INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7887, 7887, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal today said Representation of the People Order (RPO) Amendment Bill 2023 — passed by the National Parliament last week — will strengthen their existing authority as the government amended the RPO in consultation with EC.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"No authority of the Election Commission (EC) has been abolished with the amendment; it has been consolidated. Many have commented that EC has dug its own grave. The Election Commission may make mistakes but it didn’t dig its own grave,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He made the comment today while presenting his position in the Election Building after the RPO Amendment Bill was passed by the parliament and gazetted with the president\'s signature.</div><div><br></div><div>The chief election commissioner at this time explained the provisions of the law one by one.He even shared what was offered and what was kept from the government.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The Cabinet did not make changes, they asked for our opinion. In 91A, there was a minor change. We asked to stop voting in any seat in case of irregularities. They said, we will only stop voting where the election will be obstructed. It seems very logical to us. And no change has been made by the government or parliament. From there, this law was passed in the form of a bill and gazetted after the president\'s assent on Sunday,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The CEC said the reason for sharing this with the media is that comments have come from various quarters, and those might confuse people.</div><div><br></div><div>“There are also comments that the government has revised the RPO to take control. But, the government has not revised the RPO. They did as per our proposal. The government has agreed to the amendments sought by the Election Commission to make the latter’s position more consolidated and strengthened. It has increased our power,” he also said.</div><div><br></div><div>Praising the government’s effort in amending RPO, the CEC said the government has amended the law to regulate elections.</div><div><br></div><div>\"As I said earlier, it was not done by the government. The government has shown us respect… they took our proposed amendments to the parliament and passed them.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Calling the report of a newspaper denoting that the Election Commission has proposed to “reduce its own power” absolutely absurd, the CEC said the commission has never sent a proposal to reduce its powers and it can\'t do that either.</div><div><br></div><div>\"In some places the words polling and election are mentioned. We have replaced the word election with polling in three places. This is a clerical correction. But there is a difference between clerical correction and amendment. Clerical correction is just correction,\" he also said.</div><div><br></div><div>It is not advisable to belittle the Election Commission by making unnecessary, misleading comments, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Saying that the power of the presiding officer has been “enhanced,” he said no one praised, criticized or discussed it.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Its purpose is to clarify the responsibilities of the presiding officer. If he does not fulfill his duties properly, it should be termed as a criminal offence and he should be brought under punishment,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The commission can cancel the candidature due to existing provisions, he said, adding, if there are irregularities, before the election, EC has provisions to investigate. There is a clear provision to cancel the candidature of the person who has committed irregularities after investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>\"If we can determine the responsibility of who committed the irregularities, then we can cancel his candidature and continue the election,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The law previously stated, in Section 91(A)A of the RPO, that the Election Commission may “stop the polls at any polling station [or entire constituency, as the case may be] at any stage of the election if it is convinced that it shall not be able to ensure the conduct of the election justly, fairly and in accordance with law due to malpractices, including coercion, intimidation and pressures, prevailing at the election.”</div><div><br></div><div>The amendment replaced the word “election” in this section with “polling”. Whereas polling denotes the activity on the day of the vote, election denotes the entire process.</div><div><br></div><div>The ‘Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2023’ was passed in the parliament on Tuesday with the key amendment authorizing the Election Commission to postpone or cancel the results or voting of one or more than one polling stations in any number of constituencies on polling day, but not the entire election to a constituency.</div><div><br></div><div>Law Minister Anisul Haq moved the bill in the parliament, which was passed by voice vote. Through this, amendments were brought to the Representation of the People Order, or RPO — the law that governs elections in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>But there is no provision of cancelling the entire election to a constituency in the proposed law, as happened during the Gaibandha-5 by-election last October.</div><div><br></div><div>After that paragraph, a new paragraph is included in the amended RPO. The new paragraph states: “The Commission may withhold the result of any polling station or polling stations, if it is convinced that the result of such polling station or polling stations was grossly prejudiced by malpractices including coercion, intimidation, manipulation or otherwise, and after prompt inquiry of the matter, in a manner as it may deem appropriate, direct publication of the result of such polling station or polling stations or declare the election of any such polling station or polling stations cancelled with direction for holding of a fresh poll in such polling station or polling stations, as that may seem to it to be just and appropriate.” According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 03:15:43', '2023-07-11 03:15:43'),
(7888, 7888, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the journalist community not to publish any such news or criticise in such a way so that the country\'s advancement and image are not hampered.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Don\'t publish any such news that will malign the country\'s image and hamper its ongoing advancement,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier made the remarks while distributing cheques of financial assistance worth about Taka 3.41 crore to 438 sick, insolvent and injured journalists and their family members at her office here.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said she always welcomes constructive criticism from the media outlets so that we can correct ourselves.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Constructive news help to the government to run the country,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The Prime Minister said the media will definitely criticise the government and enjoy the freedom, but that should be done with due responsibilities and dutifulness.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;\"I want that the advancement of Bangladesh is not hampered anymore due to irresponsible journalism,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said everyone has the rights to enjoy freedom, but they have to be responsible.</div><div><br></div><div>\"You will definitely enjoy freedom but you have to show responsibilities and dutifulness,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud presided over the function, while Information and Broadcasting Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker spoke on the occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>Senior journalists, leaders of different journalist unions including BFUJ and DUJ and concerned officials were present at the function.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said her government believes in freedom of speech, saying, \"The journalist community did not enjoy such freedom that they enjoyed in the last 14 years of the Awami League government.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The freedom of the media that has given to the media will further flourish being the country transformed into a digital one.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said after coming to the government in 1996, there was only one television channel, BTV and now her government has given licences to numerous TV channels and newspapers on the private sectors mainly to create employments.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister recalled that the journalists were inhumanly tortured during the BNP-Jamaat government.</div><div><br></div><div>She continued that the journalists were not allowed in the southwestern region in 2001 soon after the BNP-Jamaat came to power as they inhumanly tortured the Awami League leaders and supporters like the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government is going to bring private television channels under the wage board.</div><div><br></div><div>She called upon the media owners to donate money to the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government can arrange for a piece of land as the journalists wanted to build houses for themselves or can give government flats on installments.</div><div><br></div><div>She said they have taken housing projects to bring every home and landless people under the scheme free of costs following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier initiated the BJWT fund in 2014 by giving at amount of Taka five crore as seed money. She, later, given Taka 20 crore more as the seed money.</div><div><br></div><div>So far some Taka 40 crore was distributed among 13,510 journalists from the fund.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the journalist community not to publish any such news or criticise in such a way so that the country\'s advancement and image are not hampered.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Don\'t publish any such news that will malign the country\'s image and hamper its ongoing advancement,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier made the remarks while distributing cheques of financial assistance worth about Taka 3.41 crore to 438 sick, insolvent and injured journalists and their family members at her office here.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said she always welcomes constructive criticism from the media outlets so that we can correct ourselves.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Constructive news help to the government to run the country,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The Prime Minister said the media will definitely criticise the government and enjoy the freedom, but that should be done with due responsibilities and dutifulness.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;\"I want that the advancement of Bangladesh is not hampered anymore due to irresponsible journalism,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said everyone has the rights to enjoy freedom, but they have to be responsible.</div><div><br></div><div>\"You will definitely enjoy freedom but you have to show responsibilities and dutifulness,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud presided over the function, while Information and Broadcasting Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker spoke on the occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>Senior journalists, leaders of different journalist unions including BFUJ and DUJ and concerned officials were present at the function.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said her government believes in freedom of speech, saying, \"The journalist community did not enjoy such freedom that they enjoyed in the last 14 years of the Awami League government.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The freedom of the media that has given to the media will further flourish being the country transformed into a digital one.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said after coming to the government in 1996, there was only one television channel, BTV and now her government has given licences to numerous TV channels and newspapers on the private sectors mainly to create employments.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister recalled that the journalists were inhumanly tortured during the BNP-Jamaat government.</div><div><br></div><div>She continued that the journalists were not allowed in the southwestern region in 2001 soon after the BNP-Jamaat came to power as they inhumanly tortured the Awami League leaders and supporters like the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government is going to bring private television channels under the wage board.</div><div><br></div><div>She called upon the media owners to donate money to the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier said her government can arrange for a piece of land as the journalists wanted to build houses for themselves or can give government flats on installments.</div><div><br></div><div>She said they have taken housing projects to bring every home and landless people under the scheme free of costs following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier initiated the BJWT fund in 2014 by giving at amount of Taka five crore as seed money. She, later, given Taka 20 crore more as the seed money.</div><div><br></div><div>So far some Taka 40 crore was distributed among 13,510 journalists from the fund. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 04:02:15', '2023-07-11 04:02:15'),
(7889, 7889, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkey\'s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to support Sweden\'s bid to join Nato, the military alliance\'s chief Jens Stoltenberg says.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the Turkish leader would forward Sweden\'s bid to the parliament in Ankara and \"ensure ratification\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: \"I am very happy, it is a good day for Sweden.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey had previously spent months blocking Sweden\'s application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As one of Nato\'s 31 members, Turkey has a veto over any new country joining the group.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reacting to the news, US President Joe Biden said he welcomed the commitment by President Erdogan to proceed with \"swift ratification\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I stand ready to work with President Erdogan and Turkey on enhancing defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd Nato ally,\" a White House statement said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">German Foreign Minister Annalen Baerbock tweeted: \"At 32, we\'re all safer together.\" British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Sweden joining would \"make us all safer\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Stoltenberg announced the agreement late on Monday following talks between the Turkish and Swedish leaders in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Nato chief described it as a \"historic step\", but stressed that a \"clear date\" could not be given for when Sweden would join the military alliance - as this relied on the Turkish parliament.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sweden and its eastern neighbour Finland - both nations with a long history of wartime neutrality - announced their intention to join Nato in May last year, several months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland formally joined in April.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Stoltenberg said Turkey and Sweden had addressed \"Turkey\'s legitimate security concerns\" and as a result Sweden had amended its constitution, changed its laws, expanded its counter-terrorism operation against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers\' Party - which is banned in Turkey) and resumed arms exports to Turkey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey and Hungary are currently the only two Nato members yet to ratify Sweden\'s membership application.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about opposition from Budapest, Mr Stoltenberg said that \"Hungary has made it clear that they will not be the last to ratify\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I think that problem will be solved,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Monday, President Erdogan had also appeared to link Turkish support for Sweden\'s Nato bid to the EU re-opening frozen membership talks with Ankara.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">EU officials were quick to reject the demand, saying those were two separate issues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But in a statement after the deal was announced, Nato said Sweden would actively support efforts to \"reinvigorate Turkey\'s EU accession process\" and this would include \"modernisation of the EU-Türkiye customs union and visa liberalisation\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey first applied to join the EU way back in 1987, but its drift towards authoritarianism under President Erdogan brought the accession process to a halt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However since Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine, Mr Erdogan has also played a unique role as a Nato leader with influence in Moscow.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He helped broker last year\'s Black Sea Grain Initiative, which enables Ukraine to export agricultural products from its ports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey has helped the keep the deal alive, despite frequent Russian threats to withdraw.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Turkey has also angered the Kremlin by supplying armed drones to Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian officials were also furious at the weekend when Turkey, in a surprise move, allowed five former commanders of the Ukrainian garrison at Mariupol to fly back to Kyiv at the end of a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Under the terms of a prisoner exchange last year, Russia expected the men to remain in Turkey until the end of the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The two-day Nato summit kicks off in Vilnius on Tuesday and Ukraine\'s membership bid will be high on the agenda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All alliance members agree that Ukraine cannot join the bloc during the war - amid fears this would lead to a direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has himself said he does not expect membership until after the war - but he wants the summit to give a \"clear signal\" on Ukraine\'s bid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several Nato members in Eastern Europe are pressing for a fast-track membership for their neighbour but others, including the US and Germany, are seen as more hesitant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian President Vladimir Putin\'s spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday warned that Ukraine\'s membership of Nato would have \"negative consequences for the entire security architecture, which is half destroyed as it is in Europe\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian membership would \"represent an absolute danger, threat to our country, which will require of us a quite firm and clear reaction\", Mr Peskov said. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 12:45:37', '2023-07-11 12:45:37'),
(7890, 7890, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Nato leaders are gathering in Lithuania for a crucial summit that could shape the direction of the war in Ukraine and the future of the Western alliance.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 31 allies hope to show Russia they have the resolve to support Ukraine militarily for the long term.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They arrive with a welcome boost after Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden joining the alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But there remains disagreement over what to say about Ukraine\'s own ambitions of future membership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is thought some allies will promise Kyiv new security guarantees designed to deter future Russian aggression. They will also discuss providing more weapons and ammunition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the membership issue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants Nato to say Ukraine could join as soon as possible after the fighting ends - setting out explicitly how and when this could be achieved.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But some Nato nations are reluctant to go too far, fearing the promise of near-automatic membership could give Russia an incentive both to escalate and drag out the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said no final decision had been made on the language of the final communiqué, but added: \"I am absolutely certain that we will have unity and a strong message on Ukraine.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But after late night talks on Monday, he announced that Turkey had agreed to support Sweden\'s application to join Nato. The news was welcomed by the US and Germany, as well as Sweden itself.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey had spent months blocking Stockholm\'s application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. Mr Stoltenberg said the two sides had worked together to address Turkey\'s \"legitimate security concerns\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier suggested he would back Sweden if the EU re-opened frozen membership talks with Ankara - a request that was rejected by EU officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over their two-day meeting, Nato leaders are expected to agree new plans to deter and defend the alliance against future Russian aggression by beefing up their forces in the east.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And they are also expected to step up their financial commitment, making the target of spending 2% of national wealth on defence a minimum figure, rather than a general ambition. Rishi Sunak\'s spokesman said the UK prime minister would call on allies directly to meet this target.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Security is tight in Vilnius, with Nato forces - including Patriot air defence missiles - defending a summit taking place only a short distance from Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The overarching aim of the meeting is for Nato to convince President Vladimir Putin of the alliance\'s long-term military commitment to Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials hope this could begin to change the Russian leader\'s thinking, putting doubt in his mind that he can outwait the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As such, some see this summit as potentially as important as military gains on the battlefield in persuading Mr Putin to change his strategy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So some Nato members will promise Ukraine new security guarantees. US President Joe Biden has suggested Ukraine could get the kind of military support his country gives Israel - long-term commitments designed to deter potential aggressors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The alliance will also deepen its institutional links with Ukraine. An existing forum - the Ukraine Nato Commission - will be upgraded to a Ukraine Nato Council. This will give Ukraine the ability to summon meetings of the alliance as an equal partner round the table. \"The right to consult is not insignificant,\" said one official.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But perhaps most importantly, some members are expected to set out more explicitly Ukraine\'s pathway to joining the alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nato agreed at its 2008 summit in Bucharest that Ukraine \"will\" become a member and supported its application. But the alliance did not say how and when this might happen. Critics say giving Ukraine a destination but no itinerary allowed Mr Putin to risk his invasions in both 2014 and 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv accepts Nato cannot formally invite Ukraine to join while fighting rages. That would risk plunging the alliance into war with Russia, as Nato would be obliged under Article 5 of its treaty to defend any member that is under attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Instead, Kyiv wants a clear promise of post-war membership with a timeline, so it knows victory will bring the security guarantee of Nato\'s nuclear umbrella.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One way for Nato to signal its desire to welcome Ukraine into its ranks would be to shorten the so-called membership application plan, known as the MAP. This is the formal process which tests whether a country meets Nato\'s strict military and governmental standards - and it can take decades.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But it is what Nato might actually say about Ukraine\'s potential membership that is dividing the alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Baltic states and eastern European nations are pushing for as much clarity as possible. They want the alliance to make clear how much progress Ukraine has made towards membership, especially how much more closely its army can operate with other Nato forces, now that it shares similar weapons and strategies. They also want Nato to make clear what further conditions Ukraine must meet to achieve membership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gitanas Nauseda, the president of Lithuania, said Nato should avoid Ukraine\'s membership becoming a horizon: \"The more you walk towards it, the farther it is.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But some allies - including the US and Germany - are cautious about promising Ukraine too much. They want Ukraine to do more to tackle corruption, strengthen its judiciary and ensure civilian control over its military.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some also worry about Nato getting dragged into open conflict with Russia. They fear promising Ukraine membership after the war would give Putin an incentive both to escalate the conflict and drag it out, maintaining low-intensity fighting to prevent Ukraine ever joining.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other allies also fear losing room for manoeuvre in any post-war negotiations. They want to use the promise of Nato membership as a carrot for Ukraine and a stick for Russia, but only after the fighting has ended.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 12:49:02', '2023-07-11 12:49:02'),
(7891, 7891, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Just five days after staging a short-lived rebellion, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin \'s commanders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pledged loyalty to the government, a senior government spokesman said Monday, the latest twist in a baffling episode that has raised questions about the power and influence both men wield.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The three-hour meeting took place June 29 and involved not only Prigozhin but commanders from his Wagner Group military contractor, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin gave an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine — where the mercenaries have fought alongside Russian troops — and of the revolt itself.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland,” Peskov said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The confirmation that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin, who led troops on a march to Moscow last month to demand a military leadership change, was extraordinary. Though the Russian leader branded Prigozhin a traitor as the revolt unfolded and vowed harsh punishment, the criminal case against the mercenary chief on rebellion charges was later dropped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prigozhin has not commented on the Kremlin meeting, and his ultimate fate remains unclear, particularly since Monday\'s announcement shows much is negotiated behind closed doors. He could still face prosecution for financial wrongdoing or other charges.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Monday\'s announcement came as Russia’s Defense Ministry published a video featuring military chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov — who was one of the targets of Prigozhin\'s rebellion. It was the first time Gerasimov has been seen since the revolt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the video, Gerasimov is seated at a table with his team, watching a video report from the chief of staff of Russia’s aerospace forces about a missile attack on Russian territory on Sunday. Gerasimov responds by calling for preemptive strikes against missile bases and for improvements in missile defenses.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The twin updates appeared to be another attempt by the Kremlin to show it’s in control after a turbulent period, and to reflect Putin\'s delicate balance between condemning the biggest threat to his 23-year rule and the man behind it while not alienating a popular figure whose troops scored the biggest battlefield victory for Russia in the past year of the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Putin speechwriter Abbas Gallyamov told The Associated Press that Putin acknowledges Prigozhin’s patriotism and needs his forces on the front line, while Prigozhin needs Putin to ensure his freedom from prosecution. The two are negotiating as allies, with Prigozhin escaping punishment, Gallyamov said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prigozhin “emerged victorious from this rebellion,” Gallyamov said in a Zoom interview from Tel Aviv. “He has shown himself to be the master of the situation.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Adding to the unusual nature of the meeting was that until very recently, Putin had denied any link between the state and Prigozhin’s forces. Mercenaries are illegal in Russia, but Wagner troops have fought for Russian interests around the globe and played a vital role in the capture of Bakhmut in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle. Putin has confirmed that Prigozhin\'s companies operated under government contracts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Throughout the war, Prigozhin has criticized decisions made by Russia’s top military brass, leading to tensions with the Kremlin that culminated in the June 24 mutiny.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rebellion severely weakened Putin’s authority, even though Prigozhin claimed the uprising was not aimed at the president but at removing Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gerasimov. Prigozhin called off his mutiny after a deal was brokered for him to go to Belarus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mark Galeotti, an author who heads the consulting firm Mayak Intelligence, said the delicate dance with Prigozhin is “a further compromise on Putin’s part and reflects his unwillingness to take tough and ruthless personnel decisions.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“He is willing to see Ukrainians bombed by the dozen, but not confront any of the figures in his own circle,” Galeotti wrote in The Spectator.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, predicted that some Russian observers would be stunned by the turn of events.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“When you look from the point of view of Russian elite, it’s ridiculous,” she told the AP. “It’s just so unbelievable and just so shocking.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Days after the revolt, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Prigozhin was in Belarus. But last week the president said the mercenary chief was in Russia while his troops remained in their camps.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Peskov said that during the June 29 meeting, Putin offered an “assessment” of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine and \"of the events of June 24.” The president also “listened to the explanations of the commanders and offered them options for further employment and further use in combat,” the Kremlin spokesman said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 35 people took part in the meeting, Peskov said. Putin has given options to Prigozhin’s fighters: fight as part of the regular Russian army, retire from service or join Prigozhin in Belarus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A NATO summit later this week in Lithuania is looking at how to crank up the pressure on Moscow after 16 months of war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In other developments, a Russian airstrike on a school in southern Ukraine killed seven people as residents gathered to receive humanitarian aid, authorities said, with the governor of Ukraine\'s Zaporizhzhia region branding the attack \"a war crime.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gov. Yuriy Malashko said a guided aerial bomb caused an explosion Sunday at a school in Orikhiv, without providing evidence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, Russia fired on 10 settlements in the province over the course of a day, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Moscow denies it targets civilian locations. Russia has been accused numerous times of doing so and committing other war crimes since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In March, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Investigations are also underway in Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, located in The Hague, is helping with those probes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive to regain occupied land, and on Monday, the deputy defense minister, Hanna Maliar, reported progress.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said the country’s fighters had reclaimed 10.2 square kilometers (3.9 square miles) of territory in the south and four square kilometers (1.5 square miles) in the east in the past week. The gains, she said on Telegram, included the commanding heights of Bakhmut, where Prigozhin’s forces declared control of the city in May. None of the claims could be independently verified. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 14:18:05', '2023-07-11 14:18:05'),
(7892, 7892, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">EU chief Charles Michel and Turkey\'s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Monday to seek closer cooperation after the Turkish leader demanded a return to European Union membership talks.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The pair met in Vilnius on the eve of the NATO summit, after Erdogan declared that Turkey would not approve Sweden\'s bid to join the alliance without a revival of Ankara\'s EU ambitions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a tweet, Michel hailed a \"good meeting\", adding that they had \"explored opportunities ahead to bring EU-Turkey cooperation back to the forefront and re-energise our relations.\" AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 15:13:22', '2023-07-11 15:13:22'),
(7893, 7893, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday asked Western allies for a \"clear signal\" on his country\'s NATO membership prospects, on the eve of a key alliance summit in Lithuania.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Ukraine deserves to be in the alliance. Not now, because now there\'s war, but we need a clear signal and this signal is needed right now,\" Zelensky said in a video message posted on Telegram. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 15:16:17', '2023-07-11 15:16:17'),
(7894, 7894, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ten people were killed and ten injured, including children, in two shootings Sunday in Guayaquil, the Ecuadoran port city in the grips of a bloody war between drug trafficking gangs, officials said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The shootings took place in two poor neighborhoods of the city that has seen at least three similar attacks since April.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first shooting killed four people and injured 10 -- including children aged 2, 13 and 14 -- in Siete Lagos in the south of the city, the prosecutor\'s office said on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The second occurred in the north of Guayaquil, where six people were killed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Such attacks have become more frequent in Ecuador, especially in Guayaquil, as rival gangs ramp up the fight for drug markets and routes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Home to three million of Ecuador\'s 18 million people, the port city has become a launch point for shipments of drugs to the United States and Europe.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ecuador is located between Colombia and Peru, the world\'s top producers of cocaine. The country also, conveniently for cartels, uses the US dollar as its currency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 420 prisoners have died in vicious fighting between criminal groups in Ecuadoran prisons since February 2021, many beheaded or burned alive. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 15:19:31', '2023-07-11 15:19:31');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7895, 7895, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In a grim report, the U.N. warned Monday that at the current rate of global progress 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and 84 million children won’t be going to school in 2030 – and it will take 286 years to reach equality between men and women.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report on progress in achieving 17 wide-ranging U.N. goals adopted by world leaders in 2015 to improve life for the world\'s more than 7 billion people said that only 15% of some 140 specific targets that experts evaluated are on track to be reached by the end of the decade.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Close to half the targets are moderately or severely off track, it said, and of those 30% have either seen no movement at all or regressed including key targets on poverty, hunger and climate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ambitious goals for 2030 include ensuring that hunger is eradicated and nobody lives on less than $2.15 a day which is the extreme poverty line, providing every child with a quality primary and secondary school education, achieving gender equality, ensuring all people have clean water, sanitation and access to affordable energy, reducing inequalities, and taking urgent action to combat climate change.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Unless we act now, the 2030 agenda could become an epitaph for a world that might have been,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a foreword to the report. “Failure to make progress means inequalities will continue to deepen, increasing the risk of a fragmented, two-speed world.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report was released ahead of a summit that Guterres has called during the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in September, which he said will be “a moment of truth and reckoning.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Undersecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua said conflicts including the war in Ukraine, climate change, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic especially its devastating financial impact on developing countries, and geopolitical tensions are all “threatening to derail hard-earned progress” toward achieving the goals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said in a foreword that the pandemic saw the largest decline in childhood vaccinations in three decades, an increase in tuberculosis and malaria deaths, and learning losses in 80% of the 104 countries studied. It also interrupted three decades of progress in reducing poverty, and produced the largest rise in inequality between countries in three decades, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“By May 2023, the devastating consequences of war, conflict and human rights violations had displaced a staggering 110 million people of which 35 million were refugees – the highest figure ever recorded,” the ECOSOC chief said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Li told a news conference launching the report that at the September summit, the U.N. would like political leaders to come up with “a new roadmap” to accelerate action at the global, regional and national level to achieve the goals by 2030.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With seven years left, the report said achieving the goals is “in deep trouble” and “it is time to sound the alarm.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At current rates, it said not only will 575 million people still be living in extreme poverty in 2030 but only about one-third of countries will meet the target to reduce national poverty levels by half.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Shockingly, the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005, and food prices remain higher in more countries than in the period 2015-2019,” the&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2021, the number of people suffering from hunger was close to 800 million, far above pre-pandemic levels, and in 2022 an estimated 45 million children under the age of 5 suffered from wasting and 148 million had stunted growth while 37 million were overweight, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As for education, the report said years of underinvestment and learning losses mean that without a major effort not only will an estimated 84 million children be out of school in 2030 but approximately 300 million students will lack basic literacy and math skills for success in life — and only one in six countries will achieve the target of universal secondary school completion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On tackling global warming, the report said, “If ever there was an illumination of the short-sightedness of our prevailing economic and political systems, it is the ratcheting up of the war on nature.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The small window of opportunity to keep temperatures from rising beyond the internationally agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis is fast closing, the report said, and the critical 1.5 degree tipping point is likely to be reached or surpassed by 2035. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 16:19:54', '2023-07-11 16:19:54'),
(7896, 7896, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality is in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 65 at 9:20 am, Dhaka ranked 21st on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Arab Emirates\' Dubai, Uganda\'s Kampala, Qatar’s Doha and Pakistan\'s Lahore occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 240, 154, 143 and 134, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 150 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\', AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', and a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 16:31:51', '2023-07-11 16:31:51'),
(7897, 7897, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said it\'s time to work together globally to achieve the public health goals outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This involves helping countries with less resources to improve their ability to handle health risks,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said this while addressing the two-day International Conference on Public Health and Diplomacy held at Grand Ballroom, Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that all are connected, regardless of how isolated they feel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“None of us can be truly safe until we make sure everyone is safe. Now is the time to work together globally to achieve the public health goals outlined in Sustainable Development Goal-3 and Goal-17,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that it is crucial to have a strong commitment from all countries and focused diplomatic efforts to achieve this.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I believe Bangladesh will play a leading role in this effort, considering its past success in protecting public health and dealing with the impact of the Covid pandemic,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this connection, the Prime Minister put forward five specific recommendations for regional cooperation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These are:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">First, further coordinate actions to ensure enhanced preparedness for and harmonised response to future health emergencies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Second, work together to eliminate preventable communicable diseases and share good practices on addressing the growing non-communicable disease burdens;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Third, give attention to mainstreaming mental health in national health systems and also collaborate on fatal public health hazards like drowning and accidents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fourth, mobilise combined facilities for medical education and research, with particular focus on tackling tropical diseases further aggravated by climate impacts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fifth, must consider the health of mothers, children and adolescents as the benchmark of our achievements with SDG-3, with the aim of promoting Universal Health Coverage across the region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Let us work together to ensure that global health governance, with WHO at the center, can meaningfully serve our entire humanity in the next seventy-five years and beyond. Let us help each other and share our experiences,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina said that Bangladesh did not forget about the 1.2 million Rohingyas who sought shelter from neighbouring Myanmar during the Covid pandemic period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“With the help of development partners Bangladesh made extensive preparations to offer them regular check-ups, vaccinations, and healthcare services,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read: Know the country first before applying foreign knowledge in dev plans: PM to scholars</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PM said that it should not be forgotten that this huge population residing in Bangladesh has always been a humanitarian crisis and a security concern for this region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Only their safe and dignified return to Myanmar can ensure a sustainable solution to this crisis. And I hope that Myanmar will take back their nationals very soon,” she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mentioning that Covid-19 pandemic hit Bangladesh like other countries in early 2020, the prime minister said that her country has been able to reduce the loss of human lives and keep the economy running due to the continuation of its long-standing activities in the health sector and the timely action of the government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this connection, she mentioned that with the help of development partners, Bangladesh was able to purchase and administer vaccines at the earliest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We’ve provided Covid-19 vaccination to 100 percent of eligible people in our country free of cost,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that Bangladesh ranks among the top five countries in the world in overall Covid management and recovery.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, Union Minister of Ministry of Health, Myanmar Thetkhaing Win, Bhutanese Health Minister Lyonpo Dasho Dechen Wangmo, Deputy Minister of Health, Maldives Safiyya Mohamed Saeed, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thailand Vijavat Israbhakdi and WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Bardan Jung Rana also spoke.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Health Services Division Secretary Dr Md Anwar Hossain Howlader delivered welcome speech while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen gave introductory presentation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An audio-visual presentation was also screened at the opening ceremony of the conference, jointly organised by ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of health and family welfare in cooperation with WHO. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 17:38:09', '2023-07-11 17:38:09'),
(7898, 7898, '<p style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">NATO will lay out a path of reforms for Ukraine so that it can eventually join the alliance, but without giving a \"timetable,\" White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.</span><br></p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">A \"reform path for Ukraine\" will be drawn up but \"I can\'t put a timetable on it,\" Sullivan told reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius, also announcing that President Joe Biden will meet Ukraine\'s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday. AFP</p><p style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</p>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 17:43:20', '2023-07-11 17:43:20'),
(7899, 7899, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Akshay Kumar is back, this time as someone like Lord Shiva, in his upcoming film Oh My God 2. He shared the teaser on Instagram and captioned it, “Rakh vishwas (have faith).” It shows him in a shirtless avatar, long dreadlocks and ash smeared on his forehead as he channels Lord Shiva for his devotee, played by Pankaj Tripathi.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the original Oh My God revolved around Paresh Rawal, who played an atheist; OMG 2 has Pankaj Tripathi, a believer in Lord Shiva named Kanti Sharan Mudgal. The teaser opens with Pankaj Tripathi\'s voiceover as he says that a human being can give prove of God\'s existence by being either a believer or his absence by being an atheist but, God always comes to the rescue of a person in need.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It begins with a mention of Paresh\'s story in the first installment and goes on to show how Pankaj Tripathi\'s Kanti Sharan Mudgal worships Lord Shiva with utmost dedication and glimpses of how his family suffers a tragedy. There is also a glimpse of a child dying by suicide under a train.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Yami Gautam also stars in OMG 2</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There is however, no glimpse of Yami Gautam who plays a lawyer in the film. Directed by Amit Rai, Oh My God 2 is a sequel to the original in which Akshay had essayed the character of Lord Krishna.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yami had unveiled her look from OMG 2 last week. Sharing a still of herself from the film, she wrote on Instagram, “Miliye Kamini Maheshwari se. #OMG2 in theatres on August 11!”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About working on OMG 2, Yami earlier told Bollywood Hungama, “He (Akshay) is a very good producer also, and someone who is very passionate about this film. When I was given the narration I could feel that he really wants to make it with the right team. Of course, whatever chance I got to work with Pankaj Tripathi ji also, such a fantastic actor. With the new writing, there is another perspective which is very relevant, talked about, yet not talked about. So that will be interesting to see.” HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 17:51:15', '2023-07-11 17:51:15'),
(7900, 7900, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Three activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Islamic University unit allegedly vandalised the medical centre on campus in Kushtia early Tuesday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The three have been identified as Rezwan Siddiqi Kabbo, Atik Arman and Salman Ohin – students of the university’s law department. All are activists of BCL’s Islamic University unit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wahidur Rahman Milton, duty doctor at the medical centre on campus, told UNB that Kabbo along with the two others came to him, complaining of chest pain. Ten minutes after receiving treatment, Kabbo misbehaved with him, as he was “drunk” and asked for an ambulance, the doctor said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, the three students vandalised the medical centre and forced the ambulance driver to take them to Kushtia town, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Islamic University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof M Mahbubur Rahman, Treasurer Prof M Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya and Proctor Prof M Shahadat Hossain Azad visited the medical centre this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The proctor said that they would take legal action against the accused involved in vandalising the medical center.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A written complaint was submitted to the university’s Acting Registrar HM Ali Hasan in this regard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is worth mentioning that the university authorities suspended Kabbo for violating the university’s rules and regulations on July 23, 2022.His suspension has not been withdrawn yet, the proctor said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 18:29:26', '2023-07-11 18:29:26'),
(7901, 7901, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rebecca Momin, a lawmaker from Netrokona-4 constituency, passed away this morning. She was 76.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She breathed her last around 4:30 am while undergoing treatment at Square Hospital in Dhaka, Mohanganj Upazila Parishad Chairman and upazila Awami League\'s General Secretary Shahid Iqbal confirmed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She had been suffering from various old age complications for several years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rebecca Momin was a three-time MP, nominated by Awami League for Netrokona-4 (Madan-Mohanganj-Khaliajuri) constituency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She was the wife of Liberation War organiser Abdul Momin, who was also a presidium member of Awami League.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hailing from Netrokona\'s Mohanganj upazila, the veteran politician is survived by a daughter and a host of well-wishers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rebecca, who started her journey in politics as the vice-president of Rajshahi University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League in the 1960s, held various positions in the party throughout her long political career. She was also a former member of the Netrokona district Awami League.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2008, she was elected as a member of parliament for the first time. She was also elected MP in the 10th and 11th Jatiya Sangsad (parliament).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rebecca Momin also served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first namaz-e-janaza for Rebecca Momin was held at Baitul Aman Jame Masjid in Dhaka\'s Dhanmondi at 10 am and the second janaza was set to be held at Muktapara field in Netrokona at 2:30 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the third namaz-e-janaza at 6 pm at her residence in Mohanganj Kajiati, Rebecca Momin will be buried there next to her husband\'s grave. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 18:40:08', '2023-07-11 18:40:08'),
(7902, 7902, '<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Leaders of the Election Monitoring Forum (EMF) today informed the Election Exploratory Mission from European Union (EU) that the Election Commission has proven its “impartiality, courage and capability” in holding free and fair polls in five city corporations held recently.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though a major political party did not participate in the recently held elections in the five city corporations, a large part of their former councilors and local leaders took part in the elections and were elected, the EMF leaders said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In all the local elections that have been held recently, the EMF leaders said, they have observed that the government has not interfered or influenced the elections and has fully cooperated with the Election Commission in maintaining law and order situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chairman of the Election Monitoring Forum, Professor Mohammad Abed Ali, was present during the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Advisor of the Election Monitoring Forum and former Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury, directors of the forum – Vice-Chancellor of DUET Prof M Habibur Rahman and BUET Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Jabbar Khan – were also present at the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the meeting, the EMF leaders said that the current Election Commission has recently implemented strict monitoring of law-and-order situation with CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of voters in local elections and cancellation of elections due to irregularities in Gaibandha by-election has boosted the confidence of voters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EMF leaders feel that there is a need to analyze not only the 2014 and 2018 elections but also the results of the 1996, 2001 and 2008 elections and the various complaints of the defeated opposition parties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Welcoming the representatives of the EU mission, the EMF leaders said despite Bangladesh not being a member of the European Union, they are looking at the EU’s interest in polls in Bangladesh with a positive attitude.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, people of the country do not support external interference in the electoral system or process of Bangladesh, according to a media release issued by the EMF.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The visiting delegation began their activities in Bangladesh on Sunday to assess the situation on the ground ahead of the country’s upcoming national election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Delegation leader Chelleri Riccardo and his team held a number of meetings so far including with diplomats stationed in Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The visiting delegation also had a meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis, said a diplomatic source.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU delegation will be in Bangladesh till July 23 to assess the situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The main objective of the Election Exploratory Mission is to assess the “advisability, usefulness and feasibility” of a possible EU Election Observation Mission for the upcoming parliamentary election, according to the EU Mission in Dhaka. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 19:35:00', '2023-07-11 19:35:00'),
(7903, 7903, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In their quest for a historic clean sweep over Bangladesh, Afghanistan have won the toss and chosen to bat first in the third and final ODI of the series in Chattogram.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh has made three changes to their playing XI. Ebadot Hossain, who suffered a knee injury in the last match, along with Mustafizur Rahman and Hasan Mahmud, have been replaced by Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Taijul Islam.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Afghanistan has also made two changes for this match. Their star spinner, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Saleem have been rested, making way for Abdul Rahman and Zia-ur-Rehman, who will be making their ODI debuts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the previous match, Afghanistan batted first and posted a total of 331 runs. Bangladesh failed to chase it down, resulting in their first-ever ODI series defeat to Afghanistan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the first match, Bangladesh lost by 17 runs under the DL Method, with rain interruptions throughout the game.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the conclusion of the ODI series, both teams will face off in a three-match T20I series in Sylhet.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh (Playing XI): Mohammad Naim, Litton Das (c), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (w), Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Taijul Islam.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Zia-ur-Rehman. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 19:39:58', '2023-07-11 19:39:58'),
(7904, 7904, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A helicopter went missing in Nepal on Tuesday carrying five Mexican tourists and a Nepali pilot, the company said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Manang Air chopper took off from Surke, close to Lukla in the Everest region at 10:04 am (0419 GMT), heading for the capital Kathmandu, but lost contact about 10 minutes later.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Search efforts are underway. We have sent another helicopter to search,\" Raju Neupane of Manang Air told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nepal is notorious for its poor aviation safety, and the latest incident comes almost six months after a plane crash in western Nepal which killed all 72 people on board.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Himalayan country has some of the world\'s most remote and tricky runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks with approaches that pose a challenge even for accomplished pilots.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The weather can also change quickly in the mountains, creating treacherous flying conditions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition, Nepal\'s aviation sector has been plagued by poor safety due to insufficient training and maintenance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 20:16:04', '2023-07-11 20:16:04'),
(7905, 7905, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BBC chief Tim Davie on Tuesday faced a media grilling after claims that a top presenter paid a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The accusations fuelled a fifth straight day of frontpage headlines with broadcast media, including the publicly-funded BBC, also leading its own radio and television news bulletins with the story.</div><div><br></div><div>The allegations first emerged in an article published Friday in The Sun tabloid in which the alleged victim\'s family said the presenter had paid a total of £35,000 ($45,000) for the pictures.</div><div><br></div><div>The Sun, which leans towards the ruling Conservative party, said the exchanges between the presenter and the young person started three years ago when the teenager was 17.</div><div><br></div><div>The damaging headlines come after the broadcaster was rocked in recent years by scandals which saw some of their biggest names revealed as serial sex offenders.</div><div><br></div><div>Davie, the corporation\'s director general, was due to brief the media on the BBC\'s annual report but will inevitably face questions about the furore.</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, The Sun doubled down on its story after a lawyer acting for the young person involved rubbished the claims.</div><div><br></div><div>In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer said \"nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality\".</div><div><br></div><div>The mother of the youngster, who is now 20, however, told The Sun she had spoken out to help her child who she says used the money from the presenter to fuel a crack cocaine addiction.</div><div><br></div><div>The BBC said on Sunday it had suspended the unnamed presenter.</div><div><br></div><div>London\'s Metropolitan Police said detectives from its Specialist Crime Command met representatives from the BBC virtually on Monday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>\"They are assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed,\" it said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"There is no investigation at this time,\" a statement added.</div><div><br></div><div>Britain has strict privacy and defamation laws, which has made the media increasingly wary about revealing a person\'s identity before they are formally under investigation or arrest.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2018, the BBC itself was forced to pay substantial damages for breach of privacy to the singer Cliff Richard after it broadcast live footage of a 2014 police raid on his home.</div><div><br></div><div>But there has been a swirl of speculation about the presenter\'s identity on social media.</div><div><br></div><div>The scandal comes against a background of attacks on the BBC by members of the ruling Conservatives since the divisive Brexit referendum in 2016.</div><div><br></div><div>The critics have accused it of pro-EU bias, with others in the UK\'s predominantly Tory-supporting right-wing press accusing it of having a \"woke\" agenda. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 21:03:17', '2023-07-11 21:03:17'),
(7906, 7906, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said that Awami League prefers dictatorship and feudalism as the party does not believe in democracy and the rights of people.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a training programme for the female leaders and workers of BNP at the party chairperson\'s Gulshan office, he also said delegations from different countries are coming to Bangladesh to talk about elections and human rights as the Awami League government has destroyed democracy by holding two ‘flawed’ and \'lopsided\' elections in 2014 and 2018.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“Awami League has a characteristic problem that they do not believe in democracy. They choose dictatorship and feudalism. They have a mindset that there‘s no one else in the country except them and they’re the only owners of the country,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said it is unfortunate for the nation that there is no democracy in the country while the democratic space for the political parties has been destroyed.</div><div><br></div><div>He questioned whether there is any democratic party in the world except BNP, whose four million leaders and workers are facing false political cases and the chief of the party has been convicted on false charges and all the senior leaders of the party are facing false cases on fake charges.</div><div><br></div><div>Citing a newspaper report, Fakhrul alleged that the government is trying to speed up the trial in the cases filed against him and their party chief Khaleda Zia. “They’ve instructed the police authorities and even the Law Ministry issued a letter to the judges to speed up the trial and dispose of the cases (against opposition leaders and activists)…the rulers are doing this as they don’t believe in democracy.&nbsp; They want to hang onto power and they don’t respect and count the other political parties.”</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said they have been carrying out a movement for the restoration of democracy in a democratic manner as the usurper government held two elections completely deceiving people by force.</div><div><br></div><div>“Competitive elections are the key elements to uphold the democratic practice…but the rulers in this country talk about democracy, but they never practice it,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said there are now many discussions about the frequent trips of delegations from different countries to Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“An American delegation is coming today (Tuesday) while a team of EU has already arrived here to know about human rights democracy and elections here. Why do they come to Bangladesh? Because there’s no democracy here and there’re no (credible) elections and elections are not held (fairly) here,” Fakhrul observed, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said a level-playing field having equal opportunity for all political parties is necessary for a good election, but it is not possible to ensure when the government tries to suppress opposition leaders and activists by arresting, jailing, killing, and implicating them in false cases and when it tries to prevent the opposition from function and holding their programmes by using the state machinery.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 22:30:04', '2023-07-11 22:30:04'),
(7907, 7907, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of ruling Awami League lawmaker from Netrokona-4 constituency Rebecca Momin.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>In a condolence message, the premier prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family, according to a press release, signed by AL office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua. She was 76.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Rebecca Momin, wife of former AL Presidium Member and ex-Food Minister Abdul Momin, breathed her last at about 4.30am today while undergoing treatment at Square Hospitals Ltd in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>She left behind her daughter and a host of relatives and well-wishers and political admirers to mourn her death. Source: BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-11 23:55:00', '2023-07-11 23:55:00'),
(7908, 7908, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a significant milestone for the AI industry, Odisha TV, an Odia-based news station, has unveiled \"Lisa,\" India\'s first regional AI news anchor. Lisa\'s introduction marks a groundbreaking moment in TV broadcasting and journalism, with the potential to revolutionize the industry.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In a video shared by OTV on Twitter, Lisa confidently introduces herself, expressing her excitement for this historic occasion. The news station revealed that she would soon be hosting news updates, showcasing her capabilities as an AI news anchor. Lisa possesses the remarkable ability to speak multiple languages, including Odia, English, and others.</div><div><br></div><div>OTV acknowledged the challenge of training Lisa in the Odia language and disclosed that efforts are underway to further enhance her proficiency. The ultimate goal is to develop her interactive skills, enabling seamless communication with others. The news station also encouraged viewers to connect with Lisa on various social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.</div><div><br></div><div>OTV acknowledged the challenge of training Lisa in the Odia language and disclosed that efforts are underway to further enhance her proficiency. The ultimate goal is to develop her interactive skills, enabling seamless communication with others. The news station also encouraged viewers to connect with Lisa on various social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.</div><div><br></div><div>This unveiling follows a similar development earlier in March, when the India Today Group introduced their own AI news anchor named Sona. Described as \"bright, gorgeous, ageless, and tireless,\" Sona boasted multilingual proficiency and the ability to be controlled effortlessly.</div><div><br></div><div>With Lisa\'s emergence as India\'s first regional AI news anchor, the boundaries of AI in the media industry continue to be pushed, opening up new possibilities for engaging and dynamic news presentations in different languages and regional contexts. Source: The Economic Times.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 00:02:30', '2023-07-12 00:02:30'),
(7909, 7909, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Shoriful Islam took a career-best 4-21 to leave Bangladesh hopeful of avoiding a series whitewash in Tuesday\'s third and final one-day international against Afghanistan in Chittagong.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The visitors were all out for 126 in 45.2 overs, their lowest ODI total against Bangladesh, with tail-ender Azmatullah Omarzai offering some late resistance to top-score on 56.</div><div><br></div><div>The tourists won the toss and elected to bat first but never managed to get their innings going.</div><div><br></div><div>Shoriful struck early after taking the field for the first time this series, dismissing Ibrahim Zadran for one and Rahmat Shah for a duck in the third over.</div><div><br></div><div>Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who smashed a career-best 145 in the previous match, saw one catch land in no man\'s land but soon top-edged Taskin Ahmed to depart for six.</div><div><br></div><div>Shoriful compounded Afghanistan\'s woes by trapping Mohammad Nabi leg-before to leave the tourists teetering at 15-4 inside nine overs.</div><div><br></div><div>Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran stemmed the rot, but Shakib Al Hasan sent back the latter for 10 to stop their partnership from developing.</div><div><br></div><div>Shahidi dragged one off Taijul Islam onto his stumps to end his patient knock of 22 from 54 balls.</div><div><br></div><div>Omarzai helped Afghanistan past the 100-run mark with his maiden ODI fifty after the quick departure of debutants Abdul Rahman (four) and Zia-ur-Rehman (five).</div><div><br></div><div>He was the last man dismissed, holing out a catch to Naim Sheikh at long-off off Taskin, who claimed 2-23.</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan are already only the second team to win an ODI series in Bangladesh in the past seven years, with world champions England being the other. According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 00:05:42', '2023-07-12 00:05:42'),
(7910, 7910, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Detectives in special drives arrested 16 members of a gang who allegedly used to commit robbery in the guise of DB police, from Gazipur and Dhaka on Monday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The arrestees were Shahidul Islam Majhi, 53, Sagar Chandra, 30, Shah Alam Hawladar, 35, Quamrul Islam, 30, Maksudul Moin, 43, Hasan, 38, Nurul Islam, 30, Khalilur Rahman, 46, Akram Hossain, 38, Dwin Islam, 35, Elias Ahmed, 32, Farhad Ali, 66, Riaz Hossain, 31, Shafiqul Islam, 50, Serajul Islam, 44 and Zahirul Islam, 38,</div><div><br></div><div>Tipped off, a team of Cantonment DB zonal team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) conducted a drive in Mouchak area of Kaliakoir upazila of Gazipur district and arrested the ringleaders of the gang Shahidul, Sagar, Shah Alam, Quamrul and Maksudul at night, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner for media Faruk Hossain while briefing reporters on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Based on the information gleaned from Shahidul, the DB team arrested the other members of the gang from Demra and Khilkhet area in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>They also seized two jackets, two signal lights, one handcuff and stickers.</div><div><br></div><div>During interrogation, they said that they in collusion with others used to follow customers of banks and money exchange offices in Motijheel, Paltan, Dhanmondi and Gulshan areas.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the other members of the gang picked up the targeted person into microbus and looted valuables including cash money, said DC Faruk.</div><div><br></div><div>They were also wanted in several cases, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>During interrogation, police also came to know that Abdul Aziz, the plaintiff of a case, received Tk 13 lakh from his friend and hired a motorbike from Paltan intersection to go to his Khilkhet residence around 5:45 pm on June 17.</div><div><br></div><div>At 7:55, three to four people from a microbus waylaid the motorbike and picked him up into a microbus in the guise of DB police.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, they beat him up inside the microbus after tying his hands, eyes and legs and looted money, kept in a bag. They also looted three mobile phone sets, and withdrew Tk 37,000 using the pin number of bKash agent. Then they freed him at Kanchan Bridge of Rupganj upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>After getting the complaint, the DB team conducted the drive and managed to arrest the muggers with the help of technology. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 01:04:05', '2023-07-12 01:04:05'),
(7911, 7911, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Seven more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning – the highest single-day casualties from the mosquito-borne disease this year.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The new casualties have raised the number of Dengue fatalities in Bangladesh to 83 this year.</div><div><br></div><div>During the period, 1,054 more patients – highest single-day tally reported this year – were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div><br></div><div>Of the new patients, 628 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to DGHS.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 3,303 dengue patients, including 2, 306 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, the DGHS has recorded 14,897 dengue cases, 11,511 recoveries.</div><div><br></div><div>According to DGHS tally, Bangladesh has recorded 70 out of 83 dengue casualties in the months of June and July.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 02:55:25', '2023-07-12 02:55:25');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7912, 7912, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya arrived here on Tuesday evening to advance “shared solutions” to global challenges; contribute to a more free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific; and bolster humanitarian support for refugees and host communities throughout the region.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen received Under Secretary Uzra Zeya upon arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.</div><div><br></div><div>US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas was also present.</div><div><br></div><div>In Bangladesh, the Under Secretary will discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis; labor issues; human rights; free and fair elections; and combating trafficking in persons, according to US Department of State.</div><div><br></div><div>She will visit the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday as the Rohingya issue remains one of the top priorities of her visit.</div><div><br></div><div>The US Under Secretary is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman apart from her meetings with Law and Home Ministers and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, a diplomatic source told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The United States has said holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh is a \"shared desire\" of the two friendly countries.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It’s a desire that we share as a friend and partner of Bangladesh for over 50 years,\" said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a regular briefing at the State Department on Monday (July 10, 2023).</div><div><br></div><div>He noted that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has repeatedly stated her own commitment to free and fair elections.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I don’t know why anyone would object to us calling for free and fair elections,\" Miller said, apparently referring to statements that came from Russia, China and Iranian media.</div><div><br></div><div>Miller reiterated that they do not support one political party over the other. \"We support a genuine democratic process.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"We don’t consider it interference in internal affairs when other countries raise our elections process with us. We welcome those discussions as an opportunity to strengthen our democracy, and we don’t know why any other countries would object,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked whether US Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary Donald Lu will engage with the ruling party and the opposition party BNP, Miller said she will meet with senior government officials to discuss shared humanitarian concerns, including the Rohingya refugee crisis, labor issues, human rights, free and fair elections, and combating trafficking in persons.</div><div><br></div><div>US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID Änjali Kaur are part of the US delegation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>Zeya leads global diplomatic efforts to strengthen democracy, advance universal human rights, support refugees and humanitarian relief, promote rule of law and counternarcotics cooperation, fight corruption and intolerance, prevent armed conflict, and eliminate human trafficking. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 03:08:27', '2023-07-12 03:08:27'),
(7913, 7913, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Soybean and other edible oils are becoming slightly cheaper as the refiners decided to decrease the price from Wednesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (BVORVMA) in a statement informed this on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the decision, the price of bottled soybean oil decreased by Tk10 to Tk179 per liter and the price of loose soybean oil dropped by Tk8 to Tk159 per liter.</div><div><br></div><div>According to BVORVMA, a 5-litre bottle of soybean oil will cost Tk873, down by Tk43 from the previous price. The price of loose palm oil has been reduced by Tk5 per liter to Tk128 while bottled palm oil prices have been reduced by Tk12 per liter to Tk148.</div><div><br></div><div>The new rates have been fixed following discussions with the commerce ministry and the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, the statement mentioned. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 03:56:19', '2023-07-12 03:56:19'),
(7914, 7914, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>From the fear of suffering a clean sweep, Bangladesh ended the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan with a comfortable win by seven wickets on Wednesday in Chattogram.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh bowled exceptionally well in this match and restricted Afghanistan to 126 runs. And later they chased down the target in 23.3 overs with seven wickets in hand.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>However, with the defeats in the first two matches, the Tigers lost the series 2-1. It was their first-ever ODI series defeat against Afghanistan.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan won the toss in this match and opted to bat first. But they failed to replicate the batting performance that they showed in the second match when they scored 331 runs at the same venue.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam was extraordinary in the middle. He bagged three early wickets— Ibarahim Zadran, Rahman Shah, and Mohammad Nabi. Taskin Ahmed, on the other end of the wicket, scalped Rahmanullah Gurbaz who hit a ton in the previous game.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Afghanistan were stuttering, losing four wickets inside the first 10 overs.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Azmatullah Omarzai scored a fifty for Afghanistan. He ended up on 56 while Hashmatullah Shahidi scored 22.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>For Bangladesh, Shoriful bagged four wickets while Taskin Ahmed and Taijul Islam took two wickets each.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In reply, Bangladesh lost Mohammad Naim quickly for a duck. But Litton Das hit an unbeaten 53 and guided the team to a big win. Shakib Al Hasan also contributed well with 39 off 39 balls.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Now both teams will take on each other in a three-match T20I series in Sylhet starting on July 14th. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 04:00:26', '2023-07-12 04:00:26'),
(7915, 7915, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Nato states have said Ukraine can join the military alliance \"when allies agree and conditions are met\" after President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the \"absurd\" delay to accession.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a communique, Nato said it recognised the need to move faster but would not be drawn on a timeframe.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier Mr Zelensky said there seemed to be \"no readiness\" to invite Ukraine to Nato or make it a member.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He is now in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where the summit is happening.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kyiv accepts it cannot join Nato while it is at war with Russia but wants to join as soon as possible after fighting ends.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Mr Zelensky, tweeting before Mr Stoltenberg\'s comments, said that the lack of an agreed timeframe meant his country\'s eventual membership could become a bargaining chip.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"A window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine\'s membership in Nato in negotiations with Russia. Uncertainty is weakness,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nato might not have said when and how Ukraine might join the alliance. But diplomats emphasised that they had set out a clearer path to membership, and the onerous application process had been shortened significantly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The alliance had recognised Ukraine\'s army was increasingly \"interoperable\" and more \"politically integrated\" with Nato forces and it would continue to support reforms to Ukraine\'s democracy and security sector.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Diplomats also highlighted the creation of a new Nato-Ukraine Council, meeting on Wednesday for the first time, which will give Kyiv the right to summon meetings of the whole alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the decision to give no sense of timescale will be seen as a setback for Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though such detail was always unlikely, Mr Zelensky\'s decision to say the absence of a timetable was \"absurd\" only emphasised his diplomatic failure.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some member states fear near-automatic membership for Ukraine could give Russia an incentive to both escalate and prolong the war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The focus now will move to what long-term security guarantees Nato members will promise Ukraine as an alternative to early membership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the past, Western security pledges failed to deter two Russian invasions. Nato allies hope a third round will be robust and explicit enough to persuade the Kremlin that further aggression would be too costly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Addressing crowds in Vilnius later, Mr Zelensky said: \"Nato will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make the alliance stronger.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Zelensky also presented a battle flag from the destroyed city of Bakhmut - the site of the longest, and possibly bloodiest, battle in Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Vilnius summit comes a day after Turkey dropped its opposition to Sweden joining the military alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey had previously spent months blocking Sweden\'s application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. The country will now become the alliance\'s 32nd member after Finland - which borders Russia, joined in April.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both countries announced their intention to join Nato after Russia invaded Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A series of military packages for Ukraine were also announced at the summit on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets at a centre to be set up in Romania in August, officials said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In May the US gave the go-ahead for its Western allies to supply Ukraine with advanced jets, including the long sought F-16s - a significant upgrade on the Soviet-era planes it is currently using.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine had repeatedly lobbied its Western allies to provide jets to help with its recently-begun counter-offensive aiming to retake territory seized by Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However experts say the training of Ukrainian pilots to fly and operate Western jets will take some time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Moscow would be forced to use \"similar\" weapons if the US supplied controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The weapons release bomblets over a wide area and are banned by more than 100 countries over their impact on civilians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Shoigu said Russia had similar cluster weapons but had so far refrained from using them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rights groups say Russia and Ukraine have already used cluster munitions during the 17 months of war since Russia invaded last February. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 12:34:43', '2023-07-12 12:34:43'),
(7916, 7916, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">North Korea has fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Japanese officials report.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The long-range missile has been in flight for more than an hour and is expected to land short of Japanese waters on Wednesday morning, Japan\'s defence minister said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pyongyang\'s launch comes after it threatened retaliation against alleged US spy plane incursions over its land.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier this week it threatened to shoot down such planes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Washington has dismissed the accusations, saying its military actions were in line with international law.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday, both Japanese and South Korean military officials reported detecting the missile\'s launch around 10:00 local time (01:00 GMT).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both countries later reported the missile was believed to be an ICBM, a long-range missile that can traverse continents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">ICBMs are particularly worrying because of their long range, including mainland United States. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 13:27:13', '2023-07-12 13:27:13'),
(7917, 7917, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bollywood, India\'s hugely popular Hindi film industry, is often described as a man\'s world.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It\'s something that\'s been talked about for a long time, but now a new study shows just how little gender equality there is - both on and off screen.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The $2.1bn (£1.5bn) industry produces hundreds of films every year and has a massive following among Indians globally. The sway the films and the stars have on their fans\' imagination cannot be overstated. But over the years, many Bollywood films have been criticised for being regressive, promoting misogyny and gender biases.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a first of its kind study, researchers from Tiss (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) in Mumbai attempted to quantify just how severe the stranglehold of patriarchy on Hindi cinema is.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They selected 25 of the biggest box-office hits from 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, and 10 women-centric films between 2012 and 2019 - the period was chosen to see if there were any changes in the narrative following the 2012 gang-rape of a female student on a bus in Delhi, the resulting uproar over the crime and the introduction of tough new laws to deal with crimes against women.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The list of hits included War, Kabir Singh, Mission Mangal, Dabangg3, Housefull4 and Article 15 and the women-centric films included Raazi, Queen, Lipstick Under My Burkha and Margarita with a Straw, among others.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The researchers studied nearly 2,000 on-screen characters to see the types of occupation actors played and analysed the films over several parameters such as sexual stereotyping, consent and intimacy and harassment. They counted the number of LGBTQ+ and disabled characters and how they were portrayed, and studied how many women worked off-screen on these films.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They have concluded that though women-centric films give some reason for optimism, the box-office hits continue to be sexist and regressive and women and queer representation remains abysmal in them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For instance, 72% of characters in the films that were analysed were played by men, 26% by women and 2% by queer actors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prof Lakshmi Lingam, the project lead for the study, says \"the big bucks are riding on all big men in Bollywood\" and the filmmakers say \"a very strong female character won\'t work with the audiences\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There\'s very little attempt to do something different because patriarchal norms colour people\'s idea of a story or narrative and they come to believe that this is what can give them money,\" she told the BBC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So, she says, they stick to the \"formula\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The protagonist has to be male from the upper caste, the female lead has to be thin and beautiful. She has to be coy and demure who expresses consent through gestures rather than words, but wears sexually revealing clothing and has to be somewhat modern to allow for her to be in a pre-marital relationship which is a transgression.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The jobs on screen are also imagined through a narrow gender lens - Prof Lingam says although \"42% female leads were employed in these films - [way higher than India\'s real employment figures of 25.1%] - they were in very stereotypical professions\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Nine in 10 men were in decision-making roles playing army officers, policemen, politicians and crime lords; women mostly played doctors and nurses, teachers and journalists and only one in 10 were in decision making roles,\" she says.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The portrayal of the LGBTQ+ characters, the study shows, remains hugely problematic - they were never in a decision-making role and often a butt of sexist jokes. The disabled fared equally poorly -making up only 0.5% of all characters and most were used as tropes to invoke sympathy or as comic relief.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Filmmakers say it\'s the reality they\'re showing. But there is so much other reality that they do not show. They swing between reality and fantasy to justify being like this,\" Prof Lingam says.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The depiction of women and queergender in the industry, she adds, must change because \"real life is also dictated by what we see in cinema\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In India, where families and schools rarely teach about sex education and consent, all our responses are influenced by books and cinema,\" she says, adding that it\'s a problem when a film like Kabir Singh shows the male lead stalking and harassing the heroine to woo her.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It normalises toxic masculinity. so when a woman is stalked or harassed on the street, everyone says it happens. And there is rarely any pushback.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A few films though, she points out, are breaking from the mould - for instance, in Mission Mangal, when a rocket scientist, played by Vidya Balan, is berated by her husband for spending too much time at work and ignoring their children, she turns around and asks him if children aren\'t his responsibility too.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Queen and Lipstick Under my Burkha were among a handful of films that were led by women actors and revolved around strong female characters. But the number of such films is still very low.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Visual media, Prof Lingam says, \"can bring new narratives into the conversation and change won\'t happen overnight, but it will happen over time\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, she says, have already shown the way forward. \"There\'s a lot of churn in society and people are producing different content to reflect that. There\'s a lot of interesting content on OTT platforms that is doing well.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, the Bollywood formula is no longer working. \"Many male-dominated violent films helmed by some of our biggest stars such as Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have bombed. The one exception has been Shah Rukh Khan\'s Pathaan.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So the industry, she says, needs to re-imagine these ideas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The typical thinking is that a majority of the audience is male so films are being made for them. We are not saying don\'t do those films, but do a spectrum of films so that there is a wide variety.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One reason, she says, why the Bollywood gaze is so overwhelmingly male is because there are so few women working off-screen in the industry and even fewer in core filmmaking departments - the films Tiss studied had more than 26,300 men and only 4,100 women in the crew.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If films are made for a diverse audience, by a diverse people behind the screen, the stories will also be diverse,\" says Prof Lingam. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 13:44:39', '2023-07-12 13:44:39'),
(7918, 7918, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The BNP and like-minded political parties are all set to jointly announce a ‘one-point\' simultaneous movement for the resignation of the current regime with a view to holding the next national election under a neutral government through separate rallies in the capital on Wednesday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP is scheduled to hold a public rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office at 2pm from where party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will announce the programmes to kick off their one-point movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ganatantra Mancha, a platform of six parties that shares the BNP\'s view that the government must resign ahead of elections, or otherwise be toppled through a movement, will announce their participation in the one-point movement at 4pm by holding a meeting at the Jatiya Press Club.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A separate 12-party alliance that similarly believes no fair election can be held under the Awami League-led government will come up with a similar announcement from a rally in front of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) at 12pm. The same is expected of the Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote at Bijoynagar, the Liberal Democratic Party at Tejgaon and Gonoforum and People’s Party at Motijheel and Labour Party at Nayapaltan at different times on the day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, two splinter groups of the Gono Odhikar Parishad (one led by Reza Kibria and the other by Nurul Haque Nur), Gonotantrik Bam Oikya, Samomona Gonotantrik Peshajibi Jote and Sadaran Chhatra Odhikar Sanrakshan Parishad will also hold rallies in front of the Jatiya Press Club around 3pm and announce the their participation in the one-point movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP has held separate meetings with each of these parties and alliances and finalised their next course of action. The party\'s Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said BNP and other parties involved with the simultaneous movement will make a joint announcement of the one-point movement from their respective positions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We think the nation will be optimistic and encouraged through such a declaration. It’ll also help intensify the movement to ensure the fall of the current regime,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">From conversations with the leaders of the BNP and many of the smaller parties, it is expected that the joint declaration of the one-point movement will contain the demand for the resignation of the Awami League government, dissolution of parliament, formation of the polls-time impartial government and reconstitution of the Election Commission for arranging a free, fair and inclusive election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The unconditional release of all political prisoners, including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, withdrawal of all ghost cases, and annulment of all false convictions towards building a democratic state and restoring the voting rights of the people through amendments to the constitution and reforming the state system will also find a place in the rhetoric, but the realisation of these will all be boiled down to a single overriding objective: that the next parliamentary elections be held under a neutral, non-party, in effect caretaker government. </div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier in a programme on Monday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said their party and its alliance partners are going to announce the final action programmes of their current anti-government movement on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We all the parties involved in the simultaneous movement have decided to announce a new journey for the restoration of democracy and holding a fair and impartial election from our respective places on July 12,” Fakhrul said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP and its different associate bodies have taken various steps to ensure the huge presence of the party leaders and activists to demonstrate a massive showdown before the one-point movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following up on the oral \'permission\' it gave the BNP to hold the rally at their chosen venue two days ahead of time, on Tuesday the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)  issued separate notices not only confirming the go-ahead to the BNP\'s rally at Nayapaltan, but also for the Awami League to hold a \'peace rally\' not very far away at the Baitul Mokarram South Gate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP Dhaka  North City unit convener Aman Ullah Aman said their rally will be completely peaceful and they have taken all-out preparations to make it a success.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We hope our rally will turn into a human sea with the participation of a huge number of people from all walks of life. We believe that the people of Dhaka will take to the streets with their demands,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aman said they have formed many volunteer teams to hold the rally peacefully. “We have also sent a letter to Dhaka Metropolitan Police seeking cooperation.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier at a public rally on December 10 last in the capital\'s Golapbagh field, the BNP had announced a 10-point charter of demands including the resignation of the government, the dissolution of parliament, and the transfer of power to a non-partisan government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP and its like-minded parties observed various programmes, including human chains, sits-in, road marches and rallies across the country, over the last seven months since the announcement of the 10-point movement, which itself came at the end of a programme of divisional rallies that started in August, and drew a huge response.  UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 13:58:14', '2023-07-12 20:37:35'),
(7919, 7919, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Wednesday, its neighbors said, two days after the North threatened “shocking” consequences to protest what it called a provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea\'s military detected the long-range missile launch from the North’s capital region around 10 a.m., the South\'s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said South Korea\'s military bolstered its surveillance posture and maintained readiness in close coordination with the United States.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters that the North Korean missile was likely launched on a lofted trajectory, at a steep angle that North Korea typically uses to avoid neighboring countries when it tests long-range missiles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hamada said the missile was expected to land at sea about 550 kilometers (340 miles) east of the coast of the Korean Peninsula outside of the Japanese exclusive economic zone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">North Korea\'s long-range missile program targets the mainland U.S. Since 2017, North Korea has performed a slew of intercontinental ballistic missile launches as part of its efforts to acquire nuclear-tipped weapons capable of striking major U.S. cities. Some experts say North Korea still has some technologies to master to possess functioning nuclear-armed ICBMs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before Wednesday\'s launch, the North\'s most recent long-range missile test happened in April, when it launched a solid-fuel ICBM, a type of weapon that experts say is harder to detect and intercept than liquid-fuel weapons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wednesday\'s launch, the North’s first weapons firing in about a month, came after North Korea earlier this week released a series of statements accusing the United States of flying a military plane close to North Korea to spy on the North.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States and South Korea dismissed the North’s accusations and urged it to refrain from any acts or rhetoric that raised animosities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement Monday night, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean sister Kim Jong Un, warned the United States of “a shocking incident” as she claimed that the U.S. spy plane flew over the North’s eastern exclusive economic zone eight times earlier in the day. She claimed the North scrambled warplanes to chase away the U.S. plane.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In another fiery statement Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong said the U.S. military would experience “a very critical flight” if it continues its illicit, aerial spying activities. The North’s military separately threatened to shoot down U.S. spy planes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Kim Yo-jong’s bellicose statement against U.S. surveillance aircraft is part of a North Korean pattern of inflating external threats to rally domestic support and justify weapons tests,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “Pyongyang also times its shows of force to disrupt what it perceives as diplomatic coordination against it, in this case, South Korea and Japan’s leaders meeting during the NATO summit.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">North Korea has made numerous similar threats over alleged U.S. reconnaissance activities, but its latest statements came amid heightened animosities over North Korea’s barrage of missile tests earlier this year. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 14:08:05', '2023-07-12 14:08:05'),
(7920, 7920, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 52 at 8:49 am, Dhaka ranked 51st on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Arab Emirates\' Dubai, Indonesia’s Jakarta and Pakistan’s Lahore, occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 177, 156 and 153 respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI score between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AQI score between 150 and 200 is considered \'unhealthy\', between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', and a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 14:39:07', '2023-07-12 14:39:07'),
(7921, 7921, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A traffic police constable died after a bus knocked him down while performing his duty at Sholoshohor in Chattogram’s Panchlaish area on Tuesday night.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deceased was identified as Nurul Karim, 58, of Tangail district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tariqul Islam, inspector of Chattogram Metropolitan Traffic (North) Division, said the incident occurred around 11 pm when the bus hit Nurul while he was performing his duty in the area, leaving him injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, he was taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 14:53:06', '2023-07-12 14:53:06'),
(7922, 7922, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ex-President Donald Trump can be held liable for disparaging comments he made about a woman who accused him of rape, the US Department of Justice has said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The department previously maintained Mr Trump was legally immune as he was president when he made remarks in 2019.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But on Tuesday its lawyers said they no longer had \"sufficient basis\" to conclude Mr Trump had acted within the scope of his duties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The decision boosts E Jean Carroll\'s defamation lawsuit against Mr Trump.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In May, Mr Trump was ordered to pay the former magazine columnist $5m (£3.9m) after being found liable for sexual abuse of her in 1996 at a New York department store.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ms Carroll, 79, is currently seeking $10m from Mr Trump in a defamation lawsuit, which is due to go to trial in January.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The legal action cites his remarks as president about her in 2019 while responding to reporters\' questions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The lawsuit has been updated to reflect further comments he made about her during a CNN town hall the day after the court\'s verdict two months ago. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 15:18:48', '2023-07-12 15:18:48'),
(7923, 7923, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said BNP\'s one-point demand is “unconstitutional”.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Continuing to demand anything unconstitutional only suggests that they want to destabilise the country,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The state minister also said that BNP is planning to “fish in troubled waters.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We will not let that happen. We will not compromise peace and stability,” Shahriar tweeted today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read: Uzra Zeya reiterates US\' hope for \"peaceful, fair\" elections process in Bangladesh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP and like-minded political parties will jointly announce a “one-point” movement for the “resignation” of the current government. Their demand is holding the next national election under a “neutral” government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP is scheduled to hold a public rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office at 2pm today, from where the party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will announce the programmes to kick off their one-point movement. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 15:54:20', '2023-07-12 15:54:20'),
(7924, 7924, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has become a father again, his wife Carrie said on Tuesday, with the couple\'s third child, and the ex-leader\'s eighth, born on July 5.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Welcome to the world Frank Alfred Odysseus Johnson born 5th July at 9.15am,\" Carrie Johnson wrote on her Instagram page, accompanied by a picture of her holding her new baby.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">She joked \"can you guess which name my husband chose?!\" in reference to Johnson\'s well-known love of ancient Greek myths.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Am loving every minute of the sleepy baby bubble. Seeing my older two embrace their new brother with such joy and excitement has been the most wonderful thing. We are all very smitten,\" she added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their first son Wilfred was born in April 2020, not long after Johnson was treated in hospital intensive care for Covid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daughter Romy then arrived in December 2021, again when Johnson was still Britain\'s prime minister.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was ousted the following summer, amid a revolt within his ruling Conservatives after a series of scandals, including Covid lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 59-year-old Johnson quit as a Tory lawmaker last month after MPs found that he had lied to parliament over his knowledge of the parties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Johnson, who has been married three times, has four children from his second marriage to the lawyer Marina Wheeler, and now has three with Carrie, 35, a former Conservative Party media adviser whom he wed two years ago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ex-leader has another child, a daughter, from an extra-marital affair.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In September 2021, before Romy\'s birth and after years of speculation about how many children he had, Johnson confirmed to US TV network NBC in an interview that at that time he had six. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 16:31:17', '2023-07-12 16:31:17'),
(7925, 7925, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">As the dengue situation has taken an alarming turn across the country, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) urged people to be careful and focus on ensuring that their surroundings are clean.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It also urged people not to panic over the alarming rise of dengue, said a handout of PID issued on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DGHS also asked to follow some guidelines to combat the dengue outbreak.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DGHS asked to consult doctors on suspicion of dengue after seeing symptoms alongside 104 degree body temperature. These are: severe headache, pain in the back of the eyes, muscle and joint ache, nausea and rash.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The body temperature of a dengue patient may decrease abnormally between three to seven days after being infected with dengue. There may also be severe stomach ache, frequent vomiting, vomit with blood, feeling depressed or restless.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DGHS guidelines also advised to keep the doors and windows of houses and offices shut and covering the body to avoid mosquito bites.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The guidelines call for raising awareness among families, neighbours and communities to prevent dengue and ask everyone to engage in a cleanliness drive.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Water should not be allowed to accumulate in the field or on the road in and around the house or in any place. Standing water in containers must be thrown out, said DGHS.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Flower pots, plastic containers, abandoned tyres, plastic drums, clay pots, buckets, discarded coconut shells, and battery cells should be dry so that the Aedes mosquitoes cannot lay eggs in these.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unused containers should be turned aside and mosquito nets should be used during the day and night. Nearest healthcare centre should be contacted if someone is infected with dengue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, seven more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning – the highest single-day casualties from the mosquito-borne disease this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The new casualties have raised the number of dengue fatalities in Bangladesh to 83 this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the period, 1,054 more patients – highest single-day tally reported this year – were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, the DGHS has recorded 14,897 dengue cases, 11,511 recoveries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to DGHS tally, Bangladesh has recorded 70 out of 83 dengue casualties in the months of June and July. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 16:54:33', '2023-07-12 16:54:33');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7927, 7927, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The inflation level in Russia is currently among the lowest across the world, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Tuesday at the meeting on economic issues.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Inflation remains moderate. It stood at 2.9% from January to early July, which is much lower than last-year values,\" Mishustin said. Inflation in annual terms is not above 3.5%, he noted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This is among the lowest indicators globally at present,\" the prime minister stressed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The situation on the Russian labor market is also stable, Mishustin noted. \"The unemployment rate is kept since February at a record level of 3.2%,\" he added. BSS&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bndb24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 17:41:28', '2023-07-12 17:41:28'),
(7928, 7928, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the South Asia\'s largest single sewage treatment plant (STP), having a capacity of treating 5 million sewage per day, in the city\'s Khilgaon area tomorrow, which will save the rivers surrounding the capital from pollution.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The Prime Minister will formally commission operation of the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant in Dhaka, first of its kind in the country on Thursday,\" said Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Managing Director Taqsem A Khan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Briefing newsmen about the plant at its office site in Dhaka\'s Aftabnagar on Tuesday, he said the plant has the capacity of treating 5 million metric tons of sewage everyday which is 20 to 25 percent of the total sewage, weighing 2000 million metric tons, in the capital city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dhaka WASA chief said they will build four more sewage treatment plants, one each in Pagla, Uttara, Rayerbazar and Mirpur areas in accordance with a master plan to treat 100 percent sewage of Dhaka by 2030, 90 percent of which through pipeline coverage and remaining 10 percent collecting from houses.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plant helps implementing SDG Goal-6 by ensuring better waste management system across the country by 2030, he said, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the pioneer of bringing the country under a proper waste management system.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Such kind of single sewage treatment plant is nowhere in the South Asia and it is the largest one in the region. This is the best one,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taqsem said the plant is environment friendly, sustainable and people friendly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Treated water from sewage is falling into the water of Balu river which increase the quality of the river water and the water is as good as drinkable. It is possible to drink the water by treating that further,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The land acquisition for the Pagla Sewage Treatment Plant has already been completed while the process to acquire land for Rayerbazar is almost complete.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dhaka WASA boss said the fly ashes, by-product of the sewage, will be sold to the cement factories as those are required to produce cement, he said, adding that three cement factories are now taking the fly ashes on experimental basis and formal agreements will later be signed with them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said Dhaka WASA has digitized 70 percent of its activities in line with the government\'s initiative to make Bangladesh Digital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Padma and Sayedabad Treatment plants have been made fully automated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We are companion of the government in its journey towards the highway of development,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Project Director Md Mohsin Ali Miah and Prime Minister\'s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher were present during the briefing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi Treatment Plant, which falls within Khilgaon Police Station, is adjacent to Aftabnagar and will treat sewage of several areas of the capital, including Gulshan( part), Banani, Tejgaon, Niketon, Maghbazar, Malibah, Aftabnagar, Badda, Kalabagan, Panthapath, Dhanmondi (part) and Hatirjheel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The China-funded project was implemented on about 62.2 acres of land at the cost of Taka 3,482.42 crore. Of the cost, Taka 1,106.42 crore came from the GoB fund, while Taka 10 crore from WASA fund and the remaining Taka 2,366 crore from the Export-Import Bank of China as project assistance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The project has a sludge drying-burning system with a processing capacity of about 560 tons per day. The construction work started on August 1, 2017.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The project, designed and constructed by Chengdu Engineering Corporation under PowerChina, with one year of operations and maintenance, was handed over to WASA.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi sewage treatment plant was constructed as part of the master plan taken up by WASA in 2013 to construct five treatment plants to prevent river pollution around Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the project, a waste lifting station is being constructed on the west side of Rampura Bridge at Pragati Sarani, a five kilometer trunk sewer line from Rampura to Aftabnagar and Dasherkandi plant and the main treatment plant at Dasherkandi. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 17:51:18', '2023-07-12 17:51:18'),
(7929, 7929, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>As many as 516 people died and 812&nbsp; were injured in 559 road accidents throughout Bangladesh in June this year, according to the latest report of Road Safety Foundation (RSF).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The report released today says that 169 people were killed in 207 motorcycle accidents across the country — 33.75% of the total deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the dead, 78 were women and 114 children.</div><div><br></div><div>Nine people were dead and seven were missing in nine waterways accidents while at least 18 people were killed and eleven were injured in 21 railway accidents during the same period. At least 38 sacrificial animals were also killed in accidents during this period.</div><div><br></div><div>RSF prepared the data based on reports published by nine national dailies, seven online news portals and electronic media.</div><div><br></div><div>At least 99 pedestrians were killed in road accidents, which is 19.18 percent of the total deaths. Some 76 drivers and their assistants were killed, which is 14.72 percent of the total deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>According to RSF\'s observation and analysis, the highest number, 247, (44.18%) of the accidents occurred on regional roads, 182 (32.55%) on national highways, 59 (10.55%) on rural roads, and 3 (0.53%) on urban roads.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, 268 (47.94%), the highest among the total accidents, occurred due to losing control over the wheel, 109 (19.49%) due to collision, 97 accidents (17.35 percent) happened due to pedestrians being run over, 72 incidents (12.88 percent ) involved hitting the rear side of vehicles, and 13 (2.32%) occurred due to other reasons. - UNB</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 18:35:20', '2023-07-12 18:35:20'),
(7930, 7930, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Thousands of BNP leaders and activists began to gather before the party’s Nayapaltan central office with processions from different parts of Dhaka since Wednesday morning to hold their much-hyped rally.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The leaders and activists carried banners, festoons, placards and portraits of party’s top leaders and shouted anti-government slogans as they converged at Nayapaltan venue before the scheduled start of the rally at 2 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will address the programme as the chief guest and announce a ‘one-point\' simultaneous movement to press for the resignation of the Awami League government paving the way for holding the next national election under a neutral government.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units have already set up a temporary stage in front of the BNP office for the rally.</div><div><br></div><div>A large number of members of law enforcement agencies have been deployed in the Nayapaltan area to maintain law and order.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Tuesday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) issued separate notices not only allowing the BNP to hold the rally at Nayapaltan but also the the ruling Awami League to hold a \'peace rally\' not very far away at the Baitul Mokarram South Gate. Both parties were given permission to hold the rallies on 23 conditions, including ending the programmes by 5 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Alongside the BNP, its like-minded political parties are all going to announce the one-point demand through separate rallies in the capital today.</div><div><br></div><div>Ganatantra Mancha, a platform of six parties that shares the BNP\'s view that the government must resign ahead of elections, or otherwise be toppled through a movement, will announce their participation in the one-point movement at 4 pm by holding a meeting outside the Jatiya Press Club.</div><div><br></div><div>A separate 12-party alliance that similarly believes no fair election can be held under the Awami League-led government will come up with a similar announcement from a rally in front of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU). The same is expected of the Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote at Bijoynagar, the Liberal Democratic Party at Tejgaon and Gonoforum and People’s Party at Motijheel and Labour Party at Nayapaltan at different times of the day.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, two splinter groups of the Gono Odhikar Parishad (one led by Reza Kibria and the other by Nurul Haque Nur), Gonotantrik Bam Oikya, Samomona Gonotantrik Peshajibi Jote and Sadaran Chhatra Odhikar Sanrakshan Parishad will also hold rallies in front of the Jatiya Press Club around 3 pm and announce their participation in the one-point movement.</div><div><br></div><div>From conversations with the leaders of the BNP and many of the smaller parties, it is expected that the joint declaration of the one-point movement will contain the demand for the resignation of the Awami League government, dissolution of parliament, formation of the polls-time impartial government and reconstitution of the Election Commission for arranging a free, fair and inclusive election.</div><div><br></div><div>The unconditional release of all political prisoners, including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, withdrawal of all ghost cases, and annulment of all false convictions towards building a democratic state and restoring the voting rights of the people through amendments to the constitution and reforming the state system will also find a place in the rhetoric, but the realisation of these will all boil down to a single overriding objective: that the next parliamentary elections be held under a neutral and non-party government.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier at a public rally on December 10 last in the capital\'s Golapbagh field, the BNP had announced a 10-point charter of demands including the resignation of the government, the dissolution of parliament, and the transfer of power to a non-partisan government.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP and its like-minded parties observed various programmes, including human chains, sits-in, road marches and rallies across the country, over the last seven months since the announcement of the 10-point movement, which itself came at the end of a programme of divisional rallies that started in August. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 19:00:05', '2023-07-12 19:00:05'),
(7931, 7931, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that her government has taken adequate steps for overall development of the armed forces to safeguard the country’s independence and sovereignty, but it has no intention to lock into war with anyone.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Actually, we don’t want to get into war against anyone. Our eye is on to safeguard our Independence and sovereignty,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said this while commissioning naval base BNS Sher-e-Bangla and eight ships, including four Landing Craft Utility (LCU)s, at Kolapara in Patuakhali. She joined the programme virtually from Ganobhaban, her official residence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ships were built at Khulna Shipyard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that the government has taken steps to develop the armed forces including the navy so they attain international level skill.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In this connection, PM Hasina said that apart from procurement of helicopters, equipment besides construction of several warships is underway to strengthen surveillance and security at sea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Shaheen Iqbal also spoke at the programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">A documentary on naval base Sher-e-Bangladesh and eight ships wer screened at the programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Earlier, the navy chief handed over command to the respective cmmanders of the base and the ships. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 20:35:58', '2023-07-12 20:35:58'),
(7932, 7932, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Thousands of Awami League activists on Wednesday gathered at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram mosque in the city for the peace rally called by the party.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The activists braved rain as they poured into the meeting venue in processions carrying banners, placards and shouting pro-government slogans. Many were seen coming on packed buses and pick-up vans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Awami League called the rally in a show of strength against BNP which is also holding a public rally in front of its Nayapalton central office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, also the road, transport and bridges minister, and other leaders of the party will address the party’s rally.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police have been deployed in the areas as the rallies called by the two feuding parties heightened tension.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The programmes are disrupting traffic movement around the meeting venues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 20:44:52', '2023-07-12 20:44:52'),
(7933, 7933, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Thousands of Awami League activists on Wednesday gathered at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram mosque in the city for the peace rally called by the party.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The activists braved rain as they poured into the meeting venue in processions carrying banners, placards and shouting pro-government slogans. Many were seen coming on packed buses and pick-up vans.</div><div><br></div><div>The Awami League called the rally in a show of strength against BNP which is also holding a public rally in front of its Nayapalton central office.</div><div><br></div><div>AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, also the road, transport and bridges minister, and other leaders of the party will address the party’s rally.</div><div><br></div><div>Police have been deployed in the areas as the rallies called by the two feuding parties heightened tension.</div><div><br></div><div>The programmes are disrupting traffic movement around the meeting venues. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 21:16:02', '2023-07-12 21:16:02'),
(7934, 7934, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh\'s Ministry of Commerce has set an export target of $72 billion with 11.52 percent growth for the fiscal year 2023-24.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Export target for goods has been set at $62 billion while for the service sector, the target was set at $10 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>Export target achieved in FY 2022-23 was $64.55 billion, which saw a growth of 5.88 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>Goods worth $55.55 billion and services worth $9 billion were exported in FY 2022-23, and the growth were 6.67 percent and 1.25 percent respectively.</div><div><br></div><div>Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi today (July 12, 2023) made the announcement of the export target and achievements in the previous fiscal in a press conference at the ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>Prior to the announcement, the minister met with leaders of different business organizations and ministry officials.</div><div><br></div><div>Business leaders at the meeting urged the government to ensure uninterrupted gas and electricity supply to industries at affordable rates.</div><div><br></div><div>Otherwise, exports would be negatively impacted, they told the minister.</div><div><br></div><div>While announcing the new export target, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said the global economic slowdown has been considered when setting the new target.</div><div><br></div><div>Gas and power crises have also been considered while setting the target, the minister said.</div><div><br></div><div>While replying to a query, the minister said Bangladesh has some advantages including trained labour force, and affordable cost of products, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, global entrepreneurs are relocating industries from China due to geo-political reasons, and Vietnam has a labour crisis, the minister said.</div><div><br></div><div>If Bangladesh can utilize these opportunities, exports can go beyond the target, the commerce minister added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 22:34:41', '2023-07-12 22:34:41'),
(7935, 7935, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh is going to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Malaysia as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved in principle a proposal of the state-owned Petrobangla in this regard.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Malaysian company Perintis Akal Sdn Bhd will supply the LNG on a long term basis and Petrobangla will buy it under the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special) Act 2010,” said Sayed Mahbub Khan, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division, while briefing on the outcomes of the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the meeting held virtually, also attended by State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>However, no detail was disclosed about the proposal, placed by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division on behalf of Petrobangla, the oil gas and mineral corporation of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The proposal will be placed in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase for a final approval, sources said.</div><div><br></div><div>With this new proposal, Bangladesh has chosen Malaysia as the third country to import LNG from on a long term basis.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh has been importing LNG from Qatar and Oman since 2018 after setting up of two FSRU (floating storage and re-gasification unit) known as LNG terminals at Moheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition, Bangladesh imports LNG from the international spot market as well to meet its growing demands.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, a top official of the Petrobangla said that the Malaysian company will annually supply 1 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) under a 15-year contract.</div><div><br></div><div>“But we can disclose the details of the proposal after it receives final approval of the cabinet committee,” the official told UNB on condition of anonymity.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides the existing deals, Bangladesh signed a new deal on June 1 with Qatar to get an additional 1.5 million tons per annum (MTPA) of LNG for the next 15 years from 2026, while another agreement was signed with Oman on June 20 to import more LNG from the Middle-Eastern country.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the new agreement, the OQT, the Omani state-owned company, will supply LNG 0.25-1.5 million metric ton per annum (MTPA) to Bangladesh over 10 years from 2026.</div><div><br></div><div>However, no prices or financial details of the deal were disclosed in the function.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh has been desperately looking to increase its import of LNG under a long-term agreement to sustain the volatility due to the frequent price fluctuation in the global energy market.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of the move, the Malaysian company has been chosen to supply the LNG.</div><div><br></div><div>The country\'s total natural gas production is about 3000 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) against a demand of 4000 MMCFD leaving a shortfall of about 1000 MMCFD. Of the total production, 700 MMCFD is imported while the country locally produces 2300 MMCFD gas.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 23:02:22', '2023-07-12 23:02:22'),
(7936, 7936, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday formally announced a ‘one-point’ movement with a goal to remove Awami League from the power to hold the upcoming national elections under a neutral government.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>As part of the first programme, a two-day road march programme has also been announced for July 18 and 19.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul came up with the announcement at a huge rally organised by the party’s Dhaka north and south units in front of its Nayapaltan Central Office on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>On July 18, the road march will be held in all metropolitan cities and districts across the country to realise one-point demand while the same programme will be observed in Dhaka stretching from Gabtali to Jatrabari from 10am to 4pm on the same day.   </div><div><br></div><div>On July 19, the party will also carry out the similar programme from Uttara’s Abdullahpur to Bahadur Shah Park in the old part of Dhaka from 10am to 4pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from the BNP, 36 other like-minded political parties also announced the one-point movement to press home their demand to hold the next parliament elections under a non-party government.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier in the morning, the BNP leaders and activists started gathering before the party’s Nayapaltan office with processions carrying banners, festoons, placards and portraits of the party’s top leaders from different parts of Dhaka since Wednesday morning to join the rally.</div><div><br></div><div>Tens of thousands of the BNP leaders and activities thronged in front of the party’s Central Police in response to the party call.  </div><div><br></div><div>A large number of members of law enforcement agencies were deployed in the Nayapaltan area to maintain law and order.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Tuesday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) issued separate notices not only allowing the BNP to hold the rally at Nayapaltan, but also the ruling Awami League to hold a \'peace rally\' not very far away at the Baitul Mokarram South Gate. Both parties were given permission to hold the rallies on 23 conditions, including ending the programmes by 5 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Alongside the BNP, its like-minded political parties were set to announce the one-point demand through separate rallies in the capital on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Ganatantra Mancha, a platform of six parties that shares the BNP\'s view that the government must resign ahead of elections, or otherwise be toppled through a movement, announced their participation in the one-point movement at 4 pm by holding a meeting outside the Jatiya Press Club.</div><div><br></div><div>A separate 12-party alliance that similarly believes no fair election can be held under the Awami League-led government came up with a similar announcement from a rally in front of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU). The Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote at Bijoynagar, the Liberal Democratic Party at Tejgaon and Gonoforum and People’s Party at Motijheel and Labour Party at Nayapaltan at different times of the day announced the same demand.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, two splinter groups of the Gono Odhikar Parishad (one led by Reza Kibria and the other by Nurul Haque Nur), Gonotantrik Bam Oikya, Samomona Gonotantrik Peshajibi Jote and Sadaran Chhatra Odhikar Sanrakshan Parishad held rallies in front of the Jatiya Press Club around 3 pm and announced their participation in the one-point movement.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier at a public rally on December 10 last in the capital\'s Golapbagh field, the BNP had announced a 10-point charter of demands including the resignation of the government, the dissolution of parliament, and the transfer of power to a non-partisan government.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP and its like-minded parties observed various programmes, including human chains, sits-in, road marches and rallies across the country, over the last seven months since the announcement of the 10-point movement, which itself came at the end of a programme of divisional rallies that started in August. According to UNB reports </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-12 23:25:35', '2023-07-12 23:53:37'),
(7937, 7937, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government on Wednesday fixed Tk 50 as fee for the dengue test against each patient at all government hospitals across the country to ensure health facilities of patients in the wake of mosquito-borne disease.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, a patient had to pay Tk 100 for a dengue test.</div><div><br></div><div>The fees will remain effective till next one month from July 12 considering the country’s overall situation, said a media release signed by Sheikh Daud Adnan, Hospitals and Clinics director (acting) of the Directorate of General of Health Services (DGHS) on Wednesday afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>The release also said that healthcare facilities will have to be ensured at all the government hospitals where dengue corners have already been set up.</div><div><br></div><div>Moreover, the necessary manpower for the dengue corners will have to be ensured to smoothly run treatment of patients.</div><div><br></div><div>The DGHS put forward five guidelines for the authorities\' concern.</div><div><br></div><div>1. All hospitals will have to follow the dengue management guidelines.</div><div><br></div><div>2. The guidelines will have to be collected from the website-www.dghs.gov.bd.</div><div><br></div><div>3. Ensure manpower for the dengue corners.</div><div><br></div><div>4. Ensure dengue identification kit</div><div><br></div><div>5. Ensure mosquito nets for the patients who were admitted with fever. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 01:41:57', '2023-07-13 01:41:57'),
(7938, 7938, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shown off his ripped physique amid reports of a cage fight challenge to Twitter boss Elon Musk. In a photo posted on social media, Mr Zuckerberg is seen posing alongside Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanvski. </b></span></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The 39-year-old billionaire looks fit and smiles with the stars who joined Mr Zuckerberg at his home in Lake Tahoe, California. Though both the billionaires have not confirmed if the fight is taking place, their accepting each other\'s challenge has created a buzz on social media.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"No fugazi with Mark. This is Serious Business!!\" he said in the caption. The Facebook CEO responded by commenting: \"It\'s an honor to train with you guys!\"</div><div><br></div><div>In response, Mr Volkanvski called Mr Zuckerberg \"a beast!\" adding \"Always great to catch up.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The photo has received close to 2 million and messages of fans complimenting Mr Zuckerberg have been flowing in.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Respect Button Mark Zuckerberg,\" commented one user. \"Elon going to Mars,\" said another.</div><div><br></div><div>The Twitter boss\' supporters, however, said Mr Zuckerberg needs to train harder.</div><div><br></div><div>The current buzz has its genesis in the announcement made by Mr Zuckerberg in February about \'Threads\' with \"increased authenticity\" and \"security across services\" - both digs at Twitter Blue.</div><div><br></div><div>There are several stimulations on Twitter in which AI-generated and morphed videos show both the tech titans fighting each other.</div><div><br></div><div>As far as training is concerned, Mr Zuckerberg, 39, is an amateur mixed martial arts fighter and trained in jiu-jitsu. Fifty-one-year-old Mr Musk, meanwhile, is a self-proclaimed street fighter and a trainer.</div><div><br></div><div>It was Mr Musk who first challenged Mr Zuckerberg to a \"cage match\". The Meta chief accepted the challenge by responding \"Send Me Location\".</div><div><br></div><div>Despite the buzz, there is no confirmation that the fight will actually take place. Source: NDTV</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 02:01:37', '2023-07-13 02:01:37'),
(7939, 7939, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Hundreds of residents have been evacuated in the Indian capital Delhi as the water level of the Yamuna river continues to rise.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said it had reached a 45-year high, already rising above the \"danger mark\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some near Delhi have seen record rainfall so far this monsoon season, which began in June, officials say.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At least 88 people have died in Himachal Pradesh since rains began late last month, local media reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday in Delhi, people living in makeshift houses next to the river moved to some of the 2,500 relief camps set up in the city, Reuters reports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The water level is continuing to rise and there is a flood-like situation,\" Mr Kejriwal told reporters, adding that water levels were \"likely to rise further\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Seasonal monsoon rains are a lifeline for India but also typically cause deaths and destruction to property every year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India has experienced increasingly extreme weather in recent years - the unrelenting rains come just weeks after an extreme heat wave gripped most of north India.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many factors contribute to flooding, but experts say climate change caused by global warming makes extreme rainfall more likely. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 13:04:16', '2023-07-13 13:04:16'),
(7940, 7940, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">North Korea said Thursday it had successfully tested its new intercontinental ballistic missile, state media reported, as Pyongyang vented its fury after threatening to down US spy planes it said had violated its airspace.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The report from state-run KCNA news agency said the Hwasong-18 -- a new type of purportedly solid-fuel ballistic missile that has reportedly only been fired by the North once before, in April -- flew 1,001 kilometres at a maximum altitude of 6,648 km before splashing into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The flight time of around 70 minutes is also similar to some of North Korea\'s previous ICBM launches, experts said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The launch, which KCNA said was guided by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was a \"grand explosion\" that shook \"the whole planet\", according to the report.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kim also vowed that \"a series of stronger military offensive\" would be launched until the United States and South Korea change their policies towards the North, KCNA said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The confirmation of the launch -- which the South Korean military had reported on Wednesday -- came as relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points ever, with diplomacy stalled and Kim calling for increased weapons development, including tactical nukes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In response, Seoul and Washington have ramped up security cooperation, vowing that Pyongyang would face a nuclear response and the \"end\" of its current government were it to ever use its nuclear weapons against the allies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The launch \"is a grave provocation that damages the peace and security of the Korean peninsula\" and violates United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang, South Korea\'s military said, calling on North Korea to stop such actions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Nations, United States and its allies, including France, also strongly condemned it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This launch is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region,\" US National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pyongyang in February also launched a Hwasong-15, which flew a similar 989 kilometers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Provocative\' US actions -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wednesday\'s launch came after North Korea on Monday accused a US spy plane of violating its airspace and condemned Washington\'s plans to deploy a nuclear missile submarine near the Korean peninsula.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of National Defence said the United States had \"intensified espionage activities beyond the wartime level\", citing \"provocative\" spy plane flights over eight straight days this month.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There is no guarantee that such shocking accident as downing of the US Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen in the East Sea of Korea,\" the spokesperson added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kim\'s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong said that a US spy aircraft had violated the country\'s eastern airspace twice on Monday, according to a separate statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would not respond directly to US reconnaissance activities outside of the country\'s exclusive economic zone, but warned it would take \"decisive action\" if its maritime military demarcation line was crossed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United States said in April that one of its nuclear-armed ballistic submarines would visit a South Korean port for the first time in decades, without specifying an exact date.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has ramped up defence cooperation with Washington in response, staging joint military exercises with advanced stealth jets and long-range heavy bombers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon is set to attend a NATO summit in Lithuania this week, seeking stronger cooperation over North Korea\'s growing threats. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 14:10:51', '2023-07-13 14:10:51'),
(7941, 7941, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US consumer inflation cooled in June to its lowest rate since early 2021, according to government data released Wednesday -- an encouraging sign for policymakers battling cost-of-living pressures.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The key inflation gauge, the consumer price index (CPI), rose 3.0 percent from a year ago last month, the smallest increase since March 2021 and down from 4.0 percent in May, said the Labor Department.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates rapidly over the last year to ease demand and bring down price growth.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While Fed officials have signaled that further rate hikes are likely needed to bring inflation back to their two percent target, the June CPI report will heighten market doubts about the number of additional increases needed down the line.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Today\'s report brings new and encouraging evidence that inflation is falling while our economy remains strong,\" President Joe Biden said in a statement, lauding the progress made while maintaining low unemployment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a further positive sign, Labor Department data showed that the monthly \"core\" rate -- excluding the volatile food and energy components -- came to its lowest reading since late 2021, at 0.2 percent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Wall Street stocks surged after the report, closing higher on hopes that inflation can come down without the world\'s biggest economy tipping into a recession.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The economy is defying predictions that inflation would not fall absent significant job destruction,\" Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, said in remarks to the Economic Club of New York.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While \"too many Fed officials have made it clear that they think further hikes are needed,\" suggesting another bump this month, a good CPI reading could change prospects as to whether a rise in September is still needed, Pantheon Macroeconomics said in a report.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the latest Labor Department data, the index for shelter remained the \"largest contributor\" to the overall monthly CPI increase and the index for car insurance also contributed -- but other areas saw declines including airfares and used vehicles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Disinflation\' ahead -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We know rents are going to roll over, over the next several months, so we\'re going to see a lot of disinflation coming through the rest of this year,\" said Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"That\'s good news for consumers,\" he told AFP, adding that he expects the Fed could end its tightening cycle in July.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The labor market is showing signs of softening, inflation is coming down, we\'re still on that path to a soft landing, but it\'s a very narrow path,\" Sweet said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The easing of underlying inflation was driven by a \"plunge in airline fares\" and dip in hotel room rates, along with a drop in used vehicle prices, said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although insurance and repair costs have rocketed over the past year, \"flattening demand and rising inventory are now pushing new vehicle prices down\" after a surge, he said. Insurance and repair inflation will follow, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Slowing to end quarter -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Key parts of inflation highlighted by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, including the core readings for goods and services, have \"slowed to end the second quarter,\" said Rubeela Farooqi, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"While inflation remains elevated, the deceleration will be welcome news to policymakers,\" she added in a note.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But these data are not likely to change the outcome of a Fed officials\' meeting later this month, with a rate hike of 25 basis points the most likely outcome, Farooqi said. AFp</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 14:18:13', '2023-07-13 14:18:13'),
(7942, 7942, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US President Joe Biden met Wednesday with exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya while in Vilnius attending a NATO summit, the White House said.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tikhanovskaya, who claimed victory against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in 2020 presidential elections, has been in exile in since the aftermath of the disputed vote, and lives in Lithuania.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden\'s meeting with Tikhanovskaya underscored \"the continued commitment of the United States to defend and advance human rights, including freedom of expression, and free and fair elections in Belarus,\" the White House said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Belarus is an authoritarian state in which opposition voices and independent media have been stifled during Lukashenko\'s nearly three decades in power.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden\'s meeting with Tikhanovskaya comes after Lukashenko last month acted as mediator between Moscow and the Wagner group after its short-lived rebellion against Russia\'s army, producing a deal under which Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin had been supposed to move to Belarus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last week, Tikhanovskaya said she had received an anonymous message saying her jailed husband Sergei Tikhanovsky, who she has not heard from since March, was dead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tikhanovsky had planned to run against Lukashenko in the August 2020 presidential election but was arrested and detained before the vote.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Svetlana, who ran in his place, has been sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 14:20:46', '2023-07-13 14:20:46');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7943, 7943, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Air strikes on Kyiv killed one person and wounded at least four others, authorities said on Thursday, with explosions heard across the Ukrainian capital in the third night of attacks.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Emergency services were responding to calls in Solomyansky, Shevchenkivsky, Podilsky and Darnytsky districts following \"explosions in the capital,\" Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In Podilsky district, during the firefighting in an apartment building, a body of one dead person was discovered,\" Klitschko posted on Telegram.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two people were wounded in Darnytsky district \"as a result of falling debris,\" Sergiy Popko the head of Kyiv\'s military administration wrote on Telegram.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Klitschko said two people had been \"hospitalised\" in Darnytsky district after falling debris damaged a residential building.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was unclear if they were the same two people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two others in Shevchenkivsky district had been treated at the scene, Klitschko said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fires broke out in an apartment building in Shevchenkivsky district and in a non-residential building in Podilsky district, he said, adding emergency services were on site.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A picture posted on the official Telegram channel of Kyiv\'s military administration showed a room in a high-rise building with part of its wall blown out, in what it said was the result of falling debris in Darnytsky district.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The threat of attack by Russian drones on the city remained, Ukraine\'s Air Force said in a statement. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 14:57:04', '2023-07-13 14:57:04'),
(7944, 7944, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The U.N. delivered grim news on global food security Wednesday: 2.4 billion people didn’t have constant access to food last year, as many as 783 million faced hunger, and 148 million children suffered from stunted growth.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Five U.N. agencies said in the 2023 State of Food Security and Nutrition report that while global hunger numbers stalled between 2021 and 2022 many places are facing deepening food crises. They pointed to Western Asia, the Caribbean and Africa, where 20% of the continent’s population is experiencing hunger, more than twice the global average.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">UN warns its development goals for 2030 are in trouble and 575 million people will remain very poor</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Recovery from the global pandemic has been uneven, and the war in Ukraine has affected the nutritious food and healthy diets,” Qu Dongyu, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement. “This is the `new normal’ where climate change, conflict, and economic instability are pushing those on the margins even further from safety.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">FAO chief economist Maximo Torero said the FAO food price index has been declining for about 15 months, but “food inflation has continued.” But he said not knowing if the deal that has enabled Ukraine to ship 32 metric tons of grain to world markets and is trying to overcome obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer shipments will be renewed when it expires on July 17 “is not good for the markets.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If it isn’t renewed immediately “you will have a new spike for sure” in food prices, but how much and for how long will depend on how markets respond, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the report, people’s access to healthy diets has deteriorated across the world.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Eliminate legal barriers to women owning land: UN chief</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 3.1 billion people – 42% of the global population – were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021, an increase of 134 million people compared to 2019, it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Torero told a news conference launching the report that reducing the number of people eating unhealthy diets “is a big challenge, because it’s basically telling us that we have substantially to change the way we use our resources in the agricultural sector, in the agri-food system.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the latest research, he said, between 691 million and 783 million people were chronically undernourished in 2022, an average of 735 million which is 122 million more people than in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic began.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Torero said U.N. projections for 2030 indicate that 600 million people will still be suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2030, far from the U.N. development goal of achieving “Zero Hunger” by that date.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Stop targeting truth, truth-tellers: UN Chief on World Press Freedom Day</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the report’s foreword, the heads of FAO, the World Food Program, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF and the World Health Organization wrote that achieving Zero Hunger “poses a daunting challenge.” They called for redoubled efforts “to transform agri-food systems and leverage them” to reach the target.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As for children, the report says they are continuing to suffer from malnutrition, with not only 148 million younger than 5 stunted but 45 million too thin for their height or “wasted,” while 37 million youngsters were overweight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Torero said the five agencies also looked at increased urbanization and found that people in rural and semi-urban areas are also consuming mass market products.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Normally, we used to believe that rural people will consume what they produce, but that’s not the case,” he said, explaining that in rural areas about 30% of the family’s food basket is purchased from the market, and in semi-urban and urban areas it is higher, which has implications for nutrition because of the consumption of more processed foods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">WFP chief economist Arif Husain told reporters in a virtual briefing that in 2022 when the war in Ukraine was ongoing the food situation didn’t get worse because the donor community stepped up with about $14.2 billion, and the agency was able to provide aid to 160 million people, up from 97 million in 2019.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“My concern is that moving forward we are looking at huge funding cuts,” he said, citing WFP donations of just $4.2 billion by last week, 29% lower than at the same time last year. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 15:17:31', '2023-07-13 15:17:31'),
(7945, 7945, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">For the eight straight day, Dhaka dwellers have been experiencing a ‘moderate’ level of air quality , thanks to the fairly active monsoon in Bangladesh.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 59, the capital of Bangladesh ranked 32nd in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality at 9:05 am today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The United Arab Emirates’ Dubai, South Africa’s Johannesburg and Indonesia’s Jakarta occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 168, 160 and 143, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’ while an AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with an acceptable air quality. Meanwhile, an AQI between 101 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, particularly for sensitive groups.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be ‘poor’, while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered ‘hazardous’, posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants – Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person\'s chances of developing heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 15:20:17', '2023-07-13 15:20:17'),
(7946, 7946, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Thai lawmakers are gathering Thursday to select a new prime minister, a process whose outcome is far from certain even though the country\'s most progressive party won both the popular vote and the most seats in the House of Representatives in the most recent election.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thailand\'s May 14 election was regarded as a major political turning point. The reformist Move Forward Party\'s victory appeared to spell an end to nine years of unpopular army-supported rule. Two months later, it is unclear if that mandate for change will be honored.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Parliament is due to vote on whether to make Move Forward\'s leader, 42-year-old businessman Pita Limjaroenrat, the country\'s prime minister. His party captured 151 of the 500 House seats but has assembled a coalition government-in-waiting. The eight parties in the coalition won 312 seats combined, a healthy majority.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This is a party leading a coalition, and they’ve won the election,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, said. “In most other countries, they would be in office by now.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of several potential roadblocks to Pita taking power is that the prime minister is elected through a joint vote of the House and the 250-seat Senate, whose members owe their positions to the military-backed regime established by a 2014 coup. Pita, or any other candidate, therefore needs a minimum of 376 votes to become head of government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The biggest bone of contention between the liberals backing Move Forward and the deeply conservative Senate is the campaign pledge of Pita’s party to amend a law that makes defaming the royal family punishable by three to 15 years in prison.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The monarchy is sacrosanct to members of Thailand’s royalist establishment, and even minor reforms that might improve and modernize the monarchy’s image are anathema to them. Move Forward’s coalition partners also have not endorsed the proposed legal change, and other parties ruled out joining the coalition because of the idea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thitinan thinks that given the massive voter support for Move Forward and the Pheu Thai Party, its top partner and political ally, Pita stands a good chance “because of mounting public pressure on the senators. It will depend on the will, the resilience and the intransigence of the royalist conservative establishment.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But if Pita cannot win over enough senators, his options appear nil. The options for the eight-party coalition as a whole appear more viable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One is for the Pheu Thai Party to put forward one of its members as a candidate for prime minister, a possibility that once would have been unthinkable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pheu Thai used to be the royalist establishment’s public enemy No. 1. The party is closely affiliated with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire populist who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, in part because his popularity rubbed royalists the wrong way.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thaksin-backed parties finished first in every election from 2001 until this past May but were blocked or forced from power each time. The 2014 coup, for example, seized power from a government that Thaksin’s sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, had formed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pheu Thai enrolled three of its members as potential prime minister candidates this year, including Thaksin’s daughter. Paetongtarn Shinawatra. It is a measure of the shift in political winds that Pheu Thai is now regarded as a party that royalists can deal with, compared with Move Forward, which they dismiss as radical.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Paetongtarn’s colleague, real estate developer Srettha Thavisin, is considered more likely to have his name put forward if Pita isn\'t election, at least partly as reassurance to the business community. But the possibility that any proposed coalition including Move Forward won’t be approved complicates the numbers game.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The departure of Move Forward would probably require Pheu Thai to enlist allies from among military-friendly parties, which it vowed, with hedging, not to do. In the long run, seeking such an alliance could erode Pheu Thai\'s credibility with supporters who stuck by the party and boost support for Move Forward while it\'s in opposition.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another cost could involve ceding the prime minister’s seat to a newly enlisted coalition partner, the key one being the Bhumjaithai Party, which polled third in the May election and secured 71 House seats. The party\'s leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, was health minister in the outgoing government and has made no secret of his political ambitions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If Pita and Move Forward somehow prevail -- and it could take several votes over a period of weeks -- their political survival still would sit on a knife’s edge.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There have been fears that Thailand’s conservative ruling establishment would use what its political opponents consider to be dirty tricks to cling to power. For a decade and a half, it has repeatedly utilized the courts and supposedly independent state agencies to issue questionable rulings to cripple or sink political opponents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday, the Election Commission said it concluded there was evidence that Pita had violated election law, and referred his case to the Constitutional Court for a ruling. If the court accepts the case and finds him guilty, he could lose his House seat, get kicked out of politics and face a prison sentence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The alleged violation involves undeclared ownership of media company shares, which are banned for Thai lawmakers. Political scientist Thitinan describes the charge and other legal complaints against Pita as “bogus” and something many people, especially voters who backed him, would be unwilling to tolerate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It all depends on how far the royalist conservative establishment wants to go after Pita and prevent a democratic outcome,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Depending how they are resolved, the efforts to block Pita and Move Forward could prove dangerous and cause Thailand unnecessary pain, said Michael Montesano, a Thai studies expert who is an associate senior fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“At the end of the day, the political system and those who would dominate need to move into closer correspondence with the realities of Thai society and with the aspirations of its younger, well educated members,” Montesano said. “The biggest question is whether this transition will be painful and even violent, or whether it will be constructive and thus serve the country’s future prospects.\" AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 16:15:38', '2023-07-13 16:15:38'),
(7947, 7947, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya has urged worldwide partners\' assistance for over 1.1 million Rohingyas, currently living in Bangladesh, who fled genocide in Myanmar.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"US is proud to be the leading donor of humanitarian aid to Rohingya and urges worldwide partners’ assistance for the Rohingyas,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During her visit to a Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday, Under Secretary Zeya had an \"important conversation\" with RRRC Mizanur Rahman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I thanked him for RRRC’s support to Rohingya refugees and his efforts to ensure U.S. humanitarian aid advances safe and dignified conditions for Rohingya,\" she tweeted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After engagements with Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar, Zeya highlighted Bangladeshi hosts’ generosity and the need for global donor support.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US Under Secretary met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After her meeting with the Prime Minister, she will have a series of meetings till tonight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She is scheduled to have dinner with PM\'s Private Industries and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman apart from her other engagements throughout the day, a diplomatic source told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US Under Secretary will have meetings with Law Minister Anisul Haq and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan before her meeting with Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen this noon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Thrilled to be in Bangladesh. Thanks for the warm welcome,\" Under Secretary Zeya tweeted after her arrival in Dhaka on Tuesday evening.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She spent a busy day in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zeya leads global diplomatic efforts to strengthen democracy, advance universal human rights, support refugees and humanitarian relief, promote rule of law and counternarcotics cooperation, fight corruption and intolerance, prevent armed conflict, and eliminate human trafficking.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia, USAID Änjali Kaur are part of the delegation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka witnessed a series of visits from Washington in the recent past, including a visit by Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, in March 19-23, 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Donald Lu also visited Bangladesh earlier this year. Lu has been heavily involved in setting Washington’s Bangladesh policy in the recent past. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 16:33:38', '2023-07-13 16:33:38'),
(7948, 7948, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday inaugurated the operation of South Asia\'s largest single sewage treatment plant in Dasherkandi near Dhaka\'s Aftabnagar.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant is the country\'s first modern STP and sludge drying-incinerator with capacity to treat 500 million litres sewage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The inaugural ceremony was held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plant will play an enormous role in preventing environment pollution and improving the water quality of Rampura canal, Balu River, Shitalakshya River and other water bodies, the authorities said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Constructed on the East of Aftabnagar area, the plant is being hailed as a milestone in the country’s sewage treatment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the plant, some 45 metric tons of fly ash will be generated from sewage sludge a day, which can be used as raw materials in cement factories.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi STP will treat sewage coming from a number of the city’s areas, including Tejgaon, Niketan, Badda, Banani, Gulshan (part), Banani, Ramna, Eskaton, Nayatola, Magbazar, Wireless, Mouchak, Outer Circular Road, Mohanagar Housing, Hatirjheel, Kalabagan and Dhanmondi (part).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi plant will be able to treat 20-25 percent of the 2,000 million litre sewage generated in Dhaka city daily.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plant has been built as part of a master plan taken up by WASA to construct five STPs to treat 100 percent of the sewage generated in Dhaka, in a modern and environment-friendly way, Dhaka WASA Managing Director Taqsem A Khan told reporters on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He mentioned that the plant is modern and environment-friendly one. The quality of water treated in the plant is good enough.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The four other modern sewage treatment plants will be constructed in Pagla, Rayerbazar, Uttara and Mirpur aiming to gain the capacity to treat 100 percent sewage of Dhaka city by 2030.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also on Thursday, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of Pagla sewage treatment plant by renovating the existing one.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When the Pagla sewage treatment plant is completed, some 40 percent of sewages generated in Dhaka can be treated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi STP was implemented on 62 acres of land at the cost of Tk 3,482 crore. Of the cost, Tk 1,106.42 crore came from the government’s fund, while Tk 10 crore from Dhaka WASA, and Tk 2,366 crore from EXIM Bank of China.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The work of the China-funded project started on July 01, 2018. The operation and management of the plant will be run by its contractor, HydroChina Corporation, for one year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the project outline, a waste lifting station on the west side of Rampura Bridge, a five-kilometre trunk sewer line from Rampura to Aftabnagar and Dasherkandi plant and the main treatment plant at Dasherkandi have been constructed. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 17:48:06', '2023-07-13 17:48:06'),
(7949, 7949, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today inaugurated the South Asia\'s largest single sewage treatment plant (STP) in the city\'s Khilgaon area.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier formally launched operation of the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant, first of its kind in the country, at a function at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital on Thursday morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the same function, Sheikh Hasina also laid foundation stone of the reconstruction and expansion of the Pagla Sewage Treatment Plant in support with the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), having capacity of treating 200 million metric tons of sewage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I formally announced of inauguration of the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant and reconstruction and expansion of the Pagla Sewage Treatment Plant,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi plant has a capacity of treating five million tonnes of sewage per day, which is 20 to 25 percent of the total sewage in the capital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plant is supposed to play a key role in saving the rivers surrounding the capital from the pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The China-funded project was implemented on about 62.2 acres of land at the cost of Tk 3,482.42 crore. Of the total cost, Tk 1,106.42 crore came from the government fund, Tk 10 crore from Wasa fund and the remaining Tk 2,366 crore from the Export-Import Bank of China as project assistance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government has a master plan to build four more sewage treatment plants, one each in Pagla, Uttara, Rayerbazar and Mirpur areas to treat 100 percent sewage of Dhaka by 2030, of which 90 percent will come under pipeline coverage and remaining 10 percent sewage will be collected from the houses.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The plant helps implementing SDG Goal-6 by ensuring better waste management system across the country by 2030.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the pioneer of bringing the country under a proper waste management system.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi Treatment Plant, which falls within Khilgaon Police Station, is adjacent to Aftabnagar and will treat sewage of several areas of the capital, including Gulshan (part), Banani, Tejgaon, Niketon, Maghbazar, Malibagh, Aftabnagar, Badda, Kalabagan, Panthapath, Dhanmondi (part) and Hatirjheel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, Local Government Division Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) Managing Director (MD) Taqsem A Khan spoke at the function.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The project has a sludge drying-burning system with a processing capacity of about 500 tons per day. The construction work started on August 1, 2017.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The project, designed and constructed by Chengdu Engineering Corporation under PowerChina, with one year of operations and maintenance, was handed over to WASA.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant was constructed as part of the master plan taken up by WASA in 2013 to build five treatment plants to prevent river pollution around Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the project, a waste lifting station is being constructed on the west side of Rampura Bridge at Pragati Sarani, a five kilometer trunk sewer line from Rampura to Aftabnagar and Dasherkandi plant and the main treatment plant at Dasherkandi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Three separate video documentaries on Dhaka WASA, Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant and Pagla Sewage Treatment Plant were screened at the function. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 18:15:36', '2023-07-13 18:15:36'),
(7950, 7950, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Tens of thousands of Hollywood actors on Wednesday anxiously awaited their union\'s decision on whether to strike, as last-ditch talks with the likes of Disney and Netflix appeared to sour just hours before the crunch deadline.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) has already agreed to one extension of talks with studios, but the two sides have still not been able to thrash out a deal over thorny issues of pay, the use of artificial intelligence, and more.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">If midnight Wednesday (0700 GMT Thursday) passes without a deal or another prolongation, actors will hit the picket line, joining writers who have already been marching outside studios for more than two months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement,\" said the union, which represents some 160,000 actors and performers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Time is running out,\" it warned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A \"double strike\" of actors and writers, not seen in Hollywood since 1960, would bring nearly all US film and television productions to a halt.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It would also prevent A-listers from promoting some of the year\'s biggest releases, right at the peak of the movie industry\'s key summer blockbuster season, just as the industry attempts to rebound from the lean pandemic years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In London, a premiere Wednesday night for Christopher Nolan\'s \"Oppenheimer\" was brought forward by an hour, so that cast including Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and Emily Blunt could attend without breaking union rules, Variety reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But a strike would derail the much-hyped film\'s US premiere, due to take place in New York on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A scheduled red-carpet launch this weekend at Disneyland for the new \"Haunted Mansion\" movie may be downgraded to a \"private fan event.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And the massive annual Comic-Con pop culture gathering in San Diego next week could be stripped of its stars.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hollywood studios have called in federal mediators to help resolve the deadlock.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">SAG-AFTRA said Tuesday it had agreed to the studios\' \"last-minute request\" for mediation, while voicing skepticism about good-faith efforts on the other side.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The studios have \"abused our trust and damaged the respect we have for them in this process,\" it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We will not be manipulated by this cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to make a fair deal.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Swift resolution -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">SAG-AFTRA members have pre-approved industrial action if a deal is not struck.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday, Hollywood unions representing directors, behind-the-scenes film workers and writers issued a statement of \"unwavering support and solidarity\" with the actors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"While the studios have collective worth of trillions of dollars, billions of viewers globally, and sky-high profits, this fight is not about actors against the studios,\" it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Workers \"across all crafts and departments\" stand together \"to prevent mega-corporations from eroding the conditions we fought decades to achieve,\" it said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the writers\' strike has already dramatically reduced the number of movies and shows in production, an actors\' walkout would shutter almost everything.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some reality TV, animation and talk shows could continue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But popular series set to return to television this year face lengthy delays. And, if strikes continue, future blockbuster films would be postponed too.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even the Emmy Awards, television\'s version of the Oscars which is due to take place on September 18, is reportedly mulling a delay to November or even next year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An actors strike would mean a boycott of the ceremony by stars.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We hope the ongoing guild negotiations can come to an equitable and swift resolution,\" said Television Academy chairman Frank Scherma, as the Emmy nominations were announced Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Pay and AI -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Should negotiations fail, it will be the first time that all Hollywood actors and writers have been on strike simultaneously since 1960, when actor (and future US president) Ronald Reagan led a showdown that eventually forced major concessions from the studios.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like the writers, who have already spent 11 weeks on the picket lines, actors are demanding higher pay to counteract inflation, and guarantees for their future livelihoods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In addition to salaries when they are actively working, actors earn payments called \"residuals\" every time a film or show they starred in is aired on network or cable -- particularly helpful when performers are between projects.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But today, streamers like Netflix and Disney+ do not disclose viewing figures for their shows, and offer the same paltry flat rate for everything on their platforms, regardless of its popularity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Muddying the waters further is the issue of artificial intelligence. Both actors and writers want guarantees to regulate its future use, but studios have so far refused to budge. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 18:28:13', '2023-07-13 18:28:13'),
(7951, 7951, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Visiting US Department of State\'s Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zeya on Thursday (July 13, 2023) said her country announced the new visa policy to supplement Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment to hold free, fair and neutral election.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She made the statement while calling on the prime minister at her official residence Ganabhaban, PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim told reporters in a briefing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We do not have any bias towards any party, we want a neutral, free and fair election,” Zeya was quoted as telling the PM.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina said that it is her commitment to hold free and fair election in the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We always fought for free and fair election in the country, we already have held free and fair election,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that Awami League always fought for the rights of the people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We always fight for people’s right to choose their representatives,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also mentioned that it was BNP who started vote rigging in the country. In this connection, she said that transparent ballot boxes have been introduced for polls.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina recalled the atrocities, terrorism activities and arson attacks of BNP and their allies during 2013-15 that left 500 people killed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zeya told the PM that she visited Rohingya camps and talked to the displaced people from Myanmar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She put emphasis on strengthening coordinated international efforts to ensure reparation of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that US will provide some USD 74 million for the operational cost in Rohingya camps.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She highly appreciated Sheikh Hasina for hosting such a huge number of Rohingyas in Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina said that Bangladesh currently is hosting more than one million Ronhigays in two different areas of the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also mentioned that human trafficking and anti-social activities are going on in these camps which are very much alarming for the country’s security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, PMO Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin, Bangladesh Ambassador to United States Mohammad Imran, US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and US Ambassador Peter Haas were present. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 18:47:06', '2023-07-13 18:47:06'),
(7952, 7952, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US President Joe Biden will meet the leader of newest NATO member Finland on Thursday, after G7 powers vowed to back Ukraine for as long as it takes to defeat Russia.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Biden will meet with Sauli Niinisto, the president of the Nordic country, which shares a 1,300 kilometres (800-mile) border with Russia and which ended its historic military non-alignment following Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The trip comes after NATO leaders dashed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky\'s hopes for a clear timeline to join the military alliance, saying they would offer an invite only when \"conditions are met\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">G7 nations later offered Ukraine a package of long-term security commitments and vowed to stand with Kyiv for \"as long as it takes\" to defeat Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides Niinisto and the Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Biden will meet Sweden\'s Ulf Kristersson, Norway\'s Jonas Gahr Store, Denmark\'s Mette Frederiksen and Iceland\'s Katrin Jakobsdottir. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 19:00:46', '2023-07-13 19:00:46'),
(7953, 7953, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The US delegation has said they want to see a \"free, fair and violence-free\" election, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said today.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“We told the US delegation that law enforcement is ready and will work with the Election Commission during the polls,” he told reporters after the US delegation led by Under Secretary Uzra Zeya held a meeting with him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The delegation also reiterated that they did not come here to support any political party; rather, all they want to see is a free, fair, and violence-free election in the country,” the minister said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US delegation has also assured cooperation in the repatriation of the Rohingyas, added the home minister. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 19:43:43', '2023-07-13 19:43:43');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7954, 7954, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Shah Rukh Khan is known for his humour and wit not just on screen but in real life as well. The actor once again had a way with words as he came across a troll during a fan interaction on Twitter on Thursday. He had an epic reply for a hater who asked him if he himself buys his film\'s tickets.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A Twitter user asked Shah Rukh, “Tum kya apni movie ke ticket khud hi khareed lete ho. @iamsrk. #Jawan (do you yourself buy tickets of your own films)?” The actor replied in the same tone, “tum kya apne kaam ki salary khud pay karte ho? (do you yourself pay salary for your work)?”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He conducted the ask me anything session days after the release of the Jawan Prevue. At the end of the session, he also shared a new Jawan poster which shows him in a bald avatar while wielding a gun.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shah Rukh Khan reveals the man behind the mummy look in Jawan</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A fan shared a still the Jawan Prevue which showed a man, probably Shah Rukh Khan, wrapped in bandages from head to toe. “Sir ye aap hi ho na (sir this is you for sure),” asked the fan. The actor replied in humour, “Ya toh main hoon ya phir meri mummy hongi??!! Ha ha #Jawan (either this is me or my mummy)</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Shah Rukh was his usual witty self while answering to his fans on Thursday. When a fan asked him, “#AskSRK agar apke pass time machine aye to kaha jaonge sbse pehle (where will you go first if you get a time machine)??? He replied, ”Bhai machine ka pata nahi ab toh shooting pe aa gaya. #Jawan (I don\'t know about the machine but I have come to the shoot today).\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another fan asked Shah Rukh, “Guru ji Baarish Me Jawan Hote ho ya Naujawan (sir you become a Jawan or a youth in rain).” The actor replied in sarcasm, “Aapke sawaal se lag raha hai aap baarish mein Vidhwaan hote ho. #Jawan (your question indicates you become an intellectual in rain).”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Jawan Prevue has been received well by the audience. It showed glimpses of Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Nayanthara, Sanya Malhotra and Priyamani as well. It will release in theatres on September 7. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 19:50:57', '2023-07-13 19:50:57'),
(7955, 7955, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held a closed-door meeting today with Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr Lilly Nicholls.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The meeting started at the BNP chairperson\'s political office in Dhaka\'s Gulshan around 1 pm, BNP media cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Organising Secretary Shama Obaed, and Canadian High Commission official Bradley Coates also attended the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP sources said issues relating to Bangladesh’s next national election, the current political situation, human rights, and matters of mutual interest were likely to come up for discussion in the meeting. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 20:07:40', '2023-07-13 20:07:40'),
(7956, 7956, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A day after announcing its one-point demand, BNP today unveiled a 31-point outline aimed at \"reforming\" the constitution and state system and ensuring economic emancipation.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Party\'s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul presented the 31-point outline at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.</div><div><br></div><div>“As a responsible political party, we -- through discussions with other parties who are carrying out movements with us -- formulated this outline. On behalf of BNP, I want to present it before the nation,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said they announced a one-point demand from their Wednesday rally in the capital for a historic political changeover. “We’re now announcing our 31-point outline, not just for the election and for regime change, but for overall qualitative change in the state system and turning the country into a democratic state in the true sense.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said this outline is \"crucial\" for the nation, as it contains their party’s commitments to bringing positive change to the country.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said Bangladesh was formed with the dream of establishing democracy, equality, human dignity, and social justice through the Liberation War in 1971. “They (people) have now lost their ownership of the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the current \"authoritarian\" government has \"destroyed the state structure of Bangladesh.\"</div><div><br></div><div>“This state needs to be repaired and rebuilt,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>After winning a free, fair, impartial, acceptable, and participatory election, Fakhrul said a public welfare-oriented government of national consensus will be formed, comprising the political parties that are participating in the ongoing anti-government movement to restore people’s ownership of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, and Selima Rahman were present at the press conference. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-13 22:51:09', '2023-07-13 22:51:09'),
(7957, 7957, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh’s domestic and external debt stands at around Tk16.14 lakh crore, according to the latest report of Bangladesh Bank (BB).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>As a result, the per capita debt of people stands at Tk95,019. But income is still higher than per capita debt. The current annual per capita income of the people of the country is $2793, which is around Tk3.3 lakh in Bangladeshi currency.</div><div><br></div><div>Though Bangladesh is still in a good position in terms of debt-GDP ratio compared to many countries in the world, a big portion of the national budget is spent on loan interest payments, Said economist Ahsan H Mansur.</div><div><br></div><div>Even if the income is higher; the risk of debt is now a headache due to lower revenue collection, and the supply chain disrupted by the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war and the trade deficit is reducing the government\'s debt repayment capacity, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Considering the debt-GDP ratio it is not risky yet, but the problem is a slow revenue collection and the lowest tax –GDP ratio of the country,” he told. reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign exchange crisis, higher non-performing loans, global economic slowdown, and decreasing trend of inward remittances flow are the challenging matter to secure the debt repayment capacity, he also said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 02:55:57', '2023-07-14 02:55:57'),
(7958, 7958, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Bank (BB) has finally accepted the formula prescribed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in calculating foreign exchange reserves that stood at $23.57 billion on Thursday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>However, according to the Bangladesh Bank\'s calculations on Wednesday the reserve was $29.97 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>One of the conditions for the IMF\'s $4.7 billion loan to Bangladesh was to release the reserve account by June as per a model called BPM-6. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 03:02:15', '2023-07-14 03:02:15'),
(7959, 7959, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Abdul Hasib Bin Idris (17) has sung about 15 Islamic songs, all of which are very popular. He dreams of becoming the world\'s best Islamic singer and wants to invite people to Islam through the voice given by Allah in his songs until his death.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Hasib is a Nasheed artist who has reached the peak of popularity by singing several songs. This young man currently works in Heaven Tune, a popular Islamic cultural organization in the country. He has been singing at various Islamic events since childhood, and his talent flourished in Heaven Tune.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, he has released songs like \"Bare Bare Poth Bhuli,\" \"Tum Asecho Bole,\" \"Din Jae Din Ase,\" and \"Rasule Muhammad,\" among others. He has also sung \"Tumi Udash Mone Ranggin Dola,\" \"Sada Kafan,\" \"Vijay,\" \"Qurbani,\" and \"Eid Mubarak\" songs. Moreover, he has received much praise for singing Arabic and Urdu songs. And he joined Heaven Tune through popular musician Gazi Anas Rawshan.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 03:14:02', '2023-07-14 03:14:02'),
(7960, 7960, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya today said she has witnessed Dhaka\'s strong commitment to hold free, fair and peaceful elections while Washington doesn\'t have involvement in dialogues among political parties in Bangladesh.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"I\'ve heard a strong commitment from the (Bangladesh\'s) honorable Prime Minister and all of the government ministers with whom I\'ve had the pleasure to meet today in support of free and fair and peaceful elections,\" she told reporters after holding a meeting with foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen at State Guest House Padma in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>The Under Secretary said the US, as part of its global human rights policy, supports free, fair and peaceful elections and \"We want to do our part as a longtime partner of Bangladesh to help make this possible\".</div><div><br></div><div>In replying to a question about whether the US suggests a dialogue among the political parties here regarding the election issues, she said, Washington doesn\'t have any \"direct involvement\" in this.</div><div><br></div><div>Zeya said it is a matter of Bangladesh to decide regarding the \"timetable\" of the elections.</div><div><br></div><div>Commenting on yesterday\'s Awami League and BNP\'s rallies, she said, \"We witnessed large political rallies, thankfully, free of serious violence, and I think this is a good harbinger that we would like to see replicated\".</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning that the US delegation came here in recognition of the importance of the US partnership with Bangladesh, she underscored Washington\'s desire to deepen that partnership in support of the US\'s vision of a free and open Indo Pacific, which is \"More resilient, more connected, more secure\".</div><div><br></div><div>\"I think we\'ve had constructive, productive and engaging discussions,\" she added.</div><div><br></div><div>She said they discussed the need for free and fair elections, the ability of journalists to report without fear of retaliation or intimidation, collaboration to combat trafficking in persons, and the vital role that civil society plays in democracies advancing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedoms of expression and association.</div><div><br></div><div>\"A prosperous future (of Bangladesh) depends on strong democratic institutions, and the broad participation of Bangladeshis in elections and the governance of their country,\" she observed.</div><div><br></div><div>The under Secretary said the US looks forward to deepening its engagement with Bangladesh over the next 50 years while its cooperation on climate change, development, economy, humanitarian assistance and security shows the range of Washington\'s strong partnership and future potential.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the Rohingya crisis, she said, the US supports efforts to create the conditions for the eventual safe, dignified, informed and voluntary return of Rohingyas, which do not currently exist.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I am proud to announce that the United States is providing more than 74 million dollars in additional funding to support humanitarian response efforts in Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The additional funding included nearly 61 million US dollars to support Rohingya internally displaced in Burma, as well as Rohingyas living here in Bangladesh, and Bangladeshi host community members, she added.</div><div><br></div><div>The Under Secretary also expressed US gratitude to Bangladesh for hosting nearly a million Rohingyas.</div><div><br></div><div>US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Donald Lu and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas were present from the US side.</div><div><br></div><div>US Under Secretary Uzra Zeya also met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this morning. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 03:44:57', '2023-07-14 03:44:57'),
(7961, 7961, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Teesta River is flowing 40 cm above the danger level due to the onrush of upstream water.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The water flow at Dalia point of Teesta Barrage, the country\'s largest irrigation project, was recorded at 52.55 cm at 6:00 am on Friday, which is flowing 40 cm above the danger level above the normal 52.15 cm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Teesta Barrage Water Development Board\'s Flood Forecasting Warning Centre, said the Teesta water level will rise sharply from late Friday night and flow above the danger mark on Friday and Saturday and advised everyone to be careful.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, the water levels of the Teesta, Dharla, Buri Teesta, and Saniajan rivers have increased due to the onrush of upstream water from India, causing flooding in the areas along the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat\'s Hatibandha upazila.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About 15,000 families have been marooned due to the flooding situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dalia Water Development Board Executive Engineer Asfauddin Daula said Teesta water is flowing 40 cm above the danger level. Therefore, all 44 gates of the Teesta Barrage have been opened to control the flow of water.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Teesta water is expected to remain above the danger mark for two days, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, the water level of the rivers started swelling on Thursday (July 13) morning. Water started flowing 35 cm above the danger level at Doani point of Teesta Barrage, located in Hatibandha, in the afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to sources at the Water Development Board, there is panic among the people. This flooding situation has been created due to the opening of most of the gates of India\'s Gajoldoba Barrage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many are leaving their homes and moving to safer places. The water is flowing towards Bangladesh at a high speed. Most of the gates of the Teesta barrage have been opened to ease the onrush of upstream water.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a result, 15,000 families from 10 villages in the char areas of Patgram, Saniyajan, Goddimari, Singimari, Sirduna, Patikapara, and Dauabari union of Hatibandha have been marooned due to the swelling water level of Teesta.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many croplands, including the seeds of several thousand acres of Aman paddy, have been submerged in Teesta water. Meanwhile, road communication in the char areas has been broken. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 17:47:53', '2023-07-14 17:47:53'),
(7962, 7962, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality was marked \"unhealthy for sensitive groups\" Friday morning.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 119 at 9:30 am, Dhaka ranked 7th in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Africa’s Johannesburg, Chile’s Santiago and UAE’s Dubai occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 218, 176 and 169, respectively, according to IQAir.</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, '2023-07-14 17:50:55', '2023-07-14 17:50:55'),
(7963, 7963, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Japanese rocket engine exploded during a test on Friday, an official said, in the latest blow to the country\'s space agency.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Epsilon S -- an improved version of the Epsilon rocket that failed to launch in October -- blew up \"roughly 50 seconds after ignition\", science and technology ministry official Naoya Takegami told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The testing site in the northern prefecture of Akita was engulfed in flames and a huge plume of grey smoke rose into the sky, footage from national broadcaster NHK showed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"So far we have received no reports of injuries\" from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which was investigating the cause of the explosion, Takegami said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The malfunction comes after Tokyo in March saw its second attempt to launch its next-generation H3 rocket fail after liftoff, and after the failed launch of the solid-fuel Epsilon in October.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">That was Japan\'s first failed launch in nearly two decades, and the only one for an Epsilon rocket, a model that has flown five successful missions since its 2013 debut. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 18:23:09', '2023-07-14 18:23:09'),
(7964, 7964, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Schools and colleges were closed after record monsoon rains led to massive waterlogging, road caves-in, collapsed homes and gridlocked traffic in large parts of northern India, killing more than 100 people over two weeks, officials said Thursday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At least 88 people died, 42 of them in the past five days, and more than 100 were injured in the worst hit-mountainous Himachal Pradesh state where cars, buses, bridges and houses were swept away by swirling flood waters, a state government statement said. The region is nearly 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of New Delhi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Twelve people have died of rain-related incidents since Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh state, said Shishir Singh, a state government spokesman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nine of them drowned, two died after being struck by lightning and one was killed by a snake bite, Singh said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One person died in New Delhi and four were killed in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir, officials said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Authorities used helicopters to rescue nearly 300 people, mostly tourists, who were stranded in the Chandertal area in Himachal Pradesh state since Saturday. They included seven sick people who were airlifted on Tuesday, the government said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nearly 170 houses have collapsed and another 600 were partially damaged by heavy rains and landslides in the state, the state emergency operation center said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In New Delhi, residential areas close to the Jamuna River were flooded, submerging roads, cars and homes, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people from low-lying areas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dozens of cars were blocked by sheets of water, throwing the movement of vehicles into disarray during the morning rush hour in New Delhi on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The water level of the Jamuna River flowing through the Indian capital topped a 40-year record and reached 207.71 meters (681.5 feet) on Wednesday evening, according to a statement by the office of New Delhi\'s top elected official, Arvind Kejriwal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Authorities have moved nearly 30,000 people to relief camps and also converted some schools into relief camps in the badly hit areas, the statement said. Hundreds of people with their livestock also have taken shelter under overhead road bridges in the eastern parts of the Indian capital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rajesh Singh, a factory owner, was stuck with his motorbike for hours with floodwater blocking both sides of the road near the river bank. \"I have never seen anything like this in the past 22 years.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"New Delhi hasn\'t seen a lot of rain in the past two days, but the river level has risen due to abnormally high levels of water discharge from Hathni Kund barrage in neighboring Haryana state,\" Kejriwal said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India\'s weather agency has forecast more heavy rains in northern parts in the coming days. It said monsoon rains across the country have already brought about 2% more rainfall than normal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India regularly witnesses severe floods during the monsoon season, which runs between June and September and brings most of South Asia\'s annual rainfall. The rains are crucial for rain-fed crops planted during the season but often cause extensive damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Scientists say monsoons are becoming more erratic because of climate change and global warming, leading to frequent landslides and flash floods in India\'s Himalayan north. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 18:29:40', '2023-07-14 18:29:40'),
(7965, 7965, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya has urged the political parties in Bangladesh to reject violence and support a genuinely peaceful democratic process that allows the people of Bangladesh to choose their own leaders.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Well, I think one message I would underscore is urging all parties to reject violence, and to support a genuinely inclusive, peaceful, free and fair democratic process. Let\'s let the people of Bangladesh decide,” she told UNB in an exclusive interview before wrapping up her two and half days visit to Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zeya made it clear that the United States’ objective is to support elections in Bangladesh that are “free, fair and peaceful.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, she said, the question of potentially a caretaker government, or a boycott, these are “internal matters” for the people of Bangladesh. “We don\'t see a role for the United States. And I just want to underscore the final point that we do not take sides between political parties.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During her meetings in Dhaka, Under Secretary Zeya emphasized the importance of working together to achieve Bangladesh’s goal of free and fair elections; the crucial role of civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, and labor activists; accountability for human rights abuses; and the need to continue support for Rohingya refugees.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked about her visit to India before coming to Bangladesh,  she said her visit to India was part of regular consultations with Indian government counterparts and also in her dual head role as Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“So on this point, I would say, reflecting from this week of meetings, I see convergence between our three governments in terms of benefits for a more free and open Indo Pacific that is more resilient, connected, secure and prosperous,” she said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 19:43:45', '2023-07-14 19:43:57'),
(7966, 7966, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq has questioned the citizenship of those who do abide by the constitution.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"BNP will say a lot of things. Awami League abides by the constitution because Bangabandhu gave this constitution after achieving independence through the blood of millions of martyrs. The elections will be held according to the constitution. And those who do not follow the constitution are not Bangladeshi citizens,\" he said, while talking to reporters at the Akhaura Railway Station area in Brahmanbaria on Friday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Bangladesh is a developing country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given us some directions. Accordingly, we will build a Smart Bangladesh by 2041,\" he also said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, the minister addressed party leaders and workers. Akhaura Upazila Awami League General Secretary Takzil Khalifa Kajal, Kasba Upazila Chairman Advocate Rashedul Kaiser Bhuiyan Jabin, and leaders and activists of different levels of the party were present at the time. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 21:19:41', '2023-07-14 21:19:41'),
(7967, 7967, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed said that the countdown for the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s government has begun.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“Various pro-democracy parties have joined forces to make he ongoing one-point movement successful. It is certain that she [Sheikh Hasina can no longer remain in power,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a scholarship award ceremony organized by the Ziaur Rahman Foundation in Khulna on Friday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He accused the prime minister of misleading foreign nations by claiming to have conducted free and fair elections in the country for the past 14 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Sheikh Hasina had resorted to deceitful tactics, depriving the people of their rights by manipulating the voting process both during the day and at night,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Furthermore, he alleged that the government, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was forced to reveal reserves of 23.7 million dollars, which had subsequently been depleted through corrupt practices.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi claimed that the administration\'s actions had destroyed the economy and effectively brought an end to democracy. He also mentioned that banks had stopped opening Letters of Credit (LCs), further exacerbating the economic crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rizvi went on to criticize Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League, for organizing a peace rally akin to what he said the Peace Committee of \'71. In contrast, he highlighted the BNP\'s rally in Naya Paltan, which saw a significant turnout within a short span of two to three days.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“During the rally, Sheikh Hasina\'s cousin, DSCC Mayor Tapas, had confidently proclaimed their intention to seize control of Dhaka in the upcoming January elections, revealing their true intentions,” said Rizvi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Expressing his concern over the current state of the country, Rizvi remarked that Bangladesh was in the midst of an extreme crisis, with a pervasive atmosphere of fear prevailing in society.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also opined that if the people truly owned the country, the political landscape would be vastly different. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 21:55:19', '2023-07-14 21:55:19'),
(7968, 7968, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to attend a business conference tomorrow on building \'Smart Bangladesh\', a&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">vision of the Awami League (AL) government to transform the country into&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">smart from digital one by 2041.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">apex trade body of the country, is organising the event highlighting the&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">contribution of the private sector in building \'Smart Bangladesh\' as well as&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">the present context and actions required to take.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The event, titled \"Business Conference on Building Smart Bangladesh\", will be&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the city.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and Prime Minister\'s Private Industry and&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman will attend the programme as special&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">guests.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin, at a press conference here today, said the&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">top business leaders of the country will get an opportunity to directly talk&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and express their needs.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Through the conference, he hoped that both public and private sectors will&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">get right guidelines for working together.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"In the business conference, businessmen of the country will able to discuss&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">their expectations and prospects with the Prime Minister. Besides, the&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">businessmen will also get the opportunity to express their needs,\" he added.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The private sector has been playing a key role in Bangladesh\'s economic&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">progress since the beginning, he said, adding: \"The conference will discuss&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">with the prime minister what role the private sector will play in building&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">\'Smart Bangladesh\'.\"</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Jashim mentioned that the Bangladesh Business Summit-2023 was organised to&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">showcase the country\'s trade and investment potential to the world.&nbsp;</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"FBCCI is going to publish a book capturing the achievements of the Summit.&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The book will be presented to the Prime Minister during the business&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">conference which will contain the opinions of experts who participated in the&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">summit while the recommendations and policies discussed during the event will&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">be included,\" he added.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The apex trade body of the country will distribute the book to the relevant&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">ministries of the government later, he further said. 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, '2023-07-14 22:19:00', '2023-07-14 22:19:00'),
(7969, 7969, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">India today successfully launched its third lunar exploration mission--Chandrayaan-3-- from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">With the success of the mission, Chandrayaan-3 will make India the fourth country after US, Russia and China to land its spacecraft on the surface of&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">the moon and demonstrate the country\'s ability for safe and soft landing of lunar surface.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The mission follows the ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organisation) Chandrayaan-2, which failed a desired soft landing on the lunar surface nearly four years ago in September 2019.Chandrayaan-3 will journey for over a month before landing on the lunar surface later in August.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chandrayaan-3 will journey for over a month before landing on the lunar surface later in August.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The ISRO explained the three main objectives of this ₹615 crore mission -safe and soft landing on the Moon, to demonstrate the Rover roving on its&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">surface and study its environment.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The spacecraft consists of a six-wheeled lander and rover module, which is configured with payloads to provide data related to the moon\'s surface.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"Chandrayaan-3 consists of an indigenous Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover with an objective of developing and demonstrating new&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">technologies required for interplanetary missions,\" the ISRO explained on its website about the project.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The ISRO and the former scientists associated with the space agency, including ex-chairman Madhavan Nair and scientist Nambi Narayan, expressed&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">high confidence about the success of the mission.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in France at present, also tweeted this morning, expressing optimism about the mission and said it will carry the \"hopes and dreams of India.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"14th July 2023 will always be etched in golden letters as far as India\'s space sector is concerned. Chandrayaan-3, our third lunar mission, will&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">embark on its journey. This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation,\" he added. BSS</span></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', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 22:23:38', '2023-07-14 22:23:38'),
(7970, 7970, '<div><div>Bangladesh T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan has won the toss and decided to bowl first in the 1st match against Afghanistan at Sylhet.</div><div><br></div><div>The Tigers have made two changes from 3rd T20I versus Ireland with Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman replacing Rishad Hossain and Hasan Mahmud.</div><div><br></div><div>No Shahzad in the Afghanistan line-up, for a start. They have two changes from 3rd the T20I versus Pakistan as Hazratullah Zazai and Najibullah Zadran come in for Sediqullah Atal and Usman Ghani.</div></div><div><br></div><div>Teams:</div><div>Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Azmatullah Omarzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh (Playing XI): Litton Das(w), Rony Talukdar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan(c), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 23:09:02', '2023-07-14 23:09:02'),
(7971, 7971, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh reported 62 more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Friday morning.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With the new numbers, the country\'s total caseload rose to 2,043,449, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,463 as no new fatalities were reported during this period.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The daily case test positivity rose to 5.04 percent from Thursday’s 3.72 percent as 1,229 samples were tested, DGHS said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The recovery and death rates remained unchanged at 98.38 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 23:28:18', '2023-07-14 23:28:18'),
(7972, 7972, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Sajid Nadiadwala has shared an update on the second installment of his directorial debut Kick. The filmmaker said that Salman Khan has also read script for the film, which is now ‘completely written’. He added that they are looking at a better time to release the action film.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>About Kick</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">When Sajid made his directorial debut with Kick in 2014, he not only brought yet-another Salman Khan-entertainer to the audience, he also introduced actors such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Randeep Hooda in a larger-than-life Bollywood film. Nawazuddin played the antagonist in the film and Randeep essayed the role of a cop. Kick also featured Jacqueline Fernandez, and made ₹200 crore at the box office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Writing for Kick 2 is complete</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Talking about Kick 2, Sajid told Pinkvilla that Kick is his ‘favourite IP (intellectual property)’ and he gets overwhelming response from the audience as well as the film industry each time he talks about the sequel. “Now, I promise that there will be an extension to Kick. The subject is there on paper, it’s completely written but needs time. We need a bigger scale and a better time for its release.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Sajid on right time for Kick 2\'s release</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sajid added, \"We need to have cinema consumption back in fashion for us to make Kick. Once we are back to normal, I will be ready to take Kick 2 on floors. Salman has also heard it and now I just need the excitement of the audience to come back and then we can plan Kick 2 accordingly,” he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Salman Khan was most recently seen in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan which also featured Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh, Jassi Gill, Jagapati Babu, Raghav Juyal, Bhumika Chawla, Bhagyashree, Siddharth Nigam, Shehnaaz Gill, Palak Tiwari and Vijender Singh. Ram Charan and Abdu Rozik had cameo appearances in the film that marked the Bollywood debut of Shehnaaz and Palak. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-14 23:37:10', '2023-07-14 23:37:10');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7973, 7973, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A high-profile parliamentary roundtable on “Bangladesh-UK Climate Accord: Priorities for COP28,” hosted by Bangladesh High Commission, London at the UK House of Lords on Thursday proposed creation of a parliamentary caucus on climate change ahead of the COP28 in Dubai in November 2023.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">UK Ministers and parliaments from the House of Lords and the House of Commons along with ministers and parliamentarians from Bangladesh participated in the roundtable and discussed common priorities of Bangladesh and the UK for COP28 in light of the Bangladesh-UK Climate Accord signed in March this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This was the first roundtable of its kind between Bangladesh and the UK on climate change at the British parliament.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem delivered the opening remarks while Baroness Verma, Patron of Conservative Friends of India and Former UK Minister for Energy and Climate Change who co-hosted the roundtable gave the welcome speech.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh’s Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury MP, former Deputy Minister of Environment and Forest and current chair of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Youth and Sports Abdullah Al Islam Jakob MP, Convenor of Climate Parliament Bangladesh Nahim Razzak MP, Sheikh Tonmoy MP and Ayeen Uddin MP spoke at the roundtable from Bangladesh side.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, UK Minister for Housing and Homelessness Felicity Buchan MP along with a large number of British parliamentarians spoke at the roundtable from the UK side, including the Shadow Minister for Climate Change Kerry McCarthy, and Shadow Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets Seema Malhotra (more names below).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury MP in his speech paid deep tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and lauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership as the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) during COP26 in Glasgow.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">MPs’ roundtable seeks UK-Bangladesh joint efforts ahead of COP28&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He made a four-point proposal for Bangladesh and the UK to jointly pursue at the COP28, including on loss and damage, climate financing, investing in Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan and Bangladesh’s transition into low carbon economy; and strategic investments in clean, renewable and green energy solutions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking on the occasion, UK Minister for Housing and Homelessness Felicity Buchan MP praised Bangladesh’s sustained success in climate adaptation leadership, women empowerment, and socio-economic development, according to the Bangladesh High Commission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She also praised the Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK for their continuous contribution to the British economy and society.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Abdullah Al Islam Jakob MP highlighted the coastal areas\' extreme climate vulnerabilities in Bangladesh, and how Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s government has implemented over 800 resilience-building projects along the coastline.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Convenor of Climate Parliament Bangladesh Nahim Razzak MP proposed the creation of a parliamentary caucus on climate change ahead of COP28.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Recalling the signing of the historic Bangladesh-UK Climate Accord in Dhaka in March this year during the visit of UK’s Minister for Asia Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan, High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem recommended that both the countries work together for a plan of action for implementation of the Climate Accord.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The UK parliamentarians highlighted the importance of climate finance and a loss and damage fund to address Bangladesh\'s vulnerability to climate change. They also urged for increased investment in green infrastructure, agriculture, and food security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Apart from the names mentioned above, other participants from the UK side included Member of House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Select Committee Baroness Rosie Boycott, Member of UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Trade and Investment Lord Popat, Member of UK House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee Baroness Susan Kramer, Member of UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Foreign Affairs Baroness Uddin, Member of UK House of Lords Built Environment Select Committee Lord Mawson, Shadow Spokesperson for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lord Stevenson, Opposition Whip Lord Sunny Leong and Former member of House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee Lord Swraj Paul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The event was also attended by representatives from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and prominent members of the British-Bangladeshi community. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 02:01:36', '2023-07-15 02:01:36'),
(7974, 7974, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has demanded the resignation of the government, saying that their time in power is up.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“There is no more time. Their time is up. I have made it clear before, and I am saying it again... resign and dissolve parliament like a good boy and form an interim government to oversee elections under a neutral and non-partisan government,” he said, while speaking at a brief rally held at Shahid Bulu Stadium in Noakhali on Friday afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Warning of potential street protests if the government does not comply, he added, “Our leader Tarique Rahman has asked, where will the decision be made?”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At that, the attendees at the rally screamed back in response: “On the streets.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mirza Fakhrul also called for unity to bring about a change in government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Addressing the issue of corruption, he said, “The Awami League has dismantled our education system, healthcare system, and justice system. They have ruined our economy and turned it into a haven for illicit gains. Banks have been drained of their resources through looting, with billions of rupees being smuggled abroad. Furthermore, they have devised schemes to bring back the smuggled money, offering a two-and-a-half percent incentive.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“It is absurd that they are rewarding thieves with our tax money while deducting from our own pockets. This issue is not exclusive to the BNP; Khaleda Zia, or Tarek Rahman - it is a problem that affects the entire nation. We are facing a crisis of voting rights, jeopardised freedoms, and a crumbling economy,” he went on.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Expressing his concern over the prolonged detention of Khaleda Zi, Mirza Fakhrul lamented, “She has been unjustly imprisoned for eight years, despite her unwavering fight for democracy. If elected, we have outlined 31 points to rebuild the nation. Our leader Tarek Rahman has presented us with the vision of a new Bangladesh through these 31 points.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rally, organised jointly by the BNP\'s affiliated organisations Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal, Sramik Dal, Matsyajibi Dal, Tanti Dal, and JASAS, commenced at 2:30 PM before the march through the city streets.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This rally marks the first of several planned events by these five organisations in six district cities across the country. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 02:16:54', '2023-07-15 02:16:54'),
(7975, 7975, '<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Mohammed Shahabuddin today expressed profound shock and sorrow at the deaths of valiant freedom fighter, founding organiser and voice soldier of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra Ashfaqur Rahman Khan and noted Nazrul singer and valiant freedom fighter Bulbul Mahalanobis.</span></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a condolence message, the Head of State prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and conveyed deep sympathy to the members of the bereaved families.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bulbul Mahalanobis gave voice to the historic song \'Bijoy Nishan Utechy Oi\' at the historic moment of the victory in December, 1971.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ashfaqur Rahman Khan was the programme manager of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Recalling their contributions with due respect, the President said the deaths of two talented artists on the same day is an irreparable loss to the country\'s cultural arena.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The nation will remember their outstanding contributions to the great Liberation War for long, he added. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 02:53:19', '2023-07-15 02:53:19'),
(7976, 7976, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP on Saturday told the visiting Election Exploratory Mission from the European Union (EU) that it is not possible for their party to join the next national election under the current Awami League government.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“We\'ve told them that there’s no question of going to elections under this regime, it is not possible. There’re so many reasons behind it,” said BNP standing committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters after the meeting with the EU team, he said they informed the EU delegation that the people of Bangladesh will not be able to cast their votes and elect their representatives through the election under the current regime. “These things are as clear as the daylight. Everyone knows these.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the entire world has an eye on Bangladesh’s election as they know the elections under this government were questionable and not acceptable. “That’s why they’re expressing their concerns.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Why should the EU team come to Bangladesh and take opinions on the election? They don’t have to go to any country in South Asia to this end. Even, they hardly go to any country in the world for this purpose. So, why did they have to come to Bangladesh? Like everyone else, they may have the same question about the elections under this regime,” Khosru observed.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the EU team wanted to know whether the people of Bangladesh will be able to cast their votes in the elections in the days to come.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the government indulged in vote stealing in the past and they are still doing the same thing and will continue it in the future too. “They’ll go to power again through this process by controlling the election and keeping the people out of voting. These issues have been naturally discussed (in the meeting).”</div><div><br></div><div>The visiting EU Election Exploratory Mission came to the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office at 9 am and had a nearly one hour and 15 minutes meeting with a BNP delegation, led by party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.Apart from Fakhrul and Khosru, the party chairperson’s adviser Ismail Jabiullah, Organising Secretary Shama Obaed, and Human Rights Affairs Secretary Advocate Asaduzzaman Asad were present at the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU team is also scheduled to hold meetings with the ruling Awami League, Jatiya Party and some other parties today.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU Election Exploratory Mission arrived here on July 9 on a two-week visit and it has already talked to the Election Commission and various stakeholders of the government as part of their move to assess whether a fully-fledged Election Observation Mission should be sent here by the EU before Bangladesh’s next parliamentary election. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 20:11:46', '2023-07-15 20:11:46'),
(7977, 7977, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The flood situation in Kurigram district deteriorated further as water levels in all the major rivers in the region are rising rapidly.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Abdullah Al Mamun, Executive Engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said the Dudhkumar river was flowing 42 cm above its danger level while the Dharla river was flowing 22 cm above the red mark.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, the water level of Teesta and Brahmaputra rivers is also increasing rapidly.</div><div><br></div><div>Due to the rise in the water level of all major rivers, the roads were submerged while flood water also entered houses, causing untold suffering to the dwellers, especially sanitation problems and creating a shortage of drinking water.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the local administration, they are preparing a list of flood-affected areas, and food assistance has already been provided to 800 families in the area, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The worsening flood situation may continue for 3-4 more days and then it may abate, added Engineer Abdullah.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 21:49:20', '2023-07-15 21:49:20'),
(7978, 7978, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least nine workers died in a fire that broke out in a sofa factory in the industrial area of Hofuf city of Saudi Arabia on Friday evening.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Among the deceased, seven were initially identified as Bangladeshi, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Three of the deceased were reportedly from Natore district in Bangladesh. The bodies were kept at the King Fahad Morgue of Hofuf city.</div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Arif Md Shahadat, Barek Sardar, Md Shakil Pramanik, Saiful Islam, Ruman Pramanik, Md Firuz Sardar Ali and Md. Rob Hossain. Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 22:18:30', '2023-07-15 22:18:30'),
(7979, 7979, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Islamic University authorities in Kushtia on Saturday expelled its five female students including a leader of the university unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League, for one year&nbsp; for their involvement in the torture and humiliation of a first-year student of Finance and Banking Department on the campus</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The decision was made at a meeting of the university’s student disciplinary committee held on the campus in the morning with IU vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam in the chair.</div><div><br></div><div>The suspended students’ are BCL university unit vice-president Shanjida Chowdhury Ontora, a student of the Statistics Department, activists Tabassum Islam and Maobiya Jahan, both students of the Finance and Banking department, Halima Khatun Urmi, of Fine Arts department, and Israt Jahan Mim, of&nbsp; Law Department of the university.</div><div><br></div><div>IU pro-vice-chancellor Professor M Mahbubur Rahman, treasurer Professor M Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya, proctor Professor M Shahadat Hossain Azad, acting registrar HM Ali Hasan&nbsp; among others were present in the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>IU proctor Professor M Shahadat Hossain Azad said that the university authorities expelled Ontora and four of her associates from the campus for one year as per the university act.</div><div><br></div><div>Fulpori, a first year student of Finance and Banking department, was tortured and humiliated by Islamic University unit of BCL vice-president Shanjida Chowdhury Ontora and her cohorts at Deshratna Sheikh Hasina Hall on the campus in Kushtia on February 12.</div><div><br></div><div>The incident came to light after the victim left the hall and disclosed the matter to her seniors and her family members the next day.</div><div><br></div><div>On February 14, the victim lodged a written complaint with the university administration, including the university proctor, student adviser and hall provost, demanding punishment of those involved in the incident.</div><div><br></div><div>Two probe bodies formed by the Islamic University authorities to look into the matter submitted their reports on February 26.</div><div><br></div><div>The Deshratna Sheikh Hasina Hall administration expelled the accused on February 27.</div><div><br></div><div>On March 5, the university authorities suspended Ontora and four of her associates from the university as well as removed Shamsul Alam, the provost of Deshratna Sheikh Hasina Hall, from his post following the order of the High Court.</div><div><br></div><div>The university administration also allocated a seat to the female student of her choice in the Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall following the court order. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 22:36:31', '2023-07-15 22:36:31'),
(7980, 7980, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took over the responsibility of 11-year-old Rabbi, who works at the canteen of National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital. Rabbi’s father passed away, and the boy told the PM that he wants to go to school.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today received eye treatment at the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital, buying a Tk 10 ticket like other patients. While leaving the hospital, she exchanged pleasantries with the patients and their relatives, as well as the doctors, nurses, and employees of the hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>During this time, the Prime Minister saw little Rabbi standing in the middle of the crowd. She went up to him and asked him what he does, with whom he came to the hospital, and which grade he’s currently studying in.</div><div><br></div><div>The 11-year-old said he works at the canteen of the National Eye Hospital and lives there as well. His father is dead. He studied up to class two before joining the canteen.</div><div><br></div><div>The child told the Prime Minister, \"I want to go back to my mother in Chandpur. I want to resume my studies.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister was visibly emotional when she heard Rabbi\'s story. She took over the responsibility of his educational expenses and gave necessary instructions to concerned officials to take action in this regard and implement it properly. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p>During checkup at Nat’l Eye Hospital<br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 23:02:51', '2023-07-15 23:02:51'),
(7981, 7981, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The US House of Representatives has narrowly passed a defense department annual budget that includes controversial amendments on abortion and gender reassignment surgery.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) must still be passed by the Democrat-controlled Senate, which is unlikely to approve the existing bill.</div><div><br></div><div>Democrats say Republicans have hijacked the bill and risk US national security.</div><div>The $886bn (£675bn) bill funds the Pentagon for one year.</div><div><br></div><div>It also sets its policy agenda and includes a 5.2% pay rise for troops and measures to address China and Russia.</div><div><br></div><div>The narrow margin - 219 to 210 - by which the annual defence bill passed the House is yet another indication of the sharp partisan divides within the chamber. Only four Democrats supported the spending package, while four Republicans opposed it.</div><div><br></div><div>Military expenditures are usually one area that garners broad bipartisan support in Washington - few politicians want to be seen as soft on national security, and big military contracts are often a way legislators can direct federal money - and jobs - to their home constituencies.</div><div><br></div><div>Conservative Republicans, however, have been focused on using the defence legislation to advance hot-button cultural and social priorities, including limiting government support for abortion and transgender health services.</div><div><br></div><div>That virtually ensured Democrats would oppose the bill en masse. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-15 23:25:57', '2023-07-15 23:25:57'),
(7982, 7982, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The authorities of Islamic University in Kushtia on Saturday suspended three activists of the university unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League for their alleged involvement in vandalising the equipment of the medical centre on campus.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The decision was made at a meeting of the university’s student disciplinary committee held on the campus in the morning with Vice-chancellor Professor Sheikh Abdus Salam in the chair.</div><div><br></div><div>The suspended students are: Rezwan Siddiqi Kabbo, a student of law department under 2018-19 academic session, Atik Arman and Salman Ohin under 2021-22 academic session of the same department. They are all activists of the university unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League.</div><div><br></div><div>IU Proctor Professor M Shahadat Hossain Azad told UNB that the VC issued the suspension order against the trio for violating the university’s rules and regulations.</div><div><br></div><div>A three-member probe committee was also formed to look into the matter and further action would be taken against them after getting reports from the probe body, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, on Monday night, Kabbo along with Atik and Salman went to the medical centre with chest pain.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, he asked the duty doctor Wahidur Rahman Milton for an ambulance to go to Kushtia General Hospital for better treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>Kabbo with his associates started “vandalising equipment including chairs, table and land phone” in the medical centre as the doctor delayed giving him the ambulance. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 00:00:39', '2023-07-16 00:00:39'),
(7983, 7983, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Animals stranded in Noida due to floodwater from the overflowing Jamuna have got a helping hand from disaster rescue teams, and one of the notable evacuees is a bull from the coveted \'Pritam\' bloodline, which costs an eye-popping ₹ 1 crore.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Posting photos and videos of the team rescuing cattle and goats, the 8th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Ghaziabad tweeted, \"Team @8NdrfGhaziabad has rescued 3 cattles including India\'s No.1 Bull \"PRITAM\" costing 1 Cr. from Noida. NDRF teams are working hard to save lives in flood affected areas.\"</div><div><br></div><div>One of the videos posted by the team shows two buffaloes, with ring buoys around their bodies, being held up by personnel on either side of a boat as it makes its way through floodwater.</div><div><br></div><div>Water from the Jamuna has inundated nearly 550 hectares of land along the river\'s banks in Noida, displacing more than 5,000 people and impacting eight villages, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Nearly 6,000 animals, including cattle, dogs, rabbits, ducks, roosters, and guinea pigs, have also been moved out of submerged areas to safety since Thursday, the report quoted officials as saying.</div><div><br></div><div>The water level in the Yamuna, which has shattered a 45-year-old record this year, has come down to 207.68 metres, which is still two metres over the danger mark.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In neighbouring Delhi, the Army was called in yesterday as the water submerged key areas of the city, including ITO and Rajghat.</div><div><br></div><div>Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said work is on to open the five gates of Yamuna Barrage to help drain out floodwater. \"The first jammed gate of the ITO Barrage has been opened. Soon all the five gates will be opened,\" Mr Kejriwal said, reports PTI</div><div><br></div><div>\"The water level in the Yamuna is receding. The situation will be normal soon if it doesn\'t rain. If it rains, then it may take a bit longer,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 00:04:25', '2023-07-16 00:04:25'),
(7984, 7984, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least 22 people have died and 14 are missing after heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in South Korea, officials said Saturday, with thousands more ordered to evacuate their homes.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>South Korea is at the peak of its summer monsoon season and there has been heavy rainfall for the last three days, triggering widespread flooding and landslides, and causing a major dam to overflow.</div><div><br></div><div>The interior ministry reported that 22 people had been killed and another 14 were missing in the heavy downpours, mostly buried by landslides or after falling into a flooded reservoir.</div><div><br></div><div>The majority of the casualties -- including 16 dead and nine missing -- were from North Gyeongsang province, largely due to massive landslides in the mountainous area that engulfed houses with people inside.</div><div><br></div><div>In the most severely affected areas, \"entire houses were swept away whole\", one emergency responder told the Yonhap News Agency.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 6,400 residents in the central county of Goesan were ordered to evacuate early Saturday as the Goesan Dam began overflowing and submerging low-lying villages nearby, the interior ministry said.</div><div><br></div><div>Some of the people who have been reported missing were swept away when a river overflowed in North Gyeongsang province, the ministry said.</div><div><br></div><div>- Flooded tunnel -</div><div><br></div><div>Rescue workers were battling to reach some 19 cars trapped in a 430-metre-long underground tunnel in Cheongju, North Chungcheong province, according to the interior ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>One person was found dead, and nine people were rescued from a bus after flash flooding swept through the tunnel too quickly for people to escape, Yonhap reported.</div><div><br></div><div>Water levels remained high and it is unclear how many people were trapped inside their vehicles, they added.</div><div><br></div><div>\"There were many cars inside the tunnel when the water began coming in and it rose very rapidly,\" one of the nine survivors who was rescued from the bus in the tunnel told the news agency.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I don\'t understand why the tunnel wasn\'t closed earlier.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Images broadcast on local television showed a torrential stream of water from a nearby river that had burst its banks flooding into the tunnel, as rescue workers struggled to use boats to get to victims inside.</div><div><br></div><div>The overall number of deaths is also expected to rise as local government agencies assess the damage nationwide, Yonhap said.</div><div><br></div><div>All regular train services across the country were suspended as of 2 pm (0500 GMT), although KTX high-speed trains remained operational with potential schedule adjustments, according to the Korea Railroad Corporation.</div><div><br></div><div>Roads were closed and trails in national parks shut due to the rain and flooding.</div><div><br></div><div>The Korea Meteorological Administration issued heavy rain warnings, saying more rain was forecast through to Wednesday next week, saying the weather conditions pose a \"grave\" danger.</div><div><br></div><div>South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged officials to preempt river overflows and landslides, and requested support for rescue operations from the defence ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>South Korea is regularly hit by flooding during the summer monsoon period, but the country is typically well-prepared and the death toll is usually relatively low.</div><div><br></div><div>The country endured record-breaking rains and flooding last year, which left more than 11 people dead.</div><div><br></div><div>They included three people who died trapped in a Seoul basement apartment of the kind that became internationally known because of the Oscar-winning Korean film \"Parasite\".</div><div><br></div><div>The government said at the time that the 2022 flooding was the heaviest rainfall since Seoul weather records began 115 years ago, blaming climate change for the extreme weather. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 00:12:00', '2023-07-16 00:12:00'),
(7985, 7985, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Three people were killed and three others injured as a bus rammed a trolley on the Dhaka-Barishal highway in an area under the Bimanbandar, or Airport Police Station area of the district on Saturday afternoon.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Emdadul Haque, 38, son of Abul Kalam Howlader of Kashipur union, Nadeem Howlader, 12 , son of Md Sentu Howlader of Rahmatpur Badamtala area and Sinbad of the same area.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the identities of the injured could not be known immediately.</div><div><br></div><div>Lokman Hossain, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Biman Bandar police station, said the accident occurred around 2pm when the bus of Goon Goon Paribahan crashed into the trolley in Choy Mile Road area, leaving two people dead on the spot.</div><div><br></div><div>The injured were rushed to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College (SBMCH) where doctors declared one of them dead upon arrival.</div><div><br></div><div>On information, police recovered the bodies and sent them to the hospital morgue for autopsies, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Police seized the bus but the driver and his helper managed to flee the scene, added the OC.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 00:36:34', '2023-07-16 00:36:34'),
(7986, 7986, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Declan Rice capped a remarkable rise from the crushing disappointment of being released by boyhood heroes Chelsea as a teenager as he joined Arsenal from West Ham on Saturday for a fee that could rise to £105 million.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Rice admits to being reduced to tears when the Blues let him go as a promising 14-year-old.</div><div><br></div><div>But a decade on, the brave decision to up sticks and move across London to join West Ham has been the making of the England international.</div><div><br></div><div>Fresh from leading the Hammers to their first trophy in 43 years by lifting the Europa Conference League in his final game for the club, the £100 million initial fee for Rice matches international colleague Jack Grealish\'s move from Aston Villa to Manchester City two years ago as the most ever for an English player and the highest between two British clubs.</div><div><br></div><div>But it could be surpassed by Jude Bellingham\'s £88 million move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid should an extra £25 million worth of add-ons be activated.</div><div><br></div><div>Rice has been targeted by the Gunners as the final piece to turn Mikel Arteta\'s men into Premier League champions again.</div><div><br></div><div>Arsenal launched an unexpected challenge for the title last season before falling away in the final months of the campaign.</div><div><br></div><div>Instead Manchester City stormed towards the finish line to retain their title and secure a treble.</div><div><br></div><div>But Arsenal have won the first battle of the new season by winning the race for Rice as City refused to match West Ham\'s £100 million asking price, even if former manager David Moyes wanted more.</div><div><br></div><div>\"He is arguably the best holding midfield player in the country and the best thing about Declan is he will get better,\" said Moyes previously. \"I don\'t agree with the owners that he is a £100m footballer. Far, far more than £100m. Far, far more.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The 24-year-old\'s statistics for winning back possession and making interceptions were the highest of any midfielder in the Premier League last season.</div><div><br></div><div>But Rice is far more than a destroyer. His dynamic surges from the middle of the park and intelligent use of the ball have also made him a vital player for England manager Gareth Southgate.</div><div><br></div><div>- England turnaround -</div><div><br></div><div>Rice\'s international career also illustrates his somewhat unexpected rise to stardom.</div><div><br></div><div>He made three appearances for the Republic of Ireland in 2018, qualifying due to his grandparents.</div><div><br></div><div>However, as he began to catch the eye at West Ham, Southgate convinced Rice to switch his allegiance back to the land of his birth.</div><div><br></div><div>Rice was an ever-present as England reached their first major tournament final for 55 years at Euro 2020 and in a quarter-final run at last year\'s World Cup.</div><div><br></div><div>By 20 he was already regularly named West Ham captain and took the armband on a permanent basis once Mark Noble retired last year.</div><div><br></div><div>Rice\'s impact helped the Hammers enjoy some of their best years for decades.</div><div><br></div><div>Winning the Conference League has ensured Moyes\' men will be in Europe for the third consecutive season, even after a disappointing 14th-placed finish in the Premier League last season.</div><div><br></div><div>But Rice had begun to get itchy feet as he watched his international teammates regularly fighting for Premier League and Champions League honours.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I\'ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies,\" Rice said when at the World Cup in November.</div><div><br></div><div>And in his letter to West Ham fans released hours before Arsenal confirmed his transfer, Rice said the move was \"about my ambition to play at the very highest level of the game.\"</div><div><br></div><div>His final flourish as West Ham defeated Fiorentina in Prague last month means Rice is a rare case who has maintained his hero status even as he swaps east London for north.</div><div><br></div><div>Arsenal will be hoping that is also just the start of a trophy-ladden career to justify their record-breaking outlay. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 01:02:24', '2023-07-16 01:02:24'),
(7987, 7987, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Jamaat-e-Islami has announced a public rally at the Registry Ground in Sylhet city on July 21.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Sylhet Metropolitan Jamaat Ameer Muhammad Fakhrul Islam announced the programme at a press conference in the city on Saturday afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Sylhet Metropolitan Jamaat was scheduled to hold the rally at Sylhet Registry Ground today(July 15) with its 10-point demand but it could not be arranged as they did not get permission from the police.</div><div><br></div><div>Jamaat’s Sylhet District South Ameer Professor Abdul Hannan, District North Ameer Hafiz Anwar Hossain Khan, and Metropolitan Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana Sohel Ahmed, among others ,were present at the press conference. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 01:43:47', '2023-07-16 01:43:47'),
(7988, 7988, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has imposed fines of Tk 4 lakh as it found dengue vector Aedes mosquito larvae at two under-construction buildings.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>DNCC Executive Magistrate Mahmud Hasan imposed Tk2 lakh each fine during a drive on Mark Builders and Maisha Construction after Aedes larvae were found in two under construction buildings of DNCC\'s Cleaners Rural Housing on Gabtoli Embankment Road on Saturday afternoon, according to a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>He also imposed a fine of Tk 2 lakh on the construction contractor Banga Builders in a case filed in a mobile court after Aedes larvae were found in the building under construction for the accommodation of government employees on Darus Salam Road under Mirpur Model Police Station, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>On the seventh day of the DNCC\'s month-long special mosquito eradication drive, a total of Tk 9.85 lakh was collected in 14 cases after finding Aedes larvae.</div><div><br></div><div>Ten teams comprising senior officials from all departments have been formed to oversee the month-long special mosquito eradication drive. The teams are monitoring the ongoing operation every day, according to the release. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 03:28:29', '2023-07-16 03:28:29'),
(7989, 7989, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Gautam Adani, an Indian billionaire industrialist and founder and chairman of Adani Group, today (Saturday) came to Dhaka in a brief visit and paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Honoured to have met Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on full load commencement and handover of the 1600 MW Ultra Super Critical Godda Power Plant,” he tweeted this afternoon with images of his brief visit to Dhaka and meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He also wrote: “I salute the dedicated teams from India and Bangladesh who braved Covid to commission the plant in record time of three-and-a-half years.”</div><div><br></div><div>State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told BSS that Gautam Adani came to Bangladesh to extend thanks to the premier as on the full load commencement of the Godda power plant in the Indian state of Jharkhand.</div><div><br></div><div>Sources said Adani arrived in Dhaka at 10am by a private aircraft and met the prime minister around 11am.</div><div><br></div><div>He left Dhaka around 1.15pm by the private aircraft. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 03:32:17', '2023-07-16 03:32:17'),
(7990, 7990, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the country\'s businesspeople to develop new products and find new markets for exports utilising their innovative ideas.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Government is always beside you,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while addressing the opening of the \'Business Conference on Building Smart Bangladesh\' at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).</div><div><br></div><div>The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the apex trade organization of the country, organised the three-day conference focusing on the private sector\'s role in building Smart Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign investors, top corporates, sector-based associations, and top business leaders, general body (GB) members from chambers and associations of FBCCI joined the conference.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said that Awami League never judges businesspeople by their political affiliation.</div><div><br></div><div>“Political affiliation of the businessmen is not important to us. We always think about the welfare of the people of the country,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In this regard, she mentioned that irrespective of the political affiliation the government gives scope to all which is beneficial for the people of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Prime Minister\'s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman were present on the dais while the FBCCI President Md. Jashim Uddin delivered the welcome speech at the programme.</div><div><br></div><div>Former FBCCI presidents Yousuf Abdullah Harun, Abdul Matlub Ahmad, Mir Nasir Hossain and Kazi Akram Uddin, National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh (NASCIB) Mirza Nurul Ghani Shovon, Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) Mohammad Abul Basher, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) President Russell T. Ahmed, Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity President Helal Uddin, chairman of Akij Jute Mills Limited Sheikh Nasir Uddin, president of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury (Parvez), Pran Group Chairman Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Former Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Nihad Kabir, Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce &amp; Industry (CWCCI) President Monowara Hakim Ali, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Mr. Md.Saiful Islam, Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) senior vice president Abdul Muktadir, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) President Mohammad Ali, Meghna Group Chairman Mustafa Kamal, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank Md Mahbub ur Rahman, Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce &amp; Industry (FICCI) President Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce &amp; Industry (BWCCI) President Selima Ahmad, Japan Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Myung-Ho Lee, Regional Head, Bangladesh, and Pakistan Inditex Javier Carlos Santonja Olcina, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Faruque Hassan, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) AKM Salim Osman, Bengal Group chairman Morshed Alam, former FBCCI presidebt AK Azad, President of the Leather-goods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB) Syed Nasim Manzur, Bankers\' Association president M Nazrul Islam, Chairman Bashundhara Group Akbar Sobhan, President of International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh (ICC) Mahbubhr Rahman, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Barrister Md Sameer Sattar, FBCCI Vice President Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu and Chattagram Chamber of Commerce of Industry President Mahbubul Alam spoke from the business community.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, The PM unveiled the report prepared on the outcome of Bangladesh Business Summit-2023.</div><div><br></div><div>At the outset of the conference, a theme song on FBCCI’s 50 years and its contribution to the country’s economy and development during this journey was played. An audio-visual on the outcome of Bangladesh Business Summit-2023 was also screened. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 03:38:15', '2023-07-16 03:38:15');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(7991, 7991, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Jason Sudeikis, Susan Sarandon and thousands of other actors have joined screenwriters for Hollywood\'s biggest strike in more than six decades.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Actors will not appear in films or even promote movies during the stoppage.</div><div><br></div><div>Major films in production including the Avatar and Gladiator sequels may be affected by the shutdown.</div><div><br></div><div>The actors are joining writers who walked out in May, concerned about pay, working conditions and the industry\'s use of artificial intelligence (AI).</div><div><br></div><div>Brian Cox, the lead actor on HBO\'s Succession, told the BBC the strike could last \"until the end of the year\".</div><div><br></div><div>\"The whole streaming thing has shifted the paradigm,\" the Scottish star told BBC Newscast.</div><div><br></div><div>\"They are trying to freeze us out and beat us into the ground, because there\'s a lot of money to be made in streaming and the desire is not to share it with the writers or the performers.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Talks for a new contract with studios and streaming giants broke down on Thursday, with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) accusing the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) of being \"unwilling to offer a fair deal\".</div><div><br></div><div>About 160,000 performers stopped work at midnight, joining the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who walked out on 2 May.</div><div>By noon on Friday, union members and their supporters had gathered outside the offices of major studios and streaming services in Los Angeles, New York and other cities.</div><div><br></div><div>The demonstrations have received support from some of the biggest celebrities in the movie and television business, including the stars of the upcoming Oppenheimer movie, who walked off the red carpet on Thursday night.</div><div><br></div><div>The two guilds want studios and streaming services to offer better pay, increased royalties, higher contributions to their pension and health plans, and safeguards on the use of AI in the industry.</div><div><br></div><div>Productions likely to be affected include sequels to the Avatar, Deadpool and Gladiator franchises, as well as upcoming seasons of shows such as Stranger Things, Family Guy and The Simpsons.</div><div><br></div><div>Red-carpet premieres, promotional interviews, and events including the Emmys and Comic-Con, have already been halted, rescheduled or scaled back.</div><div><br></div><div>The strike action is driven in part by an uncomfortable transition to the era of digital streaming, as well as by broader technological changes.</div><div><br></div><div>\"AI will affect everybody,\" Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon told the BBC from a picket line in New York.</div><div><br></div><div>\"There\'s definitely always been the feeling that if it isn\'t solved now, how do we ever solve it in the future?\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"If you don\'t have the foresight to put something in place for the future, then you\'re screwed. It\'s clear that nothing is going to change from the top down, it\'s going to be up to us at the bottom.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Both writers and actors have complained that they make far less money than they used to make and that contracts have been undercut by inflation.</div><div><br></div><div>For actors, pay for individual roles has declined, forcing them to seek several more roles to make the same amount of money as they did a few years ago.</div><div><br></div><div>Writing contracts have become shorter and more perilous, with payment often not included for writers\' work on revisions or new material.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We are being victimised by a very greedy entity,\" Fran Drescher, the current SAG president, said on Thursday. \"I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The failed negotiations between the unions and the AMPTP marks the first tandem strike in the industry since 1960. The last actors\' strike, in 1980, lasted 10 weeks.</div><div><br></div><div>A third union, the Directors Guild of America (DGA), is not participating in the strike after successfully negotiating its own contract in June, but the group has said it \"strongly supports\" those who are picketing.</div><div><br></div><div>With the prospect that the strike could roll on for months, cinemas could face problems, and viewers may be left with nothing new to watch bar reality TV and live sport.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement on Friday, the White House said President Joe Biden \"believes all workers - including actors - deserve fair pay and benefits\".</div><div><br></div><div>\"The President supports workers\' right to strike and hopes the parties can reach a mutually beneficial agreement,\" spokeswoman Robyn Patterson said.</div><div><br></div><div>Actors represented by SAG\'s sister union in the UK - Equity - must continue to work as normal, due to UK employment laws. That includes stars of HBO\'s House of the Dragon.</div><div><br></div><div>The union has however told US companies it will be keeping a \"very close eye\" on any attempts to move US productions to the UK. - BBC</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 03:41:53', '2023-07-16 03:41:53'),
(7992, 7992, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said their party will not make any compromise with the government over the next election and force it to resign through their ongoing one-point movement.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a discussion, he called upon the professionals to take to the streets for the restoration of democracy by holding the next polls under a non-party neutral government.</div><div><br></div><div>“No compromise with it (govt) and no election under it…I don\'t want to repeat the words that no path (except movement) is opened for us,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said their party is not giving focus on the new US visa policy since they want to go ahead with their one-point movement by uniting people from all walks of life.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have made it very clear that we are on the movement with the power of our own people to save the country and free people from misrule,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said people have woken up and they are spontaneously participating in the different programmers of the opposition.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Now you (professionals) have to wake up and lead people in the movement. It\'s now the expectation of the nation. I request you all to come out of your houses and come out of your work. Take to the streets and inspire the people to involve with the movement. We’ll defeat them (govt) on the streets with the power of people and force them to hold the election under a neutral government,” Fakhrul said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sammalita Peshajibi Parishad arranged the programme at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh demanding the resignation of the government and elections under a non-partisan government.</div><div><br></div><div>After the discussion, the professionals took part in a \'silent\' march toward the Jatiya Press Club from the programme venue.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul called upon the different professional bodies, including the bodies of lawyers, physicians, engineers and teachers to form separate fronts and take all-out preparations for making the one-point movement a success.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government has destroyed all the state machinery and institutions through politicisation to cling to power by force, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader alleged that the government has usurped power illegally by violating the constitution and using the state apparatus. “All institutions of the state have been destroyed consciously…Awami League is a prime example of how people can be fooled and snatched their all rights.”</div><div><br></div><div>\"We feel most helpless with that judicial system and we feel most helpless when we go to court. We are the biggest victims of the existing judicial system. The most popular democratic leader of this country, Begum Khaleda Zia was unjustly convicted in a completely false case,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said that the government has been regulating the media and it is giving the newspapers and the media outlets various directions in publishing reports on BNP’s programmes.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 03:57:57', '2023-07-16 03:57:57'),
(7993, 7993, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Southern Europe will continue to swelter next week as an intense heatwave shows no sign of abating.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Italy, Spain and Greece have been experiencing high temperatures for several days already.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Italian health ministry issued a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence for the weekend.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The heatwave is expected to continue well into next week, with 48C (118.4F) predicted in Sardinia, according to Italian media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The European record high of 48.8C (119.8F) was recorded in Sicily in August 2021.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Italian weather service said the island will be at the \"epicentre\" of next week\'s heatwave, which weather forecasters have dubbed Charon, after the ferryman who delivered souls into the underworld in Greek mythology.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"Temperatures will reach a peak between 19 and 23 July - not only in Italy but also in Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. Several local heat records within these areas may well be broken during those days,\" Italian meteorologist and climate expert Giulio Betti told the BBC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Italy\'s government has advised anyone in the areas covered by Saturday\'s red alerts to avoid direct sunlight between 11:00 and 18:00, and to take particular care of the elderly or vulnerable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In Rome, tour guide Felicity Hinton, 59, told the BBC the soaring temperatures combined with overcrowding has made it \"nightmarish\" to navigate the city.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"It\'s always hot in Rome but this has just been consistently hot for a lot longer than normal,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"My tour guide friends and I are extremely stressed out. People have been fainting on tours and there are ambulances outside everywhere.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Rome resident Elena, 62 told the BBC that she has noticed a \"marked change\" in summer temperatures since around 2003, and that they have been growing exponentially since.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Meanwhile, Greece has hit temperatures of 40C (104F) or more in recent days. The Acropolis in Athens - the country\'s most popular tourist attraction - was closed during the hottest hours of Friday and Saturday to protect visitors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In Spain\'s Canary Islands, a forest fire that broke out on La Palma on Saturday morning forced the evacuation of at least 2,000 people and has so far destroyed 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of land.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands regional government, said at least 12 houses had been destroyed and attributed the quick spread of the fire to \"the wind, the climate conditions as well as the heatwave that we are living through\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Spanish army has deployed 150 of its firefighters to help efforts to bring the fire under control, and assistance is also being sent from the neighbouring island of Tenerife.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Europe\'s heatwave is set to extend to the Balkans later next week - although several countries, like Serbia and Hungary, are already experiencing daily temperatures hovering around 35C (95F).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Periods of intense heat occur within natural weather patterns, but globally they are becoming more frequent, more intense and are lasting longer due to global warming.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"Heatwaves increase every year in number and intensity... and they are among the most tangible, evident, documented and clearly observable signs of climate change,\" Mr Betti said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"European summers have gotten much, much hotter in recent years... What should worry us is that summers without intense and prolonged heatwaves simply don\'t exist anymore. \'Normal\' summers have become a rarity.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Last month was the hottest June on record, according to the EU\'s climate monitoring service Copernicus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Extreme weather resulting from warming climate is \"unfortunately becoming the new normal\", the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 12:34:45', '2023-07-16 12:34:45'),
(7994, 7994, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rescuers in South Korea are struggling to reach cars trapped in a flooded tunnel, following days of heavy rain.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is unclear how many people are trapped, but about 19 vehicles are reported to be in the tunnel in Cheongju, North Chungcheong province.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Across the country, at least 26 people are now known to have been killed and another 10 are missing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most of the fatalities were in the mountainous North Gyeongsang region, where landslides swept away houses.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local media reported that almost 300mm (11.8in) fell across the country on Saturday. South Korea typically sees 1,000mm (39.4in) to 1,800mm (70.9in) of rainfall a year, according to the Korean Meteorological Association, although much of that does fall during the summer months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aerial pictures from flood affected areas show brown mud and flood waters so deep, only the tops of roofs can been seen sticking out.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thousands of people have been affected by evacuation orders issued by various local governments and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has asked the military to help with the rescue efforts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fire authorities said that the tunnel, in the suburb of Osong in Cheongju, was swamped by a flash flood too quickly for drivers and passengers to escape, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One person is confirmed to have died, while nine others were rescued.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Early on Saturday morning local time, some 6,400 residents were evacuated after the Goesan Dam began to overflow, the agency said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A number of low-lying villages near the dam as well as many of the roads connecting them were submerged, leaving some residents trapped in their homes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Late on Friday, a landslide caused a train to derail in North Chungcheong. One engineer was injured, but luckily the train was not carrying passengers at the time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Korail, the country\'s national rail operator, has announced the suspension of all slow trains and some bullet trains, and said other bullet services would be disrupted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast more rainfall through to Wednesday next week. It warned that the weather conditions pose a \"grave\" danger.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Extreme rain has caused floods and landslides across several countries including India, China and Japan over the past fortnight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While many factors contribute to flooding, scientists say a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The warmer it becomes, the more moisture the atmosphere can hold. BBC</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 12:37:54', '2023-07-16 12:37:54'),
(7995, 7995, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">New Zealand\'s Matt Henry and Ish Sodhi took seven wickets between them as Somerset beat Essex by 14 runs to win English cricket\'s Twenty20 Blast final at Edgbaston on Saturday.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With southwest side Somerset defending a relatively modest total of 145, paceman Henry led the attack with 4-24 from 3.3 overs, while leg-spinner Sodhi took 3-22 from his maximum four overs as Essex were dismissed for 131 with nine balls to spare.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Adam Rossington and Dan Lawrence made a rapid start to Essex\'s pursuit of a target of 146 only for Henry to dismiss both batsmen before bowling Michael Pepper with an excellent delivery.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Essex were struggling at 55-5 and were 80-6 when Sodhi bowled Paul Walter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Daniel Sams, however, threatened to win the game off his own bat for Essex with a rapid 45 off 26 balls.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But just when the east of London club were eyeing a remarkable victory, Sams slashed Henry towards third man for what looked like another boundary only to be brilliantly caught one-handed by a diving Tom Kohler-Cadmore as Somerset won their first Blast title in 18 years.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"[It feels] pretty damn good, I\'ve been to finals day many, many times, and this is a special feeling to get over the line tonight,\" Somerset captain Lewis Gregory told Sky Sports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Essex skipper Simon Harmer said: \"At the end of the day we were outplayed. I think they (Somerset) bowled exceptionally. Unfortunately, sometimes there\'s a loser and that\'s us tonight.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on finals day in Birmingham, Somerset beat Surrey by 24 runs in their semi-final while Essex defeated defending champions Hampshire by five wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method for rain-affected matches. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 14:34:26', '2023-07-16 14:34:26'),
(7996, 7996, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said it\'s imperative to become modest when in power and urged the activists of his party to follow the principle.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If you are in power, you should be modest and humble. Modesty makes people great,\" he told a meeting virtually from his Minto Road official residence in the capital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ranguniya Samity organised the meeting at LGED Bhaban in Sholoshohor in Chattogram.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr Hasan said, \"I\'ve always tried to stay beside the people of my area. I\'ve also visited Chattogram and my constituency in Ranguniya in every week along with performing my responsibilities as a minister and party as well\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the country moves ahead under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina whether anyone admits it or not. But there will be mistakes in running the government as people do mistakes. There is no government in the world that can do cent percent work properly, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Seeking cooperation of all to continue the progress under the AL government, the information minister said, \"I\'ve tried to be a lawmaker irrespective of all parties and opinions. My door has been open for all for the last 14 and half years\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He hoped that they would also keep their doors open for him in future.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About the development in Ranguniya, Dr Hasan said all schools, colleges and madrashas got new buildings. All private madrashas, mosques, pagodas, temples have received allocations, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, he said 28 new mosques were built in the area and projects have been taken to widen the Kalindirani Road and Mariamnagar DC Road. Three rubber dams were constructed to facilitate agriculture, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr Hasan said, \"There were many elected lawmakers and ministers from Ranguniya. And you know what they did. I\'ve tried to do my best for the welfare of the people. My efforts will be continued\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">CUET vice chancellor Dr Rafiqul Alam, Chattogram University Professor Dr Sekandar Chowdhury, LGED supervisor engineer Tofazzal Hossain, Department of Environment director Hindol Das, Ranguniya upazila chairman Swajan Kumar Talukder, Zila Parishad member Abul Kashem Chisti, AL North district unit advisor Jahir Ahmed Chowdhury, CDA board member Muhammad Ali Shah, Red Crescent general secretary Master Aslam Khan and Abu Dhabi Bangabandhu Parishad president Iftekhar Hossain Babul, among others, addressed the meeting.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Convenor of the samity Khaled Mahmud presided over the event. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 14:39:07', '2023-07-16 14:39:07'),
(7997, 7997, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was hospitalised on Saturday after feeling \"dizzy\", his office said, adding the politically and legally beleaguered 73-year-old was likely dehydrated but \"in good condition\".</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The prime minister arrived at the Sheba medical centre a short while ago,\" Netanyahu\'s office said in a statement of Israel\'s largest hospital, located near Tel Aviv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"He is in good condition and undergoing medical evaluations,\" the statement said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a second statement, his office said Netanyahu on Friday spent time in the scorching heat of the Sea of Galilee, in Israel\'s north.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Today, he felt slightly dizzy, and at the advice of his personal physician, Dr Zvi Berkowitz, was taken to Sheba\'s emergency department,\" the statement said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The initial examinations showed normal findings,\" it added. \"The initial evaluation is dehydration.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier will undergo a series of further tests, his office said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Netanyahu, who was reelected late last year, is heading a hard-right coalition whose proposed judicial overhaul has triggered weekly demonstrations since January.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier is also standing trial for corruption charges he denies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">In October, Netanyahu was hospitalised for overnight. His office said at the time he was feeling ill while observing the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 15:28:14', '2023-07-16 15:28:14'),
(7998, 7998, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At a long-closed crossing point from Ukraine to Belarus, Oleg, a camouflage-clad guard carrying a Kalashnikov, says he has seen no sign of Wagner mercenaries across the border, some 150 metres away.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine\'s military said it was reinforcing the border with Belarus with trenches and mines as some Russian mercenaries were expected to move to the country following their aborted mutiny against Moscow\'s top brass.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine is ready to \"rebuff\" Russia\'s forces including Wagner, said Oleg, 26, as he patrolled the Slavutych border crossing point, closed since February 24 last year, when Russian forces entered the Chernigiv region from Belarus at the start of the invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Since we were stabbed in the back from the territory of Belarus, we do not reject... that there may be some movements or deployment of Wagner fighters on Belarusian territory,\" Oleg told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Uncertainty persists over the fate of the mutinous Wagner troops since a deal was sealed between Moscow and Minsk, which should have seen some of them move to Belarus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Belarusian defence ministry confirmed on Friday that at least some had arrived, and were instructing local troops.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Volodymyr Zelensky downplayed the move, saying Ukraine was \"closely monitoring developments there from a security perspective, and currently, there are no major threats\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'It\'s so close\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Driving south to the nearby village of Dniprovske, there were signs of activity in the woods: men in camouflage and fortifications, as well as a dummy figure positioned at the roadside.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The village\'s main street has two shops, a war memorial and church. A family of storks was nesting on top of a telegraph pole.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Smallholder Viktor Koren, 76, was walking to the shop to buy sour cream.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He drew in the dust with his stick to show how close he lives to the Dnipro river that forms the border.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Of course I\'m nervous. Because it\'s so close. There is a river near us, a border, and these assholes are fighting across the border,\" he said, referring to Russians.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He slammed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin for aborting his revolt against Moscow and allying with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"He was going to Moscow and he didn\'t make it there... Why didn\'t he defeat them?\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Stocking shelves in a grocery store, 20-year-old Ilya Bobok said he was confident that Ukraine could withstand any new attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The first time they (Russians) had the element of surprise. Now I think, it\'s not going to work. We already have people trained in combat. Brave guys. I think there\'s nothing to be scared of.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"They may try but they\'ll be out of here very quickly.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The shop\'s owner, Kateryna Bobok, 37, echoed his confidence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If you\'ve seen the guys protecting us, how can you be nervous?\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said she had heard on the news about Wagner\'s possible presence in Belarus but had seen \"no signs that anything has changed\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s even a little quieter, which is a little bit alarming.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Controlled, calm\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the border there were weeds growing up through the tarmac and rusted signs about customs rules.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before the war, around 500 vehicles a day passed through the crossing point.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the morning of the invasion on February 24, Ukrainian border guards blew up a road bridge over the Dnipro river, which forms the border with Belarus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian forces managed to enter the Chernigiv region that day anyway, which saw fierce fighting until they withdrew in April 2022. The region is still regularly shelled.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oleg said Ukrainian forces estimate around 2,000 servicemen from Russia\'s conventional army to be on Belarusian territory as well as planes and helicopters from Russia\'s Space Forces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The situation on the border is \"controlled, calm, we don\'t record any provocations from the Belarusian side,\" Oleg said. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 15:30:56', '2023-07-16 15:30:56'),
(7999, 7999, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 26 people are dead and 10 missing after heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in South Korea, officials said Sunday, as rescue workers continued to fight to reach people trapped in a flooded tunnel.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea is at the peak of its summer monsoon season, and there has been heavy rainfall for the last four days, causing a major dam to overflow.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The interior ministry reported that 26 people had been killed and another 10 were missing in the heavy downpours, mostly buried by landslides or after falling into a flooded reservoir.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rescue workers were still struggling to reach some 15 cars trapped in a 430-metre underground tunnel in Cheongju, North Chungcheong province, the ministry said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tunnel was inundated on Saturday morning after floodwaters swept in too quickly for the people inside to escape, according to the Yonhap news agency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Sunday, five bodies not yet included in the official death toll were recovered from a bus submerged in the tunnel, Yonhap reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The majority of the casualties -- including 17 of the dead and nine of the missing -- were from North Gyeongsang province, and were largely due to massive landslides in the mountainous area that engulfed houses with people inside.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some of the people who have been reported missing were swept away when a river overflowed in North Gyeongsang province, the interior ministry said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More rain is forecast through Wednesday, and the Korea Meteorological Administration has warned the weather conditions pose a \"grave\" danger.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea is regularly hit by flooding during the summer monsoon period, but the country is typically well-prepared and the death toll is usually relatively low.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The country endured record-breaking rains and flooding last year, which left more than 11 people dead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They included three people who died trapped in a Seoul basement apartment of the kind that became internationally known because of the Oscar-winning Korean film \"Parasite\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government said at the time that the 2022 flooding was the heaviest rainfall since Seoul weather records began 115 years ago, blaming climate change for the extreme weather. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 15:39:23', '2023-07-16 15:39:23'),
(8000, 8000, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The overall flood situation in Kurigram has started to improve thanks to the receding water level in most rivers of the district.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Except Dudhkumar river, all the rivers in Kurigram including Teesta, Brahmaputra and Dharla are now flowing below the danger level.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, there is shortage of dry food and clean water as people have been stranded for 4-5 days due to flood water. There is also a shortage of cattle fodder and fuel. People are deprived of sanitation facilities due to the flood as well.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the district relief and rehabilitation office,185 villages of 45 unions under the district have been affected by the ongoing flood. As many as 62,880 people have become victims of river erosion and floods.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additionally, five educational institutions were completely damaged and two were partially damaged.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Saidul Arif said 650 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 10 lakh in cash have been allocated for the flood victims. Of these, 275 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 9 lakh have been disbursed already.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“In addition, 361 temporary and 18 permanent shelters are ready for the flood affected people. We have 275 shallow boats ready, including four rescue boats, to rescue the flood victims. We are ready to deal with any kind of emergency,” he added. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 15:44:32', '2023-07-16 15:44:32'),
(8001, 8001, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">G7 finance chiefs are set to discuss Sunday aid to war-stricken Ukraine, debt distress faced by struggling economies, bank reform and a global tax deal, alongside wider G20 meetings in India.</b><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A key focus of the talks, which will include US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, will be supporting multilateral development lenders such as the World Bank to better tackle challenges like climate change and poverty, US officials said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"With over half of all low-income countries at high risk of or in debt distress, it is critical that we take collective action to help put them -- and by extension the global economy -- on a surer footing\", the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement ahead of the meeting in Gandhinagar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday, the Group of Seven -- Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the United States -- promised at a summit in Lithuania to support Ukraine for as long as it takes to defeat Russia\'s invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Any discussion on Ukraine is awkward for host India, which has not condemned Russia\'s invasion, but is also part of the Quad grouping alongside Australia, the United States and Japan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">G7 meetings come ahead of a gathering of G20 finance chiefs and central bank heads on Monday and Tuesday also in Gandhinagar, with World Bank chief Ajay Banga warning of a \"deep mistrust... quietly pulling the Global North and South apart at a time when we need to be uniting\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The climate change crisis, post-pandemic recovery efforts, the war in Ukraine and a lack of progress in the fight against poverty were creating divisions, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Prison of poverty\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The Global South\'s frustration is understandable,\" Banga said in an op-ed released by the bank ahead of the meeting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In many ways they are paying the price for the prosperity of others. When they should be ascendant, they\'re concerned promised resources will be diverted to Ukraine\'s reconstruction; they feel aspirations are being constrained because energy rules aren\'t applied universally, and they\'re worried a burgeoning generation will be locked into a prison of poverty.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The International Monetary Fund said that finding common efforts to tackle the weak global economy will be crucial.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The world will be looking for joint action to address rising economic fragmentation, slowing growth, and high inflation,\" the IMF said in a statement last week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The G20, chaired and hosted by India, will also discuss cryptocurrency regulations, as well as making access to financing to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change easier for developing nations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In the Global North, climate change means emissions reductions,\" added Banga, the World Bank chief.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"But in the Global South, it is a matter of survival, because hurricanes are stronger, heat-resistant seeds are in short supply, drought is destroying farms and towns, and floods are washing away decades of progress.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A newly agreed first step on a fairer distribution of tax revenues from multinational firms reached by 138 countries on Wednesday is also set to be delivered during the G20 talks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which hosted talks to reach a first draft of a multilateral convention, said it permits moving forward with a \"historic\" reform of the international tax system. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 16:05:28', '2023-07-16 16:05:28'),
(8002, 8002, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 70 at 8:50 am, Dhaka today ranked 28th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with an acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Doha of Qatar, Santiago of Chile and Kampala of Uganda occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 162, 152 and 151, 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;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 16:08:02', '2023-07-16 16:08:02');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(8003, 8003, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Lionel Messi has finalized his deal to join Major League Soccer, and after years of planning and pursuing, Inter Miami has landed a global icon.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Messi’s contract became official Saturday, a little more than five weeks after he declared that he would be coming to Inter Miami. The team will introduce him Sunday night at its stadium in Fort Lauderdale, and the first home match of the Messi era could be as early as Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A formal news conference is scheduled for Monday, and his first training session with his new club is expected on Tuesday. The club previously announced that Messi\'s deal will be for 2 1/2 seasons and will pay him between $50 million and $60 million annually — putting the total contract value between $125 million and $150 million in cash alone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"BIENVENIDO 10,\" the team posted Saturday on Twitter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Welcome, Messi, indeed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are overjoyed that the greatest player in the world chose Inter Miami CF and Major League Soccer, and his decision is a testament to the momentum and energy behind our League and our sport in North America,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “We have no doubt that Lionel will show the world that MLS can be a League of Choice for the best players in the game.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is, in many ways, an unusual marriage. Messi — still perhaps the biggest star in the game — is signing with a team that entered Saturday in last place in the MLS\'s Eastern Conference standings. It’s a club in just its fourth season that plays in a temporary home that will seat only about 22,000 people when some rushed renovations like adding extra bleacher seats get completed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Doesn’t matter. Soccer royalty now plays for Inter Miami.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Messi arrived in South Florida on Tuesday following vacation, then started the process of physicals and paperwork on Wednesday and the deal got finalized Saturday afternoon. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — the trophy given annually to the world’s best player — is making his Miami move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I’m very excited to start this next step in my career with Inter Miami and in the United States,” Messi said in a statement. “This is a fantastic opportunity and together we will continue to build this beautiful project. The idea is to work together to achieve the objectives we set, and I’m very eager to start helping here in my new home.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was widely known that Messi would be leaving PSG. The mystery was where he was going. Some thought Messi eventually would choose to play for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, following longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo to a kingdom where some clubs now are funded by its sovereign wealth fund. Going back to Barcelona, a storied franchise where he spent most of his career, was another possibility.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the end, Miami won. An idea that co-owner David Beckham began floating publicly in 2021 — two years before, evidently, the team actually started thinking about how to pull this off — has now become reality.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way,” Messi said in June when announcing his decision.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He led Argentina to the World Cup title last December. Messi has more than 800 goals in his career for club and country, making him one of the greatest scorers in the sport’s history. He scored twice in last year’s World Cup final against France, a match that ended 3-3 with Argentina prevailing 4-2 on penalty kicks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He is a four-time Champions League winner and his 129 goals in the top club competition are second to Ronaldo’s 140. Messi has won 10 La Liga titles and two Ligue 1 championships, seven Copa del Reys and three Club World Cups plus a Copa América and Olympic gold medal for Argentina.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city,\" Beckham said. \"Players who shared the ambition I had when I joined LA Galaxy to help grow football in the USA and to build a legacy for the next generation in this sport that we love so much.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Today that dream came true.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The club had a road match Saturday at St. Louis, yet when word got out that Messi may have been at the team’s facility that morning a couple hundred fans showed up just hoping for a glimpse, not even deterred by a late-morning thunderstorm. Many wore Messi jerseys — some the light blue of Argentina, some the pink-and-black of Inter Miami. Some carried flags; one carried a sign mostly in Spanish, but the words “Messi” and “GOAT” made the messaging clear.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It’s just part of a welcome party that is only getting started.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Messi was seen at a Publix supermarket near Fort Lauderdale — the grocery chain is an Inter Miami sponsor — with his family earlier in the week, and the cart had a few items picked out by the kids: Froot Loops, Cap’n Crunch, Lucky Charms. The scene went viral by the time he hit the checkout lane.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A serial goal scorer is evidently a cereal fan as well.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And now, it’s time for the soccer to start. Inter Miami plans to introduce Messi on Sunday night, at an event the club is calling “The Unveil.” Shakira is rumored to be attending, and tickets are long gone for the show that has been anticipated for weeks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hopes for the franchise are now officially sky-high. Inter Miami has never contended for a title; Messi could change everything in a hurry for a team that has won only 34% of its matches in MLS play.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Lionel Messi is an incomparable talent,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said. “What he brings on and off the field will elevate everyone around him and we’re excited to have him at Inter Miami.” AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 16:12:34', '2023-07-16 16:12:34'),
(8004, 8004, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Actor Priyanka Chopra gave a glimpse of her husband-singer Nick Jonas trying to untie her ponytail. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Priyanka posted a clip as they travelled inside a car. Priyanka and Nick Jonas attended the Wimbledon Women’s Final on Saturday.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b>Nick helped Priyanka with her hairdo</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The video started with Priyanka leaning towards Nick as he looked at her hair with the torch of his phone camera. Throughout the video, Priyanka giggled, laughed and made faces as Nick helped her with her hair. The video ended with Nick shaking his head as Priyanka said \'ow\'. She also shared that Nick was successful in untying her hair. Priyanka captioned the post, \"Ponytails are complicated.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Nick shared photos with Priyanka</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nick also posted a bunch of pictures and videos on Instagram. In the first photo, Priyanka rested her head on his shoulder as she clicked a selfie. He also shared a picture of Priyanka giving a close glimpse as she held their tickets. In the clip, Marketa Vondrousova was seen receiving her award after her win.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Priyanka and Nick also posed in front of trophies as they smiled for the camera. Sharing the pictures, Nick captioned the post, \"Beautiful day out at the tennis with my (red heart emoji). Such an honour to sit in the Royal box and watch @marketavondrousova win her first grand slam.\" He geo-tagged the location as Wimbeldon Lawn Tennis Grounds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Nick and Priyanka at the match</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Priyanka, for the event, wore a printed green and black dress paired with black open-toe legging boots. She accessorised her look with black sunglasses and a blue clutch purse. Nick wore a white shirt, a brown suit with a matching tie and sunglasses. Earlier, the official page of Wimbledon posted a photo of the couple on Twitter. \"All set for the finals! Welcome to #Wimbledon, Priyanka and Nick,\" the tweet read.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Wimbledon women\'s singles final was played between Marketa Vondrousova and Ons Jabeur. Unseeded Czech Republic player Marketa Vondrousova clinched her maiden Wimbledon title, defeating No 6 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6-4, 6-4 in the 2023 Wimbledon final on Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><b><br></b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Priyanka\'s projects</b></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Priyanka will be seen with Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt in Farhan Akhtar\'s Jee Le Zaraa. She also has Heads of State in the pipeline alongside John Cena and Idris Elba. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 18:25:49', '2023-07-16 18:25:49'),
(8005, 8005, '<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Saturday, offering support for the invaded country in its war with Russia while demonstrating his own nation\'s cooperation with NATO.</b><br></p><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon’s office said he traveled to Ukraine with his wife, Kim Keon Hee, following trips to Lithuania for a NATO summit and to Poland. It’s his first visit since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon toured Bucha and Irpin, two small cities near Kyiv where bodies of civilians were found in the streets and mass graves after Russian troops retreated from the capital region last year. He laid flowers at a monument to the country\'s war dead, before he sat down for a summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea, a key U.S. ally in Asia, joined international sanctions against Russia and has provided Ukraine with humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine. But the Asian nation, a growing arms exporter, hasn\'t provided weapons to Ukraine in line with its long-standing policy of not supplying arms to countries actively engaged in conflict.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During a joint news conference with Zelenskyy later Saturday, Yoon announced plans to expand support shipments to Ukraine but didn\'t touch upon weapons supplies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon began his statement with a mention of the U.N. forces’ support of South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War that helped repel a North Korean invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The current situation facing Ukraine reminds us of the past situation of the Republic of Korea,\" Yoon said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Zelenskyy thanked Seoul for its “firm support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and the “significant political, security, economic and humanitarian aid” it has supplied since the start of Russia’s invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon said that South Korea will increase the shipments of nonlethal military items such as body armor and helmets this year. He said that South Korea will also provide humanitarian aid worth $150 million this year, up from $100 million last year. He said that South Korea has also sent the de-mining equipment and other aid items that had been requested by Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon said that he and Zelenskyy agreed on cooperating on post-war reconstruction efforts in Ukraine. Yoon said South Korea will also launch a scholarship fund named after him and Zelenskyy to expand support for Ukrainian students in South Korea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">South Korea isn\'t a NATO member, but like Japan, Pakistan and a handful of other countries, it\'s considered a global partner of the military alliance. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Ukraine in March.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In his recent written responses to questions from The Associated Press, Yoon said that the security of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is closely intertwined, saying: “In particular, the war in Ukraine has reminded us all that a security crisis in one particular region can have a global impact.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon took office last year amid a mix of tough foreign policy challenges such as North Korea’s advancing nuclear program and the intensifying rivalry between the U.S., South Korea’s main security ally, and China, its biggest trading partner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During a January visit to South Korea, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called for the country to provide direct military support to Ukraine, saying Kyiv was in urgent need of weapons to fight off the prolonged Russian invasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In May, when Yoon met Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska in Seoul, the president said he would expand South Korea\'s nonlethal aid to Ukraine. Yoon’s office said at the time that Zelenska made no request for South Korean weapons supplies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later in May, Yoon and Zelenskyy met for the first time on the sidelines of a Group of Seven industrialized nations summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Zelensky thanked South Korea for its humanitarian shipments of medicines, computers and generators and requested additional provisions of non-lethal items, Yoon’s office said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, South Korea has reached billions of dollars worth of deals to provide tanks, howitzers, fighter jets and other weapons systems to NATO member Poland.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An American official said in November that the United States had agreed to buy 100,000 artillery rounds from South Korean manufacturers to provide to Ukraine, although South Korean officials have maintained that the munitions were meant to refill depleted U.S. stocks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Yoon’s visit to Ukraine reflects his globally-minded foreign policy and shows South Korean solidarity with NATO partners in defending the rules-based international order,” Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said. “Seoul’s support of Ukraine includes not only humanitarian assistance, but also arms sales to backfill NATO countries providing military aid to Kyiv, and plans for post-conflict reconstruction of infrastructure.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yoon and his wife\'s visit came two days after Russia launched another barrage of Iranian-made drones at the Kyiv region. Ukrainian officials said their air defenses intercepted the drones but that wreckage fell on four districts of the capital, wounding two people and destroying several homes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although Kyiv didn\'t come under attack in the hours before the South Korean president\'s arrival, Ukrainian forces on Friday and overnight downed 10 Russian drones across the country, the Ukrainian air force reported Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a Telegram post, the air force added that Moscow fired six Iranian-made Shahed drones at Ukraine’s south and east during the night, four of which were shot down. It did not immediately give details of any casualties or damage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In southern Ukraine\'s Zaporizhzhia province, where Ukraine has been engaged in a counteroffensive to take back occupied territory, there were 45 air and artillery attacks between Friday and Saturday, Gov. Yurii Malashka reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian forces shelled neighboring Kherson province 70 times over the same period, using mortars, artillery, drones, tanks, aviation and multiple rocket launchers, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said Saturday. No civilians were wounded, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russian shelling over the past day killed one civilian in eastern Ukraine\'s Donetsk province, Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko reported Saturday. Ukrainain forces have been pressing their counteroffensive in the area, inching their way from Velyka Novosilka down toward the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia\'s Federal Security Service, or FSB, said Saturday that a group of neo-Nazis was arrested in connection with a Ukrainian plot to kill Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-funded RT international television channel, and journalist and celebrity Ksenia Sobchak.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion, he vowed to “denazify” Ukraine, alleging that radical neo-Nazi groups dominate the country led by a Jewish president. Kyiv and its Western allies dismissed his assertion as a bogus cover for an unprovoked act of aggression.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The FSB, which is the main successor to the KGB, didn\'t say how many people were arrested, but Russian news media later said seven suspects had been put in detention by a Moscow court.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The FSB said that the plot was organized at the direction of Ukraine\'s SBU security agency. But the FSB didn\'t provide any evidence of that, and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia previously has charged Ukrainian authorities were behind the killings of nationalist television commentator Daria Dugina and popular pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also Saturday, Russia\'s defense ministry said it had completed its planned spring call-up of 147,000 military conscripts, 12,500 more than in the previous year\'s draft. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 18:37:36', '2023-07-16 18:37:36'),
(8006, 8006, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday underlined the need for diversifying the education system for transforming the country into Smart Bangladesh by 2041.</b></span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We need smart skilled manpower, smart economy, smart government and smart society. We want to build Bangladesh this way. The utmost need is to diversify the education system,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister was addressing the national council of principals of the colleges affiliated under the National University and the scholarship distributing ceremony-2023 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina said that her government wants to build the young generation as the skilled manpower.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She pointed out that the government has established 39 hi-tech parks. It is providing trainings in the computer and incubation centres, education in nano technology and artificial intelligence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">”We are doing this so the young generation can gain Knowledge on science and technology. They can advance further and their future generations could do the same,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that the government wants to take Bangladesh towards development and prosperity. That will be the Smart Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She requested the teachers to give lessons with more sincerity so that the students could acquire the required skills for turning the country into a smart one.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I hope that today’s young generation will be the leaders of future Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PM said that her government is taking the country ahead defying various types of man-made and natural calamities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Since 2009 there has been a stable government in the country with continued democratic process,” said the prime minister highlighting various manmade and natural ral calamities it faced on the way.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are advancing the country overcoming those calamities,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">PM Hasina also requested the students to be more attentive to their studies to acquire knowledge on modern science and technology to boost skills and be ready to be part of the fourth industrial revolution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“You also have to love your country and its people. You have to have dutifulness towards the people of the country. Not indulge in yourselves only. The more people of the country developed, the more you will be developed,” she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She hoped that students will prepare themselves as the driving force in building a poverty-and-hunger-free smart golden Bangladesh by 2041.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina briefly described her government\'s measures to ensure overall development of the country’s education.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The government has taken every possible step to make the generation after generation worthy of coping with the ever-changing world in the age of science and technology. We don\'t want to lag behind. We have to keep up with the pace of global education as our children are meritorious,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She mentioned that the government has established universities in every district, four medical universities in four divisional headquarters, an Islamic Arabic University, digital university, aerospace and aviation university and medical colleges alongside setting up science and technology universities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hasina asked the principals and teachers to groom the student as worthy citizens of independent Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Give the youth education in such a way they can build themselves as worthy citizens of an independent Bangladesh,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister handed over scholarship among 10 insolvent but meritorious and special need students.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 12394 students---11,285 insolvent meritorious and 1109 special need students---have got scholarship worth about Taka 6, 19,70,000.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the same function, the PM also announced unveiling some development projects including ICT master plan under the National University and put a signature on the list of the development schemes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Education Minister Dipu Moni spoke as the special guest.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vice-Chancellor of the National University Prof Dr Mashiur Rahman presided over the programme.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Abu Salek Mohammad Sourov from Selim Sonar Bangla College of Cumilla and Jubaida Ayesha Siddiqa of Rajshahi Government Women College spoke on behalf of the principals at the function.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A video documentary on the activities of the National University was also screened there. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bndb24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 19:39:16', '2023-07-16 19:39:16'),
(8007, 8007, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Jamaat-e-Islami has called for a public rally on July 22 at the historic Laldighi ground in Chattogram.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The party has sought permission from the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner to hold the rally.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thirteen lawyers of Jamaat-e-Islami went to the Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) commissioner\'s office on Saturday (July 15) for permission to hold the rally.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later, the commissioner\'s office allowed two members of the Jamaat delegation to enter the office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Joint Secretary of Chattogram District Bar Advocate Kabir Hossain and Advocate Shamsul Alam went to the CMP Commissioner\'s office and submitted the application.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Coming out of the CMP office, Advocate Shamsul Alam told the media that Jamaat has organized a rally at Laldighi Maidan on July 22 to press for a 10-point demand including the establishment of a caretaker government, the release of Jamaat\'s Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Nayeb-e-Ameer ANM Shamsul Islam, Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar and former MP Shahjahan Chowdhury among others.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Jamaat wants to implement this rally in an orderly and peaceful manner. We went to the police commissioner on behalf of Jamaat for permission for the rally. Our letter has been accepted. The permission for the rally will be announced later, according to the CMP commissioner’s office,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Spina Rani Pramanik, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of CMP Media and Public Relations Department, said, \"I have heard that Jamaat has submitted an application to the CMP Commissioner seeking permission to hold a rally in Chattogram on July 22. We can\'t give details of the application as of yet.” UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 19:43:19', '2023-07-16 19:43:19'),
(8008, 8008, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday decided to register two new political parties -Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM) and Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP).</b></span><br></div><div>&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div>Ten parties, including Gono Adhikar Parishad, were left out of the race to get registration. Only two have picked up for the next round of selection out of 12 parties who sought registration.</div><div><br></div><div>Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam revealed the information to reporters after a meeting of the Commission at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital\'s Agargaon on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Jahangir Alam said the commission took the decision to give registration to the two parties after verifying all the data.</div><div><br></div><div>A notification in this regard will be issued on Monday, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that by July 26, a notice will be published in the newspapers to find out if anyone has any objection over the registration. If any, the objections will be resolved and then the next decision will be taken.</div><div><br></div><div>Decision was made about two of the parties that have applied for registration, he said adding that if any objections come, the decision will be taken after hearing.</div><div><br></div><div>The political parties who were eliminated in the race are Ab Party (Amar Bangladesh Party), Bangladesh Humanist Party (BHP), Nagorik Oikya, Bangladesh Sanatan Party, Bangladesh Labour Party, Bangladesh Minority Janata Party (BMJP), Bangladesh People\'s Party (BPP), Democratic Party and Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP). According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 21:27:26', '2023-07-16 21:27:26'),
(8009, 8009, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Dhaka court on Sunday upheld the order of the family court that gave Japanese mother Nakano Eriko the custody of her two daughters.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka District Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiya upheld the family court order after rejecting the appeal filed by the Bangladesh-born US citizen Imran Sharif, father of the two children.</div><div><br></div><div>Advocate Sishir Monir stood for the Japanese mother while Advocate Nasima Akter Lovely for Imran.</div><div><br></div><div>Expressing dissatisfaction over the court order, Advocate Nasima Akter, said they will file a petition against the court order.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on January 29, Durdana Rahman, judge of Dhaka\'s Second Additional Assistant Judge and family court provided the custody of the two children to the Japanese mother.</div><div><br></div><div>Shishir Monir, lawyer of the Japanese mother Nakano Eriko, said the court dismissed the case filed by Imran Sharif to keep his two children in his custody. So, the two children are going to stay with their mother, and she can also take her daughters to Japan.</div><div><br></div><div>The two children are not allowed to go abroad until the case is settled, said Advocate Nasima.</div><div><br></div><div>After 12 years of marriage, on January 18, 2020, Eriko, a physician, appealed for divorce from Engineer Imran Sharif over marital dispute.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 28, 2021 she also filed a case with a Tokyo family court for custody of their three children.</div><div><br></div><div>But on February 21, Imran returned to Bangladesh with the first two girls from Japan. Meanwhile a Japanese court passed a verdict putting the children under their mother’s custody.</div><div><br></div><div>On August 19, 2021 - days after coming to Bangladesh - Eriko filed a writ petition before the High Court here seeking custody of the two girls.</div><div><br></div><div>On November 21, 2021, the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman ruled that the Japan-born daughters of Imran and Eriko would stay with their father.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the mother could exclusively meet the daughters, aged 11 and 10, three times a year for 10 days at a time and Imran, the father, will bear her travel and accommodation expenses, said the court.</div><div><br></div><div>On February 13 last year, the Appellate Division ordered that the custody of the two girls will be decided by the family court and until then the two children will remain with their mother.</div><div><br></div><div>Eriko tried to leave Dhaka with her two daughters on December 23.</div><div><br></div><div>She was turned away by the police from the airport after she tried to take the children in defiance of court orders. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 22:21:17', '2023-07-16 22:21:17'),
(8010, 8010, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) predicted rain or thundershowers across the country in 24 hours, starting from 9 am today (July 16, 2023).</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind are likely to occur at many places in Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at a few places in Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions with moderately heavy falls at places over the country,” according to a BMD bulletin.</div><div><br></div><div>Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>The axis of monsoon trough runs through India’s Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal to Assam across central part of Bangladesh. One of its associated troughs extends up to the north Bay.</div><div><br></div><div>Monsoon is fairly active over Bangladesh and moderate over north Bay. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p>Weather Forecast<br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 22:54:49', '2023-07-16 22:54:49'),
(8011, 8011, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Women registered their maiden ODI win against India on Sunday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It was the first match of the three-match ODI series. Before this, Bangladesh Women had played five matches against India and had failed to win any of them.</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, India won the toss and chose to field first. The hosts posted a total of 152 for 9 in 43 overs. Shorna Akter was unable to bat due to falling ill after the toss. The match was reduced to 44 overs per side due to rain.</div><div><br></div><div>Captain Nigar Sultana was the highest scorer with 39 off 64 balls, while Fargana Hoque contributed 27.</div><div><br></div><div>For India, Amanjot Kaur took four wickets conceding 31 runs in nine overs, while Devika Vaidya took two.</div><div><br></div><div>In reply, India failed to build strong partnerships. Both openers, Priya Puniya and Smriti Mandhana, managed to get off to good starts, but they were unable to capitalize on them. Wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia scored 15, but captain Harmanpreet Kaur returned just 5.</div><div><br></div><div>Deepti Sharma and Amanjot scored 20 and 15 respectively and helped India stay in the fight and put pressure on Bangladesh. However, Nahida Akter removed Deepti, while Marufa Akter scalped the wicket of Amanjot, putting the pressure back on India.</div><div><br></div><div>India lost eight wickets for under 100 runs. Eventually, they were all out for 113, losing the match by 40 runs. Marufa bagged four wickets while Rabeya Khan took three.</div><div><br></div><div>The next two matches are scheduled on July 19th and 22nd at the same venue. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 23:06:04', '2023-07-16 23:06:04'),
(8012, 8012, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Postgraduate intern doctors at&nbsp; Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) have held a protest in Dhaka\'s Shahbagh area, demanding a higher monthly allowance, timely payments, and clearance of dues.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>They demanded a raise in their monthly allowance — from Tk 20,000 to TK 50,000.</div><div><br></div><div>The protesters called for a sit-in at the Shahbagh intersection this morning at the behest of the Postgraduate Private Trainee Doctors’ Association.</div><div><br></div><div>However, police personnel deployed in the area ahead of the demonstration stopped them from marching towards Shahbagh intersection.</div><div><br></div><div>In a protest against police interference, they locked up all the gates of BSMMU around 12 pm. Later, they came out of the hospital and staged a protest, blocking the road in front of BSMMU.</div><div><br></div><div>Witnesses said, around 1 pm some of the protesters came out of the hospital and tried to block Shahbagh intersection but police stopped them.</div><div><br></div><div>Tension escalated between doctors and the police, resulting in a chaotic situation. During the protest, doctors tried to obstruct the road, leading to the Science Lab from Shahbagh.</div><div><br></div><div>Eyewitnesses, including a nearby vendor, reported that in response to the road blockade, police resorted to using batons to disperse the doctors.</div><div><br></div><div>Protesting intern doctors said that police have been interfering in the protest since they announced their demand publicly. Postgraduate doctors get Tk 20000 as allowance per month which is insufficient to meet their basic needs, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>They also said that they are not allowed to see patients outside BSMMU.</div><div><br></div><div>In an attempt to pacify the protesting students, Dr. Sharfuddin, Vice-Chancellor of BSMMU, made an appearance at approximately 3:50 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Addressing the demonstrators, he stated, \"In response to your demands, I have successfully arranged for the payment of your outstanding dues. Today, I held a meeting with the relevant officials to discuss the issues you have raised. If you heed my advice and return to the hostel, I anticipate being able to provide you with positive news soon. However, if you choose not to follow my instructions, you will need to find your own means to resolve the situation.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He asked the students to give him seven days to resolve the situation and urged them to get back to their studies.</div><div><br></div><div>The protest and blockade, lasting four hours, resulted in significant traffic congestion heading towards the Science Laboratory. The tailback caused considerable delays for motorists in the area. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 23:17:29', '2023-07-16 23:17:29'),
(8013, 8013, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A 7.2 magnitude earthquake triggered a brief tsunami advisory for southern Alaska late Saturday, but the advisory was cancelled about an hour later, monitoring bodies reported.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The earthquake was felt widely throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Alaskan Peninsula and Cook Inlet regions, according to the Alaska Earthquake Center.</div><div><br></div><div>In Kodiak, Alaska, sirens warned of a possible tsunami and sent people driving to shelters late at night, according to video posted to social media.</div><div><br></div><div>The United States Geological Survey wrote in a social media post that the earthquake occurred 106 kilometers (65.8 miles) south of Sand Point, Alaska, at 10:48 p.m. Saturday. The quake initially was reported as 7.4 magnitude but downgraded to 7.2 soon after.</div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. National Weather Service sent a tsunami advisory saying the quake occurred at a depth of 13 miles (21 kilometers). The agency cancelled the advisory about an hour after the first alert.</div><div><br></div><div>Before the cancellation, the National Weather Service in Anchorage, Alaska, tweeted that the tsunami advisory applied to coastal Alaska from Chignik Bay to Unimak Pass, but Kodiak Island and the Kenai Peninsula were not expected to be impacted.</div><div><br></div><div>The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said shortly after the tsunami warning went out that there was no threat to the islands. According to AP reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-16 23:29:36', '2023-07-16 23:29:36'),
(8014, 8014, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said the intimidation tactics of the government no longer work, and so the people of the country will forcibly remove the Awami League to establish their rights.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Still there is time and you (AL) should resign, There is no point in showing guns and issuing threats. You have committed a lot of crimes. If you do not step down, people will remove you to establish their rights,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul was addressing a public rally in front of the BNP office in Chattogram.</div><div><br></div><div>Issuing a warning note to Awami League, Fakhrul said “The time of AL ended now and I clearly told them to step down and dissolve the parliament.”</div><div><br></div><div>“You (AL) were involved in judicial killing, some 40 lakh BNP men were accused in 1.24 lakh cases. No one can cling to power permanently. Authoritarians like Namrud, Feraun and Ershad failed to cling to power and Sheikh Hasina you also can’t cling to power as the throne of power is not permanent for anyone. So step down,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Awami League will starve if there is a caretaker, neutral, or non-partisan government to oversee the next election, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>“Awami League is like Heron as Heron remained standby on the pond water and water body to catch fish and like Heron they (AL) also search for a scope to cling to the power,” said the BNP leader.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Election Commission is like Thutho Jagonnath (disabled) as they have no power. Whatever AL says, they just implement it,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Pointing finger at Sheikh Hasina, BNP senior leader said “In 2021, Sheikh Hasina told us that there will be fair elections and everyone can cast their votes. But what we see is that the vote was cast on the eve of Election Day.”</div><div><br></div><div>As long as this government stays, people\'s suffering will increase, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader also alleged that “Khaleda Zia has been imprisoned for eight years on a false case. She fought uncompromisingly for democracy. We have unveiled a 31-point outline aimed at \"reforming\" the constitution and state system.” Source: UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-07-17 03:02:53', '2023-07-17 03:02:53');
