INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10170, 10170, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The BNP on Wednesday alleged that the government is using different agencies to form different baseless and so-called Kings’ parties hiring people from different parties to stage a mockery in the name of the national election slated for January 7.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a virtual press briefing, BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also said some people are selling their souls to take part in the farcical election out of their greed for a little money and various benefits.</div><div><br></div><div>“As the people of the country rejected this election schedule of the mafia group, the fascist Sheikh Hasina has now become desperate to stage a mockery in the name of election by creating the so-called King\'s parties…,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader alleged that the government is creating pressure on the leaders of different political parties to take part in the election.</div><div><br></div><div>“Sheikh Hasina has put her different agencies in the field to form the so-called King\'s parties.&nbsp; Bargaining is going on like a cattle market to hire leaders from different parties. Many patriotic leaders are being pressured and intimidated to join Awami League\'s King\'s Party,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the government agonies are bringing some politicians to the King\'s parties resorting to various tricks.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that some people are joining the so-called King\'s parties and going to Bangabhaban and Ganabhaban, leaving the movement to establish people’s rights based on a commitment to get a share of looted money.</div><div><br></div><div>Without directly mentioning the name of any party or individual, Rizvi said the traitors will be thrown into the dustbin of history. “These colour-changing parasitic politicians are not sensing the signal of the people.”</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the law enforcers have continued raiding the houses of the BNP leaders and workers, and arresting them as the government has declared war against the democracy-loving people.</div><div><br></div><div>“An unusual situation has been created in the country in a very well-planned way for holding a one-sided election,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>Alongside the law enforcers, he alleged that the ruling party activists wearing helmets were attacking the houses of those leaders and workers who are active in the movement.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi also said the opposition leaders and activists are being sentenced in ‘false and fictitious’ cases by the judiciary at the behest of the government.</div><div><br></div><div>He claimed that at least 515 BNP leaders and activists were arrested in the last 24 hours as of 5pm on Wednesday. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-22 15:17:21', '2023-11-22 15:17:21'),
(10171, 10171, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday reiterated&nbsp; that BNP and Jamaat are trying to foil the parliamentary elections scheduled for January 7.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The consequences will not be good if anyone tries to foil the election,” she warned adding that the people are the strength of her party.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, was delivering her introductory speech at Awami League’s Parliamentary Nomination Board meeting held at its Dhaka district office at Tejgaon to finalise the party’s candidates for the 12th parliamentary elections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that BNP- Jamaat alliance did not participate in the 2014 elections as they had no confidence about their win.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also said that although BNP-Jamaat tried to malign the 2018 elections, they failed to show any specific evidence of irregularities to support their claim.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that Awami League wants&nbsp; democracy to prevail in the country and the political parties will continue their activities freely.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“But while BNP was in power Awami League did not get that scope. Some 21000 leaders and activists of Awami League were killed across the country during their regime,” she said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AL chief ruled out any confusion regarding free and fair vote. “There is no doubt about free and fair elections”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She urged the people to exercise their voting rights with great confidence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that Awami League government has made a law to make the Election Commission independent which was once under the office of the Prime Minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“By bringing 82 amendments, the government has made the law suitable for free, neutral and fair elections,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that the Election Commission is now formed in the country under the law which was enacted by the government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that after the assassination of the Father of the Nation, the people of the country were deprived of their democratic rights and right to vote.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Illegal power grabbers took off their uniforms and suddenly became politicians. Ziaur Rahman hijacked the democratic process and suspended the constitution and issued martial law,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that the people have been cheated in the name of democracy during the regime of Ziaur Rahman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Criticising the countries which are now talking about Bangladesh, she said, when the military dictators violated people\'s rights, where was their consciousness.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ruling party president said that BNP leader Khaleda Zia had to resign on March 30 in 1996 for her crime of rigging votes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that according to the manifesto announced by Awami League, the budget formulation and vision plans have been adopted every year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“After Digital Bangladesh, Awami League now aims to create smart government and smart society by creating skilled smart population,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pointing to BNP-Jamaat she said that no one can go to power by killing people and destroying people\'s lives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina admitted that BNP\'s acceptance was increasing when it was holding peaceful rallies and doing healthy politics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“But when they reverted to their old forms of violence, they again got isolated from the mass people,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina urged BNP to come to the polls although they had earlier resorted to ‘nomination business.\'</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Awami League also wants to see whose strength is greater,” she said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bndb24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\",\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 08:02:26', '2023-11-23 08:02:26'),
(10172, 10172, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Miscreants set fire to a bus of “Ajmeri&nbsp; Paribahan” in Dhaka’s&nbsp; Bijoynagar area on Thursday.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The bus came under arson attack at Nightingale intersection of the area at 12:53 pm on Thursday, confirmed Talha Bin Zashim, station officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence (media cell).</div><div><br></div><div>On information, two firefighting units from Siddique Bazar Fire Station went to the spot to douse the fire, he said. UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 08:05:03', '2023-11-23 08:05:03'),
(10173, 10173, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Thursday that the government has no influence in the denial of bail to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The judiciary is independent and judges take decision after proper scrutiny, he said while talking to reporters after United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis paid a courtesy call on him at the secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>Pointing at BNP, he said, “If you want to come to power, you have to come to the polls. It is not possible though arson violence. If you want a change in power, you have to come to elections.”</div><div><br></div><div>Azaduzzaman said&nbsp; some leaders from the BNP are forming parties like Trinomool BNP and BNM to participate in the national election. “ We told them that the elections will be free and fair with no party getting any undue advantage.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said there is no external pressure on the new parties ; they are willingly forming new alliances.</div><div><br></div><div>“When Gwen Lewis asked about the election, I told her that there is joy everywhere in Bangladesh over the election. Nevertheless, our law enforcement agencies will be vigilant so that no unstable situation is created anywhere,” the minister said.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to a question, the home minister said before the BNP\'s rally on October 28, 565 cases were filed daily on average and after October 28, the average daily cases decreased to 438, a reduction by 127 cases per day, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He also noted a decrease in daily arrests-from 1,956 before October 28 to 1,816 after that date.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 09:48:50', '2023-11-23 09:48:50'),
(10174, 10174, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The BNP and like-minded parties will again enforce a 48-hour fresh road-rail-waterway blockade across the country starting from Sunday morning, giving a break for two days, to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Party Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a virtual press briefing on Thursday afternoon. It will be the seventh round of blockade programme of the opposition parties since October 31.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the blockade will begin at 6am on Sunday and end at 6m on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the blockade is also meant for mounting pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government and release party leaders and activists, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.</div><div><br></div><div>He said other opposition parties, who have long been carrying out the simultaneous movement with BNP, also observe a similar programme.</div><div><br></div><div>The fresh programme was announced 14 hours before the end of the opposition’s ongoing 48-hour blockade which will end at 6m on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi thanked the country’s people and the opposition leaders and activists for making their blockade programme a success.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP and like-minded parties enforced a 48-hour countrywide shutdown from Sunday (November 19) before the blockade programme.</div><div><br></div><div>The opposition parties observed blockades in six phases to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration.</div><div><br></div><div>They also observed a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal on October 29 in protest against the attacks on BNP’s grand rally at Nayapaltan that ended amid the incidents of torching vehicles and clashes, leaving three people dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Half an hour into the start of BNP\'s much-talked-about grand rally at Nayapaltan on October 28, BNP leaders and workers locked in a clash with the ruling party activists and police at Kakrail. The violent clashes soon spread around Nayapaltan, foiling the rally midway. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 12:27:13', '2023-11-23 12:27:13'),
(10175, 10175, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>US actor Jamie Foxx and Guns N\' Roses frontman Axl Rose were each accused of sexual assault Wednesday, part of a flurry of suits filed in New York before a statute of limitations deadline.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In the filing against Rose, Sheila Kennedy, an actress and model, alleges that he \"sexually assaulted her\" in 1989 and that she \"did not consent and felt overpowered.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The alleged victim in the Foxx case, identified only as Jane Doe, said that Foxx \"intentionally and without consent used force to offensively touch\" her, by groping her breasts and genitals at a rooftop bar in Manhattan in 2015.</div><div><br></div><div>Both filings note that they are being submitted pursuant to the New York Adult Survivors Act, a law that had opened the door for sexual assault suits on cases that otherwise happened too far in the past to litigate.</div><div><br></div><div>The 61-year-old lead singer of the heavy rock band, famous for albums such as \"Appetite for Destruction,\" has yet to comment publicly.</div><div><br></div><div>He had attended the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix over the weekend, ahead of the complaint being lodged with a New York court.</div><div><br></div><div>The incident is alleged to have happened in a New York hotel room after the pair met in a nightclub.</div><div><br></div><div>The civil case calls for Rose, whose real name is William Bruce Rose, to face a jury trial, and for the jury to award Kennedy \"punitive damages.\"</div><div><br></div><div>In the complaint, Rose is alleged to have forced anal sex on Kennedy. Kennedy\'s lawyers say she \"believed Rose would physically attack her, or worse, if she said no or attempted to push him away.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"Rose used his fame, status, and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control and violently assault Kennedy,\" the complaint claims.</div><div><br></div><div>Guns N\' Roses is best known for hits such as \"Welcome to the Jungle\" and \"Sweet Child O\' Mine.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\'Permanently\' affected</div><div><br></div><div>In the Foxx case, his accuser says the Oscar-winning actor, now age 55, grabbed her by the \"arm and pulled her to the back area of the rooftop\" after meeting her at the bar.</div><div><br></div><div>Once there, he allegedly proceeded to grope the plaintiff until a friend came looking for her.</div><div><br></div><div>She also calls for Foxx, whose real name is Eric Marlon Bishop, to face a jury trial that could award punitive damages.</div><div><br></div><div>The suit says the plaintiff \"will permanently be affected by the injuries and emotional distress she incurred as a result of the sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Foxx, who in addition to acting is a comedian and Grammy-winning singer, won an Academy Award in 2005 for the Ray Charles musical biopic \"Ray.\" He was nominated for an Oscar for \"Collateral\" that same year.</div><div><br></div><div>Wednesday\'s suits follow a rape complaint against rapper Sean Combs under the Adult Survivors Act, filed last week by R&amp;B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura.</div><div><br></div><div>A day after the lawsuit was filed, the parties said they had agreed to resolve the case, but did not disclose the settlement terms. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 14:20:44', '2023-11-23 14:20:44'),
(10176, 10176, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A UN expert on Thursday called for a regional emergency response to the growing number of desperate Rohingya refugees who continue to arrive in Indonesia in overcrowded vessels, as conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh continue to deteriorate, where food rations have been significantly cut.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“The crisis will only worsen without addressing its root cause – the illegal military junta of Myanmar,” warned Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.</div><div><br></div><div>Over 1,000 Rohingya refugees arrived by boat in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh in the past week.</div><div><br></div><div>Andrews commended the government of Indonesia for offering safety, shelter and support to Rohingya refugees, a majority of whom are women and children in urgent need of nutrition and medical assistance.</div><div><br></div><div>The expert called on countries in the region to follow Indonesia’s lead by safely disembarking Rohingya refugees who may arrive by boat on their shores.</div><div><br></div><div>“The government of Indonesia should be congratulated for again upholding the rights of the Rohingya and facilitating disembarkation in line with domestic law,” the Special Rapporteur said. “But they cannot do it alone. This is an emergency, and an emergency response is required, including a coordinated search and rescue operation to save the lives of those who may be stranded on overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels.”</div><div><br></div><div>Andrews warned that the crisis will continue to worsen unless the root cause of the crisis is finally addressed.</div><div><br></div><div>\"A resolution of the Rohingya refugee crisis is not possible so long as the junta prevents the formation of a government committed to human rights and citizenship for the Rohingya. The international community must address the root causes of the crisis by depriving the junta of the weapons, money, and legitimacy it uses to perpetuate its oppression of the people of Myanmar,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The UN rapporteur said until such time as the Rohingya are able to return to Myanmar voluntarily, with safety and dignity and rights ensured, Member States must fund adequate humanitarian assistance and consider durable solutions for Rohingya refugees, including resettlement.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Andrews visited Rohingya refugees in Aceh Indonesia earlier this year, including a refugee camp in Pidie, where he was told that desperate Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh were preparing to make the perilous journey.</div><div><br></div><div>“I encourage Indonesian authorities to continue to work with humanitarian agencies to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees, including by establishing new shelters for recent arrivals. Services should be provided for the most vulnerable, including women and children, who may be at risk of exploitation and human trafficking,” the expert said.</div><div><br></div><div>Andrews expressed grave concern that the arrivals signal the beginning of significant numbers of Rohingya fleeing desperate conditions in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“Frankly, who can blame them? Parents have reached a breaking-point as their children suffer from hunger and malnutrition and face the threat of increasing violence in the camps,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“These families are not boarding overcrowded vessels because they want to, they are doing so because they are desperate and see no choice,” reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“No state should—as some have done in the past—refuse Rohingya refugees disembarkation or push boats back out to sea,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 15:13:07', '2023-11-23 15:13:07'),
(10177, 10177, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In an interview with the UNB former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr. Atiur Rahman has explained how the current spate of blockades and burning of vehicles are taking a toll on the economy and suggested ways for reaching a solution.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Dr Atiur, currently emiratus professor at Department of Development Studies in Dhaka University, said the fear of setting fire to the carriers is real.</div><div><br></div><div>The protests have been called by BNP, Jamaat and some smaller allies, to protest the announcement of the schedule for the 12th parliamentary elections for January 7. The opposition demands that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina steps down and hand over power to a neutral administration to make the vote free and fair. The government has rejected the demand as unconstitutional.</div><div><br></div><div>The economist said because of the protests the cost of transporting items for both domestic consumption and exports has gone up.</div><div><br></div><div>Also, most of the drivers and helpers have lost jobs as the vehicles aren’t plying on the roads. These are mainly temporary jobs and thousands have been badly affected by this continuous political unrest, he said this week.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the ongoing unrest has not only been disrupting the domestic supply chains but also impacting the international supply chains as the inter-district truckers and container vehicles cannot move on the streets.</div><div><br></div><div>While the agricultural producers are not getting the prices of their products due to this transport disruption the urban consumers of the same are being forced to pay higher prices, he pointed out.</div><div><br></div><div>The unrest with threats of torching and attacks on the vehicles and shops has already created a situation where business confidence is gradually shrinking. This is having a huge impact on the levels of investment, according to Dr Atiur.</div><div><br></div><div>The banks are also worried about the likely defaults of their loans as businesses are facing huge challenges. As the NBR chair has rightly pointed out this political unrest along with the slowdown of imports will have a significant impact on the collection of revenues, he pointed out.</div><div><br></div><div>This again has an impact on the budget deficit and subsequent need for higher public borrowing. The inflation situation may worsen in such a complex situation. The country faced a similar crisis in 2014 and it was quite difficult for the regulators and government to pull back the economy on track following the political unrest.</div><div><br></div><div>‘We managed to come out of this culture of burning …subsequently leading to robust economic growth. However, the country is facing a negative culture of burning its assets after a long time. I hope good sense will prevail among all the stakeholders to avoid another round of political uncertainty and unrest leading to undesired loss of the economy.’ Dr Atiur said.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign exchange crisis is likely to be prolonged if the political unrest continues like this. Both imports and exports are getting the hits from supply-side disruptions and cancellations of orders from the buyers, he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>‘’Also, the foreign direct investment is likely to be negatively affected if this political stalemate continues for a longer time. All these have both direct and indirect implications for the balance of payments which is already under severe pressure,’ he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The first best solution will be to get all the political parties onboard the election train at any cost. If needed, the Election Commission may be more flexible in its schedule to attract more parties into the election process.</div><div><br></div><div>Even if some parties still avoid the election train even after such adjustments let it move on with the candidates from contesting parties and individuals who are participating as independents.</div><div><br></div><div>In the meantime, “we must continue to move further towards market-determined solutions in making both exchange rates and interest rates flexible to bring back our macroeconomic stability.”</div><div><br></div><div>Simultaneously, the central bank should try to attract more medium-term foreign exchange loans or deposits from friendly central banks of the region to bolster reserves.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from this, the central bank must make its best efforts to attract more remittances through official channels by providing some more incentives to the small remitters and providing higher returns to fix dominated NRB bonds for the large remitters, said Dr. Atiur. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'UNB', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 16:01:57', '2023-11-23 16:01:57'),
(10178, 10178, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Bangladesh Bank (BB) said that the supply of US dollars in banks is more than their requirement, so reducing the exchange rate is logical.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Bank spokesperson and Executive Director Mazbaul Haque said this at a press conference at the BB headquarters in Motijheel on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that last year short-term foreign debt liability was $16 billion, now it is reduced to $6.9 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, there is a surplus of $1.0 billion in the current account. Now the LCs are opened with immediate dollar payment. In addition, the supply of dollars in banks is now more than the demand. As a result, the decision of the Bangladesh Foreign Exchange Dealers\' Association (BAFEDA) is correct, the BB spokesperson said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the US dollar price is determined depending on demand and supply. Dollars are used to purchase services and goods and to clear service debts and foreign liabilities. Now the import price is being monitored.</div><div><br></div><div>As a result, the demand for dollars has reduced, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>On Wednesday, for the first time in more than a year, banks decided to lower the exchange rate of US dollar. The decision to reduce the price of the dollar by Tk0.50 has come into effect from Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the price of the dollar has decreased by Tk 0.50 paisa for sale to importers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The BAFEDA and the Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB) decided to reduce the dollar price in a meeting held in the evening on Wednesday. According to the decision, the price of the dollar to buy expatriate and export earnings will be Tk110, which was earlier Tk110.50.</div><div><br></div><div>To meet the import liability, the dollar price can be taken as Tk110.50, which was Tk111 earlier.</div><div><br></div><div>However, in addition to the government\'s 2.5 percent incentive on expatriate income, banks can also give the same amount of incentive. As a result, the beneficiaries will receive a maximum of Tk115.50 per dollar for inward expatriate income.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite such a statement from the BB, the banks still bought expatriate income at the rate of Tk121 and more per dollar. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 16:17:47', '2023-11-23 16:17:47'),
(10179, 10179, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman of Russia\'s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said at the end of October US Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas met with a member of the local opposition party to discuss plans for organising anti-government rallies.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Such actions amount to nothing less than gross interference in internal affairs,\" she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have repeatedly highlighted the attempts by the US and its allies to influence the internal political processes in Bangladesh under the guise of ensuring that the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country are transparent and inclusive.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The journalists drew attention to the US Embassy in Dhaka, but no comment is made yet by the Embassy Spokesperson in Dhaka regarding the comment by the Russian official. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 16:21:37', '2023-11-23 16:21:37'),
(10180, 10180, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A delegation of top 14 leaders of nine political parties met Awami League president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban on Thursday evening.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>At this time, the leaders discussed the various issues of the national elections with the premier.</div><div><br></div><div>They thanked Sheikh Hasina for the various steps taken to conduct a free, fair and acceptable election.</div><div><br></div><div>The leaders also praised the comprehensive development of Bangladesh under the leadership of Bangabandhu.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the delegation presented a calligraphy to Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>The political parties are:- Bangladesh Islamic Front, Bangladesh Khilafat Movement, Islami Oikya Jote, Bangladesh Muslim League, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Bangladesh Supreme Party, Bangladesh Islami Oikya Jote, Ashekane Auliya Oikya Parishad and Jamiate Ulamae Islam Bangladesh. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 16:25:16', '2023-11-23 16:25:16'),
(10181, 10181, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman on Thursday said that there may be considerations to push back the general election if ‘one party’ agrees to participate.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“If ‘one party’ agrees to run in the election, it may be considered to push back the election. If they participate in the election, we will think about that,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The commissioner said this while speaking to reporters after a meeting with officials of the election related government departments of Sylhet and Sunamganj at the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner\'s office.</div><div><br></div><div>Anisur Rahman said the election will not wait for anyone, it is mandatory to be held due to constitutional obligation, otherwise there will be a constitutional vacuum.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have a chance to put back the election as there\'s enough time after that. So far, we haven\'t received anything like that from anyone,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked if there is a plan to hold the election with 100 percent presence of registered political parties Anisur Rahman said, “History tells us 100 percent has never come in our elections. If most parties take part in the election, then the environment turns into an \'election mood\'.</div><div><br></div><div>“Since we assumed office, we have always called all registered 44 parties to take part in the election,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to another question whether there will be any impact if BNP doesn’t run in the election, the election commissioner said that according to the media’s report almost 70 percent of the parties are ready to join the election.</div><div><br></div><div>“However, the Election Commission has not analysed the percentage. If 70 percent are participating, there is no reason to (negatively) affect the election,” he added, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other&nbsp; hand, on the election environment, he said that so far he didn’t notice anything to disturb the election environment.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 16:35:41', '2023-11-23 16:35:41'),
(10182, 10182, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has met with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah which has traded deadly cross-border fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war, the Lebanese movement said Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, primarily involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, along with Palestinian groups.</div><div><br></div><div>The clashes have raised fears of a broader conflagration.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement, Hezbollah said Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah “reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region, and... the efforts made to end the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.”</div><div><br></div><div>Amir-Abdollahian, who warned on Wednesday that the war could spiral out of control, left Beirut for Doha after their meeting, Iran’s Nour news agency reported.</div><div><br></div><div>Hezbollah said on Thursday morning that it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at military base at Ein Zeitim, near the town of Safed in northern Israel, about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border.</div><div><br></div><div>It said it also carried out at least 10 other attacks on Israeli positions near the frontier, and claimed to have caused casualties.</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli army shelled several locations in southern Lebanon in response, said Lebanon’s National News Agency.</div><div><br></div><div>Hezbollah says it has been acting in support of Hamas since the Palestinian Islamist movement’s October 7 attacks on Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 14,000 people, thousands of them children, according to the Hamas government that rules the Palestinian territory.</div><div><br></div><div>The violence between Israel and Hezbollah has claimed at least 108 lives in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 14 civilians, including three journalists, according to an AFP count.</div><div><br></div><div>Six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side, according to the authorities. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 16:44:24', '2023-11-23 16:44:24'),
(10183, 10183, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Irish police said five people, including three young children, have been taken to hospital following a serious public order incident in Dublin city center on Thursday that local media reported as a stabbing.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Police said in a statement that they were following a definite line of inquiry and not looking for any other person at this time.</div><div><br></div><div>One girl has sustained serious injuries and the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries, police said. An adult female is also being treated for serious injuries and an adult male has less serious injuries, police added.</div><div><br></div><div>Local media reported that the people were stabbed on Dublin’s Parnell Square, which is next to Dublin city’s main thoroughfare of O’Connell Street. Police said the scene remains sealed off.</div><div><br></div><div>The Irish Times reported that the chief suspect has been detained and had sustained wounds believed to be self-inflicted. It said early indications suggested a man tried to attack a number of young people and that passers-by intervened, reports Reuters</div><div><br></div><div>The motive for the attack, which occurred close to a school, has not been established, the Irish Times added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-23 16:48:28', '2023-11-23 16:48:28'),
(10184, 10184, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The halt in fighting began at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and is to last at least four days. During the truce, Gaza’s ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took in their deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel. In turn, Israel is to free three Palestinian prisoners for each released hostage. The releases are to take place in stages over the next four days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The truce deal was reached in weeks of intense indirect negotiations, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt serving as mediators. If it holds, it would mark the first significant break in fighting since Israel declared war on Hamas seven weeks ago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas attackers in Israel on Oct. 7. Israel responded with a massive air and ground offensive that has devastated large swaths of Gaza and killed at least 13,300 Palestinians. 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, '2023-11-24 06:49:01', '2023-11-24 06:49:01');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10185, 10185, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Hamas on Friday released 24 hostages it held captive in Gaza for weeks, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison in the first stage of a swap under a four-day cease-fire that offered a small glimmer of relief to both sides.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel — wrenched by the abduction of nearly 240 people in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war — cheered as 13 Israeli women and children emerged free from Gaza. Most were in their 70s or 80s, and the youngest was a 2-year-old. Also released were 10 people from Thailand and one from the Philippines.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Gaza, the truce’s start Friday morning brought the first quiet for 2.3 million Palestinians reeling and desperate from relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed thousands, driven three-quarters of the population from their homes and leveled residential areas. Rocket fire from Gaza militants into Israel went silent as well.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Increased supplies of food, water, medicine and fuel promised under the deal began to roll into Gaza, where U.N. officials had warned that Israel’s seal on the territory threatened to push it to starvation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But relief has been tempered — among Israelis by the fact that not all hostages will be freed and among Palestinians by the briefness of the pause. The short truce leaves Gaza mired in humanitarian crisis and under the threat that fighting could soon resume.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel says the cease-fire could be extended if more hostages are released, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had received a new list of hostages to be released by Hamas on Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Israel has vowed to resume its massive offensive once the truce ends. That has clouded hopes that the deal could eventually help wind down the conflict, which has fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under the deal, Hamas is to release at least 50 hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners over the four days. Both sides were starting with women and children. Israel said the four-day truce can be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After nightfall Friday, a line of ambulances emerged from Gaza through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt carrying the freed hostages, as seen live on Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera TV. The freed Israelis included nine women and four children 9 and under.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The released hostages were taken to three Israeli hospitals for observation. The Schneider Children’s Medical Center said it was treating eight Israelis — four children and four women — and that all appeared to be in good physical condition. The center said they were also receiving psychological treatment, adding that “these are sensitive moments” for the families.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a plaza dubbed “Hostages Square” in Tel Aviv, a crowd of Israelis celebrated at the news.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yael Adar spotted her mother, 85-year-old Yaffa Adar, in a TV newscast of the release and was cheered to see her walking. “That was a huge concern, what would happen to her health during these almost two months,” she told Israel’s Channel 12.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Yael’s 38-year-old son, Tamir Adar, remained in captivity. Both were kidnapped on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz. “Everyone needs to come back. It’s happiness locked up in grief.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The hostages included multiple generations. Nine-year-old Ohad Munder-Zichri was freed along with his mother, Keren Munder, and grandmother Ruti Munder. The fourth-grader was abducted during a holiday visit to his grandparents at the kibbutz where about 80 people — nearly a quarter of all residents of the small community — are believed to have been taken hostage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plight of the hostages has raised anger among some families that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not doing enough to bring them home.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hours later, 24 Palestinian women and 15 teenagers held in Israeli prisons in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem were freed. In the West Bank town of Beituna, hundreds of Palestinians poured out of their homes to celebrate, honking horns and setting off fireworks that lite up the nights sky.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The teenagers had been jailed for minor offenses like throwing stones. The women included several convicted of trying to stab Israeli soldiers, and others who had been arrested at checkpoints in the West Bank.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“As a Palestinian, my heart is broken for my brothers in Gaza, so I can’t really celebrate,” said Abdulqader Khatib, a U.N. worker whose 17-year-old son, Iyas, was freed. “But I am a father. And deep inside, I am very happy.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iyas had been taken last year into “administrative detention,” without charges or trial and based on secret evidence. Israel often holds detainees for months without charges. Most of those who are tried are put before military courts that almost never acquit defendants and often don’t follow due process, human rights groups say.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, Israel is currently holding 7,200 Palestinians, including about 2,000 arrested since the start of the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Friday’s halt in fighting brought Gaza’s uprooted population a moment to catch their breath after weeks of fleeing for shelter, searching for food and fearing for family.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the truce began Friday morning, four trucks of fuel and four trucks of cooking gas entered from Egypt, as well as 200 trucks of relief supplies, Israel said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has barred all imports into Gaza throughout the war, except for a trickle of supplies from Egypt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Its ban on fuel, which it said could be diverted to Hamas, caused a territory-wide blackout. Hospitals, water systems, bakeries and shelters have struggled to keep generators running.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the truce, Israel agreed to allow the delivery of 130,000 liters (34,340 gallons) of fuel per day — still only a small portion of Gaza’s estimated daily needs of more than 1 million liters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are crowded into the southern portion of the territory, with more than 1 million living in U.N. schools-turned-shelters. The calm brought a chance for displaced residents of the south to visit homes and retrieve some belongings.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the hundreds of thousands who evacuated from northern Gaza to the south were warned not to return in leaflets dropped by Israel. Israeli troops hold much of the north, including Gaza City.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Still, hundreds of Palestinians tried walking north Friday. Two were shot and killed by Israeli troops and another 11 were wounded.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sofian Abu Amer decided to risk checking his home in Gaza City.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We don’t have enough clothes, food and drinks,” he said. “The situation is disastrous. It’s better for a person to die.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel’s northern border with Lebanon was also quiet on Friday, a day after the militant Hezbollah group, an ally of Hamas, carried out the highest number of attacks in one day since fighting there began Oct. 8.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hezbollah is not a party to the cease-fire agreement but was widely expected to halt its attacks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The hope is that “momentum” from the deal will lead to an “end to this violence,” said Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, which served as a mediator along with the United States and Egypt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But hours before it came into effect, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops that their respite would be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Netanyahu has also vowed to continue the war to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the hostages.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Israeli offensive has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza government. Women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead, though the latest number was not broken down. The figure does not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where communications have broken down.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count. 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, '2023-11-25 04:20:25', '2023-11-25 04:20:25'),
(10186, 10186, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka’s air quality was ranked second worst in the world 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 251 at 9:03 am, Dhaka’s air was categorised as ‘very unhealthy’.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\', particularly for sensitive groups while an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘very unhealthy’.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India’s Delhi and Kolkata and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first, third and fourth spots on the list, with AQI scores of 303, 238 and 230, respectively.</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 a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per 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, '2023-11-25 04:23:47', '2023-11-25 04:23:47'),
(10187, 10187, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The World Health Organization voiced concern on Friday about the fate of the head of Gaza City\'s Al-Shifa hospital, whom Israeli forces detained over the facility\'s alleged use by Hamas.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The WHO said in a statement that the chief of the biggest hospital in the besieged Palestinian territory had been arrested on Wednesday along with five other health workers, while they were taking part in a UN mission to evacuate patients.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Three medical personnel from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and three from the Ministry of Health were detained,\" the WHO said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since then two of the six have reportedly been released, but \"we do not have information about the well-being of the four remaining health staff, including the director of Al-Shifa hospital,\" the statement added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UN agency called for \"their legal and human rights to be fully observed during their detention\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A spokesperson for the Israeli army said on Saturday that hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya was being questioned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We are currently moving forward with... questioning him over the fact that he was the head of a hospital that was really sitting on top of an entire terror network,\" Doron Spielman said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"How could he not know what\'s happening? We have hostages that were on, you know, CCTV in his hospital.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Abu Salmiya has been frequently quoted by international media about the conditions inside Al-Shifa, a major focus of the Israeli ground offensive following attacks by Hamas militants on October 7.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Israeli army, which raided the hospital last week, has alleged that Hamas fighters used a tunnel complex beneath the facility in Gaza City to stage attacks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamas and hospital officials have repeatedly denied the claims.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The WHO has carried out three missions to Al-Shifa in the space of a week, the organisation has said, on one occasion managing to evacuate 31 babies from the hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the third mission on Wednesday, which was carried out in cooperation with the Palestine Red Crescent, 151 people were evacuated, including patients, their relatives and healthcare workers, according to the WHO. 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, '2023-11-25 04:26:57', '2023-11-25 04:26:57'),
(10188, 10188, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US President Joe Biden said Friday\'s release of a first group of hostages taken by Hamas was just a \"start\" and that there were \"real\" chances to extend a temporary truce in Gaza.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his family, Biden also said it was time to \"renew\" work on creating a two-state solution to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 24 hostages -- 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Filipino -- were turned over Friday to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza by Hamas, while Israel freed 39 women and minors held in its prisons, the Qatari foreign ministry said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden, who led US efforts to secure the pause in the brutal fighting between Israel and Hamas militants controlling Gaza, said \"I think the chances are real\" for extending the truce.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He welcomed the way the start of the process had gone as the four-day truce to facilitate the hostage and prisoner releases held.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This morning I\'ve been engaged with my team as we began the first couple days of implementing this deal. It\'s only a start, but so far it\'s gone well,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about the American women and children hostages who could be released as part of the deal, Biden said he did not know when they would be set free but \"we expect it to occur.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also urged a broader effort to emerge from the crisis toward creating a viable Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel, citing the \"need to renew our resolve to pursue this two-state solution.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Protesters across the United States have called for Biden to push for a permanent ceasefire, with a demonstration on Thursday even interrupting the country\'s largest Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the president attended the Nantucket Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Friday, a group of about 10 protesters chanted \"Biden, Biden you can\'t hide, we charge you with genocide,\" while holding a banner that read \"Free Palestine.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier in the day, as the president walked about, a handful of people shouted \"free Palestine\" and \"ceasefire now.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamas\'s October 7 attack sparked an air and ground offensive by Israel, which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militants.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Gaza, nearly 15,000 people, 6,150 of them children, have been killed in the war, officials in the Hamas-run territory said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack and around 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. 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, '2023-11-25 04:30:46', '2023-11-25 04:30:46'),
(10189, 10189, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP on Saturday said it expects the positive role of Russia alongside other international community in restoring democracy in Bangladesh.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The party expressed the expectation in a statement, signed by its senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, following a statement of Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Bangladesh politics.</div><div><br></div><div>“It has come to the attention of the people of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP that Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokesperson Maria Zakharova made some remarks on November 22, 2023, in Russian MFA’s X (Twitter) handle,” Rizvi said. </div><div><br></div><div>He said the Zakharova accused US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas of meeting with an opposition member to organize anti-government rallies, thereby interfering in the internal affairs of Bangladesh. </div><div><br></div><div>“Zakharova’s comments are in stark contradiction to the desires and aspirations of the citizens of Bangladesh for a transparent and inclusive election. The BNP strongly refutes the spread of disinformation,” Rizvi said. </div><div><br></div><div>Given the Awami League’s tainted track record in the 2014 and 2018 farcical elections, as well as ongoing human rights violations using the state apparatus, the BNP leader said the pro-democracy people and major political parties in Bangladesh believe that a transparent and inclusive election under the current regime, led by Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister, is a far cry.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the people of Bangladesh and the democratic opposition forces, led by the BNP, have been struggling for over a decade for the restoration of their stolen voting rights. </div><div><br></div><div>“Presently, our nation’s citizens are actively engaged in a peaceful and nonviolent movement for holding a free, fair, participatory, and peaceful election of international standard, under the supervision of an election-time non-partisan government and administration, braving atrocious police persecution and joint operation of the police and the ruling party goons,” he said. </div><div><br></div><div>Over the last few months, Rizvi said  the opposition political parties have organized numerous massive rallies, spontaneously attended by millions, both in the capital Dhaka, and divisional headquarters across Bangladesh. </div><div><br></div><div>“The question of aiding such rallies by any foreign diplomat is not only far from true, but a clear fabricated blame on the people’s just struggles for democracy, a complaint never raised earlier by any,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader also said Zakharova‘s statement aligning with the corrupt autocratic regime and against the will of people, itself amounts to interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, which is unexpected and unfortunate. </div><div><br></div><div>He also said Zakharova’s statement has hurt the feelings of the teeming millions, whose close relatives, numbering in thousands, have sacrificed their lives since the onset of this autocratic regime in 2009. </div><div><br></div><div>Currently, Rizvi said  democratic individuals are on the streets, shedding blood for the values of democracy, the rule of law, and freedom of speech.</div><div><br></div><div>“The people of Bangladesh gratefully acknowledge the positive role of the democracy-loving countries and international institutions of the world. The inspirational diplomatic initiatives transcend political affiliations and ideologies, and unite Bangladeshis with the shared objective of reclaiming power for the people,” he said. </div><div><br></div><div>However, Rizvi said the pro-democracy citizens do not relish to see any other country to side with the current autocratic regime in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Russia is a long-standing friend of Bangladesh with mutual trade, commerce, and other bilateral interests and the BNP recognizes and acknowledges historical Russian contributions and values the cordial relationship between the citizens of the two nations, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“We hold the expectation that Russia will not go against the will of Bangladeshis. As our nation strives for the restoration of voting rights and fundamental liberties, the support of Russia will be appropriated,” Rizvi said</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 08:47:08', '2023-11-25 14:44:19'),
(10190, 10190, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Huawei has launched &amp;#39;HUAWEI eKit,&amp;#39; a robust sub-brand that provides an easy supply chain and distribution system for ICT products through local distributors in Bangladesh. The launching ceremony was held recently (November 20, 2023) at Huawei Bangladesh Academy.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Excel Technologies LTD and Inflow Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd will work with HUAWEI eKit in the distribution process. HUAWEI eKit, Excel, and Inflow Jointly organized the launching ceremony. The event was attended by Ms. Kousalya Narayan, Vice President of South Asia Channels Management, Inflow Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd, Mr. Goutam Saha, Managing Director, Excel Technologies, Mr. Allen Liu, Vice President of Huawei South Asia and MD, Huawei South Asia Enterprise Business Group. Other high officials from Huawei, Excel, and Inflow were also present at the event.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">HUAWEI eKit, a sub-brand dedicated to SME customers and partners. Policies, products, solutions, services, and digital tool platforms are integrated on HUAWEI eKit to build end-to-end enterprise digital solutions. In the SME market, HUAWEI eKit intends to grows together with partners and helps thousands of enterprises go digital with its intelligent products and</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">solutions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ms. Kousalya Naraya, Vice President, South Asia Channels Management, Inflow Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd, said, &amp;quot;HUAWEI eKit launch has immense strategic significance as it will empower distributors and retailers. Together with HUAWEI eKit, we believe in collaborative growth. HUAWEI eKit aligns with Inflow Technologies&amp;#39; commitment to driving technological advancements and business success in the region.&amp;quot; Mr. Goutam Saha, Managing Director of Excel Technologies Limited, said, &amp;quot;I am delighted to begin our partnership with HUAWEI eKit. This sub-brand aligns with our commitment to delivering cutting-edge ICT solutions. It promises to redefine the landscape of technology distribution in our country. Launching the HUAWEI eKit in the Bangladesh market provides a unique opportunity for us.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr. Allen Liu, Vice President of Huawei South Asia and MD of Huawei South Asia Enterprise Business Group, said, &amp;quot;Huawei is introducing a sub-brand known as &amp;#39; HUAWEI eKit&amp;#39;. It will bring innovative ICT products through our distribution partners in the retail sector. This sub- brand is ideal for ensuring retail business growth for the retailers. Partners and Consumers will also benefit from this platform as the HUAWEI eKit products will be available in our distributors&amp;#39; inventory. This sub- brand will help make significant contributions to realizing Smart Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the HUAWEI eKit distribution landscape, Excel Technologies will be responsible for product promotion, market availability, and after-sales services. Simultaneously, Inflow is responsible for bringing these products to Bangladesh, taking orders from local distributors and retailers, and acquiring the product from HUAWEI eKit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"18\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 09:05:53', '2023-11-25 09:05:53'),
(10191, 10191, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Two Indian nationals died when a truck rammed into a private car at Taltala in Sadar upazila of Satkhira district on Saturday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Asim Kumar Biswas, 45, and Chobi Biswas, 42, of Siliguri in India’s West Bengal.</div><div><br></div><div>Asim was the deputy manager of Khulna-Mongla port rail line project. He was on his way to India through Bhomra land port.</div><div><br></div><div>Md Saifuzzaman, sub-assistant director of Satkhira Fire Service, said the accident occurred at 8 am in front of BGB headquarters in Sadar upazila when the Khulna-bound truck hit the private car, leaving it mangled and two passengers and the driver in it injured.</div><div><br></div><div>They were taken to Satkhira Sadar Hospital where the doctors declared the two Indian citizens dead. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 10:49:47', '2023-11-25 10:49:47'),
(10192, 10192, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday has said that dialogue is possible with political parties, but not with arsonists.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Dialogue can be held with political parties, but not with arsonists. Those who advocate for dialogue with them should ask themselves: what is there to discuss with terrorists? Terrorists must be eliminated,” he said. </div><div><br></div><div>Hasan Mahmud, also joint general secretary of Awami League (AL), made the remarks while delivering the chief guest\'s speech at the inauguration ceremony of the restored mural titled ‘Bangabandhu Manei Bangladesh’ in Chattogram.</div><div><br></div><div>“Those who burn people with petrol bombs, attack hospitals, burn cars, and attack school buildings are not a political party, nor do they represent a political agenda. As long as they continue to engage in these destructive acts, the country and society will remain under threat,” he said. </div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the restoration of Bangabandhu\'s mural on Jamal Khan Road in Chattogram that was vandalised during a BNP rally on June 14, Hasan said, “In reality, the BNP-Jamaat alliance only knows how to destroy. What crime did these murals commit to warrant such vandalism? If we are able to form the government again through the people\'s verdict, the last arsonist will be eradicated from this country, Inshallah.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas </div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 11:34:36', '2023-11-25 14:43:46'),
(10193, 10193, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Ukraine’s capital suffered what officials said was Russia’s largest drone attack of the war on Saturday, leaving five people wounded as the rumble of air defenses and explosions woke residents at sunrise.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The attack began hitting different districts of Kyiv in the early hours of Saturday, with more waves coming as the sun came up. The air raid warning lasted six hours.</div><div><br></div><div>Air force chief Mykola Oleschuk said 71 of the 75 drones launched at Ukraine had been downed.</div><div><br></div><div>He praised the effectiveness of ‘mobile fire’ units — usually fast pickup trucks with a machine gun or flak cannon mounted on their flatbed. According to Oleschuk, these downed nearly 40 percent of the drones.</div><div><br></div><div>Mayor Vitali Klitschko, writing on the Telegram app, said the attack had injured five people, including an 11-year-old girl, and damaged buildings in districts all across the city.</div><div>Fragments from a downed drone had started a fire in a children’s nursery, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out that the attack had come in the early hours of the day when Ukrainians commemorate their worst national tragedy — the 1932-33 Holodomor famine in which several million people starved to death.</div><div><br></div><div>“Wilful terror .... The Russian leadership is proud of the fact that it can kill,” he wrote on Telegram.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine’s leadership has previously drawn parallels between Holodomor and Russia’s current invasion.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine and over 30 other countries recognize Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people by the Soviet Union, which ruled Ukraine at the time and sought to crush its desire for independence.</div><div><br></div><div>Moscow denies the deaths were caused by a deliberate genocidal policy and says that Russians and other ethnic groups also suffered because of famine.</div><div><br></div><div>The target of Saturday’s attack was not immediately clear, but Ukraine has warned in recent weeks that Russia will once again wage an aerial campaign to destroy Ukraine’s energy system, as it sought to do last winter.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine’s energy ministry said nearly 200 buildings in the capital, including 77 residential ones, had been left without power as a result of the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>“It looks like tonight we heard the overture. The prelude to the winter season,” Serhiy Fursa, a prominent Ukrainian economist, wrote on Facebook. According to Reuters reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 12:10:51', '2023-11-25 12:10:51'),
(10194, 10194, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The first group of Palestinian detainees was released Friday from Israeli jails as part of a humanitarian pause deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The four-day pause includes the exchange of hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.</div><div><br></div><div>The freed detainees included 24 women and 15 children.</div><div><br></div><div>“There is a great joy for liberating female prisoners by the Palestinian resistance,” Walaa Tanji, a freed detainee told Anadolu.</div><div><br></div><div>Tanji, from the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, appeared wearing the banner of the Islamic Jihad group and carrying a child in her arms.</div><div><br></div><div>She was arrested last year for allegedly plotting an attack against Israeli targets following the killing of resistance commander Ibrahim al-Nablusi by Israeli forces.</div><div><br></div><div>“Prisoners suffered abuses in Israeli jails since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict,” she said. “Conditions were extremely difficult. We lived days of hunger and thirst. We were beaten, sprayed with gas, and insulted.”</div><div><br></div><div>Rawan Abu Zeyada, another freed prisoner, demanded the release of all Palestinian women from Israeli jails.</div><div><br></div><div>“We left behind female prisoners who were not freed,” she told Anadolu.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel detained more than 3,000 Palestinians in military raids in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7. Around 5,200 were held in Israeli jails before the conflict.</div><div><br></div><div>Hanan al-Barghuthi thanked Palestinian resistance groups for freeing prisoners.</div><div><br></div><div>“Without the resistance, we would not have seen freedom,” al-Barghuthi told Anadolu.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our freedom and pride are held high in the presence of the resistance,” she said. “Had it not been for the resistance, a prisoner would not have been released.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Israel launched a massive military campaign against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas last month,</div><div><br></div><div>It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 12:15:38', '2023-11-25 12:15:38'),
(10195, 10195, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Widespread support poured in for actress Melissa Barrera after she was fired from the Scream sequel following her pro-Palestinian social media posts.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>An Irish member of the European Parliament, Mick Wallace, backed Barrera on X with a post that said: “Actress Melissa Barrera is fired from the next Scream film sequel for daring to speak for the persecuted #Palestinians.”</div><div><br></div><div>Among those who showed support for Barrera was film critic Zoe Rose Bryant who wrote on X: “Melissa Barrera will not be silenced and neither will we,” as she shared a Palestinian flag emoji.</div><div><br></div><div>Also, the US television series Stranger Things star Grace Van Dien showed support for Barrera. “So we\'re all boycotting spyglass films now, yea?” she wrote but later deleted her post.</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, Barrera, 33, shared an open letter urging world leaders to call for a cease-fire in the Israeli onslaught against Gaza. She was among Hollywood stars, including Joaquin Phoenix and Cate Blanchett, who signed the letter.</div><div><br></div><div>“We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Palestine and Israel,” she posted on Instagram.</div><div><br></div><div>“Please join us in demanding that Congress, @POTUS, and other world leaders call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” she wrote. “We must end the bombing of Gaza, secure the safe release of all hostages, and demand adequate access for humanitarian aid to reach the people that desperately need it.”</div><div><br></div><div>Barrera was removed from the sequel because of her social media posts, including referring to Israel as a “colonized” land and saying Israel controls the media, according to the US entertainment magazine Variety.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I too come from a colonized country. Palestine will be free,\" she wrote in an Instagram post which was viewed as \"antisemitic.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, production company Spyglass released a statement on Barrera\'s removal and said its stance is \"unequivocally clear.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,\" it said in a statement quoted by several US media outlets.</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, Hollywood talent agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), dropped award-winning actress Susan Sarandon after remarks she made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City.</div><div><br></div><div>Sarandon attended several pro-Palestinian rallies and faced criticism for saying at a Nov. 17 rally in New York City: “There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.” - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 12:28:48', '2023-11-25 12:28:48'),
(10196, 10196, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The global market in halal products and services – prepared in accordance with Muslim guidelines – has grown to more than $5 trillion, with significant growth in sectors such as food, tourism, cosmetics, and finance, the Turkish president said on Saturday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Demand for halal-certified products and services is rising because these products are clean and healthy and are preferred by Muslims. Today, the world halal market has reached a total size of more than $5 trillion, especially in sectors such as food, tourism, cosmetics, and finance,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video message sent to the 9th World Halal Summit and the 10th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Halal Expo Fair 2023 in Istanbul.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that this figure is growing every day in line with emerging needs and expectations, Erdogan said documentation and standardization are very important both to ensure consumer access to halal-certified products and services and to facilitate the circulation of halal products and services in international trade.</div><div><br></div><div>He said ensuring food safety is strategically important due to the Russian war on Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>“I believe the Halal Summit, which will host nearly 40,000 guests, including 10,000 foreign visitors, will strengthen the food security of Islamic countries,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Erdogan said the activities of the Standards and Metrology Institute of Islamic Countries (SMIIC), which began operating in 2010, are of vital importance in this regard.</div><div><br></div><div>He invited all Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries to join the institute to help avoid conflicts, disagreements, and insecurity in halal certification.</div><div><br></div><div>Underlining that Türkiye paid attention to the issue by introducing its own Halal Accreditation Agency (HAK), he said they will ensure that the halal sector reaches the position it deserves in his country.</div><div><br></div><div>The summit is being held under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency, with leading Turkish international news agency Anadolu serving as the global communications partner. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 13:15:38', '2023-11-25 13:15:38');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10197, 10197, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>While the compromise that will provide a humanitarian pause to the war between Israel and Hamas has been welcomed throughout the world, a number of countries led by Türkiye, said the real need is a permanent cease-fire.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The agreement to suspend the war is expected to take effect Friday, but the fact that the massacre in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 14,000 victims and 7,000 are missing, will stop even for a few days, was welcomed by the international community.</div><div><br></div><div>But there is still a lot of concern that the process will continue in such a way that attacks will resume and thousands more will die.</div><div><br></div><div>The US, which has given unlimited support to Israel since the beginning, and European countries, which have shown strong support, have changed their tone in rhetoric due to internal and external public pressure.</div><div><br></div><div>The Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “The agreement between the parties to declare a four-day humanitarian pause in the conflict in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been attacking for more than six weeks, is a positive development to prevent more bloodshed.”</div><div><br></div><div>“We expect full compliance with the agreement, which includes the release of some of the hostages and detainees and the increase in the amount of humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza,” it said. “We hope that the humanitarian pause will help permanently end the current conflict as soon as possible and initiate a process towards a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution. We also appreciate Qatar’s efforts to reach this agreement.”</div><div><br></div><div>General satisfaction from around world</div><div><br></div><div>US President Joe Biden stressed that he welcomed the prisoner exchange agreement reached between the Israeli government and Hamas and thanked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.</div><div><br></div><div>US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was pleased with the deal and thanked Egypt and Qatar.</div><div><br></div><div>British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pointed out in the prime minister\'s questions session in parliament that his government welcomed the compromise but was not in favor of a cease-fire.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Secretary David Cameron noted that Britain will continue to work with its partners for the release of all captives, the establishment of security and a long-term political solution in which Palestinians and Israelis will live in peace, and added that the agreement will provide relief to the families of the captives and provide relief to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza: “It is a vital step in responding to the crisis.\"</div><div><br></div><div>German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X that the decision was “good news” while he noted that Berlin will continue to support Tel Aviv diplomatically for the successful implementation of the agreement.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: “The announced release of a first larger group of #Geiseln is a breakthrough - even if nothing in the world can undo their suffering. The humanitarian break must be used to bring vital aid to the people in #Gaza.”</div><div><br></div><div>Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his speech to the parliament, expressed satisfaction with the compromise and indicated: \"There is still much to be done to resolve the crisis. The government will continue to negotiate with all parties.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Giorgos Yerapetritis expressed satisfaction and stated that efforts for lasting peace in the region should be intensified.</div><div><br></div><div>Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that she welcomed with “great relief” the agreement guaranteeing the release of those taken hostage by Hamas and that Rome will continue to work for the release of all hostages and ensure lasting peace in the Middle East.</div><div><br></div><div>Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib also expressed that she welcomed the compromise reached for a humanitarian pause of the conflict.</div><div><br></div><div>EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed gratitude to Qatar and Egypt for mediating the deal and demanded that Hamas release all the hostages. \"I wholeheartedly welcome the agreement reached on the release of the 50 hostages and on a pause in hostilities,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Russia welcomed the reconciliation positively. \"This is the first good news from Gaza in a long time.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova pointed to the importance of reconciliation. \"This is a very important decision that gives hope that it may be possible to reduce tensions.\"</div><div><br></div><div>NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that he welcomed the deal and “the delivery of humanitarian aid.”</div><div><br></div><div>Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stated: \"I would like to express my welcome to the success of the Egyptian-Qatari-American mediation in reaching an agreement to implement a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of detainees by both parties, and I confirm the continuation of the Egyptian efforts made to reach final and sustainable solutions that achieve justice, impose peace, and guarantee the rights of the Palestinian people. The legitimate.”</div><div><br></div><div>\"Switzerland welcomes the agreement allowing the release of hostages and a humanitarian pause in Gaza,” its Foreign Ministry wrote on X, thanking all countries who took part in this process. “Switzerland continues to call for the release of all hostages.”</div><div><br></div><div>Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon pointed out that the compromise, which allows the search for a solution to be taken forward, is a positive development given the \"unacceptable suffering of civilians\" and the \"humanitarian situation.”</div><div><br></div><div>French President Emmanuel Macron also wrote on X: “I welcome the announcement of an agreement for the release of hostages and a humanitarian truce. We are working tirelessly to release all hostages. The humanitarian truce announced should allow to introduce aid and rescue the civilians in Gaza.”</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna cautiously approached the compromise and said the parties should comply with their part in the agreement.</div><div><br></div><div>Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot pointed out on X that Amsterdam welcomed the compromise and the release of the first group of women and children held captive in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares congratulated the deal and stressed that Spain is ready to help and is working for a Peace Summit based on the basis of two states.</div><div><br></div><div>The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it is hoped that the deal will pave the way for ending the crisis and preventing further suffering of the Palestinian people.</div><div><br></div><div>UAE\'s Permanent Representative to the UN, Lana Nuseibeh, noted at a UN Security Council session that her country hopes for an extension of the deal, so that the necessary humanitarian aid can enter Gaza and the remaining hostages can be safely released.</div><div><br></div><div>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also indicated that he welcomed news of the release of the hostages, noting that it was hoped that the deal would lay the foundation for \"ending the crisis and preventing further suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people\" and hoped that all the hostages would be released soon.</div><div><br></div><div>Those who emphasize permanent cease-fire</div><div><br></div><div>Palestine\'s Permanent Representative to the UN, Riyad Mansur, assessed that thanks to the compromise, hundreds of Palestinian children will not die and said: \"We should not allow this to be just a break before the massacre begins again.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He stressed that Israel\'s efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians are unacceptable, noting that Israel offers the Palestinian people: \"Either leave this land or leave this world.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"Reconciliation is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done,\" UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement, adding that the UN will make every effort to implement deal and have a positive effect on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>Russia\'s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya reiterated a demand for a cease-fire, noting that resolution 2712 adopted by the UNSC (Security Council) on Gaza was insufficient.</div><div><br></div><div>Arguing that humanitarian breaks in the conflict ignore Israel\'s obligations under international humanitarian law, Nebenzya pointed out that there is no mechanism to monitor the practices: \"No humanitarian intervention can provide a solution to this unacceptable situation. A humanitarian ceasefire is urgently needed.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was pleased with the deal and the prisoner swap, calling for a comprehensive cease-fire.</div><div><br></div><div>China\'s Permanent Representative to the UN, Cang Cun, noted that the international community should urgently take necessary steps to prevent the spread of conflict and ensure lasting peace.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that UNSC resolution 2712 is an important step, Cang pointed out the need to implement it urgently and ensure a permanent cease-fire.</div><div><br></div><div>Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Qasim Mohammed al-Budeawi also praised the efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the US, which contributed to the humanitarian delivery of the conflict in Gaza and the prisoner swap, expressed hope that the deal would contribute to the provision of humanitarian aid supplies and fuel to Gaza, as well as be the beginning of a permanent cease-fire.</div><div><br></div><div>The Lebanese Foreign Ministry stressed that the agreement is important in terms of \"opening the door to reaching a complete and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.”</div><div><br></div><div>Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani shared his hopes that the deal would open the door to \"serious negotiations for a comprehensive peace process.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The Jordanian Foreign Ministry mentioned that it was pleased with the compromise, pointing out that the reconciliation is important in terms of being a step that will lead to a complete cessation of the \"violent war\" in Gaza, preventing the targeting and forced displacement of Palestinians.</div><div><br></div><div>Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her country wants to see the next steps toward a sustainable cease-fire \"I reiterate once again that permanent peace requires a two-state solution that will allow Israelis and Palestinians to live safely and prosperously within internationally recognized borders.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Bahraini Foreign Ministry also expressed satisfaction with the deal and called on the international community to redouble diplomatic efforts to achieve a permanent cease-fire, release hostages and detainees, provide sustainable humanitarian assistance and rebuild the damaged areas in the Gaza Strip.</div><div><br></div><div>Oman\'s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was hoped that a humanitarian pause and prisoner swap \"will lead to the resumption of attempts to reach a just and comprehensive peace with a permanent cease-fire.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The Indonesian Foreign Ministry indicated that the reconciliation was welcomed, adding that it will use the humanitarian pause to track down three citizens who work at the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza and have not been so far contacted directly.</div><div><br></div><div>Colombian President Gustavo Petro pointed out that reconciliation can be the beginning of peace, noting that Bogota will continue to send humanitarian aid to Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>Efforts of contact group, which also includes Türkiye, underway</div><div><br></div><div>The contact group, established with the leadership of Türkiye at the Joint Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Nov. 11, consists of the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia and Palestine, as well as the Secretary-General of the OIC.</div><div><br></div><div>The group, which aims to visit five countries that are permanent members of the UNSC, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Nov. 20-21, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Nov. 21.</div><div><br></div><div>The group demanded that both countries use their influence on Israel to take action for a full cease-fire in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation was received by Macron in Paris after meeting Cameron in London on Wednesday. The group also held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.</div><div><br></div><div>According to diplomatic sources, the delegation drew attention to the importance of achieving a full and sustainable cease-fire in Gaza as soon as possible during contacts in the French and British capitals, and stressed that it is a priority for the members of the UNSC and the international community to take effective and urgent measures in that direction for the OIC and Arab League countries.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation stressed the need to urgently ensure safe passage for humanitarian aid, food, water, fuel and electricity to Gaza and not turn a blind eye to Israel\'s crimes, calling on all countries with influence on Israel to act in accordance with international law, take action for a comprehensive peace and a two-state solution, noting the importance of working together for a lasting and comprehensive peace.</div><div><br></div><div>Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during the talks in London and Paris by the contact group: \"The goal in Gaza should be a complete cease-fire. Countries that have influence over Israel should put pressure on for permanent peace.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has so far killed more than 14,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women, as it continues its relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip. Around 6,000 people are unaccounted for, with more than 4,000 of them women and children. They are either buried under the rubble of demolished buildings or their bodies are lying on the streets without being identified.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has forced 400,000 civilians to migrate from northern Gaza to the south since it started pressure and violent attacks after an Oct. 7 Hamas assault on the Israeli territory. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 13:39:35', '2023-11-25 13:39:35'),
(10198, 10198, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A suspected drone attack has hit a container ship owned by an Israeli businessman in the Indian Ocean, according to a United States defence official.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The attack was likely carried out using an Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone on Friday, an unnamed US defence official told The Associated Press news agency on Saturday. Pan-Arab satellite channel Al Mayadeen also reported that an Israeli ship had been targeted in the Indian Ocean.</div><div><br></div><div>The drone targeted the Malta-flagged, French-operated CMA CGM Symi vessel while in international waters. The ship reportedly suffered damage after the drone exploded, but no crew members were injured.</div><div><br></div><div>The US official did not provide any evidence of an Iranian link to the attack, and said “we continue to monitor the situation closely”. Iran has not commented on the reports.</div><div><br></div><div>Maritime security company Ambrey said in the days before the attack, the ship’s tracking transmissions had stopped shortly after departing port in the United Arab Emirates.</div><div><br></div><div>“The vessel was managed by an Israeli-affiliated company, which was assessed to be the reason why it was targeted,” Ambrey said.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the AP, the vessel’s crew had been behaving as though they believed the ship may face a threat as they had switched off its tracking system since Tuesday, after leaving Dubai’s Jebel Ali port. The ship had done the same earlier when travelling through the Red Sea past Yemen.</div><div><br></div><div>From Yemen, the Iran-aligned Houthis have launched several rounds of missile and drone attacks on southern Israel since Israel declared war on Gaza last month in the wake of a Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. So far, the Israeli bombardment has killed about 15,000 Palestinians, including more than 6,150 children, Palestinian officials say.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this week, the Houthis also took control of a ship on Yemen’s Red Sea coast which they said was Israeli. But Israel described it as a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo vessel with no Israeli nationals on board.</div><div><br></div><div>Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war for years that has also included past claims of Iranian involvement in attacks on Israeli-owned ships. Tehran has officially denied orchestrating such attacks in the past.</div><div><br></div><div>If the attack on the Symi vessel came late on Thursday, it would mean it happened just hours before a truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect. Israel had also ramped up its attacks on Gaza in the hours preceding the truce, according to the United Nations.</div><div><br></div><div>Israelis and some other nationals held captive in Gaza were released on Friday in exchange for dozens of Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. More exchanges are expected to take place until the end of the four-day truce on Monday, that may be extended. According to Al Jazeera reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 13:48:25', '2023-11-25 13:48:25'),
(10199, 10199, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP on Saturday alleged the Election Commission (EC ) is going to hold a fraud election wasting hundreds of crores of taka to announce winners who will be selected by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a virtual press briefing, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also called upon the opposition leaders and activists to take to the streets with strong resolve and courage to make the nationwide 48-hour blockade that will be started on Sunday morning a success.</div><div><br></div><div>\"After the auto-pass election in 2014 and night robbery in 2018, there will be another fraud election this time. The Election Commission will only read out a list of selected winners provided by the Prime Minister’s residence or office,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said hundreds of crores of taka from the state coffers will be wasted in the name of an election on January 7: “It will be done in the most perfect deception by dodging the country’s people. The list prepared by Ganobhaban will be read out on the night of the election.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the election has now become a joke, farce and a means of business as people have been stripped of their power to elect their representatives.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the public representatives are being made with compassion, gift and mercy of Sheikh Hasina through distributing seats.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi alleged that political leaders are being inducted into the King’s Party and lesser-known parties alluring them with cash money and promising them to make MPs through the intelligence agencies of the state. “But they cannot convince idealistic and patriotic politicians who have principles.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said a frightening situation has been prevailing across the country instead of a festive mood even after the announcement of the election schedule. “People, except those who belong to Awami League, are now on the run in fear of arrest while many villages have become manless.” They (Awami League) have already started indulging in murdering over party nomination.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader alleged that law enforcers are raiding the houses of BNP leaders and activists every night at the behest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “In this way, the mafia regime is going to hold the election. But this game in the name of election will be foiled through a violent movement.”</div><div><br></div><div>He also slammed the government for selectively sentencing the potential candidates of BNP and its active leaders through the judiciary in \'false\' cases.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said 325 BNP leaders and workers were arrested across the country in the last 24 hours as of 5pm on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>He said BNP and like-minded parties will enforce a 48-hour fresh road-rail-waterway blockade across the country at 6am on Sunday protesting the election schedule and demanding the resignation of the government and holding the next election under a non-party administration, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I hope the democracy-loving people and the opposition leaders and workers at all levels will take to the streets peacefully with steadfast courage to observe the blockade,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 14:37:25', '2023-11-25 14:37:25'),
(10200, 10200, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Saturday that 61 aid trucks loaded with food have been dispatched to northern regions of the Gaza Strip, marking the largest such effort since the outbreak of the fighting since Oct. 7.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), the World Health Organization and volunteers from the Palestinian aid organization will distribute aids, PRCS media head Raed al-Nems told Anadolu.</div><div><br></div><div>The total aids crossed into Gaza Strip on Saturday through the Rafah border crossing include around 200 trucks carrying fuel and cooking gas, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails on Friday, the first day of a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian resistance group.</div><div><br></div><div>Under the agreement, the hostages will be released in batches over the course of four days.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel launched a massive military campaign against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.</div><div><br></div><div>It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 15:32:07', '2023-11-25 15:32:07'),
(10201, 10201, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A senior UN official in Palestine said on Saturday that the Israeli army controls every part of the West Bank and that settlers\' violence against locals has increased over the last month, affecting the population.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“The reality is there is no part in the West Bank which is not touched and controlled by Israel,” Adam Bouloukos, director of UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) affairs in the West Bank, said in a statement posted on social media platform X.</div><div><br></div><div>Separately, in an interview with Turkish international broadcaster TRT World, he said “settler violence &amp; Israeli military incursions have increased enormously over the last month &amp; there has been a near total lockdown in the West Bank.”</div><div><br></div><div>\'\'The occupation means that every life, every daily transaction of every individual in the West Bank is impacted,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>As the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip came into effect on Friday morning, the Israeli army continued raids and arrests in various cities and towns across the occupied West Bank.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel and Hamas swapped 24 Israelis and foreigners for 39 Palestinians from Israeli jails on Friday, on the first day of a four-day humanitarian pause.</div><div><br></div><div>Under the agreement, the hostages will be released in batches over the course of four days.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel launched a massive military campaign against the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas last month.</div><div><br></div><div>It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.</div><div><br></div><div>The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-25 15:49:42', '2023-11-25 15:49:42'),
(10202, 10202, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The combined pass rate – across 11 education boards – of the 2023 HSC and equivalent exams is 78.64 percent.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This marks a 7.31 percent drop compared to 2022’s combined pass rate of 85.95 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 10,67,852 candidates passed the exams in all the education boards.</div><div><br></div><div>The pass rate of HSC examination in nine general education boards stands at 75.9 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the nine education boards, the pass rate in Dhaka Board stands at 79.44 percent. The pass rate in Chattogram Board is 74.45 percent while for Rajshahi Board the pass rate stands at 78.46 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, 73.4 percent students passed in Sylhet Board. The pass rate is 80.65 percent in Barishal, 75.39 percent in Cumilla, 70.44 percent in Mymensingh, 70.44 percent in Dinajpur, and 69.88 percent in Jashore boards.</div><div><br></div><div>Education Minister Dipu Moni handed over the result summary to the prime minister earlier this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, chairmen of different education boards handed over the results of their respective boards to the PM.</div><div><br></div><div>This year, a total of 13,74,488 students sat for HSC and equivalent exams from August 17 to September 25. Of them, 698,135 are boys, and 676,353 are girls. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 09:12:30', '2023-11-26 09:12:30'),
(10203, 10203, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the government will take proper actions against those who are engaged in arson violence in the public interest.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“I think there is no scope to compromise with those who burn people, damage the properties of the people and national assets,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said this while unveiling the results of this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations online.</div><div><br></div><div>Education Minister Dipu Moni handed over the combined result statistics of all 11 education boards to the premier at the latter’s official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, chairmen of the nine general education boards, Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board and Bangladesh Technical Education Board handed over the result statistics of their respective boards.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said BNP and its allies faced no problem as long as they were carrying out political programmes properly. Their image rather got better.</div><div><br></div><div>“But they’ve got alienated completely from the people after carrying out terrorist activities,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM questioned what the government should do with those who are engaged in arson violence or who order or provide finance for the arson violence.</div><div><br></div><div>“Will we receive them with floral wreaths or will the law enforcement agencies take proper action against them? If we don’t take action against them, they will continue the arson violence,” she said.   </div><div><br></div><div>Hasina also criticised those who question the move to arrest the arsonists.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I see many people saying why they were arrested but they don’t call them arson terrorists and killers of police and humans,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She hoped that good sense will prevail among the trouble makers.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister asked the Education Ministry to think about an alternative system for the students who couldn’t sit for the annual examinations due to strike and blockade programmes.</div><div><br></div><div> She extended sincere thanks to all concerned in publishing the results of HSC and equivalent exams within 60 days (the stipulated time).</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said her government is putting importance to research, science and technology education.  </div><div><br></div><div>“We’re paying special attention to attracting our students to science and technology education,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She said an initiative has been taken to establish a government technical school and college in every upazila. Besides, four engineering colleges, 23 polytechnic institutes, four women polytechnic institutes and two new survey institutes are being established.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM greeted the students who succeeded in the exams and their guardians as well as teachers and other staff of the educational institutes.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the unsuccessful candidates, she asked them not to be upset rather take better preparation for the next time. “There is nothing to be upset,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister requested the guardians and teachers to show empathy towards unsuccessful students and motivate them to pay more attention to study.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about the transgender community, the PM asked the authorities of schools and colleges not to humiliate or neglect the third gender people in case of giving jobs or enrolment in the institutes.</div><div><br></div><div>She also called upon the guardians not to think of the third gender child as unwanted in the society, rather think of them as a member of the family and ensure equal scopes for them.</div><div><br></div><div>Focusing on the AL government\'s success in the education sector, she said they raised the literacy rate to 76.08 percent now from 45 percent, facing natural disasters, arson violence and Covid-19 pandemic since 2009.</div><div><br></div><div>This year a total of 13, 74,488 students sat for HSC and equivalent exams from August 17 to September 25. Of them, 6, 98,135 are boys and 6, 76,353 are girls.</div><div><br></div><div>Some 5,097 educational institutes - 1,758 junior secondary and 2, 629 secondary schools, 226 school and colleges, 379 colleges, 105 degree colleges-- were enlisted under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) during the three consecutive terms of Awami League government. According to UNB reports </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 09:35:54', '2023-11-26 11:43:31'),
(10204, 10204, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister President Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Awami League doesn\'t want to cling to power by flattering anyone outside the country as the people are its strength.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"We have no other guardian other than the people of the country. -- being&nbsp; a&nbsp; daughter of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I\'m not doing the politics of sycophancy to stay in power,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, said this while exchanging views with 3,369 people who had sought her party’s tickets for January 7 parliamentary polls. at her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>PM\'s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting held at the prime minister’s official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also chairman of the AL Parliamentary Board, said that people of the country attained independence through huge sacrifice and bloodshed under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This soil is ours. No whipping from outside will be tolerated. We are not dependent on others as the people are our strength\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Briefly describing the measures taken by her government in the last 15 years for the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, she said the people have got peace and wellbeing as the Awami League has been in power.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The development will be continued if the people of the country voted the Awami League to power again,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said being the prime minister and daughter of Bangabandhu she works for all irrespective of party affiliation.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said that the development of the country is now visible because her party has been in power for the three consecutive terms through democratic process.</div><div><br></div><div>The nomination board finalised the names of the party’s candidates for 300 seats in three sittings from November 23 to 25. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 10:05:38', '2023-11-26 10:05:38'),
(10205, 10205, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday alleged that India has taken a position against the people of Bangladesh by supporting Sheikh Hasina’s ‘authoritarian’ government.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"The Indian government and their politicians should understand why the people of Bangladesh have burst into anger against them. By supporting an authoritarian government, they (India) have taken a stance against the people of Bangladesh,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a rally after a sudden procession in the capital’s Banani area, the BNP leader also said India, as a close neighbour, should support what the people of Bangladesh want.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi made the remarks as an Indian media outlet published a report on the growing anti-Indian sentiments in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP senior joint secretary general also criticized India for border killing and various unresolved bilateral issues.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The bloodiest border in the world is now the Bangladesh-India border. The BSF members are shooting and killing Bangladeshis there almost every day,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said India is not giving Bangladesh any opportunity to do business in their country even though they are doing unilateral trade with Bangladesh. “They are taking thousands of crores of remittances from Bangladesh in various ways.”</div><div><br></div><div>He also said the current Bangladesh government has got nothing from India though it has generously given everything the neighboring country needs.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The people of Bangladesh liberated the country through a war by sacrificing blood. The people of this country did not wage the Liberation War and sacrifice their blood to become slaves of anyone.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi along with some BNP leaders and workers brought out a procession around 7am at Kamal Ataturk Avenue in Banani in support of the 48-hour blockade enforced by the opposition parties from 6am today (Sunday).</div><div><br></div><div>The procession ended through a brief rally near the Banani Field amid the opposition’s various anti-government slogans. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 10:46:20', '2023-11-26 10:46:20'),
(10206, 10206, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Awami League has nominated cricketer Shakib Al Hasan for the Magura-1 constituency for the upcoming 12th parliamentary election.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Shakib, the world’s best allrounder in ODI,&nbsp; will contest the parliamentary elections for the first time.</div><div><br></div><div>Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader announced the names of the party\'s nominees for 300 parliamentary seats at the Awami League central office on Bangabandhu Avenue on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Shakib Al Hasan bought three nomination forms of the ruling Awami League to contest in the 12th parliamentary election.</div><div><br></div><div>His relatives collected the nomination forms for Magura-1, Magura-2, and Dhaka-10 from the AL central office at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 11:07:22', '2023-11-26 11:07:22'),
(10207, 10207, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A total of 208 arson attacks have been recorded till 6 am on Sunday during the blockades and hartals enforced by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami since October 28.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Besides, three arson attacks were recorded in 60 hours from 6 pm on November 23 till 6 am on Sunday during the ongoing 48-hour road, rail and waterways blockade enforced by the opposition parties.</div><div><br></div><div>Two buses and one truck were set ablaze during the period..</div><div><br></div><div>Of these, one was set on fire inside Dhaka city, said Md Shahjahan Shikdar, Deputy assistant director (media cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence.</div><div><br></div><div>The rest two arson attacks were carried out in Cumilla’s Daudkandi and Barishal division.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;A total of 30 members of six firefighting units worked to douse the fires across the country during this period.</div><div><br></div><div>A 48-hour hartal — called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties — protesting the general election schedule announced by the Election Commission (EC) is underway from this morning amid fear of violence. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 11:09:31', '2023-11-26 11:09:31'),
(10208, 10208, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Tens of thousands of people turned out on central London\'s streets Saturday for a pro-Palestinian march calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Police said that while the majority of people protested peacefully, 18 people were arrested including at least five people who were detained on suspicion of inciting racial hatred.</div><div><br></div><div>The National March for Palestine in central London was the latest in several huge protests staged in the British capital and many European cities every weekend since the Israel-Hamas war began last month.</div><div><br></div><div>Saturday\'s protests came on the second day of a four-day cease-fire that has allowed critical humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and given civilians their first respite after seven weeks of war.</div><div><br></div><div>The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested a man on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after he was spotted carrying a placard with Nazi symbols on it. Four others were detained for distributing “literature featuring a swastika inside a Star of David.”</div><div><br></div><div>The pro-Palestinian rallies in recent weeks have triggered heated debate in Britain over the freedom of protest as well as police powers to clamp down on what some in the Jewish community see as hateful, racist or antisemitic language or actions.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this month, the U.K.’s former interior minister, Suella Braverman, came under heavy criticism when she described pro-Palestinian protesters as “hate marchers.” Critics accused her of inflaming tensions, and she was sacked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak soon after.</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday officers handed out leaflets march that sought to clarify what would be deemed a criminal offence, after the force faced pressure from senior government officials to be tougher on alleged displays of antisemitism at the protests.</div><div><br></div><div>“Anyone who is racist or incites hatred against any group should expect to be arrested. As should anyone who supports Hamas or any other banned organization,” said Deputy Assistant Police Commissioner Ade Adelekan.</div><div><br></div><div>“We will not tolerate anyone who celebrates or promotes acts of terrorism – such as the killing or kidnap of innocent people – or who spreads hate speech,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The force said 1,500 officers were deployed to police the march.</div><div><br></div><div>Hundreds also gathered outside the Egyptian Embassy in London for a demonstration organized by Hizb-ut-Tahrir, the Islamist group. Police said two women who were seen holding “offensive” placards were arrested for a racially aggravated public order offense.</div><div><br></div><div>In Paris, a march staged for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women drew both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli activists as well as other groups.</div><div><br></div><div>Some protesters, waving Palestinian flags and posters reading “Free Palestine,” walked in a show of solidarity with “Gaza and Palestine’s women who are being murdered.”</div><div><br></div><div>A group of Jewish women also joined the march to denounce crimes committed by Hamas, including rapes and killings, chanting, “We are women, we are proud, we are Jewish and we are angry.”</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, some pro-Palestinian protests were organized over the weekend in France’s major cities including Strasbourg, Lyon and Marseille.</div><div><br></div><div>In Vienna, many marched amid first snow in the city, waving Palestinian flags at a “Peace for Palestine” rally. Organizers called on the Austrian government to back a cease-fire in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the lifting of the Gaza blockade.</div><div><br></div><div>Organizers warned potential participants ahead of Saturday\'s demonstration that any antisemitic or far-right actions would be “stopped immediately” and offenders would be asked to leave the event.</div><div><br></div><div>Tens of thousands of people are also expected to take part in a march organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism charity on Sunday to show solidarity with the Jewish community in the U.K. According to AP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 11:16:57', '2023-11-26 11:16:57'),
(10209, 10209, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Awami League on Sunday announced the names of candidates for 298 constituencies for the 12th national election.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader announced the names of the selected candidates at a press briefing held at AL party office at Bangabandhu Avenue.</div><div><br></div><div>However, names of candidates for Kushtia-2 and Narayanganj-5 constituencies will be revealed later, said Obaidul.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, in the day, Bangladesh Awami League held a views-exchange meeting with the nomination aspirants.</div><div><br></div><div>The meeting was held at Ganabhaban at 10am with Awami League and its parliamentary nomination board President Sheikh Hasina in the chair. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 11:50:24', '2023-11-26 11:50:24');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10210, 10210, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh’s three big challenges in the fields of economy, international relations, and politics are likely to get deeper centering the January 7 parliamentary elections, Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue has said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh today stands on the edge of a deep ditch,” he said adding that the problems faced by the country are likely to worsen if the upcoming polls become one-sided.</div><div><br></div><div>The eminent economist shared his views on a wide range of issues from ongoing political unrest to economic situation and to international interest in an interview with UNB in Dhaka this week.</div><div><br></div><div>Political unrest and a one-party election will deepen the uncertainty in the economic sector further as around 80 percent population of Bangladesh wants a fair and internationally acceptable election that is very much needed for sustainable economic growth, Dr Debapriya said.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding elections without the participation of big political parties, he said the Election Commission is creating political parties giving registration as per their wish.</div><div><br></div><div>The country is now getting the attention of global powers as they have different interests here. They are watching whether the upcoming election will be like previous ones or inclusive and participatory.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding economic challenges, he said people have been bearing the brunt of inflation for a long time, while many countries have improved in this sector after the pandemic and during the Russia-Ukraine war.</div><div><br></div><div>Here the food inflation is around 12 percent and inflation in rural areas is more than in the urban areas, which was not seen earlier, he noted.</div><div><br></div><div>According to him due to the continuous slide of the domestic currency taka, people have to face imported inflation.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>There is no visible sign of reducing this type of inflation in the recent months, Dr Debapriya said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the revenue generation fell severely due to an import decrease by one-fourth in recent past years. He said the inefficiency of the revenue board has resulted in low collection of revenue.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The government cannot implement already promised development work at the local government level, even in the election year, he mentioned.</div><div><br></div><div>This stagnation will not go until an inclusive and free fair parliamentary election, which is necessary to establish accountability in every sector- is held, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the drastic fall of imports pushed price hikes in the domestic market and a group of syndicates using this as an option for raising prices.</div><div><br></div><div>The revenue shortfall is widening, corruption and money laundering not reducing despite raising individual and overall income, which is happening due to lack of accountability. The government cannot ensure accountability at the top to bottom level as they are dependent on bureaucrats and state agencies in absence of political and moral legality, he pointed out.</div><div><br></div><div>Not only that but also some influential countries are interfering in the domestic matter of Bangladesh, which never happened earlier. All of these are the outcome of faulty elections here and they (foreigners) are taking political disagreement and lack of moral legality of the government as an opportunity, he opined.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the legitimacy of past elections Dr Debapriya said those elections had been legal in consideration of the constitution, but there was a lack of political and moral legality, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>A country becomes stronger when its independent state organs are strengthened, he said adding in Bangladesh both the constitutional institutions and other state agencies are playing a biased role.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding labour rights, Dr Debapriya said the Western world expresses concern over the working environment, illegal harassment, and forced disappearance of labour rights activists. Western people, who are the buyers of Bangladeshi garments and other goods, are very much conscious and concerned about these issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh has to reform many areas, such as recovery of huge defaulted loans, reduce money laundering, ensure decent working environment and express their views without fear, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>In the diplomatic sector, the country has to balance with global power keeping in mind that export destination of Bangladeshi goods, manpower, and remittances. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 13:48:24', '2023-11-26 13:48:24'),
(10211, 10211, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">“Rautu ki Beli,” a Hindi film, directed by Anand Surapur has its Gala Premiere at the 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa today. The film based in Rautu ki Beli, an idyllic town in hilly north India, takes its audience on an investigative journey with Inspector Negi after a school warden is found dead in the town</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Nawazuddin Siddiqui said that I do not want to confine myself only to a certain type of characters, and I would prefer diversity of characters.</div><div><br></div><div>He further said that while playing any character, he tries to live the life of the character to the point that the character’s life and his own life merges into one.</div><div><br></div><div>“I would like to play the character of spiritual guru Osho if opportunity comes”, said actor Siddiqui when asked about a character that he looks forward to play in future. According to media reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 14:21:06', '2023-11-26 14:21:06'),
(10212, 10212, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A nine-year-old Irish-Israeli girl was among the latest group of hostages released by Hamas fighters on Saturday, Ireland’s prime minister said in a statement.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family,” Leo Varadkar said.</div><div><br></div><div>“An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.”</div><div><br></div><div>Emily was one of about 240 people snatched by Hamas gunmen when they broke through Gaza’s militarised border with Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, according to Israeli authorities.</div><div><br></div><div>Following the deadliest attack in its history, Israel launched an air, artillery and naval bombardment alongside a ground offensive to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to the Hamas government in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas on Saturday released a second group of Israeli and foreign civilians it had been holding hostage in the Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.</div><div><br></div><div>Israeli authorities said 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens had returned to Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>The exchange came after an hours-long unexpected delay set nerves on edge.</div><div><br></div><div>Emily turned nine earlier this month while being held captive.</div><div><br></div><div>Her father Thomas Hand, who was born in Ireland and later moved to Israel, told AFP earlier this month that initially he thought his daughter had been killed in the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>“Later on we had an eyewitness... (who) saw her being led away by the terrorists, into a van off to Gaza” after the attack on the Beeri kibbutz, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Varadkar said he hopes Emily “will soon heal and recover from the traumatic experience in the loving embrace of her family.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Emily now returns to her family, but we cannot forget that many more hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, reports AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>“Their fate is unknown, but we hope that like Emily, they will also be allowed to return to their homes and their families,” he added.&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 14:52:19', '2023-11-26 14:52:19'),
(10213, 10213, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Palestinian farmer was killed and another injured on Sunday after they were targeted by Israeli forces in the Maghazi refugee camp in the center of Gaza, the Palestinan Red Crescent said as a truce between Israel and Hamas fighters entered a third day.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>There was no immediate comment from Israel on the report and it was not clear if it would impact the latest phase of plans to swap 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group for 150 prisoners in Israeli jails over a four-day period.</div><div><br></div><div>Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals arrived in Israel early on Sunday after a second release of hostages held by Hamas following an initial delay caused by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>Although the issue was resolved through mediation by Egypt and Qatar, it underscored the fragility of the truce, the first halt in fighting since Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to that attack, Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Gaza, bombarding the enclave and mounting a ground offensive in the north. Some 14,800 people, roughly 40 percent of them children, have been killed, Palestinian health authorities said on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel had said the cease-fire could be extended if Hamas continued to release at least 10 hostages a day. A Palestinian source had said up to 100 hostages could go free.</div><div><br></div><div>The armed wing of Hamas announced on Sunday the killing of four of its military commanders in the Gaza Strip, including the commander of the North Gaza brigade Ahmad Al Ghandour. However, it was not clear when they had been killed. Source: Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 14:58:04', '2023-11-26 14:58:04'),
(10214, 10214, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Seven Palestinians, including one minor, were shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank late Saturday and early Sunday, according to the Palestinian health ministry.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Five of the deaths occurred in the city of Jenin and the sixth was in Yatma, a village near Nablus city. Six others were injured during the shooting in Jenin, the ministry said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli military spokesperson\'s office said it was checking the reports.</div><div><br></div><div>The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said Israeli forces stormed Jenin “from several directions, firing bullets and surrounding government hospitals and the headquarters of the Red Crescent Society”. Source: Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 15:27:22', '2023-11-26 15:27:22'),
(10215, 10215, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Miscreants set fire to a bus of “Moumita&nbsp; Paribahan” under Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover in Kajla area of Jatrabari of the city on Sunday evening.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The bus came under&nbsp; attack at 7:48 pm on Sunday, confirmed Shahjahan Sikder, DAD of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters (media cell), reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>On information, two firefighting units from Postogola Fire Station are working at the spot to douse the fire under police protection, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 15:59:28', '2023-11-26 15:59:28'),
(10216, 10216, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said that her party doesn\'t want to cling to power by flattering anyone outside the country as the people are its strength.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"We have no other guardian other than the people of the country-- being the daughter of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I\'m not doing the politics of sycophancy to stay in power,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, said this while exchanging views with 3,369 people who had sought her party’s tickets for January 7 parliamentary polls at her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>PM\'s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting held at the prime minister’s official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also chairman of the AL Parliamentary Board, said that people of the country attained independence through huge sacrifice and bloodshed under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This soil is ours. No whipping from outside will be tolerated. We are not dependent on others as the people are our strength\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Briefly describing the measures taken by her government in the last 15 years for the socio-economic development of Bangladesh, she said the people have got peace and wellbeing as the Awami League has been in power.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The development will be continued if the people of the country voted the Awami League to power again,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said being the prime minister and daughter of Bangabandhu she works for all irrespective of party affiliation.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said that the development of the country is now visible because her party has been in power for the three consecutive terms through democratic process.</div><div><br></div><div>The nomination board finalised the names of the party’s candidates for 300 seats in three sittings from November 23 to 25. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-26 16:09:56', '2023-11-26 16:09:56'),
(10217, 10217, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Three young men of Palestinian descent who were in Burlington for a Thanksgiving holiday gathering were shot and injured — one seriously — near the University of Vermont, police said Sunday. Authorities said the attack may have been a hate crime.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Police are searching for the shooting suspect after the attack, which occurred at about 6:25 p.m. Saturday near the UVM campus, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said.</div><div><br></div><div>Two of the men are in stable condition and the other suffered “much more serious injuries,” Murad said Sunday. The three, all age 20, were visiting the home of one of the victim\'s relatives and were walking when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun.</div><div><br></div><div>“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Murad said in a news release. “All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities.”</div><div><br></div><div>Murad said all three men are of Palestinian descent and expressed deepest sympathies for the men and their families. Two are U.S. citizens and one is a legal resident. Two of the men were wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.</div><div><br></div><div>Murad said there is no additional information to suggest a motive.</div><div><br></div><div>“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven,” he said in a news release.</div><div><br></div><div>He added, \"The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now. But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier Sunday, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement saying that the victims were Palestinian American college students and that there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”</div><div><br></div><div>It said a man shouted and harassed the victims, who were conversing in Arabic, then proceeded to shoot them.</div><div><br></div><div>The FBI said it is aware of the shootings.</div><div><br></div><div>“If, in the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate,\" Sarah Ruane, an FBI spokesperson based in Albany, New York, said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The White House said that President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and will continue to receive updates as law enforcement gathers more information.</div><div><br></div><div>The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement that it has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or people responsible for the shootings.</div><div><br></div><div>The Institute for Middle East Understanding provided a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it described as being from the families of the victims.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” it said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.\"</div><div><br></div><div>In response to the shooting, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged people to “unequivocally denounce the startling rise of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia in America.”</div><div><br></div><div>“No one should ever be targeted for their ethnicity or religious affiliation in our country,\" the New York Democrat said in the statement posted on X. \"We will not let hatred win.”</div><div><br></div><div>Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, also denounced the shooting.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation,\" Sanders said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said that any indication that the shooting could have been motivated by hate is “chilling.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Gov. Phil Scott called it a tragedy, calling on the state\'s residents to unite and “not let this incident incite more hate or divisiveness.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has urged an end to the Israel-Hamas war, released a statement saying it was “appalled by the shooting.”</div><div><br></div><div>“We are in solidarity with the students, their families and all those affected by this clear act of hate,” the organization said Sunday. “We are in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont — and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all.”</div><div><br></div><div>The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy organization for Jewish people worldwide, also said via X it was “horrified” by the attack and urged “law enforcement to investigate this act as a possible hate crime.”</div><div><br></div><div>Demonstrations have been widespread and tensions are escalating in the U.S. as the death toll rises in the Israel-Hamas war. A fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed more hostages and Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners, all young men. It’s the third exchange under a four-day truce deal. According to AP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 05:51:32', '2023-11-27 05:51:32'),
(10218, 10218, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said that permission for party leaders to run as independent candidates in the upcoming national election is a “strategic decision”.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Awami League is moving forward, changing strategy as per the need of the hour. There is no bar to dummy candidates following the guideline of the party chief (Sheikh Hasina),” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Obaidul Quader came up with the remarks after paying homage to Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon marking Shaheed Dr Milon Day on Dhaka University premises.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that Awami League doesn’t need companions, as people are its strength. BNP needs accomplices for their misdeeds, said the AL leader.</div><div><br></div><div>People of the country have been eagerly waiting for the election along with party leaders and activists as election season has already started in the country, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader, also road, transport and bridges minister, said that the upcoming election has generated a massive tide of public support that can’t be foiled by sporadic bombings and arson attacks.</div><div><br></div><div>The Awami League general secretary also alleged that BNP is now hatching a conspiracy to foil the election after its movement failed. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 06:43:17', '2023-11-27 06:43:17'),
(10219, 10219, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Irish writer Paul Lynch won the Booker Prize for fiction on Sunday with what judges called a “soul-shattering” novel about a woman’s struggle to protect her family as Ireland collapses into totalitarianism and war.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Prophet Song,” set in a dystopian fictional version of Dublin, was awarded the 50,000-pound ($63,000) literary prize at a ceremony in London. Canadian writer Esi Edugyan, who chaired the judging panel, said the book is “a triumph of emotional storytelling, bracing and brave” in which Lynch “pulls off feats of language that are stunning to witness.”</div><div><br></div><div>Lynch, 46, had been the bookies’ favorite to win the prestigious prize, which usually brings a big boost in sales. His book beat five other finalists from Ireland, the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, chosen from 163 novels submitted by publishers.</div><div><br></div><div>“This was not an easy book to write,” Lynch said after being handed the Booker trophy. “The rational part of me believed I was dooming my career by writing this novel, though I had to write the book anyway. We do not have a choice in such matters.”</div><div><br></div><div>Lynch has called “Prophet Song,” his fifth novel, an attempt at “radical empathy” that tries to plunge readers into the experience of living in a collapsing society.</div><div><br></div><div>“I was trying to see into the modern chaos,” he told the Booker website. “The unrest in Western democracies. The problem of Syria, the implosion of an entire nation, the scale of its refugee crisis and the West’s indifference. I wanted to deepen the reader’s immersion to such a degree that by the end of the book, they would not just know, but feel this problem for themselves.”</div><div><br></div><div>The five prize judges met to pick the winner on Saturday, less than 48 hours after far-right violence erupted in Dublin following a stabbing attack on a group of children. Edugyan said that immediate events didn’t directly influence the choice of winner.</div><div><br></div><div>Lynch said he was “astonished” by the riots “and at the same time I recognized the truth that this kind of energy is always there under the surface.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said “Prophet Song”, written over four years starting in 2018, “is a counterfactual novel. It’s not a prophetic statement.”</div><div><br></div><div>“I wrote the book to articulate the message that the things that are happening in this book are occurring timelessly throughout the ages and maybe we need to deepen our own responses to that,\" he told reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>The other finalists were Irish writer Paul Murray’s “The Bee Sting;” American novelist Paul Harding’s “This Other Eden;” Canadian author Sarah Bernstein’s “Study for Obedience;” U.S. writer Jonathan Escoffery’s “If I Survive You;” and British author Chetna Maroo’s “Western Lane.”</div><div><br></div><div>Edugyan said the choice of winner wasn\'t unanimous, but the six-hour judges’ meeting wasn\'t acrimonious.</div><div><br></div><div>“We all ultimately felt that this was the book that we wanted to present to the world and that this was truly a masterful work of fiction,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize is open to English-language novels from any country published in the U.K. and Ireland. and has a reputation for transforming writers’ careers. Previous winners include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Hilary Mantel.</div><div><br></div><div>Four Irish novelists and one from Northern Ireland have previously won the prize.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is with immense pleasure that I bring the Booker home to Ireland,” Lynch said. Asked what he planned to do with the prize money, he said it would help him make payments on his tracker mortgage, which have soared along with inflation.</div><div><br></div><div>Lynch received his trophy from last year’s winner, Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka, during a ceremony at Old Billingsgate, a grand former Victorian fish market in central London.</div><div><br></div><div>The evening included a speech from Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who was jailed in Tehran for almost six years until 2022 on allegations of plotting the overthrow of Iran’s government, a charge that she, her supporters and rights groups denied.</div><div><br></div><div>She talked about the books that sustained her in prison, recalling how inmates ran an underground library and circulated copies of Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” set in an oppressive American theocracy.</div><div><br></div><div>“Books helped me to take refuge into the world of others when I was incapable of making one of my own,” Zaghari-Ratcliffe said. “They salvaged me by being one of the very few tools I had, together with imagination, to escape the Evin (prison) walls without physically moving.” According to AP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 07:48:39', '2023-11-27 07:48:39'),
(10220, 10220, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Political instability ahead of the national election appeared as a big blow to Bangladesh’s tourism sector as most popular tourist destinations including Cox\'s Bazar, St. Martin, and Kuakata see sharp drop in the number of visitors.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>With up to 90 percent of advance bookings canceled, the once-bustling establishments face unprecedented vacancies as people are reluctant to travel amid the countrywide ongoing blockades and hartals enforced by the BNP and some other like-minded opposition parties.</div><div><br></div><div>Tourism industry insiders claimed they had to count losses worth Tk 1.5 thousand crore&nbsp; in the last several weeks due to cancellation of advance bookings in hotels, motels, and resorts across tourist hotspots until mid-January.</div><div><br></div><div>Hotel and motel owners said prior to October, over 50-60 percent of rooms in more than 500 hotels and motels in Cox\'s Bazar were booked daily.</div><div><br></div><div>However, recent weeks have witnessed a drastic decline in tourists, reducing the number from half a lakh to a mere 5-10 thousand. Most of the visitors are predominantly locals. Similar circumstances prevail in Kuakata and St. Martin.</div><div><br></div><div>Hotel and motel owners expressed concern about the ripple effect on their employees, as business downturns force layoffs and hinder salary payments.</div><div><br></div><div>President of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), Shiblul Azam Qureshi, laments the impact on tourist spots like Cox\'s Bazar, St. Martin, Rangamati, and Kuakata.</div><div><br></div><div>“Now is a critical period for the tourism sector. Bookings for November, December, January, and February—the prime tourist months—have been canceled,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said Cox\'s Bazar, Kuakata, Sundarbans, Sylhet, Ratargul, Jaflong-Tamabil, Rangamati, and Patenga Beach, which should be bustling with tourists at this time, now lie empty.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said he has a hotel at St. Martin but its 90% rooms are lying vacant now.</div><div><br></div><div>“With the tourism season typically starting in October and reaching its peak in November, the ongoing political unrest has resulted in nearly empty hotels and motels this month, with bookings canceled due to the blockade,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Salim Newaz, General Secretary of&nbsp; Cox\'s Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners\' Association, said over 500 hotels and motels are empty now due to the continuous blockade progrmame.</div><div><br></div><div>Mukhim Khan, general secretary of the Kalatali Marine Drive Road Hotel-Motel Owners\' Association, estimated a staggering Tk 1000 to 1500 crore losses due to the prolonged blockade.</div><div><br></div><div>He urged the concerned to keep tourist vehicles out of the purview of&nbsp; hartals and blockades to salvage the tourism sector.</div><div><br></div><div>Similarly, Motaleb Sharif, General Secretary of the Kuakata Hotel-Motel Owners’ Association, said, safety concern has led to widespread booking cancellations, as people are reluctant to embark on risky journeys with their families amidst political instability. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 10:53:35', '2023-11-27 10:53:35'),
(10221, 10221, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas returned to Dhaka on Monday after a holiday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He reached Dhaka on a regular flight of SriLankan Airlines at 11:50 am, a source at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport said.</div><div><br></div><div>It could not be known immediately whether the US ambassador returned from Colombo or whether that was his transit point.</div><div><br></div><div>According to media reports, Haas went on vacation and left Dhaka on November 16 for Colombo, Sri Lanka.</div><div><br></div><div>Amid rumors about his departure from Dhaka, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is a diplomatic procedure to inform the host country through diplomatic channels when any ambassador or high commissioner leaves station, which the ministry does not make public.</div><div><br></div><div>“It was not supposed to be shared publicly,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told reporters when her attention was drawn to US Ambassador Peter Haas leaving Dhaka. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 11:04:33', '2023-11-27 11:04:33'),
(10222, 10222, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>An AFC Cup match between teams from Australia and Myanmar has been moved to a neutral venue in Thailand after Canberra refused to grant visas to the visiting side, Football Australia said Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Shan United were scheduled to play Australian club side Macarthur in Sydney on Thursday as part of the second-rung regional club competition.</div><div><br></div><div>But Football Australia said there was \"no viable way of playing the game on Australian soil\" after officials refused to grant visas to the touring Myanmar side.</div><div><br></div><div>The match \"has been moved to BG Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand\", it added.</div><div><br></div><div>Football Australia did not explain why the visas had been denied, and Australia\'s Home Affairs department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</div><div><br></div><div>Human rights groups have previously raised concerns about alleged links between Shan United and Myanmar\'s military junta.</div><div><br></div><div>The Macarthur side was criticised in October after travelling to play in Myanmar against official government advice. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 11:32:24', '2023-11-27 11:32:24'),
(10223, 10223, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Selecting the right attire for a job interview is pivotal. It demonstrates professionalism and respect for the company\'s culture. It profoundly influences the initial impression, making it crucial to present yourself appropriately. It underscores the significance of making a positive and lasting impact.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Tips to Choose the Perfect Attire for a Job Interview</div><div>An interviewer\'s initial assessment often centres on appearance, forming a swift judgement. A carefully chosen attire helps to create a good impression, as it conveys confidence and competence.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Consider the Industry Type</div><div>Understanding the nuances of workplace culture significantly aids in selecting the appropriate dress code. In creative industries, a more relaxed dress code might prevail, encouraging individual expression. And corporate settings often demand formal wear to align with the professional environment.</div><div><br></div><div>Opting for professional attire tailored to the job role is imperative. For conservative fields, such as finance or law, a tailored suit or formal business attire denotes a serious, business-oriented approach. The attire should not only fit well but also resonate with the company\'s ethos.</div><div><br></div><div>Review Guidelines</div><div>A proactive approach involves reviewing any guidelines furnished by the company regarding dress code expectations. This act showcases meticulous attention to detail and a genuine respect for the company\'s policies. It also sets a positive tone even before the interview commences.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Taking a proactive stance in understanding the industry\'s norms, adhering to company guidelines, and selecting an appropriate attire that resonates with the role and company culture enhances the candidate\'s chances of leaving a positive impression during the crucial job interview process.</div><div><br></div><div>Moderate Accessories and Mild Fragrance</div><div>Accessorising should be approached with restraint. It is recommended to practise minimalism while wearing jewellery to complement the applicant’s professional look.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Opting for subtlety in choosing a light, neutral fragrance, if any, ensures a more comfortable and focused environment during the interview.</div><div><br></div><div>Grooming</div><div>Grooming plays an equally vital role. Neatly styled hair, well-groomed nails, and subtle accessories contribute to an overall polished appearance. It reinforces the impression of professionalism and attention to detail. These aspects collectively create a cohesive and impactful visual presentation that aligns with the company\'s expectations.</div><div><br></div><div>Tidy Footwear</div><div>Furthermore, shoes play a significant role in completing the professional ensemble. Clean and appropriate footwear that aligns with the dress code is crucial.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Professional Look</div><div>Maintaining a professional appearance during a job interview is integral to directing the focus towards one\'s qualifications and capabilities. Adhering to dress codes, ensuring well-fitted and tidy attire, opting for subtle accessories and fragrances, and choosing appropriate footwear collectively contribute to a polished and professional image. They align with the expectations of the interview setting.</div><div><br></div><div>What Not To Wear in a Job Interview</div><div>Glittery Attire</div><div>During a job interview, clothing that is excessively revealing or flashy can divert attention from one\'s qualifications and expertise. It is imperative to uphold a professional appearance that channels attention towards one\'s skills rather than attire.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Casual Wears</div><div>It is suggested to avoid overly casual clothing, such as jeans, t-shirts, or sneakers unless specifically mentioned by the company. It ensures a respectful adherence to formal interview norms. Respecting these standards showcases a seriousness and respect for the professional setting.</div><div><br></div><div>Untidy Dishevelled Look</div><div>Moreover, ill-fitted or wrinkled clothing can inadvertently convey a sense of carelessness and detract from the desired professional image. Try to ensure that attire is well-fitted and properly ironed.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Avoiding worn-out or overly casual footwear projects a sense of attention to detail and respect for the formal setting.</div><div><br></div><div>Heavy Jewellery or Loud Body Spray</div><div>The impact of accessories and fragrances should not be underestimated. Loud accessories or strong perfumes can be overwhelming and may distract from the conversation or overpower the interview setting.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Closing Lines</div><div>Making a lasting and positive impression hinges on presenting oneself with careful consideration and respect through appropriate attire. The significance of dressing suitably for a job interview should not be ignored. In the job interview, a candidate’s outfit reflects his or her level of maturity, and professionalism. While choosing the outfit for an interview candidate needs to pay attention to the company values, norms and guidelines.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>A careful selection of clothing, footwear along with proper accessories, fragrance, and grooming create an overall professional look. It helps to deliver a positive impression of the candidate and sets the tone for a polished interaction in the interview board. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p>Job Interview<br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 12:14:58', '2023-11-27 12:14:58'),
(10224, 10224, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The BNP is going to enforce a 24-hour fresh road-rail-waterway blockade across the country starting from Wednesday morning and a daylong hartal on Thursday to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Party Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a virtual press briefing on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the blockade will begin at 6am on Wednesday and end at 6m on Thursday while the hartal will be enforced from 6am to 6pm on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the programmes are also meant for mounting pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government and release party leaders and activists, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.</div><div><br></div><div>He said other opposition parties, who have long been carrying out the simultaneous movement with BNP, will also observe similar programmes.</div><div><br></div><div>The fresh programmes were announced 14 hours before the end of the opposition’s ongoing 48-hour blockade which will end at 6m on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi thanked the country’s people and the opposition leaders and activists for making their blockade programme a success.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP and like-minded parties enforced a 48-hour countrywide shutdown from November 19 and then announced a 48-hour blockade from November 22 and another phase of a 48-hour blockade from November 26 which will end at 6m on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>The opposition parties have so far observed blockades in seven phases to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration.</div><div><br></div><div>They also observed a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal on October 29 in protest against the attacks on BNP’s grand rally at Nayapaltan that ended amid the incidents of torching vehicles and clashes, leaving three people dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Half an hour into the start of BNP\'s much-talked-about grand rally at Nayapaltan on October 28, BNP leaders and workers locked in a clash with the ruling party activists and police at Kakrail. The violent clashes soon spread around Nayapaltan, foiling the rally midway. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 12:20:21', '2023-11-27 12:20:21'),
(10225, 10225, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indian military engineers were preparing to dig by hand Monday to reach 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for 16 days, a rescue operation hit by repeated setbacks.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Soldiers plan to use a so-called “rat-hole mining” technique, digging by hand to clear the rocks and rubble over the remaining nine meters (29 feet), with temperatures plummeting in the remote mountain location in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.</div><div><br></div><div>Last week, engineers working to drive a metal pipe horizontally through 57 meters (187 feet) of rock and concrete ran into metal girders and construction vehicles buried in the earth, snapping a giant earth-boring augur machine.</div><div><br></div><div>“The broken parts of the auger (drilling) machine stuck inside the tunnel have been removed,” senior local civil servant Abhishek Ruhela said on Monday, after a specialized superheated plasma cutter was brought in to clear the metal.</div><div><br></div><div>“Preparations are being made to start manual drilling work,” he added. “Indian Army engineering battalion personnel, along with other rescue officers, are preparing to do rat-hole mining.”</div><div><br></div><div>Engineers in the bitterly cold conditions will use manual drills to clear the route, a tough task in the narrow pipe, just wide enough for a man to crawl through.</div><div><br></div><div>In a separate effort, vertical drilling has reached more than a quarter of the 89 meters down to the men, a risky route in an area that has already suffered a collapse.</div><div><br></div><div>A drilling machine was brought up to the forested hill above the tunnel on a specially-constructed track.</div><div><br></div><div>“Vertical drilling is going on at a fast pace,” with teams having reached 19 meters (63 feet) by late Sunday, said Mahmood Ahmed, a top official in the national roads ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>Work is ongoing at “full speed but with caution,” he added.</div><div>Digging, blasting and drilling have also begun from the far side of the road tunnel, a much longer third route estimated to be around 480 meters.</div><div><br></div><div>The 41 construction workers have been trapped in the Silkyara road tunnel since November 12.</div><div><br></div><div>Efforts have been painfully slow, complicated by falling debris and repeated breakdowns of drilling machines.</div><div><br></div><div>Hopes that the team was on the verge of a breakthrough on Wednesday were dashed, with a government statement warning of the “challenging Himalayan terrain.”</div><div><br></div><div>For the distraught relatives of the trapped men, it has been an ordeal without an imminent end in sight.</div><div><br></div><div>But Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami vowed Monday that all the men would be rescued.</div><div><br></div><div>“Do not worry, all the laborers will be taken out safely,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.</div><div><br></div><div>The workers were seen alive for the first time on Tuesday, peering into the lens of an endoscopic camera sent by rescuers down a thin pipe through which air, food, water and electricity are being delivered.</div><div><br></div><div>Though trapped, they have plenty of space in the tunnel, with the area inside 8.5 meters high and stretching about two kilometers in length. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 12:40:09', '2023-11-27 12:40:09'),
(10226, 10226, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Monday said that Bangladesh has an excellent relation with the United States and it is working to strengthen the relation further.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The minister made the remarks while exchanging views with journalists and a newly elected committee of cinema hall owners at the secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked about the Russian spokesperson’s statement on US Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas, Hasan Mahmud said, \"Look, Russia has made a statement and the US has also responded to it. I don\'t want to say anything about it. It\'s a two-state matter.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said anyone can take leave and rejoin. It is not any important matter.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question whether the Awami League will run in the upcoming election as a coalition, the minister said that the party will contest as part of the 14-party alliance and if there is to be coordination with others, it will also be done.</div><div><br></div><div>\"First of all, we contest elections through alliance every time. We held a coalition election in 2008. Though nominations were given for 300 seats that time, later coordination was made among the grand alliance members. Last time, candidates were fielded almost in all the seats and later coordination was made with the alliance partners. This year too, we nominated candidates for 298 seats,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning that 71-72 candidates of the Awami League have been left out, the minister said some candidates are left out in every election. This time it was already said that those who have fallen behind in the race of popularity, who have been controversial for any reason, will not be nominated.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister said many political parties announced to participate in the election. Many BNP leaders also announced to take part in the election under the leadership of Trinamool BNP or otherwise, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“We hope that there will be huge public participation. People’s participation is more important than if any party participates,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 12:55:22', '2023-11-27 12:55:22');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10227, 10227, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Palestinian Territories: The truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final 24 hours Monday, with the militant group saying it was willing to extend the pause after it freed more hostages, including a four-year-old orphaned by its attack.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The pause that began Friday has seen dozens of hostages freed, with over 100 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel in return.</div><div><br></div><div>Attention now has turned to whether the truce will be extended before its scheduled end early on Tuesday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>“That’s my goal, that’s our goal, to keep this pause going beyond tomorrow so that we can continue to see more hostages come out and surge more humanitarian relief into those in need in Gaza,” US President Joe Biden said Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>He said he would like the fighting to be paused for “as long as prisoners keep coming out.”</div><div><br></div><div>“I get a sense that all the players in the region are looking for a way to end this so the hostages are all released and... Hamas is completely no longer in control of Gaza.”</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas has signalled its willingness to extend the truce, with a source saying the group told mediators they were open to prolonging it by “two to four days.”</div><div><br></div><div>“The resistance believes it is possible to ensure the release of 20 to 40 Israeli prisoners” in that time, the source close to the movement said.</div><div><br></div><div>Under the truce, 50 hostages held by the militants were to be freed over four days in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. A built-in mechanism extends it if at least 10 Israeli captives are released each extra day.</div><div><br></div><div>One potential complicating factor is the fact that some hostages are believed to be held by groups other than Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel faces enormous pressure from the families of hostages, as well as allies, to extend the truce to secure more releases.</div><div><br></div><div>“It would be good, helpful and necessary” to extend the truce until all hostages, who include French nationals, are freed, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told BFMTV on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Three successive days of hostage releases have buoyed spirits in Israel, with tearful reunions weeks after Hamas militants poured across the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.</div><div><br></div><div>In response, Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to Gaza’s Hamas government.</div><div><br></div><div>The third group of hostages released Sunday included a four-year-old American citizen called Abigail whose parents were both murdered in the Hamas attacks.</div><div><br></div><div>“What a joy to see her with us. But on the other hand, what a pity that she returns to the reality of not having parents,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.</div><div><br></div><div>“She has no parents, but she has a whole nation that embraces her,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Also among those freed Sunday was an 84-year-old woman who was rushed to intensive care in critical condition “after serious neglect,” medical officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>Thirteen hostages were freed under the terms of the truce on Sunday in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners, who have been received by rapturous crowds waving Palestinian and Hamas flags.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas separately freed three Thai nationals and a Russian-Israeli citizen, Ron Krivoy, who the group said was released “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin” and his “support of the Palestinian cause.”</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has faced mounting pressure to extend the pause mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt, though its leaders have been keen to dismiss any suggestions of a lasting halt to the offensive.</div><div><br></div><div>“We continue until the end — until victory,” Netanyahu said in Gaza on Sunday, on the first visit by an Israeli premier since 2005.</div><div><br></div><div>His office has proposed a war budget of 30 billion shekels ($8 billion) for 90 days.</div><div><br></div><div>Wearing green military fatigues and surrounded by soldiers, Netanyahu vowed to free all the hostages and “eliminate Hamas,” in footage posted online by his office.</div><div><br></div><div>“Nothing will stop us, and we are convinced that we have the power, the strength, the will and the determination to achieve all the war’s goals,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Elsewhere in Gaza, residents picked through heaps of rubble where homes once stood searching for belongings after weeks of bombardment.</div><div><br></div><div>“I came to see if there was anything left, if there was anything I could salvage. We fled with nothing,” said Ous sama al Bass, inspecting the ruins of his home in Al-Zahra, south of Gaza City.</div><div><br></div><div>“Everything is lost,” he said. “We’re tired. That’s enough. We can’t take it anymore.”</div><div><br></div><div>On the outskirts of Gaza City, families took to the road on foot to head south, pushing luggage and relatives in wheelchairs, and carrying children in their arms.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has told Palestinians in Gaza to leave the north for the relative safety of the south, but it has now sent text messages to those in the southern city of Khan Yunis warning it knows hostages are being held there.</div><div><br></div><div>“The army will neutralize anyone who has kidnapped hostages,” the message said.</div><div><br></div><div>The UN estimates that 1.7 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million people have been displaced by the fighting.</div><div><br></div><div>The pause in fighting has allowed more aid to reach Palestinians struggling to survive with shortages of water and other essentials.</div><div><br></div><div>Bbut Adnan Abu Hansa, a spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warned of “unprecedented” humanitarian needs, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We should send 200 lorries a day continuously for at least two months,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 13:05:09', '2023-11-27 13:05:09'),
(10228, 10228, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Moscow said on Monday that it “positively” evaluated the release of a Russian citizen by the Palestinian group Hamas a day earlier.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We positively evaluate the gesture of goodwill shown by the leadership of the Hamas movement and its readiness for constructive interaction in solving humanitarian problems that are of particular importance to us,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Zakharova said that the Russian citizen was released in coordination with Israeli authorities and with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), adding that the person was returned outside of the hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas. </div><div><br></div><div>“In contact with all parties involved, we will continue to strive for the speedy release of the remaining Russian hostages,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, Taher al-Nono, a political adviser to Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, told Russian state news agency TASS that the group handed a Russian citizen over to the ICRC. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 13:35:30', '2023-11-27 13:35:30'),
(10229, 10229, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said both Bangladesh and the US believe in democracy and want free and fair elections in Bangladesh.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“The US believes in democracy. They (US) are with us. We are also with them,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the US does not want much and they only want free and fair elections in Bangladesh. “We also want free and fair elections. Rather, I would tell them to bring those under the US visa policy who are trying to foil the polls.”</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said the US is always a realistic country and it believes in the doctrine of reality, and when things are done, the US extends support to that.</div><div><br></div><div>For example, he said, the US, violating all the international laws, sided with the Pakistani forces in 1971 who committed genocide here.</div><div><br></div><div>But when Bangladesh observed its Victory Day on December 16, the US kept supporting Bangladesh, Momen said. “Since our independence, the US has never gone against us. What does it mean? As the country is created, so we are with them.”</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said Bangladesh Awami League does not like creating barriers to democratic journey. “We believe in democracy. We don\'t want to hinder democratic process.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said they want to show the world that elections can be held in a free and fair manner and free from violence.</div><div><br></div><div>“We hope all parties will take part in the polls and a festive mood prevails across the country,” said the foreign minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, Momen said Bangladesh welcomes constructive suggestions that go in line with people’s welfare.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our friendly countries give us recommendations and we welcome those suggestions if they play a supportive role,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding violence free polls, he said it requires sincerity and willingness from all.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said they cannot ignore the developed countries. “We do consider them with a lot of respect and honour.”</div><div><br></div><div>\"The US is a superpower. We can\'t ignore them,” the minister said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said the next election will be seen as participatory if people cast their votes. Usually, 50 percent voters cast their vote in Bangladesh, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>There was only one election in Bangladesh during the BNP-Jamaat tenure in 1996 which was voter-less, Momen said.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question on RAB, Momen said RAB is a very dignified organisation and people respect it as it is free from corruption.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is a very effective organisation. We uprooted terrorism due to the presence of RAB while drug and human trafficking saw a sharp decline,” he said, adding that they are very smart because they are well trained by the US and Britain. “They will do better if they are given training again.”</div><div><br></div><div>“The&nbsp; US is a mature government and we are always hopeful that sanctions on the elite force will be withdrawn.”</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, Momen said they are not feeling any pressure ahead of the next polls.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Politics is not for arson attacks, not murdering people, obstructing the country’s development and hindering the educational life of students through blockade. Politics should be aimed at people’s welfare. Then people will accept them,” said the foreign minister. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 13:50:05', '2023-11-27 13:50:05'),
(10230, 10230, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today directed the authorities concerned to work out a master plan for every upazila over using land.</b></span><br></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>She gave the directive at a cabinet meeting with herself in the chair at her office in the city\'s Tejgaon.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>\"The Prime Minister has instructed that every upazila should have a master plan in terms of land use,\" Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain said at a briefing at the Secretariat here after the cabinet meeting.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>He, however, said that the Local Government Division has already taken initiative in this regard and started working to formulate the master plan.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>According to the cabinet secretary, the Prime Minister asked the authorities concerned to complete the formulation of the plan within the quickest possible time.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Noting that the master plan will ensure rational use of land in the development process, Mahbub said the Prime Minister asked to monitor so that houses and industries cannot be built here and there or land could not be used in any other way.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Once the master plan is formulated, it will bring discipline in using land, he added.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Besides, the cabinet approved the draft of the Personal Data Protection Act 2023 in principle, keeping a provision for forming a regulatory board, Mahbub said.</div><div><br></div><div>The board will have a chairman and four members, he said, adding that it will function like boards of other statuary bodies.</div><div><br></div><div>As per a provision of the law, those, who will collect and process data, have to be registered with the board, the cabinet secretary said.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Mahbub said that the cabinet also approved the \'Joyeeta Foundation Act 2023\' in principle. According to BSS reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-27 15:09:39', '2023-11-27 15:09:39'),
(10231, 10231, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP has expelled its chairperson’s adviser, Syed AK Ekramuzzaman, and National Executive Committee member Shah Md Abu Zafar as they are going to take part in Bangladesh\'s 12th parliamentary election.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A press release signed by party\'s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said on Tuesday (November 28, 2023) that the action was taken against the duo for their involvement in \"anti-party activities.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“On the basis of clear allegations of involvement in activities that go against the party\'s discipline, BNP Chairperson\'s Advisory Council member Syed AK Ekramuzzaman and National Executive Committee member Shah Md Abu Zafar have been expelled from all posts at all levels of the party, including primary membership,\" the press release says.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ekramuzzaman collected nomination paper on Monday to contest the national election from Brahmanbaria-1 (Nasirnagar) constituency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP has already rejected the schedule for the 12th parliamentary election. It considers collecting nomination papers a \"violation of party\'s discipline.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ekramuzzaman contested the national election as an independent candidate in the 2001 election, and in the 2008 and 2018 elections as a BNP candidate, but he was never elected.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, BNP\'s National Executive Committee member Abu Zafar joined the newly registered party BNM (Bangladesh Nationalist Movement) on November 21 to take part in the upcoming election. 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, '2023-11-28 06:59:43', '2023-11-28 06:59:43'),
(10232, 10232, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their ceasefire for two more days past Monday, raising the prospect of further exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and a longer halt to their deadliest and most destructive war.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Eleven Israeli women and children, freed by Hamas, entered Israel Monday night after more than seven weeks in captivity in Gaza in the fourth swap under the original four-day truce, which began Friday and was due to run out. Thirty-three Palestinian prisoners released by Israel arrived early Tuesday in east Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Ramallah. The prisoners were greeted by loud cheers as their bus made its way through the streets of Ramallah.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deal for two additional days of ceasefire, announced by Qatar, raised hopes for further extensions, which also allow more aid into Gaza. Conditions there have remained dire for 2.3 million Palestinians, battered by weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground offensive that have driven three-quarters of the population from their homes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. After the announcement by Qatar — a key mediator in the conflict, along with the United States and Egypt — Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a two-day extension “under the same terms.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Israel says it remains committed to crushing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza after its Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. That would likely mean expanding a ground offensive from devastated northern Gaza to the south.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Monday’s releases bring to 51 the number of Israelis freed under the truce, along with 19 hostages of other nationalities. So far, 150 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After weeks of national trauma over the roughly 240 people abducted by Hamas and other militants, scenes of the women and children reuniting with families have rallied Israelis behind calls to return those who remain in captivity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We can get all hostages back home. We have to keep pushing,” two relatives of Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl and dual Israeli-American citizen who was released Sunday, said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamas and other militants could still be holding up to 175 hostages, enough to potentially extend the cease-fire for two and a half weeks. But those include a number of soldiers, and Hamas is likely to make much greater demands for their release.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The newly released hostages included three women and nine children — including 3-year-old twin girls and their mother — from the kibbutz Nir Oz, a community near Gaza that was hard hit in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The kibbutz said 49 of its residents remain in captivity, including the father of the twins. The Israeli military said late Monday that the hostages were undergoing initial medical checks in Israel before being reunited with their families.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most of the hostages freed so far have appeared to be physically well. But 84-year-old Elma Avraham, released Sunday, was airlifted to Israel’s Soroka Medical Center in life-threatening condition because of inadequate care, the hospital said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Avraham’s daughter, Tali Amano, said her mother was “hours from death” when she was brought to the hospital. Avraham is currently sedated and has a breathing tube, but Amano said she told her mother of a new great-grandchild who was born while she was in captivity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Avraham suffered from several chronic conditions that required regular medications but was stable before she was kidnapped, Amano said Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, 19 people of other nationalities have been freed during the truce, mostly Thai nationals. Many Thais work in Israel, largely as farm laborers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">France said three of the hostages released Monday were French-Israeli dual citizens, two 12-year-olds and one 16-year-old. The French government is ‘’working tirelessly’’ to free five other French citizens held hostage, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Palestinian prisoners released so far have been mostly teenagers accused of throwing stones and firebombs during confrontations with Israeli forces, or of less-serious offenses. But some were convicted in alleged attempts to carry out stabbings, bombings and shootings. Many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, including those implicated in attacks, as heroes resisting occupation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Merav Raviv, who is related to three hostages released Friday, said they had been fed irregularly and lost weight. One reported eating mainly bread and rice and sleeping on a makeshift bed of chairs pushed together. Hostages sometimes had to wait for hours to use the bathroom, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby welcomed the extension of the truce.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We would, of course, hope to see the pause extended further, and that will depend upon Hamas continuing to release hostages,” Kirby told reporters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">RESPITE IN GAZA</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. More than 1,200 people have been killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians killed in the initial attack. At least 77 soldiers have been killed in Israel’s ground offensive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The calm from the truce allowed glimpses of the destruction wreaked by weeks of Israeli bombardment that leveled entire neighborhoods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Footage showed a complex of several dozen multistory residential buildings that had been pummeled into a landscape of wreckage in the northern town of Beit Hanoun. Nearly every building was destroyed or severely damaged, some reduced to concrete frames half-slumped over. At a nearby U.N. school, the buildings were intact but partially burned and riddled with holes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Israeli assault has driven three-quarters of Gaza’s population from their homes, and now most of its 2.3 million people are crowded into the south. More than 1 million are living in U.N. shelters. The Israeli military has barred hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled south from returning north.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rain and wind added to the hardship of displaced Palestinians sheltering in the compound of Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza. Palestinians in coats baked flatbreads over a makeshift fire among tents set up on the muddy grounds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Alaa Mansour said the conditions are simply horrendous.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“My clothes are all wet, and I am unable to change them,” said Mansour, who is disabled. “I have not drunk water for two days, and there’s no bathroom to use.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.N. says the truce made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war. But the 160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before the fighting, even as humanitarian needs have soared.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Long lines formed outside stations distributing cooking fuel, allowed in for the first time. Fuel for generators has been brought for key service providers, including hospitals and water and sanitation facilities, but bakeries have been unable to resume work, the U.N. said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iyad Ghafary, a vendor in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, said many families were still unable to retrieve the dead from under the rubble left by Israeli airstrikes, and that local authorities weren’t equipped to deal with the level of destruction.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many say the aid is not nearly enough.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Amani Taha, a widow and mother of three who fled northern Gaza, said she had only managed to get one canned meal from a U.N. distribution center since the cease-fire began.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said the crowds have overwhelmed local markets and gas stations as people try to stock up on basics. “People were desperate and went out to buy whenever they could,” she said. “They are extremely worried that the war will return.” 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, '2023-11-28 07:04:48', '2023-11-28 07:04:48'),
(10233, 10233, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In Bangladesh, the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector faces a financing gap of $2.8 billion, according to IFC, a member of the World Bank Group.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>With nearly 10 million SMEs contributing to about 25 percent of the country\'s GDP, enhancing SME financing is key to boosting economic growth, it said on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>To explore the various aspects of financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh, IFC, in association with Bangladesh Bank and the government of Norway, organized a conference in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>Experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the world shared their insights to help foster a resilient and inclusive environment for SME financing in the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The event touched upon the partnership between IFC and Bangladesh Bank, results of an impact assessment study carried out on women-owned SMEs, next-generation SME financing trends, and global best practices in SME financing.</div><div><br></div><div>It also addressed the challenges and opportunities in SME financing, identifying solutions and innovations in light of global SME finance developments.</div><div><br></div><div>Highlighting the joint efforts of IFC and Bangladesh Bank in SME financing, the conference showcased initiatives, including developing the country’s first Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS), reforming an SME finance policy, and strengthening the sector’s capacity.</div><div><br></div><div>IFC’s impact study on CGS, supported by the Norwegian Embassy, revealed that the number of first-time borrowers receiving loans in cottage, micro, and small enterprises and the average ticket size of the loans for women-owned micro and small enterprises was statistically significantly higher after the launch of CGS than ever before. Women entrepreneurs who received CGS-backed loans reported that it helped their businesses survive amid crises and provided new impetus to thrive.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at the conference as the chief guest, Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Abdur Rouf Talukder, said that recognizing that cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) are the backbone of society, Bangladesh Bank is spearheading several initiatives to mainstream medium and small businesses into the financial landscape.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This includes establishing a new and dedicated Credit Guarantee Department that has already piloted an online platform—the Credit Guarantee Information Management System—to help lodge applications seamlessly. We are at an important crossroads of economic development and must ensure that everyone, especially those who often get left out, can be part of the financial picture,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Abu Farah Md. Nasser, said a strong SME sector is akin to a superpower for creating jobs, export earnings, and productive proficiency.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Now more than ever, we need to work together to enhance credit guarantee schemes, tap into alternative databases for SME lending, and ultimately fast-track CMSME finance in Bangladesh. We want to bridge the gap between rich and poor, make sure men and women have equal opportunities, and boost economic growth across the country,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Martin Holtmann, IFC Country Manager for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, said Bangladesh is rapidly accelerating its economic development, and creating more and better jobs is a priority they share with the country as long-term partners since 1985.</div><div><br></div><div>\"IFC’s collaboration with Bangladesh Bank to develop SME solutions highlights a milestone in achieving financial inclusion and economic advancement and underscores the transformative power of partnerships, innovation, and our collective commitment to progress. We aim to increase access to financial products that are affordable, sustainable, and responsive to risks while developing institutional, operational, and policy frameworks to ensure the benefits of economic growth permeate every facet of this dynamic nation,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Espen Rikter-Svendsen, Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangladesh, said, “Lack of access to finance is the biggest impediment to the growth of SMEs in Bangladesh, particularly for the women-headed SMEs.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Recognizing and addressing the challenges faced by SMEs and women entrepreneurs is not just a matter of economic significance but also a step towards fostering gender equality, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is essential to create an environment that facilitates easier access to finance for SMEs, encourages more women to take on entrepreneurial roles, and provides them with the necessary financial resources to succeed,\" said the ambassador.</div><div><br></div><div>Other participants included Qamar Saleem, CEO of the SME Finance Forum; Abdoulaye Seck, Country Director of the World Bank for Bangladesh and Bhutan; and managing directors and CEOs of leading banking and non-banking financial institutions in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The event also included technical sessions and panel discussions focusing on global best practices and a future roadmap to accelerate the SME financing market in Bangladesh. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-28 08:25:49', '2023-11-28 08:25:49'),
(10234, 10234, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return this week to the Middle East as the U.S. hopes to find a way to extend a ceasefire in Gaza and get more hostages released, the State Department said Monday. It will be his third trip to the region since Israel\'s war with Hamas began last month.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Blinken will travel to Israel and the West Bank after attending Ukraine-focused meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels and Skopje, North Macedonia, where foreign ministers from NATO and the Organization for Peace and Security in Europe are gathering.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has agreed to pauses in its military operations in exchange for the gradual release of hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The agreement had been due to expire Monday but was extended for an additional two days, meaning the extension will be expiring just as Blinken is arriving in Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. hopes to see the pause extended further, but it is dependent on Hamas continuing to release hostages.</div><div><br></div><div>In Israel and the West Bank, Blinken will “discuss Israel’s right to defend itself consistent with international humanitarian law, as well as continued efforts to secure the release of remaining hostages, protect civilian life during Israel’s operations in Gaza, and accelerate humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Blinken also will discuss the principles for a post-conflict Gaza, as well as the need to establish an independent Palestinian state and prevent the conflict from widening.</div><div><br></div><div>In the occupied West Bank, Blinken is expected to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Blinken and other U.S. officials have said they believe the Palestinian Authority should play a significant role in governing post-conflict Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>From Israel and the West Bank, Blinken will travel to the United Arab Emirates for discussions with regional leaders who will be in Dubai to attend the COP28 climate summit.</div><div><br></div><div>Blinken has been engaged in furious diplomacy to try to prevent the Gaza conflict from spreading, expand the provision of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in the territory, secure the release of hostages and arrange for foreigners and dual nationals to leave Gaza overland to Egypt.</div><div><br></div><div>On each of his prior two trips, Blinken has traveled to Israel and Jordan multiple times. Between the two trips, he also made stops in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE.</div><div><br></div><div>Blinken will arrive in Israel having just participated in an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe foreign ministers meeting in Skopje. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said he plans to attend the OSCE meeting, possibly setting the stage for a U.S.-Russia confrontation there over Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>In Brussels, Blinken will attend the two-day NATO gathering, which will include the first foreign minister-level meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body created by alliance leaders at their last summit to improve cooperation and coordination and help prepare Kyiv for eventual membership.</div><div><br></div><div>“Allies will continue to support Ukraine’s self-defense until Russia stops its war of aggression,” said Jim O’Brien, the top U.S. diplomat for Europe.</div><div><br></div><div>The NATO meeting will also address the tensions in the Western Balkans, where there are calls for NATO to increase its military presence in response to concerns that hostility between Serbia and Kosovo could escalate to outright conflict.</div><div><br></div><div>Violence between the two has broken out twice in recent months, and Western countries fear that Russia could try to foment trouble in the Balkans to avert attention from the war in Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>Last week, Albania\'s prime minister urged NATO to further boost its military forces in Kosovo and secure the country’s borders with Serbia, warning that recent ethnic violence in Kosovo could potentially trigger a wider Balkan conflict. NATO has already strengthened its military presence in Kosovo — established after the 1999 bombing campaign against Serbia — with about 1,000 additional troops and heavier weaponry, bringing its deployment there to about 4,500 troops.</div><div><br></div><div>Blinken will underscore U.S. and NATO support for democracy and stability in the region, including a commitment to back all countries’ aspirations to join the European Union, O’Brien said.</div><div><br></div><div>Serbia doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s formal declaration of independence in 2008. Both countries want to join the European Union, which is mediating a dialogue between the former foes. Brussels has warned both that refusal to compromise jeopardizes their chances of joining the bloc.</div><div><br></div><div>The NATO ministers will also discuss plans for the alliance’s 75th anniversary summit to be held in Washington in July 2024. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-28 08:50:18', '2023-11-28 08:50:18'),
(10235, 10235, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Bangladesh today signed a $90 million loan agreement to develop infrastructure and systems that will provide clean drinking water and sanitation services in Bandarban, Lama, and Rangamati towns in the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) region.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Edimon Ginting, Country Director, ADB, signed the loan agreement on behalf of Bangladesh and ADB, respectively, at a ceremony at ERD in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are pleased to support the government in pursuing inclusive and climate-resilient development by providing clean drinking water and sanitation services and improving solid waste management in the lagging Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) region,” said ADB Country Director Ginting.</div><div><br></div><div>“The improved services will reduce the risks of water-borne diseases, enhance health and economic opportunities, and benefit women who spend considerable productive time daily collecting water and managing wastes,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Chattogram Hill Tracts Inclusive and Resilient Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project will develop water treatment plants with a total capacity of 44 million liters per day in Bandarban, Lama, and Rangamati towns, as well as 24 km of transmission line and 340 km of new water distribution network to connect to households.</div><div><br></div><div>In Bandarban and Lama, the project will also modernize sanitation and solid waste management systems through rehabilitated public toilets and the provision of vehicles to safely de-sludge fecal sludge and collect solid waste integrated with a geographic information system, and equip household waste bins with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to track waste collection.</div><div><br></div><div>The project will also develop two integrated waste management facilities to treat and manage fecal sludge and solid waste, said the regional development bank.</div><div><br></div><div>To maximize impact and sustainability, a community awareness and behavior change campaign on water, sanitation, hygiene, climate resilience, and solid waste management will be conducted.</div><div><br></div><div>The campaign will target 100,000 people, with at least 60 percent participation from women and the vulnerable population.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 300 staff (at least 90 percent of the eligible women staff) of the Department of Public Health Engineering, hill district councils, and municipalities will be trained on climate-resilient, inclusive, and sustainable water supply, sanitation, and solid waste management service delivery.</div><div><br></div><div>The project will also enhance the readiness for implementation of future investments in water supply and sanitation for 31 towns by preparing feasibility studies, detailed designs, and bidding documents following approaches that promote disaster and climate resilience as well as gender equity and social inclusion. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-28 09:33:12', '2023-11-28 09:33:12'),
(10236, 10236, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday called for international support for the countries which are worst-affected by climate displacements to prevent such situations from turning into a humanitarian crisis.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Most climate displacements take place within national borders and across borders in some dire situations,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this in a video statement that was played at the high-level segment on “Climate Impact on Human Mobility: A Global Call for Solutions” during the 114th Session of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Council held virtually.</div><div><br></div><div>She said it is estimated that climate change could displace 216 million people by 2050. Among these, 40 million alone would be in South Asia. In Bangladesh, 20 per cent of its population lives along the coastal belt.</div><div><br></div><div>“Sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, frequent floods, and severe cyclones make them vulnerable to forced displacement. Such displacements are happening at a faster pace than we think,” she warned.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that those displaced or trapped due to climate change need to have access to basic services, social protection, and livelihood options.</div><div><br></div><div>“The adverse impacts on their host communities also need to be addressed in an inclusive manner,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh, she said, bears the burden of hosting 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar in its coastal district of Cox’s Bazar.</div><div><br></div><div>“Some of these people fall victim to trafficking networks with security risks for the entire region. Such mixed migration flows make the issue of climate mobility even more problematic,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister reaffirmed Bangladesh’s position that the impact of climate change on human mobility should be placed high on the international agenda.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said that Bangladesh is working together with IOM and other partners to highlight the need for effective solutions.</div><div><br></div><div>“I feel assured that many Small Island Developing states are also taking leadership on this. We are pleased that COP-28, GFMD, and other international forums are attaching due importance to it,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In Bangladesh, she said that the government has started taking special initiatives for climate migrants within its modest resources.</div><div><br></div><div>“Under my flagship Ashrayan project, we are constructing 139 multi-storey buildings in Cox’s Bazar to provide safe housing to 4,400 families displaced due to a severe cyclone.”</div><div><br></div><div>She also said this climate rehabilitation project largest such initiative in the world is expected to become a local fishing, tourism, and wind power hub.</div><div><br></div><div>PM Hasina put five suggestions to address the issue of impact of climate change on human mobility.</div><div><br></div><div>These are:</div><div><br></div><div>“First, we need to address the climate impact of human mobility in a rights-based manner in line with the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration;</div><div><br></div><div>Second, we should consider the situation of climate migrants through the lens of climate justice to find context-specific solutions for the loss and damage they suffer.</div><div><br></div><div>Third, we must get prepared at local, national, and international levels for looking at migration as a climate adaptation strategy where it proves to be the best possible solution;</div><div><br></div><div>Fourth, we need to review the existing international protection standards to repurpose them for climate migrants, especially women, children, and other vulnerable groups; and</div><div>Fifth, we should invest in well-researched data and evidence on the impact of climate change on human mobility to build an objective case for it beyond narrow political considerations,” According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-28 10:48:38', '2023-11-28 10:48:38'),
(10237, 10237, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indian rescuers led by “rat miners” drilled through rocks and debris on Tuesday to reach 41 construction workers trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the Himalayas for 17 days.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The process of pulling out the 41 low-wage workers from India’s poorest states, one at a time on wheeled stretchers through a pipe 90 cm (3 feet) wide, was due to begin soon, officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Work of laying pipes in the tunnel to take out workers has been completed,” Uttarakhand state chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on the X social media platform, thanking the Hindu deity, Baba Baukh Nag Ji, as well as the millions of Indian who prayed for the men and the tireless rescuers.</div><div><br></div><div>“Soon, all the laborer brothers will be taken out.”</div><div><br></div><div>The men have been stuck in the 4.5km tunnel since it collapsed on Nov. 12.</div><div><br></div><div>They have been getting food, water, light, oxygen and medicines through a pipe but efforts to dig a tunnel to rescue them with high-powered drilling machines were frustrated by a series of snags.</div><div><br></div><div>Government agencies managing the unprecedented crisis turned on Monday to “rat miners” to drill through the rocks and gravel by hand from inside a 90 cm (3 feet) wide evacuation pipe pushed through the debris after machinery failed.</div><div><br></div><div>The miners are experts at a primitive, hazardous and controversial method used mostly to get at coal deposits through narrow passages, and get their name because they resemble burrowing rats.</div><div><br></div><div>The miners, brought from central India, worked through Monday night and finally broke through the estimated 60-meters of rocks, earth and metal on Tuesday afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>Dozens of rescue workers with ropes, ladders, and stretchers entered the tunnel and 41 ambulances were lined up outside to take the 41 men to a hospital about 30 km away.</div><div><br></div><div>Some rescue workers in hard-hats made victory signs and posed for pictures.</div><div><br></div><div>Relatives of the trapped men, who have been camping near the site, gathered outside the tunnel with luggage, ready to accompany the men to hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>“As he comes out, my heart will revive again,” the father of a trapped worker, who give his name as just Chaudhary, said of his son, Manjeet Chaudhary. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-28 10:52:15', '2023-11-28 10:52:15');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10238, 10238, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The latest 24-hour road-rail-waterway blockade, called by BNP, is underway across Bangladesh with reports of arson attacks.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka is witnessing usual traffic this morning despite the blockade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Commuters were seen going to their respective destinations in a rush while activities at government and private offices were going on as usual.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many students with guardians are going to their respective schools for their final exams.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A bus of Turag Paribahan was set on fire by miscreants at Dholaipar in Shyampur area of Dhaka at 5:30 am.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 428 patrol teams of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been deployed across the country to maintain law and order during the ongoing 24-hour rail, road and waterways blockade called by BNP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP called for a daylong blockade today and a daylong hartal on Thursday to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Party\'s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a virtual press briefing on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi said the programmes are also meant to mount pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government, and release BNP leaders and activists, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. 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, '2023-11-29 04:59:07', '2023-11-29 04:59:07'),
(10239, 10239, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Mohammed Shahabuddin today asked the graduates of \'Defence Services Command and Staff Course (DSCSC)-2023\' to utilize their skills and knowledge for people\'s welfare.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The 21st century\'s challenges are multifaceted, ranging from conventional to non-traditional . . . The rigorous training you have undergone here will flourish you with skills and knowledge which is necessary to face these complex challenges,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The President was addressing the Graduation Ceremony of DSCSC Course at Sheikh Hasina Complex in Mirpur Cantonment here.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said being public servant, it is your utmost duty to provide all-out efforts in implementing programs taken by the government for people\'s welfare.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This year a total of 257 officers, including 49 overseas officers from 24 friendly countries took part in the training course.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"You (graduates) will carry out duties and responsibilities with honor, courage, and dauntless dedication by maintaining rules-regulations and constitution of your respective countries,\" the President hoped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also congratulated the graduates for their successful completion of the DSCSC course as the graduates were awarded certificates as recognition of their dedication and hard work.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Shahabuddin conveyed his special appreciation to the DSCSC Commandant and other concerned, for successfully completing the program with utmost professionalism, hoping that DSCSC\'s outstanding professional offerings would continue at a similar pace in the days to come.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DSCSC has a pivotal role in making leaders who can contribute tremendously to ensuring security and prosperity of their respective countries, he mentioned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Head of State said the government of Bangladesh is committed to strengthening country\'s Armed Forces Division and so, has adopted the \"Forces Goal-2030\' to develop, expand, and modernize the Armed Forces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DSCSC is the oldest tri-service military training institute in Bangladesh. A total of 6236 officers have, so far, successfully graduated from this prestigious institution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Referring to the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to improve the life standard of countrymen, eradicate poverty and ensure happy and prosperous life of people, the President said all-out measures were taken by Bangabandhu to materialize his dreams.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But anti-liberation forces halted that process by assassinating Bangabandhu and most of his family members on August 15, 1975, the Head of State said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After Bangabandhu\'s assassination, “we have experienced many ups and downs in our economy”, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About DSCSC activities, the President also said that DSCSC brings together military leaders from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The bonds forged here would foster goodwill and understanding beyond boundaries in future”, he hoped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Shahabuddin also took part in two photo sessions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Commandant of Defence Services Command and Staff College Major General Md. Faizur Rahman delivered welcome speech at the function.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chiefs of the three Services, senior civil and military officials, among others, were present. 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, '2023-11-29 07:26:42', '2023-11-29 07:26:42'),
(10240, 10240, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><br></b></span></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The last date for submission of nomination papers for 12th parliament election is tomorrow (November 30) and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held between December 1 and 4.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is December 17, an official release said.</div><div><br></div><div>The candidates could appeal against the Returning Officers\' (ROs) decisions between December 6 and 15.</div><div><br></div><div>The ROs will distribute electoral symbols among candidates on December 18 and the candidates could conduct their electioneering from December 18 to 8am on January 5. BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-29 07:33:57', '2023-11-29 07:33:57'),
(10241, 10241, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Helper of a truck suffered burn injuries from a petrol bomb attack in Narayanganj’s Sonargaon area on Tuesday (November 28, 2023) night.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Md Saimon, 20, is currently undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at the truck at Singlabo area, said Sheikh Billal Hossain, additional superintendent of police in Narayanganj.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police are working to identify the arsonist, he said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tiles-carrying truck was on its way to Sirajganj from Sonargaon’s&nbsp; Meghnaghat area through the Asian Highway.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The truck driver managed to get down quickly, and several parts of the truck were burnt.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Locals rescued the helper and rushed him to hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On information, police rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire with the help of locals.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-29 07:42:10', '2023-11-29 07:42:10'),
(10242, 10242, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves continued to fall with the usable reserves standing now at USD $ 15.82 billion as per IMF guideline, according to banking sources familiar with the development on Tuesday (November 28, 2023).</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the period of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, the reserves had soared to $48 billion, thanks to greater inflow of remittances amid reduced import demand. The reserves started decreasing since the eased import restrictions and impact of the Russia-Ukraine war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The latest foreign exchange report of Bangladesh Bank (BB) revealed that the country\'s reserves on 23 November stood at $19.52 billion based on the IMF formula (Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual) or BPM6.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the formula, the net reserves will be $3.7 billion less than the total reserve amount, the BB sources said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BB spokesperson Mezbaul Haque in this regard told UNB that foreign exchange from reserves is spent and deposited every day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is a continuous process of a country, he said advising common people not to panic at the news of decreasing foreign exchange.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In July, Bangladesh started calculating its foreign reserves according to a formula suggested by the International Monetary Fund – BPM6.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the new calculation, Bangladesh\'s gross foreign exchange reserves that time dropped by $26.44bn to $23.56bn. 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, '2023-11-29 07:47:57', '2023-11-29 07:47:57'),
(10243, 10243, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A truce between Israel and Hamas enters its sixth day Wednesday after additional hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, with mediators pushing for a \"sustainable\" ceasefire.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">After a 48-hour extension of an initial four-day truce, a new group of 12 hostages was freed from Gaza on Tuesday, with 30 Palestinians released by Israel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The final 24 hours of the extended agreement begins later Wednesday, with one more exchange of hostages for prisoners expected, but mediator Qatar said it was hoping for a more durable arrangement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our main focus right now, and our hope, is to reach a sustainable truce that will lead to further negotiations and eventually to an end... to this war,\" foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told a Doha news conference.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"However, we are working with what we have. And what we have right now is the provision to the agreement that allows us to extend days as long as Hamas is able to guarantee the release of at least 10 hostages.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That provision has allowed the two-day extension that saw 10 Israeli hostages released from Gaza overnight Tuesday, along with two Thais freed outside the scope of the agreement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AFP journalist saw masked and armed fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad hand over hostages to Red Cross officials in Rafah, near the border with Egypt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Israeli hostages freed were all women, including 17-year-old Mia Leimberg, who returned to Israel with her mother and aunt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The three were all abducted from kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, and the teenager was seen after her release holding her dog Bella.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There have been few direct accounts so far of the conditions faced by hostages, but the grandmother of 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi, who was released on Monday, said the boy had been held in solitary confinement for 16 days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The days that he was alone were horrible,\" Esther Yaeli told Israeli news website Walla. \"Now Eitan appears very withdrawn.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'High risk of famine\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel\'s government has received a list of the new hostages to be freed Wednesday, local media reported. There was no official confirmation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, 60 Israeli hostages have been freed from Gaza under the terms of the deal, with a Russian-Israeli, 20 Thais and one Filipino freed outside the scope of the agreement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In return, 180 Palestinian prisoners -- all women and minors -- have been released.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among them was 14-year-old Ahmad Salaima who returned to his home in east Jerusalem to cheers and hugs from relatives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"When Ahmed was in prison, we couldn\'t visit him, even though he\'s the youngest Palestinian prisoner at just 14 years old,\" his father Nayef said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The truce agreement has brought a temporary halt to fighting sparked by Hamas\'s October 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel\'s subsequent aerial and land campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 15,000 people, according to Hamas officials, and rendered large parts of the territory\'s north uninhabitable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The World Food Programme warned Tuesday that Gaza\'s population faced a \"high risk of famine if WFP is not able to provide continued access to food.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Conditions in the territory are \"catastrophic,\" the agency\'s Middle East director said, while a spokesman for the UN children\'s agency UNICEF said aid entering Gaza under the truce deal was \"not even enough for triage.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The dire humanitarian situation has piled on pressure for a more lasting pause or even an end to the fighting, though Israel has made clear it sees the truce as a brief interlude to ensure hostage releases before its war continues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The head of the CIA and the director of Israel\'s Mossad spy agency were in Doha to discuss the truce with Qatar\'s prime minister, a source briefed on their visit said, asking not to be named because of the talks\' sensitivity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The discussions aim \"to build on the progress of the extended humanitarian pause agreement and to initiate further discussions about the next phase of a potential deal,\" the source added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'We are fed up\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Tuesday, Hamas and Israel traded accusations of truce violations, but Qatar\'s Ansari said the \"minimal breaches\" did not \"harm the essence of the agreement.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Israel\'s allies have been wary of calling for a complete end to military operations designed to eliminate Hamas, but foreign ministers from the Group of Seven have urged a longer truce.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We support the further extension of this pause and future pauses as needed to enable assistance to be scaled up, and to facilitate the release of all hostages,\" they said in a statement Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Washington has also warned Israel that any fresh offensive in southern Gaza must be \"done in a way... not designed to produce significant further displacement,\" a senior US official said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An estimated 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to leave their homes so far, more than half the territory\'s population.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I hope this truce will lead to a complete ceasefire, because we are fed up of sleeping outdoors in the rain, of losing our loved ones and having to flee,\" said Umm Mohammed, who was driven from her home in northern Gaza by the assault.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The truce in Gaza has not ended violence in the occupied West Bank, where two Palestinian teenagers were killed in clashes with Israeli troops on Tuesday, the Palestinian health ministry said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since the October 7 attacks, more than 230 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to the ministry. 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, '2023-11-29 07:53:03', '2023-11-29 07:53:03'),
(10244, 10244, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A total of 161 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed across the country to maintain law and order as the daylong countrywide hartal called by the BNP is underway since this morning.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Twenty-two of the platoons have been deployed in Dhaka and adjoining districts to avert any untoward incident, said sources at BGB headquarters on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, 442 patrol teams of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been deployed across the country, including 146 patrol teams in the capital, as arson attacks on vehicles have been happening.</div><div><br></div><div>Members of BGB and RAB have been performing their duties to ensure safety of lives and properties in the country since the opposition parties began observing blockades and hartal from the end of last month. UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-30 05:25:14', '2023-11-30 05:25:14'),
(10245, 10245, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state whose unapologetic promotion of raw American power helped shape the post-World War II world, died Wednesday at the age of 100, his consulting firm said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Dr. Henry Kissinger, a respected American scholar and statesman, died today at his home in Connecticut,\" Kissinger Associates announced in a statement late Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It said that Kissinger\'s family would hold a private funeral, with a memorial service to take place later in New York.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It did not provide a cause of death. Kissinger had remained active even at as a centenarian, traveling to China in July to meet President Xi Jinping.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">China was one of Kissinger\'s most lasting legacies. Hoping to shake up the Cold War fight against the Soviet Union, Kissinger secretly reached out to China, culminating in a historic 1972 visit by president Richard Nixon and later the US establishment of relations with Beijing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the Watergate scandal brought down Nixon, Kissinger served under his successor, Gerald Ford. In an unprecedented arrangement, Kissinger served both as secretary of state and national security advisory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiations to end the Vietnam War, even though the conflict continued afterward and his North Vietnamese counterpart, Le Duc Tho, declined to accept the prize.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">While Kissinger\'s intellectual gifts were begrudgingly acknowledged even by his critics, he remains deeply controversial for his ruthless philosophy of realpolitik -- the cold calculation that nations pursue their own interests through power.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Declassified documents showed that Kissinger gave his blessing to the undermining of Chile\'s elected Marxist president Salvador Allende and later the 1973 coup by General Augusto Pinochet.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kissinger also supported Indonesia, a close anti-communist ally, as it seized East Timor in 1975, and turned a blind eye to Pakistan\'s mass atrocities as Bangladesh won independence in 1971, seeing Islamabad as valuable as the go-between with China. 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, '2023-11-30 05:28:22', '2023-11-30 05:28:22'),
(10246, 10246, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A truce between Israel and Hamas will continue, both sides said Thursday, moments before the deal was due to expire, though details of any official agreement remained unclear.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"In light of the mediators\' efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the framework, the operational pause will continue,\" the Israeli military said, without specifying a timeframe.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas meanwhile said there was an agreement to \"extend the truce for a seventh day,\" without further details.AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-11-30 05:30:36', '2023-11-30 05:30:36'),
(10247, 10247, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality has been categorised as ‘unhealthy’ for three consecutive days.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 167 at 8:54 am today, Dhaka ranked eighth on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan’s Karachi and Lahore and Vietnam’s Hanoi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 289, 273 and 238, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', while a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a 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.</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, 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, '2023-11-30 05:32:51', '2023-11-30 05:32:51'),
(10248, 10248, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Today is the last date for submission of nomination papers for 12th parliament election and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held between December 1 and 4.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is December 17, an official release said yesterday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The candidates could appeal against the Returning Officers\' (ROs) decisions between December 6 and 15.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ROs will distribute electoral symbols among candidates on December 18 and the candidates could conduct their electioneering from December 18 to 8am on January 5. 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, '2023-11-30 08:19:00', '2023-11-30 08:19:00'),
(10249, 10249, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United Nations has said they do not deploy observers to elections like Bangladesh one, noting that they rarely do that without a specific mandate.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The UN is not deploying observers to these elections. We don\'t… we rarely, rarely do that without a specific mandate,\" Spokesman for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular briefing on November 29.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said they have seen the reports from Human Rights Watch and other organisations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We again call on all parties involved to ensure that people are able to express their votes freely, their opinion freely, free of any harassment,” the spokesman said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Candidates of 30 political parties out of 44 registered political parties have submitted nomination papers for the January 7 national election. 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, '2023-12-01 08:56:31', '2023-12-01 08:56:31'),
(10250, 10250, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday said It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to take action for any violence or chaos centring the national election.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Awami League has confidence in the decisions of the Election Commission,” he said at a press briefing at the AL president’s Dhanmondi office in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said BNP could not distract people from the election by hartal, blockade and arson terrorism.</div><div><br></div><div>“People have become completely election-oriented. There will be a record voter turnout in this election, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“BNP\'s ill efforts to make the election questionable and prevent it are still continuing. The people of Bangladesh are united under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina. That\'s why they\'re looking forward to cast vote,” said the AL leader.</div><div><br></div><div>The leaders and activists of the BNP are frustrated and they have lost confidence, he said adding that the people of the country cannot be distracted from the election by hatching conspiracies.</div><div><br></div><div>Awami League Presidium Member Kamrul Islam, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and other central leaders were present at the press briefing. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 04:35:14', '2023-12-02 04:35:14'),
(10251, 10251, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A large number of nomination papers were submitted amidst fanfare and festivity by aspiring candidates for the upcoming 12th national election, to be held on January 7, 2024.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A fraction of BNP, the major opposition political party — instead of participating — has resorted to burning private and public properties, blockades, hartals, and are boycotting the upcoming election although many of its own leaders are participating, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on its verified Facebook page, posted today.</div><div><br></div><div>This update on the election front is likely to be shared with the foreign missions in Dhaka through email, a source at the ministry told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The Election Commission received a total of 2,711 nomination papers against 300 constituencies across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>After completion of the 15-day timeframe on November 30, 2023, candidates totalling 1,964 from 30 out of 44 registered parties submitted their nomination papers.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 303 candidates from Awami League, 304 from Jatiya Party, 218 from Zaker Party, 151 from Trinomul BNP, 142 from National Peoples Party, 116 from Bangladesh Congress, and others from the remaining parties submitted their nomination papers.</div><div><br></div><div>The participation of the candidates across a wide variety of political parties with a lot of interest and enthusiasm has so far been a hallmark of the free, fair and transparent election process which the Election Commission is committed to, according to the ministry of foreign affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>Additionally, it said, a staggering 747 candidates submitted their nomination papers as independent candidates, including around 33 former BNP MPs and leaders. \"This also highlights the participatory nature of the upcoming elections.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The nomination papers will be scrutinized on December 1-4, 2023, and candidatures can be withdrawn by December 17, 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>The schedule for the 12th national parliamentary election was announced by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on November 15, 2023. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 06:39:06', '2023-12-02 06:39:06'),
(10252, 10252, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The European Union has said the authorities in Bangladesh should increase the pace of implementing its commitments on labour rights included in the National Action Plan (NAP) and ILO roadmap, and continue to report regularly on progress achieved in line with the timelines provided with respect to key concerns.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Thanks to progress achieved in ratifying ILO Conventions in recent years, Bangladesh has ratified all the 27 GSP+ international conventions referred to in the GSP Regulation,” said the EU.</div><div><br></div><div>Full compliance with the GSP+ relevant international conventions should also be seen in light of the expected future graduation of Bangladesh from LDC status, which would imply moving from the \'Everything But Arms\' (EBA) arrangement to standard GSP, according to an evaluation report released by the European Commission.</div><div><br></div><div>In this context, it is important that Bangladesh can demonstrate that it meets its obligations under the GSP regulation, in particular as mentioned above, the labour rights reforms under the National Action Plan and respecting international human rights standards.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU will continue to closely monitor the implementation of Bangladesh’s GSP commitments, and will foster the ongoing engagement.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the key concerns on human rights, Bangladesh should improve freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and civil society space; investigate cases of alleged torture, ill-treatment, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances; fully implement the recommendations of the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) including with respect to the abolition of the death penalty, as well as the conclusions of UN treaty monitoring bodies, according to Bangladesh section of the report on “EU Enhanced Engagement with three Everything But Arms beneficiary countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar.”</div><div><br></div><div>This is the second joint Staff Working Document (SWD) dedicated to enhanced engagement with three GSP beneficiary countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar.</div><div><br></div><div>Enhanced engagement started in 2017 with these three beneficiary countries under the EBA arrangement in the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) and has not been extended to other EBA beneficiaries so far.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh remains by far the most important beneficiary of the EBA arrangement in terms of exports to the EU. EBA preferences have contributed significantly to the country’s remarkable economic growth and associated social progress over the past decades.</div><div><br></div><div>The economic performance in terms of GDP growth continued to be positive in the period 2020 to 2022 despite the COVID-19 pandemic (contrary to many other GSP beneficiaries).</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh met the (Least Developed Country) LDC graduation criteria in 2018 and 2021 and is now scheduled to graduate from LDC status in 2026, having been granted an exceptional 5-year transition period by the UN due to challenges stemming from the pandemic.</div><div><br></div><div>Graduation from LDC status will also imply exit from the EBA arrangement three years later according to the current GSP Regulation.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU’s share of Bangladesh’s exports reached 51.8% in 2022, making the EU the most important export market by far. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 06:56:47', '2023-12-02 06:56:47'),
(10253, 10253, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A protester outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta was in critical condition Friday after setting themself on fire, in what police said was likely an “extreme” political statement.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“A Palestinian flag was reported at the location and was part of the protest,” said Darin Schierbaum, police chief of the southern US city.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the incident was “likely an extreme act of political protest.”</div><div><br></div><div>A security guard was also injured after trying to stop the protester, according to emergency first responders.</div><div>“Both individuals sustained burns,” Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith told journalists.</div><div><br></div><div>He did not specify the age or gender of the protester.</div><div><br></div><div>“The security guard noticed that the individual was attempting to set themselves afire” shortly after the protester arrived outside the consulate building around noon (1700 GMT), Smith said.</div><div><br></div><div>The guard “immediately attempted but failed to stop the individual.”</div><div><br></div><div>The guard was burned on his wrist and leg, Smith said, while the protester was in critical condition with “full thickness” burns to their body. Both were taken to the hospital, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>“We actually have dedicated patrols that are occurring at this location and other Jewish and Muslim communities in the city,” Schierbaum added.</div><div><br></div><div>The United States has seen an uptick in Anti-Semitic, anti-Arab and Islamophobic threats and violence since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza in October.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this week a US man was charged with attempted murder over the shooting of three men of Palestinian descent in Vermont, and a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death in Illinois in October. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 08:33:04', '2023-12-02 08:33:04'),
(10254, 10254, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Astronomers have discovered a rare in-sync solar system with six planets moving like a grand cosmic orchestra, untouched by outside forces since their birth billions of years ago.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The find, announced Wednesday, can help explain how solar systems across the Milky Way galaxy came to be. This one is 100 light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. A light-year is 5.8 trillion miles.</div><div><br></div><div>A pair of planet-hunting satellites — NASA’s Tess and the European Space Agency’s Cheops — teamed up for the observations.</div><div><br></div><div>None of the planets in perfect synchrony are within the star’s so-called habitable zone, which means little if any likelihood of life, at least as we know it.</div><div><br></div><div>“Here we have a golden target” for comparison, said Adrien Leleu of the University of Geneva, who was part of an international team that published the results in the journal Nature.</div><div><br></div><div>This star, known as HD 110067, may have even more planets. The six found so far are roughly two to three times the size of Earth, but with densities closer to the gas giants in our own solar system. Their orbits range from nine to 54 days, putting them closer to their star than Venus is to the sun and making them exceedingly hot.</div><div><br></div><div>As gas planets, they\'re believed to have solid cores made of rock, metal or ice, enveloped by thick layers of hydrogen, according to the scientists. More observations are needed to determine what\'s in their atmospheres.</div><div><br></div><div>This solar system is unique because all six planets move similar to a perfectly synchronized symphony, scientists said. In technical terms, it’s known as resonance that\'s “precise, very orderly,” said co-author Enric Palle of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.</div><div><br></div><div>The innermost planet completes three orbits for every two by its closest neighbor. It\'s the same for the second- and third-closest planets, and the third- and fourth-closest planets.</div><div><br></div><div>The two outermost planets complete an orbit in 41 and 54.7 days, resulting in four orbits for every three. The innermost planet, meanwhile, completes six orbits in exactly the time the outermost completes one.</div><div><br></div><div>All solar systems, including our own, are thought to have started out like this one, according to the scientists. But it\'s estimated only 1-in-100 systems have retained that synchrony, and ours isn\'t one of them. Giant planets can throw things off-kilter. So can meteor bombardments, close encounters with neighboring stars and other disturbances.</div><div><br></div><div>While astronomers know of 40 to 50 in-sync solar systems, none have as many planets in such perfect step or as bright a star as this one, Palle said.</div><div><br></div><div>The University of Bern’s Hugh Osborn, who was part of the team, was “shocked and delighted” when the orbital periods of this star system’s planets came close to what scientists predicted.</div><div><br></div><div>“My jaw was on the floor,” he said. “That was a really nice moment.” - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 09:03:19', '2023-12-02 09:03:19'),
(10255, 10255, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Awami League nominated candidate for Chattogram-15 constituency Abu Reza Mohammad Nezamuddin Nadwi has been served a show-cause notice for violating the electoral code of conduct.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The letter, signed by the chairman of the Election Investigation Committee and Senior Assistant Judge Shahnewaz Moni, was sent to Nadwi on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>The letter mentioned a complaint from independent&nbsp; candidate Abdul Motaleb that Nadwi’s men stopped his supporters on November 30 (Thursday) at Deodighi Bazar and also beat some of them.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, Abdul Motaleb alleged that when he was going towards Chattogram city around 4:00 pm on Thursday Nadwi’s men in Satkania Keranihat threatened him with various indecent gestures.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>They set fire to Abdul Motaleb\'s picture and behaved aggressively.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Nadwi submitted his explanation to the committee on Saturday afternoon through his representative.</div><div><br></div><div>The AL nominated candidate could not be reached for comment as he did not receive the correspondent’s phone. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 09:49:31', '2023-12-02 09:49:31'),
(10256, 10256, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The knock-out stage quarterfinals of the season\'s ccurtain-raiser soccer meet, The Independence Cup Football 2023, begins on Sunday at two different venues across the country.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Group A champions Bangladesh Police will meet Group B runners-up Rahmatganj MFS in the first quarterfinal on Sunday at 4:00 pm at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Group B champions Dhaka Abahani Ltd will face Group A runners-up Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the seconf quarterfinal also on Sunday at 1:45 pm at the Bir Shreshtha Fl Lt Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj.</div><div><br></div><div>After a recess on Monday, Dhaka Mohammedan SC, the champions of Group C, will encounter Group D runners-up Chattogram Abahani Limited in the third quarterfinal on Tuesday at 1:45 pm at the Bir Shreshtha Fl Lt Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj.</div><div><br></div><div>Star-studded Bashundhara Kings, the champions of Group D, will play Group C runners-up Bangladesh Army Football team in the fourth and last quarterfinal, also on Tuesday at 4:00 pm at their home ground -- Bashundhara Kings Arena.</div><div><br></div><div>The two semifinals will be held ten days later, after the Bashundhara Kings vital AFC Cup Football match against Indian giant Odisha FC, billed for December 11 at Kalindi Stadum in Bhubaneswar.</div><div><br></div><div>The first semifinal will be held on December 15 at&nbsp; 1:45 pm at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj, while the second semifinal will also be held on the same day at 4:00 pm at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>The title-deciding final match will commence on December 18 at 1:45 pm at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 10:23:32', '2023-12-02 10:23:32'),
(10257, 10257, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Minhajul Islam, a second-year student of Master Da Surja Sen hall of University of Dhaka, jumped from the second floor of the hall to escape damage from the earthquake.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>During the earthquake, he jumped from his room (233) through the window which resulted in injury to his toe.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical college Hospital for treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr. Zakir Hossen Vuiyan, provost of the Surja Sen hall, confirmed the matter and said that the student sustained injury in his toe and was admitted in the orthopedic department of the DMCH.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from this, some students were injured while leaving the room in a hurry.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this morning, the earthquake, measuring 5.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale, jolted Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>It lasted for a few seconds, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 10:30:53', '2023-12-02 10:30:53');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10258, 10258, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The BNP and like-minded opposition parties are set to enforce their next round of a 48-hour blockade, oborodh, covering road-rail-waterways across the country from Sunday morning. When these successive, almost daily or non-stop programmes - weekends and usually Tuesdays ommitted for some breathing space - started in early November, they were protesting the Election Commission\'s announcement of the schedule for the 12th general election.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>They now encompass pressuring the government to quit, and to hold the next election under a non-party neutral government, the entire movement\'s holy grail. The release from police custody of party leaders and activists, including BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, also features prominently in their demands.</div><div><br></div><div>The blockade will begin at 6am on Sunday and end at 6m on Tuesday. It will be the ninth round of the blockade programme of the opposition parties since October 31.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a virtual press briefing on Saturday night, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi called upon the country\'s people and the supporters of BNP and other opposition parties to observe the programme spontaneously to make it a success.</div><div><br></div><div>Vehicles of the newspapers or media, ambulances and vehicles transporting oxygen cylinders and medicines will remain out of the purview of the blockade.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Thursday, Rizvi announced a fresh blockade programme around three hours before the end of the opposition’s day-long hartal - a change up to coincide with the EC\'s deadline for submitting nomination papers for said election - on the same grounds.</div><div><br></div><div>He said other opposition parties, who have long been carrying out the simultaneous movement with BNP, will also observe a similar programme.</div><div><br></div><div>The opposition parties observed blockades in eight phases to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration.</div><div><br></div><div>They also observed a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal on October 29 in protest against the attacks on BNP’s grand rally at Nayapaltan that ended amid the incidents of torching vehicles and clashes, leaving three people dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Half an hour into the start of BNP\'s much-talked-about grand rally at Nayapaltan on October 28, BNP leaders and workers locked in a clash with the ruling party activists and police at Kakrail. The violent clashes soon spread around Nayapaltan, foiling the rally midway. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 11:22:12', '2023-12-02 11:22:12'),
(10259, 10259, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General (DG) Major General AKM Nazmul Hasan on Saturday directed his forces to remain ready to maintain internal law and order ahead of the forthcoming 12th parliamentary elections, billed for January 7 next.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He came up with the directive in a views-exchange meeting with the BGB members while inspecting border areas in Sylhet’s Sreemangal and Kurigram on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>DG Nazmul gave directives to the BGB members to always work for the country with highest professionalism.</div><div><br></div><div>He ordered the BGB personnel to perform duty to resist drugs and arms smuggling through borders along with developing bilateral relations.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of regular activity, the BGB head inspected the Mymensingh sector, operational, training and administrative functions of the BGB there.</div><div><br></div><div>Senior officials of BGB headquarters, Sarail Region Commander, Sreemangal sector commander, Mymensingh sector commander and commanders of concerned battalions and other officials were present during the visit. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 11:34:15', '2023-12-02 11:34:15'),
(10260, 10260, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Bangladesh-sponsored resolution on \"strengthening Member States\' capacities in developing productive, resilient and sustainable supply chains,\" has been unanimously adopted by the 20th General Conference of the UN Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, in Vienna.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Heads of government, ministers, and high-level delegations from 172 member states of UNIDO are participating in this week-long conference.</div><div><br></div><div>The global supply chain experienced a massive disruption due to the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine war, which affected producers, industries, and consumers across the world, said a media release on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>This resolution would allow UNIDO, which works more closely with the private sector than perhaps any other arm of the UN, to help countries and economies to promote supply chain resilience and thus prepare them for any such future situation.</div><div><br></div><div>The resolution will also foster the necessary dialogue among relevant stakeholders and delivering concrete actions to ensure the sustainability, resilience, and productivity of global and regional supply chains, with a specific emphasis on supporting producer countries and suppliers.</div><div><br></div><div>This resolution will enable UNIDO to build its own capacity towards ensuring its fair participation in the supply chain, by equitable profit sharing among all the&nbsp; stakeholders which will contribute to secure fair price, skill and knowledge transfer. As well as access to market and technology, and productivity to the participating firms from the developing countries.</div><div><br></div><div>The resolution on the supply chain tabled by Bangladesh was the only resolution adopted by the General Conference through negotiation.</div><div><br></div><div>There were two other resolutions, a resolution on gender equality submitted by Mexico and Norway and another one on environmental sustainability and circular economy submitted by Armenia,&nbsp; which could not be adopted due to the acute differences in positions/views among the member states.</div><div><br></div><div>The Bangladesh delegation, through its unwavering efforts over the last four weeks, succeeded in bringing all the member states on board in adopting the resolution unanimously. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 11:50:51', '2023-12-02 11:50:51'),
(10261, 10261, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Some 117 governments pledged to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030 at the UN’s COP28 climate summit today, as a route to cut the share of fossil fuels in the world’s energy production.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The pledge was among a slew of COP28 announcements aimed at decarbonising the energy sector – the source of around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions — that included expanding nuclear power, cutting methane emissions, and choking off private finance for coal power.</div><div><br></div><div>“This can and will help transition the world away from unabated coal,” said Sultan al-Jaber, the United Arab Emirates’ COP28 summit president.</div><div><br></div><div>Led by the European Union, US and UAE, the pledge also said tripling renewable energy would help remove CO2-emitting fossil fuels from the world’s energy system by 2050 at the latest.</div><div><br></div><div>Backers on Saturday included Brazil, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Canada, Chile and Barbados.</div><div><br></div><div>While China and India have signalled support for tripling renewable energy by 2030, neither backed the overall pledge today, which pairs the ramp-up in clean power with a reduction in fossil fuel use.</div><div><br></div><div>Backers including the EU and UAE want the renewable energy pledge included in the final UN climate summit decision, to make it a global goal. That would require consensus among the nearly 200 countries present.</div><div><br></div><div>The pledge, a draft of which was first reported by Reuters last month, also called for “the phase down of unabated coal power” and an end to the financing of new coal-fired power plants. It also included a target to double the global rate of energy efficiency by 2030.</div><div><br></div><div>Climate vulnerable countries insisted that the goals must be paired with a deal among countries at COP28 to phase out the world’s use of fossil fuels.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is only half the solution. The pledge can’t greenwash countries that are simultaneously expanding fossil fuel production,” said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands.</div><div><br></div><div>While deployment of renewables like solar and wind has been surging globally for years, rising costs, labour constraints and supply chain issues have forced project delays and cancellations in recent months, costing developers like Orsted and BP billions of dollars in writedowns.</div><div><br></div><div>Hitting the target for 10,000 gigawatts of global installed renewable energy by 2030 will also require governments and financial institutions to hike investments and address the high cost of capital that has stymied renewable energy projects in developing nations.</div><div><br></div><div>“The mismatch still exists between our potentiality and our limitations to attract investment,” said Najib Ahmed, a consultant at Somalia’s climate ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>Africa has received just 2% of global investments in renewable energy over the last two decades, the International Renewable Energy Agency said.</div><div><br></div><div>Nuclear nudge</div><div><br></div><div>More than 20 nations also signed a declaration today aiming to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050, with US climate envoy John Kerry saying the world cannot achieve “net zero” emissions without building new reactors.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are not making the argument that this is absolutely going to be the sweeping alternative to every other energy source,” Kerry said during a launch ceremony at COP28.</div><div><br></div><div>“But … you can’t get to net-zero 2050 without some nuclear, just as you can’t get there without some use of carbon capture, utilisation and storage,” Kerry said.</div><div><br></div><div>Global nuclear capacity now stands at 370 gigawatts, with 31 countries running reactors. Tripling that capacity by 2050 would require a significant scaling up in new approvals – and finance.</div><div><br></div><div>Other pledges took aim at coal, the most CO2-emitting fossil fuel.</div><div><br></div><div>France said it would rally a group of nations to ask the OECD to measure the climate and financial risks attached to investing in new coal assets, to deter private financiers from backing projects.</div><div><br></div><div>Coal users Kosovo and the Dominican Republic also agreed to develop plans to phase out their coal-fuelled power.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, nearly 50 oil and gas companies including Exxon Mobil signed the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter, an initiative driven by COP president Sultan al-Jaber to cut operational emissions by 2050.</div><div><br></div><div>The charter was criticised by environmental groups who said the commitments were merely a distraction from the COP28 process and fail to deal with the emissions caused by burning fossil fuels.</div><div><br></div><div>“The pledge doesn’t cover a drop of the fuel they sell, which accounts for up to 95% of the oil and gas industry’s contribution to the climate crisis,” said Melanie Robinson, Global Climate programme director at the World Resources Institute. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 12:04:18', '2023-12-02 12:04:18'),
(10262, 10262, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">&nbsp;As global tributes to late US diplomat Henry Kissinger poured in, his death stirred fury across Southeast Asia.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Homage has been paid to Kissinger’s realpolitik and intellectual heft as secretary of state to US presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.</div><div><br></div><div>But in Southeast Asia, millions have remembered when the US bombed swathes of Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War, an onslaught ordered by Kissinger and Nixon.</div><div><br></div><div>“Every single time I hear Kissinger’s name, my blood boils,” Sera Koulabdara, who fled Laos with her family at age six, told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>The bombing was a failed attempt to disrupt rebel movements and strengthen Washington’s hand as it pulled out of Vietnam.</div><div><br></div><div>Koulabdara said her father remembered the bombing.</div><div><br></div><div>“He described it as a roaring rain, but instead of water, it was flames.”</div><div><br></div><div>Laos became the world’s most-bombed country per capita from 1964 to 1973 as the US dropped more than two million tonnes of ordnance, equal to a plane load of bombs every eight minutes.</div><div><br></div><div>Since then, unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the impoverished country has killed or wounded at least 20,000 Laotians.</div><div><br></div><div>“The life-threatening problem that exists in Laos is a direct result of the US’s barbaric decisions and one of the main architects, Kissinger,” said Koulabdara, who heads advocacy group Legacies of War. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 12:08:38', '2023-12-02 12:08:38'),
(10263, 10263, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Germany have lifted the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over France in Surakarta.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Goals from Paris Brunner and Noah Darvich gave the Germans a 2-0 lead, but a quick-fire goal by Saimon Bouabre and a red card for Winners Osawe shifted the momentum in France\'s favour, with Mathis Amougou later turning home an 85th-minute equaliser. Germany would ultimately prevail, though, following a topsy-turvy 4-3 shootout win.</div><div><br></div><div>The European champions started the game in lightning-quick fashion and thought they had opened the scoring early on when Brunner rifled home from close-range, but the goal was ruled out by the assistant for an offside in the build-up.</div><div><br></div><div>Brunner wouldn\'t be denied for long, however. After some penalty-box pinball, Bilal Yalcinkaya nipped in front of Aymen Sadi whose outstretched leg brought down the forward. Following an on-field review, referee Espen Eskas awarded a spot-kick which Brunner confidently stroked home just before the half-hour mark.</div><div><br></div><div>Germany didn\'t let up and would double their lead just after the break. Max Moerstedt broke down the right and played a teasing ball looking for Brunner, and while it didn\'t reach its intended target, captain Darvich followed up to turn the ball home from a tight angle.</div><div><br></div><div>That goal seemingly sparked France into life and they found a route back into the game almost immediately. Bouabre skipped past a German challenge down the left and arrowed a terrific strike into the bottom corner to halve the arrears barely two minutes later.</div><div><br></div><div>The momentum shift became all the more evident soon after, as Osawe was sent off for a second booking following a late challenge on Ismail Bouneb in the 69th minute.</div><div><br></div><div>France kept pushing and would eventually be rewarded five minutes from time. Tidiam Gomis broke away down the right after a nice one-two and laid the ball across for Amougou to turn home from close-range and send the game to a shootout.</div><div><br></div><div>Konstantin Heide would come up trumps once again for Germany, though, as the goalkeeper saved two France penalties, allowing Almugera Kabar to confidently dispatch the winning spot-kick. Source: FIFA.COM&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-02 12:34:13', '2023-12-02 12:34:13'),
(10264, 10264, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Sunday underlined the importance of building the country\'s&nbsp; manpower as efficient and smart to keep pace with the rapid expansion and development of ICT.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is the prime responsibility of a government to take necessary steps to meet the hopes and aspirations of the people and nation,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was addressing the graduation ceremony of National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Course 2023 held at NDC, Mirpur Cantonment.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Underscoring the role of civil and military bureaucracy in this regard, he said present government is trying hard to build Bangladesh as ‘Sonar Bangla’, the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said Bangladesh is rapidly moving forward on the path of development.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"You can observe the massive social upliftment through the recent developments, such as the Padma Multi-Purpose Bridge, Metro Rail Service, Dhaka Elevated Expressway, the Third Terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Bangabandhu Tunnel and many others while Mega projects like Matarbari Deep Sea Port, Rooppur Power Plant, Ghorashal Palash Urea factory are the real manifestation of Banglaesh’s economic emancipation,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also said these developments signal that Bangladesh is gradually progressing towards ‘Sonar Bangla,’ where all the instruments of national power have a due share, including the military.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mentioning the participation in the course as a remarkable achievenent in their life, he said it is a chance to help build&nbsp; one\'s nation, and develop one\'s country better.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Your skills will have been greatly enhanced by the training received here.These courses will have vastly improved your professional confidence,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said&nbsp; &nbsp;cohesiveness, transparency, commitment, dedication, accountability, discipline, efficiency and effectiveness are the ingredients that make a perfect visionary leader, pioneer and a good officer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said \"Your acquired knowledge of policy-making, security, war strategy and development will guide you to chart your course in the right direction\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I truly believe that you will always strive to contribute to national development,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president hoped that courses organized by NDC would equip the participants with required knowledge to face those challenges.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also congratulated the participants on the successful completion of the prestigious National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Course.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 85 participants including 56 from armed forces, 43 from civil administration and 29 from friendly countries joined the course. 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, '2023-12-03 05:56:44', '2023-12-03 05:56:44'),
(10265, 10265, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Former President Donald Trump on Saturday attempted to turn the tables on his likely rival in November, President Joe Biden, arguing that the man whose election victory Trump tried to overturn is “the destroyer of American democracy.”</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Trump\'s allegations about Biden, a Democrat, echo the ones that Biden has been making for years against his predecessor.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As Trump has dominated the Republican presidential primary and talked about targeting his rivals and the news media if he wins the White House again, Biden has stepped up his own warnings, contending Trump is “ determined to destroy American democracy.”</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday, Trump made his most explicit argument to date on why voters should instead see his rival as the bigger democratic threat. Trump repeated his longstanding contention that the four criminal indictments against him show Biden is misusing the federal justice system against his rival.</div><div><br></div><div>“He’s been weaponizing government against his political opponents like a Third World political tyrant,” Trump said to a crowd in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “Biden and his radical left allies like to pose as standing up as allies of democracy,” Trump continued, arguing: “Joe Biden is not the defender of American democracy, Joe Biden is the destroyer of American democracy.”</div><div><br></div><div>Ammar Moussa, a Biden campaign spokesman, responded: “Donald Trump’s America in 2025 is one where the government is his personal weapon to lock up his political enemies. You don’t have to take our word for it — Trump has admitted it himself.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Trump has long promised to prosecute Biden in retaliation should he return to the White House. On Saturday, though, the former president extended his arguments about Biden\'s threat to democracy to lawsuits filed by two liberal organizations seeking to rule him ineligible for office under a rarely used Civil War-era constitutional provision that prohibits those who “engaged in insurrection” from returning to office.</div><div><br></div><div>All of the suits to date have failed. Biden has no involvement in them, but Democratic donors who back him also help fund the liberal groups filing the claims. That\'s led Trump to blame them on the president, whom he contended had “defaced the Constitution” in trying to block him.</div><div><br></div><div>And the former president, who has a long history of speaking warmly about authoritarian leaders and sometimes echoing their rhetoric, seemed aware of criticisms against him.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Americans don’t like fascists,” Trump said. He praised Chinese President Xi Jinping and China\'s criminal justice system for swiftly executing drug dealers, and boasted that North Korean President Kim Jong Un likes him.</div><div><br></div><div>But Trump noted he was often attacked for these relationships and tried to defend them. “It’s good to have a good relationship with people who have nuclear weapons,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Throughout the speech, Trump repeated his arguments the 2020 presidential election that he lost was “stolen” and that U.S. elections in general are “rigged.” There is no evidence that the 2020 election was stolen. Dozens of lawsuits were dismissed by courts and government and independent reviews have not found enough alleged fraud to throw the outcome into question.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump supporters would attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to stop the certification of Trump\'s loss to Biden. On Saturday, Trump continued his practice of referring to some of those arrested in connection with the riot as “political prisoners.”</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier in the day, at a rally in Ankeny, Iowa, Trump returned to allegations of Democratic election fraud, one of his favorite themes on the campaign trail. He told the crowd to “guard the vote\" in 2024, and focused on diverse cities he has often denigrated as examples of places where fraud would happen.</div><div><br></div><div>\"You should go into Detroit and you should go into Philadelphia and you should go into some of these places, Atlanta, and you should go into some of these places and we\'ve got to watch those votes when they come in,” Trump told his supporters. Accoridng to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 06:26:44', '2023-12-03 06:26:44'),
(10266, 10266, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A person known to the French authorities as a radical Islamist with mental health troubles stabbed a German tourist to death and wounded two people in central Paris on Saturday before being arrested, officials said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The attack took place close to the Eiffel Tower during a busy late weekend night and came with the country on its highest alert for attacks as tensions rise against the background of the war between Israel and Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>“We will not give in to terrorism,” Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>French anti-terror prosecutors said that they would now take on the investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>The attacker was known to authorities as a radical Islamist and was being treated for mental illness, a police source told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>He shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest“) before being arrested, the source added.</div><div><br></div><div>The Paris prosecutor’s office said the attacker is French, born in 1997, and has been arrested in an investigation into murder and attempted murder.</div><div><br></div><div>Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin who visited the the scene by the River Seine’s Bir Hakeim bridge said the man had already been sentenced in 2016 to “four years in prison” for planning another attack which he failed to carry out.</div><div><br></div><div>“A man attacked a couple who were foreign tourists. A German tourist who was born in the Philippines died from the stabbing,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>A taxi driver who witnessed the scene intervened, Darmanin said. The attacker then crossed the Seine attacking others and injuring one with a hammer, while police chased in pursuit.</div><div><br></div><div>Police used a taser to neutralize the man who was then arrested.</div><div><br></div><div>“He had threatened them very violently... he will now have to answer for his actions before justice,” Darmanin said.</div><div><br></div><div>The suspect told police he could not stand Muslims being killed in “Afghanistan and Palestine,” according to the minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Joseph S., 37 years old, a supermarket manager who asked not to give his last name, witnessed the scene, as he sat in a bar.</div><div><br></div><div>He heard screams and people shouting “help, help” as they ran. A man wielding an object attacked a man who had fallen down, and within 10 minutes the police arrived, he told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>The country has suffered several attacks by Islamist extremists, including the November 2015 suicide and gun attacks in Paris claimed by the Daesh group in which 130 people were killed.</div><div><br></div><div>There had been a relative lull in recent years, even as officials have warned that the threat remains.</div><div><br></div><div>But tensions have risen in France, home to large Jewish and Muslim populations, following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 and Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip.</div><div><br></div><div>Security in Paris is also under particular scrutiny as it gears up to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.</div><div><br></div><div>In October, teacher Dominique Bernard was killed in the northern French town of Arras by a young radicalized Islamist from Russia’s Caucasus region. According to AFP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 07:07:29', '2023-12-03 07:07:29'),
(10267, 10267, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader&nbsp; said that they would not expel the party members who submitted their nomination papers for contesting the 12th parliamentary election as independent aspirants.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this while talking at a press conference held at the party president’s political office in Dhanmondi on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader said BNP is conspiring to come to power through the back door as the party is afraid of participating in the polls with its failure in waging political movement.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, he said we greet them (BNP) from our party.</div><div><br></div><div>The Awami League leader hoped that many more BNP leaders and activists would return to the proper and healthy track of politics in the future.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the Election Commission is reshuffling the administration, not the government, and Awami League has no objection to this issue.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 07:53:47', '2023-12-03 07:53:47'),
(10268, 10268, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Cyclonic storm Michaung (Migiaum) over Southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining area moved Northwestwards further and now lies over the same area.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It was centred at 12 pm on Sunday about 1570 km Southwest of Chattogram port, 1525 km Southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 1453 km Southwest of Mongla port and 1440 km Southwest of Payra port, said a Met office bulletin.</div><div><br></div><div>It is likely to move northwestwards and intensify further.</div><div><br></div><div>Maximum sustained wind speed within 54km of the cyclone centre is about 62 kph rising to 88 kph in gusts/squalls.</div><div><br></div><div>Sea will remain very rough near the cyclone centre.</div><div><br></div><div>Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal No two.</div><div><br></div><div>All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 08:40:38', '2023-12-03 08:40:38'),
(10269, 10269, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has filed a petition with the High Court seeking bail in a case filed over vandalising Chief Justice\'s residence during a BNP rally on October 28.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Advocate Sagir Hossain Leon filed the petition on behalf of Fakhrul with the concerned bench of the High Court on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>The HC bench of Justice Md Selim and Justice Shahed Nuruddin will hear the petition.</div><div><br></div><div>Advocate Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, leader of Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, said the petition will be included in the court\'s schedule tomorrow. The hearing date will be determined later.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on November 22, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge\'s Court rejected the bail petition of the BNP secretary general in the same case.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>On October 29, police filed a case with Ramna Police Station on charges of vandalism and attack on the Chief Justice\'s residence during a BNP rally on October 28.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from Mirza Fakhrul, 59 leaders and activists, including BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, were accused in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP secretary general was arrested in the case on October 29. Later, a bail petition was filed with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka. The court sent him to jail rejecting his bail petition. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 09:43:59', '2023-12-03 09:43:59'),
(10270, 10270, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been hiked again on Sunday. Retail consumers will have to pay an additional Tk 1.91 per kg of LPG from 6:00 pm today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) announced the new price, saying that retail consumers will now have to play Tk 1,404 (VAT included) for a 12 kg cylinder of LPG. The previous price of a 12 kg LPG cylinder was Tk 1,381.</div><div><br></div><div>LPG price has increased to Tk 117.02 per kg for the month of December, from Tk 115.09 in November, said BERC.</div><div><br></div><div>Prices of other LPG cylinders – from 5.5 kg to 45 kg – will go up rationally, Md Nurul Amin, chairman of BERC, said on Sunday at a press briefing at the BERC office in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the BERC decision, the price of “auto gas” (LPG used for motor vehicles) also increased to Tk Tk 64.43 per litre (including VAT) from Tk 63.36 per litre.</div><div><br></div><div>The price of LPG, marketed by the state-owned LP Gas Company, will remain the same as it is locally produced with a market share of less than 5 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>BERC officials said LPG price will witness an increase in the local market due to increase in the prices of Saudi CP (contract price).</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladeshi LPG operators normally import their products from the Middle-eastern market on the basis of Saudi CP.</div><div><br></div><div>LPG witnessed the highest price at Tk 1,498 (per 12 kg cylinder) in the local market in February this year following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February last year. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 09:51:18', '2023-12-03 09:51:18'),
(10271, 10271, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr condemned a deadly bombing on Sunday, blaming “foreign terrorists,” as police and the military strengthened security in the country’s south and around the capital Manila.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>At least four people were killed and at least 50 injured after a bomb exploded during a morning Catholic Mass in a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city in the south of the country besieged by Islamist militants for five months in 2017.</div><div><br></div><div>“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists,” Marcos said in a statement. “Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society.”</div><div><br></div><div>Law enforcement operations to bring to justice the perpetrators of the “terrorist activity” will “continue unabated,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told a press conference.</div><div><br></div><div>There were “strong indications of a foreign element” in the bombing, Teodoro said, refusing to elaborate so as not to compromise ongoing investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>Fragments of a 16-mm mortar were recovered at the scene, senior police official Emmanuel Peralta told the press conference.</div><div><br></div><div>HIGH ALERT</div><div>The blast in Marawi, capital of Lanao del Sur province, followed a series of military operations against local pro-Daesh groups in the southern Philippines, the military chief said, including one on Sunday in Lanao del Sur that led to the killing of a leader of the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is possible that what happened this morning was a retaliatory attack,” Armed Forces Chief Romeo Brawner told the press conference.</div><div><br></div><div>The Islamic State-linked Maute seized Marawi on May 2017, seeking to make it a Southeast Asian “wilayat” – or governorate — for Islamic State. In the ensuing five-month battle, Islamist fighters and Philippine forces killed more than a thousand people, including civilians.</div><div><br></div><div>Military officials surveyed the gym at the Mindanao State University, which appeared intact except for burn marks in the center where the explosion occurred, according to images shared by the Lanao del Sur government on Facebook. White plastic chairs were strewn about.</div><div><br></div><div>Videos posted by DZBB radio on X showed rescuers carrying injured people out of the gym on plastic chairs.</div><div><br></div><div>Police offices in Mindanao and the capital region were placed on high alert and police checkpoints tightened “to prevent possible follow-up incidents,” police official Peralta said.</div><div><br></div><div>The coast guard directed its districts to intensify pre-departure inspection at ports.</div><div><br></div><div>Mindanao State University is “deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering,” the school posted on Facebook. “We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless and horrific act,” reports AP.</div><div><br></div><div>The university also said it was said it was suspending classes until further notice.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 10:13:20', '2023-12-03 10:13:20'),
(10272, 10272, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The UK’s military will conduct surveillance flights over Gaza to help locate hostages held by Hamas since its Oct 7 attack on Israel, Britain’s defence ministry confirmed at the weekend.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Hamas fighters seized around 240 Israelis and foreign hostages, according to Israeli authorities.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 110 have since been freed, mainly during a recent week-long truce.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s military said on Friday it had resumed fighting in the besieged Palestinian territory, blaming Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>The resumption of combat has frustrated hopes for the swift release of the more than 130 captives the Israeli army has said are still being held in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>The UK has said at least 12 British nationals were killed in the Oct 7 attacks – in which Israeli officials say about 1,200 people died, mostly civilians – and that a further five are still missing.</div><div><br></div><div>But it has not confirmed how many are being held by Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel responded to the Oct 7 attack by vowing to eliminate the group and its subsequent relentless air and ground campaign has killed more than 15,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas authorities who run Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>London did not reveal when its military surveillance flights over the territory would start but stressed they would be unarmed and focused only on hostage recovery efforts.</div><div><br></div><div>“In support of the ongoing hostage rescue activity, the UK ministry of defence will conduct surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean, including operating in air space over Israel and Gaza,” it said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>“Surveillance aircraft will be unarmed, do not have a combat role, and will be tasked solely to locate hostages,” the ministry added.</div><div><br></div><div>“Only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authorities responsible for hostage rescue.”</div><div><br></div><div>UK government minister Victoria Atkins told the BBC today that the aircraft to be utilised were “unarmed and unmanned drones”.</div><div><br></div><div>Alongside the US, the UK in October deployed various military assets to the eastern Mediterranean to deter “any malign interference in the conflict”.</div><div><br></div><div>That included maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft as well as a Royal Navy task group moving to the region, the defence ministry said at the time. According to AFP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 10:40:05', '2023-12-03 10:40:05'),
(10273, 10273, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The nomination papers of Awami League candidate for Cox\'s Bazar-1 (Chakaria-Pekua) constituency, Salahuddin Ahmed, have been rejected due to him defaulting on a loan.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Md Shahin Imran rejected Salahuddin’s nomination paper around 10 am today.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the district returning officer\'s office, his nomination was cancelled due to him defaulting on a loan worth Tk 47 crore.</div><div><br></div><div>Salahuddin Ahmed and other directors of ‘Fish Preservers’ secured a loan of approximately Tk 50 crore from the Laldighi branch of Janata Bank in Cox\'s Bazar, using the company as collateral. The loan was later defaulted on.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite subsequent changes in the company\'s board of directors, Salahuddin Ahmed remains a guarantor for the loan as per the bank\'s terms.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) report of Bangladesh Bank, Salahuddin Ahmed was a loan defaulter on the day of submission of nomination papers on November 30, which made his nomination invalid according to the law.</div><div><br></div><div>While speaking to journalists in this regard, Salahuddin Ahmed said, \"Everything regarding the defaulted loan was resolved through the court. I still don\'t understand why my nomination was rejected. I will appeal to the Election Commission in this regard.” According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 11:03:58', '2023-12-03 11:03:58'),
(10274, 10274, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">“Sam Bahadur” was released on Friday, and the film has received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. Sam Manekshaw, India\'s first field marshal, is played by Vicky Kaushal in the film.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Apart from Vicky Kaushal\'s industry colleagues, the film touched Sam Manekshaw\'s daughter Maja Daruwala to tears, reports NDTV.</div><div><br></div><div>Maja Daruwala attended The Indian Express\' Adda with director Meghna Gulzar and Vicky Kaushal. At the ceremony, she said, \"They have made the film to make the country proud of whatever it was. But, the time that I tear up, every time, I\'ve seen the film twice now and I teared up both times, is the last two seconds of the film when you turn to the audience and you\'re smiling. That just kills me every time.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Vicky Kaushal has garnered widespread acclaim from friends, colleagues, and his family. Among the accolades, a heartfelt note arrived from actor Abhishek Bachchan. Bachchan posted on X, “Saw #SamBahadur last night. The enormity of all that #FieldMarshalSamManekshaw did and achieved is overwhelming! And so beautifully told on celluloid by my favourite @meghnagulzar. It\'s a huge responsibility to portray one of India\'s greatest sons and she does it wonderfully. To...the entire cast and crew, you should be very proud and thank you for telling this story. @vickykaushal09, what do I even say about you... you continue to set the bar so high for all of us and then so effortlessly jump over it as only Sam can.”</div><div><br></div><div>Vicky\'s performance was also lauded by wife and Bollywood star Katrina Kaif. In an Instagram post, she said, “Maghna Gulzar, such a poetic beautiful classic film, was transported to another era .. can see your passion to telling his story and attention to detail in every shot.”</div><div><br></div><div>\"And SAM !!!!.....GRACE, HEROISM, GRIT. What a performance, flawless, I\'m just astounded, you are too inspiring , true to your craft in the most brilliant integral way, was so proud to watch you shine your way across the screen. I\'ve seen you this last year pour yourself into this film and transform into sam. A performance to be remembered,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>One of the most striking aspects of Sam Bahadur is that it eschews flag-waving militarism while celebrating the bravery of India\'s soldiers. It treads gently and thoughtfully through the life-threatening minefields that infantrymen have to negotiate in the line of duty. There are battle scenes and punchlines aplenty in the film, but they do not overshadow the less flashy components with which the lively biopic is constructed,\" Saibal Chatterjee, a film reviewer for NDTV, noted in his review.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 11:07:26', '2023-12-03 11:07:26'),
(10275, 10275, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Asia Climate Mobility Champion Leader Award was handed over to its recipient Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The award was handed over to her by Information Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday morning, PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Global Centre for Climate Mobility, supported by IOM and the UN system, conferred the Award to PM during a high-level panel on the sidelines of the COP28 in Dubai on December 1.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasan Mahmud, who led the Bangladesh delegation in the COP28 high level segment, received the award on behalf of the prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>The honour recognises leadership in championing the climate actions and a lead global advocate for vulnerable communities.</div><div><br></div><div>President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Dennis Francis and Director General of IOM, Amy Pope co-hosted the high-level panel.</div><div><br></div><div>Mentionable that, during the UNGA78 Climate Mobility Summit, the prime minister brought sharp focus of the global leaders into the urgency of climate-forced migration and displacement.</div><div><br></div><div>The award is a significant international recognition of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the country’s continuous advocacy in addressing climate mobility and the challenges derived from it. Botswana, Suriname and Palau also received the award from Africa and the Pacific.</div><div><br></div><div>The Global Centre for Climate Mobility works for cooperative and comprehensive solutions to addressing climate mobility collaborating with the United Nations system, regional intergovernmental organizations and development finance institutions.</div><div><br></div><div>During COP27, the award was given to five African Heads of State and Government as Climate Mobility Champion Leaders. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 11:51:11', '2023-12-03 11:51:11'),
(10276, 10276, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Following the directive of the Election Commission, Officers-in-Charge (OCs) of stations under Dhaka Metropolitan Police, who have already completed six months in their respective police station, are going to be transferred soon.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Niyoti Roy, additional deputy police commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police\'s Media and Public Relations division, confirmed the development on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said that as the EC decided to transfer all the OCs in phases, the DMP will send their list of OCs to be moved to the EC for its approval.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on November 30, the Election Commission asked the Home Ministry to transfer OCs of police stations all over the country in phases. There are over 650 police stations in the country - 50 of them under DMP.</div><div><br></div><div>The EC asked to prioritise the transfer of those officers who have been discharging duties at their respective police station for more than 6 months first. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 14:13:29', '2023-12-03 14:13:29');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10277, 10277, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Sunday said the Election Commission\'s show-cause notices for violations of the electoral code of conduct ahead of the one-sided January-7 polls are a \'joke\' with the country\'s people.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>\"It is the Election Commission that has destroyed the integrity of the Constitution by announcing the election schedule against the people\'s will. Now serving notices for violation of the Awami-styled election code of conduct means the Commission is making fun of the people,\" he said.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Speaking at a virtual press briefing, he also said there is no significance of violations of the code of conduct in a one-sided election where people have no participation and voters have no interest in voting.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>\"This is a lopsided election where people from the same party and quarter are contesting either as direct or indirect candidates. Some are number one candidates, some are number two candidates and some are number three candidates. But all are Awami League candidates,\" the BNP leader observed.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>He also said the EC\'s decision to transfer UNOs and OCs on the occasion of elections is just a reshuffle among Awami-minded UNOs and OCs. \"The entire process is an unprecedented humour-stimulating drama of laughs and jokes.\"&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Rizvi said the people are least bothered about this one-sided election which is boycotted by more than 60 political parties.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>He said the musclemen of the government are attacking the houses of the leaders and workers of the pro-democracy parties, including BNP, to stage a mockery in the name of an election on January 7.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>\"The attacks on houses and business establishments of pro-democracy leaders and activists, including BNP, have occurred continuously all over the country. They are looting the houses of the BNP leaders and workers and harassing the women in manless houses like Al-Badrs and Rajakars,\" Rizvi said.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In such a situation, he said fear and anxiety not only gripped the BNP families but also the ordinary voters ahead of the election.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The BNP leader alleged that the government is using law enforcers and the judiciary arbitrarily alongside ruling party \'cadres\' to establish fascism by again snatching the people\'s right to vote, reports UNB.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>He claimed that over 230 BNP leaders and activists were arrested in the last 24 hours as of 4pm on Sunday.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 14:15:53', '2023-12-03 14:15:53'),
(10278, 10278, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh received inward remittances of USD $1.93 billion in November, which is $50 million less than the previous month of October.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>According to the provisional data of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) revealed on Sunday, the expatriates sent $1.93 billion in remittance to the country through the legal channel.</div><div><br></div><div>In November, state-owned banks received $144.2 million in remittances; two specialized banks received $53.2 million, private commercial banks received $1.72 billion and foreign banks’ branches received $5.92 million.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the expatriates sent inward remittances of $1.97 billion in October through banking channels.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the data of the Bangladesh Bank (BB), the banking channel received $1.97 million in inward remittances in October. Out of this, $154.47 million was received by state-owned banks, $58.2 million through a specialized bank, $58.2 million, private commercial banks received $1.76 billion, and foreign bank branches in the country received $6 million.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Md Mezbaul Haque said that inward remittance flow decreased slightly in November, but an overall trend of remittance arrival is stable so far due to the appropriate initiative of the central bank.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the central bank instructed banks to provide additional incentives from their financial sources, which has a role in increasing the flow of inward remittances in the legal channel.</div><div><br></div><div>With the government\'s 2.5 percent incentive on expatriate income, banks can buy dollars at an additional 2.5 percent higher price. A total of 5 percent of remitters is getting the incentives. As a result, remittances are coming to the country through legal channels.</div><div><br></div><div>The executive director of the private research institute South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) Prof Dr. Selim Raihan said that the long-term benefits of remittance incentives will not work.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the government would give additional two and a half percent over the dollar rate. A total of 5 percent incentive on remittances will boost remittances temporarily. But there will be no long-term solution, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr. Selim said,” To increase remittances, hundi should be stopped. If you want to stop hundi, you have to stop money laundering. Now a lot of money is being smuggled abroad and it has to be controlled by any means,” reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He said, the more incentives the banks give, hundi traders will give more. So as long as the hundi remains rampant, the expected remittances will not come through legal channels.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-03 14:19:12', '2023-12-03 14:19:12'),
(10279, 10279, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Moday urged the authorities concerned to keep preservation of environment in mind while taking any development plan.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Since I came to power I asked all to sketch plan for all cities. Whatever plan we take there should be emphasis on waste management and proper maintainace of flow of water,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister was speaking at a meeting on the presentation of the survey report and the policy decision for the adoption of the related project in the light of the master plan designed to prevent pollution and protect the navigability of the rivers around Dhaka at the cabinet room of her office (PMO).</div><div><br></div><div>She said that this is very regrettable that country’s development programmes were not taken in a planned way in the past.</div><div><br></div><div>Those who grabbed power illegally on August 15 in 1975&nbsp; violating the constitution with arms did not pay attention on overall coordinated and planned development of the country, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>“As a result the environmental issues were neglected and rivers were grabbed,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that After assuming power the aim of her government was to protect the rivers, return the navigability and save those from pollution.</div><div><br></div><div>“In the name of river training it was a normal phenomena to build embankments that heavily harmed fertile crop lands,” she observed.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina recalled that during the first tenure her government started river dredging and used the silts for land reclamation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We have to do dredging and maintain navigability. We have to go for river dredging to stop river erosion,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that the industries that were constructed beside the rivers usually dump its wastes in the rivers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“All wastes of the swearage lines also are dumped in the rivers. There is no plan for waste treatment. As a result the pollution has increased,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said that It is very much painful that the Buriganga River stinks due to pollution.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Whatever we do, we have to keep in mind first the waste management,” she said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She also suggested to setting up small treatment plants in different parts of Dhaka city to save the rivers around the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have to save our rivers if we want to save Bangladesh. We have to live with the floods. We have to always keep that in our mind. We need silt that comes with flood water,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>For river training, the prime minister said that depth of a river has to be considered, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“We must create a buffer zone beside the river aiming to preserve the water that comes during the rainy season,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 08:56:01', '2023-12-04 08:56:01'),
(10280, 10280, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Miscreants set fire to two trucks in different areas of Dinajpur on Sunday, the first day of a 48-hour nationwide blockade called by the BNP-led opposition parties that are demanding the resignation of the incumbent government before holding elections.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A straw-laden truck was set on fire in the Jaliapara area of Dinajpur district around 9pm on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Shashra Union Parishad Chairman Moksed Ali Rana said miscreants sprinkled petrol on the truck and set it on fire.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel brought the fire under control with the help of locals.</div><div><br></div><div>On information, Additional Deputy Commissioner Debashish Chowdhury, UNO of Dinajpur Sadar Upazila Ramiz Alam and Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Farid Hossain visited the spot.</div><div><br></div><div>Another truck was set on fire in the Rampur area of Kaharole upazila in the district earlier on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>In that incident, the driver of the truck sustained injuries from the incident.</div><div><br></div><div>Law enforcement agencies have failed to identify any suspects in either of the two incidents. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 09:25:37', '2023-12-04 09:25:37'),
(10281, 10281, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The High Court (HC) on Monday fixed December 7 to hear a bail petition filed by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a case over vandalising Chief Justice\'s residence during a BNP rally on October 28.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The HC bench of Justice Md Selim and Justice Shahed Nuruddin set the date as advocate Sagir Hossain Leon filed the bail petition on behalf of Fakhrul with the concerned bench of the High Court on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on November 22, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge\'s Court rejected the bail petition of the BNP secretary general in the same case.</div><div><br></div><div>On October 29, police filed a case with Ramna Police Station on charges of vandalism and attack on the Chief Justice\'s residence during a BNP rally on October 28.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from Mirza Fakhrul, 59 leaders and activists, including BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, were accused in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP secretary general was arrested in the case on October 29. Later, a bail petition was filed with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka. The court sent him to jail rejecting his bail petition. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 09:42:06', '2023-12-04 09:42:06'),
(10282, 10282, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court rounded off a historic first visit to Israel and Ramallah by posting video and written messages on Sunday, saying that a probe by the court into possible crimes by Hamas militants and Israeli forces “is a priority for my office.”</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In a video message from Ramallah, where he met with top Palestinian leaders, Prosecutor Karim Khan said the investigation that was launched in 2021 is \"moving forward at pace, with rigor, with determination and with an insistence that we act not on emotion but on solid evidence.”</div><div><br></div><div>There have been widespread claims of breaches of international law by Hamas and Israeli forces since war erupted after the deadly Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and other militants that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel. Around 240 people were taken hostage.</div><div><br></div><div>The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Saturday that the overall death toll in the strip since the start of the war had surpassed 15,200. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but it said 70% of the dead were women and children. It said more than 40,000 people had been wounded since the war began.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan said in a written statement issued after his visit that he witnessed “scenes of calculated cruelty” at locations of the Oct. 7 attacks. During the visit, he spoke to family members of Israeli victims and called for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas and other militants.</div><div><br></div><div>“The attacks against innocent Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 represent some of the most serious international crimes that shock the conscience of humanity, crimes which the ICC was established to address,” Khan said in his written statement, adding that he and his prosecutors are working “to hold those responsible to account.”</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement released by the Forum for Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the families thanked Khan “for the extraordinary decision to come and stand by the families in the aftermath of the horrors perpetrated by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7 and the continued detention of hostages. We expect him to work to bring Hamas terrorists to justice for crimes against humanity and genocide.”</div><div><br></div><div>Khan said he is ready to engage with local prosecutors in line with the principle of complementarity — the ICC is a court of last resort set up to prosecute war crimes when local courts cannot or will not take action. Israel is not a member state of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan also visited Palestinian officials in Ramallah, including President Mahmoud Abbas, and spoke to Palestinian victims. He said of the war in Gaza that fighting in “densely populated areas where fighters are alleged to be unlawfully embedded in the civilian population is inherently complex, but international humanitarian law must still apply and the Israeli military knows the law that must be applied.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said that Israel “has trained lawyers who advise commanders and a robust system intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law. Credible allegations of crimes during the current conflict should be the subject of timely, independent examination and investigation.”</div><div><br></div><div>In his video message, Khan also said that humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>“In Gaza, it is not acceptable — there’s no justification — for doctors to perform operations without light, for children to be operated upon without anesthetics,\" he said. \"Imagine the pain of operations on children, on anybody, on any of us, without anesthetics. I also emphasized that Hamas must not divert any aid that’s given.”</div><div><br></div><div>Khan also expressed “profound concern” at what he called “the significant increase in incidents of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.</div><div><br></div><div>“I emphasize, settler violence is unacceptable,\" he said in his video. \"It’s something we are investigating. We have been investigating and we are accelerating investigations. No Israeli settler armed with an ideology and a gun can think it’s open season on Palestinians.”</div><div><br></div><div>Khan said he would seek to work with “all actors” in the conflict to “ensure that when action is taken by my office it is done on the basis of objective, verifiable evidence which can stand scrutiny in the courtroom and ensure that when we do proceed we have a realistic prospect of conviction.” - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 09:44:58', '2023-12-04 09:44:58'),
(10283, 10283, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least eight arson attacks were recorded in 24 hours till 6 am on Monday, during the latest 48-hour blockade called by BNP and like-minded opposition parties.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A total of eight vehicles were set on fire by miscreants during this period and two of those were set ablaze in Dhaka’s Ramna and Rampura areas on Sunday, said Shahjahan Shikdar, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence\'s Media Cell.</div><div><br></div><div>Four buses, two trucks, one covered van and a pick-up van were burnt during this period, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The arson attacks were reported in Dhaka city, Gazipur, Chattogram, Sirajganj, Bogura and Natore districts.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 80 members of 14 firefighting units were engaged in dousing the flames during this period, added the fire service official.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, 252 vehicles have been set on fire during the blockades and hartals since October 28, according to the Fire Service. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 10:16:14', '2023-12-04 10:16:14'),
(10284, 10284, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Philippine president blamed “foreign terrorists” for a bomb blast that killed four people Sunday, wounded dozens of other Catholic worshippers in the south and sparked a security alarm, including in the capital, Manila, where state forces were put on alert.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The suspected bomb, which the police said was made from a mortar round, went off and hit students and teachers who attended a Mass in a gymnasium at Mindanao State University in southern Marawi city, Taha Mandangan, the security chief of the state-run campus, told The Associated Press by telephone.</div><div><br></div><div>Dozens of students and teachers dashed out of the gym and the wounded were taken to hospitals.</div><div><br></div><div>Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Gabriel Viray III said four people were killed by the explosion, including three women, and 50 others were brought to two hospitals for treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>Six of the wounded were fighting for their lives in a hospital, said Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. of the Islamic province of Lanao del Sur, which has Marawi as its capital.</div><div><br></div><div>“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists upon the Mindanao State University,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement. “Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society.”</div><div><br></div><div>Marcos did not explain why he immediately blamed foreign militants for the high-profile bombing. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. later told a news conference without elaborating there was a strong indication of a “foreign element” in the bombing.</div><div><br></div><div>Military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the bomb attack could be retaliation by Muslim militants for a series of battle setbacks.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are looking at possible angles,” Brawner said. “It could be a retaliatory attack,”</div><div><br></div><div>He cited the killing of 11 suspected Islamic militants in a military offensive backed by airstrikes and artillery fires on Friday near Datu Hoffer town in southern Maguindanao province.</div><div><br></div><div>Regional police director Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza said the slain militants belonged to Dawlah Islamiyah, an armed group that had aligned itself with the Islamic State group and still has a presence in Lanao del Sur province.</div><div><br></div><div>Mosque-studded Marawi city came under attack from foreign and local Islamic militants who had associated themselves with the Islamic State group in 2017. The five-month siege left more than 1,100 dead, mostly militants, before it was quelled by Philippine forces backed by airstrikes and surveillance planes deployed by the United States and Australia.</div><div><br></div><div>Army troops and police cordoned off the university shortly after the bombing and began an investigation, checking security cameras for any indication of who may have been responsible for the attack. Security checkpoints were set up around the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Police Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta told reporters that military and police bomb experts found fragments of a 60mm mortar round in the scene of the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>Such explosives fashioned from mortar rounds had been used in past attacks by Islamic militants in the country’s south.</div><div><br></div><div>The deadly blast set off a security alarm beyond Marawi city as the Christmas season ushered in a period of travel, shopping sprees and traffic jams across the country. Police and other state forces were put under “heightened alert” in metropolitan Manila, security officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Philippine coast guard said it ordered all its personnel to intensify intelligence gathering, stricter inspections of passenger ferries and the deployment of bomb-sniffing dogs and sea marshals.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Amid this barbaric act, best public service must prevail,” coast guard chief Admiral Ronnie Gavan said.</div><div><br></div><div>The southern Philippines is the homeland of minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation and the scene of decades-old separatist rebellions.</div><div><br></div><div>The largest armed insurgent group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, signed a 2014 peace deal with the government, considerably easing decades of fighting. But a number of smaller armed groups rejected the peace pact and press on with bombings and other attacks while evading government offensives. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 10:42:18', '2023-12-04 10:42:18'),
(10285, 10285, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Cyclonic Storm&nbsp; Michaung over Southwest Bay and adjoining area moved North-Northwestwards and now lies over West central Bay of Bengal and adjoining area.&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It is likely to move North-Northwestwards and intensify further, according to the latest bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Organisation (BMD).</div><div><br></div><div>It was centred at 6am on Monday about 1545 km Southwest of Chattogram port, 1510 km Southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 1390 km Southwest of Mongla port and 1405 km Southwest of Payra port, said the bulletin.</div><div><br></div><div>All maritime ports have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal no. two ( R ) two.</div><div><br></div><div>Maximum sustained wind speed within 54km of the cyclone centre is about 62 kph rising to 88 kph in gusts/squalls.</div><div><br></div><div>Sea will remain very rough near the cyclone centre.</div><div><br></div><div>Light rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Khulna, Barishal &amp; Chattogram divisions today. Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal on Sunday intensified into a cyclonic storm \'Michaung\' and is likely to cross the South Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam during the forenoon of December 5 as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 11:49:17', '2023-12-04 11:49:17'),
(10286, 10286, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The BNP and like-minded parties will enforce yet another 48-hour fresh road-rail-waterway blockade across the country starting from Wednesday morning to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It will be the 10th round of the blockade programme of the opposition parties since October 31.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the party together with the family members of those who were subjected to enforced disappearance and fictitious cases will form human chains in all cities and district towns across the country on December 10, marking the International Human Rights Day.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Party Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a virtual press briefing on Monday afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the blockade will begin at 6am Wednesday and end at 6m on Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the blockade is also meant for mounting pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government and release party leaders and activists, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.</div><div><br></div><div>He said other opposition parties, who have long been carrying out the simultaneous movement with BNP, will also observe a similar programme.</div><div><br></div><div>The fresh programme was announced around 9 hours before the end of the opposition’s ongoing blockade programme that will end at 6m on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi thanked the country’s people and the opposition leaders and activists for making their blockade a success.</div><div><br></div><div>The opposition parties observed blockades in nine phases to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration.</div><div><br></div><div>They also observed a nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal in three phases since October 29. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 13:51:50', '2023-12-04 13:51:50'),
(10287, 10287, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The United States will be notified about the recent amendments to the labour law and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) Act, Commerce Ministry’s Senior Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh said today.&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He made the remark during a press conference at his office in Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>“We held a meeting today to discuss the implementation of labor rights as outlined in our national action plan. We assessed our progress to date and identified areas for further improvement. As Bangladesh transitions from a least developed country (LDC) to a developing country in 2026, the European Union and other nations are seeking our commitment to uphold labour standards. We discussed strategies to fulfill these commitments,” the senior commerce secretary said.</div><div><br></div><div>When asked whether the United States would be formally notified of these decisions, he said that the requests from the US, including labour law reform and amendments to the BEPZA act, have been fulfilled, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“We will inform the United States of this progress within the next few days,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We have ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, ensuring that our labour laws adhere to certain standards. We have complied with their request to lower the unionization threshold, from 20% to 15% of the total workforce in a factory,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 14:56:44', '2023-12-04 14:56:44'),
(10288, 10288, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The returning officers have accepted a total of 1985 nomination papers and rejected 731 others submitted by aspirants in the country’s 300 constituencies to run in the 12th parliamentary election scheduled to be held on January 07.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Out of 2,716 nomination papers submitted throughout the country, a total of 1,985 have been accepted and 731 others have been rejected,” Additional secretary of EC Secretariat Ashok Kumar Debnath told reporters on Monday evening.</div><div><br></div><div>The returning officers on Monday completed the scrutiny of nomination papers submitted in the 300 constituencies, starting from last Friday.</div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Secretary of EC Secretariat Mahbubar Rahman said the most of 731 nomination papers were rejected on three grounds -- mismatch in 1pc voters’ signatures submitted by independent aspirants, loans and utility bills defaults and dual citizenship.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Now the aggrieved aspirants can appeal before the Election Commission from Tuesday, challenging the decisions of the returning officers over rejection or acceptance of nomination papers.</div><div><br></div><div>The Election Commission has already installed 10 booths in Nirbachan Bhaban in the city to receive the appeals from the aspirants till December 09.</div><div><br></div><div>The appeals will be received from 10:30am to 4pm every day till December 09. The appeals will be disposed of from December 10 to December 15. The EC will hear and dispose of some 100 appeals a day.</div><div><br></div><div>The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 17 and the returning officers will distribute electoral symbols among the contenders on December 18.</div><div><br></div><div>The candidates can go for electioneering from December 18 to January 5 (8am), 48 hours before the balloting, which will continue from 8am to 4pm without any recess on January 7. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 15:01:23', '2023-12-04 15:01:23'),
(10289, 10289, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Hosts Bangladesh Women\'s Team smartly clinched two-match FIFA Tier-1 Women\'s International Friendly Football Series 2-0 crushing touring Singapore Women\'s Team by 8-0 goals in the last match at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Stadium in Kamalapur in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh, which needed just a draw in the day\'s match to win the two-match-series, outplaying Singapore 3-0 in the first match last Friday, today (Monday) comfortably dominated the first half by 3-0 goals, featuring three goals in span of eight minutes.</div><div><br></div><div>This was the second biggest victory for Bangladesh Women\'s Football Team in the month of country\'s victory after their ever-biggest 9-0 goals win over Bhutan at home in December 2010, that also in the month of victory.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh women\'s team, which brought laurel for the country by clinching the first-ever and historic title of the South Asian Women\'s Football Championship 14 months ago in Kathmandu, in September 2022, again made the country\'s football fans proud, outplaying the upper ranked Singapore women\'s team.</div><div><br></div><div>In the day\'s one-sided affairs, striker Tohura Khatun, who struck twice in the first match against Singapore last Friday, today (Monday) also netted two goals in span of eight minutes in the first half.</div><div><br></div><div>Winger Ritu Porna Chakma also struck twice, while another winger Sanjida Akter, captain Sabina Khatun, substitute forward Sumaiya Matsushima and midfielder Shamsun Nahar Jr scored one goal each for Bangladesh, spoiling another couple&nbsp; of good opportunities.</div><div><br></div><div>Tohura Khatun opened the floodgate for Bangladesh in the 16th minute by a header from close, Ritu Porna Chakma doubled the margin in the 18th minute by pushing the home from handshake distance (2-0), while Tohura Khatun scored her second and the third goal for Bangladesh in the 24th minute (3-0)&nbsp; to go for breather with relaxed mood.</div><div><br></div><div>After the breather, Sanjida Akter, who played an entertaining football today, further sounded the margin, scoring the fourth goal in the 56th minute by a reboundershot (4-0), Ritu Porna netted her second and the fifth goal for Bangladesh in the 62nd minute by a brilliant left footer (5-0).</div><div><br></div><div>Skipper Sabina Khatun found the net in the 75th minute by a volley from close (6-0), substitute Sumaiya scored the 7th goal in the 87th minute from a goal-mouth melee shot (7-0) while another substitute booter Shamsun Nahar Junior sealed the fate of the match in the stoppage time (90+1 minute).</div><div><br></div><div>In the two- match series, Bangladesh scored 11 goals without conceding any.</div><div><br></div><div>After the match, Bangladesh coach Saiful Bari Titu gave all credits to the players for such a victory.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Women\'s Team, FIFA ranked 142nd, earned a deserving victory against 130th ranked Singapore, outplaying them in every department to win the series in style to take sweet revenge of their 0-3 goals defeat against hosts Singapore&nbsp; in a Development Tournament there six year ago. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 15:20:27', '2023-12-04 15:20:27'),
(10290, 10290, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh’s export earnings in November 2023 decreased by 6.05 percent to USD $4.78 billion compared to the same month of 2022, but increased in comparison to the previous month (October), said the latest statistics of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) released on Monday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>According to EPB, exports earned $3.76 billion in October 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>The export decrease was driven by a significant drop in shipments of ready-made garments (RMG). The RMG sector fell to $4.05 billion in November, down by 7.45 percent from the same month of last year.</div><div><br></div><div>Apparel shipments were particularly weak in the knitwear subsector, which generated $2.31 billion, down by 3.18 percent. Earnings from woven garments also fell by 12.59 percent to $1.73 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the overall export earnings in 5 months (July – November) of the current fiscal year 2023-24 marked a slow growth of 1.30 percent to $22.23 billion, compared to $21.94 billion during the same period of fiscal 2022-23.</div><div><br></div><div>Analyzing EPB data found that the export of all sectors except ready-made garments among the major sectors has decreased. These include frozen foods; Leather and leather products; Jute and jute products; Agricultural processed products, home textiles, etc. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 15:37:33', '2023-12-04 15:37:33'),
(10291, 10291, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">China’s military on Monday said a US combat ship illegally entered waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed South China Sea atoll.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“The US seriously undermined regional peace and stability,” said a spokesperson for China’s Southern Theater of Operations in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The spokesperson also said the US deliberately disrupted the South China Sea and seriously violated China’s sovereignty.</div><div>China is in dispute with several of its neighbors over its extensive claims of territorial waters in the South China Sea.</div><div><br></div><div>In recent months it has had several confrontations with Philippine vessels, and also protested about US ships patrolling the disputed areas.</div><div><br></div><div>The spokesperson said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army organized maritime troops to follow and monitor the US ship., and that “its troops in the theater are on high alert at all times to resolutely defend national sovereignty.”</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard deployed two of its vessels in the South China Sea after monitoring an “alarming” increase in the number of Chinese maritime militia vessels at a reef within the country’s exclusive economic zone. According to Reuters reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 16:14:19', '2023-12-04 16:14:19'),
(10292, 10292, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) expressed deep concern on Monday about the apparent decision by the Bangladesh government to seek one billion dollars from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to cope with the Rohingya refugee crisis, of which $535 million is in loans, while the remaining $465 million is in grants.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>TIB has called upon the government to negotiate with the World Bank and ADB to secure grant instead of loan and urges the international community to ensure fair and equitable sharing of the burden for this persecution-led humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>TIB believes that this is not a fair, wise or sustainable approach to cope with a persecution-driven humanitarian crisis that requires collective international action by ensuring that is not unjust to the host country.</div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh has already done more than its fair share over the years in hosting and supporting over a million Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar. Just because Bangladesh opened its borders to host the persecuted Rohingyas, nothing can justify that it will have to endlessly shoulder additional financial burdens which must be borne by collective efforts of the international community,” it said in a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We urge the Government to reconsider this move and to engage in dialogue with the international community to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of the costs involved,\" said Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of TIB.</div><div><br></div><div>Iftekharuzzaman said, \"We also call upon the World Bank and the ADB to offer their support as grants, not loans. Supporting Bangladesh’s efforts to manage the enormous challenges caused by the Rohingya crisis is an opportunity for organisations like World Bank and ADB to demonstrate that their mission is not limited to indiscriminate loan business.\"</div><div><br></div><div>TIB is particularly concerned about the trend of decreasing international grants for the displaced Rohingyas, which it sees as a sign that the international community is cowardly shrugging off their responsibility and leaving Bangladesh to bear the brunt of the burden almost all by itself. The recent decline in donor support has resulted in a drastic and highly insensitive reduction in per capita food assistance from $12 to $8 per month.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The global community, particularly countries with multi-dimensional stakes, interests and leverage in Myanmar, must do more to support Bangladesh in addressing the Rohingya refugee crisis,\" said Dr. Iftekharuzzaman.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This includes providing more humanitarian assistance, working towards a durable solution for the safe and voluntary return of the displaced Rohingya people sheltered in Bangladesh, and holding Myanmar accountable for its crimes against humanity,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>TIB also calls on the United Nations and its relevant agencies to play a more active role in coordinating the international response to the Rohingya refugee crisis, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Iftekharuzzaman also said, \"The UN must also work to address the root causes of the crisis behind the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya people in Myanmar. Bangladesh on its part has already been way overburdened by economic, social, environmental and security challenges caused by the crisis caused by genocidal persecution of Rohingyas.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 16:17:50', '2023-12-04 16:17:50'),
(10293, 10293, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Union parishad (UP) member of Barishal’s Faridpur union was hacked to death by miscreants in Bakerganj upazila.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased was identified as Jahirul Islam Mamun. He was an elected member of Faridpur UP under Bakerganj for three consecutive terms.</div><div><br></div><div>Confirming the matter, Bakerganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge SM Maksudur Rahman said the incident happened around 8:00pm on Monday at Chowrasta area of Faridpur union’s Ichapura village.</div><div><br></div><div>Mamun was accused in several cases, including two murders.</div><div><br></div><div>Quoting eyewitnesses, watchman Abdur Rahim of the UP office said Mamun was attacked by miscreants when he was walking home.</div><div><br></div><div>The UP ran into the garden beside the road and tried to escape, but the miscreants chased him and hacked him with sharp weapons, said the watchman.</div><div><br></div><div>OC Maksudur Rahman said they were informed by locals that Mamun had been killed.</div><div><br></div><div>The police were going to the spot at the time of filing this report. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 16:36:31', '2023-12-04 16:36:31'),
(10294, 10294, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A moderately strong earthquake struck northwest Turkey on Monday, sending people out into the streets in fear. There was no immediate report of injuries or damage.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The magnitude 5.1 earthquake was centered in the Sea of Marmara, off the town of Gemlik in Bursa province, according to the disaster management agency, AFAD. It struck at 10:42 a.m. local time (07:42 GMT), at a depth of some 9 kilometers (5.6 miles).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>HaberTurk television said it was felt in Istanbul and other nearby regions where people left homes and offices in fear.</div><div><br></div><div>In February, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated 11 southern and southeastern Turkish provinces as well as part of northern Syria. More than 50,000 people were killed in Turkey. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-04 16:39:06', '2023-12-04 16:39:06'),
(10295, 10295, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>The United States has reiterated its desire to see free and fair elections in Bangladesh, saying that it does not want to speculate the outcome of the upcoming general election.&nbsp;</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I’m not going to speculate on the outcome of the elections,\" US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during a regular media briefing on December 4.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I will say what we have said a number of times before,\" he added.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Miller said the US will continue to engage with the government, opposition, civil society, and other stakeholders to urge them to work together for the benefit of the Bangladeshi people to ensure free and fair elections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the US also wants to see that elections are conducted in a peaceful manner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The next national election is scheduled to be held on January 7, 2024.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A fraction of BNP, the major opposition political party, has resorted to burning private and public properties, blockades, and hartals, and are boycotting the upcoming election although many of its own leaders are participating, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Election Commission received a total of 2,711 nomination papers against 300 constituencies across the country.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The nomination papers were scrutinized on December 1-4, 2023, and candidatures can be withdrawn by December 17, 2023.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The schedule for the 12th national parliamentary election was announced by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on November 15, 2023. 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, '2023-12-05 07:29:04', '2023-12-05 07:29:04'),
(10296, 10296, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">A total of 253 arson attacks have been recorded till 6 am today during the blockades and hartals called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties since the end of October.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An arson attack was reported between 6 am on December 4 till 6 am today during the second day of the latest road, rail and waterways blockade called by the opposition parties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The arson attack was carried out in Dhaka’s Gulistan area at 2:23 pm on Monday, said Shahjahan Sikder, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters’ media cell.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 10 members of two firefighting units worked to douse the fire, added the fire official.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Giving a break today, the BNP and like-minded opposition parties are going to enforce another 48-hour road-rail-waterway blockade across the country starting from Wednesday morning to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC). 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, '2023-12-05 07:33:38', '2023-12-05 07:33:38');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10297, 10297, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Dhaka, Bangladesh; The Chinese embassy in Bangladesh has inaugurated the second smart classroom under the ‘China Bangladesh Friendship Talent Development Project’. An inauguration ceremony has been held to launch the smart classroom at Sofir Uddin High School and College, Sylhet yesteday (3 December, 2023)&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This smart classroom has been equipped with Huawei IdeaHub, an advanced learning solution that will allow teachers and students to have advanced onsite and online teaching and study platforms. Huawei south Asia donated chairs, tables, and decoration materials for the smart classroom as a technical partner of this project.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yao Wen, Ambassador, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Bangladesh, and Pan Junfeng, President of Huawei South Asia and CEO, Huawei Bangladesh, inaugurated the classroom. Other High officials from the Chinese embassy and Huawei also attended the inauguration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The smart classroom was handed over to the principal of Sofir Uddin High School during the inauguration. Afterwards, a demonstration of IdeaHub’s utility was conducted in front of the guests, showcasing the smart classroom features for creating smart citizens for a smart country.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Md Jasim Uddin, Additional Divisional Commissioner (Revenue), said, “The smart classroom is a sign of China-Bangladesh friendship. In this month of victory, we have taken a step forward towards the smart Bangladesh. With the advancements of 5G technology, today’s students will lead the global arena in the future. We have to prepare ourselves for leading the fourth industrial revolution and for the era of artificial intelligence. I hope that many other institutions in Sylhet will get such smart classrooms in the next year.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">H.E. Yao Wen, Ambassador, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, said, “As a friend, China gives opportunities for the development of the people of Bangladesh. The prime minister has dreamt of a smart Bangladesh. But for that, we must have smart citizens, smart people, smart students. That’s why we have the classroom. With this classroom, students will have the best learning opportunities. We will spread the classroom all over Sylhet and the country. And we promise that next year we will select some students and teachers for a visit to China.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pan Junfeng, President of Huawei South Asia and CEO, Huawei Bangladesh said, “Huawei, as a global ICT infrastructure leader, has always put local talent development programs at high importance. Our friendship project Seeds For The Future has been providing outstanding opportunities for students to expand their global horizons. Last year, we launched Huawei ICT Academy. This year, Chinese Embassy initiated the China-Bangladesh Friendship Talent Development Project. As a part, we provided the smart classroom with the most advanced and multi-functional teaching equipment to provide students with advanced learning opportunities. It is a very good and important initiative of or joint effort to develop the ICT talents in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prof Rashid Ahmed, Principal, Sofir Uddin High School and College, said, “I thank the Chinese Embassy and Huawei Technologies Bangladesh for gifting us smart classroom. I hope and strongly believe the Chinese supporting hand will remain with this institution forever.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Previously, In March, 2023, Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh and Huawei South Asia inaugurated the first digital classroom in Chandpur Government Technical School and College.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"18\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 08:21:41', '2023-12-05 08:21:41'),
(10298, 10298, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh could be getting USD 1.08 billion as loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A senior official of the Ministry of Finance today told UNB that a loan proposal of $400 million for Bangladesh is expected to be placed at the ADB board meeting on December 12, 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>On the same day, the IMF board meeting will decide on the proposal for a $681 million loan – second tranche of IMF’s $4.7 billion loan – for approval.</div><div><br></div><div>If both loan proposals are approved next week, $1.08 billion could be added to Bangladesh’s forex reserves.</div><div><br></div><div>This would bring relief to the foreign exchange shortage which is affecting import bill payments and required dollars to meet Bangladeshi citizens’ overseas education and treatment payments. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 09:15:02', '2023-12-05 09:15:02'),
(10299, 10299, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A total of 253 arson attacks have been recorded till 6 am today during the blockades and hartals called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties since the end of October.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>An arson attack was reported between 6 am on December 4 till 6 am today during the second day of the latest road, rail and waterways blockade called by the opposition parties.</div><div><br></div><div>The arson attack was carried out in Dhaka’s Gulistan area at 2:23 pm on Monday, said Shahjahan Sikder, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters’ media cell.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 10 members of two firefighting units worked to douse the fire, added the fire official.</div><div><br></div><div>Giving a break today, the BNP and like-minded opposition parties are going to enforce another 48-hour road-rail-waterway blockade across the country starting from Wednesday morning to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC). According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 09:21:15', '2023-12-05 09:21:15'),
(10300, 10300, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Fourteen U.S. cities will play host to Copa América next summer, with the semifinals at East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of the July 14 championship in Miami Gardens, Florida.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The host Americans will be in Group C and open at Arlington, Texas, on June 23, then play Atlanta four days later and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on July 1.</div><div><br></div><div>The governing bodies of South America and of North and Central America and the Caribbean made the announcement Monday, filling in the cities that will be part of the 16-team tournament.</div><div><br></div><div>The quarterfinals will be held July 4 at NRG Stadium in Houston; July 5 at AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; and July 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.</div><div><br></div><div>The semifinals will be in New Jersey\'s MetLife Stadium on July 9 and Charlotte\'s Bank of America Stadium the next day. The third-place game will be in Charlotte on July 13, the eve of the final.</div><div><br></div><div>The draw is set for Thursday in Miami. This will be only the second time Copa América has been held outside of South America since the inaugural tournament in 1916.</div><div><br></div><div>\"These venues are world-class and have passionate fans who are renowned for getting behind major events,” CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>CONMEBOL and CONCACAF announced last month that the June 20 opening game will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, while South Florida\'s Hard Rock Stadium landed the final.</div><div><br></div><div>Reigning Copa América and World Cup champion Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, has been placed in Group A and will play in the Atlanta opener, as well as East Rutherford five days later and Miami Gardens on June 29.</div><div><br></div><div>The other sites revealed Monday: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California; Levi\'s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida; Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas; and a smaller facility in the Kansas City metro area: Children\'s Mercy Park on the Kansas side of the border.</div><div><br></div><div>Mexico opens in Houston on June 22, plays four days later at Inglewood and closes the first round on June 30 at Glendale.</div><div><br></div><div>Brazil heads group D and has games in Inglewood on June 24, Las Vegas four days later and Santa Clara on July 2.</div><div><br></div><div>Eleven of the venues are best-known as NFL stadiums, ranging in size from 63,400-seat State Farm Stadium to 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium. The other three — 25,500-seat Exploria Stadium, 20,700-seat Q2 Stadium and 18,500-seat Children\'s Mercy Park — are Major League Soccer facilities.</div><div><br></div><div>Copa América is expanding in 2024, with six teams from North America joining the usual 10 nations from South America that compete for the continental championship. The format mirrors the Copa América Centenario in 2016, the only previous time the tournament was staged outside of South America.</div><div><br></div><div>“We will experience an unforgettable Copa América, enjoying the best football in the world in 14 magnificent stadiums,” said Alejandro Dominguez, the president of CONMEBOL.</div><div><br></div><div>For the 2024 edition, the CONMEBOL regulars will be joined by six CONCACAF qualifiers. The host United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Panama earned their spots by winning in the Nations League quarterfinals, while March 23 playoff games matching Costa Rica vs. Honduras and Canada vs. Trinidad and Tobago will determine the final two entrants.</div><div><br></div><div>Two group-round games will be played at every site except for Charlotte — which has the pair of knockout matches — and the two Kansas City stadiums, which have one group game each.</div><div><br></div><div>MetLife Stadium, NRG Stadium, Levi’s Stadium and State Farm Stadium are the only returning stadiums from the 10 venues that were used for Copa América Centenario, though games also were held in Orlando (Camping World Stadium) and the Los Angeles area (Pasadena\'s Rose Bowl).</div><div><br></div><div>The final won by Chile over Argentina on penalty kicks -- Messi memorably left the field in tears after putting his attempt over the crossbar -- was played at MetLife Stadium outside of New York City.</div><div><br></div><div>Except for the Centenario tournament, Copa América hosting duties usually have rotated among the 10 COMNEBOL nations in South America. The arrangement called for Ecuador to host in 2024, but that country backed out because of security issues.</div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. stepped in to fill the void under a new partnership between CONMEBOL and CONCACAF.</div><div><br></div><div>Eight of the 14 stadiums for Copa América have already been picked as venues for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.</div><div><br></div><div>They are: MetLife Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Levi\'s Stadium, SoFi Stadium, AT&amp;T Stadium, NRG Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium.</div><div><br></div><div>Some of those venues could also be in the running for another major tournament that will be staged in the U.S. in 2025, the expanded Club World Cup featuring 32 teams.</div><div><br></div><div>Montagliani said holding two major competitions ahead of the World Cup will “cement our region as a global hub for football,\" According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 09:41:51', '2023-12-05 09:41:51'),
(10301, 10301, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Nigerian military attack that used drones to target rebels instead killed an unspecified number of civilians gathered for a religious celebration, authorities said Monday. The attack was the latest in recent errant bombings of local residents in Nigeria’s troubled regions.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The attack on Sunday night in Tudun Biri village of Kaduna state’s Igabi council area took place as Muslims gathered there to observe the holiday celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Mawlid al-Nabi. The local governor, Uba Sani said civilians were “mistakenly killed and many others were wounded” by a drone “targeting terrorists and bandits.”</div><div><br></div><div>Officials didn’t provide the number of casualties but Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said 120 people were killed in the attack, citing reports of its workers and volunteers in the area.</div><div><br></div><div>“Many of them were children (and) more dead bodies are being discovered,” Isa Sanusi, the group\'s director in Nigeria, told The Associated Press.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 50 bodies were recovered, according to Igabi resident Mustapha Rufai. “They said they mistakenly threw a bomb on them,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Extremist and rebel attacks have ravaged parts of Nigeria\'s northwest and central regions. The country\'s forces frequently target the hideouts of armed groups with aerial bombardment but have sometimes bombed villagers.</div><div><br></div><div>The latest bombing caused outrage among citizens, reminding many of the rampant allegations of human rights abuses by Nigerian security forces that have raised concerns from Western allies, including the United States.</div><div><br></div><div>The head of the Nigerian army division in charge of operations in Kaduna was quoted by the state government as saying during a security meeting on Monday that the drone operation was a routine one.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Nigerian army was on a routine mission against terrorists but inadvertently (its actions) affected members of the community,” a statement issued by the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security quoted Maj. Gen. Valentine Okoro, head of the army division, as saying.</div><div><br></div><div>“Search-and-rescue efforts are still ongoing, as dozens of wounded victims have been evacuated” to hospital for treatment, Kaduna Security Commissioner Samuel Aruwan said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Nigerian air force issued a statement saying it did not carry out any operations in Kaduna on Sunday night but that it it is not the only one \"operating combat armed drones” in the region. A Nigerian army spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</div><div><br></div><div>Local media reported that villagers fled the area, fearing more drone attacks. Activists have said that similar incidents were not investigated in the past, leaving victims and survivors without adequate compensation or justice.</div><div><br></div><div>Sani, the state governor, said officials were sent to the village to meet with the families of victims and that an investigation was underway, reports AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We are determined to prevent a repeat of this tragedy and reassure our people that their protection would be prioritized in the sustained fight against terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 11:24:53', '2023-12-05 11:24:53'),
(10302, 10302, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League will not hold any rally on December 10 in Dhaka, marking International Human Rights Day, as the Election Commission (EC) did not give permission for the outdoor event, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said today.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“We sought permission from the Election Commission to hold a grand rally in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque’s South Gate, but the EC did not accept it. We have changed our decision to hold the rally there as we do not want to violate the electoral code of conduct,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader came up with the party’s decision while talking to reporters after paying tribute at the grave of Shaheed Suhrawardy, marking his 60th death anniversary, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He informed that AL will hold an indoor programme marking International Human Rights Day on December 10.</div><div><br></div><div>The AL leader also said that boycotting the upcoming general election and calling blockades and hartals are not democratic behaviour.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 11:27:45', '2023-12-05 11:27:45'),
(10303, 10303, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The cricket scene is jubilant following Bangladesh’s win in the first Test of the two-match series against New Zealand.Many are seeing the dawn of a new era in Bangladeshi cricket.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach of Bangladesh, however, prefers to observe the team\'s continued progress for now rather than labeling it “beginning of a new era.”</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh\'s victory in Sylhet was unexpected, especially considering the absence of star performers Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, and Litton Das from the playing XI. In contrast, New Zealand came into this series with nearly all of their formidable players and a history of strong performances against Bangladesh, both abroad and at home.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite these challenges, Bangladesh shone under the leadership of Najmul Hossain Shanto, who stepped into Shakib’s shoes as the regular captain. Chandika was impressed by Shanto\'s captaincy and leadership from the front.</div><div><br></div><div>“There are differences between captaincy and leadership,” Chandika said. “He did well as a captain. He was always one step ahead in the match, positioning fielders with great thinking, sometimes in unorthodox ways.”</div><div><br></div><div>Chandika believes that Najmul has a promising future as a captain but deferred the decision of appointing him as captain for an extended period to the board.</div><div><br></div><div>“The board will make the final decision on a long-term captain,” Chandika added. “But I see him as a strong contender.”</div><div><br></div><div>While Chandika refrains from hailing the win in Sylhet as the dawn of a new era, he is hopeful for another victory in the second match in Dhaka, starting on Wednesday. This would be a significant start for the Tigers in the new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship.</div><div><br></div><div>“It’s not possible to change everything overnight,” he said. “We have been doing the right things needed to create a good cricketing culture. If we maintain the right process, the results will take care of themselves.”</div><div><br></div><div>He added that they will stick to the plan they had before starting this series, that is winning the series.</div><div><br></div><div>While Bangladesh is preparing for another match to display their Test prowess, Nayeem Hasan might have to be sidelined as the right-arm spinner suffered a blow on his right index finger during a practice session on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>New Zealand pacer Tim Southee is expecting another battle of spinners in the Dhaka Test, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“I think you come to this part of the world, you expect the spinners to play a big role. And we saw that in the first Test match and we are expecting similar in the second match,” Southee said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 11:36:59', '2023-12-05 11:36:59'),
(10304, 10304, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has returned the body of a Bangladeshi man&nbsp; who was shot dead by them along Rokanpur border in Gomostapur upazila of Chapainawabganj on Saturday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The body of Rajibul Islam Rajan was handed over through the border after a flag meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh (BSF) and BSF on Monday night.</div><div><br></div><div>Lt Col Md Sadikur Rahman, commanding officer of BGB-16 Battalion, said a flag meeting was held between BGB and BSF along the Rokanpur border around 10pm on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>“The BSF handed over Rajan\'s body. Police and local public representatives of the two countries were present at the time,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Gomostapur Police Station, said the body was handed over to the relatives of the victim.</div><div><br></div><div>Matiur Rahman, chairman of Radhanagar union, said Rajibul along with some local people went to the bordering area around 3am on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>At one stage, the BSF members opened fire on them, leaving Rajibul dead on the spot, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 11:58:01', '2023-12-05 11:58:01'),
(10305, 10305, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The UN Human Rights Office is organising a high-level event on December 11 and 12 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The event is the culmination of Human Rights 75 – a year-long initiative by the Office to reaffirm the values of the Universal Declaration and recommit to human rights as the pathway to address the challenges of today and the future.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are meeting at a sombre moment. Across the globe there are levels of violent conflict not seen since 1945. We are seeing deepening inequalities, increasing discrimination and hate speech, impunity, and growing divisions and polarization. And adding to all this, the triple planetary crisis of the climate emergency, pollution and loss of biodiversity,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>“This underscores all the more the need for us to take stock, learn lessons, and craft a vision for the future together based on human rights,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Universal Declaration provides a promise – that we are all born equal in dignity and rights – and a blueprint for action. This event is a moment of deep reflection to seek common solutions together, centred on human rights,” he stressed.</div><div><br></div><div>Heads of states and governments, and other high-level state dignitaries will gather with human rights defenders, young people, civil society organisations, businesses, sportspeople, artists, economists, representatives from UN entities and regional organizations at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the key moments on December 11, there will be two pledging sessions where states will announce tangible commitments to advance human rights protection.</div><div><br></div><div>In two segments entitled ‘Voices in defence of human rights,’ participants will share their testimonies and perspectives on the impact of the Universal Declaration.</div><div><br></div><div>Panel discussions will be held with experts looking into challenges and the way forward on the universality and indivisibility of human rights and how to strengthen the human rights system.</div><div><br></div><div>The opening ceremony on December 12 will involve a discussion with heads of states, moderated by the UN high commissioner for human rights.</div><div><br></div><div>This will be followed by four roundtables on pressing human rights issues and the future of human rights: peace and security; digital technologies; climate and the environment; and development and the economy.</div><div><br></div><div>The roundtables, with high-level representatives from states and other actors, have been guided by discussion papers on the need to generate fresh ideas on such fundamental issues.</div><div><br></div><div>The Geneva high-level event, which will be accessible with international sign language interpretation and real-time captioning, as well as simultaneous interpretation in the six UN official languages, will be connected online to regional hubs in Bangkok, Nairobi and Panama where related discussions and events are also being organised.</div><div><br></div><div>The entire event will also be accessible through a virtual human rights centre that will enable up to 3,000 people to take part online.</div><div><br></div><div>To ensure further the global scope of the discussions, national and regional dialogues were held in the run-up to December – the latter in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Cairo, Brussels and Santiago.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, a High-level event in Vienna in June marked the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and of the UN Human Rights Office.</div><div><br></div><div>December 10, 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world\'s most ground-breaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).</div><div><br></div><div>This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, according to the UN.</div><div><br></div><div>The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948 and set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 12:07:42', '2023-12-05 12:07:42'),
(10306, 10306, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>As many as 475 people died and 605 others injured in 566 road accidents across the country in the month of November, said a report of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Besides, 31 people were killed and 25 others injured in 23 railway accidents while five people were killed in six waterway accidents, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>The report was published on Tuesday after analysing accident reports published in the country\'s national and regional dailies and online media during the period and a press release in this regard signed by its general secretary was issued on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 503 people were killed and 630 others injured in 603 accidents on roads, waterways and railways across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, 173 people died and 85 others were injured in some 147 motorbike accidents across the country last month which is 25.97% of the total accidents and 30.56 % of the total fatalities.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka division witnessed highest 183 road accidents with 115 fatalities and 138 injuries while Sylhet division witnessed the lowest 22 road accidents with 16 deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>Among those killed in road accidents in November, four were members of law enforcement agencies,106 were drivers, 45 pedestrians, 13 transport workers, 36 students, three teachers, 51 women, 32 children, two journalists, one freedom fighter, one lawyer, two engineers, two physicians and seven activists of different political parties.</div><div><br></div><div>Among those vehicles involved in the accidents were 34.62 percent buses, 27.44 percent pick-up vans,, covered vans and lorries, 5.32 percent private cars, jeeps and microbuses, 6.52 percent CNG-run auto-rickshaws, 20.79 percent motorbikes, 14.58 percent battery-run human haulers and 5.56 percent three-wheeler vehicles, said the report.</div><div><br></div><div>Of the accidents, 42.57 percent occurred on national highways, 19.74 on regional roads and 21.55 percent on roads. Besides, 13.04 percent accidents occurred in Dhaka city, 2.65 in Chattogram city and 0.35 percent on rail tracks, it added.</div><div><br></div><div>The association blamed reckless driving, plying of motorbike, three-wheelers on highways, lack of street lights, road marking or road sign, development of cracks and holes on highways during rainy season, movement of unfit vehicles, violation of traffic rules, unskilled drivers and helpers, collecting tolls and poor traffic management for the accidents and deaths. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 13:56:57', '2023-12-05 13:56:57'),
(10307, 10307, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a one-day trip to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia focused on the Israeli-Hamas war and host the Iranian president in Moscow this week, the Kremlin said Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Putin will make working visits to both countries on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.</div><div><br></div><div>The talks will focus on bilateral relations, the war between Israel and Hamas and other international issues, Peskov said. Issues related to oil price caps under OPEC+ will also be on the agenda, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Putin\'s trip was first announced on Monday by his foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who didn\'t give a date for the visits when he spoke to the Russian news outlet Life.</div><div><br></div><div>“I hope that these will be very useful negotiations, which we consider extremely important,” Ushakov was quoted as saying by Life.</div><div><br></div><div>Putin will make the visit at a time when Russia wants to advance its role as a power broker in the conflict in the Middle East.</div><div><br></div><div>Putin will host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in the Kremlin on Thursday, Peskov added.</div><div><br></div><div>The Russian president visited China in October and recently made several trips to former Soviet nations.</div><div><br></div><div>The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>Since the warrant was issued, Putin chose not to attend a BRICS summit in South Africa because the country would be obliged to arrest Putin upon arrival as it is a signatory to the international court’s treaty.</div><div><br></div><div>Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE have signed the ICC’s founding treaty.</div><div><br></div><div>The notice against Putin in March was the first time the global court issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The ICC said in a statement that Putin is accused of the war crime of ” unlawful deportation ″ of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 13:58:37', '2023-12-05 13:58:37'),
(10308, 10308, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Election will be held on time and it will not be stopped due to violence and sabotage, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“The Election Commission announced the election schedule and it will be held on time. 29 registered political parties are participating in the election. A festive mood has been prevailing in the country over the election,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Home minister came up with the remarks while talking to reporters at the secretariat after a meeting on law and order ahead of 31st night and Christmas Day celebrations.</div><div><br></div><div>Criticising BNP, Asaduzzaman said the party (BNP) has adopted an undemocratic way for obstructing the election after knowing their certain defeat in the election, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“We think we don’t have anything else other than election though which change in power is possible. If they (BNP) want to come to power they have to join the next general election,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 14:04:40', '2023-12-05 14:04:40'),
(10309, 10309, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has warned that those involved in a one-sided election, in reference to the upcoming 12 parliamentary election, will be tried in the \'people\'s court\'.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The BNP senior joint secretary general made the remarks at a virtual press briefing on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Today, the current regime is continuing its insistence on holding a farcical election ignoring the opinions of the country, the nation and the international community,\" said Rizvi.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader warned that the government, the Election Commission, and those who are making deals with them won\'t be spared.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"The people\'s court is being formed, and they will have to answer for their every misdeed,” Rizvi warned.</div><div><br></div><div>Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the government is leading the garment industry down a path of destruction.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Many people will be unemployed if there\'s a sanction on the garment industry. But the government doesn\'t think about it. If it were a patriotic government, they would\'ve taken everything into consideration,\" the BNP leader remarked.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi accused the government of imprisoning the BNP\'s high command in order to go ahead with the farcical election.</div><div><br></div><div>He also accused the government of making the country\'s law enforcement agencies \"disappear opposition leaders and activists\" for the last 15 years.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader called on the people to make the 10th spell of the 48-hr blockade, which is set to begin at 6:00 am tomorrow, a success.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our movement is to restore democracy. The 48-hour blockade will begin at 6 am tomorrow and continue until 6 am on Friday. Leaders and activists of BNP and like-minded parties from all walks of life will be on the streets during the blockade programme,\" reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also said, \"We believe in the power of the people. Our only resort is the people. We don\'t depend on foreign powers. We are relying on the strength of the people to realise our demands. On behalf of the party\'s acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, I am urging all to make the blockade programme successful for the next 48 hours.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 14:29:27', '2023-12-05 14:29:27'),
(10310, 10310, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least 50 Palestinians were reported killed on Tuesday in Israeli overnight airstrikes across the Gaza Strip.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, 40 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes on Khan Younis city.</div><div><br></div><div>It added that another Israeli airstrike hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, leaving at least 10 Palestinians dead.</div><div><br></div><div>Wafa agency quoted sources as saying that due to Israeli bombings of areas in the northern Gaza Strip, 108 slain civilians and dozens of injured people were taken to the Kamal Adwan Hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>Under Israeli army siege and with no electricity, the hospital is sheltering more than 7,000 displaced people, Wafa added.</div><div><br></div><div>It also warned of a possible massacre by the Israeli army in the Kamal Adwan Hospital similar to what happened in Al-Shifa Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Friday after the end of a week-long humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 15,899 Palestinians have been killed and more than 42,000 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 14:34:06', '2023-12-05 14:34:06'),
(10311, 10311, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blasted on Tuesday what he called Israel’s “war crimes” and its “crimes against humanity” in Gaza.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Israel’s war crimes and its crimes against humanity in Gaza should not be left unanswered,” he said as he delivered his remarks at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Qatar’s capital Doha.</div><div><br></div><div>Erdogan also said that Türkiye’s priority is to “ensure that a permanent cease-fire is implemented in Gaza and humanitarian aid is delivered without any interruption.”</div><div><br></div><div>He also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.</div><div><br></div><div>“Netanyahu jeopardizes the region’s future and safety to extend his political life,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Turkish leader further praised Qatar and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) for their actions for Gaza, reports Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>“Talks during the Organization of Islamic Conference on Gaza were significant for a joint action to follow up further on the issue,” he said, as he hailed “Qatar’s efforts to realize a humanitarian pause in Gaza.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-05 14:49:01', '2023-12-05 14:49:01'),
(10312, 10312, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Chittagong Port Authority\'s Patenga Container Terminal Project is a beacon of hope for Bangladesh\'s economic uplift.</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This self-reliant modern terminal will enhance the capacity of our port, facilitate seamless trade, and create job opportunities and entrepreneurship,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said this while speaking at the Concession Agreement Signing Ceremony between Chittagong Port Authority and Saudi Arabia\'s Red Sea Gateway Terminal International (RSGTI) for operation of newly built ‘Patenga Container Terminal (PCT)’ on PPP-G2G basis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The sighing ceremony was held at Prime Minister Office witnessed by the PM and visiting Saudi Investment Minister Khalid A. Al-Falih.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said that Patenga Container Terminal will act as a gateway to global trade, opening up new opportunities for the country\'s businesses to connect with the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We look forward to a future where Patenga Container Terminal will become a driving force for economic growth and prosperity in Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that this Concession Agreement is a testament to Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia’s joint vision and steadfast commitment to economic cooperation and prosperity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It will strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the field of trade and commerce,” she hoped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that Saudi Arabia is a friendly country to Bangladesh and its important development partner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also said that the people of Bangladesh have deep respect and trust for the people of Saudi Arabia and always found Saudi Arabia close to their hearts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said that Red Sea Gateway Terminals International is a reputed global terminal operator designated by the Saudi government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“My sincere thanks and congratulations to the Saudi Government for appointing this terminal operator to operate the Patenga Container Terminal. This initiative of the Saudi authorities is undoubtedly a recognition of the ongoing development and economic potential of Bangladesh.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that RSGTI will operate the Patenga Container Terminal for the next 22 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I hope that RSGTI, with its reputation for managing Jeddah port and other terminals, will manage the Patenga container terminal with its skills and technical know-how,\" said the PM.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By doing this, she said that Chittagong port operations will become more efficient and meet international standards.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Consequently, our economy will benefit from a significant decrease in import-export expenses,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She expressed gratitude to the Saudi government, especially to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, for their trust and cooperation with the government and people of Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also, she thanked Saudi minister of investment and his delegation for their firm support in the implementation of this project.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Your commitment to the economic development of Bangladesh is deeply appreciated,” she told the Saudi minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She hoped that this agreement will help further increase Saudi investment in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saudi Investment Minister Khalid A. Al-Falih, Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister Salman Fazlur Rahman, RSGT Chairman Aamer A. Alireza and State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury also spoke at the programme. 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, '2023-12-06 07:46:13', '2023-12-06 07:46:13'),
(10313, 10313, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Fire Service recorded at least three incidents of burning vehicles in 24 hours till 6 am this morning.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A bus was set on fire in Dhaka while a truck each was burnt in Gaibandha and Sherpur districts, said Shahjahan Shikdar, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence\'s Media Cell.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 25 members of five firefighting units were engaged in dousing the flames during this period, added the Fire Service official.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, 256 arson attacks have been recorded since October 28 till 6 am on December 6. Of them, 250 vehicles were set on fire during the blockades and hartals, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Vehicles burned during this period included 155 buses, 43 trucks, 21 covered vans, eight motorbikes, and 23 others. Fifteen establishments were damaged while an ambulance was vandalised during the period, fire service added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-06 08:14:43', '2023-12-06 08:14:43'),
(10314, 10314, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Mushfiqur Rahim faced an unusual dismissal during the ongoing Dhaka Test against New Zealand. After defending the ball, he pushed it with his gloves, leading the third umpire to rule him out.For Bangladesh, Mushfiqur was the first batter to suffer such a dismissal in Tests.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the cricket law-maker, initially classified this as \"Handling the Ball.\" However, in 2017, this law was merged with another called \"Obstructing the Field.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Under the previous law (Law 33), a batter would be out if they handled the ball after facing a delivery, whether with one hand or both, and the bowler wouldn\'t get credit for the wicket. This law merged with Law 37.1.1 and 37.1.2.</div><div><br></div><div>Law 37.1.1 states: “Either batter is out Obstructing the field if, except in the circumstances of 37.2, and while the ball is in play, he/she wilfully attempts to obstruct or distract the fielding side by word or action. See also Law 34 (Hit the ball twice).”</div><div><br></div><div>Law 37.1.2 states: “The striker is out Obstructing the field if, except in the circumstances of 37.2, in the act of receiving a ball delivered by the bowler, he/she wilfully strikes the ball with a hand not holding the bat. This will apply whether it is the first strike or a second or subsequent strike. The act of receiving the ball shall extend both to playing at the ball and to striking the ball more than once in defence of his/her wicket.”</div><div><br></div><div>This clarifies why Mushfiqur was given out during the 41st over of Bangladesh’s innings in the Dhaka Test.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh is facing challenges in the Dhaka Test, having lost four wickets in the first session, with Mushfiqur\'s unexpected dismissal marking their sixth wicket with only 123 runs on the board. According to UNB Reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-06 08:18:24', '2023-12-06 08:18:24'),
(10315, 10315, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Four Rohingya men were killed as two insurgent groups engaged in gunfire early Wednesday to \"establish supremacy\" in the southeast Ukhiya camps of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, said police.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Two more Rohingya were injured in a stabbing attack, officer-in-charge of Ukhiya Police Station Shamim Hossain told Anadolu.</div><div><br></div><div>Myanmar\'s armed separatist groups Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) were primarily suspected of involvement in the incident, said the official.</div><div><br></div><div>The ARSA and RSO insurgent groups are active in Myanmar\'s northern Rakhine State, but in Cox\'s Bazar, they have locked horns to establish supremacy in the refugee camps.</div><div><br></div><div>Human Rights Watch said in July at least 48 Rohingya have been killed this year so far, while 40 were killed in 2022, with at least 11 armed groups operating in Cox\'s Bazar camps.</div><div><br></div><div>Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya live in Bangladesh, the majority of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine in Aug. 2017. Most of them are housed in overcrowded camps in Cox\'s Bazar district, but over 33,000 have been relocated to the island of Bhasan Char since late 2020. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-12-06 08:34:57', '2023-12-06 08:34:57');
