to cross the highways behind the accidents and fatalities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to Faridpur Highway Police sources, the length of the Bangabandhu Expressway from Jatrabari in Dhaka to Bhanga in Faridpur is 55 kilometers. Of these, 32 kilometers are from Jatrabari to Padma Bridge and 23 kilometers from Janjira to Bhanga.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the last one year, 131 people were killed in 135 accidents on the expressway and of these, 63 accidents occurred in Bhanga portion that claimed lives of 67 people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are five highway police stations, one police outpost and two camps under the 381 km highway in Madaripur region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Shahinur Alam Khan, superintendent of Madaripur Region highway police, said 320 lives were lost on the two highways in the last one year but a number of measures have been taken to prevent road crashes, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In the past one year, 28,404 cases were filed and Tk 9,43,26,200 was fined for reckless driving on the two highways, said the SP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, 271 cases were filed in 432 road accidents on Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Barishal highways, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Morshed Alam, superintendent of Faridpur police, said the owners and transport workers must play a big role alongside the passengers to stop accidents on highways.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">On the other hand, the residents along the highways have to be more responsible while using highways, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 13:17:11', '2024-04-20 13:17:11'),
(12015, 12015, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The landowners along both sides of Mugda Main Road are urging authorities not to proceed with the demolition of their houses and buildings until they receive proper compensation for their land. </span></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">ASM Salahuddin conveyed this appeal at a press conference held at the Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association (CRAB) auditorium yesterday on behalf of the affected landowners.</span></div><div><br></div><div>\"As permanent residents residing on both sides of the main road in Mugda area, our ancestors and we have built houses on our own land with the approval of Rajuk over the years. </div><div><br></div><div>Many individuals sustain themselves by operating shops or renting out commercial spaces. Additionally, several households have availed home construction loans from various financial institutions to build their homes. For many of us, these houses serve as our primary residence, while others rely on the rental income for livelihood,\" Salahuddin mentioned.</div><div><br></div><div>As a landowner himself, Salahuddin stated, \"According to the latest Dhaka city survey, Mugda Main Road is 30 feet wide. However,</div><div><br></div><div> Rajuk\'s notice revealed plans to widen the road to 50 or 60 feet as per the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) (2022-2035) prepared by Rajuk. </div><div><br></div><div>Many of us have received notices from Rajuk requesting building designs, while others have not been officially notified. </div><div><br></div><div>The local administration <span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">including Rajuk officials, have conducted surveys of the constructions/buildings on both sides of the road. </span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Despite these actions, the authorities have not yet legally acquired the lands.</span></div><div><br></div><div>He further added, \"Authorities have not provided any information regarding the extent of land to be acquired, compensation for the land, or the valuation of buildings and houses on the land. Meanwhile, recent announcements through public address systems in the area have caused panic among residents, stating that all structures along the road will be demolished on Sunday.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Salahuddin emphasized, \"While there are provisions for the acquisition of land for state or government needs, compensation must be provided to the landowners. It appears that the authorities intend to acquire our land and properties illegally without compensation.</div><div><br></div><div> Consequently, we filed a writ petition in the Honorable High Court, which directed relevant authorities, including the Chairman of Rajuk, to engage with us legally within the next month to resolve the issue.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He continued, \"We urge all concerned parties, including the Prime Minister, to refrain from forcibly evicting us without providing compensation for our land and buildings. <span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Illegal evictions will leave us with no choice but to defend our rights with our families.\"</span></div><div><br></div><div>Salahuddin concluded by stating, \"We have no objections to the acquisition of land as long as we receive the compensation we deserve. Many landowners, including Mahbubur Rahman, were present at the press conference.\"</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/r/fas</div>', NULL, 'staff correspondent', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 20:07:12', '2024-04-20 20:18:43'),
(12016, 12016, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The highest temperature in the capital Dhaka has been recorded at 40.4 degrees Celsius this season, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Today\'s highest temperature was recorded in Jashore at 42.6 degrees Celsius, which is also a season\'s high for the country.</div><div><br></div><div>The BMD issued a warning that the heat wave condition will remain unchanged for the five days commencing 9 am on Saturday (20 April).</div><div><br></div><div>Severe heat wave is sweeping Khulna division and Rajshahi, Pabna and Tangail districts. A mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping  Barishal division, the rest of Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions and Chandpur and Moulvibazar districts and it may continue.</div><div><br></div><div>In the face of current weather condition, the government has announced that schools, colleges, madrasas, and technical education institution across the country will remain closed until April 27. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\",\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 20:12:48', '2024-04-21 12:42:32'),
(12017, 12017, '<div><br></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said children can build themselves as worthy citizens of the country through participation in sports, exercise and cultural events apart from studies.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“I want that our children will build themselves as the worthy citizens of the country through participating in sports, exercise and cultural events apart of studies,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier was addressing the prize distribution ceremony of Bangabandhu Gold Cup Primary School Football Tournament and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Gold Cup Primary School Football Tournament at the Army Stadium in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that while in power she tried to make children more interested in sports.</div><div><br></div><div>“Because sports provide physical and mental strength to human beings and teach discipline, obedience and patriotism,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said that through sports the country can be advanced further and make it better known to the whole world.</div><div><br></div><div>“We see that our boys and girls are showing their expertise in sports in the world arena,” she said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-20 22:58:49', '2024-04-20 22:58:49'),
(12018, 12018, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Israel\'s war against the Islamic militant group Hamas has led to a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, notably between Israel and Iran in recent weeks. Now attention returns to Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of about 2.3 million people are sheltering, many displaced by fighting elsewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>Relatives sobbed and hugged children\'s shrouded bodies at al-Najjar hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“Hamza my beloved. Your hair looks so pretty,” a mourning grandmother said.</div><div><br></div><div>The fatalities included Abdel-Fattah Sobhi Radwan, his wife Najlaa Ahmed Aweidah and their three children, his brother-in-law Ahmed Barhoum said. Barhoum lost his wife, Rawan Radwan, and their 5-year-old daughter, Alaa.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This is a world devoid of all human values and morals,” Barhoum told The Associated Press, crying as he cradled Alaa\'s body. “The only martyrs were women and children.”</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has insisted for months that it plans a ground offensive into Rafah, where it says many remaining Hamas militants are holed up, despite calls for restraint from the international community including Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"39\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-21 05:25:36', '2024-04-21 05:25:36'),
(12019, 12019, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (April 21, 2024) inaugurated newly constructed \'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Battery Complex\' at Halishahar cantonment in Chittagong.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>She inaugurated this complex at the Artillery Center and School in Chittagong\'s Halishahar Cantonment.</div><div><br></div><div>After the inauguration, the Prime Minister visited the Artillery Museum established at the newly constructed \'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Battery Complex\'.</div><div><br></div><div>She also witnessed sculpture of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman installed at the museum.</div><div><br></div><div>She also saw the historic 3.7 inch howitzer that fired the first shot of Mujib Battery in the War of Liberation, the ammunition used in the artillery regiment and replicas of all the cannons and the glorious history of the remarkable operations of the artillery forces in the great Liberation War, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the Prime Minister attended Darbar there.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-21 09:06:43', '2024-04-21 09:06:43'),
(12020, 12020, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh and Qatar will sign 11 cooperation documents- six agreements and five MoUs as Dhaka is ready to welcome Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud came up with the update while briefing the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh Ambassador to Qatar Md. Nazrul Islam and MoFA Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin, among others, were present.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said an agreement on prisoners exchange will be signed among the six deals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"With this visit, the relations between Bangladesh and Qatar will reach a new height. This is the first-ever high level visit from the Middle East after the formation of new government this year,\" said the foreign minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Documents on trade and investment, avoidance of double taxation, manpower export will also be signed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Apart from areas of cooperation on bilateral front, global issues including Palestine-Israel will also be discussed where Bangladesh will highlight its position.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Naturally, this discussion can come up. Killings in Gaza should be stopped. Everyone wants it. We want it,\" said the foreign minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During his participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye last month, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud emphasised the urgent need for a collective effort to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza, holding Israel accountable for committing crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Bangladesh is in favour of peace, not for war,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The emir of Qatar will arrive on Monday on a two-day state visit by a special flight at the invitation of the president of Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government, in a gazette notification, has already declared the emir as a very important person during his two-day visit to Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some of the Dhaka streets are seen decorated with the photos of Qatar’s emir, along with Bangladesh president and the prime minister ahead of the visit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Such a high-level 24-hour visit is taking place from friendly country Qatar nearly after 19 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The then Emir of Qatar Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani visited Bangladesh in April, 2005.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"The visit will play a significant role in further strengthening the brotherly relations between the two countries,\" said the foreign minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Mohammed Shahabuddin will receive the emir amid gun salute and a wider ceremony at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will receive the emir at her office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They will have tête-à-tête (one-to-one) meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office which will be followed by bilateral meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two leaders will witness signing of cooperation documents and join a joint press meet.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After signing visitors\' book there, the emir will head for Bangabhaban on Tuesday afternoon where the president will receive him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Shahabuddin will host official lunch in honour of the emir at Darbar Hall, Bangabhaban.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">FM Hasan Mahmud will also have a courtesy meeting with the emir.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A road and a park of the capital will be named after the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The emir will inaugurate the park in Kalshi area of Mirpur under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and a road running from Mirpur ECB Chattar to Kalshi Flyover at 3pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The emir will have a private meeting with selected business community members at his place of residence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He is scheduled to depart Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by a special flight at 6pm Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign minister will see him off at the airport.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh and Qatar want to expand the existing ties with broader cooperation in the areas of manpower, energy, trade and investment following the planned visit of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Bangladesh, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In March last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had a meeting with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She sought increased energy, particularly LNG, from Qatar to meet the energy demands.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-21 10:27:21', '2024-04-21 10:27:21'),
(12021, 12021, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The ongoing heat wave has increased the demand for green coconuts as many are rushing for its water to quench their thirst. They are paying a hefty price too.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The price of green coconut has soared by Tk30 to Tk60 per piece while a small-sized green coconut is being sold at Tk100 in the capital. The medium and large-sized green coconut is selling at Tk150 to 200 per piece even, a record price.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jusinur, who sells green coconut at Motijheel area on a van, told UNB that the wholesalers have increased prices of green coconut by Tk 30 to 60 per piece after recent Eid vacation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said he has never seen such a big hike in price in the five years he has been in the business. Not even during Covid-19 pandemic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Imbrahim Sarder, a wholesaler of green coconut and fruits at Badamtoli of Sdarghat told this correspondent the demand, which was low immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr, made a big jump when the extreme heat wave came.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These retail vendors purchase the green coconut at higher price from the large suppliers of the growers and this raises the price at the wholesale market, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similar high prices of green coconut were seen outside Dhaka Medical College, in Gulistan, Paltan and Shahbagh areas on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Karwan Bazar, a wholesale market, also saw a higher price of green coconut. The traders claimed that the prices of green coconut rose at the supply points in Barishal, Bhola, Bagerhat, Noakhali, Faridpur, Jashore and Mymensingh regions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the supply level, prices of green coconut have increased by Tk30 per piece over the last 10 days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A wholesaler Surja Ali told UNB that green coconut is being sold in a lot of 100 pieces with price ranging from Tk12000 to 14000. Such a high price was not seen earlier.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prices were less than Tk 2000 to 3000 even during the Ramadan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), a green coconut sold an average of Tk22 in 2009. In 2020 the price increased to Tk74 per piece.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Currently, the average price does go below Tk100 per piece, said SM Nazer Hossain, vice president of CAB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The production of coconut fell to 510,360 tons in 38,221 hectares of land in FY 2021-22 from 688,691 tonnes in 46,960 hectares of land in FY 2016-17, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Analysing the DAE data, it is found that the production of coconut started to fall after FY 2019-20. The production of coconut was 663,851 tons in FY 2017-18, 650,932 in FY 2018-19, 653,520 tonnes in FY 2019-20, 519,458 tons in FY 2020-21 and 510,360 tons in FY 2021-22, according to the DAE data.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The highest was 88,000 tons of coconut produced in Bhola district in FY 2021-22 while the production in the district was 123,950 tons in FY 2016-17, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. Mehedi Masood, project director of Year-Round Fruit Production for Nutrition Improvement under the DAE, said that cultivation of coconut is not increasing to match with the rise in the country’s population.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Because of rising demand, the price of both green coconut and coconut increased sharply in the country,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-21 11:41:55', '2024-04-21 11:41:55'),
(12022, 12022, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Bangladesh wants to maintain friendship with everyone, but it will do whatever is needed to protect its independence and sovereignty.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We do not want that anyone will undermine our independence and sovereignty. We want to go with friendship, but to protect our country’s independence and sovereignty we will do whatever is needed,” she said, adding “We have to always keep this in our mind.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister declared this while addressing a darbar after inaugurating the newly constructed \'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Battery Complex\' at the Artillery Center and School in Chittagong\'s Halishahar Cantonment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We want peace with all. Our country is an independent and sovereign one. We have attained victory through war. We have to retain that independence that we have got by winning the war,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said that nowadays war is also fought through digital means and that’s why the country needs to build modern knowledge-based highly trained armed forces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We want that our armed forces will be more developed, more skilled and more trained and we are working in that direction,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also said that Bangladesh Army is now a symbol of confidence to the nation as they always remain beside the people whenever is needed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The armed forces will discharge their responsibilities with professional skills, dutifulness, practice, training and be imbued with patriotism,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier said the Awami League government has been working to achieve the sustainable development targets by 2030 and build a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"For this, every member of the Bangladesh Army would have to be smart having knowledge of information technology,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She asked the army personnel to work for maintaining the country\'s glory with dutifulness, professional efficiency and patriotism having confidence on and loyalty to the leadership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She briefly described the measures taken by her government for the overall development of the army.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As part of the modernisation of the army, she said, ultra-modern aircraft, helicopters, UAV, fourth generation tanks, APCs, missiles to destroy tank and other war weapons have been added to the army.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina highly praised the overall activities of the army for the country\'s welfare, saying, \"Bangladesh Army has been well established as the symbol of confidence of the people,\" reports UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She told that Bangladesh military have been highly praised at home and abroad for its work efficiency and professionalism in the peacekeeping missions of the United Nations (UN).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Modern light armoured vehicles and mine resistant ambush protected vehicles have been purchased for the army to enhance operational capabilities and ensure their security in the UN missions, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On her arrival at the venue, the prime minister was received by Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-21 11:57:01', '2024-04-21 11:57:01'),
(12023, 12023, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Very severe heat wave has gripped parts of Bangladesh, with maximum temperatures ranging from 40 degrees Celsius to over 42 degrees Celsius in some areas.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Very severe heat wave is sweeping Pabna, Jashore and Chuadanga districts and severe heat wave is sweeping Dhaka and parts of Khulna divisions and Rajshahi district,” said a bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The country’s highest temperature was recorded at 42.2 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga on Sunday while Dhaka experienced highest 38.2 degrees Celsius temperature(the temperature recorded till 3 pm), meteorologist Shahinul Islam told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two people died from heat stroke in Chuadanga and Pabna districts on Saturday amid the extreme heat weather due to the prevailing heat wave for the past few days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The season’s highest temperature in the capital Dhaka was recorded at 40.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday and the country’s highest temperature was recorded in Jashore at 42.6 degrees Celsius, which was also the season\'s high for the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BMD issued a warning that the heat wave condition will remain unchanged for the five days commencing 9 am on Saturday (20 April).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over 42 degrees Celsius temperature is considered as very severe heat wave while between 40-41.9 degrees Celsisus is considered as severe and 38 to 39.9 degrees Celsius is considered as moderate heat wave while 36 to 37.9 degrees Celsius is considered as mild heat wave in the country, according to the BMD.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The heat wave condition forced the authorities concerned to close all schools, madrasas and colleges till April 27.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka University authorities also announced to hold classes online due to the scorching heat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The regular bulletin of Met office on Sunday predicted rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind at one or two places over Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chattogram divisions with hails at isolated places.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping Barishal division and parts of Rajshahi division and Mymensingh, Moulvibazar, Feni, Cox’s Bazar, Chandpur and Rangamati districts and it may continue, the bulletin added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Day temperature may rise by (1-2)°C over Rangpur division and it may remain nearly unchanged elsewhere over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-21 12:12:23', '2024-04-21 12:12:23'),
(12024, 12024, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said BNP has continuously been trying to destroy the political system through their efforts to destroy democracy and the election system.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“They (BNP) have been continuously trying to destroy the democracy and election system,” he told reporters, highlighting BNP’s destructive role in the last three national elections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign minister made the remarks while responding to a question during a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of the state visit of Qatar’s Emir.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasan, also Awami league joint general secretary, said the BNP killed people and carried out arson attacks on people and property in an effort to destroy democracy and the election system in the country, reports UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said they want BNP to make a turnaround but BNP has failed to do that. “It’s very unfortunate for the BNP.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-04-21 12:27:39', '2024-04-21 12:27:39');
