INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11156, 11156, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>&nbsp;Gaza’s Hamas rulers warned today that Israel’s planned army operation in overcrowded Rafah could cause “tens of thousands” of casualties in the city that has become the last refuge for displaced Palestinians.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Even before such an operation, Israel pounded Rafah with strikes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to set its sights on the southern city.</div><div><br></div><div>Netanyahu yesterday told officials to “submit to the cabinet a combined plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions” of Hamas in Rafah, only hours after US president Joe Biden issued his strongest criticism of Israel’s response to the Oct 7 attack.</div><div><br></div><div>The plan drew condemnation from the office of Palestine’s president Mahmud Abbas.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Israeli occupation’s move threatens security and peace in the region and the world. This is a blatant violation of all red lines,” it said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Saudi Arabia warned today of a “humanitarian catastrophe” if the plan went ahead. Riyadh’s foreign ministry strongly rejected “forced deportation,” and called for the United Nations Security Council to intervene.</div><div><br></div><div>The war in Gaza was sparked by Palestinian group Hamas’ unprecedented Oct 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.</div><div><br></div><div>Vowing to eliminate Hamas, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza that the territory’s health ministry says has killed at least 27,947 people, mostly women and children.</div><div><br></div><div>Fighters seized 250 hostages, 132 of whom are still in Gaza although 29 are presumed dead, Israel has said.</div><div><br></div><div>The US is Israel’s main international backer, providing it with billions of dollars in military aid.</div><div><br></div><div>The US state department has said it does not support a ground offensive in Rafah, warning that, if not properly planned, such an operation risks “disaster”.</div><div><br></div><div>In a sign of growing frustration, Biden issued his strongest criticism of Israel yet on Thursday, describing the retaliation for Hamas’ Oct 7 attack as “over the top”.</div><div><br></div><div>Biden said there are “a lot of innocent people who are starving…in trouble and dying, and it’s got to stop.”</div><div><br></div><div>But Netanyahu’s office said it would be “impossible” to achieve the war’s objective of eliminating Hamas while leaving four of the fighters’ battalions in Rafah.</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli leader, whose coalition government includes far-right ministers, faces calls for early elections and mounting protests over his failure to bring home hostages seized in the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>Fears are mounting over the fate of more than one million displaced Palestinians who have taken shelter in Rafah, many of them in plastic tents pushed up against the border with Egypt and the sea.</div><div><br></div><div>“If they move into Rafah, as Netanyahu said, there will be genocide. There will be no humanity left,” one of them, Adel al-Hajj, a man from Gaza City in the territory’s north, told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>Witnesses reported new strikes on Rafah thismorning.</div><div><br></div><div>“We don’t know where to go,” said Mohammad al-Jarrah, a Palestinian who was displaced to Rafah from his home further north. “This situation scares me.”</div><div><br></div><div>The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Israeli bombardment killed at least 110 people overnight, including 25 in Rafah.</div><div><br></div><div>At the city’s Al-Najjar hospital, AFPTV images showed a family gathering around the shrouded bodies of relatives.</div><div><br></div><div>The city is the last major population centre in the Gaza Strip that Israeli troops have yet to enter and also the main point of access for desperately needed relief supplies.</div><div><br></div><div>Humanitarian organisations have sounded alarm at the prospect of a ground incursion.</div><div><br></div><div>The UN children’s fund, Unicef, warned this week against a military escalation in Rafah, saying “thousands more could die in the violence or lack of essential services” it said.</div><div><br></div><div>“An escalation of the fighting in Rafah, which is already straining under the extraordinary number of people who have been displaced from other parts of Gaza, will mark another devastating turn” in the four-month conflict, Unicef added.</div><div><br></div><div>Netanyahu announced the plan for a ground operation in Rafah only days after US secretary of state Antony Blinken visited Israel seeking a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas’ negotiators departed Cairo yesterday after what a source of the group described as “positive and good discussions” with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation “is awaiting Israel’s response,” a Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the issue.</div><div><br></div><div>Citing US and Egyptian officials, the US news outlet Axios said late yesterday that Biden is sending CIA director William Burns to Cairo next week to push for a deal to secure the release of more hostages.</div><div><br></div><div>The impact of the war has been felt widely, with violence involving Iran-backed allies of Hamas surging across the Middle East and drawing in US forces, among others.</div><div><br></div><div>Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah said yesterday that it had fired dozens of rockets at an army position in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, hours after launching a salvo at northern Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier today, Israeli ai strikes on an upscale area near the Syrian capital killed three people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. It said the targeted neighbourhood hosted “villas for top military and officials.” - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-10 15:13:43', '2024-02-10 15:13:43'),
(11157, 11157, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud, one of the country\'s leading thinkers on the economy, has said that the banking sector is the heart of a country’s economy.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"When banks have done well, other sectors also perform well,\" he pointed out.</div><div><br></div><div>Given the vital functions they perform to keep the economy chugging along, he said people have the right to know the performance of a bank where he or she is depositing their hard-earned money, and so information on the financial performance of a bank should be made publicly available for clients.</div><div><br></div><div>He made these remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the \'cover unveiling\' ceremony of the 5th edition of \'Banking Almanac\', an information-based research book on banks and financial institutions of Bangladesh, was held at Jahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the Jatiya Press Club, on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>Wahiduddin said that the publication of the Banking Almanac book is a good initiative for the financial sector of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“For the last few years, the book has been published regularly by inserting information on the banking and financial sector,” he said, before adding that this momentum needs to be maintained. \"Publications need to be maintained and widely disseminated. If widely disseminated, the book will play a helpful role for all those who are bankers, those who work with banks, researchers, investors, and depositors.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The program was presided over by the former governor of Bangladesh Bank and chairman of the editorial board of Banking Almanac, Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the Banking Almanac is the country\'s first such publication initiative.</div><div><br></div><div>“We try to add new and public interest information in every edition. We also have some limitations. Funding required for such publication is not available. Still, we try to maintain the continuity of the publication with the latest information,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are inserting the information that the banks are giving us. At least it is possible to present a comparative picture of the banking and financial sectors of the country. In the future there will be efforts to make it a richer data repository,” said Salehuddin.</div><div><br></div><div>Additional Director of Exim Bank Shah Abdul Bari, former Chairman of the Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB) and Chairman of First Finance and Investment Muhammad Nurul Amin, and the project director of Banking Almanac Abdar Rahman, were also in attendance. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-10 15:36:15', '2024-02-10 15:36:15'),
(11158, 11158, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined a banned anti-motorway protest today in southern France where police fired tear gas and made arrests a day earlier.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A global figure in the fight against climate change, Thunberg has been fined by one Swedish court for her direct action protests there. But she saw another case against her thrown out by an English court last week.</div><div><br></div><div>Wearing a Palestinian scarf and an anorak, Thunberg joined other protesters under heavy rain at the site in Saix where a new motorway – the A69 linking the southwestern city of Toulouse to the town of Castres – is planned, AFP journalists saw.</div><div><br></div><div>They held up banners saying “Stop A69”. Critics of the project say it is harmful to the environment and does not take into account the current climate crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>The protest organisers had gone ahead with the rally despite authorities banning the gathering because of “risks of serious harm to public order”.</div><div><br></div><div>AFP journalists saw at least two arrests and the use of tear gas by police at the site yesterday.</div><div><br></div><div>Activists had set up camp toilets and signposts on private land where they planned to create a so-called “zone to be defended”.</div><div><br></div><div>Police cleared pallets and trolleys used to block a small road running alongside the field, which is close to the route of the planned motorway.</div><div><br></div><div>A police source told AFP they expect up to 200 people to attend the protest, while organisers estimated between 500 and 1,000.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’re going ahead with the event because it’s a private event on private land,” said Paul, a spokesman for the movement who asked not to give his family name.</div><div><br></div><div>He added that the wooded area is the subject of a dispute over its expropriation for the motorway. Local authorities say the land is illegally occupied.</div><div><br></div><div>Environmentalists have protested several times in recent months along the planned route of the A69. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-10 15:39:00', '2024-02-10 15:39:00'),
(11159, 11159, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Saudi Arabia has warned of “extremely dangerous repercussions” of an Israeli offensive in southern city of Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, where thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from the Israel-Hamas war.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Kingdom’s foreign ministry in a statement Saturday said that “Rafah represents the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of civilians who the brutal Israeli aggression have forced to flee.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Kingdom said “it stresses it is complete refusal and strong condemnation of the forcible displacement [of Palestinians] and renews calls for an immediate ceasefire.</div><div><br></div><div>“The deliberate violations to international and humanitarian laws stresses the need for the United Nations Security Council to meet soon to prevent Israel from causing an imminent humanitarian disaster.”</div><div><br></div><div>The UN says about half of Gaza’s 2.4 million people are now sheltering in the city, with many sleeping outside in tents and makeshift shelters, and mounting concern about lack of food, water and sanitation.</div><div><br></div><div>On Friday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said a major Israeli offensive in Rafah “can only lead to an additional layer of endless tragedy.”</div><div><br></div><div>Netanyahu has ordered military officials to draw up plans for “evacuating” Rafah alongside “destroying” Hamas fighters in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Witnesses reported new strikes on Rafah early Saturday, raising fears among Palestinians of a looming ground invasion.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas said in a statement that any military action would have catastrophic repercussion that “may lead to tens of thousands of martyrs and injured if Rafah... is invaded.”&nbsp; - Arab News&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-10 15:55:13', '2024-02-10 15:55:13'),
(11160, 11160, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>An Amnesty International report says Myanmar junta’s January airstrike on Kanan village near the Indian border in Tamu Township, Sagaing Region, should be investigated as a war crime.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The rights group has called on the United Nations Security Council to refer the incident to the International Criminal Court.</div><div><br></div><div>The January 7 airstrike on St Peter’s Baptist Church killed 17 civilians, including nine children, injured more than 20 people and damaged the church, school and six houses.</div><div><br></div><div>The largely Christian village of Kanan has around 7,000 mostly ethnically Chin residents and is north of the town of Khampat in Tamu Township.</div><div><br></div><div>Khampat has been under the control of the civilian National Unity Government since November.</div><div><br></div><div>The junta has denied responsibility for the attack, claiming no planes were flying in the area that morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Amnesty said a video clearly shows a Chinese-made A-5 fighter jet above the village.</div><div><br></div><div>The rights group said the Tada-U air base near Mandalay is often used to launch airstrikes on Sagaing Region and satellite imagery shows A-5s at the airfield.</div><div><br></div><div>Sources told Amnesty that a People’s Defense Force was thought to be holding a ceremony in the village school that day.</div><div><br></div><div>No resistance fighters had been reported in the area.</div><div><br></div><div>Amnesty said the aircraft dropped several large bombs on a residential area when civilians were gathering for church and struck again at residents as they scattered.</div><div><br></div><div>These attacks were indiscriminate and should be investigated as a war crime, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>According to Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, by December the junta had conducted 1,652 airstrikes, killing around 936 civilians and injuring 878 people.</div><div><br></div><div>The airstrikes destroyed 1,137 religious buildings, 76 schools and 28 hospitals, the research group said.</div><div><br></div><div>Amnesty is calling for a ban on jet fuel supplies to the regime as the military is still importing fuel, despite international sanctions.</div><div><br></div><div>Matt Wells of Amnesty’s Crisis Response Programme said: “These attacks must be investigated as war crimes and the UN Security Council should refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court. The perpetrators of these crimes under international law must be brought to justice.” - The Irrawaddy</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-10 16:13:51', '2024-02-10 16:13:51'),
(11161, 11161, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday (February 11, 2024) announced the complete results of the country\'s General Election 2024 held on Feb. 8.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>According to the election results announced for the National Assembly, or the lower house of the country\'s parliament, independent candidates got 101 seats, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif got 75 seats and the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians of former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari got 54 seats. - XINHUA</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-11 09:28:07', '2024-02-11 09:28:07'),
(11162, 11162, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday underlined the need for expanding the markets for the country\'s export products.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“In order to boost exports the markets for our products should be expanded along with their diversification ,” Hasina said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister made the remarks when a delegation of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) called on her at the Prime Minister\'s Office.</div><div><br></div><div>She asked the business people to pay special attention on the quality of the products.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister\'s Deputy Press Secretary KM Shakhawat Moon told reporters that the BGMEA delegation briefed the prime minister about business, trade, exports and recent market conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM gave patience hearing when the delegation members referred to some problems arising from various factors including the global situation and assured to solve those.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation included BGMEA President Faruque Hassan, former BGMEA President and former Commerce Minister Tipu Munsi, former Presidents Abdus Salam Murshedy, Md Shafiul Islam and Md Siddiqur Rahman. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-11 10:24:23', '2024-02-11 10:24:23'),
(11163, 11163, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Hundreds of thousands of people chanted “Death to Israel” in rallies across Iran to mark the Islamic Revolution’s 45th anniversary today, with some burning US and Israeli flags amid the ongoing war between Israel and Tehran-backed Hamas.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>President Ebrahim Raisi, in a televised speech, accused Tehran’s arch-foe the US and some western countries of backing “the Zionist regime’s (Israel) crimes against humanity in Gaza”.</div><div><br></div><div>State TV said millions had turned out at rallies and it showed large crowds chanting “Death to Israel, Death to America!”, a common practice during state-organised rallies on the anniversary of the 1979 revolution that toppled the US-backed monarch.</div><div><br></div><div>State media published a picture of some marchers hanging an effigy of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu by a noose.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s four-month-old war on Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza has rippled across the Middle East, with groups backed by Iran mounting attacks on Israeli and US targets.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this month, US forces carried out strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in retaliation for a deadly attack on US troops at a remote outpost in Jordan.</div><div><br></div><div>Backing the Palestinian cause has been a pillar of the Islamic Republic since the revolution that overthrew the US-backed shah, and a way for the Shi’ite-dominated country to fashion itself as a leader of the Muslim world.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas is part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”, a regional alliance that includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, Shi’ite militia groups in Iraq and the Houthis who control a large part of Yemen.</div><div><br></div><div>Iran, which says all members of the alliance make their own decisions independently, has repeatedly declared that Tehran will not directly intervene in Gaza-related hostilities unless it is itself attacked by Israel or the US.</div><div><br></div><div>The revolution anniversary marchers today included soldiers, students, clerics and senior political and military officials.</div><div><br></div><div>Black-clad women with small children were among those flocking streets across the country, many carrying portraits of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-11 12:12:07', '2024-02-11 12:12:07'),
(11164, 11164, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Muslims in Bangladesh will observe the holy Shab-e-Barat on the night of February 25 as the Shaban moon has been sighted.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>As the moon was sighted on Sunday, the month of Shaban will begin from February 12.</div><div><br></div><div>The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee held at Islamic Foundation’s Baitul Mukarram office in the evening.</div><div><br></div><div>Additional Secretary of Ministry of Religious Affairs Md Awal Hawladar presided over the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>The announcement was made after analysing data collected from the district admistrations, Islamic Foundation, Bangladesh Meteorological Department, and Space Research and Remote Sensing Institute.</div><div><br></div><div>Shab-e-Barat is observed on the 15th night of the Arabic month of Shaban. Muslims offer special prayers, recite the Holy Quran, and take part in other religious rituals. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"7\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-11 15:50:38', '2024-02-11 15:50:38'),
(11165, 11165, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP on Sunday presented a list of its 15 leaders and activists who the party said died in prison before and after last October 28.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi provided journalists with the list at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi claimed 15 BNP leaders and workers perished in prison either without receiving adequate medical care or medication or as a result of torture and persecution during police remand.</div><div><br></div><div>He, however, said that the prison authorities gave similar typed interpretations after all the deaths that they died on the way to hospitals. “The fact is that they died in prisons, not in hospitals.”</div><div><br></div><div>Those who died in custody as per the party list include Khulna Jubo Dal leader Kamal Hossain Mizan, Satkhira BNP leaders Abdus Sattar, and Mohsin-ul Mulk, Rangpur BNP leader Manowarul Islam, Dhaka south city unit BNP leaders Idris Al, Abul Bashar, and&nbsp; Imtiaz Ahmed, Gazipur BNP leaders&nbsp; Asaduzzaman Khan Hira, and Mohammad Shafiuddin Master, Pabna BNP leader&nbsp; Abul Kalam Azad, Chattogram city unit BNP leader Golamur Rahman Golap, Natore Jubo Dal leader Abul Kalam Azad, Rajshahi Jubo Dal leader&nbsp; Monirul Islam, Naogaon BNP leader&nbsp; Motibul Mandal and Dhaka city unit Sramik Dal leader Fazlur Rahman Kajal.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi criticised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her comments that those who want to raise questions about the fairness of the 12th general election must clearly show evidence in favour of their assertions.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Those who commit crimes think of themselves as innocent. You (PM) yourself are the biggest proof of election fraud. Because the secretary of the Election Commission appointed by you himself said that the list of those who would win was given to the DCs.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said even the defeated candidates belonging to the ruling party presented information about vote fraud before the nation by holding press conferences.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the local and international media also depicted various election irregularities and empty polling stations amid the boycott by the country’s people.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the country’s people and the international community also know how the government launched an extreme crackdown on the BNP leaders and workers and sent hundreds of opposition leaders and followers to jail for holding a lopsided dummy election, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said even Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud admitted that India kept Awami League in power by extending its support to the party, before addressing Sheikh Hasina: “Prime Minister, you cannot win people\'s hearts with lies.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-11 15:53:09', '2024-02-11 15:53:09'),
(11166, 11166, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the authorities concerned to take positive steps about the geographical indication (GI) certificates for the country’s products.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>She made the directive while chairing the Cabinet meeting held at her office here in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>The issue of GI products came up for discussion in the meeting, said Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain at a press briefing in the Bangladesh Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Prime Minister asked all to be active and take initiatives about (the GI certification) our products,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Industry Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun handed over the GI certificates for Tangail saree, Narsingdi\'s Amrita Sagar Banana and Gopalganj\'s Rosogolla to the Prime Minister at the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>In the meeting, the prime minister also unveiled the cover of a poetry book “Pitaroe Proticchobi” (Reflection of Father), composed by Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman.</div><div><br></div><div>The issue of GI certification has now come to the fore after the Indian government granted GI recognition to Tangail Saree, claiming that the products originated from West Bengal. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-11 15:56:26', '2024-02-11 15:56:26'),
(11167, 11167, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>Bangladesh Bank (BB) has issued a notification regarding the formation of a bank\'s board of directors, as well as prescribing the responsibilities of the directors as per the ‘Bank Company Act’.</b></div><div><br></div><div>The Banking Regulations and Policy Department (BRPD) of Bangladesh Bank on Sunday issued the notification to ensure dynamism and good governance in the banking sector.</div><div><br></div><div>The notification was sent to the managing directors and chief executive officers of all scheduled banks for immediate execution.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the notification, the number of directors of a bank will be a maximum of 20, and independent directors will be three.</div><div><br></div><div>However, if there are less than 20 directors, there cannot be more than two independent directors. At the same time not more than three members from a single family can be directors, the notification stated.</div><div><br></div><div>To be a member of the board of directors, the minimum age of the concerned person must be 30 years. And should have 10 years of management business or professional experience.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the central bank, this policy has been formulated to ensure good governance in the banks. At the same time, the board of directors of the bank must be formed by suitable and professionally competent persons to carry out the business activities properly and smoothly.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“The bank\'s activities are mainly conducted with the money of the depositors. In this case, it is essential to protect the interest of the depositors. For this reason, the responsibility of the board of directors of a bank company is more important than that of other companies,” the BB notification stated.</div><div><br></div><div>Amendments were brought in the Bank-Company Act in 2023 to ensure good governance in the banking sector. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-11 16:05:17', '2024-02-11 16:05:17'),
(11168, 11168, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (February 12, 2024) asked the members of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) to stand with courage and sincerity to resist any ill attempt to ensure public security.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“As the largest force in the country, you have to rightly perform the duty bestowed upon you. You will have to resist any evil move to protect the public safety. You should do it with honesty, courage and sincerity,” she said.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister made this call while addressing the 44th national rally-2024 of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP at Bangladesh Ansar-VDP Academy in Shafipur, Gazipur.</div><div><br></div><div>She said it is a sacred duty of her government to ensure security to the people and investment, and uphold peace.</div><div><br></div><div>“To maintain political stability, proper economic environment and continuation of democratic governance are prerequisites for the overall development of the country,” she said, asking all to uphold such an environment in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Focusing on the country’s development attained during her government,&nbsp; Hasina said Bangladesh now has capacity to tackle any situation.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM requested all to work hard with honesty to continue the country’s development journey.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She recalled the contribution of the country’s largest force Ansar-VDP, having 61 lakh members and 42 battalions including two women battalions and a specialised battalion, to ensuring security to public and private structures and organisations.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said if Ansar is asked to perform duty for any national cause, they do it properly.</div><div><br></div><div>“Even now our Ansar members have been discharging their duties with very competence in various important places starting from different foreign embassies stationed in Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She appreciated the role of Ansar members to protect the country’s assets, including that of Bangladesh Railways from arson violence unleashed by BNP-Jamaat group in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>Highlighting her government’s steps to modernise the Ansar and VDP,&nbsp; Hasina said now the force is now earning fame at home and abroad.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’ve been working to develop the Ansar and VDP,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM reiterated her government’s conviction to protect the country from terrorism, militancy and drugs. “Our drive against corruption will always continue,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She hoped the Ansar and VDP will continue their duty in containing the social diseases in future as well.</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning her government’s vision 2041 to build a Smart Bangladesh, PM Hasina said Ansar and VDP will also be developed as a smart force and will continue working for the development of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the government will make every village a smart and safe locality in Smart Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>On her arrival at the rally venue, the prime minister was received by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Director General of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP Major General AKM Aminul Haque.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister inspected a parade of Ansar and VDP from an open jeep and received salute. She handed over eight types of special medals to 180 Ansar and VDP members for their bravery and praiseworthy services.</div><div><br></div><div>The medals are Bangladesh Ansar Medal, President Ansar Medal, Bangladesh VDP Medal, President VDP Medal, Bangladesh Ansar Services Medal, President Ansar Services Medal, Bangladesh VDP Services Medal and President VDP Services Medal.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM later witnessed a colourful cultural programme performed by Ansar and VDP members. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 08:31:48', '2024-02-12 08:31:48'),
(11169, 11169, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Allies of imprisoned Pakistani ex-premier Imran Khan won more seats in national elections than the political parties who ousted him from power nearly two years ago, according to a final tally of results published Sunday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The vote last Thursday to choose a new parliament was overshadowed by allegations of vote-rigging, an unprecedented mobile phone shutdown, and the exclusion of Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, from the vote.</div><div><br></div><div>People from the PTI ran as independent candidates because of moves by the Election Commission and Supreme Court to cripple their party’s participation. One step included stripping the party of its electoral symbol, which helps illiterate voters find candidates on the ballot. Another was banning party rallies.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan, who was kicked out of office through a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022, has been in prison since last August. He was barred from contesting the vote because of his criminal convictions and contends his sentences and the slew of legal cases against him are politically motivated.</div><div><br></div><div>The final tally showed that independent candidates secured 101 out of 266 seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>The Pakistan Muslim League-N party, or PML-N, led by three-time premier and ex-felon Nawaz Sharif, secured the second biggest number of seats at 75.</div><div><br></div><div>The Pakistan People’s Party, or PPP, led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, came in third with 54 seats. One result has been withheld and another vote was postponed because of a candidate’s death. The campaign to kick Khan out of office in 2022 was led by the PML-N and the PPP.</div><div><br></div><div>No party has won a majority to form a government, so Pakistan will have a coalition. The new parliament chooses the country\'s next prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>The election result is an embarrassment for Sharif, who was marked out as the powerful security establishment\'s preferred candidate because of his smooth return to the country last October. Pakistan’s military has always cast itself as the ultimate arbiter in who becomes prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Sharif spent four years in self-exile abroad to avoid serving prison sentences but his convictions were overturned within weeks of his arrival in Pakistan.</div><div><br></div><div>Even on polling day, Sharif insisted he didn\'t want a coalition and demanded a full five-year term for one party. By Friday evening, seeing his party trail behind the independent candidates backed by Khan, he spoke of alliances and joining hands.</div><div><br></div><div>Sharif has never completed a term in office. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 09:14:10', '2024-02-12 09:14:10'),
(11170, 11170, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma on Monday hoped that better connectivity and new measures like trade in Indian Rupee will further enhance Bangladeshi exports to India.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He joined Bangladesh’s State Minister of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury at the inauguration of the Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call, flagging off a cargo vessel from Sultanganj (Bangladesh) to Maia (India) to operationalize the important river connectivity route between India and Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The High Commissioner highlighted the new river route as part of the growing economic and connectivity links between India and Bangladesh and a visible symbol of the recent transformation of their relationship.</div><div><br></div><div>He stressed the importance of multimodal connectivity in unlocking the true potential of bilateral cooperation and described the re-opening of the Maia-Sultanganj river route as a step.</div><div><br></div><div>This will not only benefit the local economies on the two sides of the border, but will also contribute to national economies and strengthen sub-regional cooperation and integration, said the envoy.</div><div><br></div><div>The High Commissioner noted that India was today Bangladesh’s largest export destination in Asia.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about other forward looking initiatives, the High Commissioner noted the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Bangladesh, for which negotiations are going to start soon.</div><div><br></div><div>The inauguration of the Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call and the flagging-off of a cargo vessel from Sultanganj (Bangladesh) to Maia (India) marks the first of the five trial movements of cargo vessels between Maia Port in India and Sultanganj, Godagari Port of Call in Bangladesh on Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route 5&amp;6.</div><div><br></div><div>There is significant potential for cargo movement through this IBP Route, which is expected to give new impetus to Inland Waterways ecosystem in both countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation A.H.M. Khairuzzaman (Litton), Members of Parliament from Rajshahi-1 Omor Faruk Chowdhury and Chapainawabganj-3 Md. Abdul Wadud, and Senior Secretary of Shipping Md. Mustafa Kamal attended the event.</div><div><br></div><div>Officials from BIWTA, and Ministry of Shipping of Government of Bangladesh were also present. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 09:22:14', '2024-02-12 09:22:14'),
(11171, 11171, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Thousands of supporters of Pakistan\'s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and members of other political parties blocked key highways and started a daylong strike in the volatile southwest Monday to protest alleged rigging of last week\'s elections.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Thursday\'s vote to choose a new parliament was overshadowed by the vote-rigging allegations, an unprecedented mobile phone shutdown, and the exclusion of Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, from the vote.</div><div><br></div><div>While election winners were celebrating victory, PTI and other parties refused to accept their defeat in dozens of constituencies. Dozens of Khan’s supporters were briefly detained in the eastern city of Lahore over the weekend while protesting alleged vote-rigging.</div><div><br></div><div>Jan Achakzai, a government spokesman in the southwest province of Baluchistan, urged protesters to “show grace” by accepting defeat and moving away from the highways.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan could not run in the election because of the criminal convictions against him that he says are politically motivated.</div><div><br></div><div>Still, candidates backed by Khan won more seats than the political parties who ousted him from power nearly two years ago, according to the final tally published Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>No party won a majority, however, so the parties will have to hold talks on forming a coalition government. The new parliament chooses the country’s next prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Candidates aligned with Khan secured 101 out of 266 seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>The Pakistan Muslim League-N party led by three-time premier and ex-felon Nawaz Sharif secured 75. Sharif is currently in talks with allies to form a coalition government.</div><div><br></div><div>The Pakistan People’s Party, or PPP, led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, came in third with 54 seats. One result has been withheld and another vote was postponed because of a candidate’s death. The campaign to kick Khan out of office in 2022 was led by the PML-N and the PPP. </div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan’s military has always cast itself as the ultimate arbiter of who becomes prime minister, and Sharif was marked out as the powerful security establishment’s preferred candidate because of his smooth return to the country last October.</div><div><br></div><div>Sharif spent four years in exile to avoid serving prison sentences but his convictions were overturned within weeks of his arrival in Pakistan. - AP </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 10:04:45', '2024-02-12 10:05:14'),
(11172, 11172, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said members of Myanmar\'s Border Guard Police (BGP) and army who had fled to Bangladesh will be sent back to Myanmar soon.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"I don\'t want to share any specific date. That\'s confidential as security issues are involved. Both sides reached a consensus that they will be sent back soon,\" he told reporters wishing not to say anything on technical issues.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said they are working on their return to Myanmar. \"That\'s our priority. They (Myanmar) want to take them back.\"</div><div><br></div><div>It was not just the members of Myanmar\'s Border Guard Police (BGP) and army who had fled to Bangladesh, there were some of their family members, too.</div><div><br></div><div>Over a hundred people have also entered India and Myanmar took them back.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said they kept the media informed from time to time about their arrival. \"There is no scope for any hide and seek.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He said the Ambassador of Myanmar in Dhaka was summoned and a strong protest was lodged.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We never to want to see our security being compromised due to Myanmar\'s internal conflict,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas and for their growing presence Bangladesh is facing multiple problems on security, climate and illegal drugs fronts.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Consulate in Sittwe, Myanmar is being shifted to Yangon on a temporary basis due to the current security situation there.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding his just completed first bilateral visit to India, Dr Hasan said he is impressed to see the level of respect shown by the Indian side to Bangladesh during the visit.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question on BNP, Dr Hasan said it takes time to restart an old car. \"BNP is like an old car. It stops after moving slightly.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He hoped that BNP wil behave in a democratic way and will follow the path of democracy.</div><div><br></div><div>\"No arson attacks by BNP will be allowed,\" the AL leader warned.</div><div><br></div><div>In fact, he said, the leaders and activists of BNP have become very disappointed after the last national election and their leadership is questioned.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh and India on Wednesday discussed areas of future engagement in line with the national development goals of the two countries, including the visions of \"Smart Bangladesh 2041\" and \"Viksit Bharat 2047\"</div><div><br></div><div>At the invitation of the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S.Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud paid an official visit to India from February 7-9, 2024.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our discussions will strengthen (the) Bangladesh-India Maitri (friendship),\" Jaishankar said in a brief message shared from X, formerly known as Twitter.</div><div><br></div><div>This was Foreign Minister Mahmud\'s first official visit to India and his first bilateral visit to any country, after assuming office as the new Foreign Minister of Bangladesh in January 2024. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 10:39:23', '2024-02-12 10:39:23'),
(11173, 11173, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government is caught up in a dilemma in choosing the right option to reduce the gap between the cost of power production and revenues generated from sales.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Top policymakers are divided over whether the government should go for increasing the power tariff further or issuing more bonds through the banking system,” said a top official at the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).</div><div><br></div><div>He said if the government wants to raise the power tariff, either it has to do it before Ramadan or after Ramadan - these are the questions almost every day that are being discussed at the policy level.</div><div><br></div><div>They are also analysing the impacts of floating more bonds to reduce the burden of soaring losses on the part of BPDB, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>According to official sources, currently, the production of each unit of electricity costs about Tk 12 while it sells at a rate of about Tk 6.7.</div><div><br></div><div>It means the government has to bear the brunt of Tk 5.3 per unit, a top BPDB official told UNB.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The BPDB’s Annual Report 2022-23 shows, the BPDB, as a single buyer, generated 87,024 million kilowatt hours of electricity in 2022-23 fiscal at a total cost of TK 98,646.42 crore.</div><div><br></div><div>Its per unit production cost was at Tk 11.33 while it was selling electricity at Tk 6.7 per unit incurring a loss of about Tk 4.63 per unit.</div><div><br></div><div>The bulk tariff was last raised by 8.06 percent to Tk 6.70 from Tk 6.20 per unit on January 31 with effect from February 2023.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Against this, its revenues were Tk 50,858.25 crore, incurring a loss of Tk 47,788.17 crore, showed the BPDB Annual Report.</div><div><br></div><div>With this huge loss, the government has been in great trouble as it has to purchase electricity worth Tk 82,778.25 from private sector power producers while it generates electricity worth Tk 13,306.62 crore from its own generation plants.</div><div><br></div><div>The annual report also shows that the BPDB’s average per unit production cost from its own plants is Tk 7.63, while it is Tk 14.62 at the independent power producers or IPPs (private sector), at rental plants Tk 12.53, at public plants Tk 6.85 and imported power from India at Tk 8.77.</div><div><br></div><div>The government purchases electricity from the private sector and India in dollars.</div><div><br></div><div>According to official sources, the government\'s cumulative outstanding bills have now jumped to about $5 billion, of which the backlog amount in the power sector is about $4 billion (about Tk 43,093 crore), and the remaining $1 billion is in the energy sector.</div><div><br></div><div>State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid also admitted the severity of the crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>“Actually the crisis is not of local currency. Somehow we can manage it. But the main crisis is the dollar. We’re not getting dollars from Bangladesh Bank as per our needs,” he recently told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He noted that the power and energy sectors need at least $1 billion a month to meet payment obligations.</div><div><br></div><div>In such a situation, the government recently introduced a number of bonds through Bangladesh Bank to facilitate the BPDB to clear some dues, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“Initially, we have floated bonds worth Tk 5000 crore and it may go up to Tk 12,000 crore,” said a BPDB official on condition of anonymity, adding that it will not be enough to cover the losses, although the government is providing subsidies on a regular basis.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“That’s why the government will have to go for raising power tariff further or introducing more bonds,” he said adding, if more bonds are floated, it may squeeze the private sector’s credit from the banking sector.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>But a final decision on what they would do still remains pending.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 10:55:58', '2024-02-12 10:55:58');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11174, 11174, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>Tasrif Khan and his band ‘Kureghor’ will perform in a concert to be held at Jagannath University (JnU) on February 28 to collect fund for the treatment of a cancer-affected student.</b></div><div><br></div><div>The student is Zaheer Uddin Shakhawat, of the Marketing Department of the university of 2016-17 academic year , has been suffering from blood cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma).</div><div><br></div><div>The concert will be held at 3 pm on the day in the science faculty premises of the university.</div><div><br></div><div>Along with ‘Kureghor’, popular bands including Metrolife, ODD Signature, Pratibimbo, and Chandergari will participate in the concert.</div><div><br></div><div>On behalf of the organisers, Al Shahriar Shawon, a student of the academic year 2020-2021, said, \"We have taken this initiative to collect money for Zahir bhai\'s treatment.&nbsp; He is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital.&nbsp; Now around Tk 20 lakh is required for his treatment. We have taken the initiative to think about this..”</div><div><br></div><div>The ticket price for the students of Jagannath University has been fixed at Tk 100 while for outsiders Tk 150. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 11:13:00', '2024-02-12 11:13:00'),
(11175, 11175, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Former Bangladesh captain Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu has been appointed the new chief selector of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), replacing Minhajul Abedin Nannu.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Sports Minister and BCB President Nazmul Hasan made the announcement after the first BCB board meeting of the year on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>“We discussed the appointment of the chief selector at length,” Nazmul said. “Ultimately, we agreed on Gazi Ashraf. We considered several candidates, but Gazi Ashraf was our unanimous choice,” said the minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Former Bangladesh opener Hanan Sarkar has joined the selection panel as a selector, bringing his experience in age-level cricket selection. Hannan boasts a distinguished career with 17 Tests, 20 ODIs, and over 4000 runs in first-class cricket.</div><div><br></div><div>The panel was completed by former Bangladeshi spinner Abdur Razzak, who was also a member of the last panel.</div><div><br></div><div>Gazi Ashraf\'s appointment is somewhat surprising, as he has not been prominently discussed for the position in recent times. A former batter, Gazi Ashraf captained the Bangladesh team in its first seven ODIs between 1986 and 1990 and is highly respected within the country\'s cricketing circles.</div><div><br></div><div>Minhajul Abedin, who became chief selector in June 2016, and Habibul Bashar have been removed from the selection panel. However, Nazmul confirmed they would be offered other positions within the BCB, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“The board appreciates the contributions of Minhajul and his panel,” Nazmul said. “They have served with distinction, and we want to retain their expertise. We will appoint them to suitable positions in due course.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 13:52:09', '2024-02-12 13:52:09'),
(11176, 11176, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Dhaka University administration on Monday sent&nbsp; Prof. Naadir Junaid of the Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ) department to three months of forced leave in light of allegations of a sexual harassment complaint filed by a female student.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The department\'s chairperson Abul Mansur Ahmed read out the university\'s official decision to the students in the department’s corridor around 4:30 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>“In the interest of maintaining the smooth operation of the university\'s educational activities, you are required to take a leave for three months starting from February 12, abstaining from all academic and administrative responsibilities,” he announced in the letter in front of the students.</div><div><br></div><div>“Furthermore, the matter will be presented in the next syndicate meeting for a thorough investigation into the allegations raised against you. Any necessary actions will be taken in accordance with the decisions made by the syndicate,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The students of the department started gathering in the department’s corridor from 10 am this morning for the second day to press home their three points of demand following yesterday\'s decision to boycott all academic activities indefinitely.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Around 2:15 pm, they carried out a protest rally that marched to the Vice Chancellor’s office where they went to submit their memorandum.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As the VC was not present in the office then, they marched to the VC\'s residence. There, the department\'s chairperson Abul Mansur Ahmed requested them to wait till 4 pm as he said the VC was in a meeting with foreign delegates.</div><div><br></div><div>Abul Mansur Ahmed said, “Wait till 4 pm, VC sir confirmed he will give a written final decision about your demands.”</div><div><br></div><div>Before heading to meet the VC, as part of their protest, the students locked and sealed the professor\'s office and the department\'s classrooms.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, a student of Dhaka University filed a written complaint alleging sexual harassment and prolonged psychological abuse against Prof Naadir Junaid of the university\'s Mass Communication and Journalism Department on Saturday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>In the complaint submitted to the Proctor, Md. Maksudur Rahman, the student brought a host of allegations, including threatening her in various ways for not accepting his romantic advances, monitoring her through the CCTV camera, continuously calling her at odd hours, and expressing sexual interest.</div><div><br></div><div>Following the complaint, students from all batches collectively announced an indefinite class boycott and protest program on Saturday night. Additionally, the students declared Prof. Naadir persona non-grata on campus.</div><div><br></div><div>In a memorandum submitted to the department’s chairperson, Prof Abul Mansur Ahmed on Sunday morning, students raised three key points: urgent formation of an inquiry committee to investigate the sexual harassment allegations against Prof. Naadir Junaid; swift and decisive punishment for sexual predators; and the suspension of the teacher from all academic activities during the investigation period. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 13:54:51', '2024-02-12 13:54:51'),
(11177, 11177, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The death toll from a landslide in the southern Philippines has climbed to 68 as officials said today the window of finding more survivors is closing.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Rescuers were looking for 51 more people in the wake of the Feb 6 landslide, which struck outside a gold mine in Maco town in Davao de Oro province and buried homes and vehicles that were supposed to ferry employees of the mining company.</div><div><br></div><div>Disaster authorities plan to shift their focus from search and rescue to search and retrieval beginning tomorrow, Maco town disaster officer Ariel Capoy said.</div><div><br></div><div>Torrential rains have battered Davao de Oro in recent weeks, triggering floods and landslides, forcing many families to flee their homes.</div><div><br></div><div>The US, through the US Agency for International Development, was providing US$1.25 million in humanitarian aid to the affected communities in the southern islands, its embassy in Manila said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The US defence department also provided two C-130 cargo planes to help deliver food packs in the affected communities. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 14:12:12', '2024-02-12 14:12:12'),
(11178, 11178, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The UK announced today sanctions on four “extremist Israeli settlers” accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank, following a similar move by the US earlier this month.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The curbs follow what the UK called “unprecedented levels of violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank” over the past year by some residents of illegal Israeli settlements and outposts there.</div><div><br></div><div>The sanctions represent a rare move by London and Washington against Israelis, as war rages with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.</div><div><br></div><div>The transatlantic allies’ steadfast support for Israel’s military action in the territory has drawn heavy criticism both internationally and among sections of their domestic populations.</div><div><br></div><div>Announcing the new curbs – which comprise UK asset freezes alongside travel and visa bans – British foreign secretary David Cameron said “Israel must also take stronger action and put a stop to settler violence”.</div><div><br></div><div>He added, “Too often, we see commitments made and undertakings given, but not followed through.”</div><div><br></div><div>Cameron said “extremist Israeli settlers” are threatening Palestinians, often at gunpoint, and “forcing them off land that is rightfully theirs,” branding the behaviour “illegal and unacceptable”.</div><div><br></div><div>“Extremist settlers, by targeting and attacking Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Two of the individuals sanctioned – Moshe Sharvit and Yinon Levy – have in recent months used physical aggression, threatened families at gunpoint, and destroyed property, Cameron’s foreign ministry said.</div><div><br></div><div>Their actions are “part of a targeted and calculated effort to displace Palestinian communities,” it added.</div><div><br></div><div>London also targeted Zvi Bar Yosef, who it said had set up an illegal outpost in the West Bank in 2018 which has been described by local Palestinian residents as a “source of systematic intimidation and violence”.</div><div><br></div><div>A fourth person London sanctioned, Ely Federman, had been involved in multiple incidents against Palestinian shepherds in the South Hebron Hills, according to the foreign ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>Levi was the only one of the quartet to also be targeted by the US, when it unveiled sanctions against four Israeli settlers on Feb 1. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 14:23:15', '2024-02-12 14:23:15'),
(11179, 11179, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A communications network blackout in Sudan, blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has hobbled aid delivery and left the war-weary population of almost 50 million unable to make payments or contact the outside world.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The RSF has been fighting Sudan’s army for control of the country since April in a war that has killed thousands, displaced almost eight million, and sparked warnings of famine.</div><div><br></div><div>Four industry sources told Reuters that the RSF began shutting down the networks on Feb 5, completing the blackout two days later.</div><div><br></div><div>After 10 months of conflict, the RSF controls most of the capital Khartoum, and some of Sudan’s infrastructure that is based there, including the headquarters of the telecoms providers.</div><div><br></div><div>The RSF did not respond to requests for comment. An RSF source said on Feb 5 the paramilitary had nothing to do with the outages.</div><div><br></div><div>The sources said that RSF soldiers had threatened the blackout unless engineers restored service to the western Darfur region, which the RSF controls and which has experienced a blackout for months.</div><div><br></div><div>A telecom industry official blamed the situation there on a lack of fuel and dangerous working conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>Starlink devices</div><div><br></div><div>Devices hooked up on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system have proliferated, despite a government order against them, but most are in the dark in a country where smartphone use for most aspects of life was ubiquitous and many had access to WiFi or data networks.</div><div><br></div><div>Commerce in Sudan has become largely reliant on e-wallets as income has dried up, belongings are stolen, and banks are stretched.</div><div><br></div><div>On social media, some have posted pleas for help reaching family members to inform them of deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>“I am very worried for my family,” said 48-year-old doctor Mohamed al-Nour, living abroad. “I can’t contact them and they depend on my money transfers.”</div><div><br></div><div>The outage has severely restricted the work of volunteer emergency response rooms, which provide crucial food and medical assistance.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’ve lost our bearings completely,” said one volunteer from Khartoum now outside the country. “No trader will give us food for free. People will start to starve. And the same goes for medical supplies.”</div><div><br></div><div>Abdelgaffer Omer, another volunteer, from Bahri, said the kitchens there had been about to restock. “What they had wouldn’t last more than a week or 10 days and it’s already been a week.”</div><div><br></div><div>Aid agencies face similar difficulties paying suppliers and ensuring the safety of staff, says Mathilde Vu of Norwegian Refugee Council, slowing an already stretched response to multiple disease outbreaks and waves of displacement.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are not able to support our teams right now. If you send any of your colleagues to a distribution site and there is any issue we wouldn’t be able to support them. That is very stressful,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>A government source said the national telecom authority was working with companies to restore services as soon as possible, denying negotiations with the RSF.</div><div><br></div><div>The three companies did not respond to requests for comment, though Kuwaiti-owned Zain and South African-owned MTN have previously said the outages were out of their control.</div><div><br></div><div>Fighting continued in the capital and west of the country, with the head of the RSF claiming gains in a speech yesterday. The United Nations also said fighting had flared on the edges of the densely populated city of Al-Fasher. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 14:26:04', '2024-02-12 14:26:04'),
(11180, 11180, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A hawker sustained bullet injuries while four others including three policemen were injured in a clash between police and hawkers in New Market area of Chattogram port city over evicting hawkers on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Obaidul Haque, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said a team of police went to the New Market area to evict hawkers as per the directives of the city corporation authorities around 4 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Witnesses said when the police and executive magistrates were evicting some hawkers, a group of hawkers gathered there.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, they brought out a procession and obstructed police in the eviction drive.</div><div><br></div><div>A chase and counter chase took place among them, triggering a clash that turned the New Market area into a battlefield.</div><div><br></div><div>The hawkers hurled brick chips targeting police, prompting them to take action.</div><div><br></div><div>Additional forces of police also joined them and fired rubber bullets to disperse the hawkers.</div><div><br></div><div>A hawker sustained bullet injuries during the firing and he was taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, three policemen and a hawker were injured in the clash.</div><div><br></div><div>Vehicular movement and shops on Reazuddin Bazar, GPO and Kotwali area remained at standstill during the clash.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, police evicted hawkers from the Station Road in New Market area due to traffic congestion on February 8. The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) were monitoring the area every day to check the position of hawkers. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 14:56:12', '2024-02-12 14:56:12'),
(11181, 11181, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Left-handed opener Najmul Hossain Shanto will take over as captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team in all formats, replacing Shakib Al Hasan in at least one format.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan Papon, also the sports minister, announced the decision following the board\'s first meeting of the year on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>“Najmul Hossain Shanto has been appointed as the new captain in all formats,” Nazmul Hasan stated. “He will lead Bangladesh in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is for at least this year.”</div><div><br></div><div>The decision marks a shift from previous statements by BCB\'s cricket operations chairman, Jalal Yunus, who indicated during the recent home series against New Zealand that Shakib would continue as captain.</div><div><br></div><div>Shanto\'s appointment as T20I captain may come as a surprise, as Shakib remains a regular in the format for Bangladesh. However, a combination of factors influenced the decision, according to Nazmul Hasan.</div><div><br></div><div>“Shakib is facing ongoing issues with his eyesight,” the BCB president explained. “With upcoming series against Sri Lanka and the World Cup on the horizon, we felt appointing a new captain now provides crucial stability.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BCB president expressed hope that this change will facilitate smooth preparations for the World Cup.</div><div><br></div><div>Shanto has proven his leadership abilities while captaining Bangladesh in Shakib\'s absence. He recently expressed a desire for a longer stint as captain while interacting with the media.</div><div><br></div><div>Shanto boasts a successful captaining record with Bangladesh, having led the team to three victories in six ODIs, three T20Is, and two Tests. He also demonstrated leadership experience as captain of the Bangladesh U-19 team.</div><div><br></div><div>The vice-captain position remains open. The board president indicated that several names are under consideration and that Bangladesh may have different vice-captains for Test and ODI formats.</div><div><br></div><div>As the full-time captain, Shanto’s first assignment is going to be the home series against Sri Lanka, comprising three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests. The series will be played across two venues in Sylhet and Chattogram. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 15:00:07', '2024-02-12 15:00:07'),
(11182, 11182, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested 30 pirates along with huge firearms and ammunition while they were trying to commit mass robbery in fishing boats in the Bay of Bengal early Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The identities of the arrestees could not be known immediately.</div><div><br></div><div>Tipped off, a team of Rab-7 conducted a drive in the Bay of Bengal (Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar coastal areas) and arrested 30 pirates along with firearms and ammunition while committing mass robbery in the Bay of Bengal using two trawlers early in this Monday morning, said Commanding officer of Rab-7, Lieutenant Colonel Mahbub Alam.</div><div><br></div><div>The pirates were taken to the Patenga No 15 ghat. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 15:18:00', '2024-02-12 15:18:00'),
(11183, 11183, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government is reviewing the economic situation of the country.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“With the preliminary symptoms, it seems that the country’s economic situation is moving towards improvement,” Finance Minister AH Mahmud Ali said in Parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>He made the statement while responding to a supplementary question from independent lawmaker elected from Kishoreganj Sohrab Uddin.</div><div><br></div><div>The Minister hoped that in the next few days the total scenario of country’s economy will be clear.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In his question Sohrab Uddin said that the country\'s economy is in turmoil due to the dollar crisis and money laundering.</div><div><br></div><div>“There is a need to allow undisclosed money for legalising to face the crisis of money due to money laundering,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He mentioned that this sort of opportunity was also provided in the past under special arrangements.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Sohrab Uddin wants to know whether the government will give an opportunity to legalise undisclosed income through paying extra tax to prevent money laundering and eliminate the dollar crisis.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“However, it is not black money, but legal and undisclosed income,” said the independent MP.</div><div><br></div><div>In reply, the finance minister said that the government is reviewing the entire thing.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Not only the black money, but the entire economic situation is under review. After seeing the initial symptoms, it seems to be that we are heading towards improvement. After a few more days, I will get a complete picture. Until then, please be patient,” he said</div><div><br></div><div>In response to the written questions of Independent Member elected from Kusthia-4 Abdur Rauf, Ali said that some 36.62 lakh people have submitted income tax returns in the country till January, 2024.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In response to the question of another independent member of parliament, Hushamuddin Chowdhury, the finance minister said that the number of TIN holders across the country is 99.70 lakh.</div><div><br></div><div>“But some 36.62 lakh returns have been submitted and some Tk 5901 crore was deposited in the national exchequer,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Ali, responding to a question of independent member Saiful Islam, said that some 56 projects are going on with the financial assistance of the World Bank.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to another question of his question, the finance minister said that as a result of the government\'s action, point-to-point inflation has started decreasing gradually from November 2023.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>According to the latest data, point-to-point inflation stood at 9.41 percent in December, while it was 9.74 percent in June, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Answering to ruling party lawmaker Samil Uddin Ahmed Shimul\'s question,&nbsp; Ali said that 87.70 percent of the target of revenue collection has been achieved till December 2023 of the fiscal year 2023-24.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“During this time, the revenue collection was Tk 1.65 lakh crore. From the stamp duty the collection was Tk 1626 crore. The deficit is Tk 23,227 crore,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to the question of Awami League MP elected from Chattogram M Abdul Latif, the finance minister said that the Japanese government has given financial assistance of $3.38 million in 2023 for the development of human resources in Bangladesh, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to a question from ruling party MP Mamunur Rashid Kiran, the finance minister said that a new return form and a one-page return form has been introduced to simplify the income tax return process.</div><div><br></div><div>He mentioned that TRP (Tax Return Preparer) programme will be introduced to simplify return filing process.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-12 15:28:32', '2024-02-12 15:28:32'),
(11184, 11184, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday put emphasis on the rural development along with building infrastructure.</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I think besides the infrastructural development we also need the overall development of the rural areas,” she told the ECNEC meeting at NEC conference room in Agargaon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She asked authorities concerned to quickly finish the development projects which are beiny delayed due to allocation of small funds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I will ask the cabinet secretary to convey this to all secretaries in different ministries so such projects are completed quickly,” she said</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said with the finishing these projects it would be easy for the government to take up new development programmes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also said that deadline of some development projects have been increased, but hose also have to be completed very soon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Because, if that remains unfinished costs of the projects will increase unnecessarily and it also kills time. Make sure that this is done,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said that for the socioeconomic development of the country the government must take development projects.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this regard, she asked all to remain cautious while taking any kind of development projects so that the government could attain its goal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that due to global condition the countryis having some pressure on economy. Otherwise the country was moving fast towards prosperity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The growth was increasing, development was expediting, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the whole world came to a standstill, and when the whole world started to move from that situation, it was hit by the Ukraine-Russia war followed by sanctions, counter-sanctions,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also mentioned that the world is bracing for another phase of instability after Israeli troops launched heinous attacks on the innocent people in Palestine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“As a result, the cost and time of transportation has increased manifold,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that due to these external factors the pressure is on in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said she has requested all to utilise every inch of arable land of the country for production of food grains.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“And it has given us better results,” she said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 07:24:04', '2024-02-13 07:24:04'),
(11185, 11185, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI said Tuesday that the dangers that keep him awake at night regarding artificial intelligence are the \"very subtle societal misalignments\" that could make the systems wreak havoc.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Sam Altman, speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai via a video call, reiterated his call for a body like the International Atomic Energy Agency to be created to oversee AI that\'s likely advancing faster than the world expects.</div><div><br></div><div>\"There\'s some things in there that are easy to imagine where things really go wrong. And I\'m not that interested in the killer robots walking on the street direction of things going wrong,\" Altman said. \"I\'m much more interested in the very subtle societal misalignments where we just have these systems out in society and through no particular ill intention, things just go horribly wrong.\"</div><div><br></div><div>However, Altman stressed that the AI industry, like OpenAI, shouldn\'t be in the driver\'s seat when it comes to making regulations governing the industry.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We\'re still in the stage of a lot of discussion. So there\'s you know, everybody in the world is having a conference. Everyone\'s got an idea, a policy paper, and that\'s OK,\" Altman said. \"I think we\'re still at a time where debate is needed and healthy, but at some point in the next few years, I think we have to move towards an action plan with real buy-in around the world.\"</div><div><br></div><div>OpenAI, a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence startup, is one of the leaders in the field. Microsoft has invested some $1 billion in OpenAI. The Associated Press has signed a deal with OpenAI for it to access its news archive. Meanwhile, The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft over the use of its stories without permission to train OpenAI\'s chatbots.</div><div><br></div><div>OpenAI\'s success has made Altman the public face for generative AI\'s rapid commercialization — and the fears over what may come from the new technology.</div><div><br></div><div>The UAE, an autocratic federation of seven hereditarily ruled sheikhdoms, has signs of that risk. Speech remains tightly controlled. Those restrictions affect the flow of accurate information — the same details AI programs like ChatGPT rely on as machine-learning systems to provide their answers for users.</div><div><br></div><div>The Emirates also has the Abu Dhabi firm G42, overseen by the country\'s powerful national security adviser. G42 has what experts suggest is the world\'s leading Arabic-language artificial intelligence model. The company has faced spying allegations for its ties to a mobile phone app identified as spyware. It has also faced claims it could have gathered genetic material secretly from Americans for the Chinese government.</div><div><br></div><div>G42 has said it would cut ties to Chinese suppliers over American concerns. However, the discussion with Altman, moderated by the UAE\'s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence Omar al-Olama, touched on none of the local concerns.</div><div><br></div><div>For his part, Altman said he was heartened to see that schools, where teachers feared students would use AI to write papers, now embrace the technology as crucial for the future. But he added that AI remains in its infancy.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I think the reason is the current technology that we have is like ... that very first cellphone with a black-and-white screen,\" Altman said. \"So give us some time. But I will say I think in a few more years it\'ll be much better than it is now. And in a decade it should be pretty remarkable.\" - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 09:20:45', '2024-02-13 09:25:36'),
(11186, 11186, '<div><b>The European Commission officially extended an exemption today from contested rules to leave a share of agricultural lands fallow, which had become a flashpoint for protesting farmers across the bloc.</b></div><div><br></div><div>First lifted in 2023 in response to market disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the rules will remain partially suspended this year, according to the decision published in the European Union’s official journal.</div><div><br></div><div>Instead of keeping 4% of arable land unproductive, farmers will be allowed to use it for “nitrogen-fixing crops” such as lentils or peas, or “catch crops” grown between regular harvests, and remain eligible for EU subsidies.</div><div><br></div><div>Heeding calls from several EU members including France, the commission agreed last month – at the height of the rolling farmer protests – to grant a new partial exemption.</div><div><br></div><div>The modified rule “would put less restrictions on how they can use the arable land and would reduce the income losses while still ensuring some environmental benefits,” reads the updated text.</div><div><br></div><div>The commission initially proposed that 7% of land be used for nitrogen-fixing crops, but that figure was later revised down to 4%.</div><div><br></div><div>“There are some changes following negotiations with member states,” commission spokesman Olof Gill told reporters yesterday. “The logic was to provide further flexibilities for our farmers.”</div><div><br></div><div>The fallow land rules were imposed as part of the bloc’s common agricultural policy to promote biodiversity.</div><div><br></div><div>It is one of several measures dropped by the bloc in a bid to assuage the farmer movement – which has spooked leaders ahead of June’s European elections – along with a plan to cut pesticide use in agriculture.</div><div><br></div><div>The list of farmers’ complaints is long but mostly boils down to them feeling they can no longer make a living working the land.</div><div><br></div><div>Part of that is because they face red tape and climbing costs associated with expanding EU regulations to meet climate targets.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU acknowledged that a combination of geopolitics and extreme weather meant farmers were struggling to meet the fallow land rule, which “in certain cases can have a significant short-term impact on their revenue and put at risk the viability of their activities.” - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 12:05:37', '2024-02-13 12:05:37'),
(11187, 11187, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Russia attacked the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro with missiles and drones today, damaging a power plant and forcing authorities to close schools and evacuate a hospital, Ukrainian officials and media said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The city of just under one million people came under attack from a missile and four groups of drones approaching from the south, east, and north, Ukraine’s Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app.</div><div><br></div><div>It reported shooting down 16 of 23 drones.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine’s largest private energy provider DTEK said a thermal power plant was significantly damaged. There were no casualties, it added.</div><div><br></div><div>The company did not say where the power plant was located, but Dnipro’s water utility company said on Telegram that “due to power outages” water supply had been partially suspended and Ukrainian media outlets said a power plant in Dnipro was hit.</div><div><br></div><div>Regional governor Serhiy Lysak said energy infrastructure had been hit, but gave no further details. He said 10 drones were destroyed over the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Dnipro mayor Borys Filatov said authorities were closing schools in one neighbourhood and evacuating at least one hospital ahead of an expected cold snap that would strain the energy grid.</div><div><br></div><div>Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports. There was no immediate response from Russia’s defence ministry to a request for comment.</div><div><br></div><div>Both Russia and Ukraine have increased their air attacks away from the frontline in recent months, targeting each other’s critical energy, military, and transport infrastructure. According to Reuters reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 12:16:35', '2024-02-13 12:16:35'),
(11188, 11188, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">China on Tuesday called on Israel to halt military operations in Gaza as soon as possible, a day after Israeli forces rescued two hostages from the Gaza Strip in a dramatic operation that also killed at least 74 Palestinians, according to Palestinian hospital officials.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The raid took place in Rafah, the city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to escape fighting elsewhere in the Israel-Hamas war. Women and children were among those killed in the airstrikes, Palestinian officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>China\'s Foreign Ministry added in a brief statement on Tuesday that Israel should \"do everything possible to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and prevent a more devastating humanitarian disaster in Rafah.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The Palestinian death toll from the war has surpassed 28,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. A quarter of Gaza\'s residents are starving.</div><div><br></div><div>The war began with Hamas\' assault into Israel on Oct. 7, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250. Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, while Hamas is holding the remains of roughly 30 others who were either killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity. Three hostages were mistakenly killed by the army after escaping their captors in December. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 12:21:24', '2024-02-13 12:21:24'),
(11189, 11189, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indian security forces fired tear gas today to stop thousands of farmers demanding minimum crop prices from marching on the capital New Delhi after talks with the government failed.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Local broadcasters showed thick clouds of tear gas fired to disperse protesters near Ambala, some 200km north of the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Police have set up a fearsome blockade of metal spikes, cement, and steel barricades on the highways from three surrounding states leading to the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>“Maximum numbers have been deployed”, Ranjay Atrishya, assistant commissioner of Delhi Police, told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>Public gatherings of more than five people have been banned in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Farmers in India have political heft due to their sheer numbers, and the threat of renewed protests comes ahead of national elections likely to begin in April.</div><div><br></div><div>Two-thirds of India’s 1.4 billion people draw their livelihood from agriculture, accounting for nearly a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product,, according to government figures.</div><div><br></div><div>Indian broadcasters showed columns of hundreds of tractors moving toward the capital from the surrounding states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The farmers are demanding a law to fix a minimum price for their crops, besides a clutch of other concessions including waiving off loans.</div><div><br></div><div>Farmers have called for a “Delhi Chalo”, or “March to Delhi”, echoing protests in January 2021 when farmers breached barricades and marched into the city on Republic Day.</div><div><br></div><div>Protests by farmers against agricultural reform bills in November 2020 lasted for more than a year, forming the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government since it came to power in 2014.</div><div><br></div><div>Tens of thousands of farmers then set up makeshift camps, with at least 700 people killed during the protests.</div><div><br></div><div>In November 2021, a year after protests began, Modi pushed through parliament the repeal of three contentious laws that farmers claimed would let private companies control the country’s agriculture sector.</div><div><br></div><div>Thousands of Indian farmers die by suicide every year because of poverty, debt, and crops affected by ever more erratic weather patterns caused by climate change. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 12:23:23', '2024-02-13 12:23:23'),
(11190, 11190, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday alleged that the Awami League government is showing its arrogance after usurping power through the last month’s ‘dummy’ election.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“They (govt) are now showing their arrogance after the farcical dummy election held on January 7 which was turned down by the country’s people. They’re also trying to flaunt the power they\'ve usurped to people,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He came up with the remarks before distributing BNP’s leaflets in the city’s Fakirapool area as part of the party’s fresh programme demanding the cancellation of the 12th parliamentary polls and a fresh election under a non-partisan government.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the country\'s people have woken up against the government to ensure its fall through a united movement.</div><div><br></div><div>“We all must take to the streets together in the movement to demand the cancellation of the dummy election...We have started the leaflet distribution programme with that goal,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s recent comment that there were many crackdowns on the army and many were sent to the gallows during the tenure of Ziaur Rahman, Rizvi said their party founder did everything through a legal process against those who worked against the army.</div><div><br></div><div>“But you (PM) have made military officers disappear. Where is Brigadier General Abdullahil Amaan Azmi? He was subjected to enforced disappearance during the tenure of your government,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the Awami League government killed about 20,000 leaders and workers of (Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal) JSD and other opposition parties and dissidents in 1972-1975. “Similarly, countless opposition leaders and workers have been killed during the tenure of this regime. Many people, including Ilias Ali and Chowdhury Alam, have been made forcibly disappear.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Later, Rizvi along with some party leaders and activists distributed leaflets among the pedestrians, shop owners, transport workers and rickshaw pullers in the area.</div><div><br></div><div>The leaflet titled \'Save the country, save the people\' demanded the cancellation of the January 7 one-sided by-election, the resignation of the Sheikh Hasina government, and the establishment of an impartial election commission under a caretaker government, the release of jailed BNP leaders and activists, including its chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of the party’s countrywide programme, BNP leaders and workers distributed leaflets in all metropolitan cities on Tuesday also to mount pressure on the government to reduce the prices of essential commodities, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>BNP on Sunday announced a six-day fresh programme, including mass contact and leaflet distribution, across the country beginning Tuesday.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 13:39:26', '2024-02-13 13:39:26'),
(11191, 11191, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Health Minister Dr. Samanta Lal Sen on Tuesday said that Bangladesh has made continuous progress in the pharmaceutical industry as 98 percent of the country\'s total demand for&nbsp; medicine is now produced locally.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Almost all medicines produced in Bangladesh are being exported to 157 countries of the world,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to the question of independent MP elected from Dhaka-19 Muhammad Saiful Islam, the minister said that incentives are being given by the government to encourage the export of medicines produced in the country, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“As a part of this, incentives are being given at the rate of 10 percent this year,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 14:02:18', '2024-02-13 14:02:18'),
(11192, 11192, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the people of Bangladesh are enjoying democracy now as the Awami League has come to power for the fourth consecutive term.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“People are enjoying democracy now,” she said while Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) secretary general Indra Mani Pandey called on her at her office in Parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s deputy press secretary KM Shakhwat Moon briefed the reporters after the call on.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said that there was a time when the country had plunged under military rules.</div><div><br></div><div>She termed people of the country as one of her strengths.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina mentioned that the government has always put emphasis on the rural development.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that she visited numerous villages and encouraged people not to leave single inch of arable land without food production.</div><div><br></div><div>“I requested all to engage in food production in whatever way they can,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said that Bangladesh and BIMSTEC will work together to achieve the common goals.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said that India has always been a friendly country to Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>She recalled with gratitude that during 1971 India had helped Bangladesh a lot and gave shelter to some one crore people.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said that after the assassination of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman she and her sister Sheikh Rehana took refuge in India.</div><div><br></div><div>The BIMSTEC secretary general congratulated the prime minister on her re-election.</div><div><br></div><div>He expressed satisfaction regarding the activities of Bangladesh with BIMSTEC.</div><div><br></div><div>He also mentioned that the BIMSTEC will continue its excellent relationship with Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>He lauded Bangladesh’s development and PM’s vision to establish smart Bangladesh and graduation of Bangladesh as developing country from LDC status.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said that Bangladesh plans to complete the construction work of the proposed BIMSTEC Secretariat Building within three years with the objective of inaugurating it by the BIMSTEC leaders during the 7th Summit to be held in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>She Mentioned that the areas of cooperation under BIMSTEC has been restructured and brought down to seven sectors with a lead country for each sector.</div><div><br></div><div>Trade, Investment and Development is one of the most important sectors of BIMSTEC cooperation and Bangladesh is the lead country in this sector, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Expressing hope the next BIMSTEC Summit will continue to intensify the forum\'s activities further when Bangladesh takes the Chairmanship after the next summit.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister expressed hope of taking the BIMSTEC process to a new height as the new SG and Chairmanship would be shared by two very friendly nations - India and Bangladesh- and the Secretariat is hosted in Dhaka, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina reiterated that Bangladesh stands ready to assume more responsibilities in BIMSTEC process after the 6th Summit upon assumption of the Chairmanship of the Group.</div><div><br></div><div>PMO secretary Mohammad Salahuddin were present.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 15:25:45', '2024-02-13 15:25:45');
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(11193, 11193, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday said that the Myanmarese security forces who had fled to Bangladesh will be sent back to Myanmar very soon.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"They (Myanmar) have sent a message to us saying that they will take them back by ship very soon. Hopefully they will take their members back within 1-2 days. They have no conflict with us, no war, they have come here for their self defense,\" the Home Minister said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Home Minister came up with the remark in response to a question from reporters after addressing at the opening ceremony of Highway Police\'s \'Service Week-2024\' at Bangladesh Police Auditorium of Rajarbagh Police Lines on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 330 members of Myanmar army, border guards, police, immigration and other officials took refuge recently in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that there is a war going on all around Myanmar. Their forces are fighting with the Arakan Army on the border of Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"We see that their war has become so intense that Myanmar\'s BGP, government officials, I think one or two military personnel have infiltrated us here. Some of them came with weapons, some entered without weapons. But they came to save their own lives, not to fight,\" the Home Minister added.</div><div><br></div><div>\"After that, our BGB members have disarmed them and kept them here safely. Among them, the injured have been given medical care. Later, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we informed them to take them back,\" he further said.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to another question, the Home Minister said, \"We have made it clear that we already have 1.2 million Rohingya here. We will not allow anyone from Myanmar to settle here, be it Rohingya or anyone else.\"</div><div><br></div><div>We have already asked the Myanmar government to take back those who are coming here to defend themselves. They are going to take them back. Our BGB, Police and Coast Guard are all working together in bordering areas.&nbsp; Despite fighting inside the Myanmar border, none of them seem to come to this border. Even then, no one can enter here,\" the Home Minister said, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>When asked whether any of the BGP members who have taken refuge were involved in the attack on the Rohingyas, he said, \"We do not have any list of them. But we saw miles after miles were burned, dead bodies were floating in the river. Their army was stationed there during the massacre we saw. But I don\'t know if they did the massacre. It is being tried in the international court.\"</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 15:34:52', '2024-02-13 15:34:52'),
(11194, 11194, '<div><br></div><div>Information and Broadcasting State Minister Mohammad Ali Arafat has said Bangladesh Betar is playing a commendable role in creating public participation in the government\'s development initiatives for the country\'s progress.</div><div><br></div><div>Arafat was speaking at a discussion session held at the Bangladesh Betar Central Office in Agargaon, Dhaka, on the occasion of World Radio Day 2024, as the chief guest.</div><div><br></div><div>The junior minister said Bangladesh Betar plays a commendable role in the nation\'s development by fostering public engagement in these initiatives. To achieve an advanced Bangladesh, Bangladesh Betar, along with other commercial FM radios and community radios, must work tirelessly.</div><div><br></div><div>He further mentioned that in the era of technological advancement, radio faces significant challenges. Radio needs to compete with various social media platforms, which not only offer quick and affordable entertainment but also spread misinformation, rumors, and sensational news. Despite such challenges, Bangladesh Betar maintains its own standards, providing content that is objective, reliable, and dependable in both entertainment and news broadcasting, even in adversarial circumstances.</div><div><br></div><div>As this year\'s World Radio Day theme, \"Radio across the century - Information, Entertainment, and Education spreading through radio,\" Arafat called upon the personnel of Bangladesh Betar, artists, and skilled individuals to continue their efforts during this time of rapid change.</div><div><br></div><div>World Radio Day was established on November 3, 2011, during the 36th General Conference of UNESCO. It has been globally observed on February 13 since 2012. Bangladesh Betar commemorated the day with a vibrant parade, listener conferences, discussions, and cultural events.</div><div><br></div><div>Rabindra Sri Barua, Director General of Bangladesh Betar, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Mohammad Humayun Kabir Khondokar, and Dr. Susan Marie Vaijes, Head of UNESCO Dhaka Office and Representative of Bangladesh, were present at the time, among others. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 15:37:24', '2024-02-13 15:37:24'),
(11195, 11195, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Khaled Mahmud, vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)\'s Cricket Operations Department, expressed surprise on Tuesday at the appointment of Gazi Ashraf as the new chief selector of the national team.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“It was really surprising for me. I hadn\'t heard his name as a candidate. Many other names were doing the rounds, but I didn\'t hear his,” Mahmud told reporters in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>Mahmud said he expected to be informed about the appointment of the chief selector as he is the vice-chairman of the Cricket Operations Department.</div><div><br></div><div>“Though I’m the vice-chairman of the cricket operation, I didn\'t know that we were appointing a new selector. It’s a surprising move. I even don’t know why I should be at this position,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Mahmud, however, said he has no doubt about Ashraf\'s cricketing knowledge and ability.</div><div><br></div><div>“I have no doubt about Lipu bhai\'s (Ashraf) cricketing knowledge,” he said. “He is a very senior cricketer and has been involved with cricket for a long time. He has captained the national team. So, there is no question about his cricketing knowledge,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Mahmud also said he is hopeful that Ashraf will be able to do a good job as the chief selector.</div><div><br></div><div>“He has a good cricketing brain and is a very intelligent person. I am sure he will be able to work well with the other selectors and the coaching staff,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Ashraf, a former Bangladesh captain, was appointed as the chief selector on Monday. He replaced Minhajul Abedin, who had been in the role since 2016.</div><div><br></div><div>Mahmud also expressed his satisfaction with the inclusion of Hannan Sarkar in the selection panel.</div><div><br></div><div>“I am very happy that Hannan has been included in the selection panel. He is very experienced and has a good understanding of the game. He will be a valuable asset to the selection panel,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Ashraf will take over the role of the chief selector soon for a two-year tenure. In panel, the other two members are Hannan Sarkar and Abdur Razzak. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 15:40:29', '2024-02-13 15:40:29'),
(11196, 11196, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>On Wednesday, the start of Falgun, the eleventh month in the Bengali calendar and officially the start of the joyous Spring season of Bengal, falls on the same day as Valentine\'s Day, for the fifth year in a row.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Every year on February 13, the Bangladeshis used to celebrate Pahela Falgun, the second biggest festival in the Bengali calendar. However, in 2020, Bangla Academy changed the Bangla Calendar to align it with the Gregorian calendar, and Pahela Falgun was combined with Valentine\'s Day, which has always been celebrated on February 14.</div><div><br></div><div>The country is now all prepared to welcome the first day of Falgun amid colourful celebrations and festive attires of yellow and red. Welcoming the king of all six seasons, which offers vivid sunlight and a mild temperature increase in the weather following the short-lived Winter season.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladeshi citizens will also celebrate Valentine’s Day with their loved ones tomorrow, keeping pace with the rest of the world, to symbolise and celebrate love among their beloveds. Although the added festivities of Pahela Falgun brought a new and refreshing tone to the day, netizens especially the youths have been observing the day for the last couple of decades now as a mandatory opportunity for celebration.</div><div><br></div><div>The tradition of celebrating the Pahela Falgun in Bangladesh started in the Bengali calendar year 1401. Since then, the Jatiya Bawshonto Utsab Udyapan Parishad has been celebrating Pahela Falgun regularly with jovial cultural festivity at the Bakultala of Charukala (Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art) in the morning.</div><div><br></div><div>This year, the organisation will begin the Pahela Falgun festivities in Charukala Bakultala at 7 am and 3 pm with two different seasons. It will also host similar festivities in the afternoon on the open stage at Uttara Rabindra Sarani and Bahadur Shah Park in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Different organisations including the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and many other organisations, institutions and businesses will be celebrating this year’s festive February 14 with multiple festivities,</div><div><br></div><div>BSA will greet the day with a special dance recital titled ‘Bawshanto Nrittyo’ in the capital’s Ramna Park at 3:30 pm with 225 dance artists. A festive procession will be heading to the BSA premises after that, and the cultural event at the open premises of the academy will feature musical performances, recitations, dance recitals and choreography of Spring-themed Bengali fashion.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Minister of Housing and Public Works, RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury will join the event as the chief guest, while Cultural Affairs Secretary Khalil Ahmed will join as the special guest.</div><div><br></div><div>The ongoing Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2024 at Bangla Academy and Suhrawardi Udyan already observed an influx of crowds on the long-standing usual day of Pahela Falgun in the past, and the book-sellers and fair authorities are expecting an even bigger crowd on Wednesday amid the festivities.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the Valentine’s Day specials, several top entertainment artists are releasing multiple new songs, dramas and OTT content to entertain their fans on this festive day. Television channels, OTT platforms, FM Radio stations, social media platforms and YouTube content creators are also scheduled to air special programmes marking the occasion.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>To make it even more memorable for couples and FnF (friends and family), several restaurants, resorts, five-star hotels, and dining establishments are also offering appealing packages on this festive day. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p><b><font color=\"#4a7b8c\">&nbsp;Pahela Falgun-Valentine’s Day</font></b><br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 15:43:02', '2024-02-13 15:43:02'),
(11197, 11197, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A total of 1,721 people died of Dengue from January 2023 to February 5 this year, Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen revealed in parliament on Tuesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>In reply to a query of ruling Awami League MP elected from Chattogram-11 M Abdul Latif, the minister said the Health Service Division has taken various measures to reduce casualties from dengue.</div><div><br></div><div>About the measures, Dr Samanta said pre-season (pre-monsoon), season (monsoon) and post-season (post-monsoon) surveys of Aedes mosquitoes are ongoing in Dhaka city.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The results of the survey are being communicated to all concerned city corporations, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Minister mentioned that the pre-season survey has been completed and the survey results were sent to all concerned city corporations, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“At present, the seasonal survey is going on across the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>The health minister also said the Aedes mosquito survey program is being completed every 2 months at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.</div><div><br></div><div>He said a new edition of national guidelines on dengue patient management were prepared and distributed.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Samanta Lal Sen also said an integrated control room for dengue prevention and control has been opened under the initiative of the Disease Control Wing of the Directorate General of Health Services, IEDCR and MIS.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 15:48:27', '2024-02-13 15:48:27'),
(11198, 11198, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the Awami League government would be brought to book for the misdeeds it committed during its entire regime.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Ruhul Kabir said on Tuesday after distributing leaflets in the capital as part of the party’s programme.</div><div><br></div><div>He said, “Between 1972 and 1975, as many as 20,000 leaders and activists of Jasad and opposition parties, including Siraj Sikder, were killed during the Awami League government.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Even at present, numerous leaders and activists of the BNP have been killed. Many people, including BNP leaders Ilias Ali and Chowdhury Alam, have become the victims of enforced disappearances. All the misdeeds and murders committed by the Awami League government in its regimes will be tried through the international investigation.”</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the people have rejected the 7 January “dummy election” and taken a stand against it.</div><div><br></div><div>“Everyone has taken to the streets and participated in the movement to oust the government. The whole nation is united. Inshallah, this government will be brought down by being united by all,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-13 15:52:12', '2024-02-13 15:52:12'),
(11199, 11199, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Sundarbans, the world\'s largest mangrove forest, has become a <b>hub of activity, drawing nature enthusiasts from around the globe with its stunning landscapes and diverse wildlife. This natural wonder is not only a key tourist attraction but also plays a vital role in promoting environmental conservation and boosting local revenue.</b></span><b><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>During the prime visiting months from October to February, the Sundarbans offers visitors cool river waters and pleasant weather, making it an ideal destination for exploring its unique ecosystem. Recent statistics reveal a significant uptick in tourism, with 216,143 visitors, including 2,143 international guests, in the fiscal year 2022-2023, generating Tk 3.94 crore in revenue for the government. This marks a notable increase from previous years, highlighting the forest\'s growing appeal and importance to Bangladesh\'s economy.</div><div><br></div><div>According to data collected from the local forest office, the number of tourists was 1,89,570 in the fiscal year 2018-2019 and of them, 2,261 came from other countries. The government earned Tk 1.51 crore during this period.</div><div><br></div><div>In the fiscal year, 2019-2020, the number of tourists was 1,72,979. Of them 2,317 came from overseas. A total of Tk 1.87 crore was collected as revenue during this period.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, a total of 1,46,211 tourists came to the Sundarbans in the 2020-21 fiscal year and the government collected Tk 1.57 crore from 1,45,891 local and 320 foreign tourists.</div><div><br></div><div>The revenue reached Tk 2.24 crore as a total of 1,55,477 tourists — 1,54,374 local and 1,103 foreign — visited the Sundarbans in 2021-2022 fiscal year.</div><div><br></div><div>The Sundarbans, recognized for its intricate network of tidal waterways, mudflats, and a sanctuary for the Royal Bengal Tiger, among other rare wildlife, is crucial for the ecological balance and protection of coastal regions. However, environmentalists warn that human activity poses a threat to its biodiversity, emphasizing the need for increased awareness and conservation efforts to ensure the sustainability of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to the rising tourist influx, M Nazmul Azam, secretary of the Tours Operator Association of the Sundarbans, calls for enhanced facilities and security measures to ensure a safe and enriching experience for visitors. The construction of the Padma Bridge has further facilitated access to this natural treasure, promising a boost in tourism and conservation opportunities.</div><div><br></div><div>Mihir Kumar, forest conservator of the Khulna Forest Region, stressed the importance of the Sundarbans as a vital ecological haven for wildlife, including the iconic Royal Bengal Tiger. The forest\'s significance extends beyond tourism, contributing to the protection and maintenance of coastal ecosystems and the overall environmental health of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>To foster greater environmental stewardship, the coastal communities celebrate February 14 as \'Sundarbans Day.\'&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Initiated in 2001 by the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan, Khulna University, and numerous environmental organizations, this day aims to raise awareness about the mangrove forest\'s conservation needs and the impacts of climate change. This annual observance underscores the collective responsibility to safeguard the Sundarbans for future generations. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 08:04:52', '2024-02-14 08:04:52'),
(11200, 11200, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indonesian voters were choosing a new president Wednesday as the world’s third-largest democracy aspires to become a global economic powerhouse a quarter-century after shaking off a brutal dictatorship.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The front-runner, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, is the only candidate with ties to the Suharto era. He was a special forces commander at the time and has been accused of human rights atrocities, which he vehemently denies.</div><div><br></div><div>Two former provincial governors, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, are also vying to succeed the immensely popular President Joko Widodo, who is serving the final of his two terms in office. Widodo’s rise from a riverside slum to the presidency has shown the vibrancy of Indonesia’s democracy in a region rife with authoritarian regimes.</div><div><br></div><div>Widodo\'s successor will inherit an economy with impressive growth and ambitious infrastructure projects, including the ongoing transfer of the nation\'s capital from congested Jakarta to the frontier island of Borneo at a staggering cost exceeding $30 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>The election also has high stakes for the United States and China, since Indonesia has a huge domestic market, natural resources like nickel and palm oil, and diplomatic influence with its Southeast Asian neighbors.</div><div><br></div><div>Polls opened at 7 a.m. in each of the three time zones across the tropical nation\'s 17,000 islands inhabited by 270 million people. The logistics of the vote were daunting: Ballot boxes and ballots were transported by boats, motorcycles, horses and on foot in some of the more far-flung locations.</div><div><br></div><div>A fierce thunderstorm flooded several streets of Jakarta at dawn Wednesday. Last week, damage from heavy rains in Central Java\'s Demak regency prompted the postponement of the election in 10 villages.</div><div><br></div><div>Aside from the presidency, some 20,000 national, provincial and district parliamentary posts were being contested by tens of thousands of candidates in one of the world\'s largest elections, which authorities expect to be largely peaceful. About 10,000 aspirants from 18 political parties were eyeing the national parliament’s 580 seats alone.</div><div><br></div><div>The official vote tally is a laborious process that could take about a month, but early results based on sampling from registered private polling and survey groups are considered a reliable indicator of the official results.</div><div><br></div><div>Subianto, the oldest presidential candidate at 72, lost in two previous runs to Widodo but is now the front-runner, based on independent surveys. He picked Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his vice-presidential running mate in a move that could shore up his chances given the outgoing president\'s popularity.</div><div><br></div><div>Raka, 36, was allowed to run when the Constitutional Court made an exception to the minimum age requirement of 40. The court was then headed by Widodo’s brother-in-law, who was removed by an ethics panel for not recusing himself, and Widodo was accused of favoritism and nepotism.</div><div><br></div><div>Critics have accused Widodo of trying to build a political dynasty despite his being the first president to emerge outside the political and military elite since the 1998 end of the dictatorial rule of Suharto, characterized by widespread human rights violations, plunder and political unrest.</div><div><br></div><div>Subianto, a former lieutenant general who married one of Suharto\'s daughters, was a longtime commander in the army special forces, called Kopassus. He was dishonorably discharged in 1998 after Kopassus forces kidnapped and tortured political opponents of Suharto.</div><div><br></div><div>Of at least 22 activists kidnapped that year, 13 remain missing to this day, and their families protest weekly outside the presidential palace demanding the activists be accounted for. Subianto never faced a trial and vehemently denied any involvement, although several of his men were tried and convicted.</div><div><br></div><div>During the campaign period that concluded last weekend, Subianto and his strategists used AI and social media platforms like TikTok to soften his image by portraying him as a cuddly grandfather to his youthful running mate. Rejected by human rights activists, he danced on the campaign stage and promised to generate nearly 20 million jobs in his first term if elected.</div><div><br></div><div>Baswedan, the former head of an Islamic university, served as governor of Jakarta until last year. A former Fulbright scholar, Baswedan was education and culture minister from 2014 to 2016, when Widodo removed him from the Cabinet after accusing him of failing to address problems by thousands of students affected by forest fires.</div><div><br></div><div>Baswedan opposes Widodo’s plan to move the Indonesian capital from Jakarta to Nusantara on Borneo island, which involves constructing government buildings and residential enclaves by clearing lush tropical rainforests.</div><div><br></div><div>In an interview with The Associated Press last month, he said democracy in Indonesia is under threat, given Subianto’s choice of the president\'s son as running mate.</div><div><br></div><div>“This means that there is a decline in trust, it means that our democracy is experiencing a decline in quality, it means that many legal rules are being bent,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Pranowo is the ruling party candidate but does not have Widodo\'s support. He was a national legislator for the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle for 10 years before being elected in 2013 for the first of two terms as governor of vote-rich Central Java region.</div><div><br></div><div>While governor, Pranowo refused to allow Israel to participate in the Under-20 FIFA World Cup to be held in his province. FIFA subsequently dropped Indonesia as host of the games, angering Indonesian soccer fans and Widodo.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel and Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, do not have diplomatic ties.</div><div><br></div><div>Under Widodo, Indonesia saw a period of remarkable growth averaging 5% annually, except in 2020, when the economy contracted due to the coronavirus pandemic.</div><div><br></div><div>His economic roadmap, called “Golden Indonesia 2045,” projects Indonesia becoming one of the world’s top five economies with GDP of up to $9 trillion, exactly a century after it won independence from Dutch colonizers. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 08:09:32', '2024-02-14 08:09:32'),
(11201, 11201, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Saraswati Puja, a cornerstone festival for the Hindu community, is being observed with great enthusiasm and religious fervor across Bangladesh this Wednesday. This revered occasion falls on the fifth day of the bright fortnight in the Bangla month of Magh, known as \'Vasant Panchami.\'</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Dedicated to Saraswati, the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge, the festival holds special significance for students and educational institutions, where devotees gather to perform puja in educational institutions and temples, seeking blessings for enlightenment and learning.</div><div><br></div><div>In a gesture of solidarity and goodwill, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have extended their warm wishes to the Hindu community on the auspicious occasion of Saraswati Puja.</div><div><br></div><div>Highlighting the day\'s celebrations, the central Puja Udjapan Committee at Jagannath University is hosting a Saraswati Puja event on campus. Additionally, Dhaka is buzzing with festive arrangements, hosting multiple Puja ceremonies at various locations, embracing the spirit of communal harmony and cultural heritage. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fasl</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 08:28:13', '2024-02-14 08:28:13'),
(11202, 11202, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a move to unite leading businesses and spur greater action on women’s employment across industries in the private sector, a flagship network ‘Partnership for Women’s Employment: The Business of Equity,’ was launched on Wednesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The International Finance Corporation (IFC), in partnership with European Union funded program Accelerating Climate Smart &amp; Inclusive Infrastructure in South Asia (ACSIIS), and the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), launched the program.</div><div><br></div><div>The two-year partnership will act as a catalyst for economic growth and inclusion, helping empower women across Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Women comprise one-third of the country’s workforce, with only 4 percent of businesses having women in top management.</div><div><br></div><div>Care responsibilities, access to jobs, mobility limitations, and social norms are key barriers to women’s economic participation. Closing these gender gaps can add up to $30 billion to Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP).</div><div><br></div><div>“The business case for increasing women’s participation in the workforce is irrefutable. Inclusive businesses have better financial performance, talent retention, reputation, and investor confidence,” said Zareen Tasnim, Program Lead, Partnership for Women’s Employment, IFC, Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“This partnership – a first of its kind in Bangladesh – will help equip businesses with practical knowhow on closing corporate gender gaps while contributing to companies’ bottom line, productivity, and growth, leading the way for a thriving private-sector anchored in equity and inclusion.”</div><div><br></div><div>Global research indicates that women’s economic participation in the private sector yields better financial results, greater innovation, and push for improved company culture.</div><div><br></div><div>For instance, companies with gender diverse boards generate over 50 percent higher return on equity and over 65 percent higher return on investment.</div><div><br></div><div>This initiative will also focus on creating a respectful and supportive workplace, particularly for working parents, and increasing women\'s presence in the green economy, aligning with Bangladesh’s focus on climate sustainability and a just transition.</div><div><br></div><div>“The European Union is dedicated to advancing gender equality, promoting women’s economic empowerment and opportunities for women and together, we are building an inclusive and equitable environment for all,” said Charles Whiteley, Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Partnership for Women’s Employment aims to boost women‘s participation by fostering their advancement and retention and engage in actively dismantling gender-specific economic barriers by cultivating respectful workplaces.”</div><div><br></div><div>Leading companies including Akib Bashir Group, Bata Bangladesh, BRAC Bank, City Bank, DBL Group, Eastern Bank, Energypac Electronics, Fakir Knitwears, IDCOL, IPDC, Mutual Trust Bank, PRAN Group, Prime Bank, Singer, Standard Group and Urmi Group, with a combined workforce of over 149,000 employees have already joined the partnership. Participating businesses range from financial services, fast-moving consumer goods, electronics, agribusiness, to textile and apparels.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Partnership for Women’s Employment will foster commitment, mutual learning and action by the companies around a variety of employer-supported strategies, policies and practices to boost women\'s participation in Bangladesh’s private sector,” said Kamran T. Rahman, President of MCCI.</div><div><br></div><div>“This will present an opportunity to build on the country’s growth and success story and unlock the immense potential of women in the workforce, paving the way for a brighter, more inclusive future.”</div><div><br></div><div>IFC works to reduce gaps between men and women in the private sector, enabling companies and economies to improve their performance.</div><div><br></div><div>Various IFC initiatives across the globe – including in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands – on investing in women’s employment opportunities have proven to be an effective business strategy.</div><div><br></div><div>To join the Partnership for Women’s Employment, they need to apply before February 27, 2024. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 08:30:40', '2024-02-14 08:30:40'),
(11203, 11203, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said&nbsp; more than 1550 women seeking to enter the parliament in reserve seats reflect that women’s awakening has occurred in Bangladesh.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“When we see 1,553 women are hopefuls for only 48 reserved seats we can conclude that women’s awakening has occurred in Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier made this remark while addressing a meeting with the women aspiring for Awami League’s nomination to run for the parliament reserve seats at Ganabhaban here this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;She said&nbsp; women are now successfully working and proving their competence in every sector.</div><div><br></div><div>“Wherever we send women, they all work successfully…. Our women are showing their competence,” said Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League.</div><div><br></div><div>Citing the success of women in sports and other sectors, she said, “There is no logic to create various barriers for women.\"</div><div><br></div><div>She said it is irrational that women can’t join sports, business and jobs as it was a woman( Khadijah) not a man who had first accepted Islam.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said Bibi Khadijah had been a businesswoman and she had supported Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SM) with all her money and assets to preach and spread Islam.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that Islam has given enough rights to women, even transgender community, she said, “There is no scope to neglect women. We’re very conscious in this regard. Today no woman of Bangladesh upto the rural level doesn’t lag behind.”</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister expressed her optimism that the larger number of women would come up through a direct vote in future in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>There are 350 seats in parliament, including 50 reserved&nbsp; for women. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 09:25:27', '2024-02-14 09:25:27'),
(11204, 11204, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Three hundred thirty three members of Myanmar security forces and others, who have taken shelter in Bangladesh amid conflict between Myanmar military and armed rebel group there, will be sent back to their country by a ship on Thursday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Under the supervision of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Myanmar nationals, including members of Border Guard Police (BGP), will be handed over to the authorities of Myanmar at 8 am through Naval jetty ghat in Inani of Cox’s Bazar district, said Shariful Islam, public relations officer of BGB on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Tuesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that the security forces’ members&nbsp; will be sent back to Myanmar very soon.</div><div><br></div><div>A tense situation has been prevailing along the border between Bandarban\'s Naikhongchhari Ghumdhum and Tumbru amid fierce fighting, skirmishes and gunfire between the armed forces of the military ruler and insurgent groups inside Myanmar for over two weeks. Amid&nbsp; the conflict, 330 members of Myanmar army, border guards, police, immigration and other officials took refuge recently in Bangladesh, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, two people--a Bangladeshi woman and a Rohingya man-- were killed when mortar shells from the Myanmar side landed on a kitchen at Jalpaitli village of Ghumdhum union in Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban recently.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 09:55:29', '2024-02-14 09:55:29'),
(11205, 11205, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a stump speech for his re-election on a global stage Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates, describing his years in power as pushing for \"minimum government, maximum governance.\"</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Modi\'s comments come as he prepares for the inauguration of a stone-built Hindu temple near Abu Dhabi, the country\'s capital, after meeting with the Emirati leader he\'s repeatedly described as \"his brother.\" That personal touch seems aimed at further cementing ties with the UAE, an oil-rich country that supplies India\'s energy needs while also serving as a home for some 3.5 million of his countrymen abroad.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I believe that people should neither feel the absence of a government, but at the same time, nor should there be pressure from the government,\" Modi said in a speech before the World Governments Summit in Dubai. \"In fact, I believe that the government should interfere as little as possible in the lives of people.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Modi entered the hall at the summit in Dubai, accompanied by the city-state\'s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Now on his seventh trip to the UAE since becoming prime minister, Modi already received a warm welcome from the autocratic nation\'s president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also the ruler of Abu Dhabi.</div><div><br></div><div>Modi described a series of his government\'s achievements, while also broadly touching on challenges facing the world.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Terrorism, with every passing day, has been taking on new forms and is posing new challenges to mankind. Even climate-related challenges are becoming bigger with the passage of time,\" Modi said. \"On the one hand, there are domestic concerns and on the other the international systems seem in disarray. And amidst all of this, every government faces a very big challenge of safeguarding its relevance.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He added: \"It is as a friend to the world that India is moving forward.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Modi\'s arrival came as Indian police on Tuesday used tear gas and detained some farmers who clashed with them and tried to break barricades, blocking their way to New Delhi to demand guaranteed crop prices. In 2021, farmers camped for months in the Indian capital after Modi withdrew controversial agriculture laws that had triggered the earlier protests.</div><div><br></div><div>The latest protests could pose a significant challenge for Modi and his governing Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the coming elections in India, the world\'s largest democracy. However, Modi is widely expected to win a third term.</div><div><br></div><div>Modi\'s visit highlights the nations\' long-standing economic and historic ties, from spice selling and gold smuggling in the UAE\'s formative years to tens of billions of dollars\' worth of annual bilateral trade today.</div><div><br></div><div>The countries signed a free trade deal in 2022 aimed at doubling their bilateral trade to $100 billion. The countries have agreed to allow India to settle some payments in rupees as opposed to dollars, lowering transaction costs.</div><div><br></div><div>The relationship also underscores the Emirates\' realpolitik foreign policy. The UAE has embraced Modi as Muslims in India increasingly come under attack by Hindu nationalist groups. Modi received the Emirates\' top civilian honor in 2019 even as he stripped statehood from the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.</div><div><br></div><div>Modi\'s original visit to the Emirates in 2015 was the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 10:49:47', '2024-02-14 10:49:47'),
(11206, 11206, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Japan’s space agency says its new flagship H3 rocket will have a second test flight on Saturday, two days later than an initially planned liftoff that was postponed due to a bad weather forecast at the launch site in southwestern Japan.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The liftoff was originally scheduled for Thursday but was postponed due to thunder and strong wind forecasted at the Tanegashima Space Center.</div><div><br></div><div>The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said Wednesday that its H3 rocket will attempt a test flight on Saturday with an alternative launch window through the end of March.</div><div><br></div><div>JAXA has been developing H3 for more than a decade as a successor to its current mainstay, H-2A, which has just two more flights planned before its retirement.</div><div><br></div><div>The upcoming launch is being closely watched as a test for Japan\'s space development after H3 failed in its debut flight last March, when the rocket had to be destroyed along with its payload, the advanced land observation satellite, or ALOS-3. This time, the rocket will carry a mockup of the ALOS satellite, called VEP-4.</div><div><br></div><div>JAXA says the mission\'s primary goal for the second test flight is to put the rocket into the intended trajectory. The agency also wants to place two observation microsatellites into orbit.</div><div><br></div><div>H3 is designed to carry larger payloads than H-2A at much lower costs to be globally competitive.</div><div><br></div><div>Expectations are high following a recent steak of successes. JAXA made a historic precision moon landing last month of its spacecraft that had been launched from the H-2A rocket, days after the 48th H-2A rocket successfully placed a spy satellite into its planned orbit. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 12:03:56', '2024-02-14 12:03:56'),
(11207, 11207, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b style=\"\">A Dhaka court on Wednesday granted bail to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and its standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury in a case filed over vandalising the residence of the Chief Justice (CJ) during the grand rally of the party on October 28 last year.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court\'s acting judge Faisal Atiq Bin Quader passed the order after hearing a petition in this regard, lawyer Syed Joynul Abedin said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said since his clients secured bail in all the cases filed against them, so there is no bar to walk out of jail.</div><div><br></div><div>On October 29, police filed a case with Ramna Police on charges of vandalism and attack on the Chief Justice\'s residence during the BNP rally on October 28.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from Fakhrul, 59 BNP leaders and activists were accused in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 11 cases were filed against Fakhrul and 10 cases against Khasru over violence centering the October 28 rally in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul was arrested from his Gulshan house on October 29 and has been in jail since then. Amir Khasru was arrested from his Gulshan residence in the small hours of November 3. - UNB&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 12:08:40', '2024-02-14 12:08:40'),
(11208, 11208, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat has said that no media house can retrench journalists suddenly or with short notice.</b></div><div><br></div><div>“Notice of retrenchment to anyone must be served at least three months before implementation,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The state minister said at a meeting with a Broadcast Journalist Centre (BJC) delegation at his ministry\'s conference room in the Secretariat on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said that the government doesn’t want to suppress freedom of speech while preventing misinformation.</div><div><br></div><div>He also agreed to a demand placed by journalists to bring social media under a policy and ensure accountability.</div><div><br></div><div>\"As journalists underscored the need to bring all social media, including YouTube and Facebook, under a policy and accountability, I, as the state minister for information and broadcasting, just agreed to the demand and will try to fulfill it after consulting with journalists and other stakeholders,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Legal action will&nbsp; be taken against the journalists involved in irregularities,” he warned.</div><div><br></div><div>\"No one can run television without Cleanfeed, if they do; they will also be brought under justice,” the state minister added.</div><div><br></div><div>At that time, the state minister sought cooperation from journalists in fulfilling their (journalists) demands, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The work of digitizing the cable network service across the country will begin soon, the state minister said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 12:57:22', '2024-02-14 12:57:22'),
(11209, 11209, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Afghanistan\'s Mohammad Nabi has dethroned Bangladesh\'s Shakib Al Hasan as the top-ranked all-rounder in the ICC Men\'s ODI Player Rankings.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Nabi\'s remarkable 136-run performance in the first ODI against Sri Lanka propelled him to the top spot, making him the oldest player (39 years, one month) to achieve this status.</div><div><br></div><div>Shakib\'s reign as the No. 1 ODI all-rounder had been an impressive one. He held the position for a record 4,276 days, with an unbroken stretch of 1,739 days since May 7, 2019. This marks the longest uninterrupted tenure at the top of the ODI rankings for any player.</div><div><br></div><div>Nabi\'s ascent underscores Afghanistan\'s growing prominence in the cricketing world.&nbsp; Previously, the country has seen Rashid Khan (ODI/T20I bowling) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (T20I bowling) top the ICC rankings.</div><div><br></div><div>The first two ODIs against Sri Lanka saw notable performances on both sides.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai climbed 19 places to 57th due to his unbeaten 149, while Sri Lanka\'s Charith Asalanka (97*), Pathum Nissanka, and Sadeera Samarawickrama&nbsp; gained in the batting rankings. Wanindu Hasaranga and Dilshan Madhushanka made strides in the bowling rankings. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-14 13:04:03', '2024-02-14 13:04:03'),
(11210, 11210, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emerged as a key figure of interest at the Munich Security Conference that concludes on February 18.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In discussions with Bangladeshi journalists on Friday evening (Munich time), Mahmud emphasized the global recognition received by Hasina, the daughter of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, during the event.</div><div><br></div><div>Throughout the first day of the conference, PM Hasina engaged in seven bilateral meetings and a panel discussion, focusing notably on the Rohingya and Palestine issues during her talks with the Prime Ministers of Qatar and Denmark.</div><div><br></div><div>Additionally, she met with the Director General of the World Health Organization, the President of Women Political Leaders, and the Global Chairman of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.</div><div><br></div><div>The WHO\'s Director General extended congratulations to Saima Wazed for her election as the regional director of the organization.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the meeting with the senior managing director of the World Bank, the foreign minister said, “You know that the World Bank has financed USD 16 billion in 56 ongoing projects in Bangladesh. They have made a commitment of $509 million in budget support this year and $700 million in aid to Rohingya and host communities in Bangladesh.”</div><div><br></div><div>PM Hasina, addressing the World Bank, sought expedited release of funds.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said a good election was held in Bangladesh by overcoming domestic and foreign conspiracies.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 70 countries, including India, United Kingdom, United States, European Union, and United Nations as well as other international organizations have so far congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, The foreign minister highlighted the statistics of elections in various European countries in recent times and described the 42 percent votes cast in the parliamentary election in the country as very acceptable.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that 29.7 percent of the votes were cast in the elections in Portugal in 2021, while 31.84 percent of votes were cast in the Romanian elections.</div><div><br></div><div>30 percent votes were cast in the Hong Kong elections, said the Foreign Minister. \"There was no opposition in these countries.\"</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 08:43:29', '2024-02-17 08:43:29');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11211, 11211, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Daily commuters including service holders and traders have expressed joy as the Metro Rail authorities are operating trains every 8 minutes during peak hours from Saturday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The number of metro rail trips increased to 26 and as a result a total of 178 trains will run each day instead of 152, said MN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL).</div><div><br></div><div>About the new timings, Siddque said, three trains will run from Uttara between 7:10 am to 7:30 am and&nbsp; train will run from 7:31am to 11:48 am every 8 minutes during peak hours. After that, train will run from 11:49am to 3:12pm (off peak hours)&nbsp; every12 minutes as before and&nbsp; every 8 minutes from 3:13pm to 8:00 pm (peak hours), he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Nazrul Isalm, a regular commuter of the Metro Rail at Mirpur-11 Rail Station, said the pressure of commuters is comparatively less due to the new schedule and it’s a relief for people.</div><div><br></div><div>Hossain, another commuter at the same station, said “It will be better if the timing can be reduced to 3.5 minutes.”</div><div><br></div><div>Except Friday, now Metro Rail will run from Uttara-Motijheel from 7:10 am to 8:40 pm while the MRT and Rapid Pass users can travel by metro rail that leaves Motijheel&nbsp; station at 8 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>At present, the trains run every 10 minutes during peak hours and every 12 minutes during off-peak hours. The new timings are applicable for peak hours only, said MN Siddique, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that earlier the number of trains\' trips were 152 every day, now it has been increased to 178.</div><div><br></div><div>Siddique also said that currently metro trains carry about 2.70 lakh passengers on an average every day.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the first metro rail in Dhaka on December 28, 2022. At that time the metro train was running from Uttara to Agargaon.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 10:03:14', '2024-02-17 10:03:14'),
(11212, 11212, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned that anti-liberation forces must not be allowed to raise their heads again and ruin the country\'s march towards prosperity.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"We have been taking Bangladesh ahead towards prosperity. The advancement must go on. Stay alert so none can push the country back and make it the country of Rajakars,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while addressing a reception accorded by the Bangladeshi diaspora in Germany at Hotel Burgerhaus Garching at Munich on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>She also asked all to stay alert so none can conspire against the fate of the people of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>She reiterated her commitment to build Bangladesh as a secular state where people of every faith will enjoy equal rights.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We will materialise the dream of the father of the nation to transform Bangladesh into a prosperous, developed and smart Sonar Bangladesh in the spirit of the Liberation War and secularism,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said she is committed to reach the fruit of the Liberation War to every doorstep.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I never consider my needs, rather think what I can do for the betterment of the country and its people,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>PM Hasina said that Awami League as the pro-people party and people of the country have got everything including Bangla as mother tongue and country\'s independence through Language Movement and Liberation War movement under the leadership of the father of the nation.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Awami League is the biggest strength of mine. We have been able to tackle various disasters like the Covid-19 pandemic as we have the party,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said she has always tried to do something for the masses.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Whenever I get chance I do work for the welfare of the people,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The ruling party chief said the people have faith and confidence in Awami League as they always find the party beside them when they need.</div><div><br></div><div>Giving a brief description of the overall development of the country, she said they have made huge socio-economic development of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our development is not only establishing mega establishments rather to make development at the grassroots,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister termed BNP as the party of looters saying that it does nothing for the wellbeing of the people rather make their own fortunes.</div><div><br></div><div>She came down heavily on the BNP as it did not take part in the 12th parliamentary election fearing defeat and instead torched vehicles and burned people to death.</div><div><br></div><div>She claimed that BNP did not take part in the election as they knew that people would not vote for them.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The party which was formed from the pockets of a military dictator always believes in agencies and they can do nothing without their help,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She blamed BNP for destroying the electoral process by holding yes/no vote and presidential election.</div><div><br></div><div>\"BNP snatch away the voting rights of the people and make the election a farce through manipulations,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>But, the Awami League has returned the voting power to the people through long struggle, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the 12th parliamentary election held on January 7 was the most free, fair and credible election since 1975.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the people of the country particularly women cast votes independently in the last parliamentary polls.</div><div><br></div><div>\"If the Awami League was not voted to power this time, the massive development which had taken place in the last 15 years with the party in power since 2009, would have been ruined. The looters (BNP) would loot everything,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina reiterated her call to expatriate Bangladeshis to send remittances through proper banking channels.</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning that her government has been establishing 100 economic zones across the country, she asked the expatriate Bangladeshis to invest in the economic zones with foreign partners.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud and local mayor of Munich spoke at the event while Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan moderated the programme. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 10:33:12', '2024-02-17 10:33:12'),
(11213, 11213, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that the Palestinian state is not a gift or a favor but \"a right imposed by international law and legitimate international resolutions.\"</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This came in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\'s latest rejection of international pressure for Palestinian statehood Friday following a Washington Post report on Wednesday regarding the ongoing negotiation for \"a fixed timetable for the establishment of a Palestinian state\" by the United States and a small group of Arab countries.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We strongly reject international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians,\" Netanyahu said in a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden Friday night.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Netanyahu once again challenges international and American consensus on the right to end the occupation and establish the Palestinian state, declaring his rejection of international and UN recognition of it,\" said the ministry in a statement Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Netanyahu imposes \"his traditional conditions and dictates on the world and the Palestinian people in order to thwart any efforts or ideas regarding the statehood of the Palestinian people, foremost among them his rejection of any international intervention,\" according to the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>It considered Netanyahu\'s positions as \"political terrorism par excellence and a clear interpretation of the true goals of settlement and annexation of the West Bank, including Jerusalem.\" - XINHUA</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 10:59:26', '2024-02-17 10:59:26'),
(11214, 11214, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A headmaster of a school was crushed to death under the wheels of a truck in Gaibandha’s Dinajpur-Gobindaganj highway’s Kata area.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased, Lutfor Rahman, 55, was the headmaster of Bairagihat Govt Primary School.</div><div><br></div><div>The accident occurred around 9:30 am on Saturday when the man was on his way to the local kitchen market.</div><div><br></div><div>According to his family, he was on his way to Gobindaganj’s market to buy groceries for his son’s wedding reception programme.</div><div><br></div><div>According to locals, the speedy truck ran over his motorcycle and fled the scene, leaving him dead on the spot.</div><div><br></div><div>Immediately after the accident, the family members took his body home, said Matiur Rahman, in-charge of the Bairagi Hat Police Investigation Centre of Gobindaganj Police Station. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 11:16:29', '2024-02-17 11:16:29'),
(11215, 11215, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>As March 2024 nears, gamers are eagerly awaiting the release of a diverse array of virtual adventures. From dark and immersive narratives to strategic war simulations and spellbinding cooperative roguelikes, the lineup brings thrilling and exciting games. As each game offers its own unique blend of gameplay mechanics, storytelling, and visual aesthetics, players are poised to embark on unforgettable journeys into the realms of fantasy, mystery, and horror. Let’s dive into the tantalizing selection of virtual experiences set to captivate gamers in the third month of 2024.</b></div><div><br></div><div>10 Most Anticipated Virtual Games Releasing in March 2024&nbsp;</div><div>Biomorph</div><div><br></div><div>Biomorph is a dark adventure game developed by Lucid Dreams Studio. In this game, players explore a vast world filled with puzzles, platforming challenges, and deadly monsters. What sets Biomorph apart is its unique mechanic: players can absorb the powers of the creatures they defeat. However, these creatures can return stronger than before, posing even greater threats.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As players progress, they level up their character, collecting new abilities, mementos, and chips. Along the way, they uncover secrets about the fallen civilization and their own mysterious origins. The game features stunning hand-drawn visuals and quirky characters, creating an immersive experience for players. The game will be released on 4th March.</div><div><br></div><div>Classified: France \'44</div><div>Classified: France \'44 is a World War II-based strategy game developed by Absolutely Games and Team17 Digital. Set in Nazi-occupied France, players lead a special forces group, the Jedburghs, aiding the Resistance. The game will be launched on March 5.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Featuring turn-based tactics, players engage in historic firefights from WWII, shaping D-Day\'s outcome with an RPG system to build skilled soldiers. Three editions are available: Standard, Deluxe, and Overlord. Deluxe includes the base game and first DLC, while Overlord includes the full season pass. Pre-orders include the Resistance Pack; Steam offers \"Shadow\" and \"Ghost\" sets.</div><div><br></div><div>Key features include a unique morale system affecting enemy forces, tactical stealth actions, and replayable campaigns with 15 endings. The game prioritizes historical authenticity, reflecting real military tactics.</div><div><br></div><div>The Outlast Trials</div><div>Red Barrels presents \"The Outlast Trials,\" a chilling cooperative horror experience set in the midst of the Cold War. Players find themselves as unwilling test subjects of the Murkoff Corporation, subjected to cruel experiments in brainwashing and mind control. The game will be released on 5th March.</div><div><br></div><div>Survival in \"The Outlast Trials\" can be undertaken solo or in teams of 2, 3, or 4 players. Working together isn\'t mandatory for essential tasks, but cooperation can greatly increase your chances of survival. To earn your freedom, you must navigate through immersive story-driven therapies called Trials and shorter challenges known as MK-Challenges. These tests push the limits of your endurance and sanity.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The Outlast Trials\" delves into the psychological horrors of manipulation and coercion, challenging players to endure the brutal trials imposed by the Murkoff Corporation. However, be warned: the game contains intense violence, gore, graphic sexual content, and strong language, along with strobing and flashing lights that may cause seizures in a small percentage of individuals. This game is strictly for mature audiences.</div><div><br></div><div>Hex Gambit: Respawned</div><div>Hex Gambit: Respawned is a quirky and competitive digital board game developed by One Man Left Studios and published by Blowfish Studios. The game has been set to release on March 6, 2024.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Described as a blend of chess, Into The Breach, and American football, the game allows players to command a squad of minions in turn-based strategy gameplay for 1-4 players. With mechanics like bouncing over opponents\' heads and swatting characters across the map, Hex Gambit offers creative tactics and plenty of surprises.</div><div><br></div><div>Features include single-player challenge mode, local multiplayer for up to 4 players with support for 0-4 controllers, and various game modes like Free For All and 2v2. It promises to be an engaging addition to game nights, combining accessibility for new players with deep strategic possibilities.</div><div><br></div><div>Reveil</div><div>Reveil is a narrative-driven first-person psycho-thriller game developed by Pixelsplit and published by Daedalic Entertainment. This video game will debut on March 6, 2024.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>While playing this exciting game, the gamers will dive into the unsettling story of Walter Thompson, exploring his dark past at the Nelson Bros Circus and unraveling the mysteries that haunt him. With a focus on story, puzzles, and exploration, Reveil promises a visually stunning and mentally challenging experience. Players have to navigate through versatile puzzles, confusing clues, and a disturbing psyche to uncover the truth behind Walter\'s past and the events unfolding around him.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As players delve deeper into the narrative, they will face unanswered questions and ominous challenges, testing both their own resolve and Walter\'s sanity.</div><div><br></div><div>Blade Prince Academy</div><div>Blade Prince Academy redefines the tactical RPG genre with its innovative real-time with pause combat system, developed by Angel Corp and published by Firesquid. The game is about to be released on 7 March 2024.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Set in the vibrant city of Abjectalia, players take charge of a squad of Blade Princes, elite warriors skilled in devastating combat combos. As students at the prestigious academy, they must navigate the delicate balance between defending the city from imminent threats and managing their academic and social responsibilities.</div><div><br></div><div>With striking visuals and immersive gameplay, Blade Prince Academy promises an engaging experience where every decision comes with a price, adding depth to its dark pact narrative.</div><div><br></div><div>WWE2K24</div><div>WWE 2K24 developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, is set to revolutionize sports entertainment gaming on March 8, 2024.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Wrestling lovers can now embark on a journey through WrestleMania\'s iconic moments in the gripping 2K Showcase of the Immortals. With a star-studded roster blending WWE Legends like \"Stone Cold\" Steve Austin and Undertaker with current Superstars such as \"The American Nightmare\" Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, the game offers ultra-realistic graphics to heighten the excitement.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Players will have options to explore new match types like Casket and Ambulance matches, and dive into MyRISE mode to forge your path to WWE stardom. Plus, with MyFACTION mode and Universe mode, control the WWE Universe like never before. Get ready to step into the ring and make history in WWE 2K24.</div><div><br></div><div>Alone in the Dark</div><div>Return to Derceto Manor is a reimagination of the classic survival horror game, Alone in the Dark, set to release on March 20. Developed by Pieces Interactive and published by THQ Nordic, this game pays homage to the 90s cult classic horror title.</div><div><br></div><div>Experience psychological horror and Southern Gothic themes as you step into the shoes of either Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood. Explore Derceto Manor, a home for the mentally ill, where dark secrets lurk in every corner.</div><div><br></div><div>Set in the 1920s South, join Emily and Edward as they uncover the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of Emily\'s uncle. Encounter strange residents, nightmarish realms, and dangerous monsters as you delve deeper into the mansion\'s secrets.</div><div><br></div><div>Immerse yourself in atmospheric horror with a haunting doom jazz soundtrack, and experience the thrill of desperate survival in a world where reality begins to crumble. Choose your perspective as you unravel the dark secrets of this gothic mansion in a deep psychological story penned by Mikael Hedberg, renowned horror writer of SOMA and Amnesia.</div><div><br></div><div>Open Roads</div><div>Open Roads is an upcoming narrative adventure game developed by the Open Roads Team and published by Annapurna Interactive, slated for release on March 28.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The game follows Tess Devine and her mother, Opal, as they embark on a road trip journey after discovering old notes and letters in their attic. These documents hint at family secrets, burglaries, and a hidden treasure near the Canadian border.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite the ominous warnings, Tess and Opal set out to explore long-abandoned family properties, delving into the past and unearthing buried memories. Through this journey, they not only uncover the truth they\'ve been searching for but also strengthen their bond with each other. Open Roads promises to deliver a heartfelt and compelling narrative experience filled with mystery and self-discovery.</div><div><br></div><div>Vellum</div><div>Vellum is a cooperative action roguelike developed and published by Alvios Games, scheduled for release on March 28.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In Vellum, players explore magical tomes, unleashing ink-infused spells and uncovering pages of increasing power. A unique feature allows players to decide how their foes evolve, offering a fresh twist on traditional roguelike gameplay.</div><div><br></div><div>Whether playing solo or in a group, Vellum promises dynamic gameplay filled with synergy and strategy. Harness the power of signature ink to enhance spells and navigate through the corrupted Tomes of the Illuminated Library, facing off against the Torn. With strategic decisions shaping enemy upgrades and spells, players must carve their way through challenges in this monochromatic world.</div><div><br></div><div>Conclusion</div><div>All these exciting virtual games are scheduled for launch in March 2024, spanning a variety of genres and gameplay experiences.</div><div><br></div><div>From dark adventures like \"Biomorph\" and \"Alone in the Dark\" to cooperative horror in \"The Outlast Trials,\" there\'s something for every gamer.&nbsp; \"WWE 2K24\" brings expanded features and stunning graphics to wrestling fans, while \"Blade Prince Academy\" offers real time role playing gaming experience. \"Open Roads\" promises a heartfelt narrative journey, while \"Vellum\" introduces a unique twist on roguelike gameplay.</div><div><br></div><div>Overall, this March is going to be an exciting month for gamers, offering a diverse range of virtual experiences to explore. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 11:21:40', '2024-02-17 11:21:40'),
(11216, 11216, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has said there is no alternative to strong global partnerships, collective action and inclusive funding for developing countries to deal with the climate change impacts.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said the flow of climate financing for the developing countries is gradually shrinking but it is the need of the hour to ensure adequate funding for these countries to achieve adaptation and resilience to global climate change.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister made the call while speaking at an event titled \"Cause and Effect : A Two Front Battle against Climate Change\" held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday evening.</div><div><br></div><div>Minister Hasan, who has expertise on climate issues, said Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries with the highest threat of climate change, despite being the country with the lowest carbon emissions (0.48% of global emissions).</div><div><br></div><div>At the same time, he said, Bangladesh is also identified as a unique example to the world in dealing with climate change.</div><div><br></div><div>The Minister said a flagship plan in the field is the \"Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He highlighted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the multi-dimensional initiatives in this field.</div><div><br></div><div>He also highlighted the PM’s policies and programmes including the Climate Change Trust Fund, Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and National Adaptation Plan to combat sea level rise, increase in salinity in the coastal areas of the country, drought in the northern region, storms in the southern region, tidal waves, outbreak of floods across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Norway\'s International Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, Pakistan\'s Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, United Arab Emirates\' Minister of Climate Change and Environment Mariam binte Mohammed Saeed Almheiri and other panelists reiterated the importance of global concerted efforts to deal with the climate issues. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 12:16:31', '2024-02-17 12:16:31'),
(11217, 11217, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Awami League General Secretary and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, Obaidul Quader, criticized the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as the primary source of extremism in Bangladesh.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>During a press conference held at the Awami League president\'s office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Quader today accused the BNP of fostering extremism and engaging in reckless political tactics.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader asserted, \"Extremism in Bangladesh originated with the BNP. Unlike the BNP, the Awami League engages in responsible discourse, not baseless rhetoric.\" He likened BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir to a \"reckless driver,\" accusing the BNP of aiming to disrupt political stability, a pattern they have historically followed.</div><div><br></div><div>Highlighting the tragic assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975, Quader blamed General Ziaur Rahman and Khandaker Mostak for initiating the politics of murder and conspiracy in Bangladesh. He criticized the BNP\'s attempts to shift the blame for such historical atrocities onto the Awami League.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader also commented on the BNP\'s current political strategy, suggesting that their repeated criticisms of the government stem from a lack of substantive issues and are an attempt to rally their base out of frustration and defeatism, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On the issue of the recent tensions along the Myanmar border, Quader emphasized the need for \"intelligent diplomacy,\" noting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively pursuing a peaceful resolution under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s guidance. He stressed the importance of monitoring all parties\' movements and avoiding conflict.</div><div><br></div><div>The press conference was attended by Awami League organizing secretaries Abu Saeed Al Mahmud Swapan and Sujit Roy Nandi, office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, and other leaders from both the central and metropolitan units of the Awami League.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 12:30:15', '2024-02-17 12:30:15'),
(11218, 11218, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>An activist of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was allegedly beaten to death by Awami League counterparts in Chattogram\'s Raozan upazila on Friday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This incident took place in the Hajipara area of Raozan municipality on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>The deceased was identified as Md Musa, 45, a resident of the area.</div><div><br></div><div>Eyewitness said when Musa went to a local mosque to offer Jumma prayers, 10 to 12 youths led by local AL leader Iqbal, attacked him and beat him mercilessly, leaving him unconscious.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, he was rescued by the locals and taken to the Upazila Health Complex where the doctor declared him dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Wishing anonymity to avoid the wrath of the ruling party, an upazila BNP leader said Musa was an active worker of BNP. For the past 15 years, he was out of the area due to threats from Awami League cadres, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“We have come to know that the ruling party is trying to cover up the incident by managing the doctors and the administration to pass off a heart attack as the cause of his death,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Quoting doctors, Raozan Police Station OC Abdullah Al Haroon said Musa suffered a heart attack during an altercation with his opposition group.</div><div><br></div><div>“As we received a complaint from the victim\'s family, we will look into the matter,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 13:26:13', '2024-02-17 13:26:13'),
(11219, 11219, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting U.N. aid and its recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to distribute the goods safely, a top U.S. envoy said in rare public criticism of Israel.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>With the departure of police escorts following Israeli strikes, criminal gangs are increasingly targeting the convoys, said David Satterfield, the Biden administration\'s special Middle East envoy for humanitarian issues. He said the lawlessness as well as regular Israeli protests at crossing points by those opposed to aid going into Gaza have disrupted delivery and distribution.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are working with the Israeli government, the Israeli military in seeing what solutions can be found here because everyone wants to see the assistance continue,” Satterfield told the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Friday. A solution \"is going to require some form of security escorts to return.”</div><div><br></div><div>Satterfield said that Israeli officials have not presented “specific evidence of diversion or theft” of U.N. assistance, but that the militants have their own interests in using “other channels of assistance ... to shape where and to whom assistance goes.”</div><div><br></div><div>Even before the latest setback, the U.S. has said aid reaching Gaza is woefully inadequate. More than half of Gaza\'s 2.3 million people are packed into the southern city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, having heeded Israeli evacuation orders. Yet nowhere is safe, with Israel also carrying out airstrikes in Rafah.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel\'s air and ground offensive, triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has killed over 28,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. It as caused widespread destruction, displaced some 80% of the population and sparked a humanitarian crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>Rafah area residents say it\'s common for groups of children and teenagers to try to stop trucks as they enter Gaza and to grab supplies.</div><div><br></div><div>On Friday, police opened fire after a crowd charged toward an aid truck that had emerged from the Rafah crossing with Egypt. Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the local Crossings Authority, said one person was killed.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has alleged repeatedly that Hamas is diverting aid, including fuel, after it enters Gaza, a claim denied by U.N. aid agencies. Last week, an Israeli airstrike on a car killed three senior police commanders in Rafah, the first entry point for aid deliveries. Two other officers were killed in another strike.</div><div><br></div><div>The police force is controlled by the Hamas-run Interior Ministry, but Satterfield noted that it also includes those who joined before Hamas seized Gaza in 2007.</div><div><br></div><div>EGYPT IS CONCERNED</div><div>Israel has said it is determined to expand its ground combat to Rafah, portraying it as the last significant stronghold of Hamas fighters, but has not given a timeline. Addressing international concerns, Israel has said it would develop a plan to evacuate civilians before invading the southern city.</div><div><br></div><div>U.S. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to carry out the operation without a “credible” plan to protect civilians and to instead focus on a cease-fire, while Egypt has said such an operation could threaten diplomatic relations between the countries. Many other world leaders have issued similar messages of concern.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has said it has no plans to force Palestinians into Egypt. New satellite photos, however, indicate that Egypt is preparing for that very scenario. The images show Egypt building a wall and leveling land near its border with Gaza. Egypt has not publicly acknowledged the construction.</div><div><br></div><div>Two senior Egyptian officials said Saturday that Egypt is building additional defensive lines in an already existing buffer zone. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details with the media.</div><div><br></div><div>The buffer zone, which Egypt built in recent years as part of its battle against an Islamic State insurgency, is 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the border. It was meant to prevent weapons smuggling to and from Gaza through underground tunnels. Authorities said they destroyed over 1,500 tunnels over the years.</div><div><br></div><div>The newly fortified zone is not intended to shelter Palestinians fleeing Gaza, said Diaa Rashwan, the head of the State Information Service.</div><div><br></div><div>THE WAR DRAGS ON</div><div>The Israeli military launched its war in response to a cross-border Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 others hostage.</div><div><br></div><div>The Gaza Health Ministry on Saturday raised the overall death toll in Gaza to 28,858, saying the bodies of 83 people killed in Israeli bombardments were brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours.</div><div><br></div><div>The count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, but the ministry says two-thirds of those killed are women and children. More than 68,000 people have been wounded, including 11,000 who need urgent evacuation for treatment outside Gaza, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>In recent weeks, Israel\'s military has focused on Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city and a Hamas stronghold. The city\'s Nasser Hospital has been portrayed by the military as a Hamas hideout and as one of its last targets in Khan Younis.</div><div><br></div><div>The army said Saturday that it has arrested 100 suspected Hamas militants at the hospital. Israel\'s defense minister has said at least 20 of those detained had been involved in the Oct. 7 attack.</div><div><br></div><div>The Health Ministry said troops had turned the hospital into “military barracks\" and detained a large number of medical staff, without providing details.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel says it does not target patients or doctors, but staff say the facility is struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies, including food and water. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 14:09:44', '2024-02-17 14:09:44'),
(11220, 11220, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, has said the window to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C is still open.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Climate change is an existential threat, but we have not yet entered the era of overshoot,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"If emissions peak by 2025, are halved by 2030, and we achieve net zero by 2050, then the worst impacts of climate change can still be avoided, and we can limit temperature rise to 1.5 °C. The window, though, is a narrow one, and it will require strong ambition and political will,\" he also said.</div><div><br></div><div>Saber said this while speaking at the Munich Security Conference held in Munich, Germany, on Saturday, February 17, in a panel titled \"The unavoidable master risk? Addressing climate overshoot.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The environment minister said overshooting and breaching 1.5 °C will make what is already a disastrous reality even worse, and the IPCC has clearly stated that sustainable development will, in many cases, not be possible.</div><div><br></div><div>Saber said climate change is already exacerbating existing social, economic, and geopolitical vulnerabilities, putting national peace and stability at risk. He pointed to sea level rise as a major threat to Bangladesh, as well as increased drought in the north-western regions of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said climate change is already causing more frequent and extreme weather events, which are leading to the displacement of people from their homes. By 2050, an estimated 13.3 million people in Bangladesh (the entire population of the State of Bavaria) will be displaced by climate change, making it the country\'s number one driver of internal migration.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister called for urgent action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, saying that this is a matter of survival. He also said developed countries need to provide scaled-up and adequate financial assistance to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change and build resilience.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We should not rush into untested technology and chartered waters such as carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation modification and instead focus on what we know for certain works: mitigation, nature based solutions, and afforestation,\" he also said.</div><div><br></div><div>Former Costa Rican President and Commissioner of the Climate Overshoot Commission, Carlos Alvarado Quesada; former Pakistani Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar; and European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, also attended the panel discussion. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 14:26:48', '2024-02-17 14:26:48'),
(11221, 11221, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Train communication from Dhaka with other parts of the country remained suspended for half an hour as a crane fell on a rail track from Dhaka Elevated Expressway at Tejgaon in the capital on Saturday, reports UNB.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>However, no casualty was reported.</div><div><br></div><div>Sub-inspector Sunil, in-charge of Airport Railway Police outpost, said the crane, used for work on Dhaka Elevated Expressway project, fell on a rail track on Moghbazar-Tejgaon up line rail route around 7 pm, halting train movement of Dhaka with other parts of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the train movement resumed after half an hour after the removal of the crane from the rail track, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 14:30:00', '2024-02-17 14:30:00'),
(11222, 11222, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Joe Biden said Friday there was no sign Russia has decided to go ahead and deploy an emerging anti-satellite weapon, the disclosure of which has rattled Washington this week.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The White House has confirmed that U.S. intelligence officials have information indicating Russia has obtained such a capability, although such a weapon is not yet operational. Biden said Friday that “there’s no evidence that they have made a decision to go forward with doing anything in space,” while he continued to stress that there was no immediate danger to humans.</div><div><br></div><div>“There is no nuclear threat to the people of America or anywhere else in the world with what Russia’s doing at the moment,” Biden told reporters at the White House during remarks on the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.</div><div><br></div><div>The president confirmed that the capability obtained by Russia “related to satellites and space and damaging those satellites potentially,” and that those capabilities could “theoretically do something that was damaging.”</div><div><br></div><div>But Russia hasn’t moved forward with plans yet, and, Biden added: “My hope is, it will not.”</div><div><br></div><div>The news of the capability emerged this week after a cryptic warning from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who urged Biden to declassify information relating to what he called a “serious national security threat.\"</div><div><br></div><div>That declassification process had been underway when Turner released the statement, according to the White House.</div><div><br></div><div>Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Germany for the Munich Security Conference, raised the matter with Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and “emphasized that the pursuit of this capability should be a matter of concern,” according to a U.S. official traveling with Blinken in Munich.</div><div><br></div><div>The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss details of meetings that hadn’t been publicly disclosed, said Blinken will continue raising it throughout his meetings at the security forum. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 15:10:56', '2024-02-17 15:10:56'),
(11223, 11223, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP senior leader Selima Rahman on Saturday alleged that the government did not stop at humiliating Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, and it has now occupied his business institutions.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“People see their (govt’s) tyranny and how Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus\' institutions are being encroached upon. They have humiliated him... Now, his telecom and other institutions have been completely usurped,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club, the BNP leader also said the tyranny of the current Awami League government is all-pervasive since it has set a new precedent in usurpation.</div><div><br></div><div>Selima, a BNP standing committee member, also said the ruling party men are indulging in rape and crimes against humanity.</div><div><br></div><div>“You have heard about the (rape) incident at Jahangirnagar University. Newspapers are reporting how women are being oppressed and harassed every day,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Stating that the women sacrificed a lot during the country’s Liberation War, the BNP leader bemoaned that mothers are now being raped and harassed there in this country. “There is no remedy while irregularities are everywhere.”</div><div><br></div><div>Selima said the repressed women and oppressed people don’t get cooperation from people and justice from the judiciary due to the politicization of the state apparatus.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Nagorik Odhikar Andolon organised the rally demanding the unconditional release of BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, standing committee member Mirza Abbas and other jailed opposition leaders, and protesting the growing price hikes in daily essential commodities.</div><div><br></div><div>Selima said the country’s people are going through a tough time to cope with the skyrocketing prices of all commodities.</div><div><br></div><div>She also slammed the government for its inaction to lower the soaring prices of the commodities by controlling the business syndicate.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader called upon the people from all walks of life to take to the streets to establish a pro-people government by ousting the current “fascist’ regime.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP Vice-Chairman Abdul Awal Mintu said Bangladesh\'s only Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus\'s building is being occupied by the pro-government people. “He (Muhammad Yunus) himself said he was not getting any cooperation from the police, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He also said the prices of essential items will not go down until the current government remains in power. “I can guarantee that the people of this country will be in danger because of the current fragile economic condition.</div><div><br></div><div>The government is going to destroy the country\'s economy after ruining the country’s politics, election system and state machinery, he added.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-17 15:32:11', '2024-02-17 15:32:11');
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(11224, 11224, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>As outrage over the death of chief Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny reverberates across the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin is turning a deaf ear to Western anger as he prepares to extend his 24-year rule in an election next month and police across Russia continue to squelch any protest attempts.</b></div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. and its allies are pondering new sanctions against Russia over Navalny’s death and the Kremlin’s recent actions in Ukraine. But as U.S. aid for Ukraine remains stuck in Congress and NATO allies in Europe struggle to fill the gap, many wonder what the West can actually do to stop the ruthless Kremlin leader, given that multiple previous rounds of penalties have failed to.</div><div><br></div><div>“There isn’t really the room for any great value in additional sanctions” against Russia, already one of the most sanctioned countries in the world, Mark Galeotti, head of the London-based Mayak Intelligence consultancy firm noted in a YouTube commentary.</div><div><br></div><div>Instead, Galeotti said, the West should focus more on working with Navalny’s allies and helping ordinary Russians get access to information channels that counter Kremlin propaganda.</div><div><br></div><div>Such efforts are key especially now, according to Galeotti, who described Navalny’s death as yet another step in Putin\'s transition from “hybrid authoritarianism” to “brutal thuggish despotism.”</div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. and NATO allies have been weighing more actions to bolster support for Ukraine, where the Russian military has just forced Ukrainian troops to retreat from the key eastern stronghold of Avdiivka after a four-month ferocious battle. The allies discussed ways to increase the cost of war to Russia to force Putin to back down.</div><div><br></div><div>But the 71-year-old leader has vowed to press on, refusing to relinquish any of his gains and declaring in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson last week that the West will “sooner or later” be forced to negotiate a deal — on his terms.</div><div><br></div><div>Navalny\'s death shows Putin’s “complete ruthlessness and disdain … for both Western and international opinion,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus and senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. Russia announced Navalny\'s death on Friday, just as Western leaders gathered at a security conference in Munich.</div><div><br></div><div>Putin is “throwing down a gauntlet to the West,” Gould-Davies said. “As we come up to the second anniversary of the (Ukraine) war, he is again testing Western resolve.”</div><div><br></div><div>Navalny’s death should serve as a “wake-up call” to U.S. Republicans opposing aid for Ukraine in Congress and also encourage European NATO allies to bolster their assistance to Ukraine, Gould-Davies said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Ultimately it depends on the lessons that the West draws,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>But Navalny’s death didn\'t appear to move the U.S. House speaker Friday to commit to a proposed $61 billion aid package for Ukraine, seen as crucial to a Ukrainian victory.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Putin, the longest-serving Russian leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, is steamrolling toward another six years in power in a campaign involving three token rivals nominated by Kremlin-friendly parties. Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal politician who made ending the war in Ukraine his chief campaign slogan, was barred from running by election officials.</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, while there was little doubt that Putin would prevail in the election, Navalny\'s death still demonstrated \"how much he saw Navalny as a threat,” Gould-Davies said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The way the Kremlin has conducted that election campaign so far suggests that they are not confident,” he said, adding that “even from prison, Navalny managed to get his voice out.”</div><div><br></div><div>Navalny\'s death just weeks before the March 15-17 presidential election possibly marked “the final act of the dismantling and crushing of any semblance of Russian organized opposition” ahead of the vote, Gould-Davies said.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite his assured victory next month, Putin still fears Western interference in the election and viewed Navalny as “an adversary manipulated by the West to undermine national and state interests,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.</div><div><br></div><div>“He sincerely believes that the West would and will use the moment to undermine the stability and to afflict political damage to his campaign,” she wrote in a commentary. “That will push him to take an even more hawkish, more repressive approach to any hostile manifestation, which he may link to external attempts to interfere. This may specifically create a more restrictive approach to the media and social networks.”</div><div><br></div><div>Navalny, who died at age 47, emerged as a major threat more than a decade ago, playing a key role in galvanizing massive street protests against Putin\'s rule in Moscow in 2011-2012 and running a successful campaign to expose government corruption.</div><div><br></div><div>For many Russians, Navalny was a powerful symbol of hope, Galeotti said, conveying even from his remote Arctic prison a vision of the “beautiful Russia of the future” — a slogan in defiance of the Kremlin’s message to Russians to “just survive, just keep your head down.”</div><div><br></div><div>In 2020, Navalny narrowly survived nerve agent poisoning in Siberia that he blamed on the Kremlin. He recovered in Germany but was immediately arrested upon his return in January 2021. He remained in custody after that, convicted three times and handed a 19-year prison term on charges of extremism.</div><div><br></div><div>Putin didn’t comment on Navalny’s death and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed statements by Western leaders holding the Kremlin responsible as “outrageous and inadmissible.”</div><div><br></div><div>But Western leaders view any such comments from the Kremlin with the same suspicion they cast toward the death of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash two months after his troops staged a brief rebellion against the Kremlin. The crash last August was widely seen as the Kremlin’s revenge for the mutiny, which marked the most serious challenge to Putin’s rule since his first election in 2000, reports AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Just as with Prigozhin\'s demise, Navalny\'s death “shows how completely ruthless” Putin is, Gould-Davies said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 08:59:17', '2024-02-18 08:59:17'),
(11225, 11225, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman sustained a head injury after being struck by a ball during practice.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The incident occurred while Mustafizur, representing Comilla Victorians in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), was participating in a practice session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Sunday (February 18, 2024).</div><div><br></div><div>While returning to his run-up area during a net session, Mustafizur was hit directly on the left side of his head. He was immediately taken to a hospital in Chattogram.</div><div><br></div><div>Following a CT scan, the medical team from the Comilla Victorians confirmed that Mustafizur did not sustain an internal head injury. However, he will remain under observation as a precautionary measure, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“After (the) CT scan we are satisfied that he had only external injury. There was no intracranial bleeding,” stated S M Zahidul Islam Sazal, the physio of the Victorians.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Sazal further mentioned that Mustafizur received stitches for the open wound.</div><div><br></div><div>Mustafizur\'s performance in the BPL has been consistent. In nine matches, he has secured 11 wickets for the reigning BPL champions.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 09:20:19', '2024-02-18 09:20:19'),
(11226, 11226, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Chief executives of humanitarian agencies and human rights organizations have called upon all states to do everything in their power to prevent further military offensives and forge a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"We are appalled by the harrowing developments in Rafah, Gaza’s most populated area where 1.5 million people are sheltering as their last resort - over half a million of them children,\" they said in a joint statement.</div><div><br></div><div>If Israel launches its proposed ground offensive, thousands more civilians will be killed and the current trickle of humanitarian aid risks coming to a complete halt. If this military plan is not stopped immediately, the consequences will be catastrophic, said the signatories of the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The signatories are Ana Alcade, acting Secretary General, ActionAid International; Dr Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International; Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council; Manuel Patrouillard, CEO, Handicap International-Humanity &amp; Inclusion; Amitabh Behar, Executive Director, Oxfam International and Rob Williams CEO, War Child Alliance.</div><div><br></div><div>With significant damage to over 70 percent of civilian infrastructure, many areas in Gaza have been reduced to rubble and are uninhabitable.</div><div><br></div><div>Most hospitals are non-functional or only partially operational and are completely overwhelmed.</div><div><br></div><div>There is little food, clean water, shelter, or sanitation.</div><div><br></div><div>\"People are living in the most inhumane conditions, many of them out in the open. It defies belief that the Israeli military has forcibly displaced the majority of the population from their homes into Rafah - with six times as many people than before now squeezed into the area - and then announced plans to attack it,\" according to the statement received here from ActionAid Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The statement also said, \"The Israeli government\'s strategy of systematic and repeated forcible transfer of the civilian population has led to the forced displacement of more than three quarters of the population, many of whom left without adequate shelter or homes to return to. Collectively punishing civilians by denying them adequate shelter, food, clean water and other essentials needed for their survival and obstructing humanitarian relief consignments destined to alleviate starvation may amount to grave breaches of the obligations of an occupying power under International Humanitarian Law, constituting war crimes.”</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling mandated Israel to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Not only has this not happened, the situation on the ground has deteriorated further. Israel’s airstrikes in Rafah killed at least 100 Palestinians in a single day, defying both international calls for moderation and potentially the ICJ order.</div><div><br></div><div>Over 1.5 million people trapped in Rafah have nowhere safe to go, and many have already been displaced multiple times. All of the Israeli supposed-safe spaces have been compromised, without exception, further proof that there was never truly anywhere safe in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire is more urgent than ever as Israel’s relentless bombardment and siege have decimated Gaza and left the Palestinian civilian population starving, facing famine, and with diseases rife while obstructing attempts to alleviate their suffering. The Israeli military offensive has made it virtually impossible for our collective agencies to meaningfully and effectively deliver humanitarian work, compromising not only safety but also the very principles guiding our humanitarian efforts. Rafah has been the primary entry point for aid and bombardment will then prevent any assistance from getting through,” the statement said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The silence, and at times material support of Israel’s military by powerful nations, signals distressing complicity in Gaza’s deepening crisis. Whether through the transfer of weapons, diplomatic obstruction of resolutions, or silence, such actions have effectively granted Israel impunity. The harrowing situation in Gaza underscores the urgent need for governments worldwide to stop the supply of arms and ammunition used in these atrocities. We also call for a permanent ceasefire to protect civilian lives and release of hostages and Palestinian detainees, and full, unhindered access for humanitarian aid and workers, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“States bear legal and moral responsibilities to protect civilians, prevent war crimes and uphold international law. We urge all States to consider that their inaction or continued support not only deepens the tragedy but also implicates them.\"</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 10:43:33', '2024-02-18 10:43:33'),
(11227, 11227, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At 91, a yogurt seller from Chapainawabganj’s Bholahat upazila, Ziaul Haque, may have missed out on formal education himself, but he has been a beacon of learning for hundreds in his community.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Living in Chamamusribhuja village, Ziaul has dedicated his life to social welfare, significantly impacting the lives of those around him through education and various community services.</div><div><br></div><div>In recognition of his lifelong commitment to bettering the lives of others, Ziaul was awarded the ‘Ekushey Padak,’ the country’s second-highest civilian honor, this year in the social service category.</div><div><br></div><div>A testament to his dedication, Ziaul has been a familiar face in his community, selling yogurt for over six decades.</div><div><br></div><div>The Cultural Affairs Ministry announced the award on February 13, placing Ziaul in the esteemed company of other notable awardees. His contributions have previously earned him accolades, including the ‘Shada Moner Manush’ award in 2006.</div><div><br></div><div>Upon receiving the news, an elated Ziaul expressed his joy and humility, seeing the recognition as a motivation to continue his social work. Despite the challenges of poverty that cut his own educational journey short after class five, Ziaul turned his circumstances into a mission to support the educational aspirations of others in his community.</div><div><br></div><div>He has been particularly supportive of financially disadvantaged but talented students, offering books and academic materials funded by his yogurt sales. In 1969, Ziaul established a home library now boasting around 14,000 books, from novels to educational texts, which he offers free to local students. His generosity extends beyond education; he has provided housing for the homeless, dug wells for clean drinking water, and donated winter clothing and Qurans to madrasa students.</div><div><br></div><div>Reflecting on his contributions, Ziaul finds deep satisfaction in the educational opportunities he has been able to provide, valuing the progress of local children over his own educational setbacks. His efforts have kept many children in school, a legacy he is proud to leave behind.</div><div><br></div><div>Ziaul\'s family, along with the entire district, celebrates this well-deserved recognition. Local journalist Rubel Ahmed and many others in Bholahat commend Ziaul’s spirit and integrity, acknowledging the profound impact of his library and philanthropy on the community’s youth and educators alike. Ziaul Haque’s story is a powerful reminder of the difference one individual can make in the lives of many. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 11:21:42', '2024-02-18 11:21:42'),
(11228, 11228, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged world leaders to stop genocide in the Palestinian city of Gaza.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh has always stood against genocide. What is happening in Gaza I feel is a genocide.  So, we never support it,\" she said in an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference 2024 on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said the Palestinian people have the right to live and have their own state. \"The Gaza people have the right to live…. So, we should help them, and stop this invasion and war,\" she added.</div><div><br></div><div>She called upon the world community to extend support and help to the suffering children, women, and people of Palestine.</div><div><br></div><div>At this time she cited that Bangladesh has already sent some assistance for them, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question regarding a planned Israeli operation on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the premier said Bangladesh never supports such an offensive. \"Palestinian people should have the right to have their own state, that is clear,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"There is a two-state theory in 1967 UNO resolution. It should be implemented,\" said Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 11:43:01', '2024-02-18 16:58:59'),
(11229, 11229, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Dhaka court on Sunday sent Daily Star executive editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife Tania Khandaker to jail after a 4-day remand in a case over the death of a domestic worker who fell off their flat on the eighth floor of a building in the city\'s Mohammadpur.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury passed the order when police produced them before the court on completion of their remand.</div><div><br></div><div>On February 13, the court put Ashfaqul and his wife Tania on a four-day remand each in the case when Nazmul Hasan, in-charge of Mohammadpur police station and also the investigating officer of the case, produced them before the court with a 10-day demand prayer.</div><div><br></div><div>Advocate Chaitanno Chandra Haldar filed a petition seeking bail for his clients.</div><div><br></div><div>On February 7, the court sent the couple to jail after rejecting their remand and bail petitions.</div><div><br></div><div>The court asked police to interrogate them in jail gate for three days.</div><div><br></div><div>Fifteen-year old Preeti Urang, daughter of Moulvibazar’s Lokesh Urang, used to work as a domestic help at the flat of Ashfaqul in the capital’s Mohammadpur and she died falling from the flat on February 6.</div><div><br></div><div>Preeti had been working at the house of Ashfaqul for two years.</div><div><br></div><div>Preeti’s father Lokesh Urang filed a case under 304(Ka) of Penal Code after her death. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 12:13:12', '2024-02-18 12:13:12'),
(11230, 11230, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government will be able to supply onion and sugar, imported from India, to the market before the month of Ramadan, said State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu on Sunday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Already a proposal for importing 50,000 mts of onion and one lakh mts of sugar was sent to India and got assurance from them about 20,000 mts of onion and 50,000 mts of sugar but we hope we would be able to import products as per our demand,” he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister got assurance from India about onion and sugar supply and we will get good news over it within Thursday, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the government is trying to import daily essentials from other neighbouring countries, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>A meeting of the task force committee will be held on Tuesday, said the junior minister adding the price of edible oil is expected to be refixed in the meeting, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The government will ensure market monitoring at the field level during Ramadan and after fixing the price of edible oil it will take measures to prevent hike in oil prices, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 12:35:49', '2024-02-18 12:35:49'),
(11231, 11231, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia said its forces took complete control Saturday of a city in eastern Ukraine that was the focus of intense combat for months, a development that Moscow could use to boost morale as the second anniversary of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches with the war largely at a stalemate.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The Russian Defense Ministry\'s announcement came the same day Ukraine’s military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka, where the outnumbered defenders had battled a Russian assault for four months.</div><div><br></div><div>Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Kremlin that Russian forces were working to clear final pockets of resistance at the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant, officials said in a statement. Videos on social media Saturday appeared to show soldiers raising the Russian flag over one of the plant’s buildings.</div><div><br></div><div>Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a personal message of congratulating to his troops in the city, state news agency Tass reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Avdiivka’s capture as an “important victory.”</div><div><br></div><div>Along with the invasion\'s upcoming anniversary on Feb. 24, Russia also is preparing for a March presidential election that is all but guaranteed to give Putin another six-year term. The Kremlin has cracked down heavily on dissent during the war, and the death Friday of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny has silenced the voice of Putin\'s most formidable foe.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine is back on the defensive against Russia in the nearly 2-year-old war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel. Speaking at the Munich SecurityConference on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his country\'s allies that an “artificial deficit” of arms for Ukraine risked giving Russia breathing space and allowing \"Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Our actions are limited only by ... our strength,” Zelenskyy said, pointing to the situation in Avdiivka after the commander of Ukraine\'s armed forces said he was withdrawing troops from the city to prevent their encirclement and to save soldiers’ lives.</div><div><br></div><div>President Joe Biden said he told Zelenskyy in their Saturday phone call that he remains confident Congress will ultimately approve additional funding for Ukraine. But asked if he was confident more U.S. funding would come through before Ukraine loses more territory, Biden acknowledged, “I’m not.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Look Ukrainians have fought so bravely, ” Biden said “There is so much on the line. The idea now when they are running out of ammunition that we’re going to walk away. I find it absurd.”</div><div><br></div><div>White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson called the withdrawal “the cost of Congressional inaction.”</div><div><br></div><div>In a short statement posted on Facebook, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Ukrainian troops were moving to “more favorable lines.\"</div><div><br></div><div>“Our soldiers performed their military duty with dignity, did everything possible to destroy the best Russian military units, inflicted significant losses on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are taking measures to stabilize the situation and maintain our positions,” the statement read.</div><div><br></div><div>The withdrawal was Syrskyi’s first major test since his appointment this month as Ukraine’s new army chief.</div><div><br></div><div>In his previous position as commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, he faced criticism for holding on to the city of Bakhmut for nine months, a siege that became the war’s longest and bloodiest battle and cost Ukraine dearly, but also served to sap Russia’s forces.</div><div><br></div><div>In recent days, reports emerged that Ukrainian troops in Avdiivka faced a deteriorating situation.</div><div><br></div><div>Rodion Kudriashov, deputy commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, said Friday that Ukrainian troops were still holding out against the onslaught of about 15,000 Russian soldiers, but he expected the situation would “soon become critical.”</div><div><br></div><div>“The enemy is trying to penetrate our defense and in some places to bypass our positions,” he told The Associated Press.</div><div><br></div><div>The 3rd Brigade said on its social media account Friday that its soldiers were at the huge Avdiivka Coke Plant. Russian warplanes have been dropping about 60 bombs a day, relentlessly shelling the area and launching assaults with armor and infantry, the brigade said.</div><div><br></div><div>A video showed dense black smoke over the factory, said to be caused by burning fuel oil reservoirs. The post said: “Poisonous smog spreads all over the plant.”</div><div><br></div><div>Russian media reported the Kremlin’s forces were making extensive use of plane-launched glide bombs, which fly at a shallower angle, to batter Ukrainian positions.</div><div><br></div><div>Heavily fortified with a web of tunnels and concrete fortifications, Avdiivka lies in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, a city in a region of the same name that Russian forces partially occupy. Capturing Avdiivka could be a timely boost for Moscow and serve as a possible springboard for Russia to drive deeper into the region.</div><div><br></div><div>Fewer than 1,000 people remain in the city, according to the Donetsk regional governor, Vadym Filashkin. The city, with a prewar population of about 31,000, is today a bombed-out shell of what it once was.</div><div><br></div><div>Aerial footage of Avdiivka obtained by The Associated Press in December showed an apocalyptic scene and hinted at Russia’s staggering losses, with the bodies of about 150 soldiers — most wearing Russian uniforms — lying scattered along tree lines where they sought cover.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said Thursday that taking Avdiivka would be more of a symbolic win for the Kremlin and would not bring significant changes to the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line that has barely budged in recent months.</div><div><br></div><div>“The potential Russian capture of Avdiivka would not be operationally significant and would likely only offer the Kremlin immediate informational and political victories,” the institute said in an assessment, - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Russian forces would be highly unlikely to make rapid operationally significant advances from Avdiivka if they captured the settlement, and the potential Russian capture of Avdiivka at most would set conditions for further limited tactical gains,” it added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 14:17:58', '2024-02-18 14:17:58'),
(11232, 11232, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Industries in Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj continue to be afflicted by an acute gas crisis, even though Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, the state-owned distributor of natural gas, claims the situation has improved.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>As reported in the media previously, garments and textiles firms in the industrial belt of these central districts have been suffering from an acute gas crisis for the last few months.</div><div><br></div><div>“The factories are in dire straits,” a top top-level manager of a group of textile factories in Gazipur told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Most of the industries in Gazipur do not get adequate supply of gas during their operational periods, the most crucial hours during which their machines need to be running. Inadequate supply manifests in the form of low pressure gas flow, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Low pressure gas flow is akin to low voltage electricity - many appliances won\'t run, even though an electric charge is present.</div><div><br></div><div>The textiles group official said that due to the lack of gas supply, production in various factories is being disrupted and they are on the verge of shutting down.</div><div><br></div><div>In the ongoing gas crisis, important machines like generators and broilers in the dyeing section of the factories are not being run. This has been posing a great risk for the industries to continue their production and pushing them towards huge financial losses.</div><div><br></div><div>“Many industries would not be able to pay the salaries and festival bonuses during the coming Eid if the situation does not improve,” said an industry owner.</div><div><br></div><div>Industry insiders said there are more than 300 factories in Kaliakoir and other areas in Gazipur.</div><div><br></div><div>All these industries have been suffering from the nagging gas crisis and some of them have already suspended their productions.</div><div><br></div><div>Each of the industries has more than 1000 workers. But following the gas crisis, they have to reduce their production target while some of them use CNG at a higher cost to continue their operations.</div><div><br></div><div>A similar situation is prevailing in the Mirpur, Tongi and Narayanganj areas, said Mohammad Hatem, Executive President, of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).</div><div><br></div><div>He said that despite increasing the price, the government is not able to provide adequate gas.</div><div><br></div><div>“Production in garment factories has come down to half due to non-availability of gas. Many buyers meanwhile are pushing for air shipments as the normal schedule for shipments has failed in keeping the commitment,” he said adding, some buyers are asking for discounts on the rates.</div><div><br></div><div>“Some customers are upset and cancel the order in such a situation,” he noted.</div><div><br></div><div>Recently the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) has also alleged that no industry in the country is able to run at its full potential due to the gas crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>A Bangladesh Chamber Of Industries delegation, led by its president Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), raised the allegation when it met Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun at his ministry office.</div><div><br></div><div>The lone chamber for industries said the prices of electricity and gas were increased on the pretext of increasing prices on the international market in the hope that the government would ensure their continuous supply.</div><div><br></div><div>“But despite the declining trend of energy prices in the international market, it is being heard that the prices of electricity and gas will be increased again,” BCI said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>It demands for a sustainable solution to the problem. “If a long term plan is given to the industrial sector in terms of power and gas supply, it can move forward accordingly.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Titas Gas general manager Arpana Islam admitted the gas crisis. But she claimed that the situation has improved to some extent recently following measures to increase the gas supply.</div><div><br></div><div>She advised to talk to Petrobangla when asked whether there is any possibility in near future to further improve the gas supply situation.</div><div><br></div><div>Petrobangla official statistics reveal that in the last one month the total gas supply across the country has increased by just 100 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) or so, leaving a deficit between production and supply of about 1500 mmcfd.</div><div><br></div><div>The Petrobangla data shows that on February 16 it produced 2671 mmcfd gas including its import from abroad against a demand for more than 4000 mmcfd.</div><div><br></div><div>The TItas Gas data also shows that about 30 power plants now remained out of operation due to gas shortage. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 14:21:16', '2024-02-18 14:21:16'),
(11233, 11233, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>LGRD Minister Tazul Islam on Sunday said around 17,000 metric tonnes of waste are generated from the country’s 12 city corporations every day and the government has taken various measures for recycling wastes.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In reply to a query from ruling Awami League MP elected from Noakhali-2 Morshed Alam at parliament, the minister said scrutiny of different proposals is going on to produce power from waste in the city corporations, except Barishal and Rajshahi city corporations,.</div><div><br></div><div>Tazul Islam said the amount of waste generated from Dhaka South City Corporation is 3213 MT, Dhaka North City Corporation 3400-3600 MT, Chattogram City Corporation 2135 MT, Sylhet City Corporation 375 MT, Barishal City Corporation 500 MT, Khulna City Corporation 1000 MT, Rajshahi City Corporation 350 MT, Rangpur City Corporation 120 MT, Narayanganj City Corporation 1000 MT, Cumilla City Corporation 210 MT, Gazipur City Corporation 4,000 MT and Mymensingh City Corporation 500 MT.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 39 percent of the total waste come from the two city corporations of Dhaka city, the minister said.</div><div><br></div><div>Tazul said that Local Government Department has taken initiative to produce power from the waste of Dhaka North City Corporation.</div><div><br></div><div>“A project was taken to build incineration plant for producing power from the waste of Amin Bazar landfill through WtE Power Plant North Dhaka Private Ltd and Bangladesh Power Development Board with financing from China Machinery Engineering Corporation,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the minister said, scrutiny of six proposals is going on to produce power from the waste of Dhaka North City Corporation.</div><div><br></div><div>Thirteen proposals were sent to the Power Division for producing power from the waste of Chattogram City Corporation, said the said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The technical committee of Bangladesh Power Development Board has selected proposals of four companies. Work is going on to implement the project,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the minister also said an incineration plant was set up at the Chattogram City Corporation area to produce power from medical waste of this city corporation, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with ‘Waste Concern’ to set up medical incineration at Narayanganj City Corporation, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 14:34:39', '2024-02-18 14:34:39'),
(11234, 11234, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Four people were killed when a pick-up van rammed into a CNG autorickshaw on Gorai-Sakhipur regional road at Bashtoil Telipara in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail district on Sunday</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Lutfur Rahman alias Moijuddin, 40, son of Yusuf Mia, Rahima Begum, 45, son of Tara Mia, Akash Mia, 30, son of Bidyut Mia and Nazmul Islam, 34, son of Samej Mia of the upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>The accident occurred around 4 pm when the Sakhipur-bound pick-up hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, leaving four people dead on the spot, said Rezaul Karim, officer-in-charge of Mirzapur Police Station. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 15:07:52', '2024-02-18 15:07:52'),
(11235, 11235, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Deputy Leader of the opposition and Jatiya Party Member Anisul Islam Mahmud on Sunday said extortion has become a culture in the society.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“My appeal to my fellow Members of Parliament. Let us unite in this one cause, where no penny will be spent. Nothing is needed. Only we will pledge not to support them, just resist them. By doing this, I think Bangladesh will survive,” he said in Parliament standing on a point of order.</div><div><br></div><div>Highlighting the news published in a newspaper, Anisul Islam Mahmud said that extortion money has to be paid for transportation of goods. It adds to the total price. \"If you want to construct home, you have to pay extortion,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also mentioned that if anyone wanted not to pay any extortion money, then they have to give the work of supplying rod, brick, cement or sand to the extortionist.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“The poor hawkers have to pay extortion while extortionists are also there at the rickshaw stands. Extortion has become a terrible disease,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that if action is not taken against it, there will be trouble ahead.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He called upon all members of Parliament to unite and take a pledge not to support extortionists and to resist them, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Participating in the unscheduled discussion, another Jatiya Party member and opposition chief whip Mujibul Haque showing a newspaper report said that the money for the sale of forms in Chattogram University is divided among the vice-chancellor, pro vice-chancellors and other teachers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“CU Chhatra League wants to be a part of this money sharing like they did in the past.”</div><div><br></div><div>Addressing the Education Minister, Mujibul Haque said, if this is correct, then let the people know what measures have been taken.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 15:53:13', '2024-02-18 15:53:13'),
(11236, 11236, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>British Labour leader Keir Starmer said today there should be a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, setting out his stance before parliament is expected to debate a conflict that has caused division in the opposition party.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>With Labour well ahead in the polls before an election later this year, Starmer is keen to present a united front to voters, but the conflict in Gaza has tested that unity.</div><div><br></div><div>Nearly a third of his lawmakers defied him last year to back calls for an immediate ceasefire and the party had to withdraw support for a candidate over his comments about Israel earlier this month.</div><div><br></div><div>This week, the Scottish National Party is expected to bring a motion to parliament to call for an immediate ceasefire – something Starmer’s foreign policy chief David Lammy said the party would examine and then come to a decision on.</div><div><br></div><div>Addressing the Scottish Labour conference, Starmer said: “What we all want to see … (is) an end to the fighting not just now, not just for a pause, but permanently. A ceasefire that lasts … that is what must happen now,” reports Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He added that any ceasefire could not be one-sided.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Starmer, like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, had called for a “sustainable ceasefire” and his aides said his words did not amount to a change in position.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 16:23:38', '2024-02-18 16:23:38'),
(11237, 11237, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Authorities in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, ordered its officials today not to take pictures or videos of “living things”.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>In a letter addressed to civil and military officials, the provincial department of interior directed them “to refrain from taking pictures of living things in your formal and informal gatherings, because it causes more harm than good”.</div><div><br></div><div>It said text or audio content on officials’ activities was allowed.</div><div><br></div><div>Images of humans and animals are generally avoided in Islamic art, extending for some Muslims to an aversion to any images of living things.</div><div><br></div><div>A spokesman for Kandahar’s governor told AFP the letter was authentic.</div><div><br></div><div>To what extent the order would be applied and how it would be enforced were unclear.</div><div><br></div><div>Taliban government spokesmen did not immediately reply to requests for clarification or comment.</div><div><br></div><div>Television and pictures of living things were banned under the previous Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.</div><div><br></div><div>Several media outlets have refrained from using images of people and animals since the Taliban returned to power more than two years ago, - AFP </div><div><br></div><div>However, official central government departments frequently distribute and share pictures of senior officials meeting foreign dignitaries.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 16:30:07', '2024-02-18 16:36:47'),
(11238, 11238, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least one person has been arrested and more are wanted after a company scammed people out of tens of millions of dollars, promising cheap iPhones after a ban on them in Iran.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A division of Iranian law enforcement tasked with economic crimes said on Friday that the main suspect in the case of a firm called Kourosh Company had fled the country, but a “main member” of the company was arrested and two more are wanted.</div><div><br></div><div>It said that, in coordination with the judiciary, “all the assets of the main suspect of the case were confiscated” without saying how much the assets were worth.</div><div><br></div><div>Starting last year, Iran banned official registration of all new iPhone models made by United States tech giant Apple. The ban was extended this year, affecting all iPhone 15 models.</div><div><br></div><div>All phones imported into Iran must be registered upon entry – even those belonging to tourists – or else they are considered contraband and only have network coverage for one month on any local SIM card.</div><div><br></div><div>All new iPhone 14 and 15 handsets are being smuggled into Iran and can readily be found in shops in Tehran and across the country, but the ban has caused chaos.</div><div><br></div><div>People have found temporary workarounds to circumvent the ban with spoofing methods, but the phones could still get disconnected after a while. - Al Jazeera&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 16:40:18', '2024-02-18 16:40:18'),
(11239, 11239, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the expatriate Bangladeshis to give a befitting reply to the conspiracies against the country\'s prosperity with correct information.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"Some people don\'t want the progress of the country and the continuation of democracy. They are conspiring against the country\'s prosperity by giving false information. You (expatriate Bangladeshis) have to give a reply to the conspiracies raising correct information,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister made the remarks while exchanging views with the leaders of All European Expatriate Awami League at her Place of Residence in Munich, Germany on Sunday afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>She asked them to maintain communication with the leaders of their host countries and inform them of the real pictures of Bangladesh. “Every expatriate will have to work as an ambassador of Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She said some Bangladeshis try to tarnish the image of the country in foreign lands. “Stay vigilant so that they can’t do it,” she added.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that her government has been establishing 100 special economic zones and several high-tech parks across Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina called upon the Bangladeshi diaspora to invest personally or with foreign partners in Bangladesh. “You can search your investment partners. You can invest in Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said the expatriate Bangladeshis can contribute to the socio-economic development of Bangladesh and its people, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Focusing on her government’s measures to ensure the country\'s overall development, she said, \"We have ensured development up to the grassroots.\"</div><div><br></div><div>She said Bangladesh has got the status of a developing country and will start its journey towards becoming a developing nation in 2026.</div><div><br></div><div>So, the expatriate Bangladeshis can play a pivotal role to smoothen the journey towards a developing nation, she added.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said they have been working to transform Bangladesh into a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina reiterated that Bangladesh held the country\'s most free, fair and credible election on January 7, 2024 since 1975.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud and Bangladesh Ambassador to Germany Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, among others, were present.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-18 16:58:04', '2024-02-18 16:58:04'),
(11240, 11240, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Habibur Rahman said on Monday there is no specific security threat centering the observance of Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day on February 21 but police have taken all necessary measures.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this while talking to reporters after visiting security measures at Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka in the morning.</div><div><br></div><div>The entire area will be kept under monitoring of CCTV cameras while bomb disposal, SWAT, fire service, medical and other teams will be remain stand-by, Habibur said .</div><div><br></div><div>Security measures have been taken through patrolling with drone and mobile in the Shaheed Minar area, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>About the foolproof security measure for the month-long Ekushey book fair, he said that a control room has been set up there and all kinds of security equipment and security units are working there through cameras, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Police are vigilant to tackle any situation like deterioration of law and order, he said, adding that measures have been taken to control traffic congestion centering the observation of the 21st February.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that movement of vehicles will remain restricted on some roads and vehicles will be able to enter and exit through some designated roads.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 09:05:29', '2024-02-19 09:05:29');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11241, 11241, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least 53 men were massacred in a major escalation of tribal violence in Papua New Guinea, Australian media reported Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A tribe, their allies and mercenaries were on their way to attack a neighboring tribe when they were ambushed Sunday in Enga province in the South Pacific nation\'s remote highlands, Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Acting Superintendent George Kakas told Australian Broadcasting Corp.</div><div><br></div><div>Police expected to find more dead bodies among the wounded who had escaped into the woods, he said. “These tribesmen have been killed all over the countryside, all over the bush,” Kakas told ABC.</div><div><br></div><div>Bodies were collected from the battlefield, roads and the riverside, then loaded onto police trucks and taken to the hospital. Kakas said authorities were still counting “those who were shot, injured and ran off into the bushes.”</div><div><br></div><div>“We presume the numbers will go up to 60 or 65,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Kakas said it could be the highest death toll from such violence in the highlands, where there are few roads and most of the inhabitants are subsistence farmers.</div><div><br></div><div>Police in the capital of Port Moresby did not immediately respond to the AP’s request for information on the massacre.</div><div><br></div><div>Papua New Guinea is a diverse, developing nation of 10 million people with 800 languages in a strategically important part of the South Pacific.</div><div><br></div><div>Internal security has become an increasing challenge for its government as China, the United States and Australia seek closer security ties.</div><div><br></div><div>Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was ready to assist Papua New Guinea, which is Australia\'s nearest neighbor and the largest single recipient of Australian foreign aid.</div><div><br></div><div>“That is very disturbing the news that has come out of Papua New Guinea,” Albanese said.</div><div><br></div><div>“We remain available to provide whatever support we can in a practical way, of course, to help our friends in PNG,” Albanese added.</div><div><br></div><div>Albanese said Australia was already providing “considerable support” for Papua New Guinea and was helping train the country’s police officers.</div><div><br></div><div>Tribal violence in the Enga region has intensified since elections in 2022 that maintained Prime Minister James Marape\'s administration. Elections and accompanying allegations of cheating and process anomalies have always triggered violence throughout the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Enga Gov. Peter Ipatas said there were warnings that tribal fighting was about to erupt, reports AP.</div><div><br></div><div>“From a provincial perspective, we knew this fight was going to be on and we (alerted) the security forces last week to make sure they took appropriate action to ensure this didn’t occur,” Ipatas told ABC.</div><div><br></div><div>Ipatas described the violence as a \"very, very sad occasion for us in the province and it’s a bad thing for the country.” </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 09:59:19', '2024-02-19 10:03:55'),
(11242, 11242, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Historic hearings are opening on Monday at the United Nations’ top court into the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Palestinian representatives will speak first as the International Court of Justice begins hearing legal arguments following a request submitted by the U.N. General Assembly for a non-binding advisory opinion into Israel\'s policies in the occupied territories.</div><div><br></div><div>Though the case opens at the court\'s Great Hall of Justice against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, it focuses instead on Israel’s open-ended control over the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and annexed east Jerusalem.</div><div><br></div><div>The Palestinian legal team will tell the panel of international judges that Israel has violated the prohibition on territorial conquest by annexing large swaths of occupied land and the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, and has imposed a system of racial discrimination and apartheid.</div><div><br></div><div>“We want to hear new words from the court,” said Omar Awadallah, the head of the U.N. organizations department in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>After the Palestinians address the court on Monday, an unprecedented 51 countries and three international organizations will speak. The court will likely take months to issue its opinion.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel is not scheduled to speak during the hearings, but could submit a written statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Yuval Shany, a law professor at Hebrew University and senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, said Israel will likely justify the ongoing occupation on security grounds, especially in the absence of a peace deal.</div><div><br></div><div>It is likely to point to the Oct. 7 attack in which Hamas-led militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people across southern Israel and dragged 250 hostages back to the territory.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Palestinians and leading rights groups argue that the occupation goes far beyond defensive measures. They say it has morphed into an apartheid system, bolstered by settlement building on occupied lands, that gives Palestinians second-class status and is designed to maintain Jewish hegemony from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Israel rejects any accusation of apartheid.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for an independent state. Israel considers the West Bank to be disputed territory, whose future should be decided in negotiations.</div><div><br></div><div>It has built 146 settlements across the West Bank, according to watchdog group Peace Now, many of which resemble fully developed suburbs and small towns. The settlements are home to more than 500,000 Jewish settlers, while around 3 million Palestinians live in the territory.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers the entire city to be its capital. An additional 200,000 Israelis live in settlements built in east Jerusalem that Israel considers to be neighborhoods of its capital. Palestinian residents of the city face systematic discrimination, making it difficult for them to build new homes or expand existing ones.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel withdrew all of its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but continued to control the territory\'s airspace, coastline and population registry. Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza when the Palestinian militant Hamas group seized power there in 2007.</div><div><br></div><div>The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements to be illegal. Israel’s annexation of east Jerusalem, home to the city’s most sensitive holy sites, is not internationally recognized.</div><div><br></div><div>It’s not the first time the court has been asked to give an advisory opinion on Israeli policies.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2004, it said a separation barrier Israel built through east Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank was “contrary to international law.” It also called on Israel to immediately halt construction. Israel has ignored the ruling.</div><div><br></div><div>Also, late last month, the court ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in its campaign in Gaza. The order came at a preliminary stage of a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, a charge that Israel denied.</div><div><br></div><div>South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress, has long compared Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank to the apartheid regime of white minority rule in South Africa, which restricted most Black people to “homelands” before ending in 1994.&nbsp; - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 10:09:55', '2024-02-19 10:09:55'),
(11243, 11243, '<div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home on Monday morning after attending the three-day Munich Security Conference in Germany, her first foreign tour since winning last month’s national polls.</div><div><br></div><div>A regular flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the PM and her entourage departed München Franz Josef Strauss Airport in Munich at around 9:08 pm on Sunday (local time) (2:10am on Monday Bangladesh time). The flight landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 11am.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister left for Munich on February 15 on a three-day official visit. </div><div><br></div><div>During her stay in Munich, Hasina attended the Munich Security Conference and held meetings with several global leaders on the sidelines of the conference.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier held meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and former Prime Minister and President of Women Political Leaders (WPL) Silvana Koch-Mehrin, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Pedro\'s Adhanom Ghebreyesus, President of Global Affairs at Meta and former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK Sir Nick Clegg, among others, met Sheikh Hasina there.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister also joined a community reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi diaspora in Germany and different European countries in Munich. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 10:44:37', '2024-02-19 10:44:51'),
(11244, 11244, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Former Foreign Minister of Singapore George Yeo has said if Bangladesh wants to get&nbsp; closer to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), such as becoming its sectoral dialogue partner, it has to view the Rohingya issue from the regional bloc\'s view also - in which Myanmar is a full member.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“You need to incorporate the view of ASEAN, not dismissing the importance of the Rohingya issue but also not allowing it to become such a dominating issue,” he said addressing a discussion here in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted the discussion as part of its Distinguished Speaker Series, titled “Bangladesh and ASEAN in a Multipolar World” at Hotel Renaissance in the city’s Gulshan area.</div><div><br></div><div>George Yeo said now Bangladesh wants to be a sectoral dialogue partner of the ASEAN, with one issue dominating the agenda.</div><div><br></div><div>Otherwise, Yeo, who held multiple cabinet positions besides the foreign minister\'s in his distinguished career, feels promoting Bangladesh as a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN can be done \"without too much difficulty, if you put in the diplomatic footwork.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Terming the Rohingya crisis a human tragedy, the former Singaporean foreign minister in his keynote address said, “There is no simple solution. Because the problems are rooted in history and the solutions could be rooted in history.”</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, he said ASEAN didn’t condemn the Rohingya genocide when it happened as it considers it an internal political problem. “ASEAN has tried to separate the humanitarian issue in Rakhine estate from a political issue,” he said, adding that ASEAN doesn’t interfere in the affairs of its member countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the ASEAN members, the Muslim countries Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, also Singapore are sympathetic towards the Rohingya people. Others don’t have the same view. Laos has shared traditional relations with Myanmar, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>In Myanmar, the Rohingya is a side issue but in Bangladesh it is a central issue, he continued.</div><div><br></div><div>Focusing on the development of Bangladesh, George Yeo highly praised the recent progress of the country in different economic and social indexes.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Cosmos Foundation President, scholar-diplomat, and former Foreign Affairs Advisor of Bangladesh Caretaker Government chaired and conducted the discussion, while Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of the Cosmos Foundation, delivered the welcoming remarks.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Chowdhury said the discussion on ASEAN and Bangladesh is a timely one and the deliberations at this time are apt for two broad reasons.</div><div><br></div><div>Raising the first reason, he said, “Bangladesh, in the midst of a graduation process from the list of LDCs, would be looking to rewarding relationships with friendly multilateral economic associations of which ASEAN is a key one.”</div><div><br></div><div>The scholar-diplomat said they, in particular, see the ASEAN Economic Community ambition as commendable. “It envisions the concept of the region as a single market and production base, which will render the region competitive, with equitable economic development and fully integrated into the global economy,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the Masterplan on ASEAN Connectivity is also a laudable goal. “No surprise, therefore, in our inclination to wanting to be a Regional Dialogue Partner and seeking the support of all friendly countries including Singapore,” he went on.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Chowdhury said the second reason is the burgeoning turmoil in Myanmar, an ASEAN member, which is now threatening to spill into Bangladesh as well, with protagonists from contending sides looking to Bangladesh as a safe haven.</div><div><br></div><div>“We understand the ASEAN principle of non-interference in another member-state\'s affairs. We also note, however, it contributes to the failure to rein in the junta leadership, and the ineffectiveness of the Five-point Consensus. Very applicable to the junta is that dire dictum of Tacitus: \'They create a desolation and call it peace,\'\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Citing that ASEAN is a political institution, he said there is a huge risk that its inability to resolve the Myanmar crisis will take a toll, not only on its credibility, but on its unity.</div><div><br></div><div>Enayetullah Khan, also Editor-in-Chief, United News of Bangladesh (UNB), in his welcoming remarks expressed deep gratitude to George Yeo despite his pressing schedule.</div><div><br></div><div>He said a highly successful career in public life for Yeo saw him as a Cabinet Minister for 23 years, including as Foreign Minister between 2004 and 2011.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about Bangladesh-Singapore relations, he said, “We are happy that our leaders Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have such a close rapport! We are looking forward to the day that rapport can be translated into a mutually rewarding free trade agreement.”</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that his own experience of Singapore has been most exciting, the Chairman of the Cosmos Foundation said he has sought to put them together in a book titled ‘Bangladesh and Singapore: A tale of two nations’ that he hopes to launch simultaneously in Singapore and Dhaka in the near future. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 11:36:02', '2024-02-19 11:36:02'),
(11245, 11245, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Joypurhat court on Monday sentenced five to death with fined of Tk 50, 000 each in a case over the killing of a man in Panchbibi upazila of Joypurhat district around 14 years back.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Joypurhat Additional Sessions Judge Court Judge Md Nurul Islam passed the order in the presence of four out of the five convicts, said the court’s public prosecutor Nependranath Mandal.</div><div><br></div><div>The convicts are Sahida Begum, her son Rabbani, Mozaffar Hossain, Amina Begum and her son Rafiul Islam, hailing from Koktara village of the upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>All the convicts except Amina were on the dock during the delivery of the judgment.</div><div><br></div><div>The court also acquitted four people as the allegations brought against them were not found to be true.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the case statement, all the nine accused-equipped with lethal arms attacked neighbour Abu Taher over previous enmity&nbsp; on March 25, 2010, leaving him injured, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The victim succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a Dhaka hospital after a few days of the attck.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the deceased’s father Abu Hossain filed a case accusing nine people with the Panchbibi police station.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 12:06:04', '2024-02-19 12:06:04'),
(11246, 11246, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange\'s fight to avoid facing spying charges in the United States may be nearing an end following a protracted legal saga in the U.K. that included seven years of self-exile inside a foreign embassy and five years in prison.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Assange faces what could be his final court hearing in London next week as he tries to stop his extradition to the U.S. The High Court has scheduled two days of arguments over whether Assange can ask an appeals court to block his transfer. If the court doesn\'t allow the appeal to go forward, he could be sent across the Atlantic.</div><div><br></div><div>His wife says the decision is a matter of life and death for Assange, whose health has deteriorated during his time in custody.</div><div><br></div><div>“His life is at risk every single day he stays in prison,” Stella Assange said Thursday. “If he’s extradited, he will die.”</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT IS ASSANGE CHARGED WITH?</div><div>Assange, 52, an Australian computer expert, has been indicted in the U.S. on 18 charges over Wikileaks\' publication of hundreds of thousands of classified documents in 2010.</div><div><br></div><div>Prosecutors say he conspired with U.S. army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer and release secret diplomatic cables and military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.</div><div><br></div><div>He faces 17 counts of espionage and one charge of computer misuse. If convicted, his lawyers say he could receive a prison term of up to 175 years, though American authorities have said any sentence is likely to be much lower.</div><div><br></div><div>Assange and his supporters argue he acted as a journalist to expose U.S. military wrongdoing and is protected under press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the files published by WikiLeaks was video of a 2007 Apache helicopter attack by American forces in Baghdad that killed 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.</div><div><br></div><div>“Julian has been indicted for receiving, possessing and communicating information to the public of evidence of war crimes committed by the U.S. government,” Stella Assange said. “Reporting a crime is never a crime.”</div><div><br></div><div>U.S. lawyers say Assange is guilty of trying to hack the Pentagon computer and that WikiLeaks’ publications created a “grave and imminent risk” to U.S. intelligence sources in Afghanistan and Iraq.</div><div><br></div><div>WHY HAS THE CASE DRAGGED ON SO LONG?</div><div>While the U.S. criminal case against Assange was only unsealed in 2019, his freedom has been restricted for more than a dozen years.</div><div><br></div><div>Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012 and was granted political asylum after courts in England ruled he should be extradited to Sweden as part of a rape investigation in the Scandinavian country.</div><div><br></div><div>He was arrested by British police after Ecuador’s government withdrew his asylum status in 2019 and then jailed for skipping bail when he first took shelter inside the embassy.</div><div><br></div><div>Although Sweden dropped its sex crimes investigation, Assange has remained in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison while the extradition battle with the U.S. continues.</div><div><br></div><div>A judge in London initially blocked Assange’s transfer to the U.S. on the grounds he was likely to kill himself if held in harsh American prison conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>But subsequent courts cleared the way for the move after U.S. authorities provided assurances he wouldn’t experience the severe treatment that his lawyers said would put his physical and mental health at risk.</div><div><br></div><div>Stella Assange and her husband\'s supporters have criticized those assurances as being meaningless because they are conditional.</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT ARE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES FROM THE HEARING?</div><div>If the London court rejects Assange\'s plea for a full appeal, he could be extradited to the U.S. once British officials approve his removal.</div><div><br></div><div>His legal team plans to appeal an adverse ruling to the European Court of Human Rights, but they fear he could possibly be transferred before the court in Strasbourg, France, could halt his removal.</div><div><br></div><div>If he prevails at next week\'s hearing, it would set the stage for an appeal process that is likely to further drag out the case.</div><div><br></div><div>“This procedure has been marked by prolonged and creeping time frames,” Wikileaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said. “We call it punishment through process. It is obviously a deliberate attempt to wear him down to punish him by taking this long.”</div><div><br></div><div>While the U.K. Supreme Court rejected Assange\'s petition, saying he didn\'t raise an “arguable point of law,\" his wife said his new bid will raise several points that are grounds for appeal.</div><div><br></div><div>Lawyers for Assange plan to argue he can\'t get a fair trial in the U.S., that a U.S.-U.K. treaty prohibits extradition for political offenses and that the crime of espionage was not meant to apply to publishers.</div><div><br></div><div>“The drafters of the Espionage Act did not intend for publishers to fall within its ambit,” Stella Assange wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Unchallenged expert evidence showed that receipt and publication of state secrets is routine, and that there was an ‘unbroken practice of non-prosecution’ of publishers. The prosecution ‘crosses a new legal frontier’ and ‘breaks all legal precedents.’”</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT IS ASSANGE\'S CURRENT STATE?</div><div>Stella Assange said her husband\'s mental and physical health has declined dramatically and he\'s aged prematurely in prison. He experienced a mini-stroke in October 2021 and was so ill in December that he broke a rib coughing.</div><div><br></div><div>“I worry about him every time he gets sick,” Stella Assange said. “The mental toll is extreme.”</div><div><br></div><div>The couple, who got married at Belmarsh Prison almost two years ago, have two young sons, Gabriel and Max, who were conceived during Assange\'s stay in the embassy, reports AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The boys visit their father in prison every week, undergoing security checks that include being patted down by guards and sniffed by dogs, Stella Assange said. The couple is protective of the children, who haven’t been told why their father is behind bars, according to their mother.</div><div><br></div><div>“I don’t think it’s fair on them to know what’s really going on,” she said as she choked up. “They know exactly what a prison is. They know that the guards are stopping Julian from leaving the prison even though he wants to come home.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 12:23:22', '2024-02-19 12:23:22'),
(11247, 11247, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A group of protesters burned an Israeli flag in front of the International Criminal Court (ICJ) as public hearings on Israeli practices in Palestine began on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>One of the protesters is seen in an Anadolu footage to have taken down the flag from a car window as the vehicle drove by the protesters. The flag was burned by protesters later on.</div><div><br></div><div>The public hearings started following the UN General Assembly\'s request for an advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.</div><div><br></div><div>A General Assembly resolution asked the ICJ to determine legal consequences \"arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,\" and \"from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.\"</div><div><br></div><div>At least 50 countries will present their arguments regarding the legality or otherwise of the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories, according to the court.</div><div><br></div><div>South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel to the ICJ in late December and asked it to grant emergency measures to end the bloodshed in Gaza, where more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7.</div><div><br></div><div>The court on Jan. 26 ordered Israel to take \"all measures within its power\" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.</div><div><br></div><div>It also ordered Israel to take \"immediate and effective\" measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.</div><div><br></div><div>A cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7 killed less than 1,200 people, but the ensuing Israeli offensive into Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory\'s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave\'s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite international outcry, Israel now plans a ground invasion of Rafah, which holds around 1.4 million refugees.</div><div><br></div><div>The Palestinian death toll from Israel\'s offensive in the Gaza Strip has risen to 29,092, the Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian enclave said on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement, the ministry said 69,028 others were also injured in the ongoing onslaught. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 13:46:14', '2024-02-19 13:46:14'),
(11248, 11248, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas has been freed from jail after nearly three and a half months of his arrest, having secured bail in all 11 cases against him.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader walked out of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj around 6:55 pm after the bail order reached the jail authorities, said BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP leaders and activists of the senior leader of the party and his wife Afroza Abbas received him at the jail gate.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking at the jail gate, Abbas said: “Our movement for the restoration of democracy will continue.”</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Monday, a Dhaka court granted bail to Mirza Abbas in a case over vandalising the property of the state.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka Judicial Magistrate Julhas Uddin granted the bail on a bond of Tk 10,000.</div><div><br></div><div>Additional Public Prosecutor Anwarul Kabir Babul opposed the bail of Abbas in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>Police arrested Abbas on October 31 last year from Dhaka’s Shaheedbagh in a case filed for sabotage under the Explosive Substances Act.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, he was sent to jail on November 5.</div><div><br></div><div>Police showed Abbas arrested in a case filed with Railway Police Station on January 24.</div><div><br></div><div>Eleven cases were filed against him centering BNP’s October 28 rally. Earlier, he secured bail from 10 cases.</div><div><br></div><div>He was shown arrested in five cases filed with Paltan Police Station and four cases filed with Ramna police station on February 1, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>On February 5, a court granted bail to the BNP leader in six cases, in three more cases on February 6 and in another case on February 18, over the attack on the Chief Justice\'s residence.</div><div><br></div><div>On February 15, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury were freed on bail.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 13:58:39', '2024-02-19 13:58:39'),
(11249, 11249, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the territory\'s Health Ministry said Monday, marking another grim milestone in the deadliest round of violence in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until “total victory” against Hamas, raising fears that troops will soon move into the southernmost town of Rafah on the Egyptian border, where over half of Gaza\'s 2.3 million people have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>The Health Ministry said 107 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours. That brings the total number of fatalities to 29,092 since the start of the war.</div><div><br></div><div>The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its records, but says around two-thirds of those killed were women and children. It says over 69,000 Palestinians have been wounded.</div><div><br></div><div>The Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government in Gaza but maintains detailed records of casualties. Its figures from previous wars in Gaza have largely matched those of U.N. agencies, independent experts and even Israel\'s own tallies.</div><div><br></div><div>The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 100 captives were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Militants still hold around 130, a fourth of them believed to be dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel responded to the attack by launching one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history on the besieged enclave, which has been ruled by Hamas since 2007.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel says it has killed over 10,000 Palestinian militants, without providing evidence. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames the high death toll on Hamas because the militant group fights in dense residential neighborhoods. The military says 236 of its soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground offensive in late October.</div><div><br></div><div>The war, which shows no sign of ending, has driven around 80% of the Palestinians in Gaza from their homes and has left a quarter of the population starving, according to U.N. officials.</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, Benny Gantz, a retired general and a member of Netanyahu\'s three-man War Cabinet, warned that the offensive would expand to Rafah if the hostages are not freed by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to begin around March 10. The holy month of dawn-to-dusk fasting is often a time of heightened tensions in the region.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has said it is developing plans to evacuate civilians from Rafah, but it\'s not clear where they would go in the devastated territory, large areas of which have been flattened. Egypt has sealed the border and warned that any mass influx of Palestinians could threaten its decades-old peace treaty with Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>The United States, Israel’s top ally, says it is still working with mediators Egypt and Qatar to try to broker another cease-fire and hostage release agreement. But those efforts appear to have stalled in recent days.</div><div><br></div><div>Netanyahu has rejected what he says are “delusional” demands by Hamas. The militant group has said it won\'t release all of the remaining hostages until Israel ends the war and withdraws from Gaza. It is also demanding the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants. According to AP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 14:09:26', '2024-02-19 14:09:26'),
(11250, 11250, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Yemen’s Houthi militia would continue to ensure conflict in the Red Sea even if the Israel-Hamas war ended, according to the chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Rashad Al-Alimi said the only way to remove the danger was through military operations.</div><div><br></div><div>He said current strikes by the US and UK would not deter Houthi threats, but vowed to defeat the organization and end its attacks if his government received international backing and Iran was pressured to end its military support.</div><div><br></div><div>“To put an end to this Houthi piracy, we must address the threat’s origins and source; this can only be accomplished by restoring state institutions, putting an end to the coup and applying maximum pressure on the Iranian regime,” the Yemeni leader said. </div><div><br></div><div>Since the Houthis began the Red Sea strikes in November, Yemen’s government has sought international assistance to evict them from Yemeni territories under their control. Al-Alimi warned that if they were not destroyed, they would use the Red Sea as a negotiating chip. He blamed Iran for financing the Houthi assaults as well as Yemen’s instability.</div><div><br></div><div>“As long as Iran continues to back this militia and provide weapons to it, it will continue to pose a danger to Red Sea shipping and may blackmail other regions in the future,” said the Yemeni leader. </div><div><br></div><div>The Houthis have launched hundreds of drones and missiles against commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden over the past four months. The organization claims to exclusively strike ships linked to or destined for Israel, forcing the country to allow humanitarian supplies to reach the besieged Gaza Strip. In response to the assaults the US, supported by several partners, has carried out dozens of strikes on military installations, drone and missile launchers, and other sites in Houthi-controlled Yemen.</div><div><br></div><div>Similarly, Yemen’s information minister, Moammar Al-Eryani, said he had sent letters to the CEOs of key social media firms requesting that accounts for Houthi officials and the militia’s media propaganda material be deleted from their platforms.</div><div><br></div><div>Posting on X, the Yemeni minister sent letters bearing his stamp and signature to the platform’s leaders, as well as those of Facebook, TikTok, Telegram and Instagram, urging them to comply with the US designation of the Houthis as terrorists. “We confirmed that Houthi militia pages on social media platforms, whether official or affiliated with individuals (leaders, media figures, activists), are spreading terrorist ideas, promoting hate speech, inciting violence and murder and brainwashing children and recruiting them,” Al-Eryani said. </div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Yemen’s embassy in Cairo said on Sunday that Brigadier General Hassan Farhan Al-Obeidi, the head of the Yemen army’s military production department, had been discovered dead from stab wounds. Egyptian officials are investigating.</div><div><br></div><div>Baligh Al-Mekhlafi, information counselor, told Arab News the embassy had received an alert about Al-Obeidi’s death shortly before 2 a.m. The Yemeni officer had arrived in Cairo 20 days earlier, traveling to Turkiye before returning to Egypt a week ago.</div><div><br></div><div>“We will share any fresh information that we get on the case,” Al-Mekhlafi said. </div><div><br></div><div>Al-Obeidi has been regarded as a military specialist in the production of local armored vehicles and weaponry since the days of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. When the Houthis seized power in late 2014, he joined anti-Houthi forces and participated in military action against them in Marib, his home province. - Al Jazeera </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 14:34:28', '2024-02-19 14:35:39'),
(11251, 11251, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russian experts said that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should take harsher decisions against Israel, as the conflict in Gaza that has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians continues.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"These decisions are soft, they could have been harsher. Everything has been formulated on a basic level, but despite this, the ICJ has no opportunity to put pressure on Israel and ensure the implementation of these decisions,\" Fyodor Lukyanov, research director of the Valdai Discussion Club, told Anadolu.</div><div><br></div><div>Expressing that although most of the international community supports these decisions and condemns Israeli actions in Gaza, Lukyanov said they live in a world \"where the moral dimension plays a very minor role.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He said Israel will not achieve its military and political goals amid the great civilian losses and destruction in Gaza, but the issue of creating a Palestinian state may not be resolved, which would mean that all these losses may be \"in vain.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Arguing that the international community\'s attempts to stop Israel\'s attacks in Gaza and to improve the situation are not sufficient, Lukyanov said that Middle Eastern countries are playing a stronger role in regional politics due to the limited opportunities for external powers to resolve the issue.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Even the US does not have the tools to influence Israel. Even Americans want to end this tragedy, but the Israeli administration thinks differently. China is watching the situation from the sidelines. Even Russia has different priorities for the coming years,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Lukyanov also said that the more responsibilities regional countries assume, the faster they can solve their own problems \"without turning to external powers and without suppressing each other.\" He argued that foreign powers are playing a “destabilizing role” and that the situation would be better without them.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\'s political future depends on the outcome of the conflict, but added that Israeli citizens will ask Netanyahu questions about many issues soon after the war ends and Netanyahu\'s political life may come to an end. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 14:39:36', '2024-02-19 14:39:36'),
(11252, 11252, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday announced that party-backed independent candidates — who emerged victorious in the Centre, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the 2024 general elections — would join right-wing party Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) as part of their parliamentary strategy.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He addressed the media in Islamabad today alongside party leaders Raoof Hasan, PTI PM candidate Omar Ayub Khan, SIC Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza and Majlis Wahadat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) Secretary General Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our candidates have submitted their affidavits with us and with their consent today we are announcing that PTI-supported independents are joining the Sunni Ittehad Council,” Barrister Gohar said.</div><div><br></div><div>He made it clear that the party reached a “formal agreement” with the SIC, and it would be submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan today.</div><div><br></div><div>“There are 70 reserved seats in the National Assembly and there are 227 reserved seats in the entire country,” he said. “These seats are only provided to political parties.</div><div><br></div><div>“Therefore, to protect our reserved seats and provide the cover to our members, we have reached a formal agreement under which all our candidates have joined the party and we will present this documentation before the ECP,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Gohar said a request would also be filed in the ECP regarding the allocation of reserved seats as per the party strength and law.</div><div><br></div><div>“We claim that the PTI has won 180 National Assembly seats,” he said, adding that all the independent candidates contested the polls on PTI tickets and were supported by the party, reports Dawn</div><div><br></div><div>“Thankfully, they have won in a big number in all provinces, of these only three have been notified yet,” Barrister Gohar said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 14:42:57', '2024-02-19 14:42:57'),
(11253, 11253, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Law Minister Anisul Huq on Monday said the government is implementing medium and long-term multi-dimensional plans to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The law minister was answering a question on behalf of Planning Minister Abdus Salam from Opposition Chief Whip Mujibul Haque Chunnu.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is true that reducing income inequality is a time consuming matter, although high economic growth has been achieved and poverty reduced significantly,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the latest BBS household income-expenditure survey, the Gini coefficient value of income inequality in 2022 is 0.499 for Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>However, on the basis of consumption, inequality in Bangladesh stands at 0:30-0.32, which has reduced the impact of income inequality.</div><div><br></div><div>The law minister said that economists believe that consumption expenditure is a more reliable measure of inequality. Income inequality is a natural feature of market economies, rooted in the unequal distribution of wealth and human capital.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said through inclusive growth that sees the benefits of growth equally distributed among the population, it is possible to reduce income inequality.</div><div><br></div><div>The law minister said that the government is sincere about eradicating poverty and income inequality. Inclusive economic development is at the core of all long and medium term planning development strategies of the government.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to another question of Awami League MP elected from Natore-2&nbsp; Shafiqul Islam Shimul, the law minister said that the initiative to build underground lines and underground substations in various areas including the metropolitan areas of the country with the aim of modernising the public safety and power system, and providing fair and quality electricity is going on, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“Already about 2,742 kilometres of underground line construction work has been completed by electricity distribution organisations/companies.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-19 16:09:53', '2024-02-19 16:09:53'),
(11254, 11254, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The government will not impede peaceful protests organized by the BNP; however, a strict warning was issued by Obaidul Quader, Awami League’s General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges minister, highlighting that any introduction of violent elements into these movements would lead to governmental intervention.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He disclosed this information during a press conference held this afternoon at the Awami League President’s office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The minister stated that if the movement incorporates violent activities, terrorism, or arson, obstructions will be inevitable. “Why would we obstruct if they organize peaceful programs?” he questioned.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the current political agenda of the BNP, the AL leader commented that blaming the government is the main issue of opposition politics in Bangladesh. He criticized the opposition for accusing the government of any and every crime and even complaining to the United States. “BNP leader Moin Khan has complained to the US Embassy about the lack of human rights and democracy in the country. This is the state of our main opposition party,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>On the claim of BNP leaders that the Awami League lost and BNP won the election, Quader stated, “Everyone knows who won the election. Did the BNP win without participating in it? It’s nothing but the raving of a lunatic.”</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to journalists’ questions about the clash of the Chhatra League at the University of Chittagong, Obaidul Quader mentioned, “Actions are being taken, and new considerations are being made. The party has decided to be as strict as necessary to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.”</div><div><br></div><div>Present at the press conference were Awami League’s Organizing Secretary BM Mozammel Haq, SM Kamal Hossain, Mirza Azam, Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapon, among other central leaders of the Awami League.</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 09:01:56', '2024-02-20 09:01:56');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11255, 11255, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the people to promote the dedicated souls who are selflessly serving the society in different parts of the country.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“I would like to request you to try to find out such dedicated persons in every place, who are not in limelight and don’t have any publicity or campaign,” she said appreciating the sacrifice of Ekushey Padak-2024 winner yogart seller Ziaul Haque, a dedicated man from Chapainawabganj.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said this after conferring the \"Ekushey Padak 2024\" to 21 eminent personalities in recognition of their outstanding contributions in various fields.</div><div><br></div><div>She handed over the Ekushey Padak, the country’s second highest civilian award, at a ceremony at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said Ziaul Haque dedicated his life to spreading the light of knowledge among those who couldn’t acquire education.</div><div><br></div><div>Pointing to the elites in the society, she said “It is the responsibility for us who are in the upper level of the society to find out the persons who are making such great sacrifices.”</div><div><br></div><div>The premier greeted the award recipients and appreciated their dedication for the society.</div><div><br></div><div>Ziaul received Ekushey Padak-2024 for social service as he dedicated his entire life to creating a public library and free book distribution among insolvent students with the little bit of profit he made from selling yogart.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite being a brilliant student, he had to struggle in life due to financial insolvency instead of going to school. The great man started shouldering the responsibility of poor students and distribution of free books among insolvent students, creating a family library first (in 1969) and then a public library titled “Ziaul Haque Common Library.”&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, said she would arrange a permanent land and building for the public library developed by Ziaul as he demanded while receiving the Ekushey Padak.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, she said the government would take a move to nationalize the school established by him, if he wants.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the history of Bangladesh, the PM said her government has successfully freed the nation from distortion of history after coming power to 1996.</div><div><br></div><div>“I believe that we’ve at least been able to free the people from the distorted history after Awami League came to power in 1996. Today the people have known the real history of the Language Movement and the Liberation War,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about the role of Bangabandhu in the Language Movement, Sheikh Hasina said unfortunately there was an attempt to erase the contribution of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the Language Movement from the history.</div><div><br></div><div>She said Bangabandhu had been in jail for waging the Language Movement. “Why was he in jail (at that time) if he had no contribution?” she asked.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime ninister said it is her government that restored the glorious image of Bangladesh, which had been lost during the 1975-1996 period.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’ve to march forward upholding this image in future… We’ll move in the global stage upholding the dignity and keeping our heads high, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Cultural Affairs Ministry organised the event on the occasion of ‘Amar Ekushey’ and International Mother Language Day-2024.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the award recipients, Ashraf Uddin Ahmed (Posthumous) and Freedom fighter Hatem Ali Mia (Posthumous) were honoured with this award for their roles in the Language Movement.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, Jalal Uddin Kha, (Posthumous) Freedom fighter Kalyani Ghosh, Bidit Lal Das (Posthumous), Andrew Kishore (Posthumous) and Subhro Deb, were recognised for their contributions to music while Shibli Mohammad, Dolly Zahur and MA Alamgir for performing dance and acting, respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>Popular elocutionist Shimul Mustapha and Rupa Chakraborty were also conferred the Ekushey Padak.</div><div><br></div><div>Shahjahan Ahmed Bikash and Kawsar Chowdhury were awarded for their contribution in painting and documentary films related to the Liberation War, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Md Ziaul Haque and Rafiq Ahmed were given the award for social services.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Muhammad Samad, Lutfur Rahman Riton, Minar Mansur and Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah received the award for contributing to language and literature while Jinabodhi Bhikkhu for his contribution in education.</div><div><br></div><div>Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain conducted the function and read out the citations of the award recipients in the award-giving ceremony chaired by Cultural Affairs Secretary Khalil Ahmed.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 09:53:25', '2024-02-20 09:53:25'),
(11256, 11256, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">An Indian court today bailed senior opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case brought against him for referring to the home minister as an accused murderer - his latest legal travails ahead of national elections.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Critics have accused India’s government of using the justice system to target political rivals, with several opposition figures the subject of active criminal investigations.</div><div><br></div><div>Gandhi, 53, faces at least 10 other defamation cases and was briefly disqualified from parliament last year after being convicted of criminal libel in an unrelated case.</div><div><br></div><div>He appeared in court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh where his bail application was accepted, lawyer Santosh Pandey told reporters outside court.</div><div><br></div><div>Today’s case stems from 2018 remarks in which he referred to home minister Amit Shah, a key confidante of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a “murder accused”.</div><div><br></div><div>Shah was accused of ordering police to carry out the extrajudicial killing of a gangster in 2005 and two others while serving as home minister in Gujarat state.</div><div><br></div><div>He was jailed briefly before being acquitted of murder, extortion and kidnapping charges in 2014 after Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won that year’s elections in a landslide.</div><div><br></div><div>The case against Gandhi was first lodged in 2018 by a ruling party official and has slowly been snaking its way through India’s glacial criminal justice system since.</div><div><br></div><div>Gandhi is the son, grandson and great-grandson of a dynasty of former Indian prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.</div><div><br></div><div>He is one of the leading faces of an opposition alliance seeking to challenge Modi in this year’s general election, expected to begin in April.</div><div><br></div><div>Gandhi has struggled to challenge the electoral juggernaut of Modi and his nationalist appeals to the country’s Hindu majority, losing the past two elections.</div><div><br></div><div>He was convicted last year of criminal libel and handed a two-year sentence, which was suspended by a higher court but raised concerns over democratic backsliding in the world’s most populous country.</div><div><br></div><div>Last week Gandhi’s Congress party said authorities had frozen its bank accounts after an investigation over its 2018-19 tax returns and issued a payment demand for 2.1 billion rupees in relation to its probe.</div><div><br></div><div>India’s main financial investigation agency, the enforcement directorate, has ongoing investigations into several other leading opposition politicians. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 10:02:50', '2024-02-20 10:02:50'),
(11257, 11257, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">British foreign minister David Cameron vowed yesterday to help protect the Falkland Islands as long as they wanted to remain under British control despite attempts by Argentina’s new leader to reopen negotiations on their sovereignty.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Argentina has sought to resume talks on the Falklands, over which Britain and Argentina fought a brief war in 1982, but Britain says that is not on the table as long as the island’s inhabitants want to remain British.</div><div><br></div><div>“As long as the Falkland Islands want to be part of the UK family, they are absolutely welcome to be that, to be part of that family,” Cameron told reporters on a visit to the Falklands.</div><div><br></div><div>“And we will support them, and back them and help protect and defend them, absolutely, as far as I’m concerned, for as long as they want. And I hope that’s for a very, very long time, possibly forever.”</div><div><br></div><div>Argentine president Javier Milei, who took office in November, has said Buenos Aires should try to take back the islands, known in Argentina as Islas Malvinas, through diplomatic channels.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2013, Falklands residents voted almost unanimously in a referendum to remain under British rule and keep the archipelago in the south Atlantic ocean a British overseas territory.</div><div><br></div><div>Cameron paid his respects at a memorial in Port Stanley to those who died in the Falklands War, which claimed the lives of 255 British and 649 Argentine personnel.</div><div><br></div><div>“Of course, we want to have good relations with Buenos Aires, with the Argentine government,” Cameron, who met Milei last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, told reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>“The new government, I think, has taken some positive steps and we’ll have good relations with them. But it will never be at the expense of the wishes of the Falkland Islanders.” According to Reuters reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 10:08:10', '2024-02-20 10:08:10'),
(11258, 11258, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a decisive call to nations within its South-East Asia Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) is emphasizing the urgent need to escalate actions against the consumption of tobacco and the growing trend of e-cigarette use. Despite witnessing a significant drop in tobacco use over the years, the region still holds the dubious distinction of having the highest tobacco consumption rates globally, with vaping numbers also on an alarming upswing.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Saima Wazed, WHO’s Regional Director for South-East Asia, voiced her concerns on Tuesday, stating, “The region still has the highest number of people using tobacco which puts them at risk of life-threatening diseases such as cancer, respiratory, and heart disease. Urgent measures are also needed to control e-cigarettes, which have not been proven to be effective for smoking cessation. We must do all we can to control tobacco and e-cigarette use to protect health and save lives.”</div><div><br></div><div>Highlighting the gravity of the situation, it was revealed that tobacco use in the region has fallen from 68.9% in 2000 to approximately 43.7% in 2022. However, an estimated 411 million individuals still engage in tobacco use according to the latest figures released this year, underscoring a persistent health challenge.</div><div><br></div><div>The region accounts for a staggering 280 million smokeless tobacco users, making up nearly 77% of the global figure, and about 11 million adolescent tobacco users aged 13-15 years, representing nearly 30% of the worldwide total. Additionally, the increase in e-cigarette usage, especially among the youth, poses a new threat, with countries like Thailand reporting a sharp rise in vaping among 13 to 15-year-olds from 3.3% in 2015 to 17.6% in 2022.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to the growing crisis, nations within the region have taken diverse approaches to tackle the issue. Bangladesh aims for a “Tobacco Free Bangladesh by 2024,” while India has launched its “Tobacco Endgame” initiative. Furthermore, countries like DPR Korea, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste have imposed bans on e-cigarettes, whereas the Maldives treats them as regulated tobacco products.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite these challenges, there have been notable successes in tobacco control across the region. Male tobacco use plummeted from 68.9% in 2000 to 43.7% in 2022, and female use saw an even more dramatic decrease from 33.5% to 9.4% during the same period, marking the sharpest decline among all WHO regions. These achievements put the region, alongside the WHO African Region, on track to meet the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) 2025 target of a 30% reduction in tobacco use.</div><div><br></div><div>Countries are employing demand reduction strategies as part of the WHO MPOWER package and other initiatives to combat tobacco. However, with the tobacco industry’s high level of interference, there’s a pressing need for more assertive enforcement of tobacco control laws and policies to ensure the health and safety of over 2 billion people in the region. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 10:27:38', '2024-02-20 10:27:38'),
(11259, 11259, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The National Pension Authority (NPA) has initiated programmes to raise awareness and attractive offers to increase participation of people from different sectors in the universal pension scheme (UPS).</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>To this effect, the NPA works on publicity of benefits, easy process of enrollment and return of benefits among expatriates, private sector job holders including private banks employees.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking with UNB Md. Golam Mustafa, member (as government representative) of NPA and additional secretary of the finance division, said regarding poor response of people in the scheme, that different developed countries like Japan and Korea introduced universal pension’s scheme in the 1960. After so many years, universal pension has reached a stage in those countries.</div><div><br></div><div>“We won\'t need that much time. We have seen the experience of those countries about universal pensions,” he pointed out.</div><div><br></div><div>They said, “In the beginning they also faced various problems like us. I believe we will succeed in universal pension much earlier than those countries.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said that 19,158 people have contributed to UPS in about 6 months and around Tk28. 67 crore deposited in the fund so far.</div><div><br></div><div>Golam Mustafa said that the NPA is very much conscious of protecting people\'s deposits. The government cannot take any loan from this fund.</div><div><br></div><div>Rather, “We invest in treasury bills and bonds, so that the income in the investment in bills and bonds is guaranteed. As a result there will be no apprehension among people about this fund.”</div><div><br></div><div>For the first time in its history, Bangladesh on August 17, 2023 entered the era of a much-hyped uniform pension scheme. The initiative is meant for the entire population of the country aged above 18, who will start enjoying lifetime pension facilities upon turning 60.</div><div><br></div><div>Economists say that a large portion of the population of the country is still not aware of this financial protection. This is why the NPA wants to make it easier for expatriates to participate. Besides, attractive initiatives are being taken to promote UPS among the people of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Bank (BB) has instructed the managing directors (MDs) and Chief Executive Officer (CEOs) of scheduled banks to encourage the employees of private banks to join the pension scheme.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of new initiatives for the implementation of the national pension scheme, the Banking Regulations and Policy Department of BB gave this instruction on February 8. A letter in this regard has been sent to the MDs of all banks for execution of the initiative.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the directive, the government wants to include people from all walks of life in a sustainable and well-organized social security circle. To fulfill this objective of the government, the officers and employees of banks other than state-owned commercial banks and specialized banks can participate in the universal pension scheme.</div><div><br></div><div>Therefore, Bangladesh Bank has given instructions that MDs of private banks should take necessary measures to motivate them.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the NPA has recommended withdrawal of tax and excise duty at source of bank account in public pension scheme. Recently, a letter regarding this has been sent from the Ministry of Finance to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).</div><div><br></div><div>The letter said that on October 31, 2023 a notification was issued to provide tax concessions on investment in pension scheme contributions and tax exemption on pension income.</div><div><br></div><div>At this stage it is necessary to waive tax and excise duty at source in bank accounts of public pension schemes managed by the NPA in state-owned and commercial banks. Currently excise duty is deducted as per bank account status irrespective of individual, company and other funds.</div><div><br></div><div>Economist Dr. ABM Mirza Azizul Islam told UNB that due to lack of trust among the people and lack of institutional good governance are blamed for this poor response in the pension scheme.</div><div><br></div><div>He said people are still not aware of where the pension scheme money will be invested, how they will profit or incur losses.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Ahsan H. Mansur, Executive Director of PRI (Policy Research Institute) said that from the experience of different countries in the world, people\'s confidence in such schemes increases with time.</div><div><br></div><div>“They also have good institutional governance that is lacking here. So only time will tell what will happen to this scheme in the coming days,” he pointed out.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 11:04:26', '2024-02-20 11:04:26'),
(11260, 11260, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Maxim Kuzminov, a Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine last summer, was shot dead in Spain this month, according to Spanish news agency EFE.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Spanish police originally investigated his death as gang-related, according to EFE.</div><div><br></div><div>He was shot several times in an underground parking lot in the resort town of Villajoyosa, Alicante, the report said. At the time of the incident, he was also carrying an ID with a different name and age.</div><div><br></div><div>Those, suspected to have murdered Kuzminov, then lit the car they were driving on fire to conceal the evidence.</div><div><br></div><div>His murder came a little over a year after he collaborated with the Ukraine military to fly a Russian armored combat Mi-8 helicopter to a Ukrainian airbase.</div><div><br></div><div>Two of the other crew members on the helicopter refused to surrender and “lost their lives upon landing,” according to a documentary released by Ukraine’s intelligence service.</div><div><br></div><div>In the documentary, according to Kyiv Post, Kuzminov called the Russian invasion “a genocide of the Ukraine people,” and said he “did not want to be an accomplice to Russian crimes.”</div><div><br></div><div>In exchange for the dramatic defection, he was also offered security guarantees, new documents, and a payment.</div><div><br></div><div>A source from the Ukrainian intelligence service told the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda that Kuzminov had decided to move to Spain instead of staying in Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>Kuzminov was involved in the first Ukrainian operation in which special forces managed to capture a new Russian aircraft in combat condition, according to the Kyiv Post. The operation also acquired valuable documentation and technical equipment for Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Russia’s military opened a treason case against Kuzminov and gave post-mortem military honors to his crewmates who died in the operation, according to EFE.</div><div><br></div><div>\"If Maxim really did what he did, I hope they find him and kill him,\" the wife of one of the helicopter navigators told Russian television, according to the same report. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 11:36:16', '2024-02-20 11:36:16'),
(11261, 11261, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Oil benchmarks were mixed in early trade on Tuesday ahead of the release of key US Federal Reserve data and offset by ongoing tension in the Middle East and the Red Sea.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The international benchmark crude Brent traded at $83.55 per barrel at 10.34 a.m. local time (0734GMT), a 0.01% decrease from the closing price of $83.56 a barrel in the previous trading session on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>The American benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), traded at the same time at $78.41 per barrel, up 0.24% from Monday\'s close of $78.22 per barrel.</div><div><br></div><div>Ongoing tension in the Middle East and the Red Sea put upward pressure on Brent on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>On Monday, a Houthi military spokesman said they attacked two American ships in the Gulf of Aden in support of the Palestinian people facing Israeli attacks on Gaza and in response to US and UK raids on Yemen.</div><div><br></div><div>Early on Monday, the group also claimed to have targeted a British cargo vessel, the Rubymar, in the Gulf of Aden and downed a US military drone in Al Hudaydah in the western part of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Brent climbed towards three-week highs on Tuesday, buoyed by a positive demand outlook in China, the world\'s second-largest economy.</div><div><br></div><div>An unexpected move by the People\'s Bank of China to reduce its five-year loan interest rate (LPR) by 25 basis points on Tuesday aided the upward push in Brent.</div><div><br></div><div>The rate cut, which aims to revive the real estate and loan markets against the contraction in the real estate sector while easing the burden on individuals and businesses, was the largest reduction in interest rates since the implementation of the LPR system.</div><div><br></div><div>The American benchmark WTI increased on Tuesday ahead of the Fed\'s latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting set for Wednesday and crude inventory data scheduled for the same day.</div><div><br></div><div>The minutes of the Fed meeting are expected to offer indicators regarding the central bank\'s future actions. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 11:38:38', '2024-02-20 11:38:38'),
(11262, 11262, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The newly appointed ambassador of Spain to Bangladesh Gabriel Maria Sistiaga Ochoa de Chinchetru on Tuesday presented credentials to President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>President\'s press secretary Joynal Abedin briefed the reporters after the presenration.</div><div><br></div><div>Welcoming the new ambassador, President Shahabuddin said that the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Spain are very good and progressing.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning Spain as one of the export destinations of Bangladesh, he praised&nbsp; Spanish investment in Bangladesh and urged&nbsp; investors from the European country to invest in Bangladesh, including&nbsp; in Special Economic Zones.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The president expressed hope that the mutual relations between the two countries will increase during the tenure of the new ambassador.</div><div><br></div><div>The envoy said that the development and progress of Bangladesh is very commendable. At this time, the ambassador said that efforts will be continued to further develop the existing bilateral relations between Spain and Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He sought the co-operation of the president in discharging his duties during his tenure.</div><div><br></div><div>Secretaries of the president\'s office were present at this time.</div><div><br></div><div>On arrival at Bangabhaban in the morning, a smart contingent of the Presidential Guard Regiment presented a guard of honor to the ambassador. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 12:02:42', '2024-02-20 12:02:42'),
(11263, 11263, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The nation is set to observe \'Amar Ekushey\', the Language Martyr\'s Day (Shaheed Day) and the International Mother Language Day on Wednesday, marking the supreme sacrifice of the language heroes for upholding the dignity of mother tongue Bangla.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The day will also be observed around the world as the UNESCO recognised the Ekushey February as the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999.</div><div><br></div><div>This year\'s theme of the International Mother Language Day&nbsp; is ‘multilingual education: a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning”.</div><div><br></div><div>Walking barefoot to Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar with wreaths and flowers singing \'Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano Ekushey February\', people from all walks of life will pay their respect to the heroes of the Language Movement who sacrificed their lives for achieving the recognition of Bangla as the state language of erstwhile Pakistan.</div><div><br></div><div>On February 21, 1952, students and the common people in Dhaka took to the streets in protest against the then Pakistani government\'s denial of Bangla as the national language and imposition of Urdu as the only official language of Pakistan.</div><div><br></div><div>Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and a few other brave sons of the soil were killed in police firings on this day in 1952 when students came out in a procession from the Dhaka University campus breaching section 144 to press home their demand for the recognition of Bangla as a state language of then Pakistan.</div><div><br></div><div>The government has taken extensive programmes to observe the day in a befitting manner.</div><div><br></div><div>The day is a public holiday.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Missions abroad will also observe the day.</div><div><br></div><div>Different political-social-cultural-professional organisations will arrange various programmes, including seminars and cultural functions, to observe the day.</div><div><br></div><div>President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages on the eve of the day.</div><div><br></div><div>In his message, the President said “On the occasion of International Mother Language Day 2024, I extend my sincere greetings and congratulations to the people of various languages of the world including Bangla and other ethnic groups.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“Nowadays, the spirit of Amar Ekushey is the incessant source of inspiration for the peoples of the world in protecting their languages and cultures. But we have to be more diligent in proper practice and preservation of Bengali language and culture,” said the President.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said “Embracing the spirit of Amar Ekushey, let mutual respect be awakened among the people of different languages and cultures of the world, let a colorful world without discrimination be developed it is my expectation on Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day.”</div><div><br></div><div>In her message the Prime Minister said “On the occasion of the great Martyrs\' Day and International Mother Language Day, I pay my homage to the people of all languages and cultures of the world, including Bengali.”</div><div><br></div><div>“I firmly believe that together, we will be able to establish the developed, prosperous, and self-esteemed \'Golden Bangladesh\' as the Father of the Nation dreamed,” said the Prime Minister.</div><div><br></div><div>National dailies will publish special supplements marking the day and Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television and private radio stations and television channels will air special programmes on the occasion, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>BNP also has chalked out a 2-day programme to observe Amar Ekushey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 12:21:07', '2024-02-20 12:21:07'),
(11264, 11264, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United States has circulated a rival U.N. Security Council resolution that would support a temporary cease-fire in Gaza after rejecting an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the conflict-wracked territory.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. draft resolution, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, would underscore that a temporary cease-fire “as soon as practicable” requires the release of all hostages taken from Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, and calls for the lifting of all restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.</div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. draft says both of those actions “would help to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities” as called for in a resolution adopted by the council on Dec. 22.</div><div><br></div><div>The proposed resolution says Israel’s planned major ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians have sought safety, “should not proceed under current circumstances.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>And it warns that further displacement of civilians, \"including potentially into neighboring countries,” a reference to Egypt, would have serious implications for regional peace and security.</div><div><br></div><div>The Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday morning on the Arab-backed draft resolution circulated by Algeria, which represents the 22 Arab nations in the U.N.’s most powerful body.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition to a cease-fire, the final Algerian draft, obtained by AP, also demands the immediate release of all hostages and reiterates council demands that Israel and Hamas “scrupulously comply” with international law, especially the protection of civilians, and rejects the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians.</div><div><br></div><div>U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement Sunday that the United States has been working on a hostage deal for months that would bring at least a six-week period of calm “from which we could then take the time and the steps to build a more enduring peace.”</div><div><br></div><div>She said U.S. President Joe Biden has had multiple calls over the last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to push the deal forward. Qatar said Saturday the talks “have not been progressing as expected.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Though gaps remain,\" Thomas-Greenfield said, \"the key elements are on the table” and it remains the best opportunity to reunite hostages with their families and enable a prolonged pause in fighting that would allow lifesaving aid to get to Palestinian civilians who desperately need it.</div><div><br></div><div>By contrast, the Arab-backed resolution wouldn’t achieve those outcomes, “and indeed, may run counter to them,” she said. “For that reason, the United States does not support action on this draft resolution. Should it come up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted.”</div><div><br></div><div>U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told several reporters Monday that the Algerian draft is not “an effective mechanism for trying to do the three things that we want to see happen — which is get hostages out, more aid in, and a lengthy pause to this conflict.”</div><div><br></div><div>With the U.S. draft, “what we’re looking at is another possible option and we’ll be discussing this with friends going forward,” Wood said. “I don’t think you can expect anything to happen tomorrow.”</div><div><br></div><div>Arab nations, supported by many of the 193 U.N. member countries, have been demanding a cease-fire for months as Israel’s military offensive in response to the Hamas attack has intensified, with the number of Palestinians killed now surpassing 29,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn\'t distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority are women and children.</div><div><br></div><div>The Arab Group chair this month, Tunisia’s U.N. Ambassador Tarek Ladeb, told U.N. reporters last Wednesday that some 1.5 million Palestinians who sought safety in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah face a “catastrophic scenario” if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with a potential evacuation of civilians and military offensive in the area bordering Egypt.</div><div><br></div><div>Netanyahu ordered the military to come up with a plan for Rafah’s evacuation, but Israel hasn’t announced a plan or timeline.</div><div><br></div><div>The Algeria draft resolution also expresses “grave concern over the dire and urgently deteriorating humanitarian situation ” in Gaza and reiterates the council’s call for unhindered humanitarian access throughout the territory, where U.N. officials say a quarter of the 2.3 million population are facing starvation. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 12:23:29', '2024-02-20 12:23:29'),
(11265, 11265, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a significant move aimed at providing relief to consumers, the government has declared a reduction in the price of soybean oil by Tk 10 per litre starting March 1, 2024. </b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This announcement was made by State Minister for Commerce, Ahasanul Islam Titu, following a crucial meeting with the \'Task Force on Review of Commodity Prices and Market Situation\' at his ministry\'s Secretariat office.</div><div><br></div><div>As of now, the retail price of bottled soybean oil stands at Tk 173 per litre. With the upcoming adjustment, the price will drop to Tk 163. Additionally, the cost for open (loose) soybean oil will decrease to Tk 149, and a 5-litre can will be available for Tk 800. </div><div><br></div><div>However, the state minister indicated that the prices for palm oil would remain steady for the time being.</div><div><br></div><div>Titu shared insights into the government\'s expectations from the business sector, stating, “The Prime Minister expects that large-scale industries and businessmen will uphold their social responsibilities. Taking all factors into account, we approached them, and they have agreed to reduce the edible oil price by Tk 10 per litre.”</div><div><br></div><div>This price adjustment follows the government\'s tax reduction circular issued on February 8, which aims to streamline the import process and availability of essential goods like soybean oil. \"It usually takes about a month for an import shipment to arrive and another two months for clearance and distribution to the consumer level,\" explained Titu. </div><div><br></div><div>Despite the logistical challenges and the tight timeline leading up to Ramadan, businesses have committed to implementing the new prices from March 1, responding to a special request from the government.</div><div><br></div><div>The proactive steps taken by the government and the cooperative stance of the business community are expected to ease the financial pressure on consumers, especially in the lead-up to the holy month of Ramadan. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 12:45:21', '2024-02-20 12:46:34'),
(11266, 11266, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Department of Environment (DoE) has advised people to wear a mask if the air pollution&nbsp; in Dhaka reaches ‘hazarous’level.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>When the Air Quality Index(AQI) value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', while a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, sick people, children and elderly people have been advised not to go out of the house unnecessarily, said a DoE press release.</div><div><br></div><div>Considering the level of air pollution, information regarding air pollution and health risk is being disseminated regularly on the website of the Department of Environment.</div><div><br></div><div>In a message published under the title of \'Air Pollution Health Protection Advice\', the DoE said if the AQI score in Dhaka exceeds 300, people are advised to wear a mask when they go out.</div><div><br></div><div>The alert will be withdrawn if the AQI score falls below 300, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides,&nbsp; monitoring data of 16 Continuous Air Quality Monitoring System (CAMS) in other divisional and industrial cities of the country including Dhaka is being disseminated regularly on the website of the Department of Environment through real time automation.</div><div><br></div><div>The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.</div><div><br></div><div>The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 13:21:11', '2024-02-20 13:21:11'),
(11267, 11267, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The competition between OpenAI and Google has intensified in recent months in the race for artificial intelligence (AI) as both companies roll out their next-generation AI models one after another.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>OpenAI announced Thursday its text-to-video AI model named Sora, while the research firm said it is teaching AI to understand and simulate the physical world in motion.</div><div><br></div><div>Sora is an AI model that can create realistic and imaginative scenes from text instructions, and the company said its goal is to train models that can help people solve problems that require real-world interaction.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, Sora can generate videos up to a minute long while maintaining visual quality and adherence to its user’s prompt.</div><div><br></div><div>Just the same day, Google introduced its new AI model called Gemini 1.5, almost two months after its initial release, which was formerly known as Bard -- the major rival of OpenAI\'s ChatGPT.</div><div><br></div><div>Gemini 1.5 can dramatically enhance performance with a breakthrough in long-context understanding across modalities, according to the company.</div><div><br></div><div>The latest model comes a week after the introduction of Gemini 1.0 Ultra, which Google said is the \"most capable\" one, adding it has significantly increased the amount of information the models can process, running up to one million tokens consistently and \"achieving the longest context window of any large-scale foundation model yet.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Microsoft hopes to gain presence in web search through ChatGPT</div><div><br></div><div>Despite the increasing rivalry, the two companies can be considered neighbors since they are only 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) apart, both located in Silicon Valley -- the global center of technological innovation located in the south of the San Francisco Bay Area in the state of California.</div><div><br></div><div>Silicon Valley has been home to dozens of major technology, hardware, software and internet companies in the last four decades such as Apple, Intel, Nvidia, Cisco Systems, Meta (formerly Facebook), Google\'s parent firm Alphabet and OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft.</div><div><br></div><div>Seattle-based Microsoft, located in the state of Washington, saw its market value surpass $3 trillion again on Jan. 26, overtaking Apple as the US\'s most valuable publicly traded company by market capitalization.</div><div><br></div><div>Microsoft had provided OpenAI with an initial investment of $1 billion in 2019 and announced in January 2023 that it was investing an additional $10 billion. As part of the deal, Microsoft will have a 75% share of OpenAI\'s profits until it makes the money back on the investment, after which it would control a 49% stake in OpenAI.</div><div><br></div><div>Having a stake will allow Microsoft to increase its presence in web search through OpenAI\'s ChatGPT -- the chatbot based on a large language model that enables users to refine a conversation towards a requested format, length, language and detail.</div><div><br></div><div>The following month, Microsoft unveiled the new version of its search engine Bing with ChatGPT built-in running on GPT-4. This provides users with a ChatGPT-like experience within Microsoft\'s search engine.</div><div><br></div><div>Google\'s Chrome on top of web browsers with 64.4% share</div><div><br></div><div>Microsoft, in addition in early February 2023 unveiled a new version of its Edge web browser that includes built-in AI, which allows users to summarize search results with AI and converse with chatbots to get their questions answered.</div><div><br></div><div>Bing\'s market share, however, is around 3% among web browsers, and Microsoft hopes to turn it around with the use of ChatGPT and AI, while Edge had a market share of 5.3% as of January 2024.</div><div><br></div><div>Google\'s Chrome, meanwhile, comes on top among web browsers with a whopping 64.4% share, far higher than its closest follower, Apple\'s Safari, which has almost 18.9%, according to independent web analytics company Statcounter.</div><div><br></div><div>When it comes to global search engine market share, Google dominates that market with a staggering 91.5%, followed by Bing with just 3.4%, according to Statcounter.</div><div><br></div><div>ChatGPT-4 has more than 1 trillion parameters</div><div><br></div><div>While search engines allow users to quickly find information and easily access them despite thousands of irrelevant web pages, companies that develop browsers can utilize them to gather users\' data and use it for advertising purposes for other firms.</div><div><br></div><div>However, when it comes to the global AI market, OpenAI has a 34.2% market share in the AI category with 2,616 customers in 10 countries, according to data firm 6sense\'s market share ranking index.</div><div><br></div><div>Google AI, on the other hand, has a 10% market share in the AI category with 764 customers in 10 countries.</div><div><br></div><div>While Google plans to implement its AI technology soon into Google Cloud, Gmail and Docs, its two large language models -- PaLM and LaMDA -- have 540 billion and 137 billion parameters, respectively, compared to OpenAI\'s GPT-3.5, which has 175 billion parameters. ChatGPT-4, however, boasts around 1.76 trillion parameters.</div><div><br></div><div>Parameters can be described as learned variables that encode knowledge acquired by AI during its training process for it to make relevant predictions.</div><div><br></div><div>Detailed comparison on capabilities</div><div><br></div><div>Compared to search engines, Google trained LaMDA, or Language Models for Dialogue Applications, for it to converse with people naturally instead of getting multiple results for questions in search engines.</div><div><br></div><div>PaLM, or Pathways Language Model, is advanced in reasoning tasks including code and math, classification and question answering, translation and multilingual proficiency.</div><div><br></div><div>ChatGPT, on the other hand, can operate offline. But without access to the internet, it cannot check the input data with accurate sources.</div><div><br></div><div>The New York Times in December sued both OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, claiming that the companies used millions of news articles published by the organization without permission to train ChatGPT and make it smarter.</div><div><br></div><div>While Google\'s AI has its source of information based on current data on the internet and displays links to web pages as its results, ChatGPT provides direct answers and summaries for users.</div><div><br></div><div>Due to using current data, Google\'s results are highly accurate most of the time, but ChatGPT may provide some outdated data and sometimes incorrect ones.</div><div><br></div><div>Google\'s AI has the upper hand in delivering instant results and customizing those based on users\' data and history. ChatGPT, on the other hand, can take some time to generate responses and there is no personalization for the answers. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 13:25:30', '2024-02-20 13:25:30');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11268, 11268, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>When Imah Dumagay takes the stage, it is not just comedy for her but also a mission, where the spotlight and microphone become her weapons to tackle stereotypes — one punchline at a time.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Dumagay began her journey in the UAE in 2008. After 10 years of working in the corporate world, a sudden change of heart made her take acting classes, which soon flipped her career upside down and turned her into the first Filipina stand-up comedian in the Gulf region.</div><div><br></div><div>Since 2018, Dumagay has performed nearly every night and now has over 70,000 followers on TikTok.</div><div><br></div><div>“Hello everyone, I’m from the Philippines, but I’m not taking any orders tonight,” she informs the audience onstage as she takes the microphone and adds to their roaring laughs: “But if you are looking for a maid, I am available on Saturday.”</div><div><br></div><div>The founder of Comedy Kix, a popular comedy club that runs shows in Dubai, Dumagay is one of the most recognized comics in the local stand-up scene who, with her rapid-fire punchlines and playful sets, sheds light on the lives and struggles of her fellow countrymen and women.</div><div><br></div><div>Nearly 2 million overseas Filipino workers live in Gulf countries, mainly employed in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. While many of them are professionals, more than half work as domestic helpers or in services and sales.</div><div><br></div><div>“Sometimes, when I am about to go on stage, people will mistake me for a waitress. When I was first mistaken for that, I was shocked in the beginning,” Dumagay told Arab News.</div><div><br></div><div>She has adapted that experience into one of the most popular opening liners for her set.</div><div><br></div><div>“That’s actually my opening joke now,” she said. “One British lady asked me: ‘I’d like to order a cup of tea.’ And I’m like: ‘Me too.’”</div><div><br></div><div>The stereotypes have been working to her advantage and have helped her get the audience’s attention.</div><div><br></div><div>“You rarely see a Filipino in this art form. So, to see (me), they’ll be like: ‘Let’s see what she has got to say,’” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>“When people ask me: ‘Do you get angry when you’re mistaken?’ I say ‘no’ because these stereotypes are not harmful to me. There’s nothing wrong with being a waitress, a maid or a saleslady. Everybody’s working hard.”</div><div><br></div><div>That hard work, which often does not meet fair treatment, is what fuels Dumagay’s advocacy for respect for overseas Filipino workers.</div><div><br></div><div>“Domestic helpers, they’re not as lucky as those of us working in entertainment or in the office. Some of my relatives work here as part-time cleaners or nannies. So, I also include it in my work to make sure that people know how to treat these Filipinos who work for them,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>“If you’re brown or if you’re Filipina, you must be either working at sales, or you’re a waitress, and all these things, right? There’s nothing wrong with that. But the problem is how people treat you. When I go to a show, people don’t notice me, don’t talk to me, don’t really give me attention. And when they hear that I am the headliner of the night, this changes. Suddenly they’re nice to me.”</div><div><br></div><div>Dumagay’s English routines on her experiences and observations — including being on the receiving end of stereotypes — have been drawing international crowds and selling out shows at The Theatre, a center of live performances at the Mall of the Emirates.</div><div><br></div><div>People often approach her after the gig and say they had no idea there were Filipino comedians, which is when she makes it clear to them that many of the saleswomen they might have mistreated at shopping centers were better educated than them but did not have as good opportunities, reports Arab News&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Unfortunately, when you are in a lower position, you are treated differently,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>“As a stand-up comic, I try to make sure that the subtexts of my jokes are: ‘Hey, you should not treat people based on their work or based on stereotypes because stereotyping people is just very lazy.’”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 13:46:57', '2024-02-20 13:46:57'),
(11269, 11269, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Tuesday voiced concern over potential misuse and wastage of public funds as a block allocation of Tk 20 crore was announced for MPs&nbsp; for implementation of development projects in each constituency.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>It also urged establishment of a transparent and accountable governance mechanism to ensure proper utilization of the allocated funds.</div><div><br></div><div>On 18th February, the LGRD minister told parliament that each Member of Parliament (MP) could receive Tk 20 crore over five years for implementing development projects in their respective constituencies.</div><div><br></div><div>The process of finalizing a project in this regard is currently underway.</div><div><br></div><div>TIB Executive Director (ED) Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, “Despite the gradual increase in constituency-wise block allocations, there has been historical negligence in ensuring proper fund utilization and governance in these projects. Lawmakers, who have sole authority over monitoring and addressing complaints related to the projects, often endorse irregularities for personal gain, leading to compromised transparency and accountability.”</div><div><br></div><div>He highlighted that such schemes provide opportunities to many parliamentarians to abuse political power, engage in nepotism, and gain unethical financial benefits, ultimately normalizing corruption at the local level and misusing state resources.</div><div><br></div><div>TIB\'s concerns stem from its previous study titled \"Governance Challenges in the Implementation of the Infrastructure Development Project under Constituency-Based Block Allocation\", published on 12 August 2020.</div><div><br></div><div>The study uncovered that the schemes under the projects were deemed essential at local level, but their quality of work did not meet expectation.</div><div><br></div><div>This discrepancy was attributed to compromised relationships fostering mutual benefit and commission trading between the contractors and their supervisory authorities involved in planning and execution of the schemes.</div><div><br></div><div>Consequently, irregularities and corruption within the schemes led to squandering of public funds, ultimately benefiting vested quarters, it said..</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the 2020 study, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said specific recommendations were made, but no noticeable initiatives have been taken to implement those to ensure good governance in use of constituency-wise block allocations, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>TIB is now calling for a comprehensive and neutral scrutiny of the previous projects, funded through block allocations, before allocating new funds, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said, “The organization also advocates for implementation of a proper monitoring and evaluation system as well as a mandatory code of conduct addressing the lawmakers\' integrity and conflicts of interest in executing development schemes.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 15:21:41', '2024-02-20 15:21:41'),
(11270, 11270, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has introduced an innovative \"Sign Language E-Dictionary,\" on the occasion of International Mother Language Day 2024.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The dictionary is designed to empower individuals to learn sign language and communicate effectively with those who have hearing and speech impairments.</div><div><br></div><div>The e-dictionary, offering a comprehensive glossary of sign language, can be accessed directly on https://ishara.sonket.org/ and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.</div><div><br></div><div>This initiative underscores UNDP\'s ongoing commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and accessibility in all facets.</div><div><br></div><div>Stefan Liller, the Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch of the Sign Language E-Dictionary.</div><div><br></div><div>\"In a bid to foster communication and understanding for those with hearing and speech impairments, UNDP Bangladesh unveils a remarkable Sign Language Learning Dictionary,\" he stated.</div><div><br></div><div>He continued, \"This innovative initiative not only aligns with the spirit of International Mother Language Day but also reflects our ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity, and accessibility in all aspects of our work. The Sign Language E-Dictionary is a powerful tool that allows normal individuals to learn and contribute to building a more inclusive and understanding society.\"</div><div><br></div><div>UNDP encourages individuals, communities, and organizations to explore and utilize the Sign Language E-Dictionary, fostering a culture of inclusivity and breaking down barriers to communication, according to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 15:35:37', '2024-02-20 15:35:37'),
(11271, 11271, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal had a brief stopover at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Tuesday night.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>While returning from Japan, the special aircraft carrying the Prime Minister of Ukraine along with his 20-member entourage landed at Dhaka airport at around 8:50 pm for refueling, Additional SP of Airport Armed Police Battalion, Mohammad Ziaul Hoque, told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>After the refueling, the special aircraft was set to leave the airport for its final destination, Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>Additional Foreign Secretary Dr Nazrul Islam and DG ( EE &amp; CIS) were scheduled to be there at the airport to welcome the Ukraine Prime Minister, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On February 19, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine, who was attending the Japan-Ukraine Conference for the Promotion of Economic Growth and Reconstruction.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during her recent visit to Germany, met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference-2024.</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon to find a way to stop the Russia-Ukraine war, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>\"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina always says we are against all kinds of war,\" Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said while briefing reporters about the outcome of the PM\'s meeting with Zelenskyy.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-20 16:31:42', '2024-02-20 16:31:42'),
(11272, 11272, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh is solemnly observing \'Amar Ekushey\', paying homage to the valiant martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement, a pivotal event in the nation’s history that championed the recognition of Bangla as a state language. This day, also known as International Mother Language Day, underscores the country\'s commitment to linguistic and cultural preservation.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In a symbolic gesture of respect, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the nation in tribute, laying floral wreaths at the Central Shahid Minar right after midnight. The Prime Minister, arriving first, and shortly after, the President, were greeted by Dhaka University\'s Vice-chancellor, marking a moment of unity and reverence under the echoes of the immortal song \'Amar Bhai-er Rakte Rangano Ekushey February\'.</div><div><br></div><div>The ceremony attracted ministers, diplomats, military chiefs, and citizens, all paying their respects to the heroes who sacrificed their lives for linguistic freedom.</div><div><br></div><div>People from various walks of life, in a poignant display of solidarity, walked barefoot to the monument, offering flowers while singing the movement\'s anthem, reflecting the deep-rooted significance of the day.</div><div><br></div><div>The events of February 21, 1952, when students and citizens of Dhaka protested against Urdu\'s imposition as the sole official language, mark a critical juncture in Bangladesh\'s struggle for self-determination. The brutal police response resulted in the deaths of several protestors, including Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, and Jabbar, galvanizing the nation towards eventual independence in 1971 under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</div><div><br></div><div>UNESCO\'s recognition of Ekushey February as International Mother Language Day in 1999 further elevated its global significance, promoting linguistic diversity and cultural heritage worldwide.</div><div><br></div><div>On this day, the national flag is flown at half-mast, and black flags are hoisted across major buildings, with Bangladesh Missions abroad also partaking in the observances.</div><div><br></div><div>Various political, social, cultural, and professional organizations have organized seminars and cultural functions to observe the day\'s essence. Both President Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Hasina have released messages emphasizing the importance of linguistic diversity and cultural respect, aligning with the spirit of Amar Ekushey.</div><div><br></div><div>As the nation reflects on its historical journey, the messages from the President and Prime Minister call for a reinvigorated commitment to preserving the Bengali language and culture, fostering mutual respect among diverse linguistic and cultural groups. This day\'s observance through special media programs, educational seminars, and cultural events highlights Bangladesh\'s enduring legacy of linguistic pride and cultural identity, according to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 09:12:09', '2024-02-21 09:12:09'),
(11273, 11273, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB), has paid respect to language movement heroes on the occasion of \'Shaheed Dibash\' (Martyrs Day) and the International Mother Language Day.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>President Nurul Islam Hasib and General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Apu led DCAB in paying respect to language martyrs by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar on Wednesday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Former DCAB General Secretary Mahfuz Mishu was also present, among others.</div><div><br></div><div>The day, February 21, is marked with the martyrdom of valiant sons of Bangladesh for establishing Bangla as the state language of the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).</div><div><br></div><div>The day is also being observed around the world as UNESCO recognised February 21 as the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999.</div><div><br></div><div>This year\'s theme of the day is “Multilingual education: a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning,” is worthwhile\".</div><div><br></div><div>DCAB is a 26-year-old organisation of reporters who cover foreign affairs of Bangladesh, reports UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 09:26:52', '2024-02-21 09:26:52'),
(11274, 11274, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Wednesday paid homage to the 1952 Language Movement martyrs, marking Amar Ekushey, the Language Martyrs Day, and the International Mother Language Day.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The party leaders and workers, led by its senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, reached the Central Shaheed Minar around 10:47 am after waiting for a long time and placed a wreath at its altar.</div><div><br></div><div>The leaders and activists of the party gathered in front of Balaka Cinema Hall at Nilkhet at 7am wearing black badges. Later, they first offered fateha at the graves of Language Movement martyrs at Azimpur Graveyard and then went to the Central Shaheed Minar.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters there, Rizvi said BNP leaders and activists are taking to the streets to restore democracy, braving all repressive acts.</div><div><br></div><div>“The people of the country want to speak with a loud voice without any fear and they want to establish their rights inspired by the spirit of 21st February.&nbsp; We’re taking a vow on this day to do that following the path showed by the language martyrs,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to a question, Rizvi said their one-point movement has not stopped. “The movement is going on. Our movement will continue until our desired goal is achieved.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said they will continue the one-point movement until the fall of the current government and restoration of democracy through a fair and credible election.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our leaders and workers are not disappointed. They are invigorated since they are fighting for a truth and justice,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi alleged that the current Awami League government has snatched all the rights of people, including the freedom of expression, like the Pakistani occupation forces.</div><div><br></div><div>“Awami League has introduced an absolute monarchy in Bangladesh,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the people of Bangladesh have lost democracy, human rights and voting rights.</div><div><br></div><div>“The people of the country can’t cast their votes. They have long been demanding the right to vote in a free and fair election. Even after 53 years of Bangladesh\'s independence, why do we have to make this demand?” Rizvi said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said their party leaders and activists will carry out their struggle being imbued with the spirit of February 21 for the restoration of democracy and win people\'s right to vote and freedom of expression in the country, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Tuesday, the party arranged a discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, marking the day.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP also kept their party and national flags at half-mast and hoisted black flags at its Nayapaltan central office at 6 am in observance of the day.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, BNP’s different units across the country are also observing the day with due respect amid various programmes.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 09:37:55', '2024-02-21 09:37:55'),
(11275, 11275, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government is planning to float an international tender in March for hydrocarbon exploration in the country’s maritime areas, where it would like US oil giant ExxonMobil to participate and show its hand in the bidding round.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The US oil major was conveyed the government’s advice when a delegation of the company, led by its Opportunity Manager Jonathan Wilson, met State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid at his office in the ministry on Tuesday (yesterday).</div><div><br></div><div>Nearly a year ago, in March 2023, an ExxonMobil spokesperson had confirmed to Upstream, a trade publication in the oil and gas industries, that: “ExxonMobil has held initial discussions with Petrobangla regarding Bangladesh’s plans for an exploration round.”</div><div><br></div><div>The US giant is understood to be particularly interested in the gas potential of Bangladesh’s deep-water open blocks and also perhaps its onshore acreage.</div><div><br></div><div>Wilson had written a letter to the State Minister expressing his company’s interest.</div><div><br></div><div>Petrobangla chairman Zanendra Nath Sarker at the time said: “ExxonMobil has placed a primary proposal to negotiate on offshore blocks in deep sea as well as for some onshore blocks. The proposal is now under consideration.”</div><div><br></div><div>Before the general election in January this year, ExxonMobil was trying to persuade the government policymakers to accept its offer on an unsolicited basis to allow it for exploration work.</div><div><br></div><div>But that proposal was not accepted by the government. Now with greater clarity in the post-election scenario, the US company is once again showing its interest in exploring Bangladesh’s offshore blocks, according to well-placed sources at Petrobangla.</div><div><br></div><div>Certainly the presence of Jonathan Wilson himself in Dhaka now attests to that as well.</div><div><br></div><div>ExxonMobil is one of the handful of companies in the world that has the technical expertise and deep pockets that Bangladesh needs to boost its exploration and production sector following several disappointing licensing rounds and the exit of some other international players in recent years.</div><div><br></div><div>“As part of the move, the company officials met the State Minister,” a source at the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, requesting anonymity due to the inherently sensitive nature of dealing with international oil companies (IOCs), told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, the government has taken a decision to float international tender in the first week of March, for its offshore blocks.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, on July 26 last year, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the draft ‘Bangladesh Offshore Model Production Sharing Contract (PSC) 2023’ in order to invite international bidding for hydrocarbon exploration in offshore areas of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>The final approval for the draft Model PSC 2023 was given under a plan to invite the bidding round. It was speculated a September bid might be in the offing, but that eventually fell through as the election was too close and at that stage there was still too much uncertainty to be cleared up.</div><div><br></div><div>Now the Prime Minister’s Office has recently given a go-ahead to the Energy Division’s plan for inviting the bidding round in March. Notably the PMO’s was the last approval that was missing for a September round, so the fact that it is now comfortable to give the green light signals positive engagement from the very top.</div><div><br></div><div>Farhana Sharon, general manager of the Petrobangla, informed that the organisation is taking necessary steps to invite the bidding round as per approval of the PMO.</div><div><br></div><div>According to official sources, the new Model PSC was prepared as part of a plan to invite international bidding for offshore deep and shallow water gas blocks, to make Bangladesh more attractive to international oil companies.</div><div><br></div><div>Under the initiative, the gas price was tagged with the price of Brent Crude in the international market to ensure flexibility.</div><div><br></div><div>“Under the plan, we’re going to offer the price of gas at 10 percent of Brent Crude,” the Petrobangla official told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The official said if Brent Crude is traded at USD $75 per barrel, the gas price would be USD 7.5 per thousand cubic feet (MCF). The gas price will always remain linked to the international oil price, he said, referring to the new provision of the Model PSC 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>British oil &amp; gas consultancy Wood Mackenzie has been advising the Bangladesh government and Petrobangla on the latest PSC revisions.</div><div><br></div><div>Official sources said the country has a total of 48 blocks, of which 26 are located offshore. Of the 26 offshore blocks, 11 are located in shallow sea (SS) water while 15 are located in deep sea (DS) water areas.</div><div><br></div><div>Of the offshore blocks, 24 remain open for IOCs while two blocks — SS-04 and SS-09 – are under contract with a joint venture of ONGC Videsh Ltd and Oil India Ltd where drilling work has recently started.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh\'s offshore area remains unexplored despite the settlement of its dispute with neighbouring Myanmar and India over maritime boundary almost nine years ago.</div><div><br></div><div>Currently, about 2300 mmcfd gas is being produced from 22 gas fields in the country, while about 600 mmcfd gas is being imported from abroad to meet the demand of about 4000 mmcfd, leaving a deficit of about 1200 mmcfd daily. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 10:05:19', '2024-02-21 10:05:19'),
(11276, 11276, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a heartfelt tribute to the heroes of the 1952 Language Movement, Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday articulated Bangladesh\'s aspiration to accord Bangla the status of an official language of the United Nations.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a commemorative event for National Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day at the Foreign Service Academy, Hasan acknowledged the challenges ahead but emphasized the national dream.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our dream is to make Bangla the official language of UN. This is our dream. I know there are many hurdles, but this is our dream today,\" he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>On 21st February in 1952, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was in jail.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Many people don\'t know that when he was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (from jail) for treatment, he organised a meeting. In that meeting, it was decided that a protest rally would be brought out on the 21st February, 1952. The decision was given by Bangabandhu with his jail mates,\" Minister Hasan said.</div><div><br></div><div>The ceremony saw participation from Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, alongside various foreign missions in Dhaka. Among the attendees were Mashfee Binte Shams, Rector of the Foreign Service Academy, diplomats, senior ministry officials, and their families.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasan paid homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs of the 1971 War of Liberation, highlighting Bangabandhu\'s pivotal role in the 1952 Language Movement as a young leader.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He also praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s efforts in propelling Bangladesh towards new developmental heights, citing accolades received at the Munich Security Conference 2024 for her leadership.</div><div><br></div><div>The observance of International Mother Language Day, endorsed by UNESCO and the UN General Assembly, celebrates linguistic diversity and promotes inclusion towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The 2024 theme, \"Multilingual education – a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning,\" advocates for education that begins in one\'s mother tongue, easing the transition to multilingual learning and preserving indigenous languages.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh\'s solemn commemoration of \'Amar Ekushey\' pays respect to the Language Movement martyrs, asserting the nation\'s commitment to cultural and linguistic preservation, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s participation in laying wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar signifies a national moment of unity and remembrance, echoing the timeless anthem \'Amar Bhai-er Rakte Rangano Ekushey February\'.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 10:26:20', '2024-02-21 10:26:20'),
(11277, 11277, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Balvinder Singh lies on his side, writhing in pain, on a hospital bed in the northern Indian state of Punjab.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>When Singh, 47, was hit by a volley of piercing objects while marching towards New Delhi with thousands of other farmers, he did not know what had struck him.</div><div><br></div><div>But his body is pockmarked with telltale black scars from iron pellets fired by security forces to prevent farmers from crossing over from Punjab into the state of Haryana, which borders New Delhi. Haryana is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, whose federal policies the farmers are protesting against.</div><div><br></div><div>Singh, a farmer from Faridkot district in Punjab, who was admitted at Rajindra Hospital in the city of Patiala, was hit when he was calming the angry young farmers at the front of the protest site, metres away from the border on February 14, a day after the protests began.</div><div><br></div><div>“I was calming down the protesters when I was hit,” Singh says, his left eye bloody from a pellet injury. “I could not understand whether it was a bullet or something else that hurt me.”</div><div><br></div><div>Singh says he had never heard of iron pellets being used as ammunition by security forces against civilian protesters. In the past, such pellets have been mostly used in Indian-administered Kashmir as a crowd-control mechanism. Pellet guns have blinded scores of people in Kashmir.</div><div><br></div><div>Now, they are part of the intensifying confrontation between farmers and the government. The government in Punjab, which is ruled by the Aam Aadmi Party that is in opposition nationally, has said that three farmers have lost their eyesight after being hit with the Haryana police pellets and a dozen others have also suffered pellet injuries.</div><div><br></div><div>Critics of the farmers, meanwhile, argue that the central government cannot allow the protests to escalate the way they did in 2021, when clashes broke out on the streets of New Delhi. Some protesters reached the Red Fort – from where the prime minister delivers the Independence Day speech – and were accused of yanking down the national flag. A security crackdown followed.</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, days after this latest agitation kicked off, there are growing signs of a repeat of the kind of escalation in tensions that India witnessed three years ago.</div><div><br></div><div>Thousands of farmers in their tractor trolleys, small trucks, on foot, and scooters have travelled from rural areas of Punjab and gathered on the Punjab-Haryana highway waiting to march on the capital city. They are hoping to press the BJP government for demands including a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and loan waivers, among others.</div><div><br></div><div>In Haryana, the government has been criticised for using drones to drop tear gas shells on the protesting farmers. The state’s police have sealed the border with heavy cemented blocks, iron nails and barbed wire.</div><div><br></div><div>Singh, who owns a four-acre plot where he grows rice and wheat, says there is no guarantee of price in the fluctuating market for other crops.</div><div><br></div><div>“We spend more on cultivation [when growing other crops] and there is no earning,” he says.</div><div><br></div><div>“Now, we are also facing water shortages for even growing these two crops [rice and wheat]. We are in deep stress.”</div><div><br></div><div>At present the government buys rice and wheat from farmers for public distribution, and offers them a minimum support price for these grains. But other agricultural commodities do not receive this price protection. That, farmers say, has in turn led to the overproduction of rice and wheat. Paddies in particular, are water intensive, leading to depleted groundwater levels.</div><div><br></div><div>“If I want to diversify to other crops, there should be financial security for me that I will get a good price – that is what we are asking. We are asking for our rights,” says Singh, from the hospital, where eight other farmers, some aged above 60, are also being treated.</div><div><br></div><div>One of them, Mota Singh, 32, from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, said that he was hit by a rubber bullet on his hand. To Mota, something even more fundamental is at stake than crop prices, reports Al Jazeera&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Farmers are demanding dignity, we cannot be poor forever,” says Mota, when asked why he was protesting.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 10:47:58', '2024-02-21 10:47:58'),
(11278, 11278, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Bangladesh National Football Team has a plan to play two preparatory matches during their next month\'s conditioning camp in Saudi Arabia ahead of their World Cup qualifying matches against Palestine in next month.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The Bangladesh football team is likely to fly to Saudi Arabia on March 2 and will conduct a conditioning camp there till March 17 before leaving for Kuwait.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh will play their away match of the World Cup Qualifiers against Palestine in Kuwait on March 21 and their home match with Palestine in Dhaka on March 26, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking to sports reporters at the BFF premises on Tuesday, Head Coach of Bangladesh team Javier Cabrera said, \"During our training camp in Saudi Arabia, some other teams will also practice there, we will try to arrange at least two preparatory matches with available national sides there; otherwise, we try to play the matches with local club teams.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"Some promising players, now playing in the BPL and Federation Cup Football impressed me, some of them may be included in the preliminary national squad,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan, who is now playing in the Argentine league, is expected to arrive in Dhaka on February 29 to join the national team.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 10:50:36', '2024-02-21 10:50:36'),
(11279, 11279, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Abritti Samannay Parishad awarded \'Golam Mustafa Recitation Medal 2024\' to Jaidul Hossain and Rafiqul Islam, in recognition of their contribution to organizational recitation practice in the country.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday evening, the organization handed over the awards to the recipients at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy\'s National Art Gallery auditorium, celebrating the eve of the International Mother Language Day and awarding the Golam Mustafa Recitation Award 2024 and the Brishti-Dola Memorial Award for the years 2022 and 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>Ahkam Ullah, General Secretary of Bangladesh Abritti Samannay Parishad, said in his welcome speech, \"Through the Golam Mustafa Recitation Award, we honour such meritorious persons who have been working tirelessly for the development of organizational recitation practice for a long time; and the Brishti-Dola Memorial Award is mainly given to young promising people, who are the door of possibilities before us.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Abritti Samannay Parishad President and eminent cultural personality Asaduzzaman Noor introduced this year’s recipients of the awards and handed the awards to the recipients. \"It is now important to work with our children at the grassroots level, to make them understand the value of our independence. We are constantly fighting the opposition forces of the Liberation War, while we move forward in building a non-communal Bangladesh,” he said at the event.</div><div><br></div><div>Ekushey Padak-winner recitation artist Bhashwar Banerjee handed over the cheques to the recipients, while Ghulam Quddus, President of Sammilita Sanskritik Jote, and Ekushey Padak-winning recitation artist Shimul Mustafa were present on the occasion. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 10:53:51', '2024-02-21 10:53:51'),
(11280, 11280, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Two people were killed and 10 others injured in a collision between a speeding bus and a three-wheeler in Sreebardi upazila of Sherpur district early Wednesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as three-wheeler helper Hamidullah, 26, son of late Mofiz Uddin of Boro poragor village under the Sreebardi upazila and bus passenger Golam Faruk, 50, son of Abdul Barek of nearby Jamalpur’s Bakshiganj upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>Sreebardi police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kaium Khan Siddique said the bus of ‘Ma Moni Paribahan’ crashed into the three-wheeler coming from the opposite direction on Bhayadanga-Kurua road around 5 am, leaving the helper dead on the spot and 11 others injured, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The injured were rushed to Sherpur Sadar hospital where Faruk succumbed to his injuries and the rest were undergoing treatment, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>After the collision, the three-wheeler, locally used for transporting goods, plunged into a roadside ditch while the bus&nbsp; ploughed through a nearby house, the OC said.</div><div><br></div><div>The bus was seized but its driver managed to flee, he said, adding that a legal action will be taken.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 11:12:43', '2024-02-21 11:12:43'),
(11281, 11281, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">South Carolina: Former US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Alexei Navalny was “a very brave man” who “probably” should not have returned to Russia, without assigning any blame for the Russian opposition leader’s unexpected death.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Democratic President Joe Biden and other Western leaders have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death, as has Nikki Haley, who trails far behind Trump as his sole remaining rival for the Republican presidential nomination.</div><div><br></div><div>“Navalny is a very sad situation, and he is a very brave, he was a very brave guy because he went back. He could have stayed away,” Trump said during a town hall interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham in South Carolina.</div><div><br></div><div>“And, frankly, probably would have been a lot better off staying away and talking from outside of the country as opposed to having to go back in, because people thought that could happen and it did happen. And it’s a horrible thing,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Kremlin has denied involvement in Navalny’s death and said that Western claims that Putin was responsible are unacceptable.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump — who has expressed admiration for Putin during his 2017-2021 White House tenure and afterward — also continued to compare himself to Navalny, implying that both men had faced unjust prosecutions due to their political beliefs.</div><div><br></div><div>“But it’s happening in our country too,” he said. “We are turning into a communist country in many ways. And if you look at it — I’m the leading candidate. I get indicted.”</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that Navalny’s death in an Arctic penal colony last week had made him “more aware of what is happening” in the United States. Trump did not elaborate, but he has frequently described the 91 criminal charges against him as politically motivated, a claim prosecutors deny.</div><div><br></div><div>During the interview on Tuesday, which was conducted before a live audience in Greenville four days before the state’s primary contest, Trump continued to blast migrants, portraying them as a threat to public safety without offering any evidence to support his claims that they are more violent than native-born Americans.</div><div>At several moments, 77-year-old Trump’s answers to questions veered into tangential topics.</div><div><br></div><div>While being asked about electric vehicles and Americans’ “freedom of movement,” Trump spoke about the usefulness of tariffs and described his interactions with an unnamed American dishwasher company during his time in office.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump praised South Carolina US Senator Tim Scott, who joined Trump on stage for the final part of the interview. The former president has privately asked associates about naming Scott, a one-time rival in the Republican nomination battle, as his running mate, sources familiar with the matter have previously said.</div><div><br></div><div>Tying himself to Scott may have short-term electoral benefits for the former president in South Carolina, where voters go to the polls on Saturday to choose who they want as the Republican nominee to take on Biden in the Nov. 5 election, reports Reuters</div><div><br></div><div>Trump is leading Haley by more than 30 percentage points in South Carolina according to most polls, and his team is eager to deliver a crushing blow. However, Haley has said there is no way she will drop out and that she plans to keep campaigning into March.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 11:24:07', '2024-02-21 11:24:07'),
(11282, 11282, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a recent statement, State Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid, hinted at a forthcoming increase in electricity tariffs starting from March to counter the widening gap between production costs and sales revenues.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This move aims to alleviate financial pressures on the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and the national economy.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We\'ve to adjust power tariff at both the retail and bulk level to cover the production cost. However, gas prices may be adjusted only for the power plants,\" Hamid declared, assuring that the impact on retail consumers would be kept to a minimum.</div><div><br></div><div>Sources within the government reveal plans to implement a 5 percent hike in bulk electricity prices and a 3 percent increase at the retail level through an administrative order, bypassing traditional regulatory hearings.</div><div><br></div><div>This decision comes after months of deliberation among top policymakers, torn between raising tariffs or leveraging the banking system to issue more bonds.</div><div><br></div><div>The dilemma underscores the challenge of managing the substantial financial deficit incurred by the BPDB, with current electricity production costs nearly double the selling price.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the BPDB’s Annual Report 2022-23, the fiscal year saw the production of 87,024 million kilowatt hours of electricity at a total cost of TK 986.46 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>Its per unit production cost was Tk 11.33, while it was selling electricity at Tk 6.7 per unit — incurring a loss of about Tk 4.63 per unit.</div><div><br></div><div>This imbalance has led to a staggering loss of Tk 47,788 crore for the fiscal year, as the government grapples with purchasing power from private and international sources at significantly higher rates.</div><div><br></div><div>With this huge loss, the government has been facing great trouble as it has to purchase electricity worth Tk 82,778 crore from private sector power producers, while it generates electricity worth Tk 13,307 crore from its own generation plants.</div><div><br></div><div>The annual report also shows that the BPDB’s average per unit production cost from its own plants is Tk 7.63, while it is Tk 14.62 at the independent power producers or IPPs (private sector), at rental plants Tk 12.53, at public plants Tk 6.85, and imported power from India at Tk 8.77.</div><div><br></div><div>The government purchases electricity from the private sector and India in dollars.</div><div><br></div><div>The disparity in production costs between government and private sector plants further exacerbates the financial strain, with the government incurring a cumulative outstanding bill of approximately $5 billion in the energy sector alone.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamid also addressed the critical foreign exchange challenge, stating, \"The crisis is not in local currency... But the main crisis is the dollar. We’re not getting dollars from Bangladesh Bank as per our needs,\" highlighting the sector\'s urgent requirement for $1 billion monthly to meet payment obligations.</div><div><br></div><div>In response, the government has initiated the issuance of bonds valued at Tk 5,000 crore, potentially rising to Tk 12,000 crore to mitigate some of the financial distress. However, officials acknowledge that this measure, coupled with ongoing subsidies, may not suffice, prompting further considerations for tariff adjustments or additional bond issuances.</div><div><br></div><div>As Bangladesh navigates this economic quagmire, the impending decision on electricity tariffs looms large, with potential implications for both the national economy and the everyday lives of its citizens. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 11:43:12', '2024-02-21 11:43:12');
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(11283, 11283, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Emily Hollenbeck lived with a deep, recurring depression she likened to a black hole, where gravity felt so strong and her limbs so heavy she could barely move. She knew the illness could kill her. Both of her parents had taken their lives.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>She was willing to try something extreme: Having electrodes implanted in her brain as part of an experimental therapy.</div><div><br></div><div>Researchers say the treatment —- called deep brain stimulation, or DBS — could eventually help many of the nearly 3 million Americans like her with depression that resists other treatments. It’s approved for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, and many doctors and patients hope it will become more widely available for depression soon.</div><div><br></div><div>The treatment gives patients targeted electrical impulses, much like a pacemaker for the brain. A growing body of recent research is promising, with more underway — although two large studies that showed no advantage to using DBS for depression temporarily halted progress, and some scientists continue to raise concerns.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has agreed to speed up its review of Abbott Laboratories’ request to use its DBS devices for treatment-resistant depression.</div><div><br></div><div>“At first I was blown away because the concept of it seems so intense. Like, it’s brain surgery. You have wires embedded in your brain,” said Hollenbeck, who is part of ongoing research at Mount Sinai West. “But I also felt like at that point I tried everything, and I was desperate for an answer.”</div><div><br></div><div>“NOTHING ELSE WAS WORKING”</div><div><br></div><div>Hollenbeck suffered from depression symptoms as a child growing up in poverty and occasional homelessness. But her first major bout happened in college, after her father’s suicide in 2009. Another hit during a Teach for America stint, leaving her almost immobilized and worried she’d lose her classroom job and sink into poverty again. She landed in the hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>“I ended up having sort of an on-and-off pattern,” she said. After responding to medication for a while, she’d relapse.</div><div><br></div><div>She managed to earn a doctorate in psychology, even after losing her mom in her last year of grad school. But the black hole always returned to pull her in. At times, she said, she thought about ending her life.</div><div><br></div><div>She said she’d exhausted all options, including electroconvulsive therapy, when a doctor told her about DBS three years ago.</div><div><br></div><div>“Nothing else was working,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She became one of only a few hundred treated with DBS for depression.</div><div><br></div><div>Hollenbeck had the brain surgery while sedated but awake. Dr. Brian Kopell, who directs Mount Sinai’s Center for Neuromodulation, placed thin metal electrodes in a region of her brain called the subcallosal cingulate cortex, which regulates emotional behavior and is involved in feelings of sadness.</div><div><br></div><div>The electrodes are connected by an internal wire to a device placed under the skin in her chest, which controls the amount of electrical stimulation and delivers constant low-voltage pulses. Hollenbeck calls it “continous Prozac.”</div><div><br></div><div>Doctors say the stimulation helps because electricity speaks the brain’s language. Neurons communicate using electrical and chemical signals.</div><div><br></div><div>In normal brains, Kopell said, electrical activity reverberates unimpeded in all areas, in a sort of dance. In depression, the dancers get stuck within the brain’s emotional circuitry. DBS seems to “unstick the circuit,” he said, allowing the brain to do what it normally would.</div><div><br></div><div>Hollenbeck said the effect was almost immediate.</div><div><br></div><div>“The first day after surgery, she started feeling a lifting of that negative mood, of the heaviness,” said her psychiatrist, Dr. Martijn Figee. “I remember her telling me that she was able to enjoy Vietnamese takeout for the first time in years and really taste the food. She started to decorate her home, which had been completely empty since she moved to New York.”</div><div><br></div><div>For Hollenbeck, the most profound change was finding pleasure in music again.</div><div><br></div><div>“When I was depressed, I couldn’t listen to music. It sounded and felt like I was listening to radio static,” she said. “Then on a sunny day in the summer, I was walking down the street listening to a song. I just felt this buoyancy, this, ‘Oh, I want to walk more, I want to go and do things!’ And I realized I’m getting better.”</div><div><br></div><div>She only wishes the therapy had been there for her parents.</div><div><br></div><div>THE TREATMENT’S HISTORY</div><div><br></div><div>The road to this treatment stretches back two decades, when neurologist Dr. Helen Mayberg led promising early research.</div><div><br></div><div>But setbacks followed. Large studies launched more than a dozen years ago showed no significant difference in response rates for treated and untreated groups. Dr. Katherine Scangos, a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, also researching DBS and depression, cited a couple of reasons: The treatment wasn’t personalized, and researchers looked at outcomes over a matter of weeks.</div><div><br></div><div>Some later research showed depression patients had stable, long-term relief from DBS when observed over years. Overall, across different brain targets, DBS for depression is associated with average response rates of 60%, one 2022 study said.</div><div><br></div><div>Treatments being tested by various teams are much more tailored to individuals today. Mount Sinai’s team is one of the most prominent researching DBS for depression in the U.S. There, a neuroimaging expert uses brain images to locate the exact spot for Kopell to place electrodes.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have a template, a blueprint of exactly where we’re going to go,” said Mayberg, a pioneer in DBS research and founding director of The Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics at Mount Sinai. “Everybody’s brain is a little different, just like people’s eyes are a little further apart or a nose is a little bigger or smaller.”</div><div><br></div><div>Other research teams also tailor treatment to patients, although their methods are slightly different. Scangos and her colleagues are studying various targets in the brain and delivering stimulation only when needed for severe symptoms. She said the best therapy may end up being a combination of approaches.</div><div><br></div><div>As teams keep working, Abbott is launching a big clinical trial this year, ahead of a potential FDA decision.</div><div><br></div><div>“The field is advancing quite quickly,” Scangos said. “I’m hoping we will have approval within a short time.”</div><div><br></div><div>But some doctors are skeptical, pointing to potential complications such as bleeding, stroke or infection after surgery.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr. Stanley Caroff, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, said scientists still don’t know the exact pathways or mechanisms in the brain that produce depression, which is why it’s hard to pick a site to stimulate. It’s also tough to select the right patients for DBS, he said, and approved, successful treatments for depression are available.</div><div><br></div><div>“I believe from a psychiatric point of view, the science is not there,” he said of DBS for depression.</div><div><br></div><div>MOVING FORWARD</div><div>Hollenbeck acknowledges DBS hasn’t been a cure-all; she still takes medicines for depression and needs ongoing care.</div><div><br></div><div>She recently visited Mayberg in her office and discussed recovery. “It’s not about being happy all the time,” the doctor told her. “It’s about making progress.”</div><div><br></div><div>That’s what researchers are studying now — how to track progress.</div><div><br></div><div>Recent research by Mayberg and others in the journal Nature showed it’s possible to provide a “readout” of how someone is doing at any given time. Analyzing the brain activity of DBS patients, researchers found a unique pattern that reflects the recovery process. This gives them an objective way to observe how people get better and distinguish between impending depression and typical mood fluctuations.</div><div><br></div><div>Scientists are confirming those findings using newer DBS devices in a group of patients that includes Hollenbeck.</div><div><br></div><div>She and other participants do their part largely at home. She gives researchers regular brain recordings by logging onto a tablet, putting a remote above the pacemaker-like device in her chest and sending the data. She answers questions that pop up about how she feels. Then she records a video that will be analyzed for things such as facial expression and speech.</div><div><br></div><div>Occasionally, she goes into Mount Sinai’s “Q-Lab,” an immersive environment where scientists do quantitative research collecting all sorts of data, including how she moves in a virtual forest or makes circles in the air with her arms. Like many other patients, she moves her arms faster now that she’s doing better.</div><div><br></div><div>Data from recordings and visits are combined with other information, such as life events, to chart how she’s doing. This helps guide doctors’ decisions, such as whether to increase her dose of electricity – which they did once.</div><div><br></div><div>On a recent morning, Hollenback moved her collar and brushed her hair aside to reveal scars on her chest and head from her DBS surgery. To her, they’re signs of how far she’s come.</div><div><br></div><div>She makes her way around the city, taking walks in the park and going to libraries, which were a refuge in childhood. She no longer worries that normal life challenges will trigger a crushing depression, reports AP </div><div><br></div><div>“The stress is pretty extreme at times, but I’m able to see and remember, even on a bodily level, that I’m going to be OK,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>“If I hadn’t had DBS, I’m pretty sure I would not be alive today.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas </div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"18\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-21 11:47:01', '2024-02-21 11:49:35'),
(11284, 11284, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday reiterated Bangladesh\'s stance not to engage in war with anyone, but will boost its defence forces aiming to protect the independence and sovereignty.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We will not engage in war with anyone. But we have to attain capability to protect our independence and sovereignty,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while addressing the Golden Jubilee of the enactment of the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act, 1974 by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</div><div><br></div><div>State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury chaired the programme organised at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said that following the footstep of Bangabandhu the government has formulated Forces Goal 2030 and implementing it.</div><div><br></div><div>“Side by side, as an independent country we will do whatever we need. We are working on that direction,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said that Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act, 1974 is working as an important guideline and in future it will continue to do the same.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that the vast maritime areas that Bangladesh attained will contribute a lot in the country’s economy.</div><div><br></div><div>Shipping Secretary Md. Mostafa Kamal and Naval chief Admiral M Nazmul Hassan also spoke at the programme.</div><div><br></div><div>Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam presented the keynote paper, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>An audio-visual documentary was also screened at the programme.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the PM visited different stalls at the programme premises.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 08:54:13', '2024-02-22 08:54:13'),
(11285, 11285, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">New attempts are underway to reach a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that could pause the war in Gaza, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet said late Wednesday.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Initial signs indicate a possibility of moving forward,” said Benny Gantz, a former military chief and defense minister. It\'s the first Israeli indication of renewed cease-fire talks since negotiations stalled a week ago.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Gantz repeated his pledge that unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, Israel will launch a ground offensive into the crowded southern city of Rafah during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel\'s war in Gaza has driven some 80% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. Most heeded Israeli orders to flee south and around 1.5 million are packed into Rafah near the border with Egypt.</div><div><br></div><div>Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 67 Palestinians overnight and into Wednesday, including in areas where civilians have been told to seek refuge.</div><div><br></div><div>The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. About a fourth of some 130 captives still being held are believed to be dead. Israel has laid waste to much of the Palestinian territory in response. Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 09:26:27', '2024-02-22 09:26:27'),
(11286, 11286, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>An Israeli sabotage attack on an Iranian natural gas pipeline last week caused multiple explosions on the line, Iran\'s oil minister alleged Wednesday, further raising tensions between the regional archenemies against the backdrop of Israel\'s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The accusations by Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji come as Israel has been blamed for a series of attacks targeting Tehran\'s nuclear program.</div><div><br></div><div>The “explosion of the gas pipeline was an Israeli plot,” Owji said, according to Iran\'s state-run IRNA news agency. “The enemy intended to disturb gas service in the provinces and put people’s gas distribution at risk.”</div><div><br></div><div>“The evil action and plot by the enemy was properly managed,” Owji added, without providing any evidence to support his claims.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has not acknowledged carrying out the attack, though it rarely claims its espionage missions abroad. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime foe of Iran, did not respond to a request for comment.</div><div><br></div><div>The Feb. 14 blastshit a natural gas pipeline running from Iran’s western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province up north to cities on the Caspian Sea. The roughly 1,270-kilometer (790-mile) -long pipeline begins in Asaluyeh, a hub for Iran’s offshore South Pars gas field.</div><div><br></div><div>Owji earlier compared the attack to a series of mysterious and unclaimed assaults on gas pipelines in 2011 — including around the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tehran marked the 45th anniversary of the revolution just days before the pipeline blasts.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has carried out attacks in Iran that have predominantly targeted its nuclear program. Last week, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned that Iran is “not entirely transparent” regarding its atomic program, particularly after an official who once led Tehran’s program announced the Islamic Republic has all the pieces for a weapon “in our hands.”</div><div><br></div><div>Tensions over Iran’s nuclear program comes as groups that Tehran is arming in the region — Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — have launched attacks targeting Israel over the war in Gaza. The Houthis continue to attack commercial shipping in the region, sparking repeated airstrikes from the United States and the United Kingdom.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes, the Houthi rebels remain capable of launching significant attacks. This week, they seriously damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars.</div><div><br></div><div>On Wednesday, ships in the Red Sea off the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida in Yemen reported seeing an explosion, though all vessels in the area were said to be safe, according to the British military\'s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centers. The UKMTO earlier reported heavy drone activity in the area.</div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. State Department criticized “the reckless and indiscriminate attacks on civilian cargo ships by the Houthis” that have delayed humanitarian aid including food and medicine bound for Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen. That includes the Sea Champion, a ship carrying corn and other aid to both Aden and Hodeida.</div><div><br></div><div>“Contrary to what the Houthis may attempt to claim, their attacks do nothing to help the Palestinians,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “Their actions are not bringing a single morsel of assistance or food to the Palestinian people.”</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, a suspected Israeli strike killed two people a neighborhood in Syria\'s capital, Damascus, on Wednesday, an area where other likely Israeli strikes have targeted members of Iran\'s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 10:34:09', '2024-02-22 10:34:09'),
(11287, 11287, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Thursday said that no one will be allowed to enter Bangladesh illegally through the borders.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this while replying to questions from reporters over the Myanmar issue at the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Some 330 Border Guard Police, military and government officials fled Myanmar and took shelter in our country.They  have been sent back to their country through our foreign ministry.”</div><div><br></div><div>They have been sent back through a very good arrangement,  the minister said, \"We\'re not going to let anybody enter the country illegally, we\'re not going to let anyone else infiltrate  our borders,.”</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh has given shelter to many Rohingyas , said the minister urging the government of Myanmar, all the countries around the world to take step for their repatriation to their own country as soon as possible,\" reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to another question, the minister said, \"This time they (BNP) did not participate in the election. So they can\'t claim to be the opposition now. They are another political party, as there are many smaller parties.”</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning that the BNP leaders were in jail for various reasons, the home minister said, \"The judges thought that they should be granted bail, they were granted bail, we have nothing to do here, we have nothing to say.\" </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 10:59:17', '2024-02-22 16:25:13'),
(11288, 11288, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday slammed the government for its plan to increase the prices of electricity and fuel in March, labeling it as \'anti-people, and ‘cruel’.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"The government has planned to increase the prices of electricity and fuel in March which has been reported in different media. The government which has captured power illegally can take such an anti-people and unacceptable decision,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This decision will be extremely ruthless. The decision ahead of Ramadan means adding salt to injury. Those with moderate and low incomes are already struggling, with 80% of the population not experiencing any rise in their income. People are living in extreme hardship, with some facing hunger and malnutrition. The government\'s decision to raise the prices of electricity and fuel will push the people into danger,\" added Rizvi.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said&nbsp; if the prices of electricity and fuel increase, it will have a negative impact on the common people through a chain reaction. Agriculture, industries, and factories will suffer, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP strongly condemns the plan of hiking prices of electricity and fuel, he said adding that if the government increases the prices the party will announce protest programmes, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Although the present occupying regime show their love for Bengali language and culture, in reality the country is being turned into a center of foreign languages and cultures, said Rizvi.</div><div><br></div><div>“The evidences are everywhere in Bangladesh. Today, when you turn on the television you see Hindi drama, Hindi cinema. Indian films are being screened in the movie halls. What are they for?\"</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 12:35:21', '2024-02-22 12:35:21'),
(11289, 11289, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Brac Bank customers will enjoy significant discounts and cashback at Amar Ekushey book fair partner shops.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The debit and credit cardholders will enjoy discounts up to 35 percent and credit cardholders will get 10 percent cash-back (up to Tk 200) on their purchases from selected publisher outlets. The offer is valid throughout February, 2024.</div><div><br></div><div>The partner outlets include Annesha, Prothoma, Babui, Kakoli, Batighar, Annaprakash, Pathak Shamabesh, Ghankosh, Shapla, Annanya, Rokomari, Oitijya, Kobi Prokashani, Nalanda, Katha Prokash etc.</div><div><br></div><div>Customers must spend at least Tk 500 in a single transaction to be eligible for a cashback offer.</div><div><br></div><div>The discounts and cashback are available for POS, e-commerce and QR (Including bKash and Bangla QR) payment systems.</div><div><br></div><div>The offer is an immense delight for book lovers as they can purchase their favourite books from the month-long book fair at Bangla Academy, where all renowned publishers come with their publications, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Commenting on the offer, Md. Mahiul Islam, Deputy Managing Director &amp; Head of Retail Banking of BRAC Bank, said, “Brac Bank always brings in exciting offers on special occasions. Amar Ekushey book fair is a part of Bangladesh\'s culture, and the nation waits for it.”</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 12:38:07', '2024-02-22 12:38:07'),
(11290, 11290, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A fire broke out in a jhut (used clothing) warehouse in a residential area of Gazipur on Thursday afternoon.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Five units of the Fire Service are working to control the blaze, confirmed Abdullah Al Arefin, Assistant Director of Gazipur Fire Service, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The fire broke out around 3:00 PM in the warehouse located in the Ambag area. Upon receiving the news, five units from Gazipur, Joydebpur, and surrounding areas rushed to the scene to bring the fire under control, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the immediate cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are yet to be determined. The Fire Service personnel were still working to bring the fire under control at the time of filing this report at 4:50 pm on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 13:07:28', '2024-02-22 13:07:28'),
(11291, 11291, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industry Corporation (BSFIC) has set the maximum retail price of the state-owned mills producing sugar at Tk 160 per kg, an increase by Tk 20 per kg.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>BSFIC announced this price issuing an official circular on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>The notification stated that the sale price of sugar produced by the BSFIC has been fixed in line with the product\'s international and domestic market price.</div><div><br></div><div>From now on, Mill Gate’s selling price of 50 kg sack of sugar of the corporation has been fixed at Tk 7500 (Tk150 per kg) and dealer level at Tk 7850 (Tk157 per kg), reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The sales rate of 1.0 kg of packaged sugar in mill gates or corporate super shops of the corporation has been set at Tk155 and the maximum retail selling price in super shops, basements and markets of sugar industry buildings has been set at Tk160 per kg.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 14:47:04', '2024-02-22 14:47:04'),
(11292, 11292, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat on Thursday said that the current government always welcomes constructive criticism.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The government just wants to challenge misinformation and disinformation with true information, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The state minister said this in an interview with visiting German journalists at his ministry office in the Bangladesh Secretariat this noon.</div><div><br></div><div>The journalists included Richard Beil, Michael Stang, Susann Kreutzmann, Aljoscha Hartmann, Julia Theres Held, Natalie Mayroth and Benjamin Bernd Thomas.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked about Bangladesh\'s recent reaction over Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) latest report and ranking on Bangladesh’s press freedom released in 2023, Arafat said, “I did not criticise the report and ranking published on the RSF website, but presented factual information as the report is available on the website till 2024.”</div><div><br></div><div>The RSF report contains a lot of wrong information, he said, adding, “In response, I have presented the facts to the media with evidence and sent a letter to the RSF in this regard.\"</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“Our intention is to uphold the truth to the RSF and re-evaluate the ranking,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said that some people criticise the activities of the government with bad intentions. The current government always welcomes constructive criticism, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>“When the media criticises the government with proper evidence, it helps the government. But criticising something with wrong information does not help anyone,” Arafat said, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He further added that the government had enacted the Digital Security Act to keep people safe from the digital world. “As it was criticised for its misuse, the government changed it to the Cyber Security Act. This is the beauty of the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Her government always adjusts and changes everything according to demand,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding Rohingya refugees, Arafat said that Bangladesh has shown maximum generosity to the Rohingyas. Now, they have become a burden for a densely populated country like Bangladesh. So, Bangladesh wants their safe return to their home country with dignity, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 15:04:22', '2024-02-22 15:04:22'),
(11293, 11293, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The International Court of Justice, the UN’s top court, on Thursday continued its hearing from dozens of states and three international organizations who question the legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Representatives from countries including China, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon and Libya were expected to deliver their positions during the third day of the hearing at the ICJ, also known as the World Court.</div><div><br></div><div>Speakers from the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have already demanded Israel end its occupation of the Palestinian territories, with the Kingdom’s envoy to the Netherlands Ziad Al-Atiyah stating Israel’s continued actions were legally indefensible.</div><div><br></div><div>Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan, said that “Israel is violating the rights of Muslims and Christians to the freedom of worship by banning Muslims from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and not protecting priests from humiliation and abuse from Israeli extremists.”</div><div><br></div><div>Safadi said that the “occupation was unlawful, inhumane and it must end.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Israel has been systematically consolidating the occupation, denying the Palestinians’ rights to self-determination.”</div><div><br></div><div>Safadi closed his remarks, saying “Palestinians are being killed in the hundreds every day in Gaza and in the West Bank because Israel is not being held accountable for its war crimes and violation of international law… rule that the Israel occupation, the source of all evil, must end.”</div><div><br></div><div>Hayder Shiya Al-Barrak, ambassador and head of the legal department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, called on the ICJ to stop the “systematic killing machine” against the Palestinian people and the end of “mass murder” and “genocide.”</div><div><br></div><div>Al-Barrak talked of Israel’s “barbaric acts”, including “air strikes and rocket attacks targeting civilians.”</div><div><br></div><div>“These acts constitute war crimes executed with a criminal intent” and are serious violations of the laws of war, the Iraqi representative said, and added that Israel “must be held accountable”.</div><div><br></div><div>The Iranian representative said the Israeli occupation force continuously violated Palestinians right to self-determination.</div><div><br></div><div>“The establishment of the Israeli regime was done through a violent process which involved the forcible displacement of native Palestinian people to create a majority Jewish colony in line with the Zionist movement,” Reza Najafi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs said.</div><div><br></div><div>Najafi listed a series of supposed ongoing violations by the Israeli occupying regime: prolonged occupation; alteration of the demographic composition in the occupied territories; alteration of the character and the status of the Holy City; discriminatory measures and violations of the rights of Palestinian people to permanent sovereignty over their natural resources.</div><div><br></div><div>Najafi added that “the expansion of settlements, segregated roads and barriers as well as checkpoints has created a system of apartheid which is isolating Palestinian communities.”In his closing remarks, Najafi said “the inaction or insufficient action of the Security Council” was one of the “main causes of prolonged occupation of the Palestinians,” and it was “paralysed due to the stalemate” caused by a “certain permanent member.”</div><div><br></div><div>Ma Xinmin, a foreign ministry legal adviser, meanwhile said Beijing “has consistently supported the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate right”.</div><div><br></div><div>“In pursuit of the right to self-determination”, he mentioned, the Palestinian people’s use of force to “resist foreign oppression” and complete the establishment of an independent state is an “inalienable right”. - Arab News&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 16:16:01', '2024-02-22 16:16:01'),
(11294, 11294, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Three Palestinian gunmen killed one person and wounded eight, among them a young pregnant woman, in a “terror attack” Thursday when they sprayed automatic weapons fire at vehicles near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The shooters were “neutralized,” police said, and an AFP photographer later saw their bodies at the scene of the attack on a highway east of Jerusalem, where five cars were riddled with bullets.</div><div><br></div><div>“The three terrorists... got out of their vehicle and started shooting automatic weapons at vehicles that were in a traffic jam on the road toward Jerusalem,” police said in a statement about the attack near the Maale Adumim settlement.</div><div><br></div><div>“Two terrorists were neutralized on the spot,” police said. “In the searches conducted at the scene, another terrorist was located who tried to escape and he was also neutralized.”</div><div><br></div><div>The gunmen were identified as Mohammed Zawahrah, 26, his brother Kathim Zawahrah, 31, and Ahmed Al-Wahsh, also 31, by Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet.</div><div><br></div><div>Among those wounded was a 23-year-old pregnant woman who was in critical condition, said the emergency response service Magen David Adom and a spokesperson for the Shaare Tzedek Hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>Violence was already on the rise across the West Bank prior to the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack, but has escalated since then to levels unseen in nearly two decades, with hundreds killed in recent months.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the site of Thursday’s attack where he told journalists: “The enemies... want to hurt us. They hate us.”</div><div><br></div><div>He argued that “we need to distribute more weapons” and that “our right to life is superior to the freedom of movement” of residents governed by the Palestinian Authority under president Mahmud Abbas.</div><div><br></div><div>“There should be more restrictions and we should put barriers around villages and limit the freedom of movement” of people from the West Bank, Ben Gvir added.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a “firm security response... and colonization” by building thousands of new housing units in settlements like Maale Adumim and across the West Bank.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our enemies must know that any harm done to us would result in more construction, more development and even more control over the entire country,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.</div><div><br></div><div>The attack came after two people were shot dead last Friday at a bus stop in southern Israel near the town of Kiryat Malakhi.</div><div><br></div><div>The West Bank has seen frequent Palestinian attacks on Israelis and near-daily raids by the Israeli military that often turn deadly.</div><div><br></div><div>Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 400 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war broke out, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel captured the West Bank — including east Jerusalem, which it later annexed — in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 16:18:24', '2024-02-22 16:18:24'),
(11295, 11295, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Brazil to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, including the war in Ukraine.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>On the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Fidan told Lavrov that Türkiye hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian war with the participation of all parties.</div><div><br></div><div>Fidan also said Türkiye supports all initiatives aimed at preserving regional stability and prosperity, according to the Turkish diplomatic sources.</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting, high-level visits were planned for the upcoming period, and bilateral and regional developments were discussed</div><div><br></div><div>The ministers also exchanged views on the \"dire humanitarian situation\" in the Gaza Strip and steps that can be taken, the sources added. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 16:22:19', '2024-02-22 16:22:19'),
(11296, 11296, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said Bangladesh is making progress as the country is run following the spirit of great sacrifices taught by the martyrs of the Language Movement and the Liberation War.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Today the fate of the country’s people has changed since Bangladesh has been marching forward with the ideology that we had learnt from the great sacrifices the people of this country had made on February 21 (the Language Movement) and during the Great Liberation War,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier was addressing a discussion on the occasion of the Language Martyrs\' Day and International Mother Language Day-2024 in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Awami League&nbsp; arranged the discussion in its Dhaka district office in Tejgaon.</div><div><br></div><div>AL President Sheikh Hasina, who chaired the discussion, said people of Bangladesh witnessed the upliftment of their socio-economic situation in the last 15 years.</div><div><br></div><div>“Evey person up to village level has seen improvement. The development of any country can’t be possible without following an ideology. And this ideology we learnt from February 21,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said the sacrifice in the 1952 Language Movement had taught the nation to move with an ideology of not to bow down to anyone. “Ekush taught us not to bow down heads, rather move keeping heads high and following an ideology,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said none can pull Bangladesh back anymore. “We’ve to go forward with this conviction,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The AL chief said Awami League has gained public trust and confidence as it works for the people. “As a result, the people elected us, voting for us time and again,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Pointing at BNP, Hasina said they wanted to remove AL from power through movement and resist the election, but failed.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the country\'s most fair, free and impartial election was held on January 7 since 1975.</div><div><br></div><div>“Despite thousands of attempts, spreading false accusations and carrying out various lobbying at home and abroad, they could not resist the people from spontaneously casting votes,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said greater number of young and female voters cast their votes this time.</div><div><br></div><div>She said now again they (BNP) are making very hollow utterances that they would topple the government through movement.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Jamaat and BNP are there. Ok, fine. But some leftist parties are also there who would wage movement and make revolution,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>AL presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, its Advisory Council Member Ataur Rahman, Dhaka South City AL President Abu Ahmed Mannafi, Dhaka North City AL President Sheikh Fazlur Rahman, Dhaka District AL President Benzir Ahmed and Director General of Bangla Academy Mohammad Nurul Huda, spoke on the occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>At the outset of the programme, one minute silence was observed to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 16:24:14', '2024-02-22 16:24:14'),
(11297, 11297, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Jatiya Party Secretary General and Opposition Chief Whip Mujibul Haque Chunnu on Thursday said in Parliament that if the government does not handle irregularities and corruption in the financial sector strictly, the country will become empty.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The opposition MP requested that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to become tough and take stern actions to control such irregularities.</div><div><br></div><div>Chunnu said this while participating in an unscheduled discussion in Parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>Quoting news reports published in different newspapers, Chunnu said that the financial irregularities of the public university amount to Tk 1,300 crore. Most of the irregularities took place in the National University.</div><div><br></div><div>“If the government does not handle them firmly then the country will become empty.”</div><div><br></div><div>Chunnu said that banks have already become empty.</div><div><br></div><div>“Surely it has been done through over invoicing and under invoicing,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Who is responsible to look after these? Where will we go? If concerned ministers including finance and commerce ministers do not look after these...”</div><div><br></div><div>Chunnu said Bangladesh Bank has remained silent in looking after such irregularities.</div><div><br></div><div>“Money is being laundered through banks, which were mentioned in their report (Bangladesh Bank). What did they do so far? Why the Bangladesh Bank could not control the commercial banks? Don’t they know the price of any item?”</div><div><br></div><div>Coming down heavily on the Bangladesh Bank, Chunnu said, “Don’t they (BB) know whether under invoice or over invoicing is taking place?”</div><div><br></div><div>The JP MP also pointed out the tragic death of a child while undergoing circumcision at a city hospital, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He called upon the PM to become tougher to address all these.</div><div><br></div><div>“If the government does not become tough, we have nowhere to go. I hope the government will strictly control them and take actions in this regard,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 16:30:05', '2024-02-22 16:30:05'),
(11298, 11298, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Britain\'s foreign secretary on Thursday announced dozens of new sanctions targeting Russia as the war in Ukraine is about to enter its third year.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>More than 50 new sanctions aim to target individuals and businesses sustaining Russia\'s war in Ukraine, the Foreign Office said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>New targets include munitions manufacturers, electronics companies, and diamond and oil traders as this Saturday marks two years since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our international economic pressure means Russia cannot afford this illegal invasion. Our sanctions are starving Putin of the resources he desperately needs to fund his struggling war,\" Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We will continue to support Ukraine as it fights for democracy - for as long as it takes,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The statement noted that today\'s package will disrupt Russia\'s ability to equip its now \"struggling military with high tech equipment and much needed weaponry.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Those sanctioned by the UK include companies linked to manufacturing munitions, key Russian importers and manufacturers of machine tools, two Russian diamond companies, and five senior executives or owners of Russia’s top producers of copper, zinc, and steel.</div><div><br></div><div>This month marks two years since Russia launched its full-scale armed attack on Ukraine, and also 10 years since it illegally annexed Ukraine\'s Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, said the UN human rights office.</div><div><br></div><div>The UK has sanctioned 2,000 individuals, companies, and groups under the Russia sanctions regime alone. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-22 16:33:29', '2024-02-22 16:33:29'),
(11299, 11299, '<div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address a press conference on Friday morning to apprise the media of the outcomes of her recent three-day visit to Munich in Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference 2024.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The press conference will be held at her Ganabhaban residence at 10:30 am on Friday,\" according to an official release of the press wing of the Prime Minister.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister went to Munich on February 15 to attend the Munich Security Conference 2024 and returned home on February 19.</div><div><br></div><div>During her stay in Munich, the Prime Minister attended the Munich Security Conference and held bilateral meetings with global leaders on the sidelines of the conference. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bn/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-23 04:56:13', '2024-02-23 04:56:13'),
(11300, 11300, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said no global leader raised any concern and question about last month\'s general election during her recent visit to Germany.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“No one said anything about the election. They don’t have any concern and question regarding the election,” she said, replying to a question at a press conference in her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>The press conference was organised to tell about the outcomes of her recent visit to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference-2024.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said bilateral issues dominated the agenda of her meetings with global leaders, held on the sidelines of the conference.</div><div><br></div><div>“None told me anything about the election as they knew that I would come back winning the election,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Not naming anyone, she said there is a country where the election is called free and fair despite it takes 12-13 days to declare the poll results.</div><div><br></div><div>How come! In Bangladesh, the election is not free despite its results announced within 24 hours (of the balloting), she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister went to Munich on February 15 and returned home on February 19.</div><div><br></div><div>During her stay in Munich, Hasina attended the Munich Security Conference and held meetings with global leaders on the sidelines. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-23 07:56:22', '2024-02-23 07:56:22');
