INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7054, 7054, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US President Joe Biden and top Republican Kevin McCarthy have called their latest talks on the debt ceiling productive but no deal has yet been reached.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I believe we can get a deal done,\" House Speaker McCarthy told reporters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While acknowledging areas of disagreement, Mr Biden said \"default is off the table\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has reiterated that the US will likely default on its debt as early as 1 June.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The debt ceiling is a spending limit set by Congress which determines how much money the government can borrow.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Failure to raise it beyond the current cap of roughly $31.4tn (£25.2tn) by June could result in the US defaulting on its debt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That would mean the government could not borrow any more money or pay all of its bills. It would also threaten to wreak havoc on the global economy, affecting prices and mortgage rates in other countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president ended his trip to Japan for the G7 summit early and returned to the US on Sunday to address the deadlock over US debt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement issued after his meeting with the House speaker, Mr Biden said: \"Default is off the table, and the only way to move forward is in good faith toward a bipartisan agreement.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tone of the talks at the White House appeared to be more optimistic after weeks of divisive partisan discourse. But it is unclear how quickly the two sides can reach a deal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We don\'t have an agreement yet,\" Mr McCarthy said. \"But I did feel the discussion was productive in areas that we have differences of opinion.\'\'</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Biden and I will talk everyday until we get this done,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr McCarthy said the source of the stalemate between Democrats and Republicans is the same as it has always been, spending.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But while recognising the differences he said the tone \"was better than at any other time\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, the House speaker emphasised that a deal needed to be reached this week to give Congress adequate time to meet the 1 June deadline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He estimated it would take about 72 hours for the agreement to be written, read and voted on.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen issued a warning letter to Congress on Monday maintaining that the US would likely run out of money to pay its bills as early as 1 June without a debt limit increase.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She heightened the urgency and called the possibility of a default in early June \"highly likely\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If Congress fails to increase the debt limit, it would cause severe hardship to American families,\" her statement read.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Republicans are demanding over $4tn in budget cuts which would dissolve several of Mr Biden\'s legislative priorities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Democrats have refused and instead are offering to keep spending flat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both Mr Biden and Mr McCarthy are under pressure from the left and right flanks of their respective parties to hold the line.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With a one-seat Democratic majority in the Senate and Republicans in narrow control of the House, a deal has so far proven elusive. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 07:42:27', '2023-05-23 07:42:27'),
(7055, 7055, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A SpaceX capsule carrying two Saudi astronauts docked with the International Space Station on Monday, as part of a private mission chartered by Axiom Space.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rayyanah Barnawi, a scientist who became the first Saudi woman to go into space, and Ali Al-Qarni, a trained fighter pilot, are the first two people from their country to fly to the orbital outpost.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Greetings from outer space, I\'m here not only representing myself, but representing the hopes and dreams of everyone back home, everyone in the region,\" said Barnawi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We really are excited to be here,\" added mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who made the voyage three times in the past.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It was a great launch, a great ride, we had a lot of fun on the way up and we\'re really excited to get a lot of work done up here.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fourth crew member is American businessman John Shoffner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About two hours after docking, the quartet entered the ISS, where they joined the seven astronauts -- three Russians, three Americans and an Emirati -- already on board.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The SpaceX rocket blasted off from Florida on Sunday, and the trip to the ISS, which orbits around 250 miles (400 kilometers) above the Earth, lasted about 16 hours.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This mission, named Ax-2, is the second fully private mission to visit the space station, following a first in April 2022. The members of Ax-2 will stay about 10 days and carry out some 20 experiments.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">NASA is trying to seed a commercial space economy in the region of space known as \"Low Earth Orbit,\" allowing it to focus its own energies on missions deeper into the solar system and beyond.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Axiom Mission 1 launched last April, with the seats for three private astronauts accompanying an Axiom-employed astronaut reported to cost $55 million each. The cost of seats for Ax-2 has not been disclosed. 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, '2023-05-23 09:44:33', '2023-05-23 09:44:33'),
(7056, 7056, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has arrived in China, Moscow\'s foreign ministry said, for a visit in which he will meet with President Xi Jinping and ink a series of deals on infrastructure and trade.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mishustin arrived late Monday in Shanghai, the ministry said, where he was greeted at the airport by Moscow\'s ambassador to China Igor Morgulov and Beijing\'s top diplomat to Russia Zhang Hanhui.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He will take part in a Russian-Chinese Business Forum and visit a petrochemical research institute in Shanghai, the Kremlin said, as well as hold talks with \"representatives of Russian business circles\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That forum has invited a number of sanctioned Russian tycoons -- including from the key fertiliser, steel and mining sectors -- as well as Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, who handles energy issues, Bloomberg reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">China last year became the top energy customer for Russia, whose gas exports had otherwise plummeted after a flurry of Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mishustin will then travel to Beijing, where he will meet with Xi and Premier Li Qiang, Russian state media TASS has said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">China and Russia have in recent years ramped up economic cooperation and diplomatic contacts, with their strategic partnership having only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While China says it is a neutral party in that war, it has refused to condemn Russia for the invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In February, Beijing released a paper calling for a \"political settlement\" to the conflict, which Western countries said could enable Russia to hold much of the territory it has seized in Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During a March summit in Moscow, Xi invited President Vladimir Putin to visit Beijing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Analysts say China holds the upper hand in the relationship with Russia, and that its sway is growing as Moscow\'s international isolation deepens. 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, '2023-05-23 09:48:59', '2023-05-23 09:48:59'),
(7057, 7057, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Dhaka’s air ranked 6th most polluted among cities around the world Tuesday morning, as per Air Quality Index (AQI).</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The air in Dhaka city was categorised as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, with an AQI score of 137 at 8:30am.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Indonesia’s Jakarta, Pakistan’s Lahore and China’s Shanghai occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 168, 162, and 153 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;\">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 due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 10:07:18', '2023-05-23 10:07:18'),
(7058, 7058, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">An overnight fire raced through a dormitory in Guyana, killing at least 19 students who were trapped and injuring several others at a government boarding school as authorities probe whether it was intentionally set. All but one of the victims were Indigenous girls, officials said Monday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This is a horrific incident. It’s tragic. It’s painful,” President Irfaan Ali said, adding that his government was mobilizing all possible resources as he requested help from the region to identify the remains of 13 bodies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fire broke out at about 10:50 p.m. Sunday in the dormitory building of a secondary school that serves remote, mostly Indigenous villages and is located in the border town of Mahdia, a gold and diamond mining community about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the capital, Georgetown, the government said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Deputy Fire Chief Dwayne Scotland said \"the fire was maliciously set” and began in the building\'s southwest corner. However, Police Chief Clifton Hicken said “initial investigations suggest that it was maliciously set.\" He also said that while the girls\' dorm had five doors, iron grill work trapped the students inside.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Authorities did not provide further details and did not share what evidence, if any, points to arson.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This is the saddest day of my life as president. I wish it had not occurred,” Ali said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 59 girls usually reside in the dorm, but only 56 were in the rooms when the fire began because three of them went home for the weekend. Thirteen girls and a small boy died at the dorm, while five died at Mahdia Hospital, the government said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Of those injured, six children were flown to Georgetown and 17 remain hospitalized in Mahdia, officials said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials initially said 20 students were killed but later updated the toll to 19, with several others injured. National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said the figure was revised after doctors revived a very critical patient that “everyone thought was dead.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“When firefighters arrived on the scene, the building was already completely engulfed in flames,” Guyana’s Fire Service said in a statement. “Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the relatives and friends of those young souls.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials said two children remain in critical condition and four have severe injuries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Firefighters did manage to rescue some 20 students by breaking holes in the northeastern wall of the building,” the department said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The school serves mostly Indigenous children aged 12 through 18, Gouveia said. He said it was too early to speculate what might have caused the fire, adding that heavy thunderstorms in the area posed a challenge to those responding by air.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It was a battle for us,” he said. “The pilots were very brave, very determined.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added that the government and emergency responders “made a gigantic effort” to save as many people as possible.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ali said officials were contacting parents and mobilizing psychologists to help those affected by the fire.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I cannot imagine the pain right now of the parents,” he said. “This is a major disaster.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The opposition party, APNU+AFC, issued a statement saying it will seek a thorough investigation and thanked people in the small community for helping authorities rescue children who were trapped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We need to understand how this most horrific and deadly incident occurred and take all necessary measures to prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future,” opposition lawmaker Natasha Singh-Lewis said. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 10:10:25', '2023-05-23 10:10:25'),
(7059, 7059, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka and some other divisions may experience rain or thundershowers in 24 hours from 9am on Tuesday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty/squally wind is likely to occur at many places over Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Chattogram &amp; Sylhet divisions and at a few places over Khulna &amp; Barishal divisions with hails at isolated places over the country, said a bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A mild heat wave is sweeping over Khulna division and the districts of Madaripur &amp; Pabna and it may abate from some places, it read.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Day and Night temperature may fall slightly over the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The country’s highest temperature was recorded at 36.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday in Jashore and the lowest temperature was recorded in Nikli and Rajarhat at 24.0 degrees Celsius. 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, '2023-05-23 11:26:56', '2023-05-23 11:26:56'),
(7060, 7060, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The World Health Organization on Monday won basic approval for a $6.83-billion budget over the next two years, including a 20-percent hike in mandatory membership fees.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the UN health agency kicked off its annual decision-making assembly, member states in a key committee approved the budget without objection.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the move as \"historic and a big milestone\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The budget still needs to be approved by all the member states at the end of the 10-day event, but this is basically a formality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The decision comes after last year\'s assembly agreed to a dramatic overhaul of WHO funding.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shaken by the Covid 19 pandemic, countries agreed on the need to provide more reliable and stable funding.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The WHO is largely financed by its 194 member states.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The portion of funding from mandatory membership fees -- \"assessed contributions\" calculated according to wealth and population -- had dwindled to below one-fifth, with the rest coming from \"voluntary contributions\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This left WHO with limited leeway to respond to crises like Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and other health emergencies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year\'s assembly agreed to gradually increase the membership fee portion to 50 percent by the 2030-31 budget cycle at the latest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 2024-25 budget cycle marks the first incremental increase, with countries agreeing to hike their assessed contributions by 20 percent from the 2022-23 budget.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In return for the funding shift, WHO has begun implementing 96 reforms, including towards more transparency on its financing and hiring and broader accountability.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tedros told the assembly earlier Monday that WHO so far had implemented 42 of the requested reforms \"and 54 are ongoing. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 11:33:23', '2023-05-23 11:33:23'),
(7061, 7061, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A fake image of an explosion at the Pentagon briefly went viral and caused a ten-minute long dip on the markets on Monday, stoking further talk that generative AI could cause problems to society.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The image, which many observers suspected came from artificial intelligence, was spread by several accounts, forcing the Pentagon to comment that there was no such explosion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We can confirm this was a false report and the Pentagon was not attacked today,\" a spokesman said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Arlington, Virginia fire department also reacted, posting on social media that there was no explosion or incident taking place at or near the Pentagon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident followed other occurrences of fake imagery that also created buzz recently on the internet, including of former US president Donald Trump getting arrested and Pope Francis in a puffer jacket.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The earliest tweet found by AFP sharing the Pentagon image came from a QAnon-promoting account that has previously shared disinformation, though the original source of the image was not known.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Emerging generative AI technologies make it easier for non-specialists to create convincing images in just a few moments, instead of needing the expertise to use programs such as Photoshop.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The shared image caused the markets to be knocked for a few minutes, with the S&amp;P 500 stumbling by 0.29 percent compared to its Friday close before recovering.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There was a dip likely related to this fake news as the (trading) machines picked up on it, but I would submit that the scope of the decline did not match the seemingly bad nature of the fake news,\" said Pat O\'Hare of Briefing.com. 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, '2023-05-23 11:40:48', '2023-05-23 11:40:48'),
(7062, 7062, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US troops stage an airborne assault. British marines conduct a nighttime beach landing. French paratroopers drop from the skies after flying across Europe.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Estonia, on NATO\'s eastern flank, the allies train in the shadow of Russia\'s war on Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The message is clear.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It says that at short notice we can deploy very fast,\" said Lieutenant Colonel Edouard Bros, commander of the French troops in Estonia and taking part in the Spring Storm exercise.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fifteen months into Russia\'s war on Ukraine, and a month ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius, the alliance is reinforcing its eastern defences.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now that Moscow has ripped up decades of post-Cold War order, NATO is conducting the biggest overhaul to its defences and planning in a generation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This change will move us from an alliance that was optimised for out of area contingency operations to an alliance fit for the purpose of large-scale operations to defend every inch of the alliance\'s territory,\" US General Christopher Cavoli, NATO\'s supreme commander in Europe, said this month.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This is necessitated by the new realities we face.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a summit in Madrid last year, spurred on by the destruction Russian troops wrought in Ukraine, NATO reverted to \"deterrence by denial\" as it had during the Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That means stopping any attack by Moscow at the borders, rather than being willing to cede frontline territory such as the Baltics, which would then need to be recaptured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"What is clear is that NATO made a strategic shift,\" said Kristjan Mae, the head of the policy planning department at Estonia\'s defence ministry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Collective defence is the most important task and we need to get our house in order.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Battle groups and brigades -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the alliance has added thousands more troops to its eastern flank.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It has deployed four more multinational \"battle groups\" in Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria in addition to those set up on Russia\'s border in Poland and the Baltic states in the wake of Moscow\'s 2014 seizure of Crimea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">NATO members are now planning how to scale up deployments to Baltic nations and Poland to brigade-size, which would mean adding thousands more troops, \"where and when required\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Military hardware -- time-consuming and complicated to lug across the continent -- is being pre-positioned in the east, and exercises are being stepped up.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For Estonia, Britain will have troops on standby at their home bases ready to rush to the country to bolster the roughly 1,000 British and French troops already on the ground.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"That is a key shift -- the extra layer of capability in time to be part of the in place force prior to the outbreak of a conflict,\" said Brigadier Giles Harris, British commander of the NATO deployment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While Estonia seems satisfied with that model, its neighbour Lithuania wants more troops consistently on the ground and is still discussing with its lead partner Germany how to get them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These deployments -- along with the militaries of the frontline nations -- are NATO\'s forward defence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Back in their headquarters, NATO commanders are drawing up more detailed plans -- to be approved by leaders in Vilnius -- on how the alliance would defend each region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That involves details of how many forces, from which countries would go where, integrating national and NATO defence planning and setting clearer spending priorities for new gear.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">NATO membership for Finland and eventually Sweden will also help bolster the eastern flank, but commanders must decide how the Scandinavian neighbours fit into broader plans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The allies plan to have a pool of 300,000 troops ready to deploy within 30 days and will hold a conference at the end of June to commit personnel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- From paper to practice -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All these new deployments and plans will inevitably require money, resources and forces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If nations need more time, or nations have less money, or there\'s all sorts of things that happen along the way, then it will have an impact of reaching that ideal situation,\" said Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of NATO\'s military committee.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ahead of the Vilnius summit, NATO members are haggling over a new pledge to boost defence spending as a percent of gross domestic product.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Just seven alliance members hit the two percent target set in 2022 and the aim for Vilnius will be agreeing to turn that target into a baseline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Estonia, which has never stopped viewing Russia as an existential threat, wants allies to commit to spending 2.5 percent of GDP on defence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tallinn insists it is pulling its weight. The country of 1.4 million is already boosting defence spending to 3 percent of GDP, standing up a new army division, and buying modern weaponry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Faced by its aggressive giant neighbour, it now wants NATO\'s new defence strategies to become operable as soon as possible.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"One thing is to have good plans on paper. The other thing is to have these executable and implementable,\" said Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur, surrounded by British and French armoured vehicles at the Spring Storm exercise.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"So this is the task. And this is the challenge for all of us.\" 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, '2023-05-23 12:35:41', '2023-05-23 12:35:41'),
(7063, 7063, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A case has been filed against BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Rajshahi district BNP convener Abu Sayeed Chand for making a “death threat” against Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">District Awami League General Secretary Shariful Islam Ramzan filed the case with Natore Police Station around 9:30pm on Monday (May 22, 2023).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Abu Sayeed Chand has been made the main accused in the case. The BNP secretary general has also been accused in the case.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Top leaders of district and municipal Awami League were present.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nasir Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Natore Sadar Police Station, accepted the case.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Citing BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Rajshahi BNP leader Abu Sayeed Chand as traitors, the plaintiff said the “threatening remarks” made by the main accused towards Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has tarnished the reputation of the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The remarks may deteriorate the law and order situation of the country, the case statement reads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Friday afternoon, Abu Sayeed Chand threatened the prime minister at a public rally of metropolitan and district BNP at Shibpur High School ground in Puthia Upazila of Rajshahi as part of the central program.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"No more 27- or 10-point demand, just one point now – send Sheikh Hasina to the grave! We will do whatever is necessary to get Sheikh Hasina to resign,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, a video of the threat went viral on social media, triggering a storm of protests among Awami League leaders and supporters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A case was filed against Abu Sayeed Chand with Puthia Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act in this regard. 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, '2023-05-23 12:43:09', '2023-05-23 12:43:09'),
(7064, 7064, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Brazil said on Monday it had formally protested to the Spanish ambassador and would lodge an official complaint with authorities in Madrid over the latest incident of racist abuse directed at Brazilian footballer Vinicius Junior.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There has been an outpouring of condemnation in Vinicius\'s native Brazil since the Real Madrid star was targeted with racist abuse during the club\'s 1-0 loss at Valencia on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Brazilian government said Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco would present an official complaint to Spanish authorities and La Liga.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A foreign ministry source meanwhile told AFP the government had protested to Spain\'s ambassador in Brazil.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The Spanish ambassador is away from Brasilia, but we have already been in contact with her by telephone to express the Brazilian government\'s displeasure over the repeated racist attacks against (Vinicius) and the need for an adequate response,\" the source said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In solidarity, the Christ the Redeemer, whose arms extend over Rio de Janeiro, will turn off its lights this Monday for one hour (between 2100 and 2200 GMT).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The monument (...) will have its lighting turned off as a symbol of the joint fight against racism and in solidarity with the player and with all those who suffer from prejudice in the world,\" the Archdiocese in charge of the sanctuary said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The match in Valencia was halted for several minutes after Vinicius, who has repeatedly been targeted with racial slurs in Spain, was abused again Sunday from the stands.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The referee wrote in his post-match report that shouts of \"monkey\" had been directed at the player.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the abuse, which triggered a flood of support for Vinicius, including from fellow Brazil stars Neymar and Richarlison and retired legend Ronaldo.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brazil \"deeply regrets that no effective measures have yet been taken to prevent the recurrence of these racist acts,\" the government said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It called on Spanish authorities to \"punish the perpetrators and stop further cases,\" and urged FIFA, the Spanish Football Federation and La Liga to take \"the necessary measures.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation of the incident on Monday, and Spain\'s sports council said it was analysing video images to \"identify the perpetrators of these insults and behaviors to propose the appropriate sanctions.\" AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 12:45:53', '2023-05-23 12:45:53'),
(7065, 7065, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the opening session of the 3rd Qatar Economic Forum in Doha of Qatar on Tuesday morning.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The forum is being held at Fairmont &amp; Raffles Hotels in Lusail city from May 23-25.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina arrived in Qatar on Monday to attend the forum at the invitation of Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The main objective of the forum is to find a solution by increasing mutual cooperation among the international community to deal with the multi-faceted challenges and crises going on globally and the adverse economic consequences arising from them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, on Tuesday, she will deliver her speech before the students of Qatar University in Doha, have meetings separately with Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, Minister of State for Energy Affairs of Qatar Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi and Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid A. Al-Falih.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier will also attend the Qatar Economic Forum Gala Dinner. 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, '2023-05-23 13:33:52', '2023-05-23 13:33:52'),
(7066, 7066, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been tested covid-19 positive for third time.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"He received the of Covid-19 positive report at 10am on Tuesday (23 May)\",  BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said that the BNP secretary general was feeling ill since Monday afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He has been admitted to the capital\'s Square Hospital for treatment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before this, the 75-year-old BNP leader was infected with Covid 2 twice. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 13:38:38', '2023-05-23 14:53:18'),
(7067, 7067, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The first hajj flight carrying 419 pilgrims left the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chattogram City Mayor M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury inaugurated the first hajj flight, Airport director Group Captain Taslim Ahmed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chairman of Hajj Agencies Association, Bangladesh (HAAB) Chattogram Chapter Shah Alam said Bangladesh Biman will operate 22 dedicated hajj flights from Chattogram to Modinah and Jeddah during the current hajj season.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These flights will carry 10,500 pilgrims and the last flight will leave Chattogram on June 22, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, 11 flights were operated from Chattogram to Jeddah and Modinah, but this year the number has been increased to 22 and six of them will go to Modinah.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sajal Barua, Chattogram district manager of Biman, said all necessary steps have been taken to send the pilgrims properly and various guidelines have also been given to the concerned in this regard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are trying so that the pilgrims can perform the holy hajj safely and without any hassel,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to Biman sources, the number of pilgrims from Bangladesh this year is 1,22,211. Of them, half will be carried by Biman and the remaining half by Saudia Airlines and Flynas Airlines. Biman will operate a total of 162 flights to transport the pilgrims. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 14:28:42', '2023-05-23 14:28:42'),
(7068, 7068, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Seven people, including four children, died Monday when strong winds from a rainstorm caused a metal roof on a school’s activity center to collapse in northern Thailand, officials said Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The latest casualty was a 6-year-old boy who died late Monday night in a hospital after the collapse at the Wat Nern Por primary school, according to the public relations office in Phichit province, 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of Bangkok.</div><div><br></div><div>Several students had gone inside the activity center to shelter from the rain when the roof collapsed, according to a Facebook post from the official disaster prevention department, and 18 people were hospitalized.</div><div><br></div><div>Patcharin Siri, a staff member of the provincial Public Relations Department, said four boys, two parents and one member of the school’s cleaning staff died.</div><div><br></div><div>The meteorological department issued a warning for heavy rain in northern Thailand this week. Monday was also the official start of the rainy season. According to AP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 15:39:23', '2023-05-23 15:39:23'),
(7069, 7069, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian military saboteurs launched an attack across the border Monday, wounding eight people in a small town. Kyiv officials denied any link with the group and blamed the fighting on a revolt by disgruntled Russians against the Kremlin.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Neither version of events could be independently verified in an area that has witnessed sporadic spillover from the almost 15-month war in Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said that a Ukrainian Armed Forces saboteur group entered the town of Graivoron, about five kilometers (three miles) from the border. The town also came under Ukrainian artillery fire, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said eight people were wounded and most residents had left the area, but the situation remained “tense.”</div><div><br></div><div>In nearby Zamostye village, a projectile hit a kindergarten and caused a fire. One woman was wounded in her hand, Gladkov said. He also reported that Russian anti-aircraft systems shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle over Belgorod region. According to AP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 15:51:17', '2023-05-23 15:51:17');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7070, 7070, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Smoke from wildfires in Canada is moving into parts of the central US and could linger in the days ahead, health and weather officials warned Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Air quality alerts have been posted as of early Friday across several states, including Nebraska, Washington, Montana and Wisconsin, with a special weather statement about air quality in Wyoming.</div><div><br></div><div>The heaviest smoke concentrations should shift further east into the Midwest later in the day, affecting major metro areas including Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis.</div><div><br></div><div>Canada has had an especially active start to the fire season. Last week, devastating wildfires in Alberta had burned more than 150 times more area in that province than in the last five years combined by the same point in the year, CNN has reported.</div><div><br></div><div>In Nebraska, “Canadian wildfire smoke is going to move through the area today through tomorrow morning, resulting in potentially dangerous air quality and poor visibility across eastern Nebraska and Iowa. Limit outdoor activities if possible when the air quality is poor!” the National Weather Service in Omaha tweeted Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>Wildfire smoke “is beginning to move into the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas,” the service’s Omaha office said Thursday afternoon. “Visibility should drop to 1-2 miles within the next couple of hours and air quality will go into the unhealthy range for sensitive groups.”</div><div><br></div><div>In eastern Nebraska’s Douglas County – which includes Omaha – the health department warned smoke could remain through Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index indicated parts of the Rockies, the Great Plains and the Midwest, including the Nebraska Panhandle and northeast corner of the state, had “very unhealthy” air quality early Friday. According to CNN reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 16:27:47', '2023-05-23 16:27:47'),
(7071, 7071, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The United States has condemned the Rajshahi BNP leader’s public ‘death threat’ against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, noting that they stand firmly against any attempts to incite violence.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"The U.S. Embassy condemns the use of any inflammatory language, intimidation, or threats of violence,\" Sean J. McIntosh, Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka told UNB on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>The US comment came when asked whether the US is condemning such threat by the opposition leader.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Political stability, peaceful coexistence, and respect for democratic principles are vital for any society to flourish,\" said the official at the US Embassy.</div><div><br></div><div>The United States is committed to supporting Bangladesh in its pursuit of a stable, prosperous, and democratic future, said McIntosh.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We stand firmly against any attempts to incite violence, and we reiterate our support for the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,\" said the official.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Awami League and its associate organizations held processions and rallies in all district and metropolitan areas, protesting Rajshahi district BNP Convener Abu Sayeed Chand’s&nbsp; “death threat” to Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>In a video posted on AL’s verified Facebook page, that had been circulating on social media and reported on by media outlets, Abu Sayeed Chand is heard saying: “No more 27- or 10-point demand, just one point now – send Sheikh Hasina to the grave!”</div><div><br></div><div>According to the video, the speech was given on May 19 at a Rajshahi district and metropolitan BNP rally. According to to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 19:52:38', '2023-05-23 19:52:38'),
(7072, 7072, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Pakistan Anti-Terrorism Court on Tuesday extended interim bail Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan in eight cases registered against him.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The former Pakistan prime minister — who is facing a number of cases — reached the Islamabad judicial complex, ahead of his appearance before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at its Rawalpindi office in the £190 million settlement case.</div><div><br></div><div>The prosecutor opposing the extension in interim bail of the former premier said he is not joining the investigation despite court orders.</div><div><br></div><div>The accused has to join the investigation after security interim bail but Imran Khan is saying his leg is injured and he cannot join the probe.</div><div><br></div><div>To this, Salman Safdar, the former prime minister\'s counsel in his arguments before the court, said his client booked in over 160 cases and added they are ready to join the investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>The investigation officer is not interested to leave his office, Safdar said and added Imran Khan will respond to the questionnaire within three days.</div><div><br></div><div>The court after hearing arguments from both sides extended interim bail of Imran Khan in eight cases until June 8.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The judge also directed the joint investigation team to inform the court how they want Imran Khan to join the investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>Security was beefed up at the judicial complex and the NAB office ahead of the PTI chief\'s arrival and a heavy contingent of police were deployed there to deal with any untoward incident. - The Nation</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 20:09:08', '2023-05-23 20:09:08'),
(7073, 7073, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh\'s Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has said a joint operation will be conducted very soon to seize arms and drugs and to prevent terrorist activities in the Rohingya camps.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>If necessary, the army will also be involved in this operation, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister made the remarks while talking to reporters after attending a meeting of the National committee for coordinating, managing and maintaining law and order of Rohingyas at the Secretariat on Tuesday (May 23, 2023).</div><div><br></div><div>Highlighting the decision of the national committee on coordination, management and law and order of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals displaced, the minister said: \"There is an increasing trend of violence in the Rohingya refugee camps. Terrorist activities are on the rise. In light of this, it was decided in the meeting to increase law enforcement patrols, checkpoints, and intelligence surveillance to stop Rohingya miscreants from committing acts of violence within the camp.”</div><div><br></div><div>Asaduzzaman Khan said the authorities will conduct a joint operation – based on intelligence – to prevent members of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Arakan Army (AA) from entering the camps.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have set up barbed wire fences and watchtowers to prevent Rohingyas from leaving the camp, and we conduct regular patrols,\" he said. “The security measures will be strengthened further so that they cannot escape. Members of law enforcement agencies are on high alert.”</div><div><br></div><div>Asked whether the army will be involved in the joint operation, the minister said, \"If necessary, we will call the army.\"</div><div><br></div><div>“We will not allow drug trade. We will make sure that there is no more bloodshed.”</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, the home minister said the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be instructed to stay on high alert on the border to prevent anymore Myanmar nationals from entering the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Among other things, discussions were held to speed the diplomatic efforts to send Rohingyas back to Myanmar. Various issues including rohingya health, birth control were also addressed at the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>The home minister said, \"The decision to repatriate the Rohingyas is still active. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on it. We hope (repatriation process) it will continue. ’</div><div><br></div><div>When asked about the Rohingyas who are hesitant to go back to Myanmar, he said, \"It’ll pass. How long will we keep them? We want them to go back to their country,” reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The Home Minister said the registration process of Bangladeshi fishermen fishing in the Naf River is ongoing.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 21:20:38', '2023-05-23 21:20:38'),
(7074, 7074, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The United Nations and its partners in Bangladesh on Tuesday appealed for $42.1 million for the Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi communities in Cox’s Bazar who are facing the devastating impact of Cyclone Mocha.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The cyclone severely affected all 33 refugee camps and surrounding Bangladeshi villages, leaving thousands desperately in need.</div><div><br></div><div>The urgent appeal includes $36.5 million under the Rohingya Refugee Response to benefit refugees and Bangladeshi communities.</div><div><br></div><div>Additionally, the UN and its partners seek $5.6 million exclusively for Bangladeshi families in Teknaf.</div><div><br></div><div>The appeal focuses on the urgent needs to replenish contingency stocks, prepare ahead of the monsoon season, and use weather and fire-resistant materials for shelters and facilities that are critical in saving lives.</div><div><br></div><div>Cyclone Mocha struck the Bangladesh-Myanmar border on 14 May, bringing heavy rains and strong winds. Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis and Rohingya were impacted by the cyclone.</div><div><br></div><div>Shelters built of bamboo and tarpaulin were damaged and destroyed. Many more lost access to clean drinking water and other water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. Key facilities for education, nutrition, protection, and more were damaged or destroyed.</div><div><br></div><div>“The cyclone has taken a huge toll on Bangladeshi and refugee communities, even if we missed the eye of the storm,” said Gwyn Lewis, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“What we need to do is to build back better with weather and fire-resistant materials. Many refugees lost their homes in March due to devastating fires and had just begun rebuilding their lives. They are now rebuilding their shelters once again following the cyclone and are bracing for the monsoons that are around the corner,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Rohingya refugees are particularly vulnerable this year because the 2023 Appeal seeking $876 million dollars is only 17% funded as of mid-May. Funding shortfalls, resulting in two ration cuts in March and imminently in June 2023, will decrease food assistance by 33.3%. Other critical programmes and activities are also being cut.</div><div><br></div><div>“Refugees are not allowed to work and are completely reliant on the international community.” said Lewis, “We desperately need $56 million to restore the full food rations of refugees. Now we also need additional support to rebuild the camps after the cyclone and prepare for the monsoons.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Resident Coordinator acknowledged the government’s leadership in implementing its sophisticated disaster preparedness and response systems that has saved countless lives in the past years and during Cyclone Mocha.</div><div><br></div><div>In Myanmar, the humanitarian community also launched a $333 million Flash Appeal on Tuesday to assist 1.6 million people affected by Cyclone Mocha. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 22:21:28', '2023-05-23 22:21:28'),
(7075, 7075, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the Qatar University students to be the change-makers being remained focus on vision having the mentality to embrace the new and future.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Lead by example and be the change-maker,\" she said while addressing a session with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the students of Qatar University on theme titled \"Bangladesh: a development model: Learning from Sheikh Hasina.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The Premier, who is now on a three-day official visit to Doha to attend the Qatar Economic Forum-2023, told the students, \"To represent a value, remaining focused on your vision and make concrete plans to realize your vision.\"</div><div><br></div><div>She also said: \"Trust your people and team. Invoke your maternal spirit, and embrace the new and the future.\"</div><div><br></div><div>During her long speech, Sheikh Hasina gave a brief description of the struggle of achieving Bangladesh\'s independence under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and advancing the country towards transforming it into a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We want to build a knowledge-based, SMART Bangladesh. In SMART Bangladesh, there will be a smart government, a smart economy, a smart population, a smart society, and smart manpower,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said the people will be made skilled in using digital devices so that they can contribute to the fourth industrial revolution.</div><div><br></div><div>She went on saying that the purpose of Smart Bangladesh is to keep pace with the changing world and use digital devices in all areas of education, health, agriculture, industrial production, business, and trade.</div><div><br></div><div>\"To achieve the goals, we are setting up digital labs in all educational institutions, from primary to higher education. Computer training and incubation centers and hi-tech parks are being established throughout the country,\" Sheikh Hasina said.</div><div><br></div><div>Skilled manpower is being built through training in artificial intelligence, she said, adding that they have passed an act to establish a nanotechnology institution.</div><div><br></div><div>The use of digital devices or technology has created vast employment opportunities for women in our society, the premier said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Today\'s Bangladesh is a changed Bangladesh. It is dubbed as a role model for development. Hunger, poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy and etc are vanishing fast,\" she said</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said their hard-earned development in the country is not a miracle.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is the collective work of our men and women. I have only tried to guide them in the desired direction,\" she continued.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said, however, it was not an easy journey to reach today\'s position as she have had to undergo huge ordeals and persecution throughout her life.</div><div><br></div><div>\"My father had to spend nearly one-fourth of his life in prison. We, the children, had been deprived of his love and affection. Within three and a half years of independence, the founder of the country, my father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated along with 18 of our family members, including my mother, three brothers, two sisters-in-law, and an uncle,\" she continued.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said her youngest brother was only ten years old at the time.</div><div><br></div><div>\"My sister and I survived being abroad on that day. My sister and I had to lead a refugee life for six years,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said she returned home in 1981, when her party Awami League made her its president.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I came home with a pledge to materialize my father\'s dream of a poverty-, hunger, and illiteracy-free, prosperous Bangladesh,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>On return, Sheikh Hasina said she launched a movement for establishing the rights to food and vote. I was interned time and again.</div><div><br></div><div>\"At least 19 attempts were made on my life, the gravest one being in August 2004 when a dozen Arges grenades were hurled at me to kill me. I survived, but 22 of my party workers and leaders were killed and several hundred wounded,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Braving all odds, Sheikh Hasina said she continued her struggle only to change the fates of her countrymen.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I shall continue to do so as long as I live, Insha\'Allah. My dream is to turn our delta into a land of prosperity once again,\" she pledged.</div><div><br></div><div>Following Bangabandhu\'s assassination, she said Bangladesh went under military and quasi-military rule for the subsequent 21 years, and the fates of the people had not changed much.</div><div><br></div><div>\"My party, the Awami League, got elected to office in 1996 after a long struggle of 21 years, and I was made Prime Minister for the first time. In five years, we managed to build a solid foundation for Bangladesh\'s socio-economic transformation,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said they handed over power through peaceful means in 2001, and then followed another dark period of killings, terrorism, corruption, and military interventions.</div><div><br></div><div>She said their party got re-elected to office in December 2008, and since then for two more consecutive terms.</div><div><br></div><div>\"In the last fourteen and a half years, we got Bangladesh ready for what my father had wished for-a happy and prosperous \'Golden Bangladesh,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2015, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh became a lower middle-income country, and they envision it becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2031 and a high-income one by 2041.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Meanwhile, we have been qualified to graduate to a developing country by 2026 from the LDC category,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said since the assumed office, their priority has been to alleviate the conditions of the poor and marginalized sections of society.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh has made impressive progress in almost all socio-economic fields, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Bangladesh is now the world\'s 35th largest economy, with a GDP of USD 460.75 billion,\" Sheikh Hasina said.</div><div><br></div><div>The headcount poverty rate was 41.5 percent in 2005-06, while the current poverty rate has come down to 18.7 percent and the extreme poverty rate to 5.6 percent, she continued.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said that Bangladesh\'s economy grew at an average of 6.5 percent over the past one and a half decades, and before the pandemic struck, it grew at 8.15 percent in the 2018-19 fiscal year.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have made impressive gains in food security, free and affordable housing, community healthcare, compulsory primary education, women\'s empowerment, financial inclusion, digital services, access to electricity, disaster preparedness, and climate adaptation,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>After a decade\'s efforts that include make education free up to 12th grade by her government, she said, \"We now rank the highest in South Asia in reducing gender disparity.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Due to her government\'s initiatives, she said \"We are among the world\'s top ten nations for women\'s political empowerment.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh is perhaps the only country where the Prime Minister, Speaker of the National Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and Deputy Leader of the House are all women, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have 33 percent reserved seats for our women in the local government bodies,\" Sheikh Hasina continued.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said she has introduced a scheme named Ashrayan</div><div><br></div><div>(Shelter) through which semi-pucca houses are being built and distributed among landless and homeless people at free of cost.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The total number of landless and homeless families in the country is 885 thousand and 622. So far, we have built and distributed houses among 555 thousand and 228 families,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Not only that, but arrangements for their livelihoods have been made through income-generating training and providing them with interest-free loans, she added, reports BSS.</div><div><br></div><div>The villages of Bangladesh are being turned into towns by reaching urban facilities in every nook and cranny of the country, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-23 22:44:39', '2023-05-23 22:44:39'),
(7076, 7076, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The US has distanced itself from an incursion into Russia - which Moscow says ended in the defeat of armed insurgents who entered from Ukraine.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Parts of the border region of Belgorod came under attack on Monday, in one of the most major cross-border raids since Russia invaded its neighbour last year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia later released pictures of abandoned or damaged Western military vehicles, including US-made Humvees.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US insisted it did not \"encourage or enable strikes inside of Russia\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A state department spokesman acknowledged reports \"circulating on social media and elsewhere\" that US-supplied weapons had been used, but said his country was \"sceptical at this time of the veracity of these reports.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a news briefing on Tuesday, Matthew Miller added: \"it is up to Ukraine to decide how to conduct this war.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Villages in Belgorod near the border were evacuated after coming under shellfire. Russia says 70 attackers were killed, and has insisted the fighters were Ukrainian.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Kyiv denies involvement - and two Russian paramilitary groups opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin say they were behind the incursion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Monday\'s raid led Moscow to declare a counter-terrorism operation, giving the authorities special powers to clamp down on communications and people\'s movements.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The measures were only lifted the following afternoon, and even then, one of the paramilitary groups was claiming it still controlled a \"small, but our own piece of the Motherland\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Belgorod\'s governor said one civilian had died during the violence, and that several others had been injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a later development, Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Tuesday evening that Belgorod had come under fresh attack from a drone which dropped an explosive device and damaged a car.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the flying vehicle had been shot down and that there did not appear to be any new casualties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The claims by the warring sides have not been independently verified - although the BBC was able to establish that a building used by Russia\'s main security agency, the FSB, was among those hit during the violence. It is not clear what caused the damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Commenting on the hostilities in Belgorod, Russia\'s defence ministry said a \"unit of the Ukrainian nationalist formation\" had invaded its territory to carry out attacks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of its photos showed a wrecked vehicle with the words \"for Bakhmut\" written in Russian on the side. This appears to refer to the Ukrainian city which Russia says it has recently captured - a claim disputed by Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As well as killing dozens of what it described as \"Ukrainian terrorists\" in artillery and air strikes, the ministry claimed to have driven the rest of the fighters back to the Ukrainian border.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Ukrainian officials said the attackers were Russians, from groups known as the Liberty of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Social media posts from the two paramilitary groups appeared to confirm their involvement. Both groups also told Ukraine\'s public broadcaster Suspilne that they were creating \"a demilitarised zone on the border with the Russian Federation from which they will not be able to shell Ukraine\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Any assaults on Russian soil make leaders in the Nato military alliance of Western countries nervous - meaning that the developments could prove a mixed blessing for Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The cross-border incursion may be embarrassing for Moscow, and go some way to offset the bad optics for Ukraine of reportedly losing control of Bakhmut after months of intense and bloody fighting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is also likely to be part of Ukraine\'s shaping operations ahead of its coming counter-offensive, aiming to draw Russian troops away from the south where Kyiv is expected to attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But it is not a development that is likely to welcomed by the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The long-range weapons these countries have provided to Kyiv - although not used in this attack - still come with the proviso they are not to be used to hit targets inside Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite official denials from Kyiv, it is hard to believe this raid was launched without assistance from Ukrainian military intelligence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It plays into the Kremlin narrative that Russia\'s own sovereign security is under attack from malign forces backed by the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is a narrative likely to be fuelled by reports that some of those who took part are linked to far-right extremism, reinforcing Moscow\'s claim that it is trying to rid Ukraine of neo-Nazis. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 06:25:38', '2023-05-24 06:25:38'),
(7077, 7077, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Chennai Super Kings are through to their 10th Indian Premier League final after beating defending champions Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scored with 60 from 44 balls as Chennai posted 172-7 after being put in to bat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">On a pitch growing increasingly difficult to bat on, Gujarat were all out for 157 with only Shubman Gill - 42 from 38 - making a score of note.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Gujarat go into Qualifier 2, while CSK advance to Sunday\'s final in Ahmedabad.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Is India batter Gill cricket\'s next big thing?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The M.A. Chidambaram Stadium was a sea of yellow as the Chennai crowd roared on MS Dhoni\'s side but they were silenced in the second over when Gaikwad chipped tamely to mid-wicket off Darshan Nalkande.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">However, the opener was reprieved as replays showed Nalkande had overstepped and it proved a costly error.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Gaikwad hit the next ball for six and proceeded to play the match\'s defining innings, reaching his half-century from 36 balls as he put on 87 with Devon Conway for the first wicket.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Once Gaikwad departed, batting looked much tougher but useful cameos throughout the order, including an unbeaten nine from four balls from England all-rounder Moeen Ali, took the Super Kings to a competitive total.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Gujarat failed to build any real momentum with the turn and bounce of Ravindra Jadeja and Mahesh Theekshana causing the batting side problems.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Gill went past 700 runs in a magnificent IPL season but even he struggled for fluency before falling to Deepak Chahar, two balls after Jadeja had bowled David Miller.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Rashid Khan hit three fours and two sixes late on to give the Titans a glimmer of hope but Chennai held on comfortably and took the final wicket with the last ball of the match.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">What is the IPL play-off schedule?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Chennai are now safely through to the final on Sunday, 28 May and Gujarat could yet join them there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Wednesday will see third-placed Lucknow Super Giants take on five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator, with the loser going out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The winner of the Eliminator will then face Gujarat on Friday in Qualifier 2.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Whoever wins that will advance to play Chennai for the trophy. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 06:34:55', '2023-05-24 06:34:55'),
(7078, 7078, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The path to the 2024 US presidential election began almost as soon as last November\'s midterm elections ended - and several candidates are waiting in the wings.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former President Donald Trump has announced he will run in the party\'s nominating contest, vowing to \"make America great and glorious again\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Trump remains the favourite choice of Republican voters, but his legal troubles and his role in an underwhelming midterm election performance for the party have left him vulnerable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ex-president, who will be 78 when the general election begins, could face a stiff challenge from a coterie of Republican hopefuls, including some who once backed him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Senator Tim Scott has a decades-long career in South Carolina politics and entered the race in May with nearly $22m (£18m) - more than his rivals - in cash on hand.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The only black man to ever serve in both chambers of Congress, the 57-year-old has represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2013.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Scott is the grandson of a cotton field worker and the son of a single mother, and he has often spoken of how his family rose \"from cotton to Congress\" in a lifetime.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He launched his 2024 bid vowing to turn around \"a nation in retreat\" and revive America\'s \"culture of greatness\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Well-liked among his colleagues, he quickly earned endorsements from two fellow senators, including John Thune, the chamber\'s second highest-ranking Republican.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But he\'s not the only top South Carolina Republican with a hat in the ring.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nikki Haley announced her bid for the presidency in mid-February, becoming the first major Republican candidate to commit to taking on Mr Trump.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Once considered one of the Republican Party\'s brightest young prospects, Ms Haley, 51, has kept a lower profile in recent years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Born in South Carolina to Punjabi Sikh immigrants, Ms Haley became the youngest governor in the country in 2009.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She earned national attention in 2015 after calling for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Capitol.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite saying she was \"not a fan\" of Mr Trump in 2016, she later accepted his nomination to be the US ambassador to the United Nations, a tenure marked by her dramatic exit from a UN Security Council meeting as a Palestinian envoy was speaking.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Her campaign, which includes a call for mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old, stresses the need for \"a new generation\" of US leaders. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 06:39:00', '2023-05-24 06:39:00'),
(7079, 7079, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A total of 387 aspiring candidates including 11 for mayoral post submitted their nomination papers to compete in the upcoming Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) elections slated for June 21.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another 89 are for the reserved seats submitted the nomination papers and 287 for the post of general ward councillor.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Syed Kamal Hossain, an official (media cell) of Sylhet regional election office, confirmed the matter saying that the nomination papers were submitted from morning to 4pm on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though 456&nbsp; collected nomination papers, 376 submitted their nomination papers for the posts of general and reserved ward councillor&nbsp; till the last date (May 23) of submission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The mayoral candidates who will contest with political symbol are Awami League-backed Md Anoruzzaman Chowdhury, Jatiya Party-sponsored Nazrul Islam Babul, Islami Andolan-nominated Hafiz Mawlana Mahmudul Hasan and Jaker Party’s Md Jahirul Alam.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Independent candidates are Mohammad Abdul Hanif Kutu, Mohammad Abdul Mannan Khan, Samsun Nur Talukder, Md Salah Uddin Rimon, Mawlana Jahid Uddin Chowdhury, Md Shahjahan Miah and Moshtak Ahmed Rouf Mostafa.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Visiting the election office, it was noticed that the candidates were submitting their nomination papers with enthusiasm and happiness.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ruling party-backed candidate Anoruzzaman accompanied by his party men also submitted his nomination paper on the last day of submission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The scrutinization of the nomination papers will be held on May 25 and the last day of withdrawal of the nomination papers has been set for June 1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The symbols will be distributed among other candidates on June 2 while the candidates will be able to conduct their electioneering.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wrapping up all speculation, incumbent SCC Mayor and BNP leader Ariful Haque Chowdhury on last Saturday announced that he will not contest in the election as his party boycotted all elections under the current government. 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, '2023-05-24 09:49:26', '2023-05-24 09:49:26'),
(7080, 7080, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Saudi Arabia has offered to make large scale investment in various sectors of Bangladesh as the country has a stable government and good record of economic growth.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saudi Arabian Minister of Investment Khalid A. Al-Faliah and Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim came up with the offer when they jointly called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her place of residence in Doha on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While briefing the reporters after the meeting, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said they said Saudi sees a few issues as investor --stability (of country) and future of investment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the meeting, they said the present situation and future of Bangladesh is very good and this is why they have taken the decision to strengthen its relation with Bangladesh.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Saudi ministers said Bangladesh has a stable government and Bangladesh’s economic growth is very good. Bangladesh\'s leadership, vision and commitments are very good, they added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They informed that Saudi Arabia has already taken a few proposals. Of these, they want to do Patenga port and take the economic zone beside it.&nbsp; Saudi Arabia wants to establish Bangladesh as a regional hub considering its geographical location as the country is in between South and Southeast Asia. If Saudi makes it a hub, they can cover Indonesia, Malaysia and more countries, they added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two ministers said their country wants to set up major distribution centres of Saudi petrochemical, diesel, jet fuel, fertiliser and shipping lines in Bangladesh. They want to make Patenga as a red sea gateway.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In reply, the prime minister said that she has already given permission and urged them to start it immediately.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina offered the Saudi government Matarbari and Payra Sea ports and economic zones in this regard as well for the mutual benefits.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this regard, she directed the authorities concerned to take necessary measures for removing obstacles if there is any to ease Saudi investment in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saudi Arabia also wants to develop a partnership with Bangladesh through cooperation in various sectors like agriculture for mutual benefits.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this regard, they assured the prime minister of providing necessary financial and technical assistance to Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Saudi ministers requested Bangladesh for making investment to build housing and hospitals in Saudi Arabia for Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two ministers requested the prime minister to establish pharmaceuticals, beverage and real estate industries in Saudi Arabia for the benefits of the two peoples.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They highly appreciated Bangladesh’s RMG sector saying that Bangladesh has shown that it has become the capital of textiles and garments in the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM\'s Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam was present in the press briefing. 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, '2023-05-24 10:39:17', '2023-05-24 10:39:17'),
(7081, 7081, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Qatar\'s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Tuesday said his country is keen to strengthen its friendly relations with Bangladesh.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said this at a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held at the bilateral meeting room of Raffles Tower here in Doha.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the meeting, the Qatari PM told Hasina that they (Qatar) are a true friend of Bangladesh and want to take the relation with the country forward further, said Foreign Minister&nbsp; AK Abdul Momen at a press briefing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Qatari premier praised Hasina for bringing stability in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM&nbsp; Hasina said Bangladesh procures a huge amount of energy from Qatar. “We want you to assist us over energy,” she was quoted as telling her counterpart.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In reply, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said&nbsp; Qatar would do as much as possible for Bangladesh.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About the fear of losing jobs among Bangladeshi workers in Qatar after the FIFA World Cup 2023, the Qatari PM said Bangladeshi workers are their assets and friends and Qatar will keep them as much as possible in their country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, Qatar\'s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi called on the Bangladesh Prime Minister at the latter’s place of residence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the meeting, the issue of signing a fresh contract over the supply of additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh in future came up for discussion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina called for signing the new contract as soon as possible to procure a larger amount of energy from Qatar, said Momen at the press briefing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The existing 15-year agreement signed in 2017 to import LNG from Qatar will be effective till 2032, but it needs to sign a new contract to get the larger amount of energy after 2025, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen said the Bangladesh PM asked to sign the contract immediately, fixing the pricing related problems.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Describing Bangladesh as a friendly country that stood with Qatar in their tough days, they (Qatar) promised that they would consider all sorts of concessions whatever possible for Qatar during signing the contract.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with President of Rwanda Paul Kagame on the sidelines of Qatar Economic Forum at Raffles Tower.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the meeting, Kagame told Sheikh Hasina that he always hears the development story of Bangladesh and he wants to visit Bangladesh. “We are very proud of Bangladesh,” he was quoted as saying by&nbsp; Momen.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Bangladesh is a very densely populated country and you (Sheikh Hasina) are governing the country very well. I want to see it,” the President of Rwanda was quoted as saying.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In reply, the Premier invited Kagame to visit Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Paul Kagame said he wants to establish air connectivity between Bangladesh and Rwanda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Referring to the recent opening of a pharmaceutical factory by a Bangladeshi company in Rwanda, the president invited more Bangladeshi investment in different sectors in his country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina praised&nbsp; Kagame, saying that Rwanda is in a very good position in Africa due to his good leadership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She told Kagame that the Ukraine-Russia war has created difficulties and sent warnings to countries like Bangladesh and Rwanda. “We can overcome such type of situation if we cooperate with each other,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kagame appreciated&nbsp; Hasina’s remark saying that it is high time to strengthen the cooperation. 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, '2023-05-24 10:42:35', '2023-05-24 10:42:35');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7082, 7082, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality was marked \"unhealthy for sensitive groups\" on Wednesday morning in spite of rain in the capital city.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 112 at 8:50 am, Dhaka ranked 10th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka residents on Tuesday experienced a relief after a long time as heavy showers drenched the city amid a scorching heat. But it had little impact on air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Africa’s Johannesburg, Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 159, 158 and 158, respectively.</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.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be “poor\'”, while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered “hazardous”, posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how safe 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, '2023-05-24 10:45:50', '2023-05-24 10:45:50'),
(7083, 7083, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Residents stockpiled supplies, battened down windows and abandoned wood and tin homes for emergency shelters as Guam was buffeted by rains and winds Wednesday from Typhoon Mawar, the strongest storm to approach the U.S. Pacific territory in decades.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.S. military sent away ships, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration and anyone not living in a concrete house was urged to seek safety elsewhere ahead of the typhoon, which was forecast to arrive as a Category 4 storm but could possibly strengthen to a Category 5. The last Category 5 to make a direct hit in Guam was Super Typhoon Karen in 1962.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said on social media that the emergency declaration will support the mobilization of resources into Guam, which is “especially crucial given our distance from the continental U.S.” Guerrero ordered residents of coastal, low-lying and flood-prone areas of the territory of over 150,000 people to evacuate to higher elevations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Federal assistance will be needed to save lives and property and \"mitigate the effects of this imminent catastrophe,” Guerrero said in a letter to the president requesting a “pre-landfall emergency” for Guam. Officials warned residents who aren’t in fully concrete structures — some homes on the far-flung island are made of wood and tin — to relocate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guam is a crucial hub for U.S. forces in the Pacific, and the Department of Defense controls about a third of the island. Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, Joint Region Marianas commander, authorized the evacuation of defense personnel, dependents and employees in areas expected to be affected</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All ships were moved out to sea as a standard precaution, according to the Navy, and any personnel remaining on the island were sheltering in place. About 6,800 U.S. service members are assigned to Guam, according to the Pentagon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With rain from the storm\'s outer bands already falling over the island as of late morning local time, the typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) with gusts peaking at 170 mph (274 kph), said Landon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Guam. Its center was about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of the island and was moving to the north-northwest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That was a slight downgrade from earlier when Mawar was reported to be a Category 4 “super typhoon,” meaning maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (241 kph) or greater. But it still posed extreme danger to life and property.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The weather service warned of “considerable damage” from a “triple threat” of winds, torrential rains and life-threatening storm surge of 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 2 meters), with dangerous surf of 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters). It said the storm could hit Wednesday afternoon in the southern part of Guam, which lies west of the International Date Line and is a day ahead of the U.S. mainland and Hawaii.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This is going to be a rough afternoon for us across the island,” Aydlett said. “So watch out.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If Guam doesn’t take a direct hit, it will be very close, said Patrick Doll, the lead weather service meteorologist in Guam. Mawar is a Malaysian word that means “rose,” he noted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shool buses picked up residents at island community centers and transported them to 11 elementary schools outfitted as shelters. Civic workers in various villages warned residents to secure loose objects in their yards and seek shelter immediately. Some spread the word by megaphone, while others turned to social media. Power flickered off and on as the rain and wind intensified, and officials said nearly 900 people were in shelters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guerrero urged residents in a YouTube message to remain calm and ordered the National Guard to help those in low-lying areas evacuate, saying, “We are at the crosshairs of Typhoon Mawar. Take action now.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The storm was moving at 6 mph (10 kph) but had an eye 17 miles (27 kilometers) wide, meaning people at the typhoon\'s center could see calm conditions for over three hours and conclude, far too soon, that the worst is over, Doll said. As the eye leaves, the winds could rise to 150 mph (241 kph) in minutes, so people should remain sheltered until the government gives the all-clear.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Folks may say, ‘Hey it’s over, we could go outside and start cleaning up,’” Doll said. “That is totally wrong.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In low-lying Agat along the southern coast, resident Reuel Drilon began preparing Friday and spent the weekend tying down patio furniture and trash containers. Nearly every home in the village, he said, has a mango tree — which officials warned could be ripped from the ground and become roadblocks and deadly flying projectiles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“A lot of folks are keeping their eyes on trees,” he told The Associated Press. \"Down south, we have a lot of coconut trees and mango trees.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Joshua Paulino, a client manager at Xerox Guam, was sheltering at home in the central village of Chalan Pago with his wife, two sons and mother after the family closed the shutters and secured outdoor objects. He worried that the storm could dump rain on the island for a long time, since it was forecast to pass by gradually.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This storm is moving very slowly so that is making me really uneasy,” Paulino said by text message.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And an ocean away in Los Angeles, Marichelle Tanag was fretting from afar after her parents, who are in their 70s and have survived many typhoons in their decades on the island. They boarded up windows, stocked up on a couple of weeks of food, prepared the generator and filled bathtubs with water. Their home in Tamuning, also in central Guam, is made of concrete, but she worried about it nevertheless.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Will the house stand? ... If not, will they be able to go to another place of safety if needed, as fast as possible, and not get in the way of any of the flying debris?” Tanag said by phone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rota, an island in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, was also under a typhoon warning, Doll said. Tinian and Saipan, in the Northern Marianas, were under tropical storm warnings. Some people in those areas are still in temporary shelters or tents after Category 5 Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018, Doll noted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The western Pacific is “a notorious breeding ground for intense tropical cyclones,’’ said Yale Climate Connections meteorologist Jeff Masters. “They’ve got a much bigger area to romp around in and more time to intensify.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that in a warmer world, the number of Category 4 or stronger storms will increase by 10% — and Mawar “could well be a harbinger of the type of battering that the U.S. could expect to see,” Masters said. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 10:50:31', '2023-05-24 10:50:31'),
(7084, 7084, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia said Tuesday it had scrambled an Su-27 fighter jet to \"prevent violations of the state border\" by two US Air Force strategic bombers flying over the Baltic Sea.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"After removing the foreign military aircraft from the Russian state border, the Russian fighter went back to its air base,\" the Russian defense ministry said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The army prevented the violation of the border, the statement said, adding that \"the flight of the Russian fighter was carried out in strict accordance with international rules for the use of airspace.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed that US aircraft were intercepted by Russia, saying the B-1 bombers were taking part in a \"long-planned exercise in Europe.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is the latest in a series of similar incidents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Just over a week ago, Russia said two aircraft, one German and one French, were intercepted attempting to \"violate\" its airspace.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mid-April, Russia dispatched a fighter jet to escort a German naval aircraft over the Baltic Sea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In March, an American drone crashed after colliding with a Russian jet over the Black Sea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia\'s defense ministry said it had scrambled jets after detecting a US drone over the Black Sea, but denied causing the crash, saying the aircraft had lost control. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 12:02:00', '2023-05-24 12:02:00'),
(7085, 7085, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Lightning strikes mostly occur in from April to May till June and most of the deaths occur in flat lands and haor areas, said a handout of PID issued on Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nine people including a woman died after being struck by lightning in Narsingdi, Chandpur, Kurigram Brahmanbaria districts on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 2,164 people died in lightning strikes in the country from 2011 to 2020. Considering the upward trend, the government in 2016 declared it as a natiinal disaster.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To avoid casualties, the government has asked people to take the following precaution:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• Thunderbolts usually last 30 to 35 minutes and people have been asked to remain in their respective houses during this period. It is safe to go out wearing rubber shoes in case of any emergency which will protect people from thunderbolts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• People, who are in open paddy fields during thunderbolt, have been asked to sit down on their toes and put fingers in their ears.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• People have been asked to take shelter under concrete sheds or buildings as soon as possible and refrain from going over the rooftop or high places during this time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• Children have been asked to refrain from playing outside and stay inside home.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• Avoid places where there are tall trees, electric poles and mobile towers as it is dangerous to take shelter under trees.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• People should refrain from catching fish by a boat without a shed. It also asked people to stop fishing in the sea or the river during thunderbolt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• If someone is inside the vehicle, then the body cannot be connected to the metal part of the vehicle.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• There is no problem touching any injured people hit by lightning strikes and people should be treated in the same way as those injured by electric shock. Efforts should be taken to restore the breathing and heart rate of the person injured by lightning quickly. It may be possible to save if artificial breathing can be arranged within a few minutes, if there is any delay it may invite death.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">• Provide Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to activate the heart of injured victims and take the victim to the hospital by ambulance or vehicle as soon as possible. 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, '2023-05-24 12:06:38', '2023-05-24 12:06:38'),
(7086, 7086, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">WhatsApp says it will allow users to edit messages, in a move that will see it match a feature offered by competitors like Telegram and Discord.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The firm says messages can be edited for up to 15 minutes after being sent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The instant-messaging service is part of US technology giant Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The feature will made be available to WhatsApp\'s 2 billion users in the coming weeks. It counts India as its largest market, with 487 million users.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we\'re excited to bring you more control over your chats,\" the messaging service said in a blog post on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and choose \'Edit\' from the menu for up to fifteen minutes after,\" it added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Edited messages will be tagged as \"edited\", so recipients are aware that the content has been changed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, they will not be shown how the message has been tweaked over time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">WhatsApp\'s announcement came after the feature was offered by messaging services Telegram and Signal. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"5\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 12:39:53', '2023-05-24 12:39:53'),
(7087, 7087, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Mexican journalist who was also a former local official was shot dead Tuesday in the country\'s central Puebla region, authorities said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Marco Aurelio Ramirez, 69, was killed in broad daylight as he left his home in the town of Tehuacan. He had worked for decades for several different media outlets.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An investigation into the crime was opened, the prosecutor\'s office said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Mexican branch of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that Ramirez, working as a civil servant, had contributed to the arrest of suspected criminals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"RSF calls for a swift and transparent investigation,\" the non-governmental media rights group said, to determine \"whether the homicide was related to his work as a municipal official or to his practice of journalism.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 150 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000, according to RSF. Most of the murders have gone unpunished. 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, '2023-05-24 12:52:24', '2023-05-24 12:52:24'),
(7088, 7088, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The EU has supplied Ukraine with over 200,000 artillery shells and 1,000 missiles under a plan to rush urgently needed ammunition to Kyiv, the bloc\'s foreign policy chief said Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European Union has agreed to spend two billion euros (around $2.2 billion) from its common funds to try to get a million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine over twelve months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said so far \"220,000 artillery munitions of different calibre and 1,300 missiles have been provided\" to Kyiv under the scheme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine\'s international backers are scrambling to deliver ammunition as Kyiv\'s forces gear up for a promised counter-offensive to push back Moscow\'s troops.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU plan provides a first billion euros to get member states to send ammunition urgently from their existing stockpiles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The money is intended to reimburse the partial cost of ammunition provided from 9 February to 31 May 2023.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The second billion from EU funds will go towards covering joint procurement contracts signed by the bloc\'s member states for 155-millimetre shells by the end of September.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">EU officials have batted away major doubts over the ability of the European defence industry to manufacture that number of shells.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Brussels has proposed a package of financing to help companies increase their production capacity. 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, '2023-05-24 13:59:27', '2023-05-24 13:59:27'),
(7089, 7089, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prince Harry has lost an attempt to challenge the UK government over his security arrangements while in the UK, according to a ruling published on Tuesday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Harry and his wife Meghan lost their UK taxpayer-paid protection when they quit frontline royal duties in 2020 and moved to North America.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The couple have their own private security team in the United States but Harry says they do not have adequate jurisdiction or access to UK intelligence to keep his family safe when they are in the UK.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prince, known formally as the Duke of Sussex, had been asking for a legal review of a decision refusing him permission to pay for the UK security himself.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">London\'s Metropolitan Police also opposed Harry\'s offer on the grounds that it would be wrong to \"place officers in harm\'s way upon payment of a fee by a private individual\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Harry is also involved in a separate trial at the same court against tabloid publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for alleged unlawful information gathering.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He is expected to give evidence at that trial in June. 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, '2023-05-24 14:03:53', '2023-05-24 14:03:53'),
(7090, 7090, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A total of 13,000 law enforcers will be engaged to maintain law and order during the Gazipur City Corporation election slated to be held on Thursday, said Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Molla Nazrul Islam on Wednesday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“ 20-22 members of law enforcement agencies will perform duty at each centre. I hope a free and fair election will be held with the efforts of all amid foolproof security,” he told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Campaign in the Gazipur City Corporation election has ended and the local administration has taken all-out preparation to hold the polls.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twenty platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members have been deployed alongside 30 teams of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Ansar members, said Returning Officer Faridul Islam.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Already the EVM machines and all necessary materials have been sent to the polling centers while CCTVs were installed at all polling centres.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mobile teams will be there in 57 wards while 19 striking forces led by 19 magistrates will remain vigilant at the polling centers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Already 351 polling centres out of 480 have been declared vulnerable and additional forces will be deployed at these centres, said FDaridul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gazipur City Corporation election will be held on Thursday (May 25), using electronic voting machines (EVMs) at all polling stations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Eight candidates will contest for mayoral posts in the election and there are 248 councillors and 79 female councilor candidates.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 11,79,476 voters are expected to exercise their franchise and of them, 5,92,762 are males while 5,86,696 are females and the number of transgender is 18. 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, '2023-05-24 15:06:37', '2023-05-24 15:06:37'),
(7091, 7091, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday made it clear that the next general election in Bangladesh will be held under her Awami League government and it will be free and fair.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“So under our government, definitely election will be free and fair,” she told a session titled \"In conversation with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\" of the Qatar Economic Forum at the Raffles Hotel here in Doha.</div><div><br></div><div>Haslinda Amin, editor-at-large of Qatar Economic Forum anchored the session.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister is now in Doha on a three-day official visit mainly to take part in the Qatar Economic Forum 2023.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Her assertion came as the opposition BNP and its allies have launched a renewed campaign of street protests asking her government to step down to pave the way for holding the next election under a neutral caretaker administration.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh is due to go to&nbsp; polls by December this year or in the first week of next year.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, she said that after the assassination of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, military dictators jeopardised all election process.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“The election was just a game (then),” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She recalled that when the Awami League elected her as its president back in 1981 in her absence only then she could return to the country.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Since then we started to struggle for restoring democracy and people’s right to vote. It was our struggle to ensure free and fair election. And we did it during our time in every election,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the opposition BNP\'s demand, Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, said that in 2008 election nobody raised any question about it.</div><div><br></div><div>“What was the result then? The party (BNP) which is raising the question now got only 29 out of 300 seats in the Parliament,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sounding firm the prime minister said that she is here to ensure people’s voting right, Because people should decide who will run the country.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“It is people’s power, I want to ensure people’s power. I am here not to grab power. Rather I want to empower our people that they should have their right to choose their government,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question, Hasina mentioned that now some parties said they will not participate.</div><div><br></div><div>“How will they participate? Because during their time the country suffered a lot. Our people suffered. At their time terrorist activities increased. Everywhere there was corruption, nepotism and exploitation. They never bothered about the people. It was very difficult for our people to get one meal per day. That was the situation,” she said.</div><div>&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div>She said that after the Awami League came to power it has ensured everything for the people.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“It\'s the people’s right to vote in election. What we have done now the people understand that. If they vote for us I am here, if they don\'t, ok fine,” she said clearly.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said that during her tenure there had been many by-elections, local government elections, which were free and fair.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“You can see, who is creating problem. We are not. But in every election some incidents may take place,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She also mentioned that the government has asked everybody to send election observers to Bangladesh for the next voting.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“So I can tell you I am here to ensure my people’s democratic right, voting right and it is our struggle,\" she stated.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that she is here to serve the country and its people so they could live a better and prosperous life.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh should be a developed country, that is my aim. Why should I try to jeopardise people’s right that we have established. Definitely election will be free and fair.”</div><div><br></div><div>She also termed BNP as a party of criminals and killers.</div><div><br></div><div>“They (BNP) may not feel comfortable. But, there are other parties, those parties will participate in the election,\" she said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question IMF\'s recent loan to Bangladesh, PM Hasina said the IMF assists only the country that can repay the loan. In providing the loan, the IMF considered whether the country can pay it back or not, she said&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"We\'ll definitely be able to pay it back,\" said the PM, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said Bangladesh has successfully&nbsp; overcome the fallout of COVID-19 pandemic due to her government\'s pragmatic plans and steps.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 17:29:05', '2023-05-24 17:29:05'),
(7092, 7092, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Typhoon Mawar roared over the US territory of Guam on Wednesday, bringing destructive winds to the Pacific military outpost.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The eye of the storm passed just north of the island, its governor said, after forecasters had warned that winds of up to 225 kilometers per hour (140 miles per hour) could cause major damage.</div><div><br></div><div>“What we are feeling right now is the eye going over the Rota Channel,” Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said in a Facebook video, referring to the body of water between the islands of Guam and Rota.</div><div><br></div><div>Local authorities earlier issued evacuation orders and opened temporary shelters, while US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for the island of 170,000 people, paving the way for federal aid.</div><div><br></div><div>“I am in a concrete-reinforced house and my windows are shuttered. I did go outside briefly and winds are getting very gusty with intermittent rains,” Beckie Merrill, a 46-year-old middle school teacher, said from a southern area of the island.</div><div><br></div><div>After predicting a “direct hit” on Guam, forecasters later said the typhoon had moved just north of the island.</div><div><br></div><div>“It looks like we are getting a near hit with the eye passing through the Rota Channel. The southern wall of the eye will pass over much of Guam. The worst winds will be in the northern third of Guam,” the US National Weather Service said.</div><div><br></div><div>Warnings of extreme winds and flash floods have been issued for the island with wind speeds of 74 miles per hour already recorded, forecasters said.</div><div><br></div><div>“I am worried for the safety of our people. This is the first storm of this magnitude for 20 years,” Guerrero said.</div><div><br></div><div>Evacuations were ordered for low-lying coastal areas, especially in the flood-prone southern villages.</div><div><br></div><div>The NWS warned of the “triple threats” of torrential rain, catastrophic winds and a life-threatening storm surge.</div><div><br></div><div>Winds near the eye wall could bring major damage to buildings and homes made of light materials such as non-concrete roofs and walls not made of reinforced concrete.</div><div><br></div><div>A calamitous storm surge threatens to wreak havoc on shorelines, and large boats “could be torn from moorings.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Surge may reach to between 20 and 25 feet above normal high tide for the most vulnerable storm-surge-prone areas near the eye wall,” the NWS said.</div><div><br></div><div>Forecasts predicted Guam will receive rainfall of 10 to 15 inches, with some areas seeing 20 inches or more, the NWS said.</div><div><br></div><div>This could trigger landslides in the central and southern parts of the island, the weather service warned.</div><div><br></div><div>“Many of us right now are feeling the full strength of Typhoon Mawar, and although it is a frightening experience that hasn’t been felt for over two decades, we want you to know that we are here for you,” Guerrero said in a Facebook post.</div><div><br></div><div>“Even as the typhoon makes its initial landfall, we have multiple agencies coordinating response efforts and relaying helpful information to those in need.”</div><div><br></div><div>People were told to stay inside and away from windows, and not venture outside during temporary lulls as flying debris can cause serious injury.</div><div><br></div><div>Guam’s Office of Civil Defense urged motorists to stay off the roads on Wednesday, saying “winds are expected to intensify to typhoon force winds by midday.”</div><div><br></div><div>About 21,700 US military personnel and their families are based at or near several facilities on Guam, which routinely hosts nuclear attack submarines and long-range bombers.</div><div><br></div><div>The territory is also home to crucial electronic listening posts.</div><div><br></div><div>The US bases have some of the Pacific region’s most significant ammunition and fuel storage facilities, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>About 60 flights scheduled to depart or arrive in Guam between Tuesday and Thursday were canceled, A.B. Won Pat International Airport said.</div><div><br></div><div>Conditions in Guam are expected to improve on Thursday, but the storm is expected to intensify over the next few days, possibly becoming a super typhoon over the Philippine Sea, the NWS said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 18:16:58', '2023-05-24 18:16:58'),
(7093, 7093, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Sea urchins in Israel\'s Gulf of Eilat have been dying off at an alarming rate, researchers announced Wednesday - a development that threatens the Red Sea\'s prized coral reef ecosystems.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>According to Tel Aviv University scientists, an unknown pathogen is killing off the black sea urchin, Diadema setosum. The massive die-off first began in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, from where it has spread to the neighboring Red Sea, the scientists said.</div><div><br></div><div>The black sea urchin is critical to maintaining a healthy reef habitat. Without them, algae grow unchecked, choking off corals and compromising the delicate balance of the reef ecosystem.</div><div><br></div><div>A paper outlining the findings was published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It\'s a fast and violent death: within just two days a healthy sea urchin becomes a skeleton with massive tissue loss,\" said Oren Bronstein, a marine biologist at Tel Aviv University and lead author on a series of papers on the sea urchin deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>He added that they have ruled out localized poisoning or pollution, and instead suspect a \"rapidly spreading epidemic\" caused by an as-yet-unidentified pathogen.</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, researchers in the United States identified a single-celled parasite responsible for a similar mass die-off of sea urchins in the Caribbean that has laid waste to reef ecosystems.</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli researchers believe a similar pathogen might also be responsible for killing sea urchins in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and have called for urgent action by the Nature and Park Authority to protect Israel\'s already endangered reef ecosystems.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This new outbreak of disease is a grave concern,\" said Ian Hewson, a professor at Cornell University\'s Marine Mass Mortality Lab who was not involved in the Tel Aviv University study.</div><div><br></div><div>He added that it \"would be interesting to know if the same agent is at work\" in the Mediterranean as has been identified killing sea urchins in the Caribbean. \"If that is the case it will raise questions about how it is vectored between such geographically separated sites.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The Gulf of Eilat, a branch of the Red Sea shared by Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, is home to exquisite coral reefs that scientists believe might be more resilient to warming waters resulting from human-caused climate change. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 19:15:39', '2023-05-24 19:15:39'),
(7094, 7094, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A suicide bomber killed four people when he detonated a car bomb at a police checkpoint in a marketplace in northwest Pakistan today, officials said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan is grappling with an uptick in militancy since the Taliban returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan, although the latest attack has not yet been claimed by any group.</div><div><br></div><div>Local police official Rasool Daraz told AFP two soldiers, a policeman and a civilian were killed when the bomber blew himself up in Liaqat Bazar of the Datta Khel sub-division of North Waziristan.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The bomber blew up his vehicle while he was being searched at the check post,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It seems the bomber wanted to reach another destination but blew himself up after he was stopped by police for a routine search.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Another five people were wounded in the blast.</div><div><br></div><div>A second police official, Tariq Dawar, confirmed the incident and casualties.</div><div><br></div><div>Officials said on Tuesday six security personnel had been killed in a militant siege on a Hungarian-owned oil and gas exploration site around 70 kilometres (44 miles) northeast of today\'s blast.</div><div><br></div><div>The attack on Tuesday was claimed by the Pakistan Taliban, a chapter of the Afghan movement that splintered off in 2007 to focus its fight against Islamabad.</div><div><br></div><div>On Monday, officials said unidentified militants detonated explosives in two empty girls\' schools in North Waziristan, destroying nine classrooms but leaving no casualties.</div><div><br></div><div>North Waziristan has historically been a hive of militancy and was the target of a long-running Pakistani military offensive and US drone strikes during the post-9/11 occupation of Afghanistan.</div><div><br></div><div>The Pakistan Taliban -- known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- is the most active group in the region and mostly focuses its attacks on security forces and foreign interests accused of exploitation.</div><div><br></div><div>Since the Taliban returned to Kabul in August 2021, Islamabad has said TTP fighters are plotting their attacks from Afghan soil. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 19:32:40', '2023-05-24 19:32:40'),
(7095, 7095, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The 124th birth anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam will be celebrated across the country tomorrow in a befitting manner.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Ministry of Cultural Affairs has taken elaborate programmes to mark the day at the national level. Different organizations and cultural bodies, including Dhaka University, have also taken programmes to celebrate the day amid various functions.</div><div><br></div><div>President Mohammed Shahbuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages paying rich tributes to the memory of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>This year\'s theme of the day is \'Agnibinar Shatabarsha: Bangabandhur Chetanai Shanitarup\'.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The birth anniversary of the national poet will be celebrated in the poet\'s memorable place Trishal in Mymensingh, Doulatpur in Cumilla, Tewta in Manikganj and Karpasdanga in Chuadanga and Chattogram.</div><div><br></div><div>The main programme of the birth anniversary will be held at Darirampur of Trishal in Mymensingh. The three-day programmes will jointly be organized by the cultural ministry and the local district administration. Deputy leader of the Jatiya Sangsad Begum Matia Chowdhury will inaugurate the programme.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private television channels will live telecast the inaugural ceremony and air special programmes and print media will bring out special supplements highlighting the birth anniversary of the national poet.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangla Academy will pay respect to the national poet by placing wreaths at his grave near Dhaka University mosque and Nazrul\'s portrait at Nazrul Mancha on the academy premises at 8am tomorrow.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka University has taken programmes to mark the birth anniversary of the national poet. As part of the programmes, teachers-students and officials-employees of the university will assembly at the Aparajeo Bangla at 6.15am and then place wreaths at the grave of Nazrul Islam near the university mosque lead by VC Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman. A discussion will also be held there with the vice chancellor in the chair.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Kazi Nazrul Islam was born on the 11th Joishtha in Bengali calendar year 1306 in Churulia, near Asansol in the Burdwan district of West Bengal.</div><div><br></div><div>He was famous for his fiery poem Bidrohi (The Rebel) and his many melodious songs. He was a poet, lyricist, musician, revolutionary and philosopher.</div><div><br></div><div>The nation got inspirations from Nazrul\'s poems and songs during the great Liberation War and all democratic movements and struggles.</div><div><br></div><div>There are 2,400 Nazrul songs, and together, they are known as Nazrul-Geeti or Nazrul Sangeet. He composed the songs, which he liked to tune himself.</div><div><br></div><div>Considering his impressive talent, Rabindranath Tagore dubbed him as Saraswati\'s bor-putra (the gifted son of the Goddess of learning).</div><div><br></div><div>Kazi Nazrul Islam was the poet of rebellion against injustice and taboos. His nickname was Dhukhu Miah (Mr. Sorrow). True to his name, Nazrul suffered a lot in his life.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>His father died in 1910 while he was still at school and he became the breadwinner of the family working for a bakery company, Wahid\'s, the most well known in north Bengal at that time.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Later, he resumed studies at Darirampur, Trishal, Mymensingh. But he left his studies to join the British Indian Army as a non-commissioned officer and was posted to Karachi. He left the army and settled in Kolkata, where he started publishing a fortnightly, Dhumketu (The Comet).</div><div><br></div><div>The magazine had a fiery tone and was critical of the British rule in India. He soon found himself in prison for publishing a poem written by him, \"Anandomoir Agomone\" (Advent of Goddess Durga-the Goddess of destruction of all evil).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In prison, he did not stop writing. He wrote, \"Rajbandir Jabanbandi\" (Deposition of a political prisoner).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>After a prolonged hunger strike, Nazrul was released from the prison. But throughout the 1920s, he found most of his work banned. After the death of his second son- Kazi Bulbul- the poet was sad. He wrote, \"My nightingale sleeps forever.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Although known for his rabid criticism of imperialism, social and religious taboos, Nazrul also explored the themes of love, romance and devotion.</div><div><br></div><div>He also introduced a robust style that was very bold and innovative. His use of Persian and Arabic words in Bengali poetry also opened up new literary horizons. In the 1930s, the leading gramophone company of India, HMV, as a lyricist, employed him full-time.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, All-India Broadcasting Authority employed him. But his luck once again ran out and in 1942, he developed a rare neurological disorder that led to the loss of his voice and memory. Doctors in Vienna diagnosed it as Pick\'s disease.</div><div><br></div><div>After independence, Nazrul was declared the national poet and he was brought to Dhaka from Kolkata by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and given a house at Dhanmondi. He died here in 1976 and was buried beside the central mosque of Dhaka University. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 20:49:09', '2023-05-24 20:49:09');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7096, 7096, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said BNP had tacit consent to a recent death threat given to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“BNP had connivance to the death threat given to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It was not a slip of tongue,” he told the reporters after laying foundation stone of Baroiarhat-Heyako-Ramgarh Road Up-gradation Project at Tejgaon’s Sarak Bhahan here.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Asking whether BNP wants to implement its one-point demand by killing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Quader said US Ambassador in Dhaka Peter Haas did not take it normally too but any responsible leader of BNP did not take measure to this end yet.</div><div><br></div><div>“A joint secretary general of BNP claimed that it was a slip of tongue. The person who gave death threat to Sheikh Hasina is not any ordinary worker of BNP. He is a district convener and central leader of BNP. The statement he was given was BNP’s one,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said BNP now announced its one-point demand leaving its 27-point and 10-point demand, and that means BNP wants to implement its one-point by killing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Calling upon all the AL leaders and workers to remain alert in this regard, the AL general secretary said “We must stay alert until next general elections. We will resist those who will try to halt the elections”.</div><div><br></div><div>About the BNP’s attack on a BRTC bus and police on Tuesday, Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said it is BNP’s old nature that the party would carry out anarchy and terrorist acts in the name of movement.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said the situation that arises will tell how the law enforcement forces will deal with it and “we will deal with the situation politically. We will not resort to any violence”.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, the road transport and bridges minister laid the foundation stone of Baroiarhat-Heyako-Ramgarh Road Up-gradation Project initiated jointly by Bangladesh and India.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking on the occasion, he said Bangladesh has strong relations with India as it is Bangladesh’s close neighbour.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government is not allowing any insurgent group of India to conduct its terrorist acts using the land of Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Claiming that there was no hindrance from India in implementation of the border agreement, Quader said when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the border agreement was approved in a joint session of the Parliament of India and then none raised objection to this.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“India has unanimously implemented the border agreement. It was a historical work. But it would not have been possible if we had not dismantled the wall of mistrust,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pranay Kumar Verma was present at the function with Chief Engineer Roads and Highways Department Md Ishaque in the chair.</div><div><br></div><div>Syed Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari, MP, Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority Chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder, Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited MAN Siddique and Managing Director of Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit Company Limited Safiqul Islam were, among others, present. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 20:56:23', '2023-05-24 20:56:23'),
(7097, 7097, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh Bank (BB) is planning to introduce a digital bank in the country soon.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"Soon we will introduce digital bank in the country. We are also planning to introduce an online real-time credit rating system very soon,” BB Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder said here today.</div><div><br></div><div>The BB governor said this while speaking as chief guest at the first Digital Transformation Summit-2023 at a local hotel in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>The Association of Bankers Bangladesh Limited (ABB) is hosting the two-day summit with the theme \"Banking on Digital Transformation”.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In his speech, Abdur Rouf Talukder informed that they are very close to issuing national debt cards.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the most talked about issue in the banking sector now is corporate governance and non-performing loans.</div><div><br></div><div>“We need to bring cultural changes and enforce ethics and good practices in the banking system through planning and properly educating of our workforce. Introduction of guidelines and the strong role of the management and CEOs may solve the problem,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have successfully implemented the Digital Bangladesh vision. Now, we are taking steps to achieve the Smart Bangladesh vision,\" the central bank governor further said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the banking operations holistically changed all over the world because of the intervention of artificial intelligence (AI) in the era of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).</div><div><br></div><div>So, the bankers have to prepare themselves digitally to cope with rapid change in the business, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The two-day \'Digital Transformation Summit\' has brought together around 150 participants from Bangladesh\'s 46 commercial banks, aiming to explore the digital transformation journey of the banking industry in the country, reads a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>The conference aims to shed light on the key trends propelling the growth of digital financial services in Bangladesh. By analysing the strategies, banks can adopt to navigate the swift digital transformation; the conference aims to provide valuable insights into the industry. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 21:02:13', '2023-05-24 21:02:13'),
(7098, 7098, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said Wednesday that the US showdown over government debt was \"unnecessary\" for the world economy but a default could be avoided.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Georgieva and the head of Blackstone, one of the world\'s biggest investment funds, expressed exasperation to the Qatar Economic Forum over the spending standoff between US President Joe Biden and opposition Republicans with an early June deadline looming.</div><div><br></div><div>International markets have become unnerved by the battle as some Republicans have questioned whether a quick agreement is necessary to avert a default.</div><div><br></div><div>\"History tells us that the US wrestles with this notional default,\" Georgieva said, referring to past US showdowns over spending limits.</div><div><br></div><div>\"At the 11th hour, it gets resolved\".</div><div><br></div><div>But she added that the Washington drama was \"unnecessary for a world economy that is in such high uncertainty\".</div><div><br></div><div>\"We always have to be mindful that the risk is there.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Stephen Schwarzman, a major Republican donor, told the forum \"it is a bit of a nail biter\" and a battle of \"wills and desires\".</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is somewhat difficult to imagine that this is actually going on,\" said Schwarzman, chairman of Blackstone which manages more than $900 billion in assets around the world.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is a political standoff. I think the two parties are about $100 billion apart on freezing spending levels. I think that could be negotiated.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The whole world is watching,\" added the veteran tycoon who added that he too did not expect a default but could not predict when a solution would be found.</div><div><br></div><div>\"If something were to happen -- really as a miscalculation on the part of the people involved in the negotiations -- I think it would hit domestic constituents in the US. It would put enormous pressure to have things resolved in a few days.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The IMF chief also warned that interest rates would remain high around the world because of the threat from rising prices.</div><div><br></div><div>Georgieva said headline inflation in many countries was \"peaking\" because of central banks raising interest rates but \"core inflation, primarily because of very stubborn food prices, is still not trimming down the way it should\".</div><div><br></div><div>\"Central banks have to stay the course, because, if they move back on interest rates prematurely, then tension may become a problem for growth for a longer period of time,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Interest rates are high, they will stay high for longer, but we are expecting 2024, early 2025, the picture to change.\" According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 21:27:13', '2023-05-24 21:27:13'),
(7099, 7099, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Dr V. Vinoth, Sr. Consultant Interventional Cardiologist CARE Hospitals Hitech City, Hyderabad of India shares signs and symptoms of heart attack that people should not ignore as early medical intervention can improve chances of survival.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>1. Chest discomfort</div><div><br></div><div>The most common and recognizable symptom of a heart attack is chest pain or discomfort. This sensation is often described as a tightness, pressure, or squeezing feeling in the centre or left side of the chest. It can be persistent or intermittent, lasting for a few minutes or coming and going. Most importantly that discomfort or pain will increase while patient is walking or climbing upstairs. It is essential to pay attention to any unusual or unexplained discomfort in the chest region.</div><div><br></div><div>2. Upper body pain</div><div><br></div><div>Heart attack symptoms may extend beyond the chest to other areas of the upper body. Pain or discomfort can radiate to the arms (usually the left arm), back, neck, jaw, or even the stomach. Sometimes they can have only throat pain which will increase during exercise or walking and decrease with rest. This pain may occur alongside or independent of chest discomfort. Any unexplained pain or discomfort in these regions should not be disregarded.</div><div><br></div><div>3. Shortness of breath</div><div><br></div><div>Difficulty in breathing or a feeling of shortness of breath can be indicative of a heart attack. This symptom can manifest even without chest pain and may occur at rest or during physical activity. Breathing difficulty during walking or during sleep is very important symptom which may be related to heart. If you find yourself struggling to catch your breath, it is important to consider the possibility of a heart attack.</div><div><br></div><div>4. Nausea and indigestion</div><div><br></div><div>Some individuals experiencing a heart attack may feel nauseous, or experience symptoms resembling indigestion. These symptoms are more common in women. If you have unexplained nausea or indigestion-like discomfort, particularly when accompanied by other potential signs of a heart attack, it is crucial to seek medical attention promptly. Don’t self-medicate. This is the most common reason for delay in seeking medical attention.</div><div><br></div><div>5. Profuse sweating</div><div><br></div><div>Unexplained or excessive sweating, often accompanied by cold and clammy skin, can be an alarming sign of a heart attack. This symptom is more frequently observed in men. If you suddenly break out in a profuse sweat without any apparent cause, it is important not to overlook it.</div><div><br></div><div>6. Fatigue and weakness</div><div><br></div><div>Feeling unusually tired, weak, or exhausted, especially with minimal physical exertion or during rest, can be an indication of a heart attack. If you find yourself experiencing extreme fatigue or weakness that is out of the ordinary, it is prudent to consider the possibility of a cardiac event.</div><div><br></div><div>7. Dizziness and light-headedness</div><div><br></div><div>Feeling dizzy or lightheaded, experiencing fainting spells, or having a sensation of nearly passing out can be a result of reduced blood flow to the heart. These symptoms should never be ignored and should prompt immediate medical attention.</div><div><br></div><div>8. Anxiety and panic</div><div><br></div><div>Emotional symptoms such as feelings of anxiety, fear, or impending doom can sometimes precede or accompany a heart attack. These psychological symptoms, particularly when combined with other warning signs, should not be dismissed.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is important to remember that symptoms can vary among individuals, and some people, especially women and older adults, may experience atypical or milder symptoms during a heart attack. However, any suspicion of a heart attack should be taken seriously. If you or someone around you experiences any of these signs, it is crucial to call emergency services immediately and seek prompt medical care. Timely intervention can make a significant difference in the outcome, potentially saving lives and minimizing heart damage,\" concludes Dr V. Vinoth. Source: hindustantimes.com</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 21:40:13', '2023-05-24 21:40:13'),
(7100, 7100, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Election Commissioner Rashida Sultana on Wednesday said that Gazipur City Corporation voting will be held in a free and fair environment and voters can cast their vote peacefully on Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The commissioner said this while exchanging views with journalists after a meeting with magistrates on maintaining law and order in the Gazipur City Corporation election at Gazipur Circuit House.</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning that this election is not a separate challenge, Rashida Sultana said that all elections are considered equally important.</div><div><br></div><div>“The CCTV cameras have been installed in the polling centres. The election will be monitored from the morning,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Also on Wednesday, Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Commissioner Molla Nazrul Islam said that a total of 13,000 law enforcers will be deployed to maintain law and order during the day’s election.</div><div><br></div><div>The EC will use electronic voting machines (EVMs) at all polling stations.</div><div><br></div><div>Eight candidates will contest for mayoral posts in the election and there are 248 councillors and 79 female councilor candidates.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 11,79,476 voters are expected to exercise their franchise and of them, 5,92,762 are men and 5,86,696 are women, and the number of transgender people is 18. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-24 22:33:30', '2023-05-24 22:33:30'),
(7101, 7101, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Real Madrid\'s players and fans showed support for Vinicius Jr as they beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at the Bernabeu.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The win was the club\'s first match since their Brazilian forward was racially abused at Valencia on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vinicius missed the match through injury and Real\'s players took to the pitch in his number 20 shirt, while the captains of both teams wore armbands carrying anti-racism messages.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Supporters chanted the 22-year-old\'s name in the 20th minute in solidarity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Players from both clubs joined together prior to kick-off in the La Liga fixture to hold a sign which read \"Racists [get] out of football\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A banner displayed in the stands also read: \"We are all Vinicius. Enough is enough\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vinicius, whose red card against Valencia has been rescinded, was applauded as he took to the pitch before the match.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He watched from the stands, where he sat beside Real president Florentino Perez.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vinicius rose to his feet to acknowledge the show of support and later posted a picture of him waving to fans on Instagram, accompanied by the message: \"I love them! Thank you, thank you and thank you\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fellow Brazilian Rodrygo scored an 89th-minute winner for third-placed Real.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They had seen Karim Benzema\'s opener cancelled out by Raul de Tomas - and Rodrygo celebrated his goal by making a black power salute.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">La Liga president Javier Tebas had apologised to Vinicius on Wednesday, saying he did not mean to \"attack\" the player in a social media row after Sunday\'s events.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vinicius, who was sent off for violent conduct late in the match at Valencia, said the Spanish league \"belongs to racists\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tebas\' and La Liga\'s handling of the incident has been widely condemned after the president told Vinicius \"you need to inform yourself properly\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">La Liga has said it will seek \"more sanctioning powers\" to ensure it can punish incidents of racism.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Spanish football federation announced on Tuesday that Valencia had been sanctioned with a partial stadium closure for five matches and fined 45,000 euros (£39,000).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the sanction, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti said: \"I was surprised by the decision of the competition committee. I think it is the right decision.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before Tuesday night\'s games between Real Valladolid and Barcelona, and Celta Vigo and Girona, players and match officials stood behind banners which read \"Racism, out of football\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Barcelona winger Raphinha also revealed a message of support for his Brazil compatriot in the second half when he was substituted. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 06:10:11', '2023-05-25 06:10:11'),
(7102, 7102, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A new “revolution” could rock Russia if its stuttering war effort in Ukraine continues, the chief of private military group Wagner has said, in a scathing assessment of Moscow’s military readiness that could further expose divisions in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military hierarchy.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an interview with Konstantin Dolgov, a pro-Russian blogger, that Moscow’s troops are unprepared to resist forces loyal to Kyiv even when they enter Russian territory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also praised the capabilities of the Ukrainian army, and urged Moscow to escalate its war effort if it wants to avoid a long and costly conflict.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I believe Ukrainians today are one of the strongest armies in the world,” Prigozhin said. He called Kyiv’s forces “highly organized, highly trained and their intelligence is on the highest level, they can operate any military system with equal success, a Soviet or a NATO one.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In recent days Moscow suffered embarrassment when a group of anti-Putin Russians entered the Belgorod region in an incursion that caused anger and confusion among Russia’s influential military analysts. Asked about the incident, Prigozhin said Russian defense forces are “absolutely not ready to resist them in any shape or form.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Here we are with Ukraine, that is our enemy, in the middle of the war, Russian Volunteer Corps groups come in effortlessly and go through (the border) in tanks and APCs without any repercussions and make their own videos if it,” the Wagner chief vented.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prigozhin has frequently criticized Russia’s traditional military hierarchy as he sought to win a power struggle against military commanders to lead Putin’s ground effort in eastern Ukraine. Earlier this month he blamed Russian defense chiefs for “tens of thousands” of Wagner casualties because they didn’t have enough ammunition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But his comments to Dolgov were alarmist even for the free-wheeling Putin ally. As he has frequently done, Prigozhin urged Moscow to step up its war in order to defeat Ukraine – urging Putin to “declare a martial law and a new wave of mobilization.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He warned that if Russian losses continue to mount, “all these divisions can end in what is a revolution, just like in 1917.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“First the soldiers will stand up, and after that – their loved ones will rise up. It is wrong to think that there are hundreds of them – there are already tens of thousands of them – relatives of those killed,” he said. “And there will probably be hundreds of thousands – we cannot avoid that.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian forces, primarily made up of Wagner troops, have labored for months over the capture of Bakhmut – a city in Ukraine’s east of relatively insignificant strategic value, where Russia has suffered vast losses – and its larger ground campaign has been in stalemate since a string of successful Ukrainian counter-attacks last autumn. CNN</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 06:14:47', '2023-05-25 06:14:47'),
(7103, 7103, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Twitter’s livestream event with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis crashed and was delayed on Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of users logged on to hear DeSantis announce his bid for the White House.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sound from the livestream event — which was held on Twitter Spaces and hosted by owner Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur David Sacks — cut in and out in the first minutes after starting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We’ve got so many people here that we are kind of melting the servers,” Sacks said at one point.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 500,000 Twitter users joined the event, which was ultimately ended and then restarted, delaying DeSantis’ announcement by nearly half an hour. When the event was relaunched using Sacks’ account, only around 250,000 users ultimately listened in.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twitter has faced a variety of outages and technical issues since Musk took over the platform late last year. Shortly after acquiring the company, Musk laid off large numbers of technical and other staff and reduced Twitter’s server capacity in an effort to cut costs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In recent months, Twitter has faced multiple service outages that affected the ability of thousands of users to access the site, to view images and to read tweets on their timelines. Users have also previously reported issues with the app’s two-factor authentication tool, seeing replies listed above a tweet rather than below it and seeing old tweets show up repeatedly in their feed or mentions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Musk and Sacks admitted on Wednesday that the limited capacity of Twitter’s servers played into the issues it faced getting the DeSantis event underway. “I think you broke the internet there,” Sacks said when the event was relaunched.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The pair added that Musk’s following of more than 140 million users may have also contributed to the issue. “I think it crashed because when you multiply a half-million people in a room by an account with over 100 million followers, which is Elon’s account, I think that creates just a scalability level that was unprecedented,” Sacks said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Attempting to spin the launch issue in a positive direction, Sacks said: “You know you’re breaking new ground when there’s bugs and scaling issues.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twitter’s Spaces product was not necessarily built to host events with hundreds of thousands of listeners. Most other Spaces have — at most — several hundred listeners at a time. Spaces was described as a “prototype” and “janky” tool by a former Twitter employee familiar with its development.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Spaces was largely a prototype, not a finished product,” the former employee told CNN. “It’s a beta test that never ended.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They added that Spaces relies on a mix of Twitter’s technical infrastructure and Amazon Web Services servers, “things that aren’t intended to handle Twitter-scale traffic.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twitter acquired the video streaming platform Periscope in 2015. The former employee said Twitter Spaces had been built on Periscope’s existing infrastructure and not integrated with Twitter properly — which likely contributed to Wednesday’s technical problems.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After restarting, the event ran for close to an hour. Sacks acknowledged the glitch again at the end, saying, “It’s not how you started, it’s how you finish and we finished strong.” CNN</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 06:17:53', '2023-05-25 06:17:53'),
(7104, 7104, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Voting in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election began on Thursday using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in all polling stations in a peaceful manner.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The voting began around 8 am and will continue till 4 pm without any break.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Eight candidates are contesting for mayoral posts in the election and there are 248 councillors and 79 female councilor candidates.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 11,79,476 voters are eligible to vote and of them, 5,92,762 are men and 5,86,696 are women, and the number of transgender people is 18.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Election Commissioner Rashida Sultana said that Gazipur City Corporation voting will be held in a free and fair environment and voters can cast their vote peacefully.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The commissioner said this while exchanging views with journalists after a meeting with magistrates on maintaining law and order in the Gazipur City Corporation election at Gazipur Circuit House on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The election commission will monitor the election through CCTVs, which were set up in all polling stations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tight security</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 13,000 law enforcers have been deployed to maintain law and order during the election, said Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Molla Nazrul Islam on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“ 20-22 members of law enforcement agencies will perform duty at each centre. I hope a free and fair election will be held with the efforts of all amid foolproof security,” he told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twenty platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members have been deployed alongside 30 teams of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Ansar members, said Returning Officer Faridul Islam.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mobile teams will be there in 57 wards while 19 striking forces led by 19 magistrates will remain vigilant at the polling centers. 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, '2023-05-25 09:00:58', '2023-05-25 09:00:58'),
(7105, 7105, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has topped the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI index of 179 at 08:25am on Thursday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The air was classified as \'unhealthy\', according to the air quality and pollution city ranking.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\' while 201-300 is \'very unhealthy\', and 301-400 is considered \'hazardous\', posing severe health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kuwait’s Kuwait City and the United Arab Emirates Dubai occupied the second and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 163 and 158, respectively.</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;\">The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 09:04:43', '2023-05-25 09:04:43'),
(7106, 7106, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The fighting between Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary force has displaced more than 1.3 million people, the U.N. migration agency said Wednesday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The International Organization for Migration said the clashes have forced over 1 million people to leave their homes to safer areas inside Sudan. Some 320,000 others have fled to the neighboring countries of Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic and Libya.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fighting erupted on April 15 after months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The conflict derailed Sudanese hopes of restoring the country\'s fragile transition to democracy, which was disrupted by a military coup led by the two generals in October 2021.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The conflict has killed at least 863 civilians, including at least 190 children, and wounded more than 3,530 others, according to the most recent numbers from the Sudanese Doctors’ Syndicate — which mainly tracks civilian casualties. It has also pushed the East African country to near collapse, with urban areas in the capital, Khartoum, and its neighboring city of Omdurman turning into battlegrounds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Egypt is hosting the largest number of those who fled, with at least 132,360 people, followed by Chad with 80,000 and South Sudan with over 69,000, the agency added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All but one of Sudan’s 18 provinces experienced displacement, with Khartoum at the top of the list with around 70% of the total number of displaced people, according to the IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sporadic fighting continued Wednesday in several areas, despite a cease-fire reached this week. Residents reported hearing gunshots and explosions in central Khartoum as well as areas close to military facilities in Omdurman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both sides in the conflict Wednesday traded blame for violating the cease-fire.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The weeklong cease-fire, which was brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia, took effect Monday night. It was the latest international effort to push for humanitarian aid delivery to the conflict-torn country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A joint statement from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia late Tuesday warned that neither the Sudanese military nor the Rapid Support Forces observed the short-term cease-fire.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The Sudanese people continue to suffer as a result of this devastating conflict,\" the statement said. It called on both sides to “fully abide by their commitments\" and to implement the temporary cease-fire to deliver urgently needed humanitarian relief.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned both parties of possible sanctions if the latest cease-fire was not adhered to.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But on Wednesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington that the cease-fire has largely been holding, despite reports of sporadic fire in Khartoum and elsewhere.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Ultimately, it’s of course up to the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to implement this thing.” Kirby said. “But in general, in the main, it appears to be holding. I want to caution you though, this is early, I mean, just went into effect yesterday afternoon. We have seen this movie before. So, we’re being pretty pragmatic as we look at it.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fighting has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian conditions in Sudan. According to the U.N., the number of people who need assistance this year has increased by 57% to reach 24.7 million people, more than half the country’s population. The international body said it would need $2.6 billion to provide them with much-needed humanitarian assistance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.N. special envoy for sexual violence Pramila Patten, meanwhile, said Wednesday she is “is gravely concerned” about reports of sexual attacks against women.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“There are strong indications that it is parties to the conflict who have committed sexual violence, including rape, against women and girls,” she said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said many of the sexual attacks apparently took place in residential areas in Khartoum, or while they were fleeing the fighting in the capital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other attacks on women also took place in the western region of Darfur, where sexual violence against women has been consistently reported over the past two decades, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She called for investigations into the allegations and urged all parties to take immediate measures against suspects, including suspending or removing them from the ranks. 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, '2023-05-25 10:26:35', '2023-05-25 10:26:35'),
(7107, 7107, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United States has indicated their new Bangladesh-specific visa policy will help Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government in its efforts to hold free and fair elections.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government have committed to supporting free and fair elections in Bangladesh. This policy is designed to support these efforts and the Bangladeshi people, so they may hold elections to choose their leaders,\" said the US Embassy in Dhaka, in a message to journalists just after the new policy was announced.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States said they support free and fair elections everywhere.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The message also contained a set of FAQs with responses, through which it clarified certain points that may likely arise in people\'s minds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To start with, the US Embassy said this policy applies to any individual responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh. This includes current or former Bangladeshi officials, government supporters, and opposition members, among others. This would also include the immediate family members of such persons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States said they are committed to building a strong partnership with the government of Bangladesh grounded in democracy and human rights.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We welcome the Prime Minister’s expressed commitment to holding free and fair elections,\" said the US Embassy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States emphasised it does not support any particular political party, and that their handling of this policy would not favour anyone over another - except on the grounds of undermining electoral democracy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Restrictions under this new policy target individuals engaging in behavior that undermines the democratic election process, regardless of affiliation.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It also assured that it is a general practice to notify individuals whose visas are revoked or cancelled.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Given US\' \"close cooperation\" with the government of Bangladesh, the US informed it of this policy decision on May 3. 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, '2023-05-25 10:29:37', '2023-05-25 10:29:37'),
(7108, 7108, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home this morning wrapping up her three-day official visit to Qatar.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the premier and her entourage members, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5.58am.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, the flight departed Hamad International Airport at 10.25pm local time (01:25am BST) for Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On May 22, Sheikh Hasina arrived in Doha on a three-day official visit to attend the 3rd Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) at the invitation of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the visit, Sheikh Hasina joined the Qatar Economic Forum, met with Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani at Amiri Diwan, held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and a meeting with President of Rwanda Paul Kagame.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, Qatar Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi met her.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saudi Arabian Minister of Investment Khalid A. Al-Falih and Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim also jointly called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier also addressed the students of Qatar University and visited Awsaj Academy, a specialized school for the children with special needs, which runs under Qatar Foundation in Doha. 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, '2023-05-25 10:32:39', '2023-05-25 10:32:39'),
(7109, 7109, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United States on Wednesday announced the approval of a $285 million sale of a NASAMS air defense system and related equipment to Ukraine as Kyiv seeks to boost protection against Russian strikes.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Ukraine has an urgent need to increase its capabilities to defend against Russian missile strikes and aircraft,\" the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement. \"Acquiring and effectively deploying this capability will enhance Ukraine\'s ability to defend its people and protect critical national infrastructure.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The agency also said the sale will support US foreign policy national security goals by \"improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The sale would not require any additional US government employees or contractors to be assigned to Ukraine, the statement added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Department approved the sale, and the DSCA on Wednesday provided the required notification to Congress, which still needs to sign off on the transaction.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Countries including the United States that are supporting Ukraine in its battle against invading Russian forces have donated tens of billions of dollars of military equipment to Kyiv, but this transfer would be a sale.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine\'s air defenses have played a key role in protecting the country from strikes and preventing Moscow\'s forces from gaining control of the skies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine\'s air defenses largely consisted of Soviet-era planes and batteries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They have since been significantly augmented by Kyiv\'s international supporters, who have donated a series of systems including NASAMS. 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, '2023-05-25 11:27:32', '2023-05-25 11:27:32'),
(7110, 7110, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Early voting has been peaceful&nbsp; and the law and order situation is also good, said Zayeda Khatun, an independent mayoral candidate in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) elections.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She made the remark while talking to reporters after casting her vote at Kanaia Government Primary School polling station around 10 am.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There has been no complaint so far against the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), she said adding “I am hopeful about my victory in the&nbsp; election.’</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also urged the voters to cast their votes at the respective polling stations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Gazipur City Corporation\'s (GCC) former mayor Jahangir Alam also cast his vote at the same polling station with his mother.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Voting in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election began on Thursday using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in all polling stations in a peaceful manner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The voting began around 8 am and will continue till 4 pm without any break. 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, '2023-05-25 12:25:28', '2023-05-25 12:25:28');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7111, 7111, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Voting in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election began on Thursday (May 25, 2023) using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in all polling stations in a peaceful manner.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The voting began around 8 am and will continue till 4 pm without any break.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Eight candidates are contesting for mayoral posts in the election and there are 248 councillors and 79 female councilor candidates.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 11,79,476 voters are eligible to vote and of them, 5,92,762 are men and 5,86,696 are women, and the number of transgender people is 18.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Election Commissioner Rashida Sultana said that Gazipur City Corporation voting will be held in a free and fair environment and voters can cast their vote peacefully.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The commissioner said this while exchanging views with journalists after a meeting with magistrates on maintaining law and order in the Gazipur City Corporation election at Gazipur Circuit House on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The election commission will monitor the election through CCTVs, which were set up in all polling stations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Tight security</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 13,000 law enforcers have been deployed to maintain law and order during the election, said Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Molla Nazrul Islam on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“ 20-22 members of law enforcement agencies will perform duty at each centre. I hope a free and fair election will be held with the efforts of all amid foolproof security,” he told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twenty platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members have been deployed alongside 30 teams of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Ansar members, said Returning Officer Faridul Islam.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mobile teams will be there in 57 wards while 19 striking forces led by 19 magistrates will remain vigilant at the polling centers. 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, '2023-05-25 12:28:22', '2023-05-25 12:28:22'),
(7112, 7112, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Six drones were downed or blocked overnight in Russia-annexed Crimea, the region\'s Moscow-appointed governor said on Thursday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"During the past night, six drones were shot down or blocked ... in different parts of Crimea,\" Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram, adding \"there were no victims or injured\". 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, '2023-05-25 12:52:39', '2023-05-25 12:52:39'),
(7113, 7113, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The German economy contracted by 0.3 percent over the first three months of 2023, official figures published Thursday showed, pushing the country into recession around the turn of the year.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The final figure from the federal statistics agency Destatis was worse than the initial estimate of zero growth, and followed a 0.5-percent contraction in the fourth quarter of 2022. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 12:56:53', '2023-05-25 12:56:53'),
(7114, 7114, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Sunny Leone is busy with the promotions for her upcoming film Kennedy at the Cannes Film Festival. The Anurag Kashyap film stars Sunny as Charlie, and the actor recently shared that no one can point fingers at her now as she\'s in the film because of her additional ‘glamour quotient’.&nbsp;&nbsp;</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kennedy premiered under the Midnight Screenings section of the at the Cannes Film Festival in the Grand Theatre Lumiere. Sunny looked stunning in a champagne dress with a thigh-high slit and long train whereas Anurag Kashyap wore a black bandh-gala suit. Actor Rahul Bhat opted for a classic tuxedo.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Sunny recalls mean comments</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now, in a conversation with Forbes India at Cannes Film Festival 2023, Sunny opened up about the comments she has received over the years and how with Kennedy, no one can point them at her now. She said, \"I believe that your actions are louder than your words. All those people who said you can’t do this, or you’re not good enough, or you know you are just Sunny Leone, the porn star, you are just this glamour quotient that we’ve added, all of these different comments that have gone on for so many years. You can’t say that this time. You can’t just say Sunny Leone is in this film because of who she is and what her past was.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sunny opened up about how even if mean comments were written about her, she would have to hide her hurt in the public. “People out there don’t always know how their comments or what they say or people who write these articles that are just nasty or people who don’t believe in you, they think the worst of you. You hide behind your smile going, ‘no, it’s okay, I’m going to push past this’ but deep down inside it does hurt your feelings and it does affect you but as an entertainer, you are not allowed to show that,” she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kennedy stars Sunny Leone, Rahul Bhat and Abhilash Thapliyal in lead roles. The film revolves around an insomniac ex-cop, long thought to be dead, but still operating for the corrupt system, and looking for redemption. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 13:29:57', '2023-05-25 13:29:57'),
(7115, 7115, '<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A new study has shown that human T cells have an important role to play in controlling Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection, a highly contagious and seasonal respiratory virus that mainly causes common cold symptoms in healthy adults but can cause more serious lung infections in infants, the immunocompromised and older individuals.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Strikingly, RSV infection remains the most common reason for hospitalization of infants and young children. Health officials have recently promoted flu vaccines and reformulated COVID boosters as they prepare for a respiratory infection season that could rival some of the worst cold and flu seasons in history.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A new study published in JCI Insight, led by Angela Wahl, PhD, Raymond Pickles, PhD, and J. Victor Garcia, PhD, with the International Center for the Advancement of Translational Science (ICATS), the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID) at the UNC School of Medicine has shown that human T cells have an important role to play in controlling infection.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Vaccine strategies for RSV have largely focused on the induction of an antibody response. Using novel precision animal models of RSV infection, we\'ve gained novel insight into how the human immune system, and in particular human T cells, controls and clears RSV infection,\" said Wahl, assistant professor of medicine and assistant director of the UNC ICATS.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our data show that T cells can independently control RSV infection in human lung tissue in the absence of an RSV-specific antibody response. While a vaccine-induced RSV-specific T cell response would not be able to prevent infection, it could accelerate virus clearance and ameliorate disease if vaccine-elicited antibodies fail to prevent infection, due to antigenic variability among circulating strains.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The research team used two novel precision animal models to analyze RSV-induced human lung pathology and human immune correlates of protection at pre-determined time points. They showed that primed human CD8 T cells or CD4 T cells effectively and independently controlled RSV replication in human lung tissue in the absence of an RSV-specific antibody response. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 13:35:09', '2023-05-25 13:35:09'),
(7116, 7116, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Iran\'s defence ministry on Thursday unveiled a new ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,242 miles) and a capacity to carry warheads weighing over a tonne.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Kheibar missile -- the latest version of the Khorramshahr which is Iran\'s longest-range missile to date -- was unveiled alongside a replica of the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem, in a live broadcast on state television</div><div><br></div><div>Iran\'s Defence Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani said the missile was unveiled as part of moves to \"provide comprehensive support to our friends and countries that are on the path of fighting against the domination system\".</div><div><br></div><div>State news agency IRNA said the Kheibar is \"a liquid fuel missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres and a 1,500 kilogrammes warhead\".</div><div><br></div><div>The unveiling comes amid heightened tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and just over 10 days into a fragile Gaza ceasefire that ended five days of cross border conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 16:23:27', '2023-05-25 16:23:27'),
(7117, 7117, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Election Commission (EC) is observing the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) elections through 4,435 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras as the voting for the GCC begins from 8am this morning.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Election Commissioners Brigadier General (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan, M Alamgir, Rasheda Sultana and Anisur Rahman are closely monitoring the GCC elections from the Nirbachan Bhaban control room at city\'s Agargaon.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 4,435 CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the GCC elections -along with all the polling centers are being monitored with 466 CCTV cameras and displaying on 18 digital display boards set up at the EC, said an official release.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, the by-polls of Rangpur City Corporation(RCC), Cumilla City Corporation (CCC), Jenaidah municipality and Gaibandha-5 constituency were also monitored through the CCTV cameras.</div><div><br></div><div>Eight Mayoral candidates, seventy-nine in reserved councilor posts and 246 candidates are also contesting in councilor posts in the GCC elections.</div><div><br></div><div>Of these Mayoral candidates, Advocate M Azmat Ullah Khan is contesting from the ruling Awami League with symbolof boat, Jatiya Party candidate MM Niaz Uddin contesting with plough, Atiqul Islam is contesting from Gano front with symbol of fish, Gazi Ataur Rahman from Islami Andolon Bangladesh and Mohammad Raju Ahamed from Zaker Party.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Besides, Zayeda Khatun, M Harun-or Rashid and Sarker Shahnur Islam are also being participated in the GCC polls as the independent candidates. Source: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 17:19:20', '2023-05-25 17:19:20'),
(7118, 7118, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Road Transport and Bridge Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday said that the government wants to make the upcoming national election free and fair and it will resist if anyone attempts to impede the next election.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The Minister said this after paying homage to national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on his 124th birth anniversary at his graveyards at Dhaka University this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader assured that the government will extend all possible cooperation to the Election Commission to hold a free and fair election.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question, Quader, the Awami League general secretary, said those who set fire to buses, vandalise those in the name of movement ahead of the election are engaged in political violence.</div><div><br></div><div>About the non-communal spirit of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, the minister said, “We want to be inspired by the non-communal humanist spirit of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.”</div><div><br></div><div>Awami League Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing Secretaries Ahmed Hossain, SM Kamal Hossain, Science and Technology Affairs Secretary Engineer Abdus Sabur, Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua and other central leaders were present on the occasion. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 17:43:14', '2023-05-25 17:43:14'),
(7119, 7119, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Thursday said the newly announced visa policy was “merely their way of helping” to support democratic electoral process in Bangladesh.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>He made the remarks while talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Ambassador Haas said they have discussed the new visa policy, among other issues, noting that this is something they have done in support of Bangladeshi people, Bangladesh government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself and everyone here in Bangladesh who support a free and fair election.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the meeting with FM Momen was part of the regular series of meetings that they have. “We talked about US-Bangladesh relations, our growing relationship across a whole number of areas.”</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, the US ambassador met the representatives of the major political parties and discussed the new US visa policy.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Representatives of the Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and Jatiya Party were present.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We support free and fair elections. The new visa policy to restrict visas to those who undermine the democratic process applies to everyone,\" said Ambassador Haas.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 17:57:40', '2023-05-25 17:57:40'),
(7120, 7120, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Police arrested 18 BNP leaders and activists conducting several drives across five upazilas in Sirajganj districts.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The arrestees include district BNP vice president Amar Krishna Das, Kawakola union president Badal Mandal Gutu, Kalia Haripur union organizing Secretaries Monir Hossain Khan and Mamun alias Pora Mamun and others.</div><div><br></div><div>Sirajganj Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Md Hannan Mia said police conducted several drives in Sirajganj Sadar upazila, Raiganj upazila, Tarash upazila, Shahjadpur upazila, Belkuchi upazila and Enayetpur police station areas arrested 18 leaders and activists of BNP. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 18:53:22', '2023-05-25 18:53:22'),
(7121, 7121, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Welcoming the US’s new visa policy targeting the next national election in Bangladesh, BNP on Thursday hoped that it would play a supporting role in ensuring fair election.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters in front of party chairperson’s Gulshan office, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru also said there is no reason for their party to be worried about the US move since it is involved in vote rigging.</div><div><br></div><div>“We welcome this decision of the US as it was made considering the concern of the people of Bangladesh over the (next general) election. I think this step will at least play a supporting role in holding the next polls in a fair and credible manner,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Khasru, also the chairman of BNP’s foreign affairs committee, also the US move has sent out a message that the people of Bangladesh can’t exercise their right to franchise and their constitutional rights have been taken away while their lives are at a risk.</div><div><br></div><div>Stating that vote rigging is going on continuously in Bangladesh, he also said the US new visa policy is a big message to stop election manipulation in the days to come.</div><div><br></div><div>Khasru said the ruling party should be worried about their future if they again indulge in vote rigging instead of restoring people’s voting and democratic rights.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said the US has taken the move as a reflection of the people of Bangladesh’s worries over the upcoming national election.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“There’s no discussion about the election of&nbsp; other countries, including our neighbouring ones. The US visa policy was announced exclusively for Bangladesh and its specific organisations and individuals.”</div><div><br></div><div>The United States on Wednesday announced a new visa policy specific to Bangladesh, with a view to promoting free and fair elections.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Under this policy, we can impose visa restrictions on individuals and their immediate family members if they are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh,\" US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 19:14:47', '2023-05-25 19:14:47'),
(7122, 7122, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 15 houses, 10 cows, 20 maunds of paddy, furniture and cash taka were gutted in a fire at Holimpur village under Nabiganj upazila of the district in the early hours of today.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The fire originated from an electric short circuit at a house of the village around 2am and soon engulfed the adjacent houses. As a result, 15 houses, 10 cows, 20 maunds of paddy, cast taka and furniture were completely gutted, officer-in-charge (OC) of Nabiganj Police Station Dalim Ahmed said.</div><div><br></div><div>It is initially estimated to have caused a loss of about Taka 60 lakh, the affected house owners claimed. Souce: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 19:57:04', '2023-05-25 19:57:04'),
(7123, 7123, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Three people have been killed in a stabbing and shooting attack in central Japan, local media say.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A man in camouflage is said to have stabbed a woman and then used a hunting rifle in the city of Nakano, Nagano prefecture. Two policemen were also killed, and another person was injured.</div><div><br></div><div>The alleged attacker is holed inside a building, Japanese media report.</div><div>Gun violence remains extremely rare in Japan, despite the killing of ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July last year.</div><div><br></div><div>Abe was Japan\'s longest-serving prime minister and his death profoundly shocked a country where handguns are banned and incidents of political violence are almost unheard of.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2014, there were just six incidents of gun deaths in Japan, compared to 33,599 in the US.</div><div><br></div><div>People have to undergo a strict exam and mental health tests in order to buy a gun. Even then, only shotguns and air rifles are allowed. - BBC</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 20:07:16', '2023-05-25 20:07:16'),
(7124, 7124, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said there is nothing to worry about the newly announced US visa policy, noting that the government is neither feeling pressure nor any discomfort.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>With this announcement, he hoped that parties which resort to violence, arson and destruction would remain cautious.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We don\'t want arson, violence and destruction. I hope these acts will come down,\" Momen told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when his comment was sought.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, Momen said they are not under any additional pressure from the US, noting that the relationship with the US is excellent.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are not sure. It is yet to be tested. We do not know yet how helpful it will be. He (Ambassador Haas) could not tell whether they have become successful by applying such policy in any other country,” he told reporters after his meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas.</div><div><br></div><div>Describing the letter he received from the US Secretary of State as very encouraging, Momen said Bangladesh Awami League is committed to holding a free and fair election.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants free and fair elections and this policy will further strengthen her position.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We want free and fair elections. Our Prime Minister is committed to it,\" Momen said, adding that Awami League always believes in voters.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said they see very positively that they received from the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.</div><div><br></div><div>This policy supports Prime Minister Hasina’s stated commitment to hold free and fair elections in Bangladesh, Momen said, quoting the letter.</div><div><br></div><div>He mentioned the use of transparent ballot boxes that made the norm to establish confidence among the electorates as well as the polling officials and agents.</div><div><br></div><div>Momen also mentioned a strong National Election Commission is in place.</div><div><br></div><div>He said all parties will have to have political commitment for a free and fair election.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked whether the government accepts or rejects the new visa policy, Momen said there is nothing to accept or reject as this is a policy announced by the US. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 20:22:43', '2023-05-25 20:22:43'),
(7125, 7125, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Salman Khan is one of the biggest superstars in Indian cinema and there is no denying this. The actor boasts of an unparalleled fanbase that spans across age groups. We see a glimpse of this in one of the new videos of the actor going viral on the internet. In the clip, Salman Khan is seen entering the airport with his entourage and group of bodyguards.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>While walking towards the entry gate, Saman Khan stops abruptly and turns, only to have a boy run towards the actor and hug him. The child is seen smiling widely as Salman Khan hugs and places his hand on the boy\'s head. Salman Khan then continues walking towards the entry gate, the video shows.</div><div><br></div><div>The warm video comes on the heels of Salman Khan being named as the first among the ten targets that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi planned to eliminate, as per his confession to the National Investigation Agency. Salman Khan has been provided with Y+ category security by the Mumbai police in light of the threats.</div><div><br></div><div>A few days ago, Salman Khan, who is currently working on Tiger 3, shared in a post that he sustained a shoulder injury presumably while working on the project. In the image posted by the actor on social media, he is seen with his back facing the camera.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>One can also spot kinesiology tape on one shoulder of the superstar. In the caption, Salman Khan said, “Wen u think u r carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, he says duniya ko chodo paanch kilo ka dumbbell utha ke dikhao. Tiger zakhmi hai. […forget the world, pick this five-kilogram dumbbell. Source: NDTV</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 20:48:47', '2023-05-25 20:48:47'),
(7126, 7126, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader died after suffering from bullet injuries while another was also shot in a factional clash between two groups over a procession in Sadar upazila of Narsingdi on Thursday afternoon.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Sadekur Rahman Sadek, 32, former joint convenor of district unit JCD, died after he suffered injuries in his forehead, said Bacchu Mia, a police official at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>Doctors at the DMCH declared Sadek dead after he was brought there for treatment, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>JCD activist Ashraful Islam, 22, was also shot in his thigh and was being treated at the DMCH.</div><div><br></div><div>A 71-member committee of the JCD district unit was announced around four months back. Several clashes occurred between the office bearers of the newly formed committee and those who were deprived in the committee.</div><div><br></div><div>The deprived JCD men brought out a procession, in favour of a district BNP programme scheduled to be held on May 27 near the house of the BNP’s Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokan in Chinishpur area of Sadar upazila around 3:45pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Suddenly, a group of the JCD opened fire on the procession, said Mayeen Uddin, a former joint convenor and post-deprived member in the new committee.</div><div><br></div><div>Sadek suffered bullet injuries in his forehead while Ashraful in his thigh, he said, adding that they were first rushed to Sadar Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital due to critical condition.</div><div><br></div><div>Abul Kashem, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said the situation is now under their control and an additional number of law enforces were deployed to ward off any unexpected incident further, reports UNB&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Legal actions will be taken once complaints are lodged in this connection, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-25 21:42:48', '2023-05-25 21:42:48'),
(7127, 7127, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United Nations has awarded ‘Dag Hammarskjöld Medal’ to five fallen Bangladeshi peacekeepers for their supreme sacrifice in UN Peacekeeping operations.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The award was handed over on Friday at the General Assembly Hall by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a ceremony to honor 103 peacekeepers from 39 countries who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty in 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The respective Permanent Representatives received the awards on behalf of their countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN in New York, received the medals on behalf of the fallen peacekeepers of Bangladesh on May 25.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"> The five Bangladeshi fallen peacekeepers are: Sergeant Md Manjur Rahman (was serving in UNISFA, Abyei), Lance Corporal Kafil Majumder (was serving in UNMISS, South Sudan), Sainik Md Sharif Hossain (was serving in MUNISCA, Central African Republic), SainikMd JahangirAlam (was serving in MINUSCA, Central African Republic) and Sainik Md Jasim Uddin (was serving in MINUSCA, Central African Republic).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After receiving the Medal, Ambassador Muhith signed the condolence book kept at the General Assembly Hall on this occasion and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the fallen peacekeepers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh is currently the top contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping operations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At present around 7,500 Bangladeshi peacekeepers are deployed in 9 peacekeeping missions. So far, 166 peacekeepers from Bangladesh have lost their lives while serving in UN peacekeeping operations. 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, '2023-05-26 12:48:37', '2023-05-26 19:59:07'),
(7128, 7128, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the new visa policy of the USA targeting Bangladesh’s next election has reflected the people’s long-standing demand for restoration of voting rights.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement in the early hours of Friday, he also said the main theme of the US visa policy is to ensure all the process for arranging the upcoming parliamentary elections in Bangladesh in a free, fair, participatory and acceptable manner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the same time, the BNP leader said the stance taken by the US government against any move to rig votes, intimidate voters, violently suppress the people\'s freedom of peaceful assembly and exercise of their rights is a clear echo of the long-standing demand of the people of Bangladesh for a free and fair election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“BNP thinks the changed US policy has clearly reflected the long-standing demand of the democracy-loving people of Bangladesh, including BNP, for ensuring people\'s right to franchise,” he observed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BNP leader said they clearly observed that not only the law enforcement agencies, including the police, are brought under the new US visa policy but also the judiciary, administration, security-related government employees, former and current government officials and political leaders who, directly or indirectly, can disrupt the electoral system. “Their family members are also brought under the preview of the of the visa policy.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fakhrul said BNP believes that free and fair elections will not be possible under the current fascist government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“That is possible only under a non-partisan and impartial caretaker government. For that reason, BNP along with all the democratic parties and forces of the country is carrying out systematic and peaceful political programmes to realise the demand for a non-partisan and neutral polls-time caretaker government,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BNP leader demanded the current “unelected fascist” government resign immediately dissolving the parliament.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Arranging a free and fair election by establishing a polls-time non-partisan neutral government is the demand and expectation of the country’s people and international community. This is the only way to get rid of the ongoing political, economic, social and national crisis,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fakhrul also called upon the people of the country to remain firm and determined in realising the demand.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Wednesday, the United States announced a new visa policy specific to Bangladesh, with a view to promoting free and fair elections.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Under this policy, we can impose visa restrictions on individuals and their immediate family members if they are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh,\" said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 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, '2023-05-26 12:52:36', '2023-05-26 12:52:36'),
(7129, 7129, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality is in the ‘unhealthy’ zone Friday morning.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 152 at 8:53 am today, Dhaka ranked 6th in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iraq’s Baghdad, China’s Beijing and Pakistan’s Lahore occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 547, 161 and 159, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 101 and 150 is considered \'unhealthy\', AQI 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;\">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, '2023-05-26 12:56:12', '2023-05-26 12:56:12'),
(7130, 7130, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Following cyclone Mocha in Myanmar and Bangladesh, the European Commission has released €2.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid to address the most urgent needs of the affected population.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The full magnitude of the damage is not yet known as access to the affected areas is limited.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, early reports suggest humanitarian needs are extensive and include shelter, water, sanitation, and food.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both countries are host to highly vulnerable populations that have been severely affected by the cyclone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Myanmar’s Rakhine State, which was the worst affected, is home to people who have been already displaced by conflict and whose temporary shelters have been largely destroyed. Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, also hit by the cyclone, hosts 1 million Rohingya refugees.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additional heavy rainfall is expected in both countries over the coming days, increasing the risk of more flooding and landslides.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the wake of the emergency, the EU triggered the Copernicus Satellite Emergency Management Service to provide real time mapping and deployed experts to help conduct assessments in the field.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thanks to previously allocated EU funds, humanitarian partners took anticipatory measures ahead of Mocha’s impact by preparing shelter and food for the populations who would be affected, said a media release on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In refugee camps in Bangladesh, volunteers trained and supported by EU partners helped inform and prepare communities and provided an immediate response.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These anticipatory measures helped to reduce further loss and damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “A swift response is crucial in the wake of any emergency, especially when a disaster impacts already vulnerable communities, like those affected by cyclone Mocha in Myanmar and Bangladesh. We are releasing €2.5 million in humanitarian support and coordinating with our partners on the ground to address the most urgent needs of the population. Prompt action can save lives and prevent more damage.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On 14 May, extremely severe cyclone Mocha made landfall on Myanmar and Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, with maximum winds of around 209km/h (equivalent to category 4 hurricane winds). 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, '2023-05-26 13:03:12', '2023-05-26 13:03:12'),
(7131, 7131, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Natural gas prices in Europe fell by more than 10 percent over the day to less than $280 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first time in more than two years, according to ICE data.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">June futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands declined to $277 per 1,000 cubic meters or 24.94 euro per MWh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gas prices in Europe are going down amid high filling indicators in storage facilities, record high inflows of liquefied natural gas and warm weather. TASS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-26 14:30:48', '2023-05-26 14:30:48'),
(7132, 7132, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Symbols have been allocated among the seven mayoral candidates in Barishal City Corporation election.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Returning Officer Humayun Kabir distributed the symbols at the regional election officer\'s office at Nathullabad in the city on Friday morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The mayoral candidates have started campaigning with their allocated symbols.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thel candidates and their symbols are: Awami League\'s Abul Khair Abdullah (boat), Jatiya Party\'s Iqbal Hossain Taposh (plough), Islami Andolan Bangladesh\'s Mufti Syed Mohammad Faizul Karim (hand fan), Zaker Party\'s Mizanur Rahman Bachchu (rose flower), independent candidate Kamrul Ahsan (clock), Asaduzzaman (elephant) and Ali Hossain (deer).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the case of councillor candidates, symbols were allotted through lottery.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, symbols have been distributed to 115 out of 116 vying for the posts of councillors of 30 wards. As there is one candidate in ward-7, no symbol has been allotted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, 42 women candidates have been given symbols for 10 posts of reserved councillors. Within the stipulated time, the returning officer gave guidance to the candidates before starting the symbol allocation process.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The candidates submitted nomination papers for Barishal City Corporation election by May 16. A total of 2,76,298 people will cast their votes in 894 rooms of 126 polling stations in Barishal City Corporation election on June 12. 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, '2023-05-26 15:11:20', '2023-05-26 15:11:20'),
(7133, 7133, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A passenger opened an emergency exit on an Asiana Airlines flight as it was preparing to land Friday, the carrier told AFP, adding that the plane landed safely but several people were&nbsp; hospitalised.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Airbus A321-200 was carrying nearly 200 passengers as it approached the&nbsp; runway at Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul, on a domestic flight.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When the plane was still about 200 meters (650 feet) above the ground, a passenger sitting near the emergency exit \"opened the door manually by touching the lever\", the South Korean carrier\'s representative told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The unexpected opening of the door caused some passengers to have breathing difficulties, and some people were taken to a hospital after the landing, Asiana said, adding that there were no major injuries or damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea\'s Yonhap News Agency reported that nine people were hospitalised.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The passenger has been taken to the police and is under questioning\" to find out why they opened the door, Asiana said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A short video of the incident was shared by Yonhap.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The footage shows wind ripping through the open door in mid-air, with fabric seat-backs and passengers\' hair flapping wildly as some shout in surprise.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another video shared on social media showed passengers sitting in the emergency exit row next to an open door being buffeted by strong winds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two male passengers, who are wearing their seatbelts, can be seen wincing as the wind whips around them, while they clutch the armrests and try and turn away from the door. 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, '2023-05-26 15:16:22', '2023-05-26 15:16:22');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7134, 7134, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that Russia had begun moving nuclear weapons to its territory, which borders the European Union, ratcheting up tensions with the West over the Ukraine conflict.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the diplomatic front, Russia\'s foreign ministry announced a visit to Moscow by China\'s special envoy for Ukraine, Li Hui -- Beijing\'s latest effort to broker an end to the fighting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Li\'s visit to the Russian capital, where he is expected to meet foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, comes after he met with Ukraine\'s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The transfer of nuclear munitions has begun,\" Lukashenko told reporters during a visit to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Washington, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called Russia\'s move \"yet another example of making irresponsible and provocative choices\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She added, however, that \"we have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture... nor any indication that Russia is prepared to use nuclear weapons from Belarus\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There was no immediate confirmation by Russia of the nuclear weapon transfer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lukashenko has allowed his territory, which borders Ukraine as well as EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania, to serve as a staging ground for Russia\'s Ukraine offensive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In March, Putin said he would station \"tactical\" nuclear weapons -- in effect short-range atomic missiles -- in Belarus, drawing condemnation from the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">-- US bombers intercepted -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Adding to the global worries, Russia said Thursday that it had sent fighter jets to stop two US bomber planes from \"violating the state border\" over the Baltic Sea, the second such incident this week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Russian defence ministry said it had scrambled Su-27 and Su-35 fighter jets, saying it identified \"the air targets as two US Air Force B-1B strategic bombers\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the manoeuvre, the Russian fighters \"returned safely to their air base\", it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Japan, Tokyo\'s military also said it deployed fighter jets against Russian planes travelling along parts of its coastline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ahead of the visit by China\'s envoy Li to Moscow, the European Union told him on Thursday that it expected Beijing to help pressure Russia to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine and withdraw its troops from the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Senior EU foreign policy official Enrique Mora met Li in Brussels on the latest leg of a European tour by Beijing\'s special representative for Eurasian affairs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia and China have close relations, with Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Moscow in March and saying their bilateral ties were \"entering a new era\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, it has been criticised for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">-- Battle for Bakhmut --</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Top US officer General Mark Milley said Thursday that Russia would not achieve a military victory in Ukraine, while also cautioning that Kyiv was unlikely to force out all of Moscow\'s troops anytime soon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His comments underscored forecasts that the war in Ukraine is set to drag on, with neither side positioned to win a clear-cut victory and no negotiations currently taking place.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This war, militarily, is not going to be won by Russia. It\'s just not,\" Milley told journalists after a video meeting of dozens of countries that support Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the ground, the head of Russia\'s Wagner mercenary group said Thursday that his troops had started handing over their positions in the flashpoint eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut to the Russian military.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wagner said it began pulling out its fighters after claiming to have fully captured the destroyed city at the weekend.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine, which denies that Bakhmut has fallen to Russia, insisted it still controlled a \"micro district\" of the city and said it was still advancing on its flanks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The battle for Bakhmut has raged for nearly a year, levelling the city and decimating waves of Wagner recruits who have led Russia\'s assault on the industrial hub.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We are withdrawing units from Bakhmut today. We are handing over positions to the military, ammunition and everything,\" Wagner\'s boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier this week, he conceded that around 10,000 prisoners that Wagner had recruited to fight in Ukraine had been killed on the battlefield.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Drone barrage -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Kyiv, Zelensky accused Russia of terrorising Ukrainians by launching another wave of Iranian-made attack drones at targets across his country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The enemy continued to terrorise Ukraine by launching 36 Shaheds. None reached their target,\" Zelensky said on social media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I\'m grateful to our air defence forces for the 100 percent result.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv has become increasingly adept at taking down Russian cruise missiles and drones after appealing to Western allies for greater air-defence capabilities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Moscow, Russia\'s FSB security service said it had arrested two Ukrainians who had allegedly planned to target nuclear power plants in the country. 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, '2023-05-26 15:20:00', '2023-05-26 15:20:00'),
(7135, 7135, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Three migrants were found dead off the Greek island of Mykonos on Friday after their boat capsized and up to 12 others missing, the Greek coastguard said.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The nationality of the victims, according to preliminary reports two women&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">and a man, has not been confirmed by Greek authorities.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The coastguard is searching by ground, air and sea for up to others whom&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">survivors said were missing after the boat overturned.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Witnesses said up to 17 people had been on the same boat, including five&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">women and a seven-year-old child. Two men, a Palestinian and a Syrian, were&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">rescued by the coastguard.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">For several months, migrants have sought to reach Italy from Turkey through&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Greece\'s southeast Cyclades islands which attract thousands of visitors each&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">summer.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Non-profit groups say the new route is designed to avoid the northern Aegean&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Sea, where witnesses accuse Greek authorities of stepping up illegal&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">pushbacks, accusations that Athens has long rejected.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Footage published by The New York Times on May 19 reportedly showed the&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">forceful expulsion of a group of migrants, including a baby, being bundled&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">into a van and then transferred to an inflatable raft and set adrift.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Interviewed by CNN, former prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">government would investigate the incident and called such pushbacks&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"completely unacceptable\". 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, '2023-05-26 15:50:58', '2023-05-26 15:50:58'),
(7136, 7136, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least one person has died and 15 others have been injured in a missile strike on a hospital in Dnipro, in Ukraine\'s east.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed the attack and said authorities were working to rescue others from the hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said all necessary authorities were involved in the clean up mission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, the regional governor, Serhiy Lysak, said the city had been attacked by rockets and drones.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Zelensky posted a video of the damaged building that showed firefighters at the scene and smoke billowing from the building.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Russian terrorists once again confirm their status of fighters against everything humane and honest,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian authorities said they shot down 17 missiles and 31 drones launched from Russia overnight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several drones and missiles hit targets in the eastern cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv, including an oil depot.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, targeting its infrastructure facilities ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-26 17:13:10', '2023-05-26 17:13:10'),
(7137, 7137, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The members of Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in several anti-drug raids arrested 52 people on charges of selling and consuming drugs during the last 24 hours till 6am</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The DB in association with the local police carried out the drives simultaneously at different parts of the metropolis from 6am of May 25 to 6am&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">today, according to a DMP release. In those separate anti-drug raids, police&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">seized huge drugs from their possession.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">During the anti-drug raids, police seized 1,343 pieces of contraband yaba&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">tablets, 30 grams and 295 purias (small packets) of heroin, 65.170 kilograms&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">of cannabis (ganja) and 20 drug injections from their possession, the release</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Police filed 34 separate cases against the arrestees in these connections&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">with respective police stations under the Narcotics Control Act. BSS</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-26 19:09:17', '2023-05-26 19:09:17'),
(7138, 7138, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Clashes between the activists of BNP and Awami League on Friday left dozens of people injured with the two groups blaming each other for the violence.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The local BNP leaders said at least 15 of the party’s leaders and activists including Nipun Roy Chowdhury were injured in the clash with Awami League men during the opposition party’s rally in Keraniganj of Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The programme was organized to press home the party’s 10-point demand, including the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government before the next general election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A group of 25 to 30 people, led by Awami League leader Azhar Bangali attacked the BNP office in Zinjira area of Keraniganj on Friday afternoon, while the rally was going on, claimed Nipun, a member of the BNP’s Executive Committee.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the injured are Sazzad Hossain, president of Keraniganj Jubo Dal, Zahirul Islam Mamun, south Keraniganj Swechasebak Dal joint secretary, Mojazzed Hossain, Dhaka district BNP organizing secretary.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Azhar Bangali claimed that while he was passing the area BNP men attacked him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local AL leaders also accused BNP activists of vandalising the AL office in South Keraniganj, leaving at least 25 people injured. Some of the injured were taken to hospital, they said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to eyewitnesses, men from both parties attacked each other with bamboo sticks. 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, '2023-05-26 19:25:09', '2023-05-26 19:25:09'),
(7139, 7139, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Friday said the real picture of the country’s voting has been exposed as the government tried to show fairness in the Gazipur city polls.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“You have seen that an election was held in Gazipur...they tried to show a fair election and we‘ve seen the results of that effort. This is the real scenario of Bangladesh,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khosru, a BNP standing committee member made the comments while addressing a programme, marking the 28th foundation anniversary of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Suspended mayor Zahangir Alam’s mother and independent candidate, Zayeda Khatun, was elected Gazipur City Corporation mayor by defeating Awami League candidate Md Azmat Ullah Khan in the polls held on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khosru said it is now imperative to restore people’s right to franchise to ensure their democratic and human rights through a united movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said their party along with people, including politicians, journalists and other professionals, have been on a movement to ensure people\'s right to vote. “If the democratic atmosphere cannot be restored in the country, human rights and democracy can’t be restored.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the Digital Security Act, the BNP leader said the government is enacting another law \'Essential Services Act\' which can be imposed on any organisation. “More laws will be enacted to carry out more repressions.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“If we can’t bring back democracy, establish the elected government and parliament through exercising our voting rights, then we won’t get any government accountable to the people in the coming days. That\'s why everyone must come forward,” he observed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Khosru said the next election must be under a neutral government. “There’s no alternative to it. “If we can’t bring a change in the current situation in Bangladesh and restore democratic rights, electoral environment, constitutional rights and ensure a level-playing field, fair a election will not be possible.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also said discussing about elections before ensuring the level-playing field and and restoring the democratic is a futile exercise.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Those who talk about elections and try to take people to the voting without a level-playing field and democratic order are working for this government,” the BNP leader said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He slammed the government for not ensuring the trial of the murder of journalist couple Sagar-Runi and for creating pressure on journalists in various ways. 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, '2023-05-26 19:28:02', '2023-05-26 19:28:02'),
(7140, 7140, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Taslima Chowdhury, a former leader of Bangladesh Mohila Awami League, the woman wing of the ruling party.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taslima was a former vice-president of Bangladesh Mohila AL and also former president of its Dhaka city north unit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a condolence message, the premier prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taslima Chowdhury breathed her last on Thursday afternoon at the age of 85.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She left behind two sons, a daughter and a host of relatives and admirers to mourn her death.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AL general secretary Obaidul Quader also expressed deep shock at her death, said an AL press release. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-26 19:58:09', '2023-05-26 19:58:09'),
(7141, 7141, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury today visited the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Japan.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Executive Directors of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Ito Yoichi and Hironobu Takagi welcomed the speaker, said a press release.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A delegation from Bangladesh, including Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan Shahabuddin Ahmed, Ruhul Haque, Abul Kalam Md Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury, Badruddoza Md Farhad Hossain, Khadijatul Anwar and Kaniz Fatema Ahmed, accompanied her during the visit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, Additional Secretary of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Md Nuruzzaman, Private Secretary to the Speaker MA Kamal Billah, Director (Mass Communication) Md Tariq Mahmud and Assistant Private Secretary to the Speaker Md Rashed Iqbal Chowdhury were present there, among others.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The speaker is scheduled to return home on May 29. 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, '2023-05-26 20:00:54', '2023-05-26 20:00:54'),
(7142, 7142, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Joe Biden said a deal to resolve the government\'s debt ceiling crisis seemed “very close” late Friday, even as the deadline for a potentially catastrophic default was pushed back to June 5 and seemed likely to drag negotiations between the White House and Republicans into another frustrating week.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The later “X-date,” laid out in a letter from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, set the risk of a devastating default four days beyond an earlier estimate. It came as Americans and the world uneasily watched the negotiating brinkmanship that could throw the U.S. economy into chaos and sap world confidence in the nation\'s leadership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yet Biden was upbeat as he left for the Memorial Day weekend at Camp David, declaring, “It\'s very close, and I\'m optimistic.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With Republicans at the Capitol talking with Biden\'s team at the White House, the president said: “There’s a negotiation going on. I’m hopeful we’ll know by tonight whether we’re going to be able to have a deal.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a blunt warning, Yellen said failure to act by the new date would “cause severe hardship to American families, harm our global leadership position and raise questions about our ability to defend our national security interests.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Anxious retirees and others were already making contingency plans for missed checks, with the next Social Security payments due next week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy seemed to be narrowing on a two-year budget-slashing deal that would also extend the debt limit into 2025 past the next presidential election. After frustrating rounds of closed-door talks, a compromise had appeared to be nearing on Friday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Republicans have made some headway in their drive for steep spending cuts that Democrats oppose. However, the sides are particularly divided over McCarthy\'s demands for tougher work requirements on government food stamp recipients that Democrats say is a nonstarter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier Friday, McCarthy said his Republican debt negotiators and the White House had hit “crunch” time, straining to wrap up an agreement. He left late Friday night without comment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Any deal would need to be a political compromise, with support from both Democrats and Republicans to pass the divided Congress. Failure to lift the borrowing limit, now $31 trillion, to pay the nation’s incurred bills, would send shockwaves through the U.S. and global economy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But many of the hard-right Trump-aligned Republicans in Congress have long been skeptical of Treasury\'s projections, and they are pressing McCarthy to hold out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As talks pushed into another late night, one of the negotiators, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., called Biden’s comments “a hopeful sign.” But he also cautioned that there’s still “sticky points” impeding a final agreement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the contours of the deal have been taking shape to cut spending for 2024 and impose a 1% cap on spending growth for 2025, the two sides remain stuck on various provisions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A person familiar with the talks said the two sides were “dug in” on whether or not to agree to Republican demands to impose stiffer work requirements on people who receive government food stamps, cash assistance and health care aid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">House Democrats have called such requirements for health care and food aid a nonstarter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked if Republicans would relent on work requirements, Republican negotiator Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana fumed, “Hell no, not a chance.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">House Republicans displayed risky political bravado in leaving town for the holiday. Lawmakers are tentatively not expected back at work until Tuesday, but now their return date is uncertain.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The world is watching,” International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said after meeting Friday with Yellen. “Let’s remember we are now in the 12th hour.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Weeks of negotiations between Republicans and the White House have failed to produce a deal — in part because the Biden administration resisted negotiating with McCarthy over the debt limit, arguing that the country\'s full faith and credit should not be used as leverage to extract other partisan priorities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have to spend less than we spent last year. That is the starting point,” said McCarthy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One idea is to set the topline budget numbers but then add a “snap-back” provision to enforce cuts if Congress is unable during its annual appropriations process to meet the new goals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On work requirements for aid recipients, the White House is particularly resisting measures that could drive more people into poverty or take their health care, said the person familiar with the talks, who was granted anonymity to describe behind-closed-door discussions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over the Republican demand to rescind money for the Internal Revenue Service, it\'s still an “open issue” whether the sides will compromise by allowing the funding to be pushed into other domestic programs, the person said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In one potential development, Republicans may be easing their demand to boost defense spending beyond what Biden had proposed in his budget, instead offering to keep it at his proposed levels, according to another person familiar with the talks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The teams are also eyeing a proposal to boost energy transmission line development from Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., to facilitate the buildout of an interregional power grid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They are all but certain to claw back some $30 billion in unspent COVID-19 funds now that the pandemic emergency has officially been lifted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, McCarthy is feeling pressure from the House\'s right flank not to give in to any deal, even if it means blowing past the Treasury deadline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">McCarthy said Donald Trump, the former president who is again running for office, told him, “Make sure you get a good agreement.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Watchful Democrats, though, are also pressing Biden. The top three House Democratic leaders, led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, spoke late Thursday with the White House.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">McCarthy has promised lawmakers he will abide by the rule to post any bill for 72 hours before voting. The Democratic-held Senate has vowed to move quickly to send the package to Biden’s desk, right before next Thursday\'s possible deadline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings agency placed the United States’ AAA credit on “ratings watch negative,” warning of a possible downgrade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The White House has continued to argue that deficits can be reduced by ending tax breaks for wealthier households and some corporations, but McCarthy said he told the president as early as their February meeting that raising revenue from tax hikes was off the table.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While Biden has ruled out, for now, invoking the 14th Amendment to raise the debt limit on his own, Democrats in the House announced they have all signed on to a legislative “discharge” process that would force a debt ceiling vote. But they need five Republicans to break with their party and tip the majority to set the plan forward. 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, '2023-05-27 13:49:29', '2023-05-27 13:49:29'),
(7143, 7143, '<p style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Different parts of the country including Dhaka will experience rains or thunder showers in 24 hours from 9am on Saturday.</b></span><br></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">“Rains or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely at many places over Rangpur, Dhaka, Mymensingh &amp; Sylhet divisions and at a few places over Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal &amp;&nbsp; Chattogram divisions with hails at isolated places over the country,” said a bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department(BMD).</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country.</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The highest temperature was recorded at 35.6 degrees Celsius in Dhaka on Friday&nbsp; while the lowest temperature was recorded at 21.0 degrees Celsius in Bogura on Saturday.&nbsp;</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">The weather office recorded the highest 16 mm rainfall in Khulna and Feni districts in 24 hours till 9 am today. UNB</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</p>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-27 13:53:02', '2023-05-27 13:53:02'),
(7144, 7144, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia has a bright future, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, pointing to the country\'s enormous resources.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"As for the future, everyone actually has a future but the key question is what kind of future it will be. I am confident that Russia has a bright future. First, because we know what we want and what means to use to achieve our goals. Second, we have enormous resources, primarily human resources,\" the head of state said at a meeting with members of the Business Russia organization.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president also highlighted Russia\'s robust education system. \"We have established wonderful schools in recent decades, I mean the school of mathematics among others; this is fundamental. We have wonderful schools in engineering. Undoubtedly, all this has to keep up with the times and develop in line with the challenges that we are facing,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Addressing \"Business Russia\" Chairman Alexey Repik, who had emphasized the need to refocus on rapidly developing markets, Putin noted that Russia had begun to do that long before the current situation came to be.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"These rapidly developing markets started to develop rapidly not because of the situation in Ukraine but because of objective circumstances related to changes in the global economy\'s structure and the emergence of new global leaders. This process has been going on for decades, it\'s just that these things are becoming more evident now. Back in the day, we gradually began to shift our focus, and I repeat, this wasn\'t because of the current tragic events. We simply understood in advance where these growth centers of the global economy were. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unfortunately, we haven\'t been able to do everything we planned yet,\" Putin concluded. TASS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-27 13:54:58', '2023-05-27 13:55:10'),
(7145, 7145, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A total of 1,78,591 students are going to appear in the three-day admission test for first-year honours classes in the 2022-2023 academic session of Rajshahi University (RU).</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They will fight for 4,467 seats in 59 departments under 10 faculties and two institutes this year and the entry tests will be held in A, B and C units scheduled to be held from May 29 to 31.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 72,065 students will appear in the test under \'A\' unit consisting of 27 departments belonging to Arts, Law, Social Science and Fine Art faculties and the Institute of Education and Research, followed by 30,675 students in \'B\' unit consisting with six departments belonging to Business Studies Faculty and the Institute of Business Administration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, 75,851 students will appear in the \'C\' unit test with 26 departments belonging to the faculties of Science, Agriculture, Engineering, Bioscience, and Geosciences.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prof Sabbir Sattar said admission tests for \'C\' (Science) units will be held on May 29, while May 30 and May 31 have been fixed for \'A\' (Humanity) and \'B\' (Commerce) units. Every day, four tests, from 9 am to 10 am, from 11 am to 12 noon, from 1pm to 2pm and 3.30pm to 4.30pm, will be held.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Each of the tests will be 100 marks and there will remain 80 multiple choice questions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vice-chancellor (VC) of the university Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar Tapu revealed this while addressing a press conference related to the admission test held at its Senate Building today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Giving an overview about preparations, he said they will take the tests in MCQ method and none will be allowed to go outside of examination halls during the 60-minute examination.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">None of the admission-seekers will be allowed to keep mobile phones, calculators and other electronic devices with memory cards.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prof Golam Sabbir categorically said they are very much sincere and positive about holding the tests properly and successfully as they have close coordination with local civil and police administration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also told the journalists that they have adopted 25-point steps for attaining desired yields in this regard. Detailed information about the admission tests remained available in http://admission.ru.ac.bd/ website.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the occasion, Pro-vice-chancellor Prof Sultan-Ul-Islam, Treasurer Prof Obayedur Rahman Pramanik, Registrar Prof Abdus Salam and Public Relation Administrator Prof Prodip Pandey 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, '2023-05-27 13:58:01', '2023-05-27 13:58:01'),
(7146, 7146, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday said the new US visa policy will help control money laundering.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"There is nothing to worry about the new visa policy,\" he told reporters after attending a programme at International Mother Language Institute auditorium in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Who takes (US) visa? Some rich people, and government officials. Those who are my political agents and who will work during polling, they do not come to seek visa. Then what worries about it?\" Momen said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said some politicians, big businessmen, or civil society leaders whose sons and daughters study abroad, make establishment there take visa.</div><div><br></div><div>Momen referred to those who siphoned off money and hoped that money laundering will come down due to the new visa policy.</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said those people who resort to violence, arson and destruction and their leadership needs to remain cautious. \"You know who do this.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"We want to stop arson attacks. Once you see the faces of arson victims who survived, you will be very sad . You know who do that. Their leadership needs to remain careful,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Momen said Bangladesh Awami League believes in people and democracy.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh expects that the new US visa policy will not be applied arbitrarily in a non-objective manner.</div><div><br></div><div>The government of Bangladesh has taken note of the announcement made by the US Secretary of State on a visa restriction policy pursuant to the so-called 3C provision under the US Immigration and Act, said the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Bangladesh would like to view this announcement in the broader context of its government’s unequivocal commitment to holding free and fair elections at all levels for upholding the country’s democratic process,\" reads the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, MoFA said, Bangladesh remains a democratic and politically stable nation with experience of holding a series of elections at national and local levels.</div><div><br></div><div>The government apparatus will take necessary measures to prevent and address any unlawful practices or interference by any individual, group or entity to compromise the smooth and participatory conduct of the elections.</div><div><br></div><div>The electoral process will remain under strict vigilance, including by international observers as accredited by the Election Commission, according to the statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The government expects that the local undemocratic forces that resort to violence, arson and destruction would remain cautious and refrain from their misguided efforts to jeopardize the electoral process as mandated by the Constitution.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is entirely up to the people of Bangladesh to sustain the hard-earned democratic process, political stability and development gains in the country,\" MoFA said.</div><div><br></div><div>The government appreciates that the international community including the US firmly stands by Prime Minister’s sustained commitment to ensure free and fair elections. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-27 17:00:40', '2023-05-27 17:00:40'),
(7147, 7147, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A US State Department report has found that Christians in North Korea who are caught with a Bible face the death penalty, and their families, including children, are sentenced to life imprisonment.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The State Department\'s International Religious Freedom Report for 2022 estimates that as many as 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in North Korea, along with people from other faiths. The report claims that among the many sent to prison was a two-year-old who was reportedly sentenced to life after his parents were found in possession of a Bible.</div><div><br></div><div>The family was arrested for their religious practices and possession of a Bible. The entire family, including a two-year-old, was sentenced to life in a political prison camp in 2009. Christians who have been imprisoned in these camps have described dire conditions and various forms of physical mistreatment. The report stated that the Ministry of State Security was responsible for 90% of documented human rights abuses against both Shamanic adherents and Christians.</div><div><br></div><div>The State Department, citing a report by Korea Future, a non-profit organisation \"working to accelerate justice and support accountability\" in North Korea, says the North Korean government persecutes individuals who engage in religious practices, possess religious items, have contact with religious persons, or share religious beliefs. Individuals who are persecuted may be arrested, detained, forced to work, tortured, denied a fair trial, deported, denied the right to life, or subjected to sexual violence.</div><div><br></div><div>In December 2021, Korea Future released a report that documented the abuse of religious freedom against women in North Korea. The report was based on interviews with 151 Christian women who had experienced abuse. The report found that the most common forms of abuse were arbitrary detention, torture, deportation, forced labor, and sexual violence.</div><div><br></div><div>Multiple people who had fled North Korea described textbooks that included sections on Christian missionaries. The textbooks listed a number of \"evil deeds\" that the missionaries were said to have committed, \"including rape, blood-sucking, organ harvesting, murder, and espionage\".&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>One defector told Korea Future that the government had also published graphic novels that depicted Christians luring children into churches and then taking them to the basement to draw their blood.</div><div><br></div><div>The United States and North Korea do not have diplomatic relations. In December, the United States joined other countries in cosponsoring a United Nations resolution that condemned North Korea\'s \"long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread, and gross violations of human rights.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The resolution also expressed \"very serious concern\" about abuses, including \"in some instances summary executions of individuals exercising their freedom of opinion, expression, religion or belief.\" Source: NDTV</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-27 19:25:33', '2023-05-27 19:25:33');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7148, 7148, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain on Saturday said the current Awami League government is the obstacle to fair elections in Bangladesh.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“The USA has announced that those who obstruct the elections will not be given visas. We want to say from this rally that those who are obstructing fair elections, democracy or people\'s right to vote in Bangladesh are the current government,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said the USA has rejected the current government by announcing its new visa policy for Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Mosharraf, a BNP standing committee member, said the new visa policy of the USA is \"very shameful” for the Awami League. “The Awami League has brought this shame to Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government is giving the foreigners a false commitment that the next election will be held in a free and fair manner under them, but the country’s people as well as foreigners have seen that two previous elections held under it were not worth the name.</div><div><br></div><div>“It’s not possible for them (govt) to arrange a credible election. So, the democratic countries, including the USA, are saying the next polls must be free, fair and inclusive. They understand that there was no fair election under Sheikh Hasina in the past, nor will it be in the future.”</div><div><br></div><div>He also said BNP and most other opposition parties will not participate in the election if it is held under Sheikh Hasina. “The international community is seeking a participatory election and the polls won’t be inclusive without us.”</div><div><br></div><div>As part of the party’s countrywide programme, BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units arranged the rally in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office to press home their 10-point demand, including holding the next polls under a non-party neutral government and to protest against the arrest and harassment of party leaders and activists in \'false cases\'.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP also organised rallies in 15 other districts also for registering the party\'s protest against the filing of \'fictitious\' cases against opposition leaders and activists, soaring prices of essentials, frequent power cuts and the ‘all-pervasive’ corruption by the Awami League government.</div><div><br></div><div>Mosharraf said the prime minister went to different countries to seek their favour to hang onto power again, but she was turned down everywhere.</div><div><br></div><div>“This is not a government elected by people. Not only we, but also the entire world is saying that elections in 2014 and 2018 held under the current government were no polls. In 2014, Awami League occupied power and formed the government by force while in 2018 the day’s voting was held at night,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the ruling party leaders are unnerved as they have realized that they are going to face a debacle in the next polls. “That’s why they’re trying to resort to different tricks and blueprints.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He said a ruling party business syndicate has increased the prices of all essential items unusually to make their pockets heavier. “This government won’t be able to control the prices of commodities. The poor are now starving or half-fed while the middle class is getting poor.”</div><div><br></div><div>Mosharraf called upon the people from all walks of life to get ready to oust the current regime through a mass uprising, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He also urged the administration and the law enforcers not to obey the unlawful orders of the current ‘illegitimate’ government.</div><div><br></div><div>“Those of you who are in the administration and members of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, you are the servants of the people. You are the officers and employees of the republic. I call upon you not to obstruct peaceful programmes of people and file false cases and arrest people at the behest of the government,” the BNP leader added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas </div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-27 22:05:34', '2023-05-27 22:42:01'),
(7149, 7149, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh LPG Autogas Station Owners Association has called upon the government to ensure ‘affordable’ supply of energy from gas fields in Bhola to the national grid, using cost-effective technology that supports the economic growth of the country.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>LPG Autogas Association President Engineer Mohammad Serajul Mawla said gas-dependent industries will get ‘a relief’ from Bhola gas amid increasing energy demand in keeping with a growing economy.</div><div><br></div><div>“As the demand for energy increases, Bhola gas will help the economy to some extent but the step of depressurizing this gas and compressing it through CNG compressors for transportation is very costly and it wouldn’t bring any economic benefits for the country,” the LPG Autogas Station Owners Association said in a statement circulated on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>LPG Autogas Station Owners Association is a Commerce Ministry-affiliated organisation representing about 800 autogas filling station operators across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Recently, Sundarban Gas and Intraco signed a 10-year public-private partnership agreement to connect gas from the country\'s 29th gas field in Bhola to the national grid by converting it to CNG.</div><div><br></div><div>Engineer Serajul Mawla, the association\'s president, highlighted the availability and cost-effectiveness of the technology for supplying gas to industrial areas from gas fields in Bhola.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the gas from Bhola can be compressed from 1000 psi to 3000 psi pressure through booster compressors and easily transported by water and land. By doing this, the compression charge will be less than half and the decompression charge will be completely eliminated.</div><div><br></div><div>Serajul Mawla further said that hundreds of mobile storages exist in Bangladesh for gas supply from various CNG stations to various garments and industries.</div><div><br></div><div>If the government wants, it can allow hundreds of industries who pay the price of feed gas (17.00 per cubic meter) and compress and will bring to the industry at their own cost.</div><div><br></div><div>According to engineers, a domestic \'booster compressor\' capable of processing 500 cubic meters of gas per hour costs only Tk 4 million, while the electricity consumption per hour is only 50 kilowatts, so it will cost only Tk 2 to 3 per cubic meter of gas.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the existing mobile storages can carry 3000 cubic meters of gas each time. If it costs Tk 25-30000 each time to travel from Bhola to Dhaka, then the transportation cost will be only 7 to 8 taka per cubic meter.</div><div><br></div><div>Therefore, if you do this, the cost will be reduced a lot. Also, since LPG autogas is available in almost all the upazilas of the 64 districts of the country as an environmentally friendly and affordable alternative, the gas used in the CNG sector can be given to the industrial sector because CNG is no longer used in public transport like buses.</div><div><br></div><div>CNG is now mostly used in private cars where common people have no use. So the government can take this decision if it deems it necessary in the interest of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Since all CNG stations now have LPG, there is no chance of the owners of CNG stations being affected, said the Bangladesh LPG Autogas Station Owners Association. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-27 22:16:57', '2023-05-27 22:16:57'),
(7150, 7150, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turks vote on Sunday in a momentous presidential run-off to decide whether or not Recep Tayyip Erdogan should remain in power after 20 years.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, backed by a broad opposition alliance, has billed the vote as a referendum on Turkey\'s future direction.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president, who is favourite to win, promises a new era uniting the country around a \"Turkish century\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the more pressing issue is rampant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Polling stations open at 08:00 (05:00 GMT) and close at 17:00 (14:00 GMT). The big vote from expats, carried out around the world, has already finished.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turnout in the first round was an impressive 88.8%, and Mr Erdogan\'s lead was 2.5 million votes. That is why both candidates have their eye on the eight million who did not vote - but could this time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ahead of the run-off Mr Kilicdaroglu accused his rival of foul play, by blocking his text messages to voters while the president\'s messages went through.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Opposition parties are deploying an army of volunteers in a bid to ensure no vote-rigging takes place.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">International observers spoke of an uneven playing field after the first round. But there was no suggestion that any irregularities in voting would have changed the result.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Kilicdaroglu promised a very different style of presidency on his final day of campaigning: \"I have no interest in living in palaces. I will live like you, modestly... and solve your problems.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was a swipe at Mr Erdogan\'s enormous palatial complex on the edge of Ankara which he moved to when he switched from prime minister to president in 2014. After surviving a failed coup in 2016 he took on extensive powers, detained tens of thousands of people and took control of the media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So it was laden with symbolism when he paid a campaign visit on Saturday to the mausoleum of a prime minister executed by the military after a coup in 1960.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The era of coups and juntas is over,\" he declared, linking Turkey\'s current stability to his own authoritarian rule.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey, however, is deeply polarised, with the president reliant on a support base of religious conservatives and nationalists, while his opposite number\'s supporters are mainly secular - but many of them are nationalist too.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For days the two men traded insults. Mr Kilicdaroglu accused the president of cowardice and hiding from a fair election; Mr Erdogan said his rival was on the side of \"terrorists\", referring to Kurdish militants.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But after days of inflammatory rhetoric about sending millions of Syrian refugees home, the opposition candidate returned to Turkey\'s number-one issue - the economic crisis, and in particular its effect on poorer households.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A 59-year-old woman and her grandson joined him on stage to explain how her monthly salary of 5,000 lira (£200; $250) was now impossible to live on as her rent had shot up to 4,000 lira (£160; $200).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It may have been staged, but this is the story across Turkey, with inflation at almost 44% and salaries and state help failing to keep pace.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economists say the Erdogan policy of cutting interest rates rather than raising them has only made matters worse.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Turkish lira has hit record lows, demand for foreign currency has surged and the central bank\'s net foreign currency reserves are in negative territory for the first time since 2002.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">East of Ankara, gleaming tower blocks have been springing up in Kirikkale. It looks like boom-time for this city, run by the president\'s party.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But many people here are struggling.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fatma has run a hairdresser\'s for 13 years but for the past two, work has dried up, and the cost of rent and hair products has soared.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She voted for an ultranationalist candidate who came third, and does not trust the two men left in the race.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A few doors up the street, Binnaz is working a sewing machine at a shop for mending clothes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People cannot afford new dresses so she is earning much more, even if her monthly rent has trebled to to 4,000 lira. Despite Turkey\'s stricken economy, she is putting her faith in the president.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Outside a supermarket, Emrah Turgut says he is also sticking with Mr Erdogan because he has no faith in the other option, and believes the president\'s unfounded allegations that the biggest opposition party co-operates with terrorists.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey\'s second-biggest opposition party, the HDP, denies any link to the militant PKK, but President Erdogan has used their backing for the rival candidate to suggest a link to terrorists.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Whoever wins on Sunday, Turkey\'s parliament is already firmly in the grip of Mr Erdogan\'s Islamist-rooted AK Party and its far-right nationalist ally, the MHP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AKP also has the youngest MP, who arrived in parliament on the eve of the presidential vote.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zehranur Aydemir, 24, believes if he wins then he will lay the foundations for a century in which Turkey will become a global power: \"Now Turkey has a bigger vision it can dream bigger.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is another grandiose Erdogan project, but Turkey\'s economy is likely to prove a more pressing task, whoever wins the run-off. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 07:40:45', '2023-05-28 07:40:45'),
(7151, 7151, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia has launched a new massive overnight drone attack on Ukraine\'s capital Kyiv, killing at least one person, local officials have said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv\'s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said a man died when drone wreckage fell near a petrol station. A woman was injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said air defences had shot down more than 20 drones heading towards Kyiv - but a \"new drone wave\" was approaching.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia has recently stepped up its attacks on Kyiv, seeking to overwhelm the capital\'s defences.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Sunday, air raid alerts were activated in 12 regions of Ukraine, from Volyn in the north-west to Dnipropetrovsk in the south-east.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a post on social media, Mr Klitschko urged Kyiv residents to \"stay in shelters\", warning that the night would be \"difficult\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said at least two high-rising buildings in different districts of the capital were on fire after being hit by falling drone fragments.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Emergency workers have been deployed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In its recent attacks, Russia has been using so-called kamikaze drones as well a range of cruise and ballistic missiles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The attacks come ahead of a widely expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Saturday, one of Ukraine\'s most senior security officials has told the BBC the country was ready to for such an operation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the powerful National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said an assault to retake territory from President Vladimir Putin\'s occupying forces could begin \"tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Ukraine has been planning a counter-offensive for months. But it has wanted as much time as possible to train troops and to receive military equipment from Western allies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In the meantime, Russian forces have been preparing their defences in the seized regions of south-eastern Ukraine.<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BBC</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 07:44:15', '2023-05-28 07:44:15'),
(7152, 7152, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Texas\' Republican-run House of Representatives has voted to impeach state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, who is accused of bribery and abuse of public trust.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Paxton, an ally of former President Donald Trump, is now suspended from office pending a trial in the Senate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A two-thirds vote in the upper chamber - where Republicans also dominate - is required to permanently expel him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Paxton, aged 60, denies all the accusations against him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Responding to a 121-23 vote in the House on Saturday, Mr Paxton said in a statement: \"The ugly spectacle in the Texas House today confirmed the outrageous impeachment plot against me was never meant to be fair or just.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It was a politically motivated sham from the beginning.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The impeachment vote was on 20 articles, which also include accusations of improperly aiding a wealthy political donor and conducting a sham investigations against whistleblowers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The result demonstrates a very public split between Texas Republicans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Attorney General Paxton continuously and blatantly violated laws, rules, policies and procedures,\" House Republican David Spiller said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Today is a very grim and difficult day for this House and for the state of Texas,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But John Smithee, another Texas House Republican, opposed the impeachment, arguing that the attorney general had not been given the chance to properly respond to the allegations against him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s what I call the hang him now and judge him later policy,\" Mr Smithee said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Mr Trump - who hopes to win a Republican nomination for the 2024 election - backed Mr Paxton.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shortly before the vote, he wrote \"free Ken Paxton\" in a post on social media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The House vote makes Mr Paxton the first state official in Texas to be impeached in almost 50 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Texas\' Republican Governor Greg Abbott has the powers to appoint an interim state attorney general even before the Senate trial is concluded.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Paxton is well-known in America for his high-profile litigation campaigns.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2020, he unsuccessfully pressed the US Supreme Court to overturn Mr Trump\'s defeat to Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the presidential election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Five years earlier, Mr Paxton called the Supreme Court\'s decision legalising gay marriage in all 50 states a \"lawless ruling\", vowing to support state workers who refuse to marry couples on religious grounds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But he is perhaps best known for spearheading the ongoing fight in the courts to challenge the Biden administration\'s changes to the immigration system.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Paxton has said the measures he is fighting would encourage illegal crossings and burden Texas and other states with additional expenses for law enforcement, health care and education, the New York Times reports. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 08:16:23', '2023-05-28 08:16:23'),
(7153, 7153, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has topped the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI index of 179 at 08:35am on Sunday (May 28, 2023).</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The air was classified as \'unhealthy\', according to the air quality and pollution city ranking.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\' while 201-300 is \'very unhealthy\', and 301-400 is considered \'hazardous\', posing severe health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India’s Delhi, Indonesia’s Jakarta and Kuwait’s Kuwait City occupied the second, third and fourth spots in the list, with AQI scores of 159, 159 and 154, respectively.</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;\">The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 10:13:17', '2023-05-28 10:13:17'),
(7154, 7154, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an “agreement in principle” to raise the nation\'s legal debt ceiling late Saturday as they raced to strike a deal to limit federal spending and avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the agreement risks angering both Democratic and Republican sides with the concessions made to reach it. Negotiators agreed to some Republican demands for increased work requirements for recipients of food stamps that had sparked an uproar from House Democrats as a nonstarter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Support from both parties will be needed to win congressional approval next week before a June 5 deadline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Democratic president and Republican speaker reached the agreement after the two spoke earlier Saturday evening by phone, said McCarthy. The country and the world have been watching and waiting for a resolution to a political standoff that threatened the U.S. and global economies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want,” Biden said in a statement late Saturday night. “That’s the responsibility of governing,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden called the agreement “good news for the American people, because it prevents what could have been a catastrophic default and would have led to an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">McCarthy in brief remarks at the Capitol, said that \"we still have a lot of work to do.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the Republican speaker said: “I believe this is an agreement in principle that’s worthy of the American people.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With the outlines of a deal in place, the legislative package could be drafted and shared with lawmakers in time for votes early next week in the House and later in the Senate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Central to the package is a two-year budget deal that would hold spending flat for 2024 and impose limits for 2025 in exchange for raising the debt limit for two years, pushing the volatile political issue past the next presidential election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The agreement would limit food stamp eligibility for able-bodied adults up to age 54, but Biden was able to secure waivers for veterans and the homeless.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two sides had also reached for an ambitious overhaul of federal permitting to ease development of energy projects and transmission lines. Instead, the agreement puts in place changes in the the National Environmental Policy Act that will designate “a single lead agency” to develop economic reviews, in hopes of streamlining the process.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deal came together after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress that the United States could default on its debt obligations by June 5 — four days later than previously estimated — if lawmakers did not act in time to raise the federal debt ceiling. The extended “X-date” gave the two sides a bit of extra time as they scrambled for a deal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden also spoke earlier in the day with Democratic leaders in Congress to discuss the status of the talks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Republican House speaker had gathered top allies behind closed doors at the Capitol as negotiators pushed for a deal that would avoid a first-ever government default while also making spending cuts that House Republicans are demanding.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But as another day dragged on with financial disaster looming closer, it had appeared some of the problems over policy issues that dogged talks all week remained unresolved.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both sides have suggested one of the main holdups was a GOP effort to expand work requirements for recipients of food stamps and other federal aid programs, a longtime Republican goal that Democrats have strenuously opposed. The White House said the Republican proposals were “cruel and senseless.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden has said the work requirements for Medicaid would be a nonstarter. He seemed potentially open to negotiating minor changes on food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, despite objections from rank-and-file Democrats.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">McCarthy, who dashed out before the lunch hour Saturday and arrived back at the Capitol with a big box of takeout, declined to elaborate on those discussions. One of his negotiators, Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves, said there was “not a chance” that Republicans might relent on the work requirements issue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Americans and the world were uneasily watching the negotiating brinkmanship that could throw the U.S. economy into chaos and sap world confidence in the nation’s leadership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Anxious retirees and others were already making contingency plans for missed checks, with the next Social Security payments due next week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yellen said failure to act by the new date would “cause severe hardship to American families, harm our global leadership position and raise questions about our ability to defend our national security interests.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president, spending part of the weekend at Camp David, continued to talk with his negotiating team multiple times a day, signing off on offers and counteroffers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Any deal would need to be a political compromise in a divided Congress. Many of the hard-right Trump-aligned Republicans in Congress have long been skeptical of the Treasury’s projections, and they are pressing McCarthy to hold out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lawmakers are not expected to return to work from the Memorial Day weekend before Tuesday, at the earliest, and McCarthy has promised lawmakers he will abide by the rule to post any bill for 72 hours before voting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Democratic-held Senate has largely stayed out of the negotiations, leaving the talks to Biden and McCarthy. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has pledged to move quickly to send a compromise package to Biden’s desk.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Weeks of talks have failed to produce a deal in part because the Biden administration resisted for months on negotiating with McCarthy, arguing that the country’s full faith and credit should not be used as leverage to extract other partisan priorities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But House Republicans united behind a plan to cut spending, narrowly passing legislation in late April that would raise the debt ceiling in exchange for the spending reductions. 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, '2023-05-28 10:16:09', '2023-05-28 10:16:09'),
(7155, 7155, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Voters in Turkey return to the polls Sunday to decide whether the country’s longtime leader stretches his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade or is unseated by a challenger who has promised to restore a more democratic society.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been at Turkey’s helm for 20 years, is favored to win a new five-year term in the second-round runoff after coming just short of an outright victory in the first round on May 14.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The divisive populist who turned his country into a geopolitical player finished four percentage points ahead of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the candidate of a six-party alliance and leader of Turkey’s center-left main opposition party. Erdogan’s performance came despite crippling inflation and the effects of a devastating earthquake three months ago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kilicdaroglu (pronounced KEH-lich-DAHR-OH-loo), a 74-year-old former bureaucrat, has described the runoff as a referendum on the country’s future.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 64 million people are eligible to cast ballots when the polls open at 8 a.m.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey does not have exit polls, but the preliminary results are expected to come within hours of the polls closing at 5 p.m.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The final decision could have implications far beyond Ankara because Turkey stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it plays a key role in NATO.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey vetoed Sweden’s bid to join the alliance and purchased Russian missile-defense systems, which prompted the United States to oust Turkey from a U.S.-led fighter-jet project. But Erdogan’s government also helped broker a crucial deal that allowed Ukrainian grain shipments and averted a global food crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The May 14 election saw 87% turnout, and strong participation is expected again Sunday, reflecting voters’ devotion to elections in a country where freedom of expression and assembly have been suppressed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If he wins, Erdogan, 69, could remain in power until 2028. After three stints as prime minister and two as president, the devout Muslim who heads the conservative and religious Justice and Development Party, or AKP, is already Turkey’s longest-serving leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first half of Erdogan’s tenure included reforms that allowed the country to begin talks to join the European Union and economic growth that lifted many out of poverty. But he later moved to suppress freedoms and the media and concentrated more power in his hands, especially after a failed coup attempt that Turkey says was orchestrated by the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric denies involvement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan transformed the presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office through a narrowly won 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey’s parliamentary system of governance. He was the first directly elected president in 2014 and won the 2018 election that ushered in the executive presidency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The May 14 election was the first that Erdogan did not win outright.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Critics blame Erdogan’s unconventional economic policies for skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis. Many also faulted his government for the slow response to the earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Still, Erdogan has retained the backing of conservative voters who remain devoted to him for lifting Islam’s profile in the country that was founded on secular principles and for raising the country’s influence in world politics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a bid to woo voters hit hard by inflation, he has increased wages and pensions and subsidized electricity and gas bills, while showcasing Turkey’s homegrown defense industry and infrastructure projects. He also centered his reelection campaign on a promise to rebuild quake-stricken areas, including constructing 319,000 homes within the year. Many see him as a source of stability.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kilicdaroglu is a soft-mannered former civil servant who has led the pro-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, since 2010. He campaigned on a promise to reverse Erdogan’s democratic backsliding, restore the economy by reverting to more conventional policies and to improve ties with the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a frantic do-or-die effort to reach out to nationalist voters in the runoff, Kilicdaroglu vowed to send back refugees and ruled out any peace negotiations with Kurdish militants if he is elected.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many in Turkey regard Syrian refugees who have been under Turkey’s temporary protection after fleeing the war in neighboring Syria as a burden on the country, and their repatriation became a key issue in the election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier in the week, Erdogan received the endorsement of third-place candidate, nationalist politician Sinan Ogan, who garnered 5.2% of the votes and is no longer in the race. Meanwhile, a staunchly anti-migrant party that had supported Ogan’s candidacy, announced it would back Kilicdaroglu.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A defeat for Kilicdaroglu would add to a long list of electoral losses to Erdogan and put pressure for him to step down as party chairman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan’s AKP party and its allies retained a majority of seats in parliament following a legislative election that was also held on May 14. Parliamentary elections will not be repeated Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan’s party also dominated in the earthquake-hit region, winning 10 out of 11 provinces in an area that has traditionally supported the president. Erdogan came in ahead in the presidential race in eight of those provinces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As in previous elections, Erdogan used state resources and his control of the media to reach voters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the May 14 vote, international observers also pointed to the criminalization of dissemination of false information and online censorship as evidence that Erdogan had an “unjustified advantage.” The observers also said the elections showed the resilience of Turkish democracy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan and pro-government media portrayed Kilicdaroglu, who had received the backing of the country’s pro-Kurdish party, as colluding with “terrorists” and of supporting what they described as “deviant” LGBTQ rights.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kilicdaroglu “receives his orders from Qandil,” Erdogan repeatedly said at recent campaign rallies, a reference to the mountains in Iraq where the leadership of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, is based.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We receive our orders from God and the people,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The election was being held as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its establishment as a republic, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. 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, '2023-05-28 12:14:32', '2023-05-28 12:14:32'),
(7156, 7156, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Seeking to come to power through unconstitutional means is an act of treason, said Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Those who want to come to power through unconstitutional means want to violate Article 7(a) of the Constitution. To violate this article is treason. There is no alternative to the constitution in the country. The constitution is the highest law in the country for elections,\" said the minister, while addressing the 11th biennial conference of Bangladesh Animal Husbandry Association and a seminar organized on the occasion at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh Auditorium in the capital\'s Farmgate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The constitution says how elections will be held. The Election Commission will conduct the election. The government will provide all the support needed by the Election Commission. There is no scope to go through any process against the constitution of the country,\" Rezaul said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If someone wants to come from the back alley by any other means, if they want to be obsessed with who says what from abroad, there is no point in doing so. The politics here will be decided in the context of Bangladesh,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Without Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh will \'again\' go into darkness, Rezaul Karim warned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“If we want a prosperous, secular Bangladesh, if we want to move forward by facing the challenges of the future world, then the best patriotic crisis manager and development magician Sheikh Hasina is needed again,” Rezaul also said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The minister at the time also urged the members of Bangladesh Animal Husbandry Association to work for the development of the country. 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, '2023-05-28 12:17:08', '2023-05-28 12:17:08'),
(7157, 7157, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russian artist Ilya Kabakov who was one of founders of Moscow Conceptualism, died at the age of 89 on Saturday, according to a statement released on Ilya and Emilia Kabakov Foundation\'s Facebook (prohibited in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist) page.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We mournfully announce the passing of Ilya Kabakov, a great artist, philosopher, beloved husband, dear father and adorable grandfather. The man who dreamed of utopia throughout his life, departed this world on Saturday, May 27, surrounded by loved ones. He died shy of his 90th birthday,\" the statement reads.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kabakov lived in the US since 1989. He is the author of a series called Ten Characters, Red Pavilion and Incident at the Museum installations and others. His paintings Deluxe Room and The Beetle were sold for $4.1 mln (2006) and $5.8 mln (2008), respectively, with each of them becoming the most expensive Russia\'s contemporary art work at the time. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 12:20:26', '2023-05-28 12:20:26');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7158, 7158, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Various smart devices, including sensor Internet of Things (IoT) network, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart Water, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, 3-D printer, self-controlled tractor, genetics and internet of things, in agriculture in future.</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The upcoming devices and technologies will contribute a lot towards building Smart Bangladesh through modernizing the agriculture, boosting farming outputs together with making the country self-reliant in agriculture.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;Agricultural extension officials and experts came up with the observation while addressing a daylong workshop titled \"Fourth Industrial Revolution in Agriculture for building Smart Bangladesh\" here on Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;The Innovation Team of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) organized the regional level workshop at Postal Academy auditorium largely attended by extension officials, scientists, researchers and other stakeholders.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DAE Director (Planning, Project Implementation and ICT) Rezaul Karim and Additional Director Shamsul Wadud addressed the workshop as chief and special guests respectively with Director (Finance and Administration) Joynal Abedeen in the chair.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;Muhammad Masum Billah, Deputy Secretary (Research) of the Ministry of Agriculture, gave an illustration on the aspects of promoting modern devises and technologies in agriculture during his keynote presentation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In his remarks, Rezaul Karim said the fourth industrial revolution is using and promotion of artificial intelligence with robotic technology to expand agriculture to multidimensional fields.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;The venture as a whole will make the production technology easy through smart observation, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;Apart from this, existing manual-based agriculture will be transformed into smart and machinery-dependent for boosting production as the government has been working in this field relentlessly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government, under the dynamic and prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has given importance to popularise agricultural machinery among farmers with a view to increasing crop production.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shamsul Wadud said the government has launched Khamari mobile App that contributes a lot towards building smart Bangladesh as it is very much effective in terms of digitizing the data and findings related to farming.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;The App is time-fitting and need-oriented to the farmers and other beneficiaries. The farmers will get different kinds of information, including season-wise crops, land fertility, fertilizer recommendation, yield and seed through the App.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;Apart from this, they will gather knowledge about crop zoning, crop diversification, crop production and farming technology.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;As a whole, the App will bring a new horizon in the field of agriculture in future. 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, '2023-05-28 12:23:03', '2023-05-28 12:23:03'),
(7159, 7159, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">South Korea\'s Asiana Airlines has stopped selling some emergency seats following an accident in which a passenger opened an emergency exit mid-air, the carrier said Sunday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident took place onboard a A321-200 plane, which was carrying nearly 200 passengers as it approached the runway at Daegu International Airport, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) southeast of Seoul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plane landed safely but several people were hospitalised. There were no serious injuries or damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Starting Sunday, the 31A and 26A emergency seats on its 14 A321-200 jets would no longer be offered for sale, the carrier told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"As a safety precaution, this measure will apply even if the flights are full,\" it added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The man was detained by authorities in Daegu for allegedly breaking aviation security laws. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The man, in his 30s, told Daegu police that he had wanted to get out of the plane because he was feeling \"suffocated\" inside the cabin.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also had been under stress from being unemployed, authorities said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A nearby passenger captured footage of wind blowing through the open door, with fabric seat-backs and passengers\' hair fluttering wildly as several people shouted in shock. 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, '2023-05-28 12:28:09', '2023-05-28 12:28:09'),
(7160, 7160, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Paris Saint-Germain clinched a French record 11th league title on Saturday as Lionel Messi scored in a 1-1 draw away at Strasbourg.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Messi\'s opener was cancelled out by a Kevin Gameiro equaliser, but the result gave PSG an unassailable four-point lead over second-placed Lens with one match of the season remaining.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PSG moved ahead of the previous record of 10 titles set by Saint-Etienne in 1981 and which they equalled a year ago under former coach Mauricio Pochettino.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is PSG\'s ninth title in the last 11 seasons, a period in which they have dominated French football under Qatari ownership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This afternoon I watched the last day of the season in the Bundesliga and you can see that it is very difficult to win the league, any league,\" PSG coach Christophe Galtier told broadcaster Canal Plus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The reigning champions in all European leagues have often had problems this season, so we appreciate what this means.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is a title and we must not believe it is normal to win, even if we are Paris Saint-Germain.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PSG started the penultimate weekend of the season six points clear of nearest rivals Lens with just six points to play for, and with a far better goal difference.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A Lens slip-up would have seen the capital side crowned champions with a game to spare even in defeat, but in the end they needed the draw as their challengers eased to a 3-0 win over already-relegated Ajaccio.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kylian Mbappe set up Messi to put PSG ahead just before the hour with his 16th Ligue 1 goal this season.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ex-Paris striker Gameiro equalised with 11 minutes left, bundling in the rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma had saved from Morgan Sanson.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The draw ultimately suited both teams as it enabled Strasbourg to guarantee their top-flight survival.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PSG started the season superbly and did not lose a game in any competition before the World Cup.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, they lost six of their first 17 league games in 2023 and were eliminated from the Champions League in the last 16 by Bayern Munich and in the French Cup at the same stage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Those results increased speculation that Galtier -- who also won the title with Lille two years ago -- will be replaced in the close season.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Messi is expected to depart when his contract expires at the end of the campaign, meaning next weekend\'s match at home to Clermont is likely to be his last in a PSG shirt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Lens clinch Champions League ticket -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lens secured second place and a ticket for next season\'s Champions League group stage with their win against Ajaccio, which was sealed by first-half goals from Deiver Machado, Adrien Thomasson and Lois Openda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Belgian striker Openda netted a penalty for his 20th goal in Ligue 1 this season.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Marseille, who lost 2-1 at home to Brest, must therefore settle for third place and will enter the Champions League in the third qualifying round.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Beneath them, Lille are in pole position to qualify for the Europa League after coming from behind to beat Nantes 2-1 and move up to fourth position.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quentin Merlin put relegation-threatened Nantes in front in the far north, but two second-half penalties from Canada\'s Jonathan David gave Lille the victory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lille are now a point above both Rennes and Monaco, who met on Saturday, with the Brittany side winning 2-0 thanks to second-half goals by Lovro Majer and Amine Gouiri.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rennes are fifth, above Monaco on goal difference. Fifth place goes into next season\'s Europa Conference League while sixth will not qualify for Europe at all.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lyon\'s European hopes were effectively ended despite a 3-0 win over Reims in which Alexandre Lacazette scored his 27th Ligue 1 goal this season, leaving him just one behind Mbappe, the division\'s top marksman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nantes will go into the final weekend having to win to stand a chance of avoiding relegation as they sit 17th, two points behind Auxerre, who drew 1-1 at Toulouse.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Angers, Ajaccio and Troyes have already been relegated. Four teams go down and only two come up from Ligue 2 as the top flight is reduced from 20 clubs to 18 for next season.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There were also wins on Saturday for Angers, Nice and Clermont. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 12:30:41', '2023-05-28 12:30:41'),
(7161, 7161, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 11 people from a nomadic tribe, including a four-year-old boy, have been killed in an avalanche in northern Pakistan.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The snow struck as the group crossed a mountainous area in the Shounter Pass with their goat herds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A further 25 people have been injured and a rescue operation is ongoing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan\'s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths, and said incidents such as avalanches were increasing due to climate change.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The avalanche happened in the early hours of Saturday in part of the pass that bridges the Astore district of the Gilgit Baltistan region to neighbouring Azad Kashmir, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Four women and a four-year-old boy were among those who died, senior police officer Ziarat Ali said, as quoted by the Associated Press news agency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rescue teams have faced challenges in reaching the area due to its remote location and difficult terrain.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Troops have been helping local officials with the rescue operation, and two military helicopters were scrambled. According to witnesses, local residents also joined the effort to rescue people trapped under the snow. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 13:28:26', '2023-05-28 13:28:26'),
(7162, 7162, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Bangladesh High Commission in Ottawa, Canada, celebrated the golden jubilee of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman being conferred with the Julio Curie Peace Medal.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The event was held at the auditorium of the Bangladesh High Commission on Saturday, said a press release.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials of the high commission, as well as prominent members of the Bangladeshi community residing in Canada, attended the programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The programme began with a tribute paid to the portrait of the Father of the Nation followed by the reading of messages from the president and the prime minister, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Eminent leaders from various provinces of Canada participated in the discussion and shed light on the significance of Bangabandhu\'s Julio Curie Award in the context of the current global scenario. They emphasized the importance of upholding Bangabandhu\'s ideals to further develop the nation, said the release.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">High Commissioner Dr Khalilur Rahman chaired the event. He highlighted that the \"Julio Curie Peace Medal\" serves as the first international recognition of Bangabandhu\'s exceptional contribution to establishing world peace, bringing immense honour to the Bengali nation on the global stage, the release also said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The high commissioner also emphasized Bangabandhu\'s crucial role in guiding Bangladesh towards independence and his remarkable foresight in ensuring the nation\'s peace and security. He highlighted Bangabandhu\'s unwavering support for the exploited and oppressed, working tirelessly to secure the rights of the people of Bengal. Following the establishment of independent Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman eschewed extremism and socialism, opting instead for a policy of “Friendship to all, malice towards none”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The World Peace Council recognized his leadership during the Liberation War against the Pakistani regime and his lifelong commitment to championing the cause of oppressed people, it added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The event concluded with a special prayer offered for the souls of Bangabandhu, his family members, and the martyred freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Bangladesh. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 13:31:11', '2023-05-28 13:31:11'),
(7163, 7163, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said Bangladesh doesn\'t want any more conflict rather it wants to improve the quality of people\'s lives.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We don\'t want any more unrest, conflict. We want to improve the quality of people\'s lives. And we always wish it,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this regard, Sheikh Hasina referred to the peaceful democratic environment that prevailing in the country from 2008 election helped Bangladesh to attain the remarkable socioeconomic development in the last 14 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Bangladesh has been able to attain socioeconomic development due to the peaceful democratic environment prevailing in the country since 2008 election as Awami League won the elections and formed the government in 2009,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Premier made this remarks while addressing a function organised to celebrate the golden jubilee of the conferment of the Joliot-Curie Peace Medal to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said the government, after being elected in 2008 election, has been working for the development of the people of the country in a planned way.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"As a result, we have been able to reduce the poverty rate and maternal death, increase literacy rate and life expectancy,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She continued that the sustainable and peaceful democratic environment, prevailing in the country, is the only reason behind the unprecedented socioeconomic progress of Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"So, a peaceful sustainable environment is helpful for the people to attain economic emancipation, and all have to remember it,\" she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister laid emphasis on settle-down all disputes through dialogue that Bangladesh did with India and Myanmar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Why this arms competition (going on) now, why the money that is using for arms competition will not be used for hungry children and human. For this arms competition thousands of children and women are leading inhuman lives around the globe,\" she noted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this connection, Sheikh Hasina mentioned that Bangladesh has given shelter to more than one million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, Rohingyas, who faced oppression that recalled her the situation of 1971.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We want that peace shall return in the earth, there shall be no types of unrest (in the earth),\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Prime Minister said that those who didn\'t want the Independence of the country killed Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. \"Every moment, we have to overcome their (anti-Liberation forces) barriers,\" she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Expressing her tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Premier said that Bangabandhu had received peace prize, disseminated the message of peace in his entire life, but he had to sacrifice his life.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"What a misfortune for us, the man who spoke of peace had to give his life,\" she said, adding that \"today, he is no more with us, but we want that his country may build up as a developed and prosperous one.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina also announced to introduce \"Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Peace Prize\" to recognise those who are working for establishing peace in home and abroad.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Because we want peace and we will surely advance towards the path of peace,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cabinet Division organised the event at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain delivered welcome address, while eminent politician and researcher Monayem Sarker made keynote speech at the programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, former Principal Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and Noted Writer Anwara Syed Haq took part at the discussion on keynote speech.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President of Bangladesh Peace Council Mozaffar Hossain Paltu delivered vote of thanks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the outset, a video documentary on Bangabandhu and his Joliot-Curie Peace Medal receiving was screened.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the function, the Premier unveiled commemorative postage stamp and first day cover on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the conferment of the Joliot-Curie Peace Medal to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She also unveiled the cover of a souvenir publication to mark the day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was awarded the Julio-Curie Peace Prize by the World Peace Council on May 23, 1973.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">World leaders like Fidel Castro, Ho Chi Minh, Yasser Arafat, Salvador Allende, Nelson Mandela, Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, poet and politician Pablo Neruda, Jawaharlal Nehru, Martin Luther King and Leonid Brezhnev were awarded the prize.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The peace prize of the World Peace Council was an international recognition of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his contribution to the establishment of world peace.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Julio-Curio Peace Prize award was the first ever international award for Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a result of this great achievement, the Father of the Nation became Bhishwabandhu from Bangabandhu.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To commemorate the contributions of world-renowned scientists Marie Curie and Pierre Curie to the struggle for world peace, the World Peace Council has been awarding Julio Curie Peace Prize to distinguished individuals and organisations since 1950 for outstanding contribution to the fight against fascism, anti-imperialism, humanitarian welfare and peace. 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, '2023-05-28 14:14:42', '2023-05-28 14:14:42'),
(7164, 7164, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia has carried out a new massive overnight drone attack on Ukraine\'s capital Kyiv, killing at least one person, local officials have said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv\'s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said a man died when drone wreckage fell near a petrol station. A woman was injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, Russia launched a record 54 so-called kamikaze drones on Ukrainian targets, 52 of which were shot down, Ukraine\'s Air Force reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Kyiv alone, more than 40 drones were downed, officials said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This information has not been independently verified.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia - which launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 - has in recent weeks stepped up its attacks on Kyiv, seeking to overwhelm the capital\'s defences.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Sunday, air raid alerts were activated in 12 regions of Ukraine, from Volyn in the north-west to Dnipropetrovsk in the south-east.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a post on social media, Mr Klitschko urged Kyiv residents to \"stay in shelters\", warning of waves of drone attacks and a \"difficult\" night ahead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said at least two high-rising buildings in different districts of the capital were on fire after being hit by falling drone fragments.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv officials also reported that warehouses in the southern Holosiyivsky district were ablaze.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some officials accused Russia of targeting Kyiv deliberately as residents prepared to celebrate Kyiv Day - the anniversary of the city\'s foundation 1500 years ago and a popular holiday before the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There were also reports of explosions in the city of Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The air alert was later lifted in the capital and across the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In its recent attacks, Russia has been using so-called kamikaze drones as well as a range of cruise and ballistic missiles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The attacks come ahead of a widely expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Saturday, one of Ukraine\'s most senior security officials told the BBC the country was ready to launch such an operation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the powerful National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said an assault to retake territory from President Vladimir Putin\'s occupying forces could begin \"tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\'We’re ready to begin counter-offensive\' - Ukraine</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine has been planning a counter-offensive for months. But it has wanted as much time as possible to train troops and to receive military equipment from Western allies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the meantime, Russian forces have been preparing their defences in the seized regions of south-eastern Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking to the BBC, Andrei Kelin, Russia\'s ambassador to the UK, said his country had \"enormous resources\" and it was yet to \"act very seriously\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Warning that supplies of weapons to Ukraine risk escalating the war to levels not seen so far, he added: \"Sooner or later, of course, this escalation may get a new dimension which we do not need and we do not want.\" BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 14:21:21', '2023-05-28 14:21:21'),
(7165, 7165, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha has urged the member states to do more and help The Gambia with funds to run the case in the International Court of Justice on Rohingya genocide.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We call upon all OIC member states to join them in this case and give support to this fund created by OIC. This case is a top priority for us,\" the OIC Secretary General told reporters after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the Gambia is not a big or rich country but there are lots of efforts from them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Momen said said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, OIC Secretary General and the President of Gambia sent a joint letter to themember states recently seeking support for the fund created by the OIC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the OIC delegation will visit the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"They (OIC) have taken a leading role. Tomorrow they will visit the Rohingya camps,\" Momen said, adding that they discussed the Rohingya crisis and the necessity of unity among the Muslims.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The OIC Secretary General said in fact Bangladesh is a very important country for the OIC member states.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Rohingya is one of the top priority issues for OIC,\" he said, adding that they discussed the issues to maintain peace stability and development in the member states.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We are here to convey our thanks for the tremendous efforts done by Bangladesh government. These Rohingya people are suffering. They deserve peace, security and better life,\" said Hissein Brahim.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the visit, the OIC Secretary General will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina later this evening.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the Chancellor of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT), the OIC Secretary General will join the 35th Convocation of the IUT to be held on May 30, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 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, '2023-05-28 15:13:13', '2023-05-28 15:13:13'),
(7166, 7166, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Dengue infections continue to spread among the Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar with a total of 1,066 cases reported so far this year.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It is challenging to manage and prevent the virus in this community due to their lack of awareness, said Dr. Nazmul Islam, Director of Disease Control and Line of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS),&nbsp; at a press conference held on Sunday morning at DGHS.</div><div><br></div><div>He emphasized that due to cultural differences, efforts to address the problem cannot follow the same approach.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr. Nazmul also pointed out the poor water supply system for the Rohingya community, as they often collect water from various sources, including ditches, due to the lack of access to clean water. Their overall awareness regarding dengue prevention is also insufficient, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also noted that while Dhaka, despite its large population, has sufficient space&nbsp; prevent dengue, the Rohingya camp faces overcrowding, leading to a higher number of dengue cases.</div><div><br></div><div>“In the densely populated areas of Dhaka\'s two city corporations, mosquitoes’ prevalence in high,” said the health official.</div><div><br></div><div>However, pinpointing the specific area with the highest infestation rate is challenging at this time, he said, adding, further analysis of patient information is required to determine the most affected areas.</div><div><br></div><div>The responsibility for taking action against dengue in areas with higher prevalence lies with the local government, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>TK 100 and TK 500 fixed for Dengue test in govt and private hospitals respectively</div><div><br></div><div>Private hospitals in the country will charge maximum of TK500, while government hospitals TK100 for Dengue test.</div><div><br></div><div>The DGHS issued a warning about taking action against hospitals charging more than the designated fees.</div><div><br></div><div>Professor Dr. Ahmadul Kabir, Additional Director General of DGHS&nbsp; emphasized the importance of following the specific guidelines for dengue treatment and testing.</div><div><br></div><div>Professor Dr. Robed Amin, Line Director (CDC) at the DGHS, addressed misconceptions surrounding dengue, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“Contrary to popular belief, dengue is not solely a platelet disorder. Instead, the risk factor lies in plasma leakage. Platelets play no direct role in dengue, and patients require an adequate fluid intake rather than an excessive focus on platelets,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 18:11:41', '2023-05-28 18:11:41'),
(7167, 7167, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Syrians who have experienced the horror of war firsthand eagerly await news from Turkey, reports Al Jazeera’s Nour Qormosh from Idlib, Syria.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Many in the area, which borders Turkey, have family members across the border and want to know how the elections will affect them, said Qormosh.</div><div><br></div><div>“I have many relatives living in Turkey and working to support their families here [in Idlib]. The calls we are hearing about deporting Syrians who are living there would have very bad consequences, especially on a humanitarian scale,” Muhammed Ramadan, a displaced Syrian told Al Jazeera.</div><div><br></div><div>Ramadan, like other displaced Syrians, has been supported by humanitarian aid coming through the northern Turkish border – but he fears that it might disappear for good.</div><div><br></div><div>“No matter who wins, we hope Turkey’s approach will not follow the approach of deporting Syrians, which will have dire future consequences for the humanitarian sector here as more than 1.8 million people are already living in refugee camps,” Abd Al Salam, who works as a refugee camp manager in Idlib, told. Source: Al Jazeera</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 18:29:50', '2023-05-28 18:29:50'),
(7168, 7168, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A three-month ban on fishing and tourism in&nbsp; the Sundarbans will start from June 1 to ensure safe breeding and movement of fish and wild animals.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Movement of all types of vessels including boats, fishing trawlers in the rivers and canals as well as the entry of fishermen and honey collectors will remain suspended from June 1 to August 31.</div><div><br></div><div>No local for foreign tourists will be allowed to enter the forest during the period.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the Forest Department, 251 species of fish release eggs during this monsoon and so fishing will not allowed&nbsp; in the forest.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the ban will be applicable for safe breeding of 315 species of birds, 35 species of reptiles and 42 types of mammals.</div><div><br></div><div>The authorities think the breeding by the fish and different species of animals will be obstructed due to sound of operating water vehicles in the water bodies.</div><div><br></div><div>No tourists will be allowed to visit the country’s lone wildlife breeding center ‘Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center’ and 11 other tourist spots.</div><div><br></div><div>Hawlader Azad Kabir, in-charge of the breeding center, said ignoring the matter of revenue earning the government took the ban initiative to increase beautification of the forest and ensure safe breeding of fish and animals, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said tough action will be taken if the restriction is ignored.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 19:56:45', '2023-05-28 19:56:45'),
(7169, 7169, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Two persons were killed and 12 injured in different instances of firing upon civilians and clashes between militants and security forces, police officials said on Sunday.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>At Phayeng in Imphal West district, one person died and another sustained bullet injuries after being fired at by suspected Kuki militants, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>The latest clashes began after the army commenced combing operations to de-arm communities in order to bring peace, officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to newspersons after the clashes broke out, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said nearly 40 armed militants involved in torching houses and firing at civilians have been killed by security forces since they began an operation to bring peace to the north eastern state beset by ethnic rioting.</div><div><br></div><div>The Chief Minister who was interacting with the media persons at the state secretariat, claimed the latest round of “conflict is not between communities but between militants and security forces”.</div><div><br></div><div>Singh also said that there had been cases of armed militants firing at civilians with AK-47s, M-16 and sniper rifles. These militants were targeted by security forces in counter-attacks.</div><div><br></div><div>The CM appealed to the public not to hinder the movement of security personnel and urged them to have \"faith in the government and support the security forces.\" \"We have experienced hardship for so long and we will never allow the state to disintegrate,\" Singh said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said many Kuki militants involved in killing civilians and destroying property and torching houses have been captured by the Jat regiment.</div><div><br></div><div>The house of BJP MLA Khwairakpam Raghumani Singh at Uripok in Imphal West was vandalised and his two vehicles have been set on fire, a top security official told PTI.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that clashes broke out in the early hours of the morning at several places both between rival ethnic militant groups as well as between militants and security forces.</div><div><br></div><div>\"According to our information, firing has been reported from Sugnu in Kakching, Kangvi in Churachandpur, Kangchup in Imphal West, Sagolmang in Imphal East, Nungoipokpi in Bishenpur, Khurkhul in Imphal West and YKPI in Kangpokpi,\" the official said.</div><div><br></div><div>New roadblocks have also sprung up in areas manned by women. There was also an unconfirmed report of arms being looted from Kakching police station by a Meitei group, the official said.</div><div><br></div><div>At Napat, Serou and nearby Sugnu in Kakching district militants burnt down some 80 houses of Meitei community prompting villagers to flee in midnight hours.</div><div><br></div><div>State police personnel deployed in the area retaliated leading to heavy exchange of fire, police said.</div><div><br></div><div>One police personnel was killed and another injured at Sugnu in the firing. Six persons were also injured at Sugnu and another four at Serou.</div><div><br></div><div>On the eastern side of Manipur valley, armed militants came down to Yaingangpokpi in Imphal East district, and torched two houses and fired upon villagers. Reports of injuries have been reported from there too.</div><div><br></div><div>At Sekmai, on the northern side of Manipur valley in Imphal West district, well-armed militants attacked outlying villages leading to an exchange of fire.</div><div><br></div><div>In Bishnupur district, armed Kuki militants attacked Phougakchao Ikhai, Torbung and Kangvai areas on Saturday night, torching more than thirty houses belonging to Meitei community.</div><div><br></div><div>Violence in the last ten hours has also prompted district authorities to shorten the 11 hour curfew relaxation period in Imphal East and West district to just six and half hours.</div><div><br></div><div>Ethnic clashes which have claimed over 75 lives first broke out in Manipur after a \'Tribal Solidarity March\' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community\'s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.</div><div><br></div><div>The violence was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.</div><div><br></div><div>Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur\'s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 140 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, comprising over 10,000 personnel, besides those from other paramilitary forces had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the Northeastern state. According to PTI reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 20:14:48', '2023-05-28 20:14:48'),
(7170, 7170, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday called on Kosovo to tone down tensions with Serbia, two days after violent clashes between Kosovan police and protesters opposed to Albanian mayors taking office in ethnic Serbian areas.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Stoltenberg, the transatlantic military alliance\'s Norwegian secretary-general, said he had spoken to European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell about Kosovo.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Pristina and Belgrade must engage in the EU-led dialogue.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Pristina must de-escalate &amp; not take unilateral, destabilising steps,\" Stoltenberg said in a tweet.</div><div><br></div><div>Serbs, who form the majority of the population in Kosovo\'s northern region, do not accept Kosovo\'s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia and still see Belgrade as their capital more than two decades after the war ended in 1999.</div><div><br></div><div>Ethnic Albanians make up more than 90% of the population in Kosovo as a whole. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 21:41:41', '2023-05-28 21:41:41');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7171, 7171, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Operation of another unit of 1,320 MW coal-fired Payra power plant is going to be suspended soon due to coal shortage, according to Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt.) Limited (BCPCL) officials.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The plant has two units each having 660 MW and the first unit of the two has already been shut following the coal crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Now the remaining unit may run until June 2\", said Shah Abdul Moula, plant manager of the BCPCL.</div><div><br></div><div>BCPCL, a joint venture of the Chinese firm China National Machinery Import &amp; Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladeshi state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL), is the owner and operator of the Payra power plant.</div><div><br></div><div>The plant manager said that the plant is currently operating one unit having 660 MW while another 660 MW unit was closed last week.</div><div><br></div><div>Moula said that the overdue payment against the coal import actually created this critical situation.</div><div><br></div><div>The overdue amount now stands at more than $400 million.</div><div><br></div><div>\"But recently we received a permission from Bangladesh Bank to pay $50 million to the coal supplier against the overdue\", he said adding that this will help arrange to resume coal import.</div><div><br></div><div>But still it will take about a month to receive the coal supply and we hope we may not get before June 28, said another official of the BCPCL.</div><div><br></div><div>According to official sources, the Payra power plant needs to import 3 lakh metric tonnes of coal every month to operate the plant in full swing.</div><div><br></div><div>They said the BCPCL normally opens LC through state-owned Sonali Bank to import the coal. But recently Sonali Bank regretted opening the LC due to the dollar crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>Admitting about the problems, the BCPCL officials said the authority has already communicated the issue to the Power Division to take necessary measures.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 21 last year inaugurated the 1320 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant at Patuakhali\'s Payra on a day when she also declared the country\'s 100 percent electricity coverage.</div><div><br></div><div>This milestone achievement puts Bangladesh ahead of India and Pakistan among the South Asian nations to light up every house with electricity.</div><div><br></div><div>BCPCL set up the plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology at over $2 billion as part of a development partnership on 982.77 acres of land.</div><div><br></div><div>The Export-Import Bank of China lent $1.96 billion for the project. The company started operation in 2016.</div><div><br></div><div>This kind of coal-fired power plant using Ultra Supercritical Technology is the thirteenth in the world and seventh in South Asia.</div><div><br></div><div>The Ultra Supercritical Technology used for this plant aims at protecting the environment in line with the government\'s policy, officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>After undergoing test runs for about five months, the first unit of the Payra power plant started commercial operation in May, 2020. In October, 2020, the second unit of the 660 MW plant, a joint venture of Bangladesh and China, started its commercial operation.</div><div><br></div><div>The Payra and another 1320 MW Rampal power plants have been implemented targeting the power evacuation from both the two plants and transmit power to Dhaka city and adjoining areas to meet growing power demand.</div><div><br></div><div>The Payra power plant is burning some 13,000 tonnes of coal a day. It has a 76.30 acre dumping zone where 25 years’ worth of by-product can be kept.</div><div><br></div><div>The plant is currently importing coal from Indonesia. It has its own jetty whose conveyor belts can unload 3,200 tonnes of coal every hour from four vessels at the same time.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh\'s power generation capacity reached 25,514 MW from just 3200MW in 2009, according to the data. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 22:53:36', '2023-05-28 22:53:36'),
(7172, 7172, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The defaulted loans in the banking sector climbed by aboutTk10, 954 crore to Tk1,31, 621 crore in the January-March quarter.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) the defaulted loans increased by 9 percent from three months ago and 16 percent from a year earlier,</div><div><br></div><div>Despite different initiative of the central bank, defaulted loans is on a rising trend, which is becoming challenging and a headache, the BB Governor said recently in a conference Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB).&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In comparison, the default loan figure stood at Tk1,20,656 crore in December 2022.</div><div><br></div><div>The defaulted loan volume surged in post Covid-19 period while the businesses abstained from repaying loan installments citing poor business.</div><div><br></div><div>During the pandemic the central bank announced a moratorium on regular repayment of loans that helped a large number of borrowers from becoming defaulters.</div><div><br></div><div>After withdrawal of the moratorium facility, the defaulted loan volume increased by over Tk 1.20 lakh crore in December last year.</div><div><br></div><div>Former governor of BB Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed told UNB that a group of businesses is becoming defaulters willfully and the central bank has to be strict with such people, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He said for lack of good governance, some organized groups have taken more money as loans than their ability, which is a reason behind surge in defaulted loans.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-28 23:13:22', '2023-05-28 23:13:22'),
(7173, 7173, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Recep Tayyip Erdogan\'s supporters celebrated well into the night after Turkey\'s long-time president secured another five years in power.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The entire nation of 85 million won,\" he told cheering crowds outside his enormous palace on the edge of Ankara.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But his call for unity sounded hollow as he ridiculed his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu - and took aim at a jailed Kurdish leader and pro-LGBT policies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The opposition leader did not explicitly concede victory.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Complaining of \"the most unfair election in recent years\", Mr Kilicdaroglu said the president\'s political party had mobilised all the means of the state against him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Erdogan ended with just over 52% of the vote based on near-complete unofficial results - almost half the electorate in this deeply polarised country did not back his authoritarian vision of Turkey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ultimately Mr Kilicdaroglu was no match for the well-drilled Erdogan campaign, even if he took the president to a run-off second round for the first time since the post was made directly elected in 2014.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But he barely dented his rival\'s first-round lead, falling more than two million votes behind.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president made the most of his victory, with an initial speech to supporters atop a bus in Turkey\'s biggest city Istanbul, followed after dark by a balcony address from his palace to an adoring crowd that he numbered at 320,000 people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is not just us who won, Turkey won,\" he declared, calling it one of the most important elections in Turkish history.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He taunted his opponent\'s defeat with the words \"Bye, bye, bye, Kemal\" - a chant that was also taken up by his supporters in Ankara.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Erdogan poured scorn on the main opposition party\'s increase in its number of MPs in the parliament vote two weeks before. The true number had fallen to 129, he said, because the party had handed over dozens of seats to its allies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also condemned the opposition alliance\'s pro-LGBT policies - which he said was in contrast with his own focus on families.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although the final results are not confirmed, the Supreme Election Council said there was no doubt who had won.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is highly unusual for the palace complex to be opened to the public - but so was this result, extending his period in power to a quarter of a century.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Supporters came from all over Ankara to taste the victory. There were Islamic chants and some laid Turkish flags on the grass to pray.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For a night Turkey\'s economic crisis was forgotten and one supporter, Seyhan, said it was all a lie: \"Nobody is hungry. We are very happy with his economy policies. He will do even better in the next five years.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the president admitted that tackling inflation was Turkey\'s most urgent issue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The question is whether he is prepared to take the necessary measures to do so. At an annual rate of almost 44%, inflation seeps into everyone\'s lives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The cost of food, rent and other everyday goods has soared, exacerbated by Mr Erdogan\'s refusal to observe orthodox economic policy and raise interest rates.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Turkish lira has hit record lows against the dollar and the central bank has struggled to meet surging demand for foreign currency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If they continue with low interest rates, as Erdogan has signalled, the only other option is stricter capital controls,\" warns Selva Demiralp, professor of economics at Koc university in Istanbul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan: Turkey\'s all-powerful leader of 20 years</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economics was far from the minds of Erdogan supporters, who spoke of their pride at his powerful position in the world and his hard line on fighting \"terrorists\", by which they meant Kurdish militants.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Erdogan has accused his opposite number of siding with terrorists, and criticised him for promising to free a former co-leader of Turkey\'s second largest opposition party, the pro-Kurdish HDP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Selahattin Demirtas has been languishing in jail since 2016, despite the European Court of Human Rights ordering his release.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Erdogan said while he was in power Mr Demirtas would stay behind bars.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also promised to prioritise rebuilding in areas hit by February\'s twin earthquakes and bring about the \"voluntary\" return of a million Syrian refugees.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Crowds flocked to Istanbul\'s Taksim Square, and many came from the Middle East and the Gulf.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Palestinians from Jordan wrapped Turkish flags around their shoulders and a Tunisian visitor, Alaa Nassar, said Mr Erdogan had not just made improvements to his own country, \"he is also supporting Arabs and the Muslim world\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For all the celebrations, the idea of unity in this polarised country seems farther away than ever.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since a failed coup in 2016, Mr Erdogan has abolished the post of prime minister and amassed extensive powers, which his opponent had pledged to roll back.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One voter outside an Ankara polling station on Sunday said he wanted to see an end to the brain drain that began with the post-coup purge. There is a risk that it may now intensify.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey\'s opposition will now have to regroup ahead of local elections in 2024.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Kilicdaroglu\'s party has two popular mayors running Ankara and Istanbul - and one of them may have had a better chance of winning the presidential race. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-29 07:44:10', '2023-05-29 07:44:10'),
(7174, 7174, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Joe Biden has said a bipartisan deal to raise the US debt ceiling and avert a fast-approaching default is ready to move to Congress.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said on Sunday the agreement was a \"compromise\", while Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier called it \"worthy of the American people\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They must now convince members of Congress to approve it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The proposed deal is the result of long and bitter negotiations between Democrats and Republicans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Treasury had warned the US will run out of money on 5 June without a deal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US must borrow money to fund the government because it spends more than it raises in taxes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Republicans have been seeking spending cuts in areas such as education and other social programmes in exchange for raising the $31.4tn (£25tn) debt limit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a brief appearance before reporters on Sunday evening, President Biden said the proposed deal was \"a really important step forward\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It takes a threat of catastrophic default off the table, protects our hard earned and historic economic recovery.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"And the agreement also represents a compromise which means no one got everything they want, but that\'s the responsibility of governing.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Biden said he believed Mr McCarthy had negotiated in \"good faith\" and now had the votes for the deal to be backed in Congress.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The proposed deal has now been published on the House website.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It envisages that non-defence government spending would be kept largely flat for two years and then rise by 1% in 2025.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There would be no major changes to Medicaid health insurance, and the proposed agreement fully funds medical care for veterans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Energy permitting laws are to be streamlined to speed up approval time for new projects - a reform Republicans have been pushing for.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Covid relief funds that have not been spent will be clawed back in the agreement, another demand made by the Republicans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Certain age changes are proposed for a government programme that provides food-purchasing assistance for people on low or no incomes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Late on Saturday, news came of a tentative deal - but it took until Sunday for negotiations to continue and the agreement to be finalised.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr McCarthy on Saturday referred to \"historic reductions in spending, consequential reforms that will lift people out of poverty into the workforce\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There are no new taxes, no new government programmes,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But he now faces a challenge to push it through the House, where it may be opposed by some diehards among both Republicans and Democrats. On Sunday, Republican Representative Chip Roy of Texas said he and some others were \"going to try\" to stop it passing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Republicans control the House by 222 to 213, while Democrats control the Senate by 51 to 49.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr McCarthy told Fox News on Sunday that more than 95% of House Republicans were very excited about the deal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A US default would upend the US economy and disrupt global markets.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the US, the immediate effect would be that the government would quickly run out of funds to pay for welfare benefits and other support programmes, for instance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over a long period, the crisis would tip the US economy into recession - and this would result in unemployment rising.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A US recession would have big knock-on effects for many countries around the world, for which the US is a key trading partner - they would not be able to sell to an economy that does not buy as much.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And because the US dollar is the reserve currency of the world, a default would send panic across the world, eventually leading to prices of many commodities rising. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-29 08:13:50', '2023-05-29 08:13:50'),
(7175, 7175, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Kylian Mbappe was voted the Ligue 1 player of the season for the fourth successive time Sunday after helping Paris Saint-Germain win a record 11th French title.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The France star has scored 28 goals in the league this term and is on course to finish as the division\'s top scorer for the fifth season running.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s a pleasure, I always wanted to win, to write my name into the league\'s history. But even with all the ambition I have I didn\'t expect to win so quickly,\" said Mbappe on receiving his award.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mbappe, scorer of 40 goals this campaign, snubbed Real Madrid at the end of last season and signed a new three-year contract to stay with PSG.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to reports, the 24-year-old\'s contract will run out next year unless he exercises an option to stay until 2025.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about his future at the awards ceremony, Mbappe replied: \"I will be here again next season.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He is the first four-time winner of a prize first awarded in 1994, surpassing Zlatan Ibrahimovic who won the accolade on three occasions with PSG.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Franck Haise of Lens was named coach of the season after leading the club to second place and a return to Champions League football for the first time in two decades.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba was also honoured while Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes earned the best young player award.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was one of four PSG players in the team of the season alongside Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Achraf Hakimi. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-29 10:07:28', '2023-05-29 10:07:28'),
(7176, 7176, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday congratulated Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has collaborated closely with Russia on key international issues despite disagreements, on his re-election.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Your victory in these elections is the logical result of your dedicated work as head of the Turkish Republic,\" Putin said, according to the Kremlin website.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Putin told Erdogan, who he called his \"dear friend\", that his victory was \"clear evidence of the Turkish people\'s support for your efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two leaders have not always seen eye-to-eye -- backing opposing players in conflicts in the Middle East and the ex-Soviet Caucasus region -- but they have developed strong ties over the years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most importantly, they see each other as reliable partners in challenging the West\'s economic, military and political dominance, observers told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Putin also told Erdogan that Russia \"highly values your personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Turkish relations\" and expressed \"readiness to continue our constructive dialogue\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey has leverage in key areas for Moscow, such as the war in Syria, the Kremlin\'s standoff with NATO, and the large-scale Ukraine offensive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ankara has delivered drones to Kyiv, but it has refused to join sanctions against Moscow, thus becoming an important alternative transit hub for heavily sanctioned Russian exports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It has also mediated between Ukraine, the West and Russia, including by helping broker the deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to resume.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Putin praised the \"great significance\" of projects between Russia and Turkey, including the Russian-built Akkuyu nuclear power plant, Turkey\'s first. 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, '2023-05-29 10:09:58', '2023-05-29 10:09:58'),
(7177, 7177, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh and China on Sunday reviewed the ongoing efforts for repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar smoothly and on an expedited basis.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen thanked the Chinese government for making sincere efforts for the safe and quick repatriation of the displaced population.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen and Vice Foreign Minister of China Sun Weidon agreed that the problem needed an urgent solution, because if left unaddressed for any longer, it could potentially evolve as a tangible threat to regional security and stability.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During his meeting with Momen, the vice foreign minister of China highly lauded the remarkable socio-economic transformation of Bangladesh under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen highly appreciated the substantial contributions made by China towards the developmental journey of Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He profusely admired the excellent bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and expressed optimism that the constructive and collaborative relations would be further strengthened in the days ahead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen congratulated Sun for the successful holding of the bilateral consultations on May 27 in Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Noting the deep cultural, historical and civilization links between the two countries, Foreign Minister Momen mentioned about the visit of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to China in the 1950s and the book he wrote on what he saw.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharing his admiration for the magnificent Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Sun mentioned that the structure stands out as a new symbol of the friendship between Bangladesh and China and observed that the two countries could achieve miracles through greater and better synergies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Momen invited and encouraged larger flow of Chinese FDI into Bangladesh for mutual benefit of both the countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He recalled with profound appreciation the assistance that China offered during the Covid-19 pandemic and mentioned his brief meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister in Dhaka in January this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While discussing the facility of duty-free and quota-free access to 98% Bangladeshi products to China, he hoped that all necessary measures would be taken so that Bangladesh could get optimum benefit out of this arrangement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also stressed on an expedited implementation of the projects agreed during the last visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping to Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sun praised Bangladesh’s energetic youth population capable of making a significant change in the society and economy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He referred to the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative of the Chinese President Xi Jinping and hoped that Bangladesh reaped the maximum benefits out of this grand scheme. 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, '2023-05-29 10:14:19', '2023-05-29 10:14:19'),
(7178, 7178, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Road Transport and Bridge Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday said that BNP wants to paint Awami League as the aggressor to foreigners but Awami League will not do that under any circumstances.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the same time, he also warned that no concession will be given if any attacks are made on them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He gave this warning at a joint meeting at Awami League central office this afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Obaidul Quader said Awami League will hold peace rallies across the country till the next general election for peaceful voting. “If necessary, programs will be given down to the ward level.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Responding to a question on the new US visa policy specific to Bangladesh, the Road Transport and Bridges Minister said there is no reason for the government to be unhappy over it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Bangladesh has no lord abroad, it has friends,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The minister said, “We don\'t have any headache about that. We have started the process of a free and fair election. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made the Election Commission independent by law.&nbsp; We are preparing the ground for a free, fair and neutral election.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Al Joint General Secretaries AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Dr Dipu Moni, Organizing Secretaries BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, Mirza Azam, Sujit Roy Nandi, Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua, among others, were present at the meeting. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-29 10:34:52', '2023-05-29 10:34:52'),
(7179, 7179, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned away a challenger who sought to reverse his authoritarian-leaning changes, securing five more years to oversee the country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia that plays a key role in NATO.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan prevailed by winning more than 52% of the vote in Sunday’s presidential runoff, which came two weeks after he fell short of scoring an outright victory in the first round. A majority of Turkish voters in the second round chose him over challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, showing their support for a man who they see as a strong, proven leader.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Voters were divided between loyalty to Erdogan, who has ruled for two decades, and hopes for the opposition candidate, who promised to return to democratic norms, adopt more conventional economic policies and improve ties with the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With his immediate political future secure, Erdogan must now confront skyrocketing inflation that has fueled a cost-of-living crisis and rebuild in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In two speeches — one in Istanbul and one in Ankara — Erdogan thanked the nation for entrusting him with the presidency again.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We hope to be worthy of your trust, as we have been for 21 years,” he told supporters on a campaign bus outside his home in Istanbul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the divisions of the election are over, but he continued to rail against his opponent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The only winner today is Turkey,” Erdogan said outside the presidential palace in Ankara, promising to work hard for Turkey’s second century, which he called the “Turkish century.” The country marks its centennial this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Supreme challenges lie ahead, starting with the economy that has taken a beating from what critics view as Erdogan’s unorthodox policies. He also must tend to massive rebuilding efforts in 11 provinces hit by the Feb. 6 earthquake that leveled entire cities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kilicdaroglu said the election was “the most unjust ever,” with all state resources mobilized for Erdogan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will continue to be at the forefront of this struggle until real democracy comes to our country,” he said in Ankara. He thanked the more than 25 million people who voted for him and asked them to “remain upright.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The people have shown their will “to change an authoritarian government despite all the pressures,” Kilicdaroglu said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Supporters of Erdogan, a divisive populist and masterful orator, took to the streets to celebrate, waving Turkish or ruling party flags, honking car horns and chanting his name. Celebratory gunfire was heard in several Istanbul neighborhoods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His next term is certain to include more delicate maneuvering with fellow NATO members over the future of the alliance and the war in Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Leaders across the world sent their congratulations, highlighting Turkey and Erdogan’s enlarged role in global politics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan, a 69-year-old Muslim, is set to remain in power until 2028.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He transformed the presidency from a largely ceremonial role to a powerful office through a narrowly won 2017 referendum that scrapped Turkey’s parliamentary system of governance. He was the first directly elected president in 2014 and won the 2018 election that ushered in the executive presidency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first half of Erdogan’s tenure included reforms allowing the country to begin talks to join the European Union, as well as economic growth that lifted many out of poverty.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But he later moved to suppress freedoms and the media and concentrated more power in his own hands, especially after a failed coup attempt that Turkey says was orchestrated by the U.S.-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric denies involvement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir, 37-year-old metalworker Ahmet Koyun said: “It is sad on behalf of our people that a government with such corruption, such stains, has come into power again. Mr. Kemal would have been great for our country, at least for a change of scene.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But he said everyone must accept the results. 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, '2023-05-29 11:21:44', '2023-05-29 11:21:44'),
(7180, 7180, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The densely populated capital of Bangladesh once again topped the list of cities around the world with the worst air quality Monday (May 29, 2023) morning.</span><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 169 at 8:45 am today, Dhaka ranked first among cities with the most polluted air. The air was classified as ‘unhealthy’, according to the air quality and pollution city ranking.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\' while 201-300 is \'very unhealthy\', and 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing severe health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Indonesia’s Jakarta, United Arab Emirates\' Dubai and Chile\'s Santiago occupied the second, third and fourth spots in the list, with AQI scores of 169, 163 and 156, respectively.</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;\">The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-29 11:33:50', '2023-05-29 11:33:50'),
(7181, 7181, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Like Savar, Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) is being established in the divisional city of Rajshahi for the welfare of the patients concerned.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Upon successful inception of the center, around 12,000 patients suffering from stroke and other physical impairments in the region are expected to get treatment, assistive and rehabilitation support.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Apart from this, students and others concerned can avail scopes of study and gather knowledge on different issues, including spinal cord injury, artificial limb and other assistive devices making, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, former Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation AHM Khairuzzaman Liton donated 16 bighas of land for establishment of the centre in the name of \'CRP Rajshahi- Shaheed Kamaruzzaman and Zahanara Zaman\' in the city\'s Kapasia area.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Liton, elder son of Shaheed Kamaruzzaman and Zahanara Zaman, opened up the door of establishing the CRP in Rajshahi through donating the land</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Liton, Presidium Member of Bangladesh Awami League, said time has come to empower persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) for sustainable growth and development to ensure their rights and entitlement in the society.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Emphasis has been given on establishing policy and rules to exclusively protect the interests of persons with SCI in the society.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All of us should work together to create a favorable environment for the SCI people by removing various social, economic and infrastructural barriers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the CRP was founded at Savar first to establish the rights of the people with spinal cord injuries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It has been encouraging SCI people to continue their education, higher education and providing financial assistance for many students.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He lauded the initiative and said there should be adequate measures and interventions for rehabilitation of the physically challenged people to free them from their plights.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Liton mentioned that people with disabilities caused by spinal cord injuries are subjected to repression and negligence from their families alongside society.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So, they need community support for their proper rehabilitation. He also said that community people should take up the responsibility of creating an enabling environment for them in the society to improve their participation and accessibility to services and resources. 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, '2023-05-29 12:22:37', '2023-05-29 12:22:37'),
(7182, 7182, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Actor Sharwanand, who was recently seen in the Telugu film Oke Oka Jeevitham, on Sunday met with an accident which caused a lot of panic among his fans. Later, he took to Twitter to share an update on the incident and clarified that he is absolutely safe. He also added that it was a minor accident.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharwanand tweeted on Sunday, “There has been news that my car met with an accident this morning. It was a very minor incident. I am absolutely safe and sound at home with all your love and blessings. There is nothing to worry about. Thank you all for your concern. Have a great Sunday everyone (sic).”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier this year in January, Sharwanand got engaged to Rakshita Reddy. The engagement ceremony was attended by celebrities such as Ram Charan, Upasana, Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari among others. Over the last few weeks, there were several reports that their wedding had been called off for reasons unknown. As per fresh reports, Sharwanand’s wedding is expected to take place in June or July.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharwanand recently shared a heartfelt note on completing 20 years in the industry. He captioned the post, “20 years of a wonderful journey in a wonderful world called Cinema. Cherishing every moment and blessing, which came along the way. Thank you.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His note read, \"20 years of facing the camera and entertaining you all on the silver screen. What a roller coaster ride of emotions it\'s been -20 years of friendships, hardships, highs, lows, smiles, struggles, and I wouldn\'t have it any other way. Thank you to all of you who have stood by me through thick and thin and showered me with your unwavering love and support. These 20 years have transformed my life for the best and made me a better person.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharwanand had also added, \"This Oke Oka Jeevitham is dedicated to cinema, which had its Sreekaram 20 years ago. This 20 years of Prasthanam is nothing short of magical. But with this comes a great responsibility. The Gamyam is still far away. I promise to work hard and never take it for granted. So, in short, I will always Run Raja Run to entertain you to the fullest. I am sure it will be possible with all your blessings of Shatamanam Bhavati. Yours, Sharwanand.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharwanand has teamed up with director Sriram Adittya for his upcoming yet-untitled project. The team recently completed a 40-day schedule in London and returned a few weeks ago. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-05-29 12:44:29', '2023-05-29 12:44:29');
