INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7793, 7793, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman on Wednesday said there would be no dialogue with BNP on the caretaker government system which has been abolished by the court.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The election will be held as per the constitution. Dialogue will be held if BNP takes part in the next election accepting the demand (accepting constitutional provision). There will be no dialogue with the BNP on caretaker government issue,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The adviser made the remarks after his meeting with visiting British Minister for International Trade Nigel Huddleston at Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) office in the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the UK wants a free, fair and neutral election and the government has strengthened the Election Commission to that end.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The government is committed to a free and fair election. Our Election Commission is independent. The proof is that many city corporation elections are being held neutrally. National elections will be held as per the constitution,” said the adviser.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the opposition should understand that there is no alternative other than participating in the election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Salman said they also discussed the Rohingya issue and sought continued focus and pressure on Myanmar to resolve the crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They discussed the Aviation Trade and Investment Partnership, signed by the UK and Bangladesh in May 2023, to strengthen Bangladesh\'s aviation sector and create jobs in both countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UK minister is here to discuss relevant issues with Bangladesh to help grow green growth.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He wants to use his first official visit here to demonstrate the UK’s eagerness to work with Bangladesh on shared challenges like climate change, using their collective expertise to deepen trading relationships, spark economic growth, and create jobs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I look forward to working with the Government of Bangladesh on increasing mutual prosperity by addressing barriers to market access and trade,” said the UK minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are huge opportunities for British companies to take advantage of the growing trade relationship between the UK and Bangladesh, according to the UK government. With Bangladesh, UK’s trade has reached nearly £5 billion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Huddleston arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday evening on a two-day official visit. His visit is focused on unlocking more opportunities for British companies to grow trade.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Dhaka, the minister will visit Intertek, a UK company supporting supply chains in Bangladesh by providing bespoke testing services, for example ensuring manufacturers meet product safety standards.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This visit comes a month after the UK’s world-leading Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) came into force making it easier for Bangladesh and other developing countries to trade with the UK.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladeshi exporters now benefit from simpler and more generous Rules of Origin, which means that they will be able to produce goods using components from many more countries and still export these with zero tariffs to the UK.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Huddleston will also meet Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi to discuss the UK’s world-leading Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which came into force last month, and makes it easier for Bangladesh to trade with the UK.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the joint communique on Aviation Trade and Investment Partnership, Minister Huddleston will meet Mahbub Ali, state minister for civil aviation and tourism.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Discussions will focus on the UK’s offer to help Bangladesh realise its ambition of becoming the next aviation hub in South Asia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our trade with Bangladesh has grown significantly over the past year, which shows our partnerships are reaching new heights,\" he said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-05 21:47:54', '2023-07-05 21:47:54'),
(7794, 7794, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The High Court (HC) on Wednesday&nbsp; issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why they should not be directed to pay Tk 5 crore compensation to five-year-old Agraraj Sikder, who lost his leg after a bus ran over it in Chattogram\'s Banshkhali.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The HC bench of Justice SM Quddus Zaman and Justice AKM Rabiul Hassan issued the rule after preliminary hearing on a writ petition seeking compensation for Agraraj.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Home secretary, Chattogram divisional commissioner, S Alam Transport Authority and others have been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Advocate Tushar Roy, who appeared for the writ petitioner&nbsp; in the court, confirmed reporters about&nbsp; the issuance of the rule.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On February 16, when Agraraj Sikder was standing at the gate of his&nbsp; school in Napora Bazar area of Banshkhali the&nbsp; bus of S Alam Paribahan going to Chattogram ran over the boy’s leg while overtaking an auto-rickshaw.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The bus also dragged the child some distance. The child was later rescued by locals and taken to a hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His left leg had to be amputated and his right leg was plastered at the hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a press conference at Chattogram Press Club on April 12, Agraraj\'s mother Purnima Dey said her son had to lose one of his legs after being hit by the bus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Her husband is a carpenter and they have already spent Tk 7 lakh for the child’s treatment and now they are unable to pay the rest cost, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, a writ petition was filed with the High Court seeking compensation. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-05 21:52:04', '2023-07-05 21:52:04'),
(7795, 7795, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Two people were killed and four others injured&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">in a collision between a bus and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Dhanbari upazila of the district today.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased were identified as CNG driver Wazed Mia, 42, and Halim, 32. Both were the residents of Jamalpur district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Dhanbari Thana Edris Ali said the accident occurred this morning in Chattarkandi area on Tangail-Jamalpur Highway here.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wazed and Halim succumbed to their injuries at Dhanbari Upazila Health Complex, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the injured, three were sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Bodies were handed over to their respective family members,\" the OC said, adding that police seized both the vehicles. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-05 21:57:16', '2023-07-05 21:57:16'),
(7796, 7796, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday said the BNP and like-minded parties are spreading rumours as part of plot to intensify conflicts centering the upcoming national election.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He made the remarks during a joint meeting with the leaders of AL’s associate bodies at the party’s central office here.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader said that the opposition parties are not going to the voters, but rather appealing to their foreign lords.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“They are indulged in their dreams of lodging complaints and imposition of restrictions on Bangladesh,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Foreigners are our friends. But they have no authority here. On the other hand the BNP has masters in foreign countries,” he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regarding the recent amendment of the Representation of the People’s Order (RPO), Quader said it was necessary.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said, “In any event of irregularities, only the polling of the specific center should be cancelled, rather than an entire election. This provision is explicitly mentioned in the Act and similar practices exist in other democratic nations. Why does Bangladesh need to adopt a different approach?”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also said BNP is obsessively pursuing power, “The election will be fair to them only if Awami League loses.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The recent local government elections did not reflect the alleged chaos, fake votes, and capturing of polling stations that the opposition propagates. This positive outcome happened because of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s efforts in modernizing and democratizing the electoral system through the establishment of the independent Election Commission,” he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader also said the upcoming national election would be conducted peacefully, fairly, and independently- similar to the city corporation elections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government will not interfere, and PM Hasina\'s administration would perform its routine duties, he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The joint meeting was attended by Awami League Joint General Secretary Hasan Mahmud, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, and AFM Bahauddin Nasim, among others. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-05 23:01:12', '2023-07-05 23:01:12'),
(7797, 7797, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has praised the recent Chinese diplomatic efforts that bore positive outcomes in the Middle East.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He hoped China would continue to play important roles in mitigating many other crises in different parts of the world, \"including ours.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ambassador of China to Bangladesh Yao Wen met FM Momen on Wednesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the meeting, Momen reiterated Bangladesh’s commitments for further enhancing the ‘South-South Cooperation’ for greater collective benefit of the global South, according to the foreign ministry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He referred to innovative approaches including that of the Community Clinics introduced in Bangladesh by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which is now internationally appreciated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen observed that a developing country like Bangladesh could apply a lot of practical, simple and viable Chinese innovations for the benefit of the common people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He referred to Bangladesh’s success in management of the Covid-19 pandemic and appreciated the significant Chinese support in this regard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen also pointed out the inflationary pressure and other economic woes inflicted by the undesired Russia-Ukraine war on the lives of the common people, particularly those in the developing world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also expressed hope that the war would be brought to an immediate end through dialogue and peaceful diplomatic engagements.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Chinese envoy updated about different development projects in Bangladesh that are being carried out with support from China.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen thanked China as a trusted development partner and hoped that the ongoing bilateral engagements would be further enhanced.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He encouraged greater Chinese investment in Bangladesh to facilitate more job-creation and transfer of technology and skills.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While exchanging views on climate change, the issue of the prevailing monsoon and its impacts on possible flood situation in the country, particularly the occurrence of flash-floods, came up.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Chinese envoy offered to extend assistance for dredging the relevant rivers in Bangladesh for improving the capacity of the rivers to better manage the flood situations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of China under the trilateral framework for facilitating the desired repatriation of the Rohingyas, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds, to their homeland in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They also reviewed the ongoing bilateral cooperation in various multilateral and international forums. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 00:11:41', '2023-07-06 00:11:41'),
(7798, 7798, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Slow weapons deliveries to Ukraine delayed Kyiv\'s planned counteroffensive, allowing Russia to bolster its defenses in occupied areas including with mines, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a TV interview broadcast Wednesday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to CNN\'s Erin Burnett in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa days earlier, Zelensky revealed that he had sought to begin the counteroffensive against Russia \"much earlier\" than its actual start early June.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our slowed-down counteroffensive is happening due to certain difficulties in the battlefield. Everything is heavily mined there,\" Zelensky said via a translator in the pre-taped interview.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I wanted our counteroffensive happening much earlier, because everyone understood that if the counteroffensive will be unfolding later, then much bigger part of our territory will be mined.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said he had told US and European leaders ahead of the counteroffensive that a lack of supplies would result in more casualties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I\'m grateful to the US as the leaders of our support, but I told them as well as European leaders that we would like to start our counteroffensive earlier, and we will need all the weapons and material for that.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Why? Simply because if we start later, it will go slower, and we will have losses of lives, because everything is heavily mined -- we will have to go through it all.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In another interview with US media last week, Ukraine\'s military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny also expressed frustration at the slow deliveries of promised weaponry from the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It \"pisses me off\" that some in the West complain about the slow start and progress of the long-awaited push against Russian forces in Ukraine\'s south, Zaluzhny told The Washington Post.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zaluzhny said his Western supporters would not themselves launch an offensive without air superiority, but Ukraine is still waiting for F-16 fighters promised by its allies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelensky told CNN that he had \"emphasized\" the need for F-16s many times.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s not even about the Ukrainian advantage of the sky over the Russians. This is only about being equal,\" he said, noting the difficulty of moving forward on the battlefield without air support and more long-range weaponry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also argued the F-16s could be viewed as \"humanitarian\" support, as they could be used by Ukraine to keep open a shipping corridor if Russia decides to not extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, which is set to expire July 17.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"F-16s give us a possibility to build a defense of this corridor,\" Zelensky said. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 17:46:35', '2023-07-06 17:46:35'),
(7799, 7799, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US defense chief Lloyd Austin has ordered measures aimed at improving security after a trove of top secret documents leaked online earlier this year, the Pentagon said Wednesday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The move follows a 45-day review of Defense Department policies and procedures that Austin ordered after a junior airman allegedly orchestrated the most damaging leak of US classified documents in a decade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The review identified areas where we can and must improve accountability measures to prevent the compromise of CNSI (classified national security information), to include addressing insider threats,\" Austin wrote in a memo released by the Pentagon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Steps assigned by Austin include developing a plan for a so-called Joint Management Office for Insider Threat and Cyber Capabilities to \"improve threat monitoring across all (Pentagon) networks.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also called for guidance to be issued to \"immediately enhance accountability and control of top secret information,\" and for the implementation of a \"phased approach to increase accountability, manage access, and increase security to classified data.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard IT specialist, was arrested in April after allegedly posting a series of highly sensitive documents to a private chat group on social media platform Discord.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The documents, which soon spread across the internet, pointed to US concern over Ukraine\'s military capacity against invading Russian forces and showed Washington had apparently spied on allies Israel and South Korea, among other sensitive details.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was the biggest such breach since the 2013 dump of National Security Agency documents by Edward Snowden and raised tough questions about access by Teixeira, a junior staffer, to high-level secrets.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Teixeira -- who pleaded not guilty last month -- is facing six counts of retaining and transmitting national defense information, which each carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 17:49:01', '2023-07-06 17:49:01'),
(7800, 7800, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A missile attack on an apartment block in western Ukraine\'s Lviv killed four people on Thursday, in what its mayor said was the biggest attack on civilian infrastructure in the city since Russia\'s invasion of the country began.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While Russia regularly pounds Ukraine with missiles, artillery and drones, the Lviv region, hundreds of kilometres from the frontlines and near the Polish border, has largely been spared the aerial onslaughts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"An apartment building was damaged as a result of the Russian missile attack,\" Ukraine\'s Interior Minister Igor Klymenko wrote on Telegram.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The 3rd and 4th floors in two sections of the house were destroyed... As of 7:00 am (0400 GMT), 4 people were killed, 9 were injured.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rescuers were working to reach those still trapped under rubble, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 50 apartments had been \"ruined\" and a dormitory at Lviv Polytechnic University had been damaged, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi posted on Telegram.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This is the biggest attack on Lviv\'s civilian infrastructure since the beginning\" of Russia\'s invasion, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Consequences of the night attack by Russian terrorists,\" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote alongside a Telegram video post showing a damaged building.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There will definitely be a response to the enemy. A tangible one.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was unclear how many missiles had been launched.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Sorting through debris\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, regional governor Maksym Kozytski said \"several\" missiles were \"moving in the direction of the western regions\", citing Ukraine\'s Air Force Command.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A separate video posted by Kozytski showed a multi-storey building with part of its top floor destroyed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Emergency services were on the scene and rescuers were \"sorting through the debris\", he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"As of now, the rubble is being dismantled,\" he said. \"We are doing everything possible to... save people.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unverified videos posted to Telegram purporting to show the aftermath of a strike showed shattered glass littering the floor of what appeared to be a dormitory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was not clear if the videos showed the same strike.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On June 20, Lviv was hit by a major Russian drone assault on Kyiv and other cities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine has recently bolstered its air defence systems with Western-supplied weapons and the number of Russian missiles and drones breaking through has diminished.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the spokesman for Ukraine\'s air force, Yuriy Ignat, recently said that newly supplied systems were still insufficient to cover the whole country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Slow weapons deliveries to Ukraine delayed Kyiv\'s planned counteroffensive, allowing Russia to bolster its defences in occupied areas, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a TV interview broadcast Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our slowed-down counteroffensive is happening due to certain difficulties in the battlefield. Everything is heavily mined there,\" he told CNN via a translator in the pre-taped interview. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 19:20:57', '2023-07-06 19:20:57'),
(7801, 7801, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Tamim Iqbal, the ODI captain of Bangladesh, has announced his retirement from international cricket.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In a surprise move, last night, Tamim called for a personal press conference today and bid farewell to international cricket.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“The match I played against Afghanistan is the final match of my career,\" Tamim declared at a hotel in Chattogram, his hometown.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"I have been contemplating this decision for a long time and have discussed it with my family,” the star cricketer said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The 34-year-old broke down in tears while addressing the media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"I want to thank all my team-mates from the youth team to national team, coaches, BCB officials, my family members, and those who have been with me through my long journey. They kept faith in me,” the ODI skipper said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“I have nothing much to say. I have always tried my best. I’ve always given my 100 percent,” Tamim said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“I have started playing cricket only to fulfill my father’s dream. Not sure how much I’ve achieved.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">He also thanked fans for their support throughout his long journey in international cricket.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In his 16 years of international cricket, Tamim Iqbal scored the most ODI runs (8313) and hundreds (14) for Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In the test, Tamim scored 5134 runs — the second highest for Bangladesh — at an average of 38.89, with ten centuries in 70 matches, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Tamim had previously retired from T20Is last year, but he had continued to play ODIs and Tests.<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">&nbsp;UNB</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 19:23:08', '2023-07-06 20:26:49'),
(7802, 7802, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to visit Rome, Italy later this month to discuss bilateral issues and attend the UN Food Systems Summit.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 2023 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment will be held in Rome, Italy on July 24-26 at the premises of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It will be hosted by Italy in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP), the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, and the wider UN system.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister is scheduled to be in Rome from July 23, said a diplomatic source.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She is likely to have a bilateral meeting with her Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during the visit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina will speak at the Food System Summit in Rome while her Italy visit is likely to see the signing of half a dozen bilateral documents in the areas of energy, migration, ICT and cyber security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh and Italy have been discussing a possible memorandum of understanding (MoU ) on mobility and migration — to encourage regular migration and prevent irregular ones.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We want to go further in our cooperation on migration issues. In particular, creating and enlarging the existing legal channels or legal pathways for migration while stemming the irregular one,”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Enrico Nunziata told UNB in an interview recently.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The envoy said the two countries have to deepen cooperation for preventing irregular migration, trafficking and so on.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ambassador Nunziata recalled one of the deliverables during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Italy in 2020 — reinsertion of Bangladesh in the list of countries whose nationals can benefit from a quota for work.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Talking about collaboration in the defence sector, he said there is possibility of collaboration and transfer of know-how as well on a win-win basis. “So this is another important sector.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ambassador said a memorandum of understanding in the cultural sphere for programmes of cultural exchanges is also in the pipeline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Italian ambassador also said they want to collaborate in the shipbuilding industry for the Navy or Coast Guard by sharing know-how and technologies with Bangladesh. “I mean that level of know-how that Bangladesh has not reached in shipbuilding yet. Together we can do more on that in shipbuilding as well as in other sectors.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 2023 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment will build on the momentum of the 2021 Food Systems Summit and will create a conducive space for countries to review commitments to action that were made during the Summit, share stories of success and early signs of transformation, maintain the momentum for bold acceleration and bold action to further the resilience of food systems, advocate for their adaptation to climate change, ensure they contribute to communities’ resilience to further shocks and crises, and boost the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 19:26:14', '2023-07-06 19:26:14'),
(7803, 7803, '<p style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) predicted that the flood situation in low-lying areas of Netrokona districts may improve in 24 hours.</span><br></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">FFWC, in its regular bulletin, said Brahmaputra River remains unchanged but Jamuna river water is in a rising trend, which may continue in 24 hours starting from 9 am on Thursday (July 06, 2023).</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Water in the Ganga-Padma Rivers is in a rising trend, which may continue in 72hours, it reads.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Besides, major rivers in the northeastern region of the country are in a falling trend except Khowai, Monu and Dhalai, which may continue in 48 hours, the bulletin said. UNB</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</p>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 19:29:26', '2023-07-06 19:29:26'),
(7804, 7804, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">More than 10 million people have signed up to Threads, Meta\'s rival to Twitter, within the first few hours of its launch, the company\'s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The app went live on Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries at 2300 GMT on Wednesday, and will run with no ads for now, but its release in Europe has been delayed over data privacy concerns.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Threads is the biggest challenger yet to Elon Musk-owned Twitter, which has seen a series of potential competitors emerge but not yet replace one of the world\'s biggest social media platforms, despite its struggles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"10 million sign ups in seven hours,\" Zuckerberg wrote on his official Threads account Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Accounts were already active for celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Hugh Jackman, as well as media outlets including The Washington Post and The Economist.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zuckerberg also offered a shot across the bow at Musk -- the pair are known to be bitter rivals, and have offered to wrestle it out in a cage fight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In his first tweet in over a decade, Zuckerberg posted a Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme in an apparent reference to the similarities between Threads</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Threads, he wrote: \"It\'ll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn\'t nailed it. Hopefully we will.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twitter has said it has more than 200 million daily users.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Be kind\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Threads was introduced as a clear spin-off of Instagram, which offers a built-in audience of more than two billion users, sparing the new platform the challenge of starting from scratch.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Instagram chief Adam Mosseri told users that Threads was intended to build \"an open and friendly platform for conversations.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The best thing you can do if you want that too is be kind,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zuckerberg is widely understood to be taking advantage of Musk\'s chaotic ownership of Twitter to push out the new product, which Meta hopes will become the go-to platform for celebrities, companies and politicians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s as simple as that: if an Instagram user with a large number of followers such as Kardashian or a Bieber or a Messi begins posting on Threads regularly, a new platform could quickly thrive,\" strategic financial analyst Brian Wieser said on Substack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Analyst Jasmine Engberg from Insider Intelligence said Threads only needs one out of four Instagram monthly users \"to make it as big as Twitter.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Twitter users are desperate for an alternative, and Musk has given Zuckerberg an opening,\" she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under Musk, Twitter has seen content moderation reduced to a minimum with glitches and rash decisions scaring away celebrities and major advertisers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He has angered Twitter\'s most devoted aficionados by declaring that access to its TweetDeck product -- which allows users to view a fast flow of tweets at once -- would be for paying customers only.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- EU \'many months\' away -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meta has its legion of critics too, especially in Europe, which could slow the growth of Threads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The company has been criticized for its handling of personal data, the essential ingredient for targeted ads that help it rake in billions of dollars in profits.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mosseri said he regretted that the launch was delayed in the European Union, but had Meta waited for regulatory clarity from Brussels, Threads would have been \"many, many, many, months away.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I was worried that our window would close, because timing is important,\" he told the tech news site Platformer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to a source close to the matter, Meta was wary of a new law called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which sets strict rules for the world\'s \"gatekeeper\" internet companies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One rule restricts platforms from moving user data between products, as would potentially be the case between Threads and Instagram.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meta was caught doing just that after it bought WhatsApp, and European regulators will be on high alert to ensure it does not do so illegally with Threads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Globally, the Threads hashtag on Twitter has garnered over a million tweets, with many users jokingly suggesting people will return to Musk\'s platform.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"10 mins into threads app. Me coming back to Twitter,\" one user wrote, sharing a video of a man sprinting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Others expressed privacy concerns.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Meta loves to collect private information and I don\'t trust the way it treats private information,\" a Japanese user tweeted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I also have the impression that this is a company hated by EU, so I\'m reluctant.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But some said they would permanently move to Threads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One Threads user wrote: \"Now I truly can say goodbye to Twitter forever.\" AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"5\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 20:30:16', '2023-07-06 20:30:16'),
(7805, 7805, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Four people were killed and four others injured in a head-on collision between an ambulance and an excavator carrying truck on the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Arambagh area under Sadar upazila of the district today.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officer-in-charge (OC) of Gopalganj Sadar Police Station Jabed Masud said the accident occurred in Arambagh area around 7:30am when an ambulance collided head-on with an excavator carrying truck, leaving one person dead on the spot and seven others injured seriously.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the injured and brought them to Gopalganj 250-bed General Hospital and three others died after being brought to the hospital, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rests of the injured are receiving treatment at the hospital, the OC added. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 20:32:52', '2023-07-06 20:32:52'),
(7806, 7806, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the next BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand later this year.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Before the BIMSTEC Summit, foreign ministers retreat will be held.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen confirmed it after his meeting with Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India Saurabh Kumar.0.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign secretary said Bangladesh will be the next chair of the BIMSTEC while the next secretary general of the BIMSTEC will be from India.</div><div><br></div><div>India has an interest in knowing the priorities of the next chair,  Masud said.</div><div><br></div><div>Kumar arrived in Dhaka on Thursday to discuss BIMSTEC issues with FS Momen.</div><div><br></div><div>Secretary Director General (South Asia) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs A.T.M. Rokebul Haque received  Kumar upon his arrival in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma was also present.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 21:58:08', '2023-07-06 23:55:40'),
(7807, 7807, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Two motorcycle riders were killed and one other was injured as a train hit their motorcycle in Santhia upazila of the district this morning.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased were identified as Jamirul Islam, 32, and Md Babu, 25. They were the residents in Kabarikola area in the upazila. They were heading towards Biramhinpur riding on the motorcycle.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sub-Inspector of Ishwardi GRP Thana Islam Alimulla said the accident occurred at around 6 am in Chandipur rail level crossing. Jamirul and Babu died on the spot.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The injured person was admitted to a local hospital. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 22:04:39', '2023-07-06 22:04:39');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7808, 7808, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and chief patron of Jatiya Party Begum Raushan Ershad has urged the government to take quick steps to tackle the flood situation in the country.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The government will have to take quick steps to tackle the flood situation,\" she said in a statement today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Due to the severe erosion of the Jamuna River caused by the upstream flow of water, many lands and houses in Tangail and Sirajganj are going under water,\" said Raushan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the rise in water level of different rivers, including the Dudhkumar, Dharla, Teesta and Brahmaputra, Surma and Kushiara, and nonstop rains, flood has occurred in many places of Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Kurigram, Bogura, Sirajganj, Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrokona districts, she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Especially the situation in Sylhet and Netrokona is getting worse as many people have been marooned there,\" she said. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 22:10:00', '2023-07-06 22:10:00'),
(7809, 7809, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Thursday said Bangladesh’s uocoming natiinal election might come up for discussion apart from other issues of mutual interest during the visit of a high-level US delegation next week.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Many issues will be discussed. Election issues may come up for discussion as one of the issues. We are not ruling out this,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign secretary said human rights, Rohingya repatriation, trade, labour and other issues of mutual interest will come up for discussion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya will lead the US delegation during the July 11-14 visit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID Änjali Kaur will be part of the delegation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign secretary said&nbsp; Zeya is a relatively senior US official and her mandated area is quite wide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen said he does not have any information that the US delegation is coming to discuss only the election issue but it is the continuation of various bilateral mechanisms that the two countries have.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka witnessed a series of visits from Washington in the recent past, including a visit by Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, in March 19-23, 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Donald Lu also visited Bangladesh earlier this year. Lu has been heavily involved in setting Washington\'s Bangladesh policy in the recent past.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the new visa policy was officially announced by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 25, Lu appeared as the public face of the move, making appearances in Bangladeshi media to explain how it would be implemented.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, in a weekly media briefing at the Ministry, Director General (Additional Charge) of Public Diplomacy Wing Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said the visit of the US delegation led by Uzra Zeya is basically an effort to advance the friendly relations between the two countries and strengthen the communication further.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US delegation will also visit the Rohingya camp apart from their engagements at various levels.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zeya leads global diplomatic efforts to strengthen democracy, advance universal human rights, support refugees and humanitarian relief, promote rule of law and counternarcotics cooperation, fight corruption and intolerance, prevent armed conflict, and eliminate human trafficking. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 23:14:34', '2023-07-06 23:14:34'),
(7810, 7810, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said her Awami League government wants the continuation of the democratic process to maintain the country’s development spree.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We want the democratic process to continue in the country. As the democratic process is going on we have been able to develop the country and we have attained the status of a developing nation,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said this while inaugurating a new office for officers of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat at the Parliament Bhaban.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that the country’s democratic trend is the result of long struggle and all have to keep in mind that It did not happen overnight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“But for this stable condition it would not have been possible (to achieve these),” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said the country had to repeatedly encounter problems on its way to progress.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“After forming the government in 2009 we have been in the government till now. We have been able to strengthen our democratic process. As a result the whole country has changed,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina said Bangladesh witnessed massive development as a stable democracy has been prevailing since 2009.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She told the prime minister that the activities of the office of Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat would be fully shifted to new office compound.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, an archive on life, works and struggles of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the War of Liberation will also be built there by next October, the speaker added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier in the afternoon, the PM inaugurated the newly constructed office of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat by cutting a ribbon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The speaker, deputy leader of the House Matia Chowdhury, Cabinet members, deputy speaker, chief whip and whips, Members of Parliament and officials concerned were present on the occasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, the premier went around different sections of the newly built office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On arrival at the new office compound, the prime minister was received by the speaker. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-06 23:54:28', '2023-07-06 23:54:28'),
(7811, 7811, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Two more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Thursday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 64 this year.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the period, 661 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Of the new patients, 433 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 2, 129 dengue patients, including 1, 490 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, the DGHS has recorded 11, 116 dengue cases, 8, 923 recoveries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read: This year’s dengue death toll rises to 62 with another death in 24 hours</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 00:32:09', '2023-07-07 00:32:09'),
(7812, 7812, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League (AL) General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said BNP is involved in conspiracies and ill efforts to make the next general election voter-less.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The spontaneous participation of the people in recent elections, including the city corporation polls, proves that they have great interests in elections,\" he said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader said even though BNP and its allies did not participate in those elections, the voter turnout was over 50 percent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The country\'s people have turned away from BNP and the party has lost public support, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BNP is isolated from the people and is afraid of facing them, and that is why the BNP leaders are involved in multifaceted conspiracies and evil efforts to make the general election voter-less, the AL general secretary said, adding that BNP is carrying out propaganda about the election in fear of their poor public support.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said as the country\'s people do not trust BNP, none of their plans will succeed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Assuring that the upcoming parliamentary polls will be held in a free, fair and peaceful manner with spontaneous participation of voters, Quader said the government could be changed through people\'s mandate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said BNP is the founder of voter-less election in this country, while military dictator Ziaur Rahman tried to get constitutional legitimacy by holding a so-called \"Yes-No\" vote and following his footprints, his wife Begum Khaleda Zia organised an election of farce without voters on February 15, 1996.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the BNP regimes, the Election Commission (EC) had no ability to work independently and impartially as the EC was under the control of the Prime Minister\'s Office, the road transport and bridges minister said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the successful statesman and Bangabandhu\'s daughter, Sheikh Hasina, has turned the EC into an independent entity as per the constitutional provisions and also increased the financial capacity of the commission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In particular, to strengthen the constitutional process, a specific law has been enacted on the formation of the EC,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Claiming that no institution was run independently during the BNP regime, the AL general secretary said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was a toothless tiger during its periods and the judiciary functioned following the ideology of BNP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By appointing partisan and controversial people, he said, the BNP stigmatised the then caretaker government and the country\'s democratic institutions, including the EC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader said no democratic institutions were established during the BNP regimes rather the party destroyed the democratic and constitutional institutions aiming to usurp the state power.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP destroyed all institutions and made the state system ineffective after seizing the state power, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BNP will resume destructive politics if it comes to power again as the party traditionally has no faith in democratic system and constitutional process, the AL general secretary said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"On the other hand, the Awami League government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has increased the capacity of all institutions apart from establishing democratic institutions,\" he added. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 00:35:06', '2023-07-07 00:35:06'),
(7813, 7813, '<p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"><b>US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya has said the US looks forward to deepening their partnership with Bangladesh.</b></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">She met Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Imran in Washington on Thursday and they had a \"productive\" discussion.</p><div data-position=\"desktop-details-article-right\" class=\"m-0 p-0\" style=\"font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"></div><span style=\"font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Thank you, Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Imran for a productive discussion on democracy, human rights, fair labor practices and humanitarian cooperation. I look forward to deepening our strong partnership,\" she tweeted.</div></span><p style=\"font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Zeya will lead the US delegation during the July 11-14 visit.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID Änjali Kaur will be part of the delegation.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said on Thursday Zeya is a relatively senior US official and her mandated area is quite wide.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">He said Bangladesh’s uocoming natiinal election might come up for discussion apart from other issues of mutual interest during the visit of a high-level US delegation next week.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">“Many issues will be discussed. Election issues may come up for discussion as one of the issues. We are not ruling out this,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</p><div data-position=\"desktop-details-article-left\" class=\"m-0 p-0\" style=\"font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"></div><span style=\"font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign secretary said human rights, Rohingya repatriation, trade, labour and other issues of mutual interest will come up for discussion.</div></span><p style=\"font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Momen said he does not have any information that the US delegation is coming to discuss only the election issue but it is the continuation of various bilateral mechanisms that the two countries have.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Dhaka witnessed a series of visits from Washington in the recent past, including a visit by Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, in March 19-23, 2022.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Lu also visited Bangladesh earlier this year. He has been heavily involved in setting Washington\'s Bangladesh policy in the recent past.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">After the new visa policy was officially announced by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 25, Lu appeared as the public face of the move, making appearances in Bangladeshi media to explain how it would be implemented.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Meanwhile, in a weekly media briefing at the Ministry, Director General (Additional Charge) of Public Diplomacy Wing Mohammad Rafiqul Alam said the visit of the US delegation led by Uzra Zeya is basically an effort to advance the friendly relations between the two countries and strengthen the communication further.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">The US delegation will also visit the Rohingya camp apart from their engagements at various levels.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Zeya leads global diplomatic efforts to strengthen democracy, advance universal human rights, support refugees and humanitarian relief, promote rule of law and counternarcotics cooperation, fight corruption and intolerance, prevent armed conflict, and eliminate human trafficking.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Uzra Zeya also had a separate meeting with Indian Ambassador to USA Taranjit Singh Sandhu.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">\"Deepening US-India ties to benefit the Indo-Pacific region!\" she tweeted.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\">Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi\'s June visit, they discussed their mutual efforts to advance a \"more open, free, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific.\"- UNB</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"><span style=\"font-family: \"Noto Serif Bengali\", serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">bnbd24/kha</span><br></p>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 20:01:49', '2023-07-08 04:19:38'),
(7814, 7814, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>At least 50 people, including eight children, have been killed by floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains that have lashed Pakistan since last month, officials said today.</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall between June and September every year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For all latest news, follow The Daily Star\'s Google News channel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is vital for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security in a region of around two billion people -- but it also brings landslides and floods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Fifty deaths have been reported in different rain-related incidents all over Pakistan since the start of the monsoon on June 25,\" a national disaster management official told AFP, adding that 87 people were injured during this period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The majority of the deaths were in eastern Punjab province, and were mainly due to electrocution and building collapses, official data showed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the bodies of eight children were recovered from a landslide in the Shangla district on Thursday, according to the emergency service Rescue 1122\'s spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said rescuers were still searching for other children trapped in the debris.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials in Lahore, Pakistan\'s second-largest city, said it had received record-breaking rainfall on Wednesday, turning roads into rivers and leaving almost 35 percent without electricity and water this week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Meteorological Department has predicted more heavy rainfall nationwide in the days ahead and warned of potential flooding in the catchment areas of Punjab\'s major rivers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The province\'s disaster management authority said Friday it is working to relocate people living along the waterways.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Scientists have said climate change is making seasonal rains heavier and more unpredictable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last summer, unprecedented monsoon rains put a third of Pakistan under water, damaging two million homes and killing more than 1,700 people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Storms killed at least 27 people, including eight children, in the country\'s northwest early last month.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan, which has the world\'s fifth largest population, is responsible for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, it is one of the most vulnerable nations to the extreme weather caused by global warming.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kha</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 20:05:29', '2023-07-07 20:05:29'),
(7815, 7815, '<div><b>Five Rohingyas were&nbsp; killed early Friday in a gunfight between two criminal groups over establishing dominance in a Rohingya refugee camp in Ukhiya of Cox\'s Bazar, police said.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Four of the deceased were identified as Anwar Hossain, 24, Md Hamim, 16, Nojibullah, and Nur Amin.</div><div><br></div><div>The clash took place at Balukhali Camp-8 around 6 am on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Quoting locals, Ukhia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Mohammad Ali said, \"There was a gunfight between two armed factions, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO).\"</div><div><br></div><div>Also read: Man killed in gunfight between ARSA, RSO groups in Ukhiya Rohingya camp, police say</div><div><br></div><div>On information, a joint team of the Armed Police Battalion and police reached the spot.</div><div><br></div><div>“However, the criminals fled the scene before our arrival and five people were found shot at the scene. The injured were taken to an International Organisation for Migration (IOM)-run hospital where doctors declared them dead,” OC Mohammad Ali said.</div><div><br></div><div>Also read: Rohingya man shot dead at Ukhiya camp</div><div><br></div><div>Police surveillance has been increased in the camp area. Efforts are on to nab those involved in the incident, the police official said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kha</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 20:08:38', '2023-07-07 20:08:38'),
(7816, 7816, '<h1 style=\"line-height: 34px; font-size: 28px; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); font-family: conv_abhayalibre-regular, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(254, 253, 240);\"><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\"><b>The test run of the metro rail from Agargaon to Motijheel section will commence today.&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">The test run will be inaugurated by Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at 4:00 pm, as confirmed by the Metro Rail authorities on Thursday.</p><div data-position=\"desktop-details-article-right\" class=\"m-0 p-0\" style=\"font-size: 18px;\"></div><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The test run follows an experimental train journey that took place on Wednesday night along the same route. The trial marks a significant step in assessing the functionality of the metro rail before it becomes operational for commuters.</div></span><p style=\"font-size: 18px;\"></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">The performance test, part of the trial run, will commence from Agargaon on the MRT-6 line. The train will traverse through Bijoy Saroni, Farmgate, Kawran Bazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University, and conclude at Secretariat Station in Motijheel.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">According to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) Deputy General Manager Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan, the performance test will be succeeded by integration and functional testing, then a full-scale trial run, before finally launching passenger service.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">This development is a progression of the metro rail project that began with the opening of the Uttara-Agargaon section on December 28 of last year by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">The performance test for this section began on May 11 last year and took eighteen months to complete. However, the Agargaon to Motijheel section is expected to conclude in just three months.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">DMTCL officials shared that the performance test will involve running empty trains at slow speeds. This section\'s construction, which includes the rail and electric lines, has been completed. The functional test will evaluate the newly built viaduct and stations, while the integrated test will assess the cohesiveness of the trains, lines, and electrical systems.</p><div data-position=\"desktop-details-article-left\" class=\"m-0 p-0\" style=\"font-size: 18px;\"></div><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Minister Obaidul Quader announced earlier that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Agargaon-Motijheel section in October, while the Motijheel-Kamalapur section is slated to open in June 2025.</div></span><p style=\"font-size: 18px;\"></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">The Agargaon to Motijheel section encompasses stations at Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, TSC, Secretariat, and Motijheel.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; font-size: 18px;\">bnbd24/kha</p></h1>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 20:16:20', '2023-07-07 20:16:20'),
(7817, 7817, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Myanmar\'s military-controlled government is accusing pro-democracy fighters of killing 15 civilians in a nighttime mortar attack in a restive central area of the country, charges denied by the guerrilla group.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A report Thursday in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper said so-called People\'s Defense Forces attacked the village of Ngwe Twin in the southern part of the Sagaing region at 4 a.m. Wednesday with handmade mortars, killing 15 people and injuring seven others, including three monks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Loosely organized armed PDF groups have sprung up around the country since the military seized power from democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. The groups support the pro-democracy National Unity Government, a shadow civilian administration opposed to military rule, though they operate autonomously from it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The NUG did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment on the attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since the military\'s seizure of power, widespread peaceful opposition to the takeover has shifted to armed resistance in many parts of the country and the PDF groups have allied themselves with several armed ethnic minority groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy in Myanmar for decades.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In response, the army has launched brutal counter-insurgency operations in the countryside, including burning villages and driving hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sagaing, Myanmar’s historic heartland, is a stronghold of armed resistance to the ruling military but the village of Ngwe Twin is one of the few seen as sympathetic to the government, where residents reportedly were assisting in the army\'s counter-insurgency operations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The military government’s tight restrictions on travel make it virtually impossible to verify details of such incidents firsthand, but a member of a regional PDF contacted by The Associated Press confirmed the attack, saying the village was targeted because a pro-military militia operating from it had been aiding the army and also harassing pro-democracy villagers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fighter, speaking on condition of anonymity over fear of reprisals from the military, said all 15 people killed were members of the pro-military militia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added that resistance forces had evacuated children and elderly people from the village during the fighting, and that he had no immediate reports of any civilian casualties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another PDF group involved in the attack, known as the People\'s Servant Revolution-Wetlet, said on its Facebook page that 19 members of the military and its affiliated militia were killed and 20 others were injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A family member who lost his 14-year-old brother in the attack, however, told AP that 11 villagers who had been sheltering in the compound of a Buddhist monastery had been killed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The man, who asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals from both the military and the PDF militias, lives in another village but said he had been told the other four people killed were members of the pro-military militia and their family members.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, 3,750 civilians have been killed by the security forces and nearly 24,000 attested since the army seized power. The group keeps detailed tallies of arrests and casualties linked to the nation’s political conflicts. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 22:25:46', '2023-07-07 22:25:46'),
(7818, 7818, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality is ‘moderate’ on Friday morning&nbsp; as monsoon is fairly active in Bangladesh.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 53, the capital of Bangladesh ranked 51st in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality at 9:00 am today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Africa’s Johannesburg, UAE’s Dubai, and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 184, 168, and 161, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’ while an AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with an acceptable air quality. Meanwhile, an AQI between 101 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, particularly for sensitive groups.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘poor’, while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform 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 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person\'s chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 22:31:42', '2023-07-07 22:31:42'),
(7819, 7819, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">International Criminal Court’s Chief prosecutor Karim Khan has laid emphasis on accelerating efforts to bring justice for the Rohingyas.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a media briefing in Dhaka on Friday afternoon, he said there is a gap between promises and delivery of justice.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chief prosecutor Karim Khan visited Cox’s Bazar to hear testimony from survivors of alleged genocide by Myanmar’s military against its Rohingya population.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I gave a commitment to the Rohingyas,\" he said, adding that he would come again next year as they seek to find out who are responsible.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ICC prosecutor said he has done his best to increase resources for the case.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On visit to Kutupalong Camp, Karim Khan met with Rohingya youth groups to discuss ICC activities and consider how young people can contribute to justice efforts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said it is essential to empower children and young adults as valued partners in the process of accountability.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In first meeting at Kutupalong Camp,&nbsp; Khan spoke with Rohingya womens groups.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He highlighted the common vision that needed to increase access to reporting mechanisms, deepen understanding of ICC work, and deliver results through independent investigations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp is a home of over 1.1 million Rohingyas that fled violence in Myanmar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prosecutor Khan explained the objectives of his visit and their ongoing work with the survivors and the families of victims.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said Bangladesh is holding the flag of justice and thanked its generosity of sheltering the Rohingyas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, Foreign Minster AK Abdul Momen sought efforts from the&nbsp; ICC to resolve the case related to the Rohingyas as soon as possible — to ensure that genocide never happens again anywhere in the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"You should put in efforts to finish the case as fast as possible. Justice delayed, justice denied,\" he said to ICC prosecutor on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In November 2019, the International Criminal Court judges granted a request to open a full investigation into alleged atrocities committed against the Rohingyas within the jurisdiction of the court.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This authorisation to open an investigation is seen as a “significant development” for the pursuit of justice and the establishment of the truth, in particular for the victims of alleged crimes in this situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Investigators from the Office of the Prosecutor are now carefully and thoroughly seeking to uncover the truth regarding what happened to the Rohingya people in Myanmar which forced them to flee to Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen said those involved in Rohingya genocide should be held accountable. \"We say genocide never again.\" UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 22:35:19', '2023-07-07 22:35:19'),
(7820, 7820, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Six people died and 81 people were admitted to hospital with smoke poisoning after a fire broke out at a residential care home for the elderly in Italy\'s Milan in the early hours of Friday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The victims, five women and one man, were aged between 69 and 87 Two women are said to have burned to death in the room where the fire reportedly started from a bed, while the other victims reportedly died from smoke inhalation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In total, the structure hosted 167 people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Six deaths are a very heavy toll,\" said Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, who visited the building with city councillor for security Marco Granelli.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The public prosecutor\'s office has opened an investigation for multiple manslaughter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said the regional authorities had \"immediately made themselves available\" to help find alternative accommodation for the displaced elderly residents. ANSA</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 22:39:50', '2023-07-07 22:39:50'),
(7821, 7821, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">One more death was reported from dengue in 24 hours till Friday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 65 this year.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the period, 182 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Of the new patients, 72 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 2,165 dengue patients, including 1,528 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, the DGHS has recorded 11,298 dengue cases, 9,068 recoveries this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 22:43:28', '2023-07-07 22:43:28'),
(7822, 7822, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said BNP was not called for holding any dialogue.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"A recent statement of BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir gives the impression that we have called them for a dialogue. But they were not called for dialogues,\" he said, replying to a query of reporters at his official residence in the city\'s Minto Road.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The minister reaffirmed that there is no scope of holding any dialogue on caretaker government issue.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr Hasan said the next general elections will be held as per the constitution of Bangladesh and the incumbent government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will act as the polls-time government. BNP must accept the reality, he added.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said BNP\'s demand for a caretaker government didn\'t get any support from home and international arena. The demand \"died in the field\" and it was rejected by the global community, he said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP will have to come in the polls by accepting the reality, the information minister continued.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Replying to another query over the upcoming visit of a delegation of European Union (EU) at the invitation of the Election Commission (EC), Dr Hasan said this visit is very important and it proves that the EC is working independently.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the independent EC invites the delegation to hold a free, fair, neutral and participatory election. The delegation will assess the situation for sending observers and preparations for the polls. They will also hold meetings with different political parties, Dr Hasan said. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-07 23:58:45', '2023-07-07 23:58:45');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7823, 7823, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh\'s star batter, Tamim Iqbal, has reversed his decision to retire, roughly 30 hours after announcing it. Tamim met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday and said he had changed his mind.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Thursday, Tamim had declared his retirement from all forms of international cricket after a controversy surrounding his fitness and some harsh comments from Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hasan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I have decided to change my retirement decision,\" Tamim said after the meeting with the Prime Minister. \"I cannot say no to the head of the country.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the Prime Minister had ordered him to revoke his retirement and take a leave.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During Tamim\'s meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday afternoon, former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and the BCB President were with him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For now, Tamim will be on leave from cricket for one and a half months. He is expected to make a return in the Asia Cup, scheduled to be played in August-September this year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More to follow...</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 00:08:30', '2023-07-08 00:08:30'),
(7824, 7824, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed left Dhaka for Thailand on Friday morning on an official visit to attend the 42nd General Meeting of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to be held in the country’s Bangkok tomorrow.&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He will join the meeting as president of Bangladesh Olympics Association and cast vote in the executive committee election of the OCA for 2023-2027 session.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Representatives of 45 National Olympic Committees of different countries will take part in the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He will hold bilateral meetings with the representatives of the participating countries on different issues including sports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The army chief is scheduled to return to the country on July 11 wrapping up the tour.&nbsp; UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 01:05:37', '2023-07-08 01:05:37'),
(7825, 7825, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday expressed optimism that their planned one-point movement will lead the fall of the government.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We’re very hopeful that we’ll be able to defeat this government and force it to resign, dissolve parliament and arrange the next polls under a non-party neutral government through our one-point movement as the people are now united,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BNP leader made the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting with the liaison committee of a faction of Gonoforum and People\'s Party at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said their party is also confident that a pro-people government will be formed through a credible election under a neutral administration to give democracy an institutional shape and restore democracy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the meeting, Fakhrul said they discussed the next course of action of the ongoing simultaneous movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said they also talked about how and when they can initiate the one-point movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gonoforum general Secretary Advocate Subrata Chowdhury said there will be no election without a non-partisan neutral government and people will not participate in any polls under the current regime.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“That’s why we’re going to launch the one-point movement soon,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chowdury said they reached a consensus with BNP to present a joint statement of their movement within a short possible time and then intensify their anti-government movement involving people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“A public opinion has been created in favour of holding a fair election under a neutral government. “We’re also getting cooperation from the international community in this regard,” he observed. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 04:13:30', '2023-07-08 04:13:30'),
(7826, 7826, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Criticising the United States and European Union, Russia has said the manner in which elections are conducted and organised in Bangladesh is quite clearly defined by national law.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"For our part, we support Dhaka in its desire to pursue an independent domestic and foreign policy that meets the interests of Bangladesh itself,\" Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing in Moscow on July 6.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said they have taken note of the letters published in mid-June by six MEPs to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell as well as a number of US congressmen to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling for assistance in conducting \"free and fair\" election in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I have never heard that Bangladesh is a member of the European Parliament before. I haven\'t heard that because it isn\'t. I didn\'t know that elections in Bangladesh were connected with the US State Department,\" said the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By the logic of the West, she said, it is the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the US Secretary of State who should issue some kind of recommendation on the need to form a “neutral transitional government” in Bangladesh for the pre-election period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"What is this but neocolonialism? What is this but a manifestation of the nature of metropolises and their attitude towards their colonies?\" — Zakharova said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said this is an attempt at blatant interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state whose authorities, as they understand it, have not asked for advice on how to conduct elections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"All those who are criticised by the United States or the European Union, as a rule, in the vast majority do not approach them, and ask them not to interfere in their internal affairs but to deal with their own problems at home,\" she mentioned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European Union (EU) has urged all political parties to participate in the election process stressing that violence should be avoided at all costs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The EU encourages all parties and all citizens in Bangladesh to exercise their political rights and participate in the parliamentary elections,\" said High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a letter addressed to Ivan Stefanek, a representative from Slovakia in the European Parliament, Josep Borrell said violence, on the other hand, has no place in these processes and \"should be avoided at all costs.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the EU and its Member States will continue to engage closely with the government and all stakeholders in Bangladesh on human rights, democracy and the rule of law.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US is also seeking free and fair elections in Bangladesh and recently announced a new visa policy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Under this policy, the United States will be able to restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bndb24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 04:16:35', '2023-07-08 04:16:35'),
(7827, 7827, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a bid to stay alive in the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, Bangladesh captain Liton Das decided to bowl first after winning the toss of the second game today at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh made two changes from the first game which they lost by 17 runs through DLS method with batter Naim Sheikh and fast bowler Ebadot Hossain making their way.</div><div><br></div><div>A change was expected following Tamim Iqbal\'s absence. Naim who played his last ODI in 2021, replaced the original captain for the series who was given six-week break following his reversal of the retirement decision after meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>Ebadot came in the place of Taskin Ahmed who was given rest as part of the team\'s rotation policy. Ebadot himself indeed was rested in the first game.</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan, eying a historical series victory over Bangladesh, with a game to spare remained unchanged as it was expected.</div><div><br></div><div>Line Ups:</div><div>Bangladesh: Liton Das (c ), Naim Sheikh, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Saleem Safi. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 19:40:49', '2023-07-08 19:40:49'),
(7828, 7828, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh\'s Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today (July 08, 2023) said he is not aware that dialogue between political parties over election brought any results in the past.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>He said the government will not talk to “any terrorists.”</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister said such dialogues are not held in other countries, including in the US, and referred to those as \"useless\" discussion.</div><div><br></div><div>Momen was responding to questions on political dialogue at ‘DCAB Talk’ at the Foreign Service Academy.</div><div><br></div><div>He said foreigners can come and observe the elections. \"We remain transparent. We have nothing to hide.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said the next election will be held as per the constitution. \"We have a good track record of holding good elections. We are doing our best.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question on recent remarks by China and Russia, he said those are their remarks. \"You may ask them.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said democracy is a dynamic process and it becomes mature through practice.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the next election will be a model election in the world. \"We want all parties, who are willing, to join the elections.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister also said there is no problem if any “terrorist party” does not join the election.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Momen has said that he fears there are efforts of hindering the national elections.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have indication some are trying to hinder the election process,” he said, without elaborating further whether they are from Bangladesh or outside the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked who are those making such efforts to hinder elections, he sad, “You know it better. You are journalists.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted the event. DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus and General Secretary Emrul Kayesh also spoke on the occasion. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 20:22:57', '2023-07-08 20:22:57'),
(7829, 7829, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least 10 people have died in the heavy rains and landslides pummeling Abidjan, Ivory Coast officials told AFP.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The count was a provisional toll as of Friday, according to the military\'s firefighting brigade GSPM.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We recorded 10 deaths, nine in Yopougon and one in Cocody-Angre,\" two districts of Abidjan, the country\'s largest city and economic hub, Anicet Bah, GSPM captain and deputy head of operations, told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>In the industrial zone Yopougon, the first landslide struck around 3:00 am on Thursday, causing four deaths and one injury, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>In the same area, a second landslide left seven people injured and another four dead, including a child, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Not far from there, in Attecoube-Mossikro, another body was pulled from the landslide at dawn.</div><div><br></div><div>Closer to the city centre, in Cocody, \"one person was swept away by the waters\" and the body was later found by residents.</div><div><br></div><div>The firefighters were told another three victims had been washed away, but Bah said the operation to find them had been called off after a search that was \"in vain\".</div><div><br></div><div>June and July bring heavy rain to Ivory Coast every year, but precarious construction has led to more flood-prone areas, particularly in poorer neighbourhoods of the swelling West African metropolis, which is home to an estimated 5.6 million people.</div><div><br></div><div>In mid-June, a family of five -- a couple and their three children -- died in a landslide in Yopougon.</div><div><br></div><div>The populous district was hit by tragedy during last year\'s rainy season as well, when six people were buried in a landslide after a night of heavy rain. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 21:34:30', '2023-07-08 21:34:30'),
(7830, 7830, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Mumbai police have arrested four persons for allegedly stealing a 6,000-kg iron bridge placed over a drain in a western suburb, an official said on Saturday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The 90-foot-long metal structure in Malad (west) had been constructed to move huge power cables, said the official from Bangur Nagar police station.</div><div><br></div><div>After a permanent bridge was built over the drain, the temporary structure was moved to another place in the area a few months ago, he said. However, the makeshift bridge was found missing on June 26 following which the construction company filed a police complaint, the official said.</div><div><br></div><div>During their probe, the police found that the bridge was last seen at its place on June 6.</div><div><br></div><div>As there are no CCTV cameras at the spot, police scanned the footage of surveillance cameras installed in nearby areas and found a large vehicle moving in the direction of the bridge on June 11, the official said.</div><div><br></div><div>The police then tracked down the vehicle from its registration number. \"The vehicle had gas-cutting machines which were used to dismantle the bridge and steal iron weighing 6,000 kg,\" the official said.</div><div><br></div><div>Further investigation led the police to an employee of the firm that had been given the contract to build the bridge. The police arrested the staffer and three of his accomplices last week, the official said.</div><div><br></div><div>The material stolen from the site has been recovered, he added. Source: NDTV</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p><br></p>', 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 21:38:26', '2023-07-08 21:38:26'),
(7831, 7831, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>As many as 299 lives were lost and 544 people were injured in 277 road accidents across the country in 15 days during Eid-ul-Azha travels, according to a report of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, a passenger welfare platform.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>During this period 25 people were killed in 25 railway accidents and 16 people in 10 waterways accidents across the country, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>The report was published on Saturday after analysing accident reports published in the country\'s national and regional dailies and online media from June 22 to July 6.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the findings of Jatri Kalyan Samity, road accidents came down by 15.16 percent while the number of deaths also decreased by 33.11 percent compared to the last year during Eid holidays, due to the good condition of roads.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the deaths, 93 people were killed in 88 road accidents involving truck, pickup and covered van, 94 killed in 91 motorbike accidents, which is 31.76 and 32.85 percent of the total accidents, the report said.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the vehicles involved in the accidents were 22.37 percent motorbikes, 23.05 percent truck-pick-up-covered van-lorry, 17.57 percent battery-run easy bikes or human haulers, 15.75 percent buses, 10.27 percent car, microbuses and jeeps, 5.57 percent three-wheelers and 4.56 percent CNG-run auto-rickshaws.</div><div><br></div><div>Of the accidents, 36.46 percent occurred on national highways, 29.24 on regional roads and 29.60 percent on roads. Besides, 1.8 percent of accidents occurred in Dhaka city.</div><div><br></div><div>The association blamed reckless driving, dangerous overtaking and movement of unfit vehicles, unskilled drivers and helpers, plying of slow-moving three-wheelers and human-haulers on highways and violation of traffic rules for the accidents and deaths. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 22:55:19', '2023-07-08 22:55:19'),
(7832, 7832, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least nine people were killed in election-related violence in West Bengal as voting was underway on Saturday for the three-tier panchayat polls in the state, officials said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Among those killed were five TMC members, and one worker each of the BJP, CPI(M) and Congress, and the supporter of an Independent candidate, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides violent clashes that injured several people, ballot boxes were destroyed in at least two polling booths, they added.</div><div><br></div><div>The polling began at 7 am in 73,887 seats in the rural areas of the state with 5.67 crore people deciding the fate of around 2.06 lakh candidates. Till 9 am, 10.26 per cent voter turnout was recorded.</div><div><br></div><div>Governor CV Ananda Bose visited different areas in North 24 Parganas district, and met people injured in the violence and interacted with voters.</div><div><br></div><div>BJP polling agent Madhab Biswas was allegedly killed in Falimari gram panchayat in Coochbehar district, they said. Source: PTI</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-08 23:51:11', '2023-07-08 23:51:11'),
(7833, 7833, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he hoped the Black Sea grain deal will be extended beyond July 17.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"We held an important meeting in Istanbul last year. Jointly with the UN, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was agreed upon. As part of it, 33 million tons of food has been sent to countries in need. We want the grain initiative to be extended,\" he said at a televised news conference in Istanbul following talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.</div><div><br></div><div>Erdogan said he hopes the Black Sea grain deal will be extended by at least three months, but said a better option would be to have it run for two more years, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"I hope that the grain corridor agreement will be extended again, beyond July 17. We expect that it will be prolonged at least for three months, but we favor extending it by two years,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 00:00:35', '2023-07-09 00:00:35'),
(7834, 7834, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The BNP is preparing for the upcoming parliamentary elections in secret, according to Prime Minister\'s Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this while addressing a meeting at Gani Sikder School ground in Bilaspur of Dohar upazila of his constituency Dhaka-1 on Saturday afternoon, according to a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The present government has made the country digital under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP is taking advantage of that digital Bangladesh to spread propaganda at home and abroad on social media. Everyone has to be aware of this,” said Salman.</div><div><br></div><div>He said, \"There is no use in holding dharnas with foreigners, foreigners want to see free and fair elections in Bangladesh, which the government is also committed to implement, therefore, the next parliamentary elections will be held through the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as per the constitution,” reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“BNP leaders and activists have engaged in propaganda fearing separation from the people,” he told.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 02:04:52', '2023-07-09 02:04:52'),
(7835, 7835, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh Bank (BB) is moving forward cautiously with optimism to reduce the stress on the economy, which was created by the US dollar crisis and higher inflation.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The central bank underscored such observations in a quarterly report on the economy. It said the economy remained under stress from external effects, including rising commodity prices and supply disruptions due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, global economic slowdown, and volatility in the financial sector.</div><div><br></div><div>The issue is related to geopolitical conflicts and the situation would not be resolved overnight. So, banks and other financial institutes should be careful in future financial plans, as stated in the report.</div><div><br></div><div>The central bank publishes such reports every three months with updated data on the overall economy of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the report, Bangladesh is under pressure of geopolitical conflict for the first time. Its negative impact has not yet hit the economy. But the economy is under pressure. In this case, steps should be taken with caution.</div><div><br></div><div>A large part of the economy is dependent on the United States, Canada, and the European Union. Most of the foreign investment in Bangladesh comes from these regions. About 82 percent of exports go to these countries.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, 72 percent of imports are coming from India and China. Most of the remittances are now coming from America. There is a danger that Bangladesh\'s export earnings and remittances will be damaged due to the geopolitical conflict that has arisen at present.</div><div><br></div><div>Geopolitically, China\'s disagreement with the United States has come to the fore. Bangladesh is very careful in making decisions based on these two countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the United States is criticizing Bangladesh quite harshly on issues of democracy and human rights. Bangladesh is not willing to accept its criticism, although it is said that Bangladesh is focused on maintaining good relations with all countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, the import policy of the United States has been arranged in such a way that the export income of Bangladesh to the United States has decreased by about 12 percent in the last year.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, due to some restrictions given by the US and the recent visa policy, the money of Bangladeshis is coming to the country in the form of remittances from the US and the remittance flow increased suddenly from the US.</div><div><br></div><div>The report said Bangladesh is already dealing with the negative impact of price-hiked goods in the global market and the disruption of the supply system due to the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war. Its effects are still there.</div><div><br></div><div>The global economic slowdown caused by the war\'s impact is still hitting Bangladesh\'s economy. There was instability in the financial sector. Now it has started to ease. The supply of liquidity in banks is increasing.</div><div><br></div><div>The Central Bank has expressed optimism that this situation will improve in the coming days. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 02:22:25', '2023-07-09 02:22:25'),
(7836, 7836, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday said Bangladesh is not subservient to any country while it never tilted towards China as Dhaka maintains a “balanced and independent” foreign policy.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We are not anyone’s tail . . . We are not China’s tail,” he said speaking at an interaction with members of Diplomatic Reporters Association of Bangladesh (DCAB) at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>Momen added: “Some people think we are rushing towards China, but (actually) we are not heading towards anyone.”</div><div><br></div><div>He called Beijing a development partner but ruled out any possibility of being exposed to “Chinese debt trap”, an idea which, he said, was propagated by some groups or ‘pundits’.</div><div><br></div><div>“This is a wrong perception. Some pundits say this and many believe it, especially some foreign institutions. Under no circumstance, will we fall into Chinese debt trap”, Momen said.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are very prudent, careful in taking foreign loans. We do not take unnecessary loans”.</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said Bangladesh steadily continued to follow Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic foreign policy - Friendship to All, Malice towards None – to pursue its aim to ensure the country’s development through public welfare.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister termed Dhaka’s ties with next door neighbour India “rock-solid” and “we are in a golden chapter in our relations with India”.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Dhaka-Washington relation was good as well and according to US President Joe Biden himself Washington wants to improve relations with Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka, Momen said, was maintaining close ties with Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have good relations with all countries. That is why when we contest any election in the UN, we win,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>According to IMF, a country could be exposed to risks of being debt-trapped if over 55 percent of its overseas loan comes from a single source or country.</div><div><br></div><div>But, Momen said, foreign loans stake in Bangladesh’s GDP was 13.78 percent, of which 61 percent was provided by international agencies like ADB, IMF and the World Bank while Japan became Bangladesh’s highest single country loan provider with 17 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>From China, the foreign minister said, Bangladesh took US$ 3.5 billion, which is 0.75 percent of the total GDP.</div><div><br></div><div>DCAB organised the event as its flagship programme while the interaction was moderated by the forum’s President Rezaul Karim Lotus. Source: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 02:33:04', '2023-07-09 02:33:04'),
(7837, 7837, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a month-long special mosquito eradication drive that began on Saturday, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) collected a total of Tk 14.85 lakh in fines from 17 cases for finding larvae.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"No one knows where I will go in the mosquito eradication drive. Everything is cleaned up when notified in advance. So, I will go for a surprise visit to different wards without informing anyone to see the actual situation. I don\'t trust anyone in this case. I will go wherever I want and take action,” said DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam on Saturday, according to a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>The mayor said this while conducting a surprise visit to Mohammadpur area of the capital on Saturday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>During this time, he visited the basement of some high-rise buildings in Japan Garden City. After going to the basement of the three buildings, the mayor found numerous Aedes mosquitoes in the stagnant water.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The city corporation will not clean the stagnant water inside the building. Our staff cannot enter these buildings. Not only this area, but many buildings and houses in Dhaka have been blocked from entering for our staff,” said the mayor.</div><div><br></div><div>“Aedes larvae grows more in stagnant water inside the house than in other places. Studies have shown that about 48 percent of Aedes larvae grow in basements where cars are kept and washed. Therefore, the building owner has to take the responsibility of keeping the environment inside the building clean,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question from a journalist, the mayor said, \"We have been working in the field to eliminate mosquitoes since before the monsoon season. We have added members of BNCC and Bangladesh Scouts to the campaign.”</div><div><br></div><div>\"I am in the field; all my councillors will be in the field. I appeal to the leaders of various residential areas, representatives of the society to keep your area clean. If everyone cooperates, it will be possible to control dengue,” the mayor also said. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 02:37:53', '2023-07-09 02:37:53'),
(7838, 7838, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Do you remember Anil Kapoor\'s Mr Brij Nath in Tom Cruise-starrer Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol? Kapoor\'s special appearance was the talk of the town, and Tom extensively promoted the fourth instalment of his franchise in India. As a result, Ghost Protocol was among the highest-grossing Hollywood films of 2011 in India.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Tom continues to keep the Indian connection with his franchise intact, as the upcoming movie, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1 will feature another Indian-origin actor in a special role. The upcoming movie will release in a few days, and fans will be surprised, as actress Indira Varma will be seen making her debut in Tom Cruise\'s blockbuster action franchise.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Indira is popularly known for playing Ellaria Sand in Game of Thrones. Apart from GOT, Indira has been part of several other television dramas including, The Canterbury Tales, Rome, Luther, and Human Target. Indira\'s major debut in films was Mira Nair\'s Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. In the erotic drama, Indira played a courtesan. Varma was even part of Jinnah and was seen in Aishwarya Rai-starrer, Bride and Prejudice (2004).</div><div><br></div><div>Tom Cruise\'s upcoming actioner, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is a few days away from its grand release. The film is one of the most anticipated flicks in India, and Bollywood producers are racing to attach their trailer with the prints of the Hollywood film. As per the source, the teaser of Shah Rukh Khan\'s Jawan has claimed it\'s lion share attaching the teaser to M: I 7.</div><div><br></div><div>Now, as per the latest update, not only Shah Rukh Khan but Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Prabhas, and Akshay Kumar among others seem to have their eyes on Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One. Sources claim that Karan Johar\'s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, Prabhas\' Salaar, and Akshay Kumar-starrer OMG 2 are among a few other big Indian films that are now in the race to have their film trailers attached to the Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One as well.</div><div><br></div><div>A trade source added, \"Being one of the biggest international releases for 2023, having actors and films from India set their eyes on it in such a big way is certainly not unusual. Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible as a franchise are of course also viewed as extremely lucrative associations to bet on as per Indian makers and major Indian stars. Jawan\'s makers and SRK took the plunge early on and ensured their top spot with their trailer. And now with the unparalleled buzz around the film all over the country, stars like Akshay Kumar, Prabhas and Ranveer Singh are also pushing to ensure their space in the Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One trailer lineup\", says the trade insider signing off.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh instalment in Tom Crusie\'s celebrated spy-thriller franchise. The movie will release in cinemas on July 12. Source: DNA</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 02:42:11', '2023-07-09 02:42:11'),
(7839, 7839, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Hundreds of German police have used batons and pepper spray to quell crowds targeting an Eritrean cultural festival in the central town of Giessen.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The protesters were angry that the festival went ahead in Giessen, calling it a propaganda exercise by the authoritarian Eritrean regime.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A police statement said clashes took place for hours on Saturday, and that 26 police officers were injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police arrested nearly 100 people and had to stop traffic in the town centre.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The police statement said protesters threw bottles and stones at police, damaged some vehicles and ripped down fencing around the festival venue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They also threw stones at buses carrying participants to the festival, the statement said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Video on Twitter appears to show crowds of protesters engaged in running battles with police in the town.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The town authorities had tried to stop the festival going ahead after similar unrest erupted last year, but a local court overturned the ban.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Giessen has about 84,000 residents and lies roughly 50km (30 miles) north of Frankfurt am Main.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The festival is organised by the Central Council for Eritreans in Germany, which is considered close to the Eritrean embassy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In recent years Germany has granted asylum to many Eritreans - they form one of the largest groups of African migrants seeking to settle in the EU.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Human rights organisations have documented large-scale abuses by the authorities in Eritrea, including strict censorship, forced labour and military conscription that is likened to slavery. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 12:45:15', '2023-07-09 12:45:15'),
(7840, 7840, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The first spell of heavy monsoon rain created mayhem in residential and commercial areas of Delhi on Saturday, with inundated roads and overflowing drains leading to massive waterlogging and paralysed traffic for hours.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Safdarjung observatory, the city\'s primary weather station, recorded 126.1 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to Delhi government officials, the city received more than 100 mm rain in a single day, which is 15 per cent of the total rainfall it gets every monsoon. This much water cannot be drained while the rain is still on, they said, adding that once the rain stopped, the water was cleared rapidly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The morning rain that continued for several hours led to water gushing into the storerooms of the city\'s most popular shopping destination, Connaught Place, and a closure of the Minto Bridge underpass for traffic due to waterlogging.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The mess caused by the rain also exposed the preparations of various civic bodies ahead of September, when six G20 Summit events, including the summit meeting, are scheduled to take place in the national capital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Motorists and pedestrians had a hard time navigating waterlogged roads, flyovers and footpaths, while traders faced trouble stopping the rain water entering their shops in several areas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This was the season\'s first heavy spell of rain. An \"orange\" alert was sounded for Saturday and a \"yellow\" alert has been sounded for Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The traffic department received 56 calls related to waterlogging, six regarding fallen trees and five related to potholes, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Minto Bridge underpass has been closed for vehicular traffic due to the incessant rains that have led to waterlogging. Heavy waterlogging was also reported from the Tilak Bridge underpass.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Waterlogging was reported from the Pandav Nagar underpass, Purana Quila Road, Dwarka Link Road, NH-48 near Shiv Murti, Rohtak Road, Vikas Marg, under the AIIMS flyover, under the Moolchand flyover, Mother Teresa Crescent-Sardar Patel Marg and under Tilak Bridge among other places, the traffic police said. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 12:50:46', '2023-07-09 12:50:46'),
(7841, 7841, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Fourteen people have died in the partial collapse of an illegally occupied building in northeastern Brazil, the authorities said Saturday, as they concluded a search for survivors.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, a toll of 11 dead was announced, but firefighters searching through the debris later found the bodies of a woman and two children following the collapse Friday in Paulista, a city in the state of Pernambuco.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The dead included men, women and children, aged five to 45, according to a statement Saturday from the Pernambuco civil defense services.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Three people -- a 65-year-old woman and two adolescents -- were rescued. The authorities provided no information on their condition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The three-story structure, which was attached to a larger housing complex, had been closed in 2010 due to a risk of collapse but had been illegally occupied since then, the authorities said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In April, a building in similar condition collapsed in the city of Olinda, also in Pernambuco, leaving six people dead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Building collapses in Brazil generally happen in poorer neighborhoods where illegal construction is rampant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2020, two irregularly constructed buildings in a poor neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro collapsed after days of intense rainfall. Twenty-four people died. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 14:16:13', '2023-07-09 14:16:13'),
(7842, 7842, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">With the effects of climate change mounting, Amazon basin countries met in Colombia for a summit Saturday to strategize on how to save the world\'s biggest rainforest.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"To sustain the Amazon, according to science, we need to keep 80 percent of its forests standing and not manage to go beyond 20 percent deforestation, and unfortunately we are already at 17,\" said Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Losing the Amazon, reaching the point of no return, has irreversible consequences for global climate change,\" she warned at the meeting attended by representatives from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rainforests are often called the \"lungs of the Earth,\" soaking up planet-warming carbon dioxide and expelling life-giving oxygen. Their protection is crucial in the battle to combat climate change.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a bit of rare good news, deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon fell by one-third in the first six months of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva\'s administration compared to the same period last year, the government said last week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lula\'s leftist government also has pledged to seize half of all land deforested illegally in areas designated as having special environmental protection, set aside three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of protected land by 2027, and strengthen Brazil\'s network for environmental monitoring. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 14:20:44', '2023-07-09 14:20:44'),
(7843, 7843, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning (July 9, 2023).</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 71 at 8:45am, Dhaka ranked 18th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Arab Emirates\' Dubai, Pakistan’s Karachi, India’s Delhi and Qatar’s Doha occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 172, 153, 153 and 151, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\', AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', and a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 15:19:13', '2023-07-09 15:19:13');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7844, 7844, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Six people were killed when a small plane crashed in a field and burst into flames during the second of two landing attempts in fog just before dawn Saturday at a Southern California airport, authorities said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The crash of the Cessna C550 business jet occurred around 4:15 a.m. in Murrieta, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It took firefighters more than an hour to extinguish the flames, which charred about an acre of vegetation at the edge of French Valley Airport, said the Riverside County Fire Department.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The jet, which can seat up to 13 people, crashed about 500 feet (150 meters) short of the intended runway, said Elliott Simpson, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read: How 4 children survived 40 days after plane crash in Colombia’s jungle</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Most of the airplane, with the exception of the tail, was consumed by fire,” Simpson told reporters at an afternoon briefing. Investigators were combing through a debris field about 200 feet (60 meters) long, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All six people on board died at the scene, the Riverside County Sheriff\'s Office said in a statement. The victims, all adults, were not immediately identified.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plane, which had departed from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for the 45-minute flight to Murietta, crashed during its second approach, the NTSB said. The pilot was cleared for a landing using only instruments because of limited visibility from the low cloud ceiling, Simpson said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The visibility and ceilings allowed for a landing, but it was right on the minimums\" of the regulations set for that airport, he said. Investigators will review recordings between the pilot and air traffic control.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A preliminary report was expected in about two weeks, the NTSB said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The FAA’s aircraft tracking database lists the jet as owned by Prestige Worldwide Flights LLC of Imperial, California. Officials with the company could not be reached for comment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was the second fatal crash this week at the small county-owned airport in Murrieta, a city with about 112,000 residents. A man was killed and three people were injured on July Fourth when a single-engine Cessna 172 crashed in a parking lot shortly after takeoff from French Valley. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 15:22:13', '2023-07-09 15:22:13'),
(7845, 7845, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The world for people of remote areas in the northern district, Panchagarh, has changed in just 15 years.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They are now enjoying cashless services, which makes life much easier.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People living in remote areas of Panchagarh are utilising the opportunities of ‘Digital Bangladesh’, a campaign initiated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2009.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The success of transforming Bangladesh into ‘Digital Bangladesh’ has created the solid ground to move towards a ‘Smart Bangladesh’, which was announced by the Prime Minister recently.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government has set four bases — smart citizens, smart economy, smart government and smart society — to make the country \'Smart Bangladesh\'.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The aim: every citizen will be skilled in using technology, economic activities will run through using technology, and the government will be technologically smart.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">What was unthinkable before 2009 is now the reality for people in remote Panchagarh, as they are getting over 20 important services at home without any hassle from union parishads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While visiting the Panchagarh Sadar Union Parishad complex, local businessman Abdullah Al Faruque, who is a beneficiary, said that he has received his required trade license by just providing his NID number.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This cashless system is facilitating any person to get his/her desired document by just providing the NID number to the system as the officials can easily verify all relevant information,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The concerned official provided him the trade license within 2-3 minutes after matching the required information from his NID.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We’ve eliminated waste of time and money which was unavoidable in the past,” Faruque said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This transformation began more than 14 years back when the Prime Minister envisioned advancing the country into a developed one by 2041.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taking advantage of the Digital Bangladesh initiative, Panchagarh district administration tookthe measures to make their services technology dependent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Digital transactions are now being used to provide services, which have reduced time, cost and travel difficulties alongside offering better services.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Due to initiatives of the Awami League government, these necessary services are being availed quickly and MFS (mobile financial service) has also made it easier. As a result, revenues of the government have increased, the hassles have been reduced, and the desired service has become available.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Latifa Banu, another beneficiary, said that she has been receiving maternity allowance over last two years and collecting the allowance from the UP for one-and-a-half years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Earlier, I had to go to different shops, but now, I am just providing my fingerprint and receiving my allowance easily from the UP centre,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Halima Begum, who came to Panchagarh Sadar Union Parishad to collect the citizenship certificate, said that it was not so easy before.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that after obtaining a certificate from the Union Parishad, there was the trouble of getting signatures on it. A person had to come to collect his/her certificate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Now, if you apply with the number of the NID card, the signed certificate will be issued. I like this system,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Panchagarh entered the cashless era when this service was first introduced in the Tirnoihat union of Tetulia. With this, the union parishad of the upazila was on its way to become ‘Smart Bangladesh’.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cashless services were later introduced to other UPs. The beneficiaries can avail 20 services easily from there. People are now getting the services by visiting the uniontax.gov.bd website from the comfort of their homes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Deputy Commissioner Md. Jahurul Islam said that over 70,000 people of 43 union parishads and three municipalities in the district have received services from uniontax.gov.bd and pouroseba.gov.bd platforms.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An entrepreneur of Union Digital Center said that online service was launched experimentally in Tetulia upazila in the fiscal year 2019-20, but on January 6 this year, the service started in Tirnoihat UP of Tetulia upazila through the inauguration of cashless service.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before introducing the platform, any service seeker had to visit the union parishad three times, requiring 7-15 days, on average. But, in the digital and cashless system, he/she doesn’t even need to visit UP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deputy commissioner said that after the introduction of the Digital Union Cashless Service, revenue is being deposited directly into the UP’s bank account.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the local government system is strengthened through cashless services and this is another step towards the making of ‘Smart Bangladesh’. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 16:16:54', '2023-07-09 16:16:54'),
(7846, 7846, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Five people have been rescued while nine others are still missing after a landslide hit a highway construction site in central China\'s Hubei Province on Saturday, local authorities said Sunday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;The landslide of more than 500,000 cubic meters struck the construction site in Yueshan Village, Tujia Autonomous County of Wufeng, at around 4 p.m. Saturday. As of 8 a.m. Sunday, a total of five people had been rescued, according to the county\'s latest statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;The Ministry of Emergency Management has activated a level-four emergency response to geological disasters and sent a working group to the site to guide emergency handling.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;It urged guiding and supporting local search and rescue operations, making every effort to treat the injured and reduce casualties, preventing secondary disasters, and ensuring the safety of rescuers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;Efforts should also be made to identify the causes, strengthen risk monitoring and investigation, and ensure the safety and protection of people\'s lives and property, said the ministry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;The ministry has dispatched 139 people and 32 vehicles of the national comprehensive fire rescue force, as well as the national safety production emergency rescue team, with professional equipment to the site to carry out rescue operations. Xinhua</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 16:21:53', '2023-07-09 16:21:53'),
(7848, 7848, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 12 people were injured when a passenger bus collided with a truck on Leningradskoye highway in the north of Moscow, an emergencies source told TASS early on Sunday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"A bus and a truck collided on Leningradskoye highway,\" the source said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to a law enforcement source, \"six people were hospitalized, and six were treated on site.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, according to the press service of the Moscow Police Department, four people sought medical assistance in connection with the accident.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, the bus carried 20 people at the time of the crash. TASS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 17:19:12', '2023-07-09 17:19:12'),
(7849, 7849, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Five Chinese universities in Yunnan province have been teaching Bangla language and cultures to students that play a big role in promoting trade and business ties between China and Bangladesh.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to teachers at the Chinese universities, interest in learning Bangla language is growing day-by-day among students, and Chinese people in general.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Our students are really enjoying the Bangla language learning. We want more cooperation between Bangladesh and China in this academic field” said Prof Hu Jinming, vice president of Yunnan University, while meeting a group of Bangladeshi journalists who recently visited the university.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prof Hu, who has visited Bangladesh a number of times to enhance cooperation between the University of Dhaka and Yunnan University, informed that he is now working to establish cooperation with other public and private universities in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He believes learning Bangla by Chinese students will enhance communications between the two nations and understand each other’s\' culture.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides Yunnan University, the remaining other four universities in the province are Communication University, Peking University, Minzu University and Kunming University.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition, the teachers said, there are three universities in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, that also teach Bangla language and culture.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Subarna Aktar, a Bangladeshi citizen who teaches Bangla in the School of Foreign Languages of Yunnan University,&nbsp; said many Chinese students are getting interested to learn Bangla because of the expanding trade relations between the two countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Echoing Subarna, Mishkat Sharif, another Bangladeshi teacher at the Bangla Department in Minzu University, said those who learn the language have better job opportunities with different companies who have been doing businesses in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Some Chinese students after passing out of university are even setting up their own businesses and doing business with Bangladesh. It gives them an extra advantage to understand their customers\' needs,\" Sharif added.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">China has emerged as Bangladesh\'s biggest trade partner in recent years, with bilateral trade topping $27 billion in 2022, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Of that total, China\'s exports exceeded $26 billion, while Bangladesh\'s exports to China amount to less than $1 billion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the teachers, Bangla Departments at the Chinese universities allow an intake of 20-25 students every other year to learn Bangla language and culture.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, many Bangladeshi students are increasingly attending Chinese universities, especially in Yunnan, to study different subjects.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Currently, there are 121 Bangladeshi students studying at Yunnan University, Ahmed Moin Uddin, a graduate of the School of International Chinese Language Education, told UNB. In the last 10 years, more than 1000 Bangladesh students graduated from Yunnan University, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Learning Bangla in China\'s Yunnan: Enhanced commercial ties drive growing interest&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Every Bangladesh student has to learn the Chinese language besides knowing English to study at Yunnan University.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yang Meifeng, a student of Faculty of South Asian Languages (Bangla), said she is very happy to study in the Bangla department as it helps her to know about South Asian language and culture.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the visit of the Bangladeshi journalists, Yunnan University hosted an impressive cultural programme for them where the Chinese students of the Bangla Language and Culture Department sang Bangla songs and the visitors found their performances \'amazing\'.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sources said the universities in Yunnan province are introducing Bangla as a new subject for study as part of the Chinese government\'s long term vision to build Kunming, the capital of the province, as a commercial hub for the South and South East Asian regions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The universities opened multilingual courses to create opportunities for the students so that they can work at different organisations in the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Chinese government established an institute to teach Chinese language to foreign professionals and academics as part of their Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yunnan University (YNU) runs an institute named “Belt and Road Initiative Chinese Language Promotion Centre for South and South East Asia” for teaching the Chinese language and traditions to foreigners. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 17:58:00', '2023-07-09 17:58:00'),
(7850, 7850, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over the country.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at a few places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna and Barishal divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places over the country”, said a met office weather forecast for the next 24 hours begins&nbsp; from 9am today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The axis of monsoon trough runs through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,West Bengal to Assam across northern part of Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends to North Bay.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Monsoon is fairly active over Bangladesh and moderate over North Bay.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Country’s maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded by 35.0 degree Celsius jointly at Tangail and Srimangal and minimum temperature today was recorded by 25.0 degree Celsius at Kutubdia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Country’s maximum rainfall for the last twenty-four hours till 6am today was recorded by 24 millimeters (mm) at Dimla.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The sun sets at 06.50pm today&nbsp; and rises at&nbsp; 05.18am tomorrow. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 18:02:49', '2023-07-09 18:02:49'),
(7851, 7851, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed \"brave\" Ukraine on the 500th day of Russia\'s invasion on Saturday, as the war\'s toll mounted with eight deaths reported in Russian rocket fire.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelensky published on social media an undated video clip of a visit to Snake Island in the Black Sea -- a symbol of Ukraine\'s defiance against Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Today we are on Snake Island, which will never be conquered by the occupiers, like the whole of Ukraine, because we are the country of the brave,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I want to thank from here, from this place of victory, each of our soldiers for these 500 days,\" he said in the video, which showed him arriving on the island by boat and leaving flowers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UN has documented 9,000 civilian deaths since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, including 500 children, although it estimates the real toll could be significantly higher.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That toll rose again on Saturday as Ukraine\'s interior ministry said eight people were killed and 13 injured by Russian rocket fire in the eastern town of Lyman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian news agencies reported that two civilians were killed by Ukrainian shelling in the Russian-held town of Oleshky in the south.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Noel Calhoun, deputy head of the UN\'s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, said the 500th day of the conflict marked \"another grim milestone in the war that continues to exact a horrific toll on Ukraine\'s civilians\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Act of desperation\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelensky on Saturday completed a visit to Turkey in which he secured backing for his country\'s NATO aspirations after winning a US pledge for cluster munitions that could inflict significant damage to Russian forces on the battlefield.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On his return to Ukraine, Zelensky also brought back five Ukrainian commanders who were supposed to have remained in Turkey until the end of the conflict under a prisoner exchange deal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia denounced the release of the men, members of the crack Azov regiment celebrated in Ukraine for their stiff resistance at the Azovstal factory during the months-long siege of the port city of Mariupol.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The return of Azov commanders from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing but a direct violation of the terms of existing agreements,\" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said Ukraine and Turkey had violated the terms of the agreement and claimed their return was linked to the \"failure of the counter-offensive\" launched by Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Washington\'s decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs -- banned across a large part of the world -- dramatically ups the stakes in the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US President Joe Biden admitted that supplying Ukraine with weapons that are capable of covering several football fields with hundreds of multiple small explosives was \"a difficult decision\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Humanitarian groups strongly condemned the decision to supply cluster munitions, which can go undetonated and potentially endanger civilians for years to come.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia, which itself uses cluster munitions in Ukraine, also criticised the decision, saying it was an \"act of desperation\" that would have \"no effect\" on the conflict.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said Ukraine\'s assurances it would use the ammunition responsibly \"are not worth anything\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Contact is possible\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Various international efforts to mediate in the conflict have so far failed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has tried to portray himself as a neutral mediator, substantially boosting wartime trade with Russia while supplying Ukraine with drones and other weapons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But while reaffirming his longstanding call for both sides to enter peace talks, Erdogan risked drawing Russia\'s ire by delivering unequivocal support for Ukraine\'s NATO aspiration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves membership of NATO,\" Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan also said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next month on what would be the Kremlin chief\'s first visit to Turkey since the invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about a possible meeting with Erdogan, Kremlin spokesman Peskov was quoted on Saturday as saying: \"Contact is possible. There are no fixed dates yet.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Symbol of defiance -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelensky meanwhile vowed defiance in the video of him visiting Snake Island, which was captured by Russian forces shortly after the start of the invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A radio exchange went viral in which Ukrainian soldiers told the crew of Russia\'s attacking warship demanding their surrender to \"go fuck yourself\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner but later exchanged for Russian captives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Russian ship involved, the Moskva, sank in the Black Sea in April 2022 following what Moscow said was an explosion on board.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine said it had hit the warship with missiles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian forces recaptured the island in June last year. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 18:46:26', '2023-07-09 18:46:26'),
(7852, 7852, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A total of 48 scholars from different sectors today received Prime Minister\'s Fellowship (PMF) for 2023-24 sessions.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conferred 38 masters and 10 Ph.D PMF on the scholars at the Shapla Hall of her office this morning for pursuing the degrees at globally top-ranking universities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, 277 masters\' fellows and 108 Ph.D fellows have been awarded the scholarship to study at world-class universities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To claim the scholarship, each applicant at first must secure, by their own capacity, admission to one of the 100 highest-ranking universities around the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Once the admission is confirmed, only then one can apply for the scholarship under the Governance Innovation Unit (GIU) of the prime Minister\'s office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PMF was introduced in 2018 by the premier to facilitate the capacity development of resources across all sectors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The GIU is entrusted with the responsibility of the management of PMF.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fellowship is being given in three categories ---government officers (BCS), government officers (Non-BCS) and others (private candidates).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister fellows study in many reputed universities in different countries including the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">State Minister for Public Administration Ministry Farhad Hossain, MP, and Prime Minister\'s Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah spoke at the function.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">GIU Director General Dr Abdul Latif gave the address of welcome.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One behalf of the masters and Ph.D fellows, Associate Professor of Rajshahi University Md Shibli Islam and Research Assistant at the Public Health Foundation Afifa Anju expressed their feelings on behalf of the fellows.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Deputy Secretary of the Internal Resources Division Ph.D fellow Dr KM Alamgir Kabir also shared his feeling. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 19:22:47', '2023-07-09 19:22:47'),
(7853, 7853, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a \"full-scale civil war\" that could destabilise the entire region, the United Nations warned Sunday, after an air strike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Ministry of Health reported \"22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians\" from the strike on Khartoum\'s sister city Omdurman, in the district of Dar al-Salam, which means \"House of Peace\" in Arabic.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After nearly three months of war between Sudan\'s rival generals, the air strike is the latest incident to provoke outrage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict, survivors have reported a wave of sexual violence and witnesses have spoken of ethnically targeted killings. There has been widespread looting, and the UN warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A video posted by the health ministry on Facebook showed apparently lifeless bodies after the airstrike, including several women. The narrator says that residents \"counted 22 dead\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the regular army, claimed that the strike killed 31.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since the war began, paramilitaries have established bases in residential areas, and they have been accused of forcing civilians from their homes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday condemned the air strike in Omdurman, which he said \"reportedly killed at least 22 people\" and wounded dozens, his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guterres \"remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region\", Haq said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added: \"There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nearly three million people have been uprooted by Sudan\'s fighting, among them almost 700,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries according to the International Organization for Migration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UN and African blocs have warned of an \"ethnic dimension\" to the conflict in the western region of Darfur, where the United States, Norway and Britain have blamed the RSF and allied militia for most of the widespread violations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Haq expressed support for efforts by the African Union and East African bloc IGAD to end Sudan\'s crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Monday leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan -- IGAD members handling the Sudan file -- are to meet in Addis Ababa.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sudan\'s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been invited but neither side has confirmed they will attend.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Numerous ceasefires in the war have been announced and ignored. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 19:59:01', '2023-07-09 19:59:01'),
(7854, 7854, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Akshay Kumar announced that the teaser of his long-awaited satirical comedy OMG 2 will be unveiled on Tuesday, July 11, a month before the film is slated to release in cinemas on August 11. OMG 2 is the sequel to his 2012 hit OMG - Oh My God!, that also starred Paresh Rawal.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Akshay announces teaser release date</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last week, Akshay dropped the posters of OMG 2, featuring him as Lord Shiva, Yami Gautam as a lawyer and Pankaj Tripathi. He also said that the teaser would be out soon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now, Akshay announced on Sunday that the teaser of OMG 2 will be launched on Tuesday, July 11. He revealed the date along with a short video of him walking towards the camera intensely in his Lord Shiva avatar. Chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ serenade the background.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The film is co-produced by Akshay\'s Cape of Good Films and Viacom18 Studios. It also stars Govind Namdev, who played an agitated sadhu in the first part. While that part also starred Paresh Rawal and Mithun Chakraborty, the sequel is based on a new storyline with new characters essayed by Yami Gautam and Pankaj Tripathi. Arun Govil, who played Rama in Ramanand Sagar\'s TV series Ramayan, is also a part of OMG 2 and will be seen reprising the iconic role of Lord Rama.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Clash with Gadar 2</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">OMG 2 will clash in cinemas on August 11 with yet another popular, long-awaited sequel. Gadar 2, the sequel to Anil Sharma\'s 2001 historical blockbuster, will release on the same day. Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel will reprise their memorable roles of Tara Singh and Sakina, respectively. The sequel, co-produced by Zee Studios, is also directed by Anil and also stars his son Utkarsh Sharma in a supporting role.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Previously, the action romance wasn\'t the only contender for OMG 2 on the extended Independence Day weekend. Sandeep Reddy Vanga\'s Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol, was also scheduled to release on August 11, but was pushed to December 1 owing to delayed VFX work. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 20:02:13', '2023-07-09 20:02:13'),
(7855, 7855, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkiye has taken a \"fair and balanced stance\" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and strengthened ties with both countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"While strengthening our relations with Ukraine, we did not allow our relations with the Russian Federation to deteriorate,\" Erdogan said at a rally in the eastern province of Bayburt, after his meeting with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Hopefully, we will meet with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in August as well,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking of the negative effects of the conflict on the Turkish economy, the Turkish leader said \"every event happening around us has reflections on the economy,\" adding energy and food prices have reached record levels all over the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This was Zelensky\'s first visit to Turkiye since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, but the Ukrainian president has often spoken by phone with Erdogan as Ankara has been pushing for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In July 2022, the United Nations and Turkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. XINHUA</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 20:13:48', '2023-07-09 20:13:48'),
(7856, 7856, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said stern action will be taken against those who have leaked personal data of the citizens by hacking the National Identity (NID) database.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"The law enforcement agencies are investigating the matter to get \'very specific\' information...Strict action is waiting for the wrongdoers for sure,\" the minister said at a meeting of the Law and Order Committee, held at the Secretariat in the capital this afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>The special meeting was held to discuss the overall preparations and security measures taken ahead of 15th August, the National Mourning Day.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our cyber unit is already working to increase security measures to protect the personal information of the citizens as Home Affairs Ministry will take over the NID server soon after completing some legal procedures,\" Kaman said.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked about the security measures taken ahead of the National Mourning Day, Kamal said, \"Militant, anti-liberation forces and or groups of plotters always try to create chaos in the month of August. So, we have taken special precautions.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"I have only been hearing about BNP\'s movement. No movement succeeds unless the people are involved, and as you can see people have already rejected them... If they again start destructive politics of killings, then the law and order forces will take necessary action,\" the home minister said when asked about BNP\'s movement against the government. According to BSS reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 22:35:11', '2023-07-09 22:35:11'),
(7857, 7857, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Bangladesh organised a high-level event in collaboration with the Partners of the Food and Nutrition Security Programme for Bangladesh.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The event, titled \"The European Union and the Government of Bangladesh in Partnership for Good Nutrition through Good Governance,\" was held at a Dhaka hotel on Sunday with the participation of government and non-governmental organisations.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr. Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Agriculture Minister, was the chief guest for the morning session.</div><div><br></div><div>He highlighted that the Ministry of Agriculture has made it a priority to develop a self-sufficient and sustainable agricultural system and aims to achieve this through increased agricultural productivity, modernization of agriculture marketing, and the adoption of new technologies.</div><div><br></div><div>M. Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Principal Secretary of PMO, was the chief guest for the afternoon session.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is essential for nutrition security to be driven by the Government of Bangladesh with a strong political will and explicit commitments by leaders to end malnutrition in all its forms. This cannot be achieved without sustainable, resilient, and nutrition-sensitive food systems,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The welcome remarks were delivered by Jurate Smalskyte Merville, Counsellor, Team Leader at the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, and the closing remarks by Charles Whiteley, EU Ambassador to Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Both EU Delegates highlighted the importance of food and nutrition security across Bangladesh based on achievements shared during the event.</div><div><br></div><div>They emphasized the importance of continuing the support and investments to the FNS interventions through GO-NGO, Private Sector, UN agencies and CSOs.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, the Director General of Food Planning and Monitoring Unit, Momtaz Uddin and the Director General of Bangladesh National Nutrition Council, Dr Shahriar Kabir highlighted the importance of multisector partnership and also building capacity of subnational governance structure.</div><div><br></div><div>Special guests at the event included Sarah Cooke, British High Commissioner and Md Mahmudul Hossain Khan, Secretary, Coordination and Reforms, Cabinet Division.</div><div><br></div><div>The event consisted of three panel sessions.</div><div><br></div><div>The first panel session was on production to consumption of nutritious food. Panellists included Secretaries from Ministry of Agriculture (Wahida Akter), Ministry of Food (Md. Ismiel Hossain ndc), and Additional Secretary of Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (Md. Aminul Islam).</div><div><br></div><div>It was moderated by Prof. Dr Sattar Mandal, former Member Planning Commission and former VC, Bangladesh Agriculture University.</div><div><br></div><div>The second panel session was on how social protection and education interventions can maximize nutrition outcomes.</div><div><br></div><div>Panel members included Secretaries from Ministry of Social Welfare (Md. Jahangir Alam), Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (Ms. Nazma Mobarek), and Additional Secretaries from Ministry of Education (Md. Belayet Hossain Talukdar) and Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives ( Mustakim Billah Faruqui).</div><div><br></div><div>The second session was moderated by Professor Kazi Maruful Islam, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>The topic for the third panel session was mainstreaming nutrition throughout planning, budgeting and implementation. Panellists include Secretaries from Planning Commission (Abdul Baki), Health Service Division (Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain Howlader) and Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (Dr. Nahid Rashid) and Additional Secretaries from Ministry of Finance (Ms Dilruba Shaheena) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Dr. Asrafi Ahmed ndc).</div><div><br></div><div>The session was moderated by Dr. Tahmeed Ahmed, Executive Director at icddr,b.</div><div><br></div><div>The current Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) Programme is part of the longstanding collaboration between the European Union (EU) and the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in the FNS sector. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 23:41:34', '2023-07-09 23:41:34');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7858, 7858, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The situation of dengue across the country is worsening day by day, so the government and private hospitals should ensure free dengue testing and treatment with government assistance, Jatiya Party Chairman and Deputy Leader of Opposition Ghulam Muhammad Quader has said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Besides, action should be taken against those who cannot control the dengue situation due to failure and incoordination. If there is evidence of corruption, action should be taken against them, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement, Jatiya Party Chairman quoted the media as saying that 820 patients were admitted to the hospital with dengue in one day on Saturday (July 8).</div><div><br></div><div>This is the highest in terms of numbers this year.</div><div><br></div><div>Official data showed that 67 people died of dengue since July 8. But, people think this number is quite high.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the data, 2, 502 dengue patients, including 1, 773 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, the DGHS has recorded 12, 118 dengue cases, 9, 549 recoveries. Last year 281 patients died due to dengue.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader, who became the party chairman after the death of his brother HM Ershad also said that 2019 had the highest dengue outbreak in history. That year, 21 out of 98 wards of the capital were at high risk of dengue. But this year, 55 out of 98 wards of the capital are at high risk of dengue, according to the government survey. This actually proves the dire situation of dengue.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that there is no effective action from the government to tackle the dengue outbreak.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, doubts have arisen among the common people about the efficacy of the medicine which is spreading to eradicate dengue.</div><div><br></div><div>If the dengue situation is not controlled now, its consequences will become more dire in the future, he mentioned.</div><div><br></div><div>The people of the country are already in dire straits due to rising commodity prices. Therefore free dengue disease testing and treatment should be ensured, GM Quader emphasized. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-09 23:48:29', '2023-07-09 23:48:29'),
(7859, 7859, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The batting great had a word of caution for England as the hosts chase their first win in the 2023 Ashes series, reports Hindustan Times.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>England are poised to open their account in the Ashes series as the side requires 226 more runs to win the Headingley Test, with two days remaining in the match. The English bowlers produced an impressive outing on Saturday to bowl Australia out on 224 after rain washed away the opening two sessions on Day 3. Travis Head (77) played a key role as Australia faced a batting collapse, helping the visitors set a competitive 251-run target for England.</div><div><br></div><div>The hosts, though, had a positive start despite opener Ben Duckett facing significant issues with extra bounce on multiple occasions, as they ended at 27/0 at the end of the day. England, thus, must count themselves favourites to take the Test and stay alive in the Ashes series, and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar had a word of advice for Ben Stokes and co. as they chase a win in Leeds.</div><div><br></div><div>Taking to his official Twitter account, Tendulkar warned England to play sensibly and not give away their wickets cheaply in hunt for quick runs.</div><div><br></div><div>“The first hour at Headingley is going to be critical tomorrow,” Tendulkar wrote.</div><div><br></div><div>“I feel the wicket is playing absolutely fine and if England bat sensibly and are positive in their approach they will get there. They require discipline in their shot selection with a positive approach and the total will be chased.”</div><div><br></div><div>England endured a poor performance with the bat in the first innings as they were bowled out on 237; the final total could\'ve been much lesser had Ben Stokes not shown some composure at the crease, as he scored a valiant 80.</div><div><br></div><div>Throughout the Ashes series so far, England have been heavily criticised for being overly-aggressive with the bat, with some of the side\'s greats including Geoffrey Boycott slamming ‘Bazball’. Both, Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, however, have defended the style of play that has reaped rewards for the English team over the past year.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 00:46:32', '2023-07-10 00:46:32'),
(7860, 7860, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A student of the Applied Nutrition and Food Technology department of Islamic University was allegedly assaulted by&nbsp; activists of the university unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling party student front, on the campus in Kushtia on Sunday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The victim, Shorifuzzaman Shovon, is a second year student of the university.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Shovon, however, filed a written complaint with the university proctor Professor Shahadat Hossain Azad and student advisor Professor Shelina Nasrin against those involved in the incident seeking their punishment.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the complaint, a group of IU BCL unit activists including Touhid of Bangla department and Sajib of Human Resource Management department under 2020-21 academic session and led by English department student M Masudur Rahman attacked Shovon while he was going to IU Daina Chattar after finishing his class at around 10:30am.</div><div><br></div><div>They all are the supporters of IU BCL unit vice-president Mridul Rabby.</div><div><br></div><div>The BCL men, at one stage, assaulted Shovon and2 left him injured on the spot. Later, other students rescued Shovon from the spot and took him to IU medical center for treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>They also threatened to kill the victim. Stern action for the accused involved in assaulting the victim was demanded, the complaint said.</div><div><br></div><div>Contacted, the victim Shovon said that Masud and others assaulted him on the basis of their previous enmity. \"I demand punitive action for the accused involved in attacking me,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Admitting the incident, Masud said that they assaulted Shovon as he uttered abusive words towards him.</div><div><br></div><div>IU BCL unit vice-president Mridul Rabby said that there was no involvement of BCL in assaulting Shovon. Rather, it happened following their internal conflict, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Many general students said that ragging and assaulting incidents happened repeatedly at the university as the university administration failed to take stern action against the accused involved in the incidents.</div><div><br></div><div>The administration should take stern actions against the accused, and those proven guilty, so that they could not dare to do such a heinous act in the future, they added.</div><div><br></div><div>IU proctor professor M Shahadat Hossain said that he received a written complaint from the victim, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>They were looking into the matter, he said, adding that action would be taken after proper investigation, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 00:50:13', '2023-07-10 00:50:13'),
(7861, 7861, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Six more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Sunday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 73 this year.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>During the period, 836 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div><br></div><div>Of the new patients, 516 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 2,750 dengue patients, including 1,968 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, the DGHS has recorded 12,954 dengue cases, 10,131 recoveries this year.</div><div><br></div><div>The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 02:09:00', '2023-07-10 02:09:00'),
(7862, 7862, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said their party is going to start a new journey for the restoration of democracy by holding a public rally in Dhaka next Wednesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a ‘Youth Rally’, he also said the next national election must be arranged under a non-party neutral caretaker government as the last two polls have proved no credible voting can be held under the Awami League regime.</div><div><br></div><div>“There’ll be a rally in Dhaka on the 12th of July next from where a new declaration will come. Through that declaration, a new journey to restore democracy will begin,” Fakhrul said.</div><div><br></div><div>In recent weeks, BNP in general and Fakhrul in particular have been sounding out a new, final phase of their movement to topple the government, that will be centred on a single, overriding demand: the government\'s immediate oustre.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the youth must play a significant role in the fresh journey to get back democracy by waking up the people from all walks of life.</div><div><br></div><div>“We all have to jump into this new movement to save democracy and free Khaleda Zia and establish a government, parliament and state for the people by defeating this demon regime,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP’s associate bodies-Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal organised the \'Youth Rally\' at the Alia Madrasa field in Chowhatta area of Sylhet city.</div><div><br></div><div>The rally was held to motivate the youth to become involved in the opposition’s ongoing anti-government movement.</div><div><br></div><div>It was the fourth such rally arranged by the three associate bodies of the BNP since they began the programme in Chattogram on June 10, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said that people expect the young generation to come forward to free them from the misrule of the current government and bring a change in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“The youth have to encourage the country’s people to take to the streets to get back their rights and force the government to quit by handing over power to a caretaker government,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said around four crores youth in the country remained unemployed as the government has no focus on creating jobs and employment opportunities.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said even the youth belonging to the ruling party have to pay a huge amount of bribe to get jobs. “So, this situation of the country must be changed.\"</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 03:38:37', '2023-07-10 03:38:37'),
(7863, 7863, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been invited to attend the next BRICS Summit in South Africa.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh received the formal invitation from the host but it could not be known immediately whether the Prime Minister will attend it or not.</div><div><br></div><div>Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman on Foreign Affairs Faruk Khan confirmed UNB about the formal invitation.</div><div><br></div><div>BRICS leaders are expected to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa from 22 – 24 August 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>The Summit will be hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) in Johannesburg, Gauteng.</div><div><br></div><div>BRICS leaders will engage with businesses during the BRICS Business Forum and engage with the New Development Bank, BRICS Business Council and other mechanisms during the Summit.</div><div><br></div><div>South Africa will also continue its outreach to leaders from Africa and the global South and hold a BRICS Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue during the 15th Summit.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh will welcome a formal BRICS invitation to join the group of five member states — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.</div><div><br></div><div>South Africa will also continue its Outreach to Leaders from Africa and the global South and hold a BRICS Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue during the 15th BRICS Summit.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh will welcome if BRICS invites Bangladesh formally to join the group of five member states - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We will surely join once they invite us. We are yet to receive any formal letter (inviting us to join). BRICS leaders are thinking of taking some emerging economies – around eight new countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Bangladesh,\" he told reporters.\"We will surely join once they invite us. We are yet to receive any formal letter (inviting us to join). BRICS leaders are thinking of taking some emerging economies — around eight new countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Bangladesh,\" he told reporters. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 04:12:00', '2023-07-10 04:12:00'),
(7864, 7864, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Syria\'s Information Ministry has canceled the BBC\'s media accreditation, accusing the British public broadcaster of biased and fake news in its coverage of the war-torn country.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The announcement came days after BBC Arabic released an investigative documentary about the illicit drug trade in Syria, where they highlighted links between the estimated multibillion-dollar industry and the Syrian army as well as members of President Bashar Assad\'s family.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Syrian Information Ministry in a statement late Saturday said the decision was made after“ warning the channel more than once that it has broadcasted its misleading reports relying on statements and testimonies from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Damascus revoked the licenses of both the British broadcaster\'s radio and television correspondents in Syria, as well as their videographer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We speak to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts,” the BBC said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press, adding that the broadcaster provides “impartial independent journalism. ”We will continue to provide impartial news and information to our audiences across the Arabic-speaking world”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The illicit drug industry, most notably the addictive Captagon amphetamine pills, has blossomed in war-torn Syria in recent years. While experts say it has been a way to generate revenue for the country\'s crippled economy and sanctioned leadership, it has scourged neighboring Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as other Gulf countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Captagon has been used both recreationally and by people with physically demanding jobs to keep them alert as well as fighters on the battlefield.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The United Kingdom, United States, and European Union have sanctioned a handful of drug kingpins and close associates of Assad for their involvement in the trade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Syrian government denies any involvement in the production of Captagon. A Syrian parliamentarian told the AP last month that Syria has been used as a transit state for Captagon and other drugs, and accused opposition groups of running the industry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After Syria restored relations with many of its neighboring countries and returned to the Arab fold, cracking down on drug smuggling has been a key issue in regional talks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Syria’s uprising which turned into a full-blown civil war, now in its 13th year, has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of its prewar population of 23 million. Syrians in both government-held territory and an opposition-held enclave in the country’s northwest suffer from rampant poverty and crippled infrastructure. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 14:22:57', '2023-07-10 14:22:57'),
(7865, 7865, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Members of the Election Exploratory Mission (ExM) from the European Union (EU) spent a busy day Sunday as they began their activities in Bangladesh to assess the situation on the ground ahead of the country\'s upcoming national election.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Delegation leader Chelleri Riccardo and his team members held a number of meetings with diplomats stationed in Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Diplomats from the United States, UK, Japan, South Korea and European countries took part in discussions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The visiting delegation also had a meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis, said a diplomatic source.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The meetings took place in a number of places including the residence of the EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, there were no comments from diplomats regarding the meetings.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Riccardo has vast professional experience in the electoral field, covering observation, supervision and technical assistance to electoral processes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The delegation will be visiting Bangladesh till July 23 to assess the situation on the ground ahead of the country\'s upcoming national election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The task of this mission will be to assess the scope, planning, budget, logistics and security of the main election observation mission, Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, Director General (Additional Charge) of Public Diplomacy Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters at the weekly briefing on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU delegation in Dhaka said it is willing to meet with government representatives, election-related authorities, representatives of the international community, officials of various law enforcement agencies, political leaders, civil society and media representatives during the investigation mission\'s stay in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Based on the information received from the fact-finding mission, the European Union will take a final decision on sending a full-fledged Election Observation Mission (EOM) before the next national elections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The main objective of the ExM is to assess the \"advisability, usefulness and feasibility\" of a possible EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the upcoming parliamentary elections, according to the EU Mission in Dhaka. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 14:26:04', '2023-07-10 14:26:04'),
(7866, 7866, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US President Joe Biden has landed in the UK ahead of a Nato summit in Lithuania later this week - which comes after several allies questioned his call to send cluster bombs to Ukraine.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UK and Canada are among those who voiced concern about supplying the bombs, which are widely banned because of the danger they pose to civilians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US says they are needed because Ukraine\'s weapon stocks are dwindling.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Monday, Mr Biden will meet UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two men are expected to discuss various issues, including the war in Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Sunak has not directly criticised his US counterpart following Friday\'s cluster bomb announcement - but on Saturday he said that the UK was one of 123 countries signed up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty which bans the production or use of the weapons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other US allies have gone further, however. Nato partner nation New Zealand said on Sunday the munitions could cause \"huge damage to innocent people\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cluster bombs typically release lots of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area. Unexploded bomblets can linger on the ground for years before they detonate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US says it has received written reassurances from Kyiv that Ukrainian troops will not use the weapons in Russia or in urban areas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Why is the US giving Ukraine \'indiscriminate\' weapons?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While in the UK, Mr Biden will also meet King Charles for the first time since the King was crowned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Members of Nato - a military alliance of 31 Western nations - will then meet in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday. Boosting ammunition stockpiles and reviewing defence plans will be on the agenda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Finland will attend its first summit since joining in April, and plans from Sweden to follow suit have been blocked by Turkey, which accuses it of harbouring terrorists. Mr Biden is expected to seek support from Mr Sunak to help broker a deal with Turkey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine harbours its own ambitions of joining Nato. But speaking to CNN before his trip, Mr Biden said this could not happen until the war was over - in line with the alliance\'s long-standing policy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Citing Nato\'s mutual defence pact, Mr Biden pointed out that members undertake to protect \"every inch\" of each other\'s territory - meaning that \"if the war is going on, then we\'re all in war\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously accepted this position, while requesting a \"signal\" that his country will be able to join the alliance when the war is over. He is expected to attend this week\'s summit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US decision to fulfil a Ukrainian request for cluster bombs came on Friday. Officials said this was part of a military aid package worth $800m (£626m).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Biden told CNN it had been a \"very difficult decision\" but that he had eventually acted because \"the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But a number of Nato allies quickly distanced themselves from the decision.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Canada and Spain - both member states - added their own opposition to that of New Zealand.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defence of Ukraine, which we understand should not be carried out with cluster bombs,\" Spain\'s Defence Minister Margarita Robles said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Germany, another signatory of the treaty and Nato member, said that while it would not provide such weapons to Ukraine, it understood the American position.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the concerns surrounding their supply is their failure - or dud - rate. Unexploded bomblets can indiscriminately detonate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the US has said its cluster bombs fail less frequently than those Russia is already using in the Ukraine war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine has promised the weapons will not be used in civilian areas and will monitor and report on their use, but Russia dismissed these assurances as \"not worth anything\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This is, potentially, an awkward visit coming at a critical time for the US-led Nato alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Biden may not have intended to cause offence by skipping King Charles\' coronation in May, but his absence was noted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Then there is the business over who should be the next secretary general of Nato. The UK and the Baltic states favoured the British Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, who has been instrumental in galvanising Western support for Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But without US backing, that\'s a non-starter - and Mr Biden instead appears to favour the former German defence minister and European Commission head, Ursula von der Leyen.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And there is also the row over cluster bombs. The UK is among 123 nations to ban these weapons which can cause indiscriminate harm to civilians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the US is going ahead, in the heat of international criticism, in supplying them to Ukraine as its forces struggle to break through Russia\'s defences in the south of Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Mr Biden\'s stopover in Britain is so brief that any cracks in the transatlantic alliance are likely to be smoothed over by warm handshakes and ample protocol. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 14:30:33', '2023-07-10 14:30:33'),
(7868, 7868, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Nato is just hours away from its high-profile annual summit - a stress test for the alliance, with Russian President Vladimir Putin watching intently from the sidelines.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Olaf Scholz and so many more world leaders attending, ambassadors of the alliance\'s 31 member states have been huddled together, arguing about what they can, should or will announce publicly on Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So what is all the hoo-ha about?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This weekend marked 500 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, grabbing land, attacking civilians and abducting children.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To Vladimir Putin\'s dismay, Europe and its close ally the US have rushed to Ukraine\'s aid (some speedier than others - here\'s looking at you, Berlin), to the tune of $165bn (£129bn) spent in humanitarian, financial and military assistance by May this year, according to the respected Kiel Institute for the Global Economy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It\'s been a delicate, at times uncomfortable, balancing act - for individual European countries, for the European Union, and arguably most of all for the Nato military alliance, which includes Russia\'s old enemy, the United States.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The conundrum: How do you send Moscow a clear message that the West won\'t stand by and allow the Kremlin to grab sovereign territory in Ukraine or anywhere else in Europe, while at the same time avoiding coming into direct conflict with nuclear power Russia and risking all-out war?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to US President Joe Biden: \"I don\'t think there is unanimity in Nato about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the Nato family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He pointed out that Ukraine joining would mean that \"if the war is going on, then we\'re all in war. We\'re at war with Russia, if that were the case.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And 500 days into Russia\'s invasion, Nato\'s balancing act isn\'t getting any easier.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine is clear. It wants an equal seat at the Nato table - with all the security guarantees that go with that - and it wants it now.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Or, because it recognises Nato can\'t admit a new member while that state is at war, it wants at least \"a clear signal that Ukraine will be in the alliance... not that the door is open for us, which is not enough, but that Ukraine will be in it\", says its media-savvy President Volodymyr Zelensky.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Anything short of that and he has threatened not to turn up at the summit at all, to the irritation of not a few Nato members, including Germany and the US.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If Mr Zelensky is a no-show, the optics of Western unity with Ukraine - aimed as a clear message to Moscow at the summit - will be disastrous.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The main problem is Nato already told Ukraine it belonged in the alliance back in 2008, well before Russia\'s invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Expectations are high that Nato must now offer Kyiv something else of significance. But what?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">High-level diplomats from a number of key Nato nations spoke to me for this article on condition of anonymity, so as to be able to voice their observations freely.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They say Nato members are united over Ukraine belonging inside their \"family\". But they remain divided over the details.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The summit is being held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It is one of the three tiny Baltic nations in Russia\'s backyard that were swallowed up and occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War Two.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians emote with Ukraine\'s pain. They, along with fellow eastern European nation Poland, which also sees itself as a former victim of Russian aggression, demand Ukraine be given fast-track Nato membership after an eventual ceasefire with Moscow.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Nato decisions require unanimous agreement amongst member countries. Germany, the US and the UK are among the more cautious.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Firstly, because of formal conditions the alliance would normally want an accession country to fulfil before becoming a member.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Much as Ukraine deserves to be part of Nato, we have the same concerns now as we did back in 2008,\" one influential diplomat told me.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We need to see reforms, a fight against corruption and proper control over armed forces,\" he said. But he added that he thought the Ukrainian authorities had learned a clear lesson from the corruption in Russia\'s military that swallowed up billions and left the Russians weakened and ill-prepared for battle.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some Nato countries also fret that if there is a cast-iron promise to admit Kyiv as a member immediately after a ceasefire with Russia, that could encourage Moscow to prolong its assault on Ukraine even further.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">First, strategic patience - as Camille Grand, ex-Nato and now defence expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, puts it. A clear pledge from the West that they\'re in it for the long haul. And that Russia shouldn\'t believe it can out-wait the West over Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">I was struck during my conversations with diplomats how relaxed their countries seem about the slower pace of Ukraine\'s counter-offensive against Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They seemed of the same school of thought as Britain\'s foreign secretary, who points out that \"this isn\'t a Hollywood movie\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Moscow had a long, long time to prepare for this invasion,\" one ambassador told me. \"And we now expect Ukraine to have dramatic success in three or four weeks? That\'s just unrealistic.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Ukraine is trying to make progress while respecting human life,\" commented another, comparing that to what he called Russia\'s meat-grinder attitude, pushing its soldiers \"over the top\" to get mown down in droves.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Do we have questions in private about how fast Ukraine gets through munitions? Absolutely!\" a more plain-speaking diplomat observed. \"But it\'s important the Ukrainians don\'t feel we\'re breathing down their neck.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We\'re giving them important military support, increasingly more sophisticated and they - and Moscow - need to know it\'s going to keep on coming.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the important conversations at the Vilnius summit will focus on Europe\'s defence industry: The investment needed to ensure supplies can keep flowing to Ukraine, while still leaving EU and Nato members with enough defence capabilities to look after themselves.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also the question of harmonisation possibilities - right now, it\'s a bit of a mess. Each Nato country sends its own military aid to Ukraine, leaving Kyiv grappling with different models of armoured vehicles, tanks, etc. Not exactly the most efficient way forward. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 14:35:15', '2023-07-10 14:35:15'),
(7869, 7869, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Car bombs killed at least eight people including three children in two separate incidents Sunday in northern Syria, a war monitor said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One blast hit a car repair shop in Shawa, a village near the Turkish border held by pro-Ankara fighters, residents told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Five civilians including three children were killed and 10 others injured, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Areas held by Turkey and its Syrian proxies in northern Syria are the scene of regular targeted killings, bombings and clashes between armed groups.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the second incident, an explosive device planted in a vehicle killed three fighters affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the city of Manbij, according to the Observatory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Manbij is a former stronghold of the Islamic State group that is now held by a military council affiliated with the US-backed SDF.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Syria\'s war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It has since evolved into a complex conflict involving jihadists and foreign powers, and has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 14:38:32', '2023-07-10 14:38:32'),
(7870, 7870, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Sporting a pair of sunglasses, Asisat Oshoala celebrated Barcelona\'s UEFA Champions League triumph with her team-mates in early June, but Nigeria was already on her mind.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Standing on the balcony of the historic palace in Placa de Sant Jaume in the city\'s Gothic neighbourhood before several thousand jubilant fans, Oshoala was handed the microphone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Visca Barca and Visca Nigeria,\" the 28-year-old forward said, swapping in her homeland for \"Catalunya\", as the refrain usually goes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ruled out with a hamstring injury, Oshoala could not play any part in Barcelona\'s rollercoaster 3-2 win over Wolfsburg that saw them clinch their second Champions League trophy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, she will be back to compete later this month at the Women\'s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nigeria are the only African team to feature in every edition of the tournament since it began in 1991, but the Super Falcons have never made it beyond the quarter-finals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If that is to change, a lot will depend on five-time African women\'s player of the year Oshoala.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"When you have Oshoala, you have a chance against any team,\" said Nigeria\'s American coach Randy Waldrum, whose side must first negotiate a difficult group featuring Australia, Olympic gold medallists Canada and the Republic of Ireland.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"She puts a lot of pressure on herself because she loves Nigeria and she wants Nigeria to be successful on the world stage.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- One of the best -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oshoala defied her parents as a youngster, choosing to drop out of school and focus on playing football full-time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It paid off spectacularly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2014 she was made a Member of the Order of the Niger by the country\'s then-president Goodluck Jonathan, a title which she proudly carries in her name on her social media accounts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Barely out of her teenage years, Liverpool signed her in 2015 and she became the first African to play in the English Women\'s Super League.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We beat a number of top American and European clubs to Asisat\'s signature,\" said Liverpool coach Matt Beard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Asisat is one of the best young players in the world.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2016 Oshoala signed for Arsenal after they paid her release clause of an undisclosed amount.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oshoala won the FA Cup at Wembley with the Gunners that year but then moved to Chinese team Dalian Quanjian.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She admitted she was paid more than 10 times as much as she earned at Arsenal, but also said she felt she could rebuild her confidence there, describing the move to China as a \"blessing\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Barcelona loaned her from Dalian in 2019 and after eight goals in 11 games a permanent switch quickly materialised.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oshoala became the first African woman to win the Spanish top flight\'s leading goalscorer trophy and in August 2022 also became the first to be nominated for the Ballon d\'Or.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With Barcelona she has won three league titles and two women\'s Champions Leagues. Now she is aiming to follow that up with World Cup glory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oshoala has a foundation back home in Nigeria which helps young girls to play football, after the trouble she had starting out and getting her parents to support her dream.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Success in Australia and New Zealand would be another way for Oshoala to lead by example. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 16:10:37', '2023-07-10 16:10:37');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7871, 7871, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday voiced hope for the \"best possible result\" from an upcoming NATO summit where Kyiv is hoping for a clear signal that it could one day join the alliance.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After meeting his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda, Zelensky said the two discussed the summit, which opens on Tuesday in Vilnius, and agreed to \"work together to get the best possible result for Ukraine\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Poland is one of Ukraine\'s biggest supporters within NATO and has said it wants \"security guarantees\" for the country from other NATO members.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelensky has said he does not expect Ukraine to actually join NATO until after the war but he hopes the summit will give a \"clear signal\" on the intention to bring Ukraine into the alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US President Joe Biden, who arrived on Sunday in Britain on his way to the NATO summit, said he hoped the military alliance leaders would \"lay out a rational path for Ukraine to be able to qualify to be able to get into NATO\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to CNN, he said there were also \"other qualifications that need to be met, including democratisation\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I don\'t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bringing Ukraine in now, Biden said, would mean \"war with Russia\" because of the NATO commitment to collective defence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Destructive course\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelensky returned from Turkey on Saturday -- the 500th day of Russia\'s full-scale invasion -- after a regional tour to drum up support ahead of the summit with Western allies, who have pledged billions in military aid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was accompanied by five top commanders from the Azov regiment who were supposed to have remained in Turkey until the end of the conflict under a prisoner exchange deal with Moscow.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their return to Ukraine angered the Kremlin, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov quoted by Russian news agencies on Saturday as saying that it was \"a direct violation\" of the agreement with Turkey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Sunday and the two discussed the issue of the Azov commanders, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Sweden\'s NATO bid -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden hopes to use the summit to pressure Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden\'s all-but-cleared NATO membership bid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, Biden \"conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible,\" the White House said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan\'s office said separately that he would meet with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The talks will focus on \"Ukraine\'s position in NATO, Sweden\'s NATO membership, and the delivery of F-16\" fighter jets, which Turkey hopes to secure from the United States, the Turkish presidency said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to reporters aboard the US presidential plane, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed Biden and Erdogan \"will have the opportunity to sit down in Vilnius,\" but said the scheduling was still being worked out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sullivan said Sweden\'s accession into NATO was only \"a matter of timing.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If we get it done by Vilnius, great. That may or may not happen,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Turkish presidency however said Erdogan had reaffirmed to Biden his longstanding position that Sweden still needed to crack down harder on suspected Kurdish militants to win Turkey\'s support.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Danger \'for many years\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelensky last week won a US pledge for cluster munitions that could inflict significant damage to Russian forces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Washington\'s decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs -- banned across a large part of the world -- has proved highly controversial.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden admitted that it had been \"a difficult decision\", one that humanitarian groups strongly condemned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sullivan said Sunday that Kyiv had pledged to only use the munitions on Ukrainian territory \"where they have the highest incentive to limit impact to civilians, because it is Ukrainian citizens who would be at risk.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke on Sunday with his Ukrainian counterpart, who \"gave further assurances\" on how the cluster munitions will be used, Sullivan said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose country still grapples with deadly war remnants, on Sunday urged Ukraine not to use cluster bombs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It would be the greatest danger for Ukrainians for many years or up to a hundred years if cluster bombs are used in Russian-occupied areas in the territory of Ukraine,\" Hun Sen tweeted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia, which itself uses cluster munitions in Ukraine, said the decision was an \"act of desperation\" that would have \"no effect\" on the conflict. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 16:14:00', '2023-07-10 16:14:00'),
(7872, 7872, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning (July 10, 2023).</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 73 at 9:10 am, Dhaka ranked 20th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Arab Emirates\' Dubai, Qatar\'s Doha and Pakistan’s Karachi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 171, 160 and 154, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\', AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', and a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 16:17:39', '2023-07-10 16:17:39'),
(7873, 7873, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The overall number of Covid-19 cases around the world has now surpassed 691 million.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the latest global data, the total Covid-19 case count is 691,235,025, while the death toll reached 6,898,483 this morning (July 10, 2023).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US has reported 107,356,628 Covid-19 cases so far, while 1,168,502 people have died from the virus in the country — both highest counts globally.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India has lodged 32 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, the union health ministry data stated on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The number of active cases stood at 1,454, taking the total number of Covid-19 cases to 4.49 crore (4,49,94,575). Meanwhile, the death toll has increased to 5,31,913 with one death being reported from Mizoram, the data showed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">France and Germany have registered 40,138,560 and 38,428,685 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third and fourth positions in the world number-wise, and 167,642 and 174,352 people have died in the European countries, as per Worldometer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh reported 76 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With the new numbers, the country\'s total caseload rose to 2,043,161, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,462 as no new fatalities were reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The daily case test positivity rose to 4.42 percent from Saturday’s 3.23 percent as 1,720 samples were tested.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The recovery and death rates remained unchanged at 98.37 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 16:21:09', '2023-07-10 16:21:09'),
(7874, 7874, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Torrential rain has been pounding southwestern Japan, triggering floods and mudslides and leaving two people dead and at least six others missing Monday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rains falling on the regions of Kyushu and Chugoku since the weekend caused flooding along a number of rivers as well as mudslides, closing roads, disrupting trains and cutting the water supply in some areas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Japan Meteorological Agency issued an emergency heavy rain warning for Fukuoka and Oita prefectures on the southern main island of Kyushu, urging residents in riverside and hillside areas to take maximum caution. More than 1.7 million residents in vulnerable areas were urged to take shelter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters the government has set up a task force and is doing its utmost for the search and rescue operation \"as we put the people\'s lives first.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two people have died and at least six others were missing, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and prefectural officials. A man was found dead in a vehicle that had fallen into a swollen river in Yamaguchi prefecture.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the town of Soeda in Fukuoka prefecture, two people were buried underneath a mudslide. One was rescued alive, but the other was found without vital signs and later pronounced dead, according to prefectural officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the city of Karatsu in Saga prefecture, rescue workers were searching for three people whose houses were hit by a mudslide, the agency said. Footage on NHK television showed one of the destroyed houses reduced to just a roof sitting on the muddy ground amid floodwater flowing down.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At least three others were missing elsewhere in the region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Footage on NHK television showed muddy water from the swollen Yamakuni River gushing over a bridge in the town of Yabakei in Oita prefecture. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 16:30:15', '2023-07-10 16:30:15'),
(7875, 7875, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 15 people were killed in floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains that battered northern India, with New Delhi receiving the most rainfall in decades, reports and officials said Sunday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Roads in several parts of the capital were submerged in knee-deep water as it was inundated with 153 millimetres of rain, the highest precipitation in a single day in July in 40 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With at least another day of heavy rain forecast, authorities have ordered schools shut in New Delhi on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Press Trust of India news agency reported Sunday that 15 people had been killed in the past 24 hours in six northern Indian states.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hill states were the worst affected, leaving six dead in Himachal Pradesh alone where landslides blocked about 700 roads, Omkar Sharma, a disaster management official told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India\'s meteorological department has forecast more rain across large parts of northern India in coming days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Official data shows monsoon rains across the country in the first week of July have already produced about two percent more rainfall than normal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The summer monsoon brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall, as well as death and destruction due to flooding and landslides.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rainfall is hard to forecast and varies considerably, but scientists say climate change is making the monsoon stronger and more erratic. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 17:08:45', '2023-07-10 17:08:45'),
(7876, 7876, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday asked the media to do constructive criticism for the welfare of the country,  not for damaging it.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The criticism should be for the welfare of the country and not for damaging it,\"  she said while addressing a function at her office here in the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the function, the premier distributed cheques of financial assistance to the families of dead, sick, insolvent and injured journalists.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This year some Tk 3.41 crore were given against 438 journalists as financial assistance from Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust (BJWT) Fund.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said the Awami League government has ensured freedom of media  in the last 14 years. \"None had ever enjoyed so much freedom in the past,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PM asked the media to do criticism as much as required to correct the government but not to hamper the ongoing progress of the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We don\'t want that the progress of Bangladesh ti be hampered,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said the media will have to have the sense of responsibility and dutifulness towards the country and the nation while they enjoy freedom.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BJWT fund was formed in 2014 with the seed money of Tk 25 crore provided by the prime minister on two occasions l.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far some Tk 40 crore was distributed among 13,510 journalists from the fund.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud presided over the function, while Information Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker spoke on the occasion. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 17:43:44', '2023-07-10 19:26:50'),
(7877, 7877, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A suspected Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) commander was killed during a reported gunfight between members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and the group at a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya, Cox\'s Bazar.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased was identified as Hussein Majhi, an \"ARSA commander,\" said Syed Harun-ur-Rashid, Additional Deputy Inspector General (ADIG) of APBn-14.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident happened at 5 am today at Camp-17 in Ukhiya.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An APBn team surrounded the nearby area of Camp-17 this morning. \"At the time, ARSA men opened fire on the APBn team, and the latter fired back,\" Harun-ur-Rashid said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the “gunfight,” Hussein Majhi was found lying on the ground.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased was accused in several murder cases, and police will continue their drive, he added. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 18:20:02', '2023-07-10 18:20:02'),
(7878, 7878, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Shah Rukh Khan has finally unveiled the Jawan Prevue, which has quite a few high points to talk about. These include Shah Rukh\'s bald avatar, Nayanthara, Deepika Padukone (who has a special appearance in the film), Vijay Sethupathi, Sanya Malhotra, and Priyamani\'s power-packed scenes. Internet loved the Jawan Prevue (which is assumed by many to be the Jawan trailer). Filmmakers Karan Johar and Sujoy Ghosh also hailed it on social media.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Soon after the release of Jawan Prevue, Sujoy Ghosh tweeted, “man that last few seconds of the jawan trailer.… gotey gripping stuff! I bow to you @iamsrk.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In another tweet, he shared the Jawan Prevue and wrote, “tooooo good!! jhoomey jo jawan…”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Karan Johar took to his Instagram Stories to praise Jawan. He wrote, “BHAI!!!!! This is going to be a juggernaut of a blockbuster! And @atlee47 you have done it again! Wowww, can\'t wait!!! @imsrk.” He also tagged co-producers Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma, and actors, Deepika Padukone, Vijay Sethupathi along with music director Anirudh Ravichander.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Self-proclaimed critic Kamaal R Khan wrote on Twitter, “Watched trailer of #Jawan! This trailer is proof that film Jawan is going to be huge and 100% full of south style. 80% film will be VFX. Therefore #SRK is looking like a 30 years old Launda. Director #Atlee has made a masala film like he does in south. Film will get 50Cr opening.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharing a still of Shah Rukh Khan\'s cop look from Jawan Prevue, a fan also wrote on Twitter, “Desire to see #ShahRukhKhan as Police Officer is finally going to be fulfilled. All the mass elements in one movie #Jawan. Just Wow! Thank You Anna @Atlee_dir.” HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 18:41:38', '2023-07-10 18:41:38'),
(7879, 7879, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said her government will turn Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) into a modern one having 4,000 beds as the hospital is facing problems in treating growing number of patients.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is very difficult to give healthcare services to the growing number of the patients by Dhaka Medical College Hospital. So, we have devised a plan to turn the DMCH into a beautiful, modern and bigger hospital as 4,000 patients can take treatment from the hospital at a time,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier was addressing a function marking 78th founding anniversary of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital virtually from her office here.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We hope, we can start the work (of turning the Dhaka Medical College Hospital into a 4,000 beds Hospital) very soon,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The science and health services are being flourished as the days to come, so Bangladesh needs to march ahead maintaining the similar pace, Sheikh Hasina said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier said the number of research on medical science is fewer in numbers, adding, \"A small number of persons have been engaging in research in medical science.\"&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"So, you should give more focus on researches on medical science as the research to this end is very essential at the current age,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister said her government would give every possible support to conduct extensive research on the medical science to ensure overall development of the health sector. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 19:25:37', '2023-07-10 19:25:37'),
(7880, 7880, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Chinese leader Xi Jinping called his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev to congratulate him on winning a third term as the head of the Central Asian country on Monday, Beijing\'s state media reported.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Xi Jinping pointed out, in recent years, under our joint leadership, China-Uzbekistan relations have achieved breakthrough development, and cooperation in various fields has been comprehensively strengthened,\" state broadcaster CCTV said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Xi told Mirziyoyev he \"very much cherishes the good working relationship and personal friendship with you\", CCTV added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I am willing to work with you to promote the continuous development of the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership and inject new impetus into the construction of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future,\" Xi said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Preliminary results Monday showed Mirziyoyev will stay in charge of the tightly controlled, gas-rich state until 2030.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 65-year-old has promised to open up Uzbekistan to foreign investment and tourism, and implement key domestic reforms in Central Asia\'s most populous country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mirziyoyev, who was running against three largely unknown candidates, won Sunday\'s election with 87 percent of the vote, the preliminary results showed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">China has renewed its push for massive infrastructure projects in Central Asia as Beijing aims to fill a vacuum left in former Soviet states by Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In May, Xi hosted Mirziyoyev and other Central Asian leaders for a summit in the northern Chinese city of Xi\'an.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to regional leaders, the Chinese leader said the countries must \"fully unleash the potential of traditional cooperation in economy, trade, industrial capacity, energy and transport\", according to a state media readout at the time. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 19:51:15', '2023-07-10 19:51:15'),
(7881, 7881, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Schools in New Delhi were closed on Monday after heavy monsoon rains battered the Indian capital and caused landslides and flash floods in the country\'s north, killing at least 15 people over the last three days.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The torrential rain over the weekend left parts of New Delhi overflowing with water that submerged roads and stranded residents. The northern hill states were the worst affected, with 10 people killed in flash floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.</div><div><br></div><div>One person died in New Delhi and four were killed in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir.</div><div><br></div><div>Landslides triggered by the rains disrupted traffic on key highways in Uttarakhand, a tourist hill state in the Himalayas, prompting warnings for residents not to venture out of their homes unless necessary. Authorities used helicopters to rescue people while bridges and houses were swept away in neighboring Himachal Pradesh.</div><div><br></div><div>India’s weather agency has forecast more heavy rains in the north in the coming days. It said monsoon rains across the country have already brought about 2% more rainfall than normal.</div><div><br></div><div>India regularly witnesses severe floods during the monsoon season, which runs between June and September and brings most of South Asia’s annual rainfall. The rains are crucial for rain-fed crops planted during the season but often cause extensive damage.</div><div><br></div><div>Scientists say monsoons are becoming more erratic due to climate change and global warming, leading to frequent landslides and flash floods in India’s Himalayan north.</div><div><br></div><div>In neighboring Pakistan, which has also been pelted by monsoon rains, authorities were on alert for the season\'s first flooding after India diverted waters from dams into the Ravi River, which flows from India into Pakistan.</div><div><br></div><div>Evacuations were underway from the lowlands in eastern Punjab province, according to Pakistan\'s disaster management agency. More than 150 people were moved overnight from the villages in Narowal and Sialkot, officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 76 people have died in Pakistan in weather-related incidents since June 25 as heavy rains impacted tens of thousands of people in this Islamic nation.</div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan said New Delhi had informed Islamabad about the release of water into the Ravi, as it is required to do under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty brokered by the World Bank.</div><div><br></div><div>Cash-strapped Pakistan is still struggling to recover from last summer\'s flooding that killed 1,739 people and caused $30 billion in damage. According to AP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 22:12:40', '2023-07-10 22:12:40'),
(7882, 7882, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The National Board of Revenue (NBR) ended the fiscal year 2022-23 with a revenue shortfall of Tk 44000 crore, despite revenue generation growth by 8.12 percent compared to the previous financial year.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>However, the final calculation of value added tax (VAT) is yet to come. July 15 is the last day to submit VAT returns. At the end of that time, a large amount of money will accumulate, and NBR officials believe that the deficit will decrease somewhat.</div><div><br></div><div>In FY 2022-23, the revenue collection target was Tk 3.70 lakh crore. According to NBR\'s provisional account, Tk 3.25 lakh crore revenue has been collected. There is a shortfall in revenue collection target of around Tk 44000 crore.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the NBR, around Tk 91717 crore revenue has been collected against the target of Tk 1.11 lakh crore from the import-export, i.e. customs, sector. At the lowest growth of 2.56 percent, the deficit is about Tk 19283 crore.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, despite the maximum growth of 11.5 percent in the VAT sector, against the target of Tk 1.37 lakh crore, Tk 1.20 lakh crore have been collected.</div><div><br></div><div>The target of revenue collection from the income tax sector was Tk 1.22 lakh crore. Tk 1.12 lakh crore has been collected. The income tax sector saw a growth of 9.62 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>In the last financial year FY22, the revenue deficit was Tk 28000 crore. A revenue of Tk 3.852 lakh crore was collected in that year.</div><div><br></div><div>A senior NBR official told UNB that 87.91 percent of the revenue collection target has been achieved against the targets in three categories of NBR in FY23.</div><div><br></div><div>In the current fiscal year 2023-24, the revenue collection target has been set at Tk 4.30 lakh crore. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 23:09:03', '2023-07-10 23:09:03'),
(7883, 7883, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Appellate Division on Monday suspended bail of Jagannath University student Khadijatul Kubra for another four months in two cases under the Digital Security Act(DSA).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>An Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order.</div><div><br></div><div>Advocate BM Elias Kachee and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua stood for Khadija, while Assistant Attorney General Saiful Alam represented the state.</div><div><br></div><div>Khadija was granted bail by the High Court on February 16 in two Digital Security Act cases. The state filed petition challenging the bail.</div><div><br></div><div>During the hearing, Khadija\'s lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua argued that she was not accountable for the opinions expressed by guests in videos on her YouTube channel.</div><div><br></div><div>The Appellate Division responded that Khadija, “as a first-year honours student, should be able to accept responsibility for the opinions aired on her talk show program.”</div><div><br></div><div>In October 2020, police filed two cases against Khadija and retired Maj Delowar Hossain at the Kalabagan and New Market Police Stations for \'spreading anti-government propaganda and harming Bangladesh\'s reputation.\'</div><div><br></div><div>The allegations in the two cases filed a week apart, were similar.</div><div><br></div><div>Police arrested Khadija on September 17, 2022. She has been imprisoned since then, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the case details, Khadija and Delowar conspired to broadcast false, fabricated, and defamatory propaganda about the Prime Minister, various government agencies, and senior state officials in order to oust the country\'s legitimate administration. They were aiming to destroy communal harmony through their conspiracy by promoting enmity, hatred, and division among various communities, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>Khadija was 17 when the cases were filed under the Digital Security Act in 2020, but the case was filed showing her as an adult, according to her lawyer. Despite having kidney disease, Khadija\'s bail petitions were repeatedly denied by a Dhaka court, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 23:48:44', '2023-07-10 23:48:44'),
(7884, 7884, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday alleged that the government has taken the elections as a weapon to establish fascism.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Their only target is to establish one-party fascism by destroying democracy and the opposition parties. They tried to do this in the past, but could not succeed due to political changeover at that time...they’re pursuing this goal in a different style this time by taking elections as their weapon,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul made the remarks while addressing a millad mahfil arranged by BNP at the party’s Nayapaltan central office seeking&nbsp; the speedy recovery of its ailing standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Rafiqul Islam Miah.</div><div><br></div><div>He said they are being forced to carry out the movement as the government is not allowing holding free and fair elections in the country. “We want a change through the election. But you (govt) are holding the elections in your own style taking the results in your favour. That system can\'t continue.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said they still want a peaceful solution to the political crisis and hope that good sense will prevail upon the government to save the country by accepting the people’s demand for holding the next election under a non-partisan neutral government. “We think and the country’s people believe that the crisis will be resolved through the election.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said their party and its alliance partners are going to announce the final action programmes of their current anti-government movement. \"We all the parties involved in the simultaneous movement have decided to announce a new journey for the restoration of democracy and holding a fair and impartial election from our respective places on July 12 (Wednesday).”</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul alleged that the current ‘illegal’ regime has destroyed democracy very consciously by resorting to repressive acts.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government has killed and oppressed many opposition leaders who were carrying out the movement for bringing back democracy. “The biggest damage they have done by sickening the entire nation. They have turned this state into a sick one.\"</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The BNP leader said many of their party senior leaders including Mosharrf, Rafiqul Islam Miah, Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar Nazrul Islam Khan and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi are now sick. “But we’re working, carrying out a movement, and reaching out to people. Our goal is to heal this sick state and free the nation from sickness.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said many of their party leaders have become after being subjected to repressive acts by the government.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Madam (BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia) herself told me how she was kept in the old Central Jail. The great leader was kept in a shabby old building with water leaking through its walls and rats running around,” Fakhrul in an emotion-choked voice.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said when Khaleda fell sick in jail the government did not take any steps for her treatment. “The doctors held a press conference and said that she needs urgent treatment. But she’s not treated. Amid the coronavirus, she was sent home. But she (Prime Minister) said she showed pity….we didn\'t ask for mercy. We wanted justice,” reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader also said people do not live in a kingdom under the rule of any queen or king in Bangladesh. “We fought in 1971 for an independent democratic state and for the establishment of the rights of people.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-10 23:57:02', '2023-07-10 23:57:02'),
(7885, 7885, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Heavy rain sparked extreme flooding in New York\'s Hudson Valley that killed at least one person, swamped roadways and forced road closures on Sunday night.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings across parts of southeastern New York, describing it as “life threatening.”</div><div><br></div><div>One person died due to the flooding, Steven M. Neuhaus, the Orange County executive, told The New York Times.</div><div><br></div><div>State Route 9W was flooded, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway became so drenched that parts of it was closed, the New York State Police said in a statement. The police asked the public to avoid the parkway.</div><div><br></div><div>Cedar Pond Brook in Stony Point was flowing over the road and into private properties, according to WABC.</div><div><br></div><div>Rockland County Executive Ed Day instructed residents to “remain indoors in a safe location” until the heavy rainfall ended. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 02:48:52', '2023-07-11 02:48:52'),
(7886, 7886, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh will start trade with India in Rupees in order to reduce stress on the US dollar requirements from Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Experts and businesses opined that it will save $2 billion dollars at least annually, which Bangladesh may use for other purposes.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, a significant portion of the dollar will be saved from the informal sector, which was spent by travelers to India for different purposes, following another initiative of dual currency cards, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Former governor of Bangladesh Bank (BB) Dr Atiur Rahman told UNB that Bangladesh\'s trade in Indian Rupees will start in regional trade with an alternate currency which will also incorporate Bangladesh Taka subsequently.</div><div><br></div><div>This will help take some pressure off the ACU payment settlement which takes place every two months, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>However, this will be only a small step as there is a huge imbalance in Indo-Bangladesh trade, Dr Atiur said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh exports about $2 billion to India against India exporting nearly eight times of that amount. So, our designated banks can open accounts in Indian designated banks and put export proceeds in Rupees,” he opined.</div><div><br></div><div>Similarly, Indian banks can open Taka accounts in Bangladesh banks to put their export proceeds in Taka to a limited extent. The rest of the payments will continue conventionally in dollars, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The dollar being the dominant currency, the trading in Indian Rupee will be only partial and experimental.</div><div><br></div><div>“We will learn by doing. One should not be complacent about it, although this can be a new way of transactions in regional alternate currencies,” Dr Atiur added.</div><div><br></div><div>President of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) Abdul Matlub Ahmad told UNB that Bangladeshi traders incur an additional cost of 4-6 percent that will be saved if taka-rupee transactions are started.</div><div><br></div><div>Again, the businessmen are uncertain to open LCs in dollars. This is because the value of the rupee against the dollar has fallen frequently over the past year, Ahmad said.</div><div><br></div><div>But there is no such uncertainty in taka-rupee transactions. Because the value of taka has not decreased much against the rupee, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>At first Sonali Bank and Eastern Bank of Bangladesh and two banks of India will open LCs in Rupees.</div><div><br></div><div>The number of banks will increase in the coming days. As a result, traders will not have much problem. Anyone can take this opportunity. But the small businessmen will benefit more from money to rupees transactions, the business leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>Because many small businessmen are unable to open LCs due to the dollar crisis, the Rupees trade will give priority to small traders, Ahmad said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 02:53:28', '2023-07-11 02:53:28');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7887, 7887, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal today said Representation of the People Order (RPO) Amendment Bill 2023 — passed by the National Parliament last week — will strengthen their existing authority as the government amended the RPO in consultation with EC.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"No authority of the Election Commission (EC) has been abolished with the amendment; it has been consolidated. Many have commented that EC has dug its own grave. The Election Commission may make mistakes but it didn’t dig its own grave,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He made the comment today while presenting his position in the Election Building after the RPO Amendment Bill was passed by the parliament and gazetted with the president\'s signature.</div><div><br></div><div>The chief election commissioner at this time explained the provisions of the law one by one.He even shared what was offered and what was kept from the government.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The Cabinet did not make changes, they asked for our opinion. In 91A, there was a minor change. We asked to stop voting in any seat in case of irregularities. They said, we will only stop voting where the election will be obstructed. It seems very logical to us. And no change has been made by the government or parliament. From there, this law was passed in the form of a bill and gazetted after the president\'s assent on Sunday,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The CEC said the reason for sharing this with the media is that comments have come from various quarters, and those might confuse people.</div><div><br></div><div>“There are also comments that the government has revised the RPO to take control. But, the government has not revised the RPO. They did as per our proposal. The government has agreed to the amendments sought by the Election Commission to make the latter’s position more consolidated and strengthened. It has increased our power,” he also said.</div><div><br></div><div>Praising the government’s effort in amending RPO, the CEC said the government has amended the law to regulate elections.</div><div><br></div><div>\"As I said earlier, it was not done by the government. The government has shown us respect… they took our proposed amendments to the parliament and passed them.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Calling the report of a newspaper denoting that the Election Commission has proposed to “reduce its own power” absolutely absurd, the CEC said the commission has never sent a proposal to reduce its powers and it can\'t do that either.</div><div><br></div><div>\"In some places the words polling and election are mentioned. We have replaced the word election with polling in three places. This is a clerical correction. But there is a difference between clerical correction and amendment. Clerical correction is just correction,\" he also said.</div><div><br></div><div>It is not advisable to belittle the Election Commission by making unnecessary, misleading comments, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Saying that the power of the presiding officer has been “enhanced,” he said no one praised, criticized or discussed it.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Its purpose is to clarify the responsibilities of the presiding officer. If he does not fulfill his duties properly, it should be termed as a criminal offence and he should be brought under punishment,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The commission can cancel the candidature due to existing provisions, he said, adding, if there are irregularities, before the election, EC has provisions to investigate. There is a clear provision to cancel the candidature of the person who has committed irregularities after investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>\"If we can determine the responsibility of who committed the irregularities, then we can cancel his candidature and continue the election,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The law previously stated, in Section 91(A)A of the RPO, that the Election Commission may “stop the polls at any polling station [or entire constituency, as the case may be] at any stage of the election if it is convinced that it shall not be able to ensure the conduct of the election justly, fairly and in accordance with law due to malpractices, including coercion, intimidation and pressures, prevailing at the election.”</div><div><br></div><div>The amendment replaced the word “election” in this section with “polling”. Whereas polling denotes the activity on the day of the vote, election denotes the entire process.</div><div><br></div><div>The ‘Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2023’ was passed in the parliament on Tuesday with the key amendment authorizing the Election Commission to postpone or cancel the results or voting of one or more than one polling stations in any number of constituencies on polling day, but not the entire election to a constituency.</div><div><br></div><div>Law Minister Anisul Haq moved the bill in the parliament, which was passed by voice vote. Through this, amendments were brought to the Representation of the People Order, or RPO — the law that governs elections in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>But there is no provision of cancelling the entire election to a constituency in the proposed law, as happened during the Gaibandha-5 by-election last October.</div><div><br></div><div>After that paragraph, a new paragraph is included in the amended RPO. The new paragraph states: “The Commission may withhold the result of any polling station or polling stations, if it is convinced that the result of such polling station or polling stations was grossly prejudiced by malpractices including coercion, intimidation, manipulation or otherwise, and after prompt inquiry of the matter, in a manner as it may deem appropriate, direct publication of the result of such polling station or polling stations or declare the election of any such polling station or polling stations cancelled with direction for holding of a fresh poll in such polling station or polling stations, as that may seem to it to be just and appropriate.” According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 03:15:43', '2023-07-11 03:15:43'),
(7888, 7888, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the journalist community not to publish any such news or criticise in such a way so that the country\'s advancement and image are not hampered.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Don\'t publish any such news that will malign the country\'s image and hamper its ongoing advancement,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier made the remarks while distributing cheques of financial assistance worth about Taka 3.41 crore to 438 sick, insolvent and injured journalists and their family members at her office here.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said she always welcomes constructive criticism from the media outlets so that we can correct ourselves.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Constructive news help to the government to run the country,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The Prime Minister said the media will definitely criticise the government and enjoy the freedom, but that should be done with due responsibilities and dutifulness.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;\"I want that the advancement of Bangladesh is not hampered anymore due to irresponsible journalism,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said everyone has the rights to enjoy freedom, but they have to be responsible.</div><div><br></div><div>\"You will definitely enjoy freedom but you have to show responsibilities and dutifulness,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud presided over the function, while Information and Broadcasting Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker spoke on the occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>Senior journalists, leaders of different journalist unions including BFUJ and DUJ and concerned officials were present at the function.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said her government believes in freedom of speech, saying, \"The journalist community did not enjoy such freedom that they enjoyed in the last 14 years of the Awami League government.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The freedom of the media that has given to the media will further flourish being the country transformed into a digital one.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said after coming to the government in 1996, there was only one television channel, BTV and now her government has given licences to numerous TV channels and newspapers on the private sectors mainly to create employments.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister recalled that the journalists were inhumanly tortured during the BNP-Jamaat government.</div><div><br></div><div>She continued that the journalists were not allowed in the southwestern region in 2001 soon after the BNP-Jamaat came to power as they inhumanly tortured the Awami League leaders and supporters like the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government is going to bring private television channels under the wage board.</div><div><br></div><div>She called upon the media owners to donate money to the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government can arrange for a piece of land as the journalists wanted to build houses for themselves or can give government flats on installments.</div><div><br></div><div>She said they have taken housing projects to bring every home and landless people under the scheme free of costs following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier initiated the BJWT fund in 2014 by giving at amount of Taka five crore as seed money. She, later, given Taka 20 crore more as the seed money.</div><div><br></div><div>So far some Taka 40 crore was distributed among 13,510 journalists from the fund.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the journalist community not to publish any such news or criticise in such a way so that the country\'s advancement and image are not hampered.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Don\'t publish any such news that will malign the country\'s image and hamper its ongoing advancement,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier made the remarks while distributing cheques of financial assistance worth about Taka 3.41 crore to 438 sick, insolvent and injured journalists and their family members at her office here.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said she always welcomes constructive criticism from the media outlets so that we can correct ourselves.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Constructive news help to the government to run the country,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The Prime Minister said the media will definitely criticise the government and enjoy the freedom, but that should be done with due responsibilities and dutifulness.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;\"I want that the advancement of Bangladesh is not hampered anymore due to irresponsible journalism,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said everyone has the rights to enjoy freedom, but they have to be responsible.</div><div><br></div><div>\"You will definitely enjoy freedom but you have to show responsibilities and dutifulness,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud presided over the function, while Information and Broadcasting Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker spoke on the occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>Senior journalists, leaders of different journalist unions including BFUJ and DUJ and concerned officials were present at the function.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said her government believes in freedom of speech, saying, \"The journalist community did not enjoy such freedom that they enjoyed in the last 14 years of the Awami League government.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The freedom of the media that has given to the media will further flourish being the country transformed into a digital one.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said after coming to the government in 1996, there was only one television channel, BTV and now her government has given licences to numerous TV channels and newspapers on the private sectors mainly to create employments.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister recalled that the journalists were inhumanly tortured during the BNP-Jamaat government.</div><div><br></div><div>She continued that the journalists were not allowed in the southwestern region in 2001 soon after the BNP-Jamaat came to power as they inhumanly tortured the Awami League leaders and supporters like the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government is going to bring private television channels under the wage board.</div><div><br></div><div>She called upon the media owners to donate money to the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government can arrange for a piece of land as the journalists wanted to build houses for themselves or can give government flats on installments.</div><div><br></div><div>She said they have taken housing projects to bring every home and landless people under the scheme free of costs following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier initiated the BJWT fund in 2014 by giving at amount of Taka five crore as seed money. She, later, given Taka 20 crore more as the seed money.</div><div><br></div><div>So far some Taka 40 crore was distributed among 13,510 journalists from the fund. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 04:02:15', '2023-07-11 04:02:15'),
(7889, 7889, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkey\'s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to support Sweden\'s bid to join Nato, the military alliance\'s chief Jens Stoltenberg says.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the Turkish leader would forward Sweden\'s bid to the parliament in Ankara and \"ensure ratification\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: \"I am very happy, it is a good day for Sweden.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey had previously spent months blocking Sweden\'s application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As one of Nato\'s 31 members, Turkey has a veto over any new country joining the group.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reacting to the news, US President Joe Biden said he welcomed the commitment by President Erdogan to proceed with \"swift ratification\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I stand ready to work with President Erdogan and Turkey on enhancing defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd Nato ally,\" a White House statement said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">German Foreign Minister Annalen Baerbock tweeted: \"At 32, we\'re all safer together.\" British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Sweden joining would \"make us all safer\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Stoltenberg announced the agreement late on Monday following talks between the Turkish and Swedish leaders in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Nato chief described it as a \"historic step\", but stressed that a \"clear date\" could not be given for when Sweden would join the military alliance - as this relied on the Turkish parliament.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sweden and its eastern neighbour Finland - both nations with a long history of wartime neutrality - announced their intention to join Nato in May last year, several months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland formally joined in April.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Stoltenberg said Turkey and Sweden had addressed \"Turkey\'s legitimate security concerns\" and as a result Sweden had amended its constitution, changed its laws, expanded its counter-terrorism operation against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers\' Party - which is banned in Turkey) and resumed arms exports to Turkey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey and Hungary are currently the only two Nato members yet to ratify Sweden\'s membership application.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about opposition from Budapest, Mr Stoltenberg said that \"Hungary has made it clear that they will not be the last to ratify\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I think that problem will be solved,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Monday, President Erdogan had also appeared to link Turkish support for Sweden\'s Nato bid to the EU re-opening frozen membership talks with Ankara.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">EU officials were quick to reject the demand, saying those were two separate issues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But in a statement after the deal was announced, Nato said Sweden would actively support efforts to \"reinvigorate Turkey\'s EU accession process\" and this would include \"modernisation of the EU-Türkiye customs union and visa liberalisation\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey first applied to join the EU way back in 1987, but its drift towards authoritarianism under President Erdogan brought the accession process to a halt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However since Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine, Mr Erdogan has also played a unique role as a Nato leader with influence in Moscow.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He helped broker last year\'s Black Sea Grain Initiative, which enables Ukraine to export agricultural products from its ports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey has helped the keep the deal alive, despite frequent Russian threats to withdraw.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Turkey has also angered the Kremlin by supplying armed drones to Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian officials were also furious at the weekend when Turkey, in a surprise move, allowed five former commanders of the Ukrainian garrison at Mariupol to fly back to Kyiv at the end of a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under the terms of a prisoner exchange last year, Russia expected the men to remain in Turkey until the end of the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two-day Nato summit kicks off in Vilnius on Tuesday and Ukraine\'s membership bid will be high on the agenda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All alliance members agree that Ukraine cannot join the bloc during the war - amid fears this would lead to a direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has himself said he does not expect membership until after the war - but he wants the summit to give a \"clear signal\" on Ukraine\'s bid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several Nato members in Eastern Europe are pressing for a fast-track membership for their neighbour but others, including the US and Germany, are seen as more hesitant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian President Vladimir Putin\'s spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday warned that Ukraine\'s membership of Nato would have \"negative consequences for the entire security architecture, which is half destroyed as it is in Europe\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian membership would \"represent an absolute danger, threat to our country, which will require of us a quite firm and clear reaction\", Mr Peskov said. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 12:45:37', '2023-07-11 12:45:37'),
(7890, 7890, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Nato leaders are gathering in Lithuania for a crucial summit that could shape the direction of the war in Ukraine and the future of the Western alliance.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 31 allies hope to show Russia they have the resolve to support Ukraine militarily for the long term.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They arrive with a welcome boost after Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden joining the alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But there remains disagreement over what to say about Ukraine\'s own ambitions of future membership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is thought some allies will promise Kyiv new security guarantees designed to deter future Russian aggression. They will also discuss providing more weapons and ammunition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the membership issue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants Nato to say Ukraine could join as soon as possible after the fighting ends - setting out explicitly how and when this could be achieved.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But some Nato nations are reluctant to go too far, fearing the promise of near-automatic membership could give Russia an incentive both to escalate and drag out the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said no final decision had been made on the language of the final communiqué, but added: \"I am absolutely certain that we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But after late night talks on Monday, he announced that Turkey had agreed to support Sweden\'s application to join Nato. The news was welcomed by the US and Germany, as well as Sweden itself.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey had spent months blocking Stockholm\'s application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. Mr Stoltenberg said the two sides had worked together to address Turkey\'s \"legitimate security concerns\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier suggested he would back Sweden if the EU re-opened frozen membership talks with Ankara - a request that was rejected by EU officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over their two-day meeting, Nato leaders are expected to agree new plans to deter and defend the alliance against future Russian aggression by beefing up their forces in the east.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And they are also expected to step up their financial commitment, making the target of spending 2% of national wealth on defence a minimum figure, rather than a general ambition. Rishi Sunak\'s spokesman said the UK prime minister would call on allies directly to meet this target.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Security is tight in Vilnius, with Nato forces - including Patriot air defence missiles - defending a summit taking place only a short distance from Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The overarching aim of the meeting is for Nato to convince President Vladimir Putin of the alliance\'s long-term military commitment to Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials hope this could begin to change the Russian leader\'s thinking, putting doubt in his mind that he can outwait the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As such, some see this summit as potentially as important as military gains on the battlefield in persuading Mr Putin to change his strategy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So some Nato members will promise Ukraine new security guarantees. US President Joe Biden has suggested Ukraine could get the kind of military support his country gives Israel - long-term commitments designed to deter potential aggressors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The alliance will also deepen its institutional links with Ukraine. An existing forum - the Ukraine Nato Commission - will be upgraded to a Ukraine Nato Council. This will give Ukraine the ability to summon meetings of the alliance as an equal partner round the table. \"The right to consult is not insignificant,\" said one official.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But perhaps most importantly, some members are expected to set out more explicitly Ukraine\'s pathway to joining the alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nato agreed at its 2008 summit in Bucharest that Ukraine \"will\" become a member and supported its application. But the alliance did not say how and when this might happen. Critics say giving Ukraine a destination but no itinerary allowed Mr Putin to risk his invasions in both 2014 and 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv accepts Nato cannot formally invite Ukraine to join while fighting rages. That would risk plunging the alliance into war with Russia, as Nato would be obliged under Article 5 of its treaty to defend any member that is under attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Instead, Kyiv wants a clear promise of post-war membership with a timeline, so it knows victory will bring the security guarantee of Nato\'s nuclear umbrella.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One way for Nato to signal its desire to welcome Ukraine into its ranks would be to shorten the so-called membership application plan, known as the MAP. This is the formal process which tests whether a country meets Nato\'s strict military and governmental standards - and it can take decades.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But it is what Nato might actually say about Ukraine\'s potential membership that is dividing the alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Baltic states and eastern European nations are pushing for as much clarity as possible. They want the alliance to make clear how much progress Ukraine has made towards membership, especially how much more closely its army can operate with other Nato forces, now that it shares similar weapons and strategies. They also want Nato to make clear what further conditions Ukraine must meet to achieve membership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania, said Nato should avoid Ukraine\'s membership becoming a horizon: \"The more you walk towards it, the farther it is.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But some allies - including the US and Germany - are cautious about promising Ukraine too much. They want Ukraine to do more to tackle corruption, strengthen its judiciary and ensure civilian control over its military.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some also worry about Nato getting dragged into open conflict with Russia. They fear promising Ukraine membership after the war would give Putin an incentive both to escalate the conflict and drag it out, maintaining low-intensity fighting to prevent Ukraine ever joining.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other allies also fear losing room for manoeuvre in any post-war negotiations. They want to use the promise of Nato membership as a carrot for Ukraine and a stick for Russia, but only after the fighting has ended.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 12:49:02', '2023-07-11 12:49:02'),
(7891, 7891, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Just five days after staging a short-lived rebellion, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin \'s commanders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pledged loyalty to the government, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence both men wield.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The three-hour meeting took place June 29 and involved not only Prigozhin but commanders from his Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland,” Peskov said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The confirmation that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, who led troops on a march to Moscow last month to demand a military leadership change, was extraordinary. Though the Russian leader branded Prigozhin a traitor as the revolt unfolded and vowed harsh punishment, the criminal case against the mercenary chief on rebellion charges was later dropped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prigozhin has not commented on the Kremlin meeting, and his ultimate fate remains unclear, particularly since Monday\'s announcement shows much is negotiated behind closed doors. He could still face prosecution for financial wrongdoing or other charges.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Monday\'s announcement came as Russia’s Defense Ministry published a video featuring military chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov — who was one of the targets of Prigozhin\'s rebellion. It was the first time Gerasimov has been seen since the revolt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the video, Gerasimov is seated at a table with his team, watching a video report from the chief of staff of Russia’s aerospace forces about a missile attack on Russian territory on Sunday. Gerasimov responds by calling for preemptive strikes against missile bases and for improvements in missile defenses.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The twin updates appeared to be another attempt by the Kremlin to show it’s in control after a turbulent period, and to reflect Putin\'s delicate balance between condemning the biggest threat to his 23-year rule and the man behind it while not alienating a popular figure whose troops scored the biggest battlefield victory for Russia in the past year of the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Putin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov told The Associated Press that Putin acknowledges Prigozhin’s patriotism and needs his forces on the front line, while Prigozhin needs Putin to ensure his freedom from prosecution. The two are negotiating as allies, with Prigozhin escaping punishment, Gallyamov said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prigozhin “emerged victorious from this rebellion,” Gallyamov said in a Zoom interview from Tel Aviv. “He has shown himself to be the master of the situation.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Adding to the unusual nature of the meeting was that until very recently, Putin had denied any link between the state and Prigozhin’s forces. Mercenaries are illegal in Russia, but Wagner troops have fought for Russian interests around the globe and played a vital role in the capture of Bakhmut in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle. Putin has confirmed that Prigozhin\'s companies operated under government contracts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Throughout the war, Prigozhin has criticized decisions made by Russia’s top military brass, leading to tensions with the Kremlin that culminated in the June 24 mutiny.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rebellion severely weakened Putin’s authority, even though Prigozhin claimed the uprising was not aimed at the president but at removing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gerasimov. Prigozhin called off his mutiny after a deal was brokered for him to go to Belarus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mark Galeotti, an author who heads the consulting firm Mayak Intelligence, said the delicate dance with Prigozhin is “a further compromise on Putin’s part and reflects his unwillingness to take tough and ruthless personnel decisions.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“He is willing to see Ukrainians bombed by the dozen, but not confront any of the figures in his own circle,” Galeotti wrote in The Spectator.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, predicted that some Russian observers would be stunned by the turn of events.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“When you look from the point of view of Russian elite, it’s ridiculous,” she told the AP. “It’s just so unbelievable and just so shocking.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Days after the revolt, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Prigozhin was in Belarus. But last week the president said the mercenary chief was in Russia while his troops remained in their camps.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Peskov said that during the June 29 meeting, Putin offered an “assessment” of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine and \"of the events of June 24.” The president also “listened to the explanations of the commanders and offered them options for further employment and further use in combat,” the Kremlin spokesman said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 35 people took part in the meeting, Peskov said. Putin has given options to Prigozhin’s fighters: fight as part of the regular Russian army, retire from service or join Prigozhin in Belarus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A NATO summit later this week in Lithuania is looking at how to crank up the pressure on Moscow after 16 months of war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In other developments, a Russian airstrike on a school in southern Ukraine killed seven people as residents gathered to receive humanitarian aid, authorities said, with the governor of Ukraine\'s Zaporizhzhia region branding the attack \"a war crime.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gov. Yuriy Malashko said a guided aerial bomb caused an explosion Sunday at a school in Orikhiv, without providing evidence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, Russia fired on 10 settlements in the province over the course of a day, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Moscow denies it targets civilian locations. Russia has been accused numerous times of doing so and committing other war crimes since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Investigations are also underway in Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, located in The Hague, is helping with those probes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive to regain occupied land, and on Monday, the deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, reported progress.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said the country’s fighters had reclaimed 10.2 square kilometers (3.9 square miles) of territory in the south and four square kilometers (1.5 square miles) in the east in the past week. The gains, she said on Telegram, included the commanding heights of Bakhmut, where Prigozhin’s forces declared control of the city in May. None of the claims could be independently verified. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 14:18:05', '2023-07-11 14:18:05'),
(7892, 7892, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">EU chief Charles Michel and Turkey\'s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Monday to seek closer cooperation after the Turkish leader demanded a return to European Union membership talks.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The pair met in Vilnius on the eve of the NATO summit, after Erdogan declared that Turkey would not approve Sweden\'s bid to join the alliance without a revival of Ankara\'s EU ambitions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a tweet, Michel hailed a \"good meeting\", adding that they had \"explored opportunities ahead to bring EU-Turkey cooperation back to the forefront and re-energise our relations.\" AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 15:13:22', '2023-07-11 15:13:22'),
(7893, 7893, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday asked Western allies for a \"clear signal\" on his country\'s NATO membership prospects, on the eve of a key alliance summit in Lithuania.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Ukraine deserves to be in the alliance. Not now, because now there\'s war, but we need a clear signal and this signal is needed right now,\" Zelensky said in a video message posted on Telegram. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 15:16:17', '2023-07-11 15:16:17'),
(7894, 7894, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ten people were killed and ten injured, including children, in two shootings Sunday in Guayaquil, the Ecuadoran port city in the grips of a bloody war between drug trafficking gangs, officials said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The shootings took place in two poor neighborhoods of the city that has seen at least three similar attacks since April.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first shooting killed four people and injured 10 -- including children aged 2, 13 and 14 -- in Siete Lagos in the south of the city, the prosecutor\'s office said on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The second occurred in the north of Guayaquil, where six people were killed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Such attacks have become more frequent in Ecuador, especially in Guayaquil, as rival gangs ramp up the fight for drug markets and routes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Home to three million of Ecuador\'s 18 million people, the port city has become a launch point for shipments of drugs to the United States and Europe.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ecuador is located between Colombia and Peru, the world\'s top producers of cocaine. The country also, conveniently for cartels, uses the US dollar as its currency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 420 prisoners have died in vicious fighting between criminal groups in Ecuadoran prisons since February 2021, many beheaded or burned alive. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 15:19:31', '2023-07-11 15:19:31');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7895, 7895, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In a grim report, the U.N. warned Monday that at the current rate of global progress 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and 84 million children won’t be going to school in 2030 – and it will take 286 years to reach equality between men and women.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report on progress in achieving 17 wide-ranging U.N. goals adopted by world leaders in 2015 to improve life for the world\'s more than 7 billion people said that only 15% of some 140 specific targets that experts evaluated are on track to be reached by the end of the decade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Close to half the targets are moderately or severely off track, it said, and of those 30% have either seen no movement at all or regressed including key targets on poverty, hunger and climate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ambitious goals for 2030 include ensuring that hunger is eradicated and nobody lives on less than $2.15 a day which is the extreme poverty line, providing every child with a quality primary and secondary school education, achieving gender equality, ensuring all people have clean water, sanitation and access to affordable energy, reducing inequalities, and taking urgent action to combat climate change.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Unless we act now, the 2030 agenda could become an epitaph for a world that might have been,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a foreword to the report. “Failure to make progress means inequalities will continue to deepen, increasing the risk of a fragmented, two-speed world.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report was released ahead of a summit that Guterres has called during the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in September, which he said will be “a moment of truth and reckoning.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Undersecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua said conflicts including the war in Ukraine, climate change, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic especially its devastating financial impact on developing countries, and geopolitical tensions are all “threatening to derail hard-earned progress” toward achieving the goals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said in a foreword that the pandemic saw the largest decline in childhood vaccinations in three decades, an increase in tuberculosis and malaria deaths, and learning losses in 80% of the 104 countries studied. It also interrupted three decades of progress in reducing poverty, and produced the largest rise in inequality between countries in three decades, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“By May 2023, the devastating consequences of war, conflict and human rights violations had displaced a staggering 110 million people of which 35 million were refugees – the highest figure ever recorded,” the ECOSOC chief said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Li told a news conference launching the report that at the September summit, the U.N. would like political leaders to come up with “a new roadmap” to accelerate action at the global, regional and national level to achieve the goals by 2030.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With seven years left, the report said achieving the goals is “in deep trouble” and “it is time to sound the alarm.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At current rates, it said not only will 575 million people still be living in extreme poverty in 2030 but only about one-third of countries will meet the target to reduce national poverty levels by half.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Shockingly, the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005, and food prices remain higher in more countries than in the period 2015-2019,” the&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2021, the number of people suffering from hunger was close to 800 million, far above pre-pandemic levels, and in 2022 an estimated 45 million children under the age of 5 suffered from wasting and 148 million had stunted growth while 37 million were overweight, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As for education, the report said years of underinvestment and learning losses mean that without a major effort not only will an estimated 84 million children be out of school in 2030 but approximately 300 million students will lack basic literacy and math skills for success in life — and only one in six countries will achieve the target of universal secondary school completion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On tackling global warming, the report said, “If ever there was an illumination of the short-sightedness of our prevailing economic and political systems, it is the ratcheting up of the war on nature.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The small window of opportunity to keep temperatures from rising beyond the internationally agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis is fast closing, the report said, and the critical 1.5 degree tipping point is likely to be reached or surpassed by 2035. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 16:19:54', '2023-07-11 16:19:54'),
(7896, 7896, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality is in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 65 at 9:20 am, Dhaka ranked 21st on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Arab Emirates\' Dubai, Uganda\'s Kampala, Qatar’s Doha and Pakistan\'s Lahore occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 240, 154, 143 and 134, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\', AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', and a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 16:31:51', '2023-07-11 16:31:51'),
(7897, 7897, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said it\'s time to work together globally to achieve the public health goals outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This involves helping countries with less resources to improve their ability to handle health risks,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said this while addressing the two-day International Conference on Public Health and Diplomacy held at Grand Ballroom, Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that all are connected, regardless of how isolated they feel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“None of us can be truly safe until we make sure everyone is safe. Now is the time to work together globally to achieve the public health goals outlined in Sustainable Development Goal-3 and Goal-17,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that it is crucial to have a strong commitment from all countries and focused diplomatic efforts to achieve this.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I believe Bangladesh will play a leading role in this effort, considering its past success in protecting public health and dealing with the impact of the Covid pandemic,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this connection, the Prime Minister put forward five specific recommendations for regional cooperation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These are:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">First, further coordinate actions to ensure enhanced preparedness for and harmonised response to future health emergencies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Second, work together to eliminate preventable communicable diseases and share good practices on addressing the growing non-communicable disease burdens;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Third, give attention to mainstreaming mental health in national health systems and also collaborate on fatal public health hazards like drowning and accidents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fourth, mobilise combined facilities for medical education and research, with particular focus on tackling tropical diseases further aggravated by climate impacts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fifth, must consider the health of mothers, children and adolescents as the benchmark of our achievements with SDG-3, with the aim of promoting Universal Health Coverage across the region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Let us work together to ensure that global health governance, with WHO at the center, can meaningfully serve our entire humanity in the next seventy-five years and beyond. Let us help each other and share our experiences,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina said that Bangladesh did not forget about the 1.2 million Rohingyas who sought shelter from neighbouring Myanmar during the Covid pandemic period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“With the help of development partners Bangladesh made extensive preparations to offer them regular check-ups, vaccinations, and healthcare services,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read: Know the country first before applying foreign knowledge in dev plans: PM to scholars</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PM said that it should not be forgotten that this huge population residing in Bangladesh has always been a humanitarian crisis and a security concern for this region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Only their safe and dignified return to Myanmar can ensure a sustainable solution to this crisis. And I hope that Myanmar will take back their nationals very soon,” she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mentioning that Covid-19 pandemic hit Bangladesh like other countries in early 2020, the prime minister said that her country has been able to reduce the loss of human lives and keep the economy running due to the continuation of its long-standing activities in the health sector and the timely action of the government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this connection, she mentioned that with the help of development partners, Bangladesh was able to purchase and administer vaccines at the earliest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We’ve provided Covid-19 vaccination to 100 percent of eligible people in our country free of cost,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that Bangladesh ranks among the top five countries in the world in overall Covid management and recovery.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, Union Minister of Ministry of Health, Myanmar Thetkhaing Win, Bhutanese Health Minister Lyonpo Dasho Dechen Wangmo, Deputy Minister of Health, Maldives Safiyya Mohamed Saeed, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thailand Vijavat Israbhakdi and WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Bardan Jung Rana also spoke.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Health Services Division Secretary Dr Md Anwar Hossain Howlader delivered welcome speech while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen gave introductory presentation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An audio-visual presentation was also screened at the opening ceremony of the conference, jointly organised by ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of health and family welfare in cooperation with WHO. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 17:38:09', '2023-07-11 17:38:09'),
(7898, 7898, '<p style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">NATO will lay out a path of reforms for Ukraine so that it can eventually join the alliance, but without giving a \"timetable,\" White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.</span><br></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">A \"reform path for Ukraine\" will be drawn up but \"I can\'t put a timetable on it,\" Sullivan told reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius, also announcing that President Joe Biden will meet Ukraine\'s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. AFP</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</p>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 17:43:20', '2023-07-11 17:43:20'),
(7899, 7899, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Akshay Kumar is back, this time as someone like Lord Shiva, in his upcoming film Oh My God 2. He shared the teaser on Instagram and captioned it, “Rakh vishwas (have faith).” It shows him in a shirtless avatar, long dreadlocks and ash smeared on his forehead as he channels Lord Shiva for his devotee, played by Pankaj Tripathi.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the original Oh My God revolved around Paresh Rawal, who played an atheist; OMG 2 has Pankaj Tripathi, a believer in Lord Shiva named Kanti Sharan Mudgal. The teaser opens with Pankaj Tripathi\'s voiceover as he says that a human being can give prove of God\'s existence by being either a believer or his absence by being an atheist but, God always comes to the rescue of a person in need.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It begins with a mention of Paresh\'s story in the first installment and goes on to show how Pankaj Tripathi\'s Kanti Sharan Mudgal worships Lord Shiva with utmost dedication and glimpses of how his family suffers a tragedy. There is also a glimpse of a child dying by suicide under a train.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Yami Gautam also stars in OMG 2</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There is however, no glimpse of Yami Gautam who plays a lawyer in the film. Directed by Amit Rai, Oh My God 2 is a sequel to the original in which Akshay had essayed the character of Lord Krishna.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yami had unveiled her look from OMG 2 last week. Sharing a still of herself from the film, she wrote on Instagram, “Miliye Kamini Maheshwari se. #OMG2 in theatres on August 11!”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About working on OMG 2, Yami earlier told Bollywood Hungama, “He (Akshay) is a very good producer also, and someone who is very passionate about this film. When I was given the narration I could feel that he really wants to make it with the right team. Of course, whatever chance I got to work with Pankaj Tripathi ji also, such a fantastic actor. With the new writing, there is another perspective which is very relevant, talked about, yet not talked about. So that will be interesting to see.” HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 17:51:15', '2023-07-11 17:51:15'),
(7900, 7900, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Three activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Islamic University unit allegedly vandalised the medical centre on campus in Kushtia early Tuesday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The three have been identified as Rezwan Siddiqi Kabbo, Atik Arman and Salman Ohin – students of the university’s law department. All are activists of BCL’s Islamic University unit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wahidur Rahman Milton, duty doctor at the medical centre on campus, told UNB that Kabbo along with the two others came to him, complaining of chest pain. Ten minutes after receiving treatment, Kabbo misbehaved with him, as he was “drunk” and asked for an ambulance, the doctor said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, the three students vandalised the medical centre and forced the ambulance driver to take them to Kushtia town, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Islamic University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof M Mahbubur Rahman, Treasurer Prof M Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya and Proctor Prof M Shahadat Hossain Azad visited the medical centre this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The proctor said that they would take legal action against the accused involved in vandalising the medical center.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A written complaint was submitted to the university’s Acting Registrar HM Ali Hasan in this regard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is worth mentioning that the university authorities suspended Kabbo for violating the university’s rules and regulations on July 23, 2022.His suspension has not been withdrawn yet, the proctor said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 18:29:26', '2023-07-11 18:29:26'),
(7901, 7901, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rebecca Momin, a lawmaker from Netrokona-4 constituency, passed away this morning. She was 76.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She breathed her last around 4:30 am while undergoing treatment at Square Hospital in Dhaka, Mohanganj Upazila Parishad Chairman and upazila Awami League\'s General Secretary Shahid Iqbal confirmed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She had been suffering from various old age complications for several years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rebecca Momin was a three-time MP, nominated by Awami League for Netrokona-4 (Madan-Mohanganj-Khaliajuri) constituency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She was the wife of Liberation War organiser Abdul Momin, who was also a presidium member of Awami League.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hailing from Netrokona\'s Mohanganj upazila, the veteran politician is survived by a daughter and a host of well-wishers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rebecca, who started her journey in politics as the vice-president of Rajshahi University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League in the 1960s, held various positions in the party throughout her long political career. She was also a former member of the Netrokona district Awami League.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2008, she was elected as a member of parliament for the first time. She was also elected MP in the 10th and 11th Jatiya Sangsad (parliament).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rebecca Momin also served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first namaz-e-janaza for Rebecca Momin was held at Baitul Aman Jame Masjid in Dhaka\'s Dhanmondi at 10 am and the second janaza was set to be held at Muktapara field in Netrokona at 2:30 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the third namaz-e-janaza at 6 pm at her residence in Mohanganj Kajiati, Rebecca Momin will be buried there next to her husband\'s grave. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 18:40:08', '2023-07-11 18:40:08'),
(7902, 7902, '<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Leaders of the Election Monitoring Forum (EMF) today informed the Election Exploratory Mission from European Union (EU) that the Election Commission has proven its “impartiality, courage and capability” in holding free and fair polls in five city corporations held recently.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though a major political party did not participate in the recently held elections in the five city corporations, a large part of their former councilors and local leaders took part in the elections and were elected, the EMF leaders said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In all the local elections that have been held recently, the EMF leaders said, they have observed that the government has not interfered or influenced the elections and has fully cooperated with the Election Commission in maintaining law and order situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chairman of the Election Monitoring Forum, Professor Mohammad Abed Ali, was present during the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Advisor of the Election Monitoring Forum and former Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, directors of the forum – Vice-Chancellor of DUET Prof M Habibur Rahman and BUET Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Jabbar Khan – were also present at the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the meeting, the EMF leaders said that the current Election Commission has recently implemented strict monitoring of law-and-order situation with CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of voters in local elections and cancellation of elections due to irregularities in Gaibandha by-election has boosted the confidence of voters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EMF leaders feel that there is a need to analyze not only the 2014 and 2018 elections but also the results of the 1996, 2001 and 2008 elections and the various complaints of the defeated opposition parties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Welcoming the representatives of the EU mission, the EMF leaders said despite Bangladesh not being a member of the European Union, they are looking at the EU’s interest in polls in Bangladesh with a positive attitude.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, people of the country do not support external interference in the electoral system or process of Bangladesh, according to a media release issued by the EMF.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The visiting delegation began their activities in Bangladesh on Sunday to assess the situation on the ground ahead of the country’s upcoming national election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Delegation leader Chelleri Riccardo and his team held a number of meetings so far including with diplomats stationed in Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The visiting delegation also had a meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis, said a diplomatic source.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU delegation will be in Bangladesh till July 23 to assess the situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The main objective of the Election Exploratory Mission is to assess the “advisability, usefulness and feasibility” of a possible EU Election Observation Mission for the upcoming parliamentary election, according to the EU Mission in Dhaka. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 19:35:00', '2023-07-11 19:35:00'),
(7903, 7903, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In their quest for a historic clean sweep over Bangladesh, Afghanistan have won the toss and chosen to bat first in the third and final ODI of the series in Chattogram.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh has made three changes to their playing XI. Ebadot Hossain, who suffered a knee injury in the last match, along with Mustafizur Rahman and Hasan Mahmud, have been replaced by Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Taijul Islam.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Afghanistan has also made two changes for this match. Their star spinner, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Saleem have been rested, making way for Abdul Rahman and Zia-ur-Rehman, who will be making their ODI debuts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the previous match, Afghanistan batted first and posted a total of 331 runs. Bangladesh failed to chase it down, resulting in their first-ever ODI series defeat to Afghanistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the first match, Bangladesh lost by 17 runs under the DL Method, with rain interruptions throughout the game.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the conclusion of the ODI series, both teams will face off in a three-match T20I series in Sylhet.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mohammad Naim, Litton Das (c), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (w), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Zia-ur-Rehman. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 19:39:58', '2023-07-11 19:39:58'),
(7904, 7904, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A helicopter went missing in Nepal on Tuesday carrying five Mexican tourists and a Nepali pilot, the company said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Manang Air chopper took off from Surke, close to Lukla in the Everest region at 10:04 am (0419 GMT), heading for the capital Kathmandu, but lost contact about 10 minutes later.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Search efforts are underway. We have sent another helicopter to search,\" Raju Neupane of Manang Air told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nepal is notorious for its poor aviation safety, and the latest incident comes almost six months after a plane crash in western Nepal which killed all 72 people on board.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Himalayan country has some of the world\'s most remote and tricky runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks with approaches that pose a challenge even for accomplished pilots.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The weather can also change quickly in the mountains, creating treacherous flying conditions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition, Nepal\'s aviation sector has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 20:16:04', '2023-07-11 20:16:04'),
(7905, 7905, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BBC chief Tim Davie on Tuesday faced a media grilling after claims that a top presenter paid a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The accusations fuelled a fifth straight day of frontpage headlines with broadcast media, including the publicly-funded BBC, also leading its own radio and television news bulletins with the story.</div><div><br></div><div>The allegations first emerged in an article published Friday in The Sun tabloid in which the alleged victim\'s family said the presenter had paid a total of £35,000 ($45,000) for the pictures.</div><div><br></div><div>The Sun, which leans towards the ruling Conservative party, said the exchanges between the presenter and the young person started three years ago when the teenager was 17.</div><div><br></div><div>The damaging headlines come after the broadcaster was rocked in recent years by scandals which saw some of their biggest names revealed as serial sex offenders.</div><div><br></div><div>Davie, the corporation\'s director general, was due to brief the media on the BBC\'s annual report but will inevitably face questions about the furore.</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, The Sun doubled down on its story after a lawyer acting for the young person involved rubbished the claims.</div><div><br></div><div>In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer said \"nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality\".</div><div><br></div><div>The mother of the youngster, who is now 20, however, told The Sun she had spoken out to help her child who she says used the money from the presenter to fuel a crack cocaine addiction.</div><div><br></div><div>The BBC said on Sunday it had suspended the unnamed presenter.</div><div><br></div><div>London\'s Metropolitan Police said detectives from its Specialist Crime Command met representatives from the BBC virtually on Monday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>\"They are assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed,\" it said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"There is no investigation at this time,\" a statement added.</div><div><br></div><div>Britain has strict privacy and defamation laws, which has made the media increasingly wary about revealing a person\'s identity before they are formally under investigation or arrest.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2018, the BBC itself was forced to pay substantial damages for breach of privacy to the singer Cliff Richard after it broadcast live footage of a 2014 police raid on his home.</div><div><br></div><div>But there has been a swirl of speculation about the presenter\'s identity on social media.</div><div><br></div><div>The scandal comes against a background of attacks on the BBC by members of the ruling Conservatives since the divisive Brexit referendum in 2016.</div><div><br></div><div>The critics have accused it of pro-EU bias, with others in the UK\'s predominantly Tory-supporting right-wing press accusing it of having a \"woke\" agenda. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 21:03:17', '2023-07-11 21:03:17'),
(7906, 7906, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said that Awami League prefers dictatorship and feudalism as the party does not believe in democracy and the rights of people.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a training programme for the female leaders and workers of BNP at the party chairperson\'s Gulshan office, he also said delegations from different countries are coming to Bangladesh to talk about elections and human rights as the Awami League government has destroyed democracy by holding two ‘flawed’ and \'lopsided\' elections in 2014 and 2018.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“Awami League has a characteristic problem that they do not believe in democracy. They choose dictatorship and feudalism. They have a mindset that there‘s no one else in the country except them and they’re the only owners of the country,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said it is unfortunate for the nation that there is no democracy in the country while the democratic space for the political parties has been destroyed.</div><div><br></div><div>He questioned whether there is any democratic party in the world except BNP, whose four million leaders and workers are facing false political cases and the chief of the party has been convicted on false charges and all the senior leaders of the party are facing false cases on fake charges.</div><div><br></div><div>Citing a newspaper report, Fakhrul alleged that the government is trying to speed up the trial in the cases filed against him and their party chief Khaleda Zia. “They’ve instructed the police authorities and even the Law Ministry issued a letter to the judges to speed up the trial and dispose of the cases (against opposition leaders and activists)…the rulers are doing this as they don’t believe in democracy.&nbsp; They want to hang onto power and they don’t respect and count the other political parties.”</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said they have been carrying out a movement for the restoration of democracy in a democratic manner as the usurper government held two elections completely deceiving people by force.</div><div><br></div><div>“Competitive elections are the key elements to uphold the democratic practice…but the rulers in this country talk about democracy, but they never practice it,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said there are now many discussions about the frequent trips of delegations from different countries to Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“An American delegation is coming today (Tuesday) while a team of EU has already arrived here to know about human rights democracy and elections here. Why do they come to Bangladesh? Because there’s no democracy here and there’re no (credible) elections and elections are not held (fairly) here,” Fakhrul observed, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said a level-playing field having equal opportunity for all political parties is necessary for a good election, but it is not possible to ensure when the government tries to suppress opposition leaders and activists by arresting, jailing, killing, and implicating them in false cases and when it tries to prevent the opposition from function and holding their programmes by using the state machinery.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 22:30:04', '2023-07-11 22:30:04'),
(7907, 7907, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of ruling Awami League lawmaker from Netrokona-4 constituency Rebecca Momin.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>In a condolence message, the premier prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family, according to a press release, signed by AL office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua. She was 76.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Rebecca Momin, wife of former AL Presidium Member and ex-Food Minister Abdul Momin, breathed her last at about 4.30am today while undergoing treatment at Square Hospitals Ltd in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>She left behind her daughter and a host of relatives and well-wishers and political admirers to mourn her death. Source: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 23:55:00', '2023-07-11 23:55:00'),
(7908, 7908, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a significant milestone for the AI industry, Odisha TV, an Odia-based news station, has unveiled \"Lisa,\" India\'s first regional AI news anchor. Lisa\'s introduction marks a groundbreaking moment in TV broadcasting and journalism, with the potential to revolutionize the industry.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In a video shared by OTV on Twitter, Lisa confidently introduces herself, expressing her excitement for this historic occasion. The news station revealed that she would soon be hosting news updates, showcasing her capabilities as an AI news anchor. Lisa possesses the remarkable ability to speak multiple languages, including Odia, English, and others.</div><div><br></div><div>OTV acknowledged the challenge of training Lisa in the Odia language and disclosed that efforts are underway to further enhance her proficiency. The ultimate goal is to develop her interactive skills, enabling seamless communication with others. The news station also encouraged viewers to connect with Lisa on various social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.</div><div><br></div><div>OTV acknowledged the challenge of training Lisa in the Odia language and disclosed that efforts are underway to further enhance her proficiency. The ultimate goal is to develop her interactive skills, enabling seamless communication with others. The news station also encouraged viewers to connect with Lisa on various social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.</div><div><br></div><div>This unveiling follows a similar development earlier in March, when the India Today Group introduced their own AI news anchor named Sona. Described as \"bright, gorgeous, ageless, and tireless,\" Sona boasted multilingual proficiency and the ability to be controlled effortlessly.</div><div><br></div><div>With Lisa\'s emergence as India\'s first regional AI news anchor, the boundaries of AI in the media industry continue to be pushed, opening up new possibilities for engaging and dynamic news presentations in different languages and regional contexts. Source: The Economic Times.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 00:02:30', '2023-07-12 00:02:30'),
(7909, 7909, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Shoriful Islam took a career-best 4-21 to leave Bangladesh hopeful of avoiding a series whitewash in Tuesday\'s third and final one-day international against Afghanistan in Chittagong.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The visitors were all out for 126 in 45.2 overs, their lowest ODI total against Bangladesh, with tail-ender Azmatullah Omarzai offering some late resistance to top-score on 56.</div><div><br></div><div>The tourists won the toss and elected to bat first but never managed to get their innings going.</div><div><br></div><div>Shoriful struck early after taking the field for the first time this series, dismissing Ibrahim Zadran for one and Rahmat Shah for a duck in the third over.</div><div><br></div><div>Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed a career-best 145 in the previous match, saw one catch land in no man\'s land but soon top-edged Taskin Ahmed to depart for six.</div><div><br></div><div>Shoriful compounded Afghanistan\'s woes by trapping Mohammad Nabi leg-before to leave the tourists teetering at 15-4 inside nine overs.</div><div><br></div><div>Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran stemmed the rot, but Shakib Al Hasan sent back the latter for 10 to stop their partnership from developing.</div><div><br></div><div>Shahidi dragged one off Taijul Islam onto his stumps to end his patient knock of 22 from 54 balls.</div><div><br></div><div>Omarzai helped Afghanistan past the 100-run mark with his maiden ODI fifty after the quick departure of debutants Abdul Rahman (four) and Zia-ur-Rehman (five).</div><div><br></div><div>He was the last man dismissed, holing out a catch to Naim Sheikh at long-off off Taskin, who claimed 2-23.</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan are already only the second team to win an ODI series in Bangladesh in the past seven years, with world champions England being the other. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 00:05:42', '2023-07-12 00:05:42'),
(7910, 7910, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Detectives in special drives arrested 16 members of a gang who allegedly used to commit robbery in the guise of DB police, from Gazipur and Dhaka on Monday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The arrestees were Shahidul Islam Majhi, 53, Sagar Chandra, 30, Shah Alam Hawladar, 35, Quamrul Islam, 30, Maksudul Moin, 43, Hasan, 38, Nurul Islam, 30, Khalilur Rahman, 46, Akram Hossain, 38, Dwin Islam, 35, Elias Ahmed, 32, Farhad Ali, 66, Riaz Hossain, 31, Shafiqul Islam, 50, Serajul Islam, 44 and Zahirul Islam, 38,</div><div><br></div><div>Tipped off, a team of Cantonment DB zonal team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) conducted a drive in Mouchak area of Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur district and arrested the ringleaders of the gang Shahidul, Sagar, Shah Alam, Quamrul and Maksudul at night, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner for media Faruk Hossain while briefing reporters on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Based on the information gleaned from Shahidul, the DB team arrested the other members of the gang from Demra and Khilkhet area in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>They also seized two jackets, two signal lights, one handcuff and stickers.</div><div><br></div><div>During interrogation, they said that they in collusion with others used to follow customers of banks and money exchange offices in Motijheel, Paltan, Dhanmondi and Gulshan areas.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the other members of the gang picked up the targeted person into microbus and looted valuables including cash money, said DC Faruk.</div><div><br></div><div>They were also wanted in several cases, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>During interrogation, police also came to know that Abdul Aziz, the plaintiff of a case, received Tk 13 lakh from his friend and hired a motorbike from Paltan intersection to go to his Khilkhet residence around 5:45 pm on June 17.</div><div><br></div><div>At 7:55, three to four people from a microbus waylaid the motorbike and picked him up into a microbus in the guise of DB police.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, they beat him up inside the microbus after tying his hands, eyes and legs and looted money, kept in a bag. They also looted three mobile phone sets, and withdrew Tk 37,000 using the pin number of bKash agent. Then they freed him at Kanchan Bridge of Rupganj upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>After getting the complaint, the DB team conducted the drive and managed to arrest the muggers with the help of technology. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 01:04:05', '2023-07-12 01:04:05'),
(7911, 7911, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Seven more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning – the highest single-day casualties from the mosquito-borne disease this year.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The new casualties have raised the number of Dengue fatalities in Bangladesh to 83 this year.</div><div><br></div><div>During the period, 1,054 more patients – highest single-day tally reported this year – were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div><br></div><div>Of the new patients, 628 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 3,303 dengue patients, including 2, 306 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, the DGHS has recorded 14,897 dengue cases, 11,511 recoveries.</div><div><br></div><div>According to DGHS tally, Bangladesh has recorded 70 out of 83 dengue casualties in the months of June and July.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 02:55:25', '2023-07-12 02:55:25');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7912, 7912, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya arrived here on Tuesday evening to advance “shared solutions” to global challenges; contribute to a more free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific; and bolster humanitarian support for refugees and host communities throughout the region.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen received Under Secretary Uzra Zeya upon arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.</div><div><br></div><div>US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas was also present.</div><div><br></div><div>In Bangladesh, the Under Secretary will discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis; labor issues; human rights; free and fair elections; and combating trafficking in persons, according to US Department of State.</div><div><br></div><div>She will visit the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday as the Rohingya issue remains one of the top priorities of her visit.</div><div><br></div><div>The US Under Secretary is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman apart from her meetings with Law and Home Ministers and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, a diplomatic source told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The United States has said holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh is a \"shared desire\" of the two friendly countries.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It’s a desire that we share as a friend and partner of Bangladesh for over 50 years,\" said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a regular briefing at the State Department on Monday (July 10, 2023).</div><div><br></div><div>He noted that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has repeatedly stated her own commitment to free and fair elections.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I don’t know why anyone would object to us calling for free and fair elections,\" Miller said, apparently referring to statements that came from Russia, China and Iranian media.</div><div><br></div><div>Miller reiterated that they do not support one political party over the other. \"We support a genuine democratic process.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"We don’t consider it interference in internal affairs when other countries raise our elections process with us. We welcome those discussions as an opportunity to strengthen our democracy, and we don’t know why any other countries would object,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked whether US Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary Donald Lu will engage with the ruling party and the opposition party BNP, Miller said she will meet with senior government officials to discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis, labor issues, human rights, free and fair elections, and combating trafficking in persons.</div><div><br></div><div>US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID Änjali Kaur are part of the US delegation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>Zeya leads global diplomatic efforts to strengthen democracy, advance universal human rights, support refugees and humanitarian relief, promote rule of law and counternarcotics cooperation, fight corruption and intolerance, prevent armed conflict, and eliminate human trafficking. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 03:08:27', '2023-07-12 03:08:27'),
(7913, 7913, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Soybean and other edible oils are becoming slightly cheaper as the refiners decided to decrease the price from Wednesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (BVORVMA) in a statement informed this on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the decision, the price of bottled soybean oil decreased by Tk10 to Tk179 per liter and the price of loose soybean oil dropped by Tk8 to Tk159 per liter.</div><div><br></div><div>According to BVORVMA, a 5-litre bottle of soybean oil will cost Tk873, down by Tk43 from the previous price. The price of loose palm oil has been reduced by Tk5 per liter to Tk128 while bottled palm oil prices have been reduced by Tk12 per liter to Tk148.</div><div><br></div><div>The new rates have been fixed following discussions with the commerce ministry and the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, the statement mentioned. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 03:56:19', '2023-07-12 03:56:19'),
(7914, 7914, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>From the fear of suffering a clean sweep, Bangladesh ended the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan with a comfortable win by seven wickets on Wednesday in Chattogram.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh bowled exceptionally well in this match and restricted Afghanistan to 126 runs. And later they chased down the target in 23.3 overs with seven wickets in hand.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>However, with the defeats in the first two matches, the Tigers lost the series 2-1. It was their first-ever ODI series defeat against Afghanistan.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan won the toss in this match and opted to bat first. But they failed to replicate the batting performance that they showed in the second match when they scored 331 runs at the same venue.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam was extraordinary in the middle. He bagged three early wickets— Ibarahim Zadran, Rahman Shah, and Mohammad Nabi. Taskin Ahmed, on the other end of the wicket, scalped Rahmanullah Gurbaz who hit a ton in the previous game.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan were stuttering, losing four wickets inside the first 10 overs.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Azmatullah Omarzai scored a fifty for Afghanistan. He ended up on 56 while Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 22.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>For Bangladesh, Shoriful bagged four wickets while Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam took two wickets each.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In reply, Bangladesh lost Mohammad Naim quickly for a duck. But Litton Das hit an unbeaten 53 and guided the team to a big win. Shakib Al Hasan also contributed well with 39 off 39 balls.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Now both teams will take on each other in a three-match T20I series in Sylhet starting on July 14th. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 04:00:26', '2023-07-12 04:00:26'),
(7915, 7915, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Nato states have said Ukraine can join the military alliance \"when allies agree and conditions are met\" after President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the \"absurd\" delay to accession.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a communique, Nato said it recognised the need to move faster but would not be drawn on a timeframe.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier Mr Zelensky said there seemed to be \"no readiness\" to invite Ukraine to Nato or make it a member.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He is now in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where the summit is happening.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv accepts it cannot join Nato while it is at war with Russia but wants to join as soon as possible after fighting ends.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Mr Zelensky, tweeting before Mr Stoltenberg\'s comments, said that the lack of an agreed timeframe meant his country\'s eventual membership could become a bargaining chip.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"A window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine\'s membership in Nato in negotiations with Russia. Uncertainty is weakness,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nato might not have said when and how Ukraine might join the alliance. But diplomats emphasised that they had set out a clearer path to membership, and the onerous application process had been shortened significantly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The alliance had recognised Ukraine\'s army was increasingly \"interoperable\" and more \"politically integrated\" with Nato forces and it would continue to support reforms to Ukraine\'s democracy and security sector.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Diplomats also highlighted the creation of a new Nato-Ukraine Council, meeting on Wednesday for the first time, which will give Kyiv the right to summon meetings of the whole alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the decision to give no sense of timescale will be seen as a setback for Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though such detail was always unlikely, Mr Zelensky\'s decision to say the absence of a timetable was \"absurd\" only emphasised his diplomatic failure.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some member states fear near-automatic membership for Ukraine could give Russia an incentive to both escalate and prolong the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The focus now will move to what long-term security guarantees Nato members will promise Ukraine as an alternative to early membership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the past, Western security pledges failed to deter two Russian invasions. Nato allies hope a third round will be robust and explicit enough to persuade the Kremlin that further aggression would be too costly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Addressing crowds in Vilnius later, Mr Zelensky said: \"Nato will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make the alliance stronger.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Zelensky also presented a battle flag from the destroyed city of Bakhmut - the site of the longest, and possibly bloodiest, battle in Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Vilnius summit comes a day after Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden joining the military alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey had previously spent months blocking Sweden\'s application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. The country will now become the alliance\'s 32nd member after Finland - which borders Russia, joined in April.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both countries announced their intention to join Nato after Russia invaded Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A series of military packages for Ukraine were also announced at the summit on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets at a centre to be set up in Romania in August, officials said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In May the US gave the go-ahead for its Western allies to supply Ukraine with advanced jets, including the long sought F-16s - a significant upgrade on the Soviet-era planes it is currently using.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine had repeatedly lobbied its Western allies to provide jets to help with its recently-begun counter-offensive aiming to retake territory seized by Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However experts say the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly and operate Western jets will take some time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Moscow would be forced to use \"similar\" weapons if the US supplied controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The weapons release bomblets over a wide area and are banned by more than 100 countries over their impact on civilians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Shoigu said Russia had similar cluster weapons but had so far refrained from using them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rights groups say Russia and Ukraine have already used cluster munitions during the 17 months of war since Russia invaded last February. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 12:34:43', '2023-07-12 12:34:43'),
(7916, 7916, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">North Korea has fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Japanese officials report.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The long-range missile has been in flight for more than an hour and is expected to land short of Japanese waters on Wednesday morning, Japan\'s defence minister said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pyongyang\'s launch comes after it threatened retaliation against alleged US spy plane incursions over its land.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier this week it threatened to shoot down such planes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Washington has dismissed the accusations, saying its military actions were in line with international law.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday, both Japanese and South Korean military officials reported detecting the missile\'s launch around 10:00 local time (01:00 GMT).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both countries later reported the missile was believed to be an ICBM, a long-range missile that can traverse continents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">ICBMs are particularly worrying because of their long range, including mainland United States. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 13:27:13', '2023-07-12 13:27:13'),
(7917, 7917, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bollywood, India\'s hugely popular Hindi film industry, is often described as a man\'s world.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It\'s something that\'s been talked about for a long time, but now a new study shows just how little gender equality there is - both on and off screen.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The $2.1bn (£1.5bn) industry produces hundreds of films every year and has a massive following among Indians globally. The sway the films and the stars have on their fans\' imagination cannot be overstated. But over the years, many Bollywood films have been criticised for being regressive, promoting misogyny and gender biases.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a first of its kind study, researchers from Tiss (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) in Mumbai attempted to quantify just how severe the stranglehold of patriarchy on Hindi cinema is.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They selected 25 of the biggest box-office hits from 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, and 10 women-centric films between 2012 and 2019 - the period was chosen to see if there were any changes in the narrative following the 2012 gang-rape of a female student on a bus in Delhi, the resulting uproar over the crime and the introduction of tough new laws to deal with crimes against women.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The list of hits included War, Kabir Singh, Mission Mangal, Dabangg3, Housefull4 and Article 15 and the women-centric films included Raazi, Queen, Lipstick Under My Burkha and Margarita with a Straw, among others.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The researchers studied nearly 2,000 on-screen characters to see the types of occupation actors played and analysed the films over several parameters such as sexual stereotyping, consent and intimacy and harassment. They counted the number of LGBTQ+ and disabled characters and how they were portrayed, and studied how many women worked off-screen on these films.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They have concluded that though women-centric films give some reason for optimism, the box-office hits continue to be sexist and regressive and women and queer representation remains abysmal in them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For instance, 72% of characters in the films that were analysed were played by men, 26% by women and 2% by queer actors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prof Lakshmi Lingam, the project lead for the study, says \"the big bucks are riding on all big men in Bollywood\" and the filmmakers say \"a very strong female character won\'t work with the audiences\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There\'s very little attempt to do something different because patriarchal norms colour people\'s idea of a story or narrative and they come to believe that this is what can give them money,\" she told the BBC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So, she says, they stick to the \"formula\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The protagonist has to be male from the upper caste, the female lead has to be thin and beautiful. She has to be coy and demure who expresses consent through gestures rather than words, but wears sexually revealing clothing and has to be somewhat modern to allow for her to be in a pre-marital relationship which is a transgression.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The jobs on screen are also imagined through a narrow gender lens - Prof Lingam says although \"42% female leads were employed in these films - [way higher than India\'s real employment figures of 25.1%] - they were in very stereotypical professions\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Nine in 10 men were in decision-making roles playing army officers, policemen, politicians and crime lords; women mostly played doctors and nurses, teachers and journalists and only one in 10 were in decision making roles,\" she says.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The portrayal of the LGBTQ+ characters, the study shows, remains hugely problematic - they were never in a decision-making role and often a butt of sexist jokes. The disabled fared equally poorly -making up only 0.5% of all characters and most were used as tropes to invoke sympathy or as comic relief.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Filmmakers say it\'s the reality they\'re showing. But there is so much other reality that they do not show. They swing between reality and fantasy to justify being like this,\" Prof Lingam says.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The depiction of women and queergender in the industry, she adds, must change because \"real life is also dictated by what we see in cinema\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In India, where families and schools rarely teach about sex education and consent, all our responses are influenced by books and cinema,\" she says, adding that it\'s a problem when a film like Kabir Singh shows the male lead stalking and harassing the heroine to woo her.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It normalises toxic masculinity. so when a woman is stalked or harassed on the street, everyone says it happens. And there is rarely any pushback.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A few films though, she points out, are breaking from the mould - for instance, in Mission Mangal, when a rocket scientist, played by Vidya Balan, is berated by her husband for spending too much time at work and ignoring their children, she turns around and asks him if children aren\'t his responsibility too.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Queen and Lipstick Under my Burkha were among a handful of films that were led by women actors and revolved around strong female characters. But the number of such films is still very low.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Visual media, Prof Lingam says, \"can bring new narratives into the conversation and change won\'t happen overnight, but it will happen over time\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, she says, have already shown the way forward. \"There\'s a lot of churn in society and people are producing different content to reflect that. There\'s a lot of interesting content on OTT platforms that is doing well.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, the Bollywood formula is no longer working. \"Many male-dominated violent films helmed by some of our biggest stars such as Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have bombed. The one exception has been Shah Rukh Khan\'s Pathaan.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So the industry, she says, needs to re-imagine these ideas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The typical thinking is that a majority of the audience is male so films are being made for them. We are not saying don\'t do those films, but do a spectrum of films so that there is a wide variety.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One reason, she says, why the Bollywood gaze is so overwhelmingly male is because there are so few women working off-screen in the industry and even fewer in core filmmaking departments - the films Tiss studied had more than 26,300 men and only 4,100 women in the crew.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If films are made for a diverse audience, by a diverse people behind the screen, the stories will also be diverse,\" says Prof Lingam. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 13:44:39', '2023-07-12 13:44:39'),
(7918, 7918, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The BNP and like-minded political parties are all set to jointly announce a ‘one-point\' simultaneous movement for the resignation of the current regime with a view to holding the next national election under a neutral government through separate rallies in the capital on Wednesday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP is scheduled to hold a public rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office at 2pm from where party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will announce the programmes to kick off their one-point movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ganatantra Mancha, a platform of six parties that shares the BNP\'s view that the government must resign ahead of elections, or otherwise be toppled through a movement, will announce their participation in the one-point movement at 4pm by holding a meeting at the Jatiya Press Club.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A separate 12-party alliance that similarly believes no fair election can be held under the Awami League-led government will come up with a similar announcement from a rally in front of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) at 12pm. The same is expected of the Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote at Bijoynagar, the Liberal Democratic Party at Tejgaon and Gonoforum and People’s Party at Motijheel and Labour Party at Nayapaltan at different times on the day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, two splinter groups of the Gono Odhikar Parishad (one led by Reza Kibria and the other by Nurul Haque Nur), Gonotantrik Bam Oikya, Samomona Gonotantrik Peshajibi Jote and Sadaran Chhatra Odhikar Sanrakshan Parishad will also hold rallies in front of the Jatiya Press Club around 3pm and announce the their participation in the one-point movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP has held separate meetings with each of these parties and alliances and finalised their next course of action. The party\'s Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said BNP and other parties involved with the simultaneous movement will make a joint announcement of the one-point movement from their respective positions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We think the nation will be optimistic and encouraged through such a declaration. It’ll also help intensify the movement to ensure the fall of the current regime,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">From conversations with the leaders of the BNP and many of the smaller parties, it is expected that the joint declaration of the one-point movement will contain the demand for the resignation of the Awami League government, dissolution of parliament, formation of the polls-time impartial government and reconstitution of the Election Commission for arranging a free, fair and inclusive election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The unconditional release of all political prisoners, including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, withdrawal of all ghost cases, and annulment of all false convictions towards building a democratic state and restoring the voting rights of the people through amendments to the constitution and reforming the state system will also find a place in the rhetoric, but the realisation of these will all be boiled down to a single overriding objective: that the next parliamentary elections be held under a neutral, non-party, in effect caretaker government. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier in a programme on Monday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said their party and its alliance partners are going to announce the final action programmes of their current anti-government movement on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We all the parties involved in the simultaneous movement have decided to announce a new journey for the restoration of democracy and holding a fair and impartial election from our respective places on July 12,” Fakhrul said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP and its different associate bodies have taken various steps to ensure the huge presence of the party leaders and activists to demonstrate a massive showdown before the one-point movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following up on the oral \'permission\' it gave the BNP to hold the rally at their chosen venue two days ahead of time, on Tuesday the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)  issued separate notices not only confirming the go-ahead to the BNP\'s rally at Nayapaltan, but also for the Awami League to hold a \'peace rally\' not very far away at the Baitul Mokarram South Gate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP Dhaka  North City unit convener Aman Ullah Aman said their rally will be completely peaceful and they have taken all-out preparations to make it a success.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We hope our rally will turn into a human sea with the participation of a huge number of people from all walks of life. We believe that the people of Dhaka will take to the streets with their demands,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aman said they have formed many volunteer teams to hold the rally peacefully. “We have also sent a letter to Dhaka Metropolitan Police seeking cooperation.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier at a public rally on December 10 last in the capital\'s Golapbagh field, the BNP had announced a 10-point charter of demands including the resignation of the government, the dissolution of parliament, and the transfer of power to a non-partisan government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP and its like-minded parties observed various programmes, including human chains, sits-in, road marches and rallies across the country, over the last seven months since the announcement of the 10-point movement, which itself came at the end of a programme of divisional rallies that started in August, and drew a huge response.  UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 13:58:14', '2023-07-12 20:37:35'),
(7919, 7919, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Wednesday, its neighbors said, two days after the North threatened “shocking” consequences to protest what it called a provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea\'s military detected the long-range missile launch from the North’s capital region around 10 a.m., the South\'s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said South Korea\'s military bolstered its surveillance posture and maintained readiness in close coordination with the United States.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters that the North Korean missile was likely launched on a lofted trajectory, at a steep angle that North Korea typically uses to avoid neighboring countries when it tests long-range missiles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamada said the missile was expected to land at sea about 550 kilometers (340 miles) east of the coast of the Korean Peninsula outside of the Japanese exclusive economic zone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">North Korea\'s long-range missile program targets the mainland U.S. Since 2017, North Korea has performed a slew of intercontinental ballistic missile launches as part of its efforts to acquire nuclear-tipped weapons capable of striking major U.S. cities. Some experts say North Korea still has some technologies to master to possess functioning nuclear-armed ICBMs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before Wednesday\'s launch, the North\'s most recent long-range missile test happened in April, when it launched a solid-fuel ICBM, a type of weapon that experts say is harder to detect and intercept than liquid-fuel weapons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wednesday\'s launch, the North’s first weapons firing in about a month, came after North Korea earlier this week released a series of statements accusing the United States of flying a military plane close to North Korea to spy on the North.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States and South Korea dismissed the North’s accusations and urged it to refrain from any acts or rhetoric that raised animosities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement Monday night, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean sister Kim Jong Un, warned the United States of “a shocking incident” as she claimed that the U.S. spy plane flew over the North’s eastern exclusive economic zone eight times earlier in the day. She claimed the North scrambled warplanes to chase away the U.S. plane.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In another fiery statement Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong said the U.S. military would experience “a very critical flight” if it continues its illicit, aerial spying activities. The North’s military separately threatened to shoot down U.S. spy planes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Kim Yo-jong’s bellicose statement against U.S. surveillance aircraft is part of a North Korean pattern of inflating external threats to rally domestic support and justify weapons tests,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “Pyongyang also times its shows of force to disrupt what it perceives as diplomatic coordination against it, in this case, South Korea and Japan’s leaders meeting during the NATO summit.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">North Korea has made numerous similar threats over alleged U.S. reconnaissance activities, but its latest statements came amid heightened animosities over North Korea’s barrage of missile tests earlier this year. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 14:08:05', '2023-07-12 14:08:05'),
(7920, 7920, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 52 at 8:49 am, Dhaka ranked 51st on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Arab Emirates\' Dubai, Indonesia’s Jakarta and Pakistan’s Lahore, occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 177, 156 and 153 respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI score between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AQI score between 150 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\', between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', and a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 14:39:07', '2023-07-12 14:39:07'),
(7921, 7921, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A traffic police constable died after a bus knocked him down while performing his duty at Sholoshohor in Chattogram’s Panchlaish area on Tuesday night.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased was identified as Nurul Karim, 58, of Tangail district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tariqul Islam, inspector of Chattogram Metropolitan Traffic (North) Division, said the incident occurred around 11 pm when the bus hit Nurul while he was performing his duty in the area, leaving him injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, he was taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 14:53:06', '2023-07-12 14:53:06'),
(7922, 7922, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ex-President Donald Trump can be held liable for disparaging comments he made about a woman who accused him of rape, the US Department of Justice has said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The department previously maintained Mr Trump was legally immune as he was president when he made remarks in 2019.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But on Tuesday its lawyers said they no longer had \"sufficient basis\" to conclude Mr Trump had acted within the scope of his duties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The decision boosts E Jean Carroll\'s defamation lawsuit against Mr Trump.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In May, Mr Trump was ordered to pay the former magazine columnist $5m (£3.9m) after being found liable for sexual abuse of her in 1996 at a New York department store.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ms Carroll, 79, is currently seeking $10m from Mr Trump in a defamation lawsuit, which is due to go to trial in January.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The legal action cites his remarks as president about her in 2019 while responding to reporters\' questions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The lawsuit has been updated to reflect further comments he made about her during a CNN town hall the day after the court\'s verdict two months ago. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 15:18:48', '2023-07-12 15:18:48'),
(7923, 7923, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said BNP\'s one-point demand is “unconstitutional”.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Continuing to demand anything unconstitutional only suggests that they want to destabilise the country,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The state minister also said that BNP is planning to “fish in troubled waters.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will not let that happen. We will not compromise peace and stability,” Shahriar tweeted today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read: Uzra Zeya reiterates US\' hope for \"peaceful, fair\" elections process in Bangladesh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP and like-minded political parties will jointly announce a “one-point” movement for the “resignation” of the current government. Their demand is holding the next national election under a “neutral” government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP is scheduled to hold a public rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office at 2pm today, from where the party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will announce the programmes to kick off their one-point movement. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 15:54:20', '2023-07-12 15:54:20'),
(7924, 7924, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has become a father again, his wife Carrie said on Tuesday, with the couple\'s third child, and the ex-leader\'s eighth, born on July 5.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Welcome to the world Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson born 5th July at 9.15am,\" Carrie Johnson wrote on her Instagram page, accompanied by a picture of her holding her new baby.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">She joked \"can you guess which name my husband chose?!\" in reference to Johnson\'s well-known love of ancient Greek myths.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Am loving every minute of the sleepy baby bubble. Seeing my older two embrace their new brother with such joy and excitement has been the most wonderful thing. We are all very smitten,\" she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their first son Wilfred was born in April 2020, not long after Johnson was treated in hospital intensive care for Covid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daughter Romy then arrived in December 2021, again when Johnson was still Britain\'s prime minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was ousted the following summer, amid a revolt within his ruling Conservatives after a series of scandals, including Covid lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 59-year-old Johnson quit as a Tory lawmaker last month after MPs found that he had lied to parliament over his knowledge of the parties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Johnson, who has been married three times, has four children from his second marriage to the lawyer Marina Wheeler, and now has three with Carrie, 35, a former Conservative Party media adviser whom he wed two years ago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ex-leader has another child, a daughter, from an extra-marital affair.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In September 2021, before Romy\'s birth and after years of speculation about how many children he had, Johnson confirmed to US TV network NBC in an interview that at that time he had six. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 16:31:17', '2023-07-12 16:31:17'),
(7925, 7925, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">As the dengue situation has taken an alarming turn across the country, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) urged people to be careful and focus on ensuring that their surroundings are clean.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It also urged people not to panic over the alarming rise of dengue, said a handout of PID issued on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DGHS also asked to follow some guidelines to combat the dengue outbreak.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DGHS asked to consult doctors on suspicion of dengue after seeing symptoms alongside 104 degree body temperature. These are: severe headache, pain in the back of the eyes, muscle and joint ache, nausea and rash.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The body temperature of a dengue patient may decrease abnormally between three to seven days after being infected with dengue. There may also be severe stomach ache, frequent vomiting, vomit with blood, feeling depressed or restless.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DGHS guidelines also advised to keep the doors and windows of houses and offices shut and covering the body to avoid mosquito bites.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The guidelines call for raising awareness among families, neighbours and communities to prevent dengue and ask everyone to engage in a cleanliness drive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Water should not be allowed to accumulate in the field or on the road in and around the house or in any place. Standing water in containers must be thrown out, said DGHS.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Flower pots, plastic containers, abandoned tyres, plastic drums, clay pots, buckets, discarded coconut shells, and battery cells should be dry so that the Aedes mosquitoes cannot lay eggs in these.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unused containers should be turned aside and mosquito nets should be used during the day and night. Nearest healthcare centre should be contacted if someone is infected with dengue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, seven more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning – the highest single-day casualties from the mosquito-borne disease this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The new casualties have raised the number of dengue fatalities in Bangladesh to 83 this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the period, 1,054 more patients – highest single-day tally reported this year – were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, the DGHS has recorded 14,897 dengue cases, 11,511 recoveries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to DGHS tally, Bangladesh has recorded 70 out of 83 dengue casualties in the months of June and July. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 16:54:33', '2023-07-12 16:54:33');
