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(9408, 9408, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The International Day of Older Persons will be observed in the country tomorrow like elsewhere across the globe with the theme \'Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations\'.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>On the eve of the day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages greeting the country\'s all senior citizens and wishing them sound health and peaceful life.</div><div><br></div><div>President Mohammed Shahabuddin, in his message, said, \"I welcome the initiative of observing the International Day of Older Persons in the country like elsewhere in the world. I think this year\'s theme for the day \'Fulfilling the Promises of the Universal Declaration of human Rights for Older Persons: Across Generations\' is appropriate\".</div><div><br></div><div>The development of the country is accelerated through the combination of the enthusiasm of the youth and the experience of the senior citizens, he said, adding that the contribution of elders in the progress of civilization is undeniable.</div><div><br></div><div>Due to the excellence of medical science and the improvement of socio-economic conditions, the number of elderly people in Bangladesh is increasing day by day, the President said, adding, \"Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman inserted Article 15 (Gha) related to social security in the principles of state management of the constitution for ensuring social security of the elderly\".</div><div><br></div><div>To ensure a dignified, poverty-free, functional, healthy and secure family and social life for the elderly persons, the government has enacted the National Policy on Older Persons-2013 and the Parent\'s Care Act, 2013, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, old-age allowance was introduced in the fiscal year 1997-98, Shahabuddin said, adding that in the financial year 2023-24, a total of 58 lakh 1 thousand senior citizens are receiving old-age allowance under the programme.</div><div><br></div><div>Along with the increase the number of old-age allowance beneficiaries, the amount of allowance is also being increased, he said, adding, in the era of immense possibilities of information technology, Bangladesh has progressed a lot in the path of digitalization.</div><div><br></div><div>Appropriate use of advanced and modern information technology should be ensured for the welfare of the elderly people, the head of the state said and urged the authorities concerned to take appropriate steps so that \"our senior citizens can enjoy all the facilities of digital technology and technological equality\".</div><div><br></div><div>Growing older is associated with many physical and psychological problems, including loneliness and isolation, he said, adding it is very important for the government as well as various private philanthropic organizations and effluent section of the society to come forward so that this respected people of the society can live a beautiful life in their old age.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, effective initiatives must be taken to prevent the degradation of family and social values in creating a senior citizen-friendly society, Shahabuddin said, adding, \"I wish the elderly people across the world good health, peaceful and dignified lives\".</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, the Awami League (AL) government is very sensitive and respectful towards senior citizens.</div><div><br></div><div>Like in other countries, the number of senior citizens is increasing rapidly in Bangladesh. At the same time, their various challenges are also increasing, she said, adding, with the development of the country, the speed has increased in every sphere of life.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Today, it is the moral responsibility of everyone to fulfill their responsibility towards those whose labor, talent and experience have contributed in building the country,\" the premier said.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, today\'s senior citizens earned the red-green flag through in the Liberation War of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said, adding \"Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib was very sensitive towards senior citizens. He inserted a constitutional pledge for the indigent elderly people in Article 15 (Gha) of the Constitution of the People\'s Republic of Bangladesh to provide social security for senior citizens\".</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our government introduced various social security programmes, including the old age-allowance scheme, for the first time in 1996. Today, this initiative is widely appreciated in the country and abroad. We have taken steps to gradually bring all senior citizens eligible for the old age-allowance under this program in each upazila,\" Sheikh Hasina said.</div><div><br></div><div>The government enacted the National Policy on Older Persons and the Parent\'s Care Act in 2013, she said, adding, \"We have taken steps to ease the process of paying pension for retired government employees and giving Baisakhi allowance directly through EFT\".</div><div><br></div><div>The government has played a unique role in providing dignity, priority and other facilities to senior citizens, the premier said, adding, \"The recent introduction of universal pension allowance outside government employees is a strong move by our government. Through this, the elderly people of the country will get a unique opportunity to live a safe and prosperous life at their last age by getting secure financial support\".</div><div><br></div><div>Underscoring the need for awakening the family and social values, Sheikh Hasina urged private organizations to come forward along with the government to protect the rights and facilities of senior citizens.</div><div><br></div><div>The President and the Prime Minister wished all-out success of all programmes of the day.</div><div><br></div><div>The International Day of Older Persons has been observed across the world since 1991 aiming to creating public awareness about old age along with ensuring security and rights for the senior citizens.</div><div><br></div><div>On December, 14 in 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons (resolution 45/106).</div><div><br></div><div>This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-09-30 12:43:55', '2023-09-30 12:43:55'),
(9409, 9409, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ruled out a return to the repealed caretaker government system as the constitution was amended in line with a higher court verdict.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“People have the sole right to vote. Whoever is elected by the people will form the government. There is no way to go back to it (caretaker government system),” she said in an interview with the Bangla service of Voice of America (VoA) aired on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister, now on a visit to the US, responded to a number of questions on US Visa sanction, human rights, Khaleda’s treatment abroad, caretaker government, the constitution and other issues.</div><div><br></div><div>When asked about the possibility of taking initiative for amending the constitution and forming a caretaker government or discussion with the opposition alliance, she said, “Election is people’s right. When an emergency was declared in 2007, the High Court delivered a verdict that an unelected government would never come to power. Power will be handed over to an elected government, according to the verdict of the High Court. The constitution was amended after the verdict.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Now, how can we annul the verdict of the High Court? Or amend the constitution? And why will we do that? We had a lot of bitter experiences. In the history of our country, we’ve seen martial law, military dictatorship, and farcical election under them, or under caretaker government.”</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning that the BNP was once against the caretaker government Hasina said, “When we protested against the BNP’s vote rigging then BNP leader (Khaleda Zia) said that no one is neutral other than children and the insane. They said this, they were against this.”</div><div><br></div><div>“The constitution was amended based on the verdict of the High Court. They used to protest against it, and now that they are demanding the same thing, there is no guarantee of what they will do in the future,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Moreover, the caretaker government system was abolished because of BNP, said Hasina adding that they wanted to form a government of their choice, raising the judge’s age for that, making fake voter lists, and committing a lot of terrible crimes. But none of it worked because people did not accept it.</div><div><br></div><div>About the 2008 election, the PM said, “The country witnessed elections under a caretaker government in 2008. They committed a lot of dreadful crimes during their tenure from 2001-2006, and an emergency situation was declared and the caretaker government took over power. They did not hold any elections for two years and filed false cases against us,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In the 2008 election, the BNP-led 20-party alliance got only 29 seats in parliament and got another one in the re-election, said the prime minister .” So, this is their reality even under a caretaker government. That is why they boycotted the 2014 election and resorted to arson…they burnt over 3000 people to death. They carried out mayhem and arson attacks in 500 vote centres and schools. They boycotted the election.”</div><div><br></div><div>“Now that they are suddenly demanding a caretaker government, why? And the question is who is their leader? Who (the people) will vote for? People want to see leadership…. They have no good leader to lead the country,” she continued, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh is in a stable condition now….. after the 2008 national election several efforts were made to make the country unstable. Bangladesh has overcome those and now has achieved the status of a developing country. We need an elected government to make this effective,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-09-30 13:03:38', '2023-09-30 13:03:38'),
(9410, 9410, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox\'s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal no. three as deep convection is taking place over North Bay and adjoining areas due to influence of the low pressure area over Northeast Bay that has intensified into a well marked low.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It now lies over Northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas, said Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).</div><div><br></div><div>All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.</div><div><br></div><div>The axis of monsoon trough runs through Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, the center of the well-marked low to Assam across southern part of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Light to moderate rain/ thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over Khulna and Barishal divisions; at many places over Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dhaka and Chattogram divisions and at a few places over Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to very heavy falls at places over Southern part of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Mild heat wave is sweeping over Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions and the districts of Tangail, Kishoregonj, Bogura, Rangpur, Sayedpur &amp; Panchagarh and it may abate.</div><div><br></div><div>Day and night temperature may fall slightly over the country. - BSS</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-09-30 13:32:35', '2023-09-30 13:32:35'),
(9411, 9411, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>ASX-listed gold producer Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN) on Friday announced it has awarded a contract to GR Engineering Services to complete the plant expansion works at its Mungari gold mine in Western Australia.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>According to Evolution, these works are expected to total A$155 million and are within the project budget and schedule as part of the company’s previously announced commitment to invest A$250 million to increase the site’s processing capacity from 2 million tonnes per annum to 4.2 million tonnes per annum.</div><div><br></div><div>The company said planning is “well progressed,” including initial engineering design and procurement works have commenced, adding that site works are expected to commence in mid-January 2024.</div><div><br></div><div>The project has an estimated 30-month construction period including long-lead items and approvals, with commissioning expected by the end of the March 2026 quarter.</div><div><br></div><div>The company said that, targeting gold production of 200,000 ounces per annum for the life of the mine, this project is expected to reduce Mungari’s all-in sustaining costs (AISC) by 18% to A$1,750 per ounce and extend the mine life to 2038.</div><div><br></div><div>Evolution Mining operates five wholly-owned mines – Cowal in New South Wales, Ernest Henry and Mt Rawdon in Queensland, Mungari in Western Australia, and Red Lake in Ontario, Canada. Financial year 2024 gold production guidance is 770,000 ounces (+/-5%) at AISC of A$1,370 per ounce (+/-5%). Source: kitco.com</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-09-30 13:56:11', '2023-09-30 13:56:11'),
(9412, 9412, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Aiming to encourage the Bangladesh National Cricket Team in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, the star-studded \'Celebrity Cricket League\' featuring the country\'s showbiz stars, turned into horrific chaos on Friday night at the Mirpur Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium when an unpleasant incident took place.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The aforementioned incident took place during a friendly group match between filmmakers Mostafa Kamal Raz and Dipankar Dipon.</div><div><br></div><div>In the match, Raj\'s team won the toss, decided to bat first and scored 119 runs in the allotted six overs. Dipankar Dipon\'s team then collected 112 runs in the allotted 6 overs and lost the match by 7 runs.</div><div><br></div><div>However, tensions on the turf intensified during the match and despite efforts to restore normalcy, the situation deteriorated further after the game ended late Friday night, with some players from both sides involved in furious altercations with each other, notably Dhallywood actor Sariful Razz.</div><div><br></div><div>Video footage has been surfacing online showing the altercations, and the brawl resulted in several players being injured and taken to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Actor Shimul from Dipankar Dipon’s team said that many outsiders played in the match and attacked with ‘an attempt to murder’ while actress Raj Ripa said that Mostafa Kamal Raz and actor Sariful Razz physically assaulted her during the post-match, blaming the organizers for the management failure.</div><div><br></div><div>Dipankar Dipon said that an official statement will be announced soon after the management evaluates the entire situation.</div><div><br></div><div>The three-day Celebrity Cricket League was launched on September 28 with 8 teams, each containing 16 members from the country’s showbiz industry. It was set to be concluded today. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-09-30 14:42:33', '2023-09-30 14:42:33'),
(9413, 9413, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Migrants were stranded in northern Mexico\'s harsh desert after the freight train they were riding on halted for 24 hours, though they were trundling toward the border again on Saturday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Around 1,800 people, mostly Venezuelans and Central Americans, became stuck overnight in the northern state of Chihuahua when the freight train they had hitched a ride on stopped without explanation in the Ahumada municipality Friday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"All night, the cold didn\'t let up, and during the day, (there was no relief) from the sun,\" Venezuelan Jose Martin told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These migrants are among many who ride on freight trains as a means of heading north, where they hope to cross into the United States after fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Not bus or car, nothing, nobody will take us, so we hopped on a train, because supposedly they (trains) don\'t stop,\" said Maria Fernanda Molina, also from Venezuela.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"But look what happened to us,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Mexico, where most railroads are more than 100 years old, freight trains often move slowly or stop altogether -- sometimes for the very purpose of discouraging migrants.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Just last week, the country\'s largest railway suspended 30 percent of its operations due to being overwhelmed by the flow of foreign stowaways.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Ahumada, civil protection authorities and local residents brought food and water to the stranded passengers before the train began chugging along again Saturday, bound for the border town of Ciudad Juarez.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There, they will face another long delay as they wait their turn to make their cases to American authorities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another group of about a thousand migrants traveling by freight train were also stranded in the wilderness in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas over the weekend, and in the southern state of Chiapas, thousands more were waiting in shelters or on the streets for Mexican authorities to give them permission to begin their journey north.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Mexican government has said it is overwhelmed by the number of migrants crossing into its territory, while American border authorities reported almost 233,000 crossings into the United States in August.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mexican authorities said they detained more than 189,000 migrants in September. 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, '2023-10-01 03:13:26', '2023-10-01 03:13:26'),
(9414, 9414, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The centrist Progressive Slovakia party of European Parliament vice-speaker Michal Simecka is set to win the Slovak election on Saturday, two exit polls indicated.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Progressive Slovakia scored 23.5 percent in an exit poll by the Focus agency for TV Markiza and 19.97 percent in a poll by public media company RTVS, with the populist Smer-SD party coming second. 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, '2023-10-01 03:34:16', '2023-10-01 03:34:16'),
(9415, 9415, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Monaco went top of Ligue 1 with a 3-2 win over Gennaro Gattuso\'s Marseille on Saturday after Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 0-0 draw by struggling Clermont.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Marseille were playing their first game since former Italy star Gattuso was appointed coach and twice led in the principality through goals by Iliman Ndiaye and Samuel Gigot.</div><div><br></div><div>Ndiaye opened the scoring after just 32 seconds and Gigot volleyed them back in front on 18 minutes after Maghnes Akliouche equalised.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Monaco\'s USA striker Folarin Balogun -- who had two penalties saved in last week\'s defeat by Nice -- made it 2-2 midway through the first half, completing a remarkable opening to the game at the Stade Louis II.</div><div><br></div><div>Balogun then set up Akliouche to make it 3-2 seven minutes after the restart and the youngster\'s second goal of the night proved to be the winner.</div><div><br></div><div>Monaco end the night a point clear at the top of the table from surprise package Brest, who visit fourth-placed Nice on Sunday -- whoever wins that contest will seize first place.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Marseille have now gone three games without a win, and conceded 10 goals, since previous coach Marcelino Garcia Toral resigned.</div><div><br></div><div>Gattuso will hope for his first victory when OM entertain Brighton and Hove Albion in the Europa League on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We must improve but I was pleased with the spirit of the team and the way they kept trying until the end,\" Gattuso said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The only way we can turn this around is by working hard. I don\'t know if three days before playing Brighton will be enough. The football I want to play is not easy, it needs time. But I think this team can do well.\"</div><div><br></div><div>- Mbappe shakes off injury -</div><div><br></div><div>PSG were warming up for a Champions League trip to Newcastle United as they went to Clermont, where Kylian Mbappe started having recovered from the ankle injury which forced him off in the first half of last week\'s 4-0 win over Marseille.</div><div><br></div><div>The reigning champions had been hoping to build on impressive wins against Borussia Dortmund and Marseille in their last two outings, but a goalless stalemate with a struggling Clermont side confirms they are far from the finished article under new coach Luis Enrique.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We tried to create and to win the match but it was almost impossible to kick the ball in the right way because it was always bouncing, especially for the strikers when they tried to score,\" Luis Enrique told broadcaster Amazon Prime, with reference to a newly-laid pitch at Clermont\'s Stade Gabriel-Montpied.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I knew the pitch was new, they changed it three days ago, but we were unlucky to have to play on it in these conditions.\"</div><div><br></div><div>PSG have won just three of their first seven league games and sit provisionally third in the table, two points behind Monaco.</div><div><br></div><div>Clermont had beaten the Parisians away in their final game of last season but came into this match bottom and with just one point so far in this campaign.</div><div><br></div><div>They are still winless, but the unexpected point lifts them off the foot of the table on goal difference from Lyon, who play on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Goalkeeper Mory Diaw, who was on PSG\'s books as a youngster, was Clermont\'s hero as he made a total of 10 saves, while Mbappe hit the outside of a post in the second half and was booked for diving late on.</div><div><br></div><div>Visiting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also starred when he produced a brilliant save on his line just after half-time to deny Jamaican striker Shamar Nicholson before seeing Yohann Magnin hit the post from the follow-up.</div><div><br></div><div>On Friday, Lens won 1-0 away at Strasbourg thanks to an Elye Wahi goal as they warmed up for Tuesday\'s home Champions League meeting with Arsenal. AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 03:58:15', '2023-10-01 03:58:15'),
(9416, 9416, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Lionel Messi was ruled out with injury again on Saturday, not named in Inter Miami\'s squad for Saturday\'s Major League Soccer clash with New York City FC, as he missed his third straight game.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Messi was substituted after 38 minutes of the team\'s win over Toronto FC on September 20 but missed the following league game at Orlando and Wednesday\'s US Open Cup defeat to Houston.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prior to the Toronto game, the World Cup winner had skipped the away trip to Atlanta having also sat out Argentina\'s World Cup qualifier in Bolivia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Saturday\'s game is a crucial one for Miami\'s hopes of making the playoffs and they will also be without Messi\'s former Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba, who is out with a hamstring injury.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">NYCFC currently occupy the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, sitting in ninth place, five points ahead of Miami but the Florida side have two games in hand.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Miami\'s Argentine head coach Gerardo Martino said his team, who are also without right-back DeAndre Yedlin, had been unfortunate with injuries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Casualties are part of what can happen in a season but they hardly ever happen in the quantity and importance that we have, but we have to accept it,\" he said. 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, '2023-10-01 04:00:14', '2023-10-01 04:00:14'),
(9417, 9417, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality was categorised as \'unhealthy for sensitive groups\' for a second consecutive day today.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With an air quality index (AQI) score of 110 at 8:35 am, Dhaka ranked 12th on the list of cities worldwide with worst air quality, according to the AQI.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The capital of Bangladesh ranked 13th on the list with an AQI score of 107 yesterday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan’s Lahore, Indonesia’s Jakarta, India’s Delhi and Pakistan’s Karachi occupied the first four spots on the list, with AQI scores of 182, 182, 165 and 163 respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', while a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 04:20:04', '2023-10-01 04:20:04'),
(9418, 9418, '<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Opposition candidate Mohamed Muiz won the Maldives presidential runoff on Saturday, securing more than 53% of the vote, local media reported.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The election has turned into a virtual referendum on which regional power — India or China — will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mihaaru News reported that incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had received 46% of the vote and that Muiz had won by more than 18,000 votes. Official results were expected Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“With today’s result we have got the opportunity to build the country\'s future. The strength to ensure the freedom of Maldives,” Muiz said in a statement after his victory. “It’s time we put our differences aside and come together. We need to be a peaceful society.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Muiz also requested that Solih transfer former president Abdulla Yameen to house arrest from prison.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was a surprise win for Muiz, who entered the fray as an underdog. He was named only as a fallback candidate closer to the nomination deadline after the Supreme Court prevented Yameen from running because he his serving a prison sentence for money laundering and corruption. Yameen’s supporters say he’s been jailed for political reasons.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Today’s result is a reflection of the patriotism of our people. A call on all our neighbours and bilateral partners to fully respect our independence and sovereignty,” said Mohamed Shareef, a top official of Muiz\'s party. He told The Associated Press that it was also a mandate for Muiz to resurrect the economy and for Yameen\'s release.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Neither Muiz nor Solih got more than 50% in the first round of voting earlier in September.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Solih, who was elected president in 2018, was battling allegations by Muiz that he had allowed India an unchecked presence in the country. Muiz\'s party, the People’s National Congress, is viewed as heavily pro-China.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Solih has insisted that the Indian military\'s presence in the Maldives was only to build a dockyard under an agreement between the two governments and that his country’s sovereignty won\'t be violated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Muiz promised that if he won the presidency, he would remove Indian troops from the Maldives and balance the country’s trade relations, which he said were heavily in India’s favor.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ahmed Shaheed, a former foreign minister of Maldives, termed the election verdict as a public revolt against the government\'s failure to meet economic and governance expectations rather than concerns over Indian influence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I don\'t think India was at all in the people\'s minds,” Saheed said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">An engineer, Muiz had served as the housing minister for seven years. He was mayor of Male, the capital, when he was chosen to run for president.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Solih suffered a setback closer to the election when Mohamed Nasheed, a charismatic former president, broke away from his Maldivian Democratic Party and fielded his own candidate in the first round. He decided to remain neutral in the second round.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Nasheed\'s departure took the motherboard away from the MDP,” Shaheed said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yameen, leader of the People’s National Congress, made the Maldives a part of China’s Belt and Road initiative during his presidency from 2013 to 2018. The initiative is meant to build railroads, ports and highways to expand trade — and China’s influence — across Asia, Africa and Europe.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite the rhetoric, Muiz is unlikely to change the foreign policy of affording an important place to India — rather, opposition to Chinese projects is likely to lessen, evening power balances out, Shaheed said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Maldives is made up of 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean located by the main shipping route between the East and the West.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“These five years have been the most peaceful and prosperous five years we’ve ever seen. We have had political peace, opposition candidates are not jailed every day,” said Abdul Muhusin, who said he voted for Solih in the runoff on Saturday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another voter, Saeedh Hussein, said he chose Muiz because “I want the Indian military to leave Maldives.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I don’t believe the Maldivian military has any control. Only Muiz can change these things and make the Indian military leave Maldives,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There were more than 282,000 eligible voters and turnout was 78% an hour before the polling stations closed. 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, '2023-10-01 05:16:56', '2023-10-01 05:16:56'),
(9419, 9419, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least eight people were killed and many others injured after a bus carrying 59 passengers, including two drivers, met with a tragic accident near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu\'s Nilgiris district on Saturday. The bus was on its way from Coonoor to Tenkasi with passengers who were on a tour to Ooty and were returning home.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex gratia fo Rs 2 lakh to the families of people who died in the accident. \"Pained by the loss of lives due to a bus accident near Coonoor in Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover soon. An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Those injured would be given Rs. 50,000,\"&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to police, the bus lost control while navigating the hairpin bend roads, leading to a devastating plunge into the valley.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local authorities and rescue teams rushed to the scene to provide immediate assistance. Among the rescued passengers, eight individuals lost their lives after being transported to the hospital. Several others are reported to be in critical condition, and receiving medical attention.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed his heartfelt condolences and announced financial relief of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those killed in the accident.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The exact reason for the accident is yet to be determined, as police have initiated an investigation into the incident. IT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 05:26:22', '2023-10-01 05:26:22'),
(9420, 9420, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Afghan Embassy said it is closing in New Delhi from Sunday due to a lack of diplomatic support in India and the absence of a recognized government in Kabul.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But it will continue to provide emergency consular services to Afghan nationals, it said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There has been a significant reduction in both personnel and resources available to us, making it increasingly challenging to continue operations,” the statement said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India has not recognized the Taliban government, which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. It evacuated its own staff from Kabul ahead of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago and no longer has a diplomatic presence there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi has been run by staff appointed by the previous government of ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, with permission from the Indian authorities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There was no immediate comment by India’s External Affairs Ministry, but an official said last week that the Afghan ambassador left India several months ago and other Afghan diplomats have departed for third countries reportedly after receiving asylum.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India has said it will follow the lead of the United Nations in deciding whether to recognize the Taliban government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Afghan Embassy statement said that it wanted to reach an agreement with the Indian government to ensure that the interests of Afghans living, working, studying and doing business in India are safeguarded.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Afghans account for around one-third of the nearly 40,000 refugees registered in India, according to the U.N. refugee agency. But that figure excludes those who are not registered with the U.N.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, India sent relief materials, including wheat, medicine, COVID-19 vaccines and winter clothes to Afghanistan to help with shortages there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In June last year, India sent a team of officials to its embassy in Kabul. 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, '2023-10-01 06:07:54', '2023-10-01 06:07:54');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(9421, 9421, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Congress has averted for now a threatened government shutdown that would have disrupted many services, squeezed federal employees and roiled politics.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The threat was set aside late Saturday after Congress voted to keep agencies open until Nov. 17. Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., dropped demands for steep spending cuts and relied on Democratic votes for House passage, before the Senate easily approved the measure Saturday night.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">House Republicans, fueled by hard-right demands for lower spending, had been forcing a confrontation over federal spending.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a shutdown, some government entities would be exempt — Social Security checks, for example, would still go out — and other functions would be severely curtailed. Federal agencies would cease all actions deemed nonessential, and many of the federal government’s roughly 2 million employees, as well as 2 million active-duty military troops and reservists, would not receive paychecks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A look at what could happen in the event of a shutdown.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Lawmakers are supposed to pass 12 different spending bills to fund agencies across the government, but the process is time-consuming. They often resort to passing a temporary extension, called a continuing resolution or CR, to allow the government to keep operating.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When no funding legislation is enacted, federal agencies must stop all nonessential work and would not send paychecks as long as the shutdown would last.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although employees deemed essential to public safety such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers still have to report to work, other federal employees are furloughed. Under a 2019 law, those workers are slated to receive backpay once the funding impasse is resolved.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Government funding expires Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget year. A shutdown would have begun at 12:01 a.m. Sunday if Congress didn\'t pass a funding plan that the president could sign into law. The House and Senate averted this by approving a temporary funding bill keeping federal agencies open until Nov. 17, setting up another potential crisis if they fail to more fully fund government by then.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There were fears that a potential stoppage could last weeks.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Millions of federal workers would face delayed paychecks, including many of the roughly 2 million military personnel and more than 2 million civilian workers across the nation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nearly 60% of federal workers are stationed in the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the military\'s active-duty troops and reservists would continue to work, more than half of the Department of Defense\'s civilian workforce — roughly 440,000 people — would be furloughed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Across federal agencies, workers are stationed in all 50 states and have direct interaction with taxpayers — from Transportation Security Administration agents who operate security at airports to Postal Service workers who deliver mail.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said new training for air traffic controllers would have to be halted and an additional 1,000 controllers in the midst of training would have to be furloughed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People applying for government services like clinical medical trials, firearm permits and passports could see delays if there was a shutdown.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Head Start programs serving more than 10,000 disadvantaged children would immediately lose federal funding. National parks would close.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some federal offices would have to close or face shortened hours during a shutdown.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Businesses closely connected to the federal government, such as federal contractors or tourist services around national parks, could see disruptions and downturns.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lawmakers warned that a shutdown could rattle financial markets. Goldman Sachs estimated that a shutdown would reduce economic growth by 0.2% every week it lasted, but growth would then bounce back after the government reopens.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Others say any disruption in government services would have far-reaching impacts because it would shake confidence in the government to fulfill its basic duties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president and members of Congress would continue to work and get paid. Any members of their staff who were not deemed essential would be furloughed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Supreme Court would be unaffected by a short shutdown because it can draw on a pot of money provided by court fees, including charges for filing lawsuits and other documents, court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even in a longer shutdown, the entire judiciary would not shut down, and decisions about what activities would continue would be made by each court around the country. The justices and all federal judges would continue to be paid because of the constitutional prohibition on reducing judges’ pay during their tenure, according to the Congressional Research Service.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Funding for the three special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland would not be affected by a government shutdown because they are paid for through a permanent, indefinite appropriation, an area that has been exempted from shutdowns in the past.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That would mean that the two federal cases against Donald Trump, the former president, as well as the case against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, would not be interrupted. Trump has demanded that Republicans defund the prosecutions against him as a condition of funding the government, declaring it their “last chance” to act.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before the 1980s, lapses in government funding did not result in government operations significantly shuttering. But then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, in a series of legal opinions in 1980 and 1981, argued that government agencies cannot legally operate during a funding gap.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Federal officials have since operated under an understanding they can make exemptions for functions that are “essential” for public safety and constitutional duties.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since 1976, there have been 22 funding gaps, with 10 of them leading to workers being furloughed. But most of the significant shutdowns have taken place since Bill Clinton\'s presidency, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich. R-Ga., and his conservative House majority demanded budget cuts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The longest government shutdown happened between 2018 and 2019 when then-President Trump and congressional Democrats entered a standoff over his demand for funding for a border wall. The disruption lasted 35 days, through the holiday season, but was also only a partial government shutdown because Congress had passed some appropriations bills to fund parts of the government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It\'s the responsibility of Congress to fund the government. The House and Senate have to agree to fund the government, and the president has to sign the legislation into law.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Congress often has relied on a continuing resolution to provide stopgap money to open government offices at current levels as budget talks are underway. Money for pressing national priorities, such as emergency assistance for victims of natural disasters, is often attached to a short-term bill. 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, '2023-10-01 07:07:48', '2023-10-01 07:07:48'),
(9422, 9422, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Actor Disha Patani remembered late actor Sushant Singh Rajput on the occasion of their film MS Dhoni: The Untold Story\'s seventh anniversary. Taking to Instagram, Disha shared a clip from the movie featuring herself and Sushant, who died on June 14, 2020. He was found dead at his Mumbai apartment.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Disha Patani\'s post</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sharing the video, Disha wrote, “Grateful for this beautiful journey and my first film in Hindi cinema. Love wholeheartedly and cherish the ones, who make you happy safe and heard; life’s too short for regrets! We couldn’t say goodbye, but I hope you’re happy and at peace.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As soon as she shared the video, fans and industry friends flooded the comment section. Actor Anil Kapoor wrote, “Phenomenal scene… both of you are so good…\" One Instagram user wrote, “One of the finest scenes from this movie.” Another commented, “Miss you SSR.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">About MS Dhoni: The Untold Story</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Helmed by Neeraj Pandey, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story biopic is on one of the most celebrated cricketers in our country, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The film was released in 2016 and saw the late Sushant Singh Rajput essaying the role of Dhoni. It also starred Kiara Advani. Disha\'s girl-next-door appeal and her chemistry with Sushant was widely appreciated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The biopic turned out to be one of the biggest hits of Sushant\'s career, who went on to receive several nominations in the Best Actor category at that year\'s awards ceremonies for his performance in the film.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Talking of his preparation, Sushant had said ahead of the film’s release in 2016 and his meetings with MS Dhoni, “We had three sets of meetings during 12 months of prep. In our first meeting, I just asked him to narrate his story. In the second, I came up with 250 hypothetical multiple-choice questions for him. Since we already have a definition of ourselves in our head, when we answer normal questions, it comes from that. But when you do it on the basis of instinct, it’s a different story. In the third set of meetings, I asked him specific questions about script, things like ‘What were you thinking in that moment?’, just to be sure that I was going in the right direction.\" 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, '2023-10-01 07:14:57', '2023-10-01 07:14:57'),
(9423, 9423, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">According to a study, patients with acute kidney damage who need outpatient dialysis after leaving the hospital receive the same care as patients with the more prevalent end-stage kidney disease.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, some patients on dialysis for acute kidney injury have the potential to recover. Patients with the latter diagnosis, which is typically brought on by long-standing hypertension or diabetes, must remain on lifelong dialysis or receive a new kidney.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The study was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“For those who have the potential to recover, remaining on dialysis may place them at unnecessary risk for heart disease, infection, organ damage and death,” said first author Ian E. McCoy, MD, of the UCSF Division of Nephrology.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Less than a quarter of patients in a typical midsize dialysis centre have acute kidney injury. It may result from acute infection or shock, causing reduced blood flow to the kidneys, as well as major surgeries and chemotherapy agents that are toxic to the kidneys.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the study, researchers tracked data from 1,754 patients with acute kidney injury and 6,197 patients with end-stage kidney disease at outpatient dialysis centres. Although lab tests suggested acute kidney injury patients needed less dialysis, the two groups were treated largely the same. Both were started on thrice-weekly dialysis, and the large majority of patients in both groups were not tested for kidney functioning in the first month of treatment.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the acute kidney injury patients, 10% died during the three-month study period – most likely from the conditions that prompted dialysis, according to the researchers. Of the 41% of patients who recovered kidney function, approximately three-quarters had discontinued dialysis without any changes to the dose, frequency and duration. This suggests that these patients could have been weaned at an earlier point, the researchers noted. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 07:17:44', '2023-10-01 07:17:44'),
(9424, 9424, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter is now in Bangladesh on a two-day official visit.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She is scheduled to meet with government officials to discuss consular issues.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The official visited Islamabad and Karachi in Pakistan before her arrival in Dhaka.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Assistant Secretary will meet with embassy and consulate staff and observe consular operations, said the US Department of State.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Her trip underscores our deep and sustained commitment to the protection of US citizens overseas and the facilitation of legitimate travel and immigration to the United States,\" said the Spokesperson at the US Department of State. 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, '2023-10-01 08:10:35', '2023-10-01 08:10:35'),
(9425, 9425, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Leaders of the Bangladesh Hindu Association, representing Bangladesh-origin Hindus in the UK, have praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visionary leadership for the remarkable economic development as well as her exemplary steps to establish a secular and oppression-free democratic Bangladesh.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They called on Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in London on Saturday, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Association raised their concerns over the welfare of their fellow members and relatives in Bangladesh during the Durga Puja and upcoming election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Foreign Minister assured them that strict precautionary measures and necessary steps would be taken during the Durga Puja and upcoming election to protect the Hindus.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr Momen emphasized the Bangladesh government’s commitment to ensure religious peace, harmony, and security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Bangladesh Hindu Association thanked and appreciated the Foreign Minister for his support and commitments to safeguard the values of the Hindus and other religious communities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Dr Momen also praised their role in connecting Bangladeshi-origin Hindus with the UK and urged them to represent Bangladesh’s religious harmonies as well as the nation\'s achievements.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Hindu association handed over a petition to the Foreign Minister to ensure the protection and safety of their relatives. Mr. Proshanta Datta Purokayastha, BEM, Chairman of the association, led the group.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rabin Paul, Vice Chairman, Haradhan Bhowmik, Vice Chairman, Prasanta Kumar Dutta, Vice Chairman, Sujith Chowdhury, General Secretary, Biswajit Dey, Treasurer, Kankan Kanti Ghosh, Joint Treasurer, Bappy Dam, Women Organizing Secretary, Arjun Kumar Datta, Deputy Organizing Secretary, Sushanta Kumar Halder, Entertainment Secretary, and Dr Debabrata Chowdhury, Member, attended 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, '2023-10-01 09:08:55', '2023-10-01 09:08:55'),
(9426, 9426, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Newly appointed Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman today paid rich tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a wreath at his Mausoleum in Tungipara, Gopalganj.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">After laying the wreath, the DMP chief stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of the independence.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DMP commissioner offered Fateha and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul of Bangabandhu and other family members, who had to face martyrdom on the fateful night of August 15 in 1975.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also paid tributes to national four leaders and the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War in 1971.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The DMP chief also signed the visitors\' book there.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Additional Police Commissioners AKM Hafiz Akhter, Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, Munibur Rahman, M Asaduzzaman and Harun-Ar Rashid, Gopalganj Police Super Al Belly Afifa, Gopalganj district Awami League president Mahbub Ali Khan, General Secretary GM Shahbuddin Azam, Upazila Awami League Vice-President M Illius Hossain, General Secretary Babul Sheikh, President of Poura unit of Awami League Sheikh Saiful Islam and other high police officials, among others, were present.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, the Home Ministry issued a notification on September 20 and posted Habibur Rahamn as DMP\'s 36th Commissioner replacing outgoing Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq. 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, '2023-10-01 09:58:47', '2023-10-01 09:58:47'),
(9427, 9427, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Law Ministry has rejected an application seeking permission for sending BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Law Ministry gave this opinion upon receiving an application sent by the Home Ministry in response to the request of the family of the former prime minister, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq told reporters at the secretariat on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Saturday said there are legal complications regarding allowing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to be taken abroad for treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>The home minister said that Khaleda Zia was convicted in several cases and she had been in jail. But following the appeal of her relatives, the prime minister suspended her sentence and arranged treatment at home. Arrangements have been made for her to receive the best treatment possible, he said at an event at the Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) building in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that Khaleda Zia’s brother made an appeal to take her abroad, but there are some legal complications.</div><div><br></div><div>On September 24, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir&nbsp; issued an ultimatum to the government to take necessary steps to send BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for better treatment within 48 hours, or be held responsible should anything happen to her.</div><div><br></div><div>On September 18, the government has once again extended the suspension of Khaleda Zia’s jail term by another six months.</div><div><br></div><div>The Security Services Division under the Home Ministry issued a notification in this regard.</div><div><br></div><div>Khaleda Zia has to take treatment from her Dhaka residence and she will not be allowed to go abroad during this period, said the notification.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, was transferred to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) from a cabin on Friday afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Khaleda Zia was transferred to the CCU in the afternoon as per the recommendation of her medical board,” said her personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain.</div><div><br></div><div>The 78-year-old former prime minister has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, and eye problems. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 10:25:06', '2023-10-01 10:25:06'),
(9428, 9428, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Fuel traders and workers in Khulna division went on an indefinite strike on Sunday morning to press home their various demands including hike in commission on fuel sale.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>As part of the strike which started at 8am today, fuel traders of Khulna’s Padma, Meghna and Jamuna oil depots have halted fuel oil extraction as well as transportation to 15 districts.</div><div><br></div><div>The traders and workers have threatened that they will continue their strike till their demand for an increase in commission on fuel oil sale is met.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Murad Hossain, general secretary of Khulna Divisional Fuel Oil Distributors Association, said, \"We have initiated several programmes to press for an increase in the commission for fuel sale. Although a gazette addressing the commission extension has been issued in response to our demand, it remains unimplemented.”</div><div><br></div><div>He referred to it as a formula gazette and said, \"The gazette is full of mistakes. The demand has to be implemented, not just the gazette. Our programme will continue till the demands are met.”</div><div><br></div><div>The demands of the fuel oil traders also include raising commission on fuel sale to at least 7.5 percent, setting the economic life of tank-lorry to 30 years from 25 years, and issuing a gazette notification mentioning fuel traders as commission agents as per previous pledges.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on September 3, the fuel oil traders observed a strike to press home their similar demands and subsequently called off the strike upon receiving assurances from the authorities. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 12:33:02', '2023-10-01 12:33:02'),
(9429, 9429, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The interest rate on loans from banks in October has been set at 10.20 percent as per Bangladesh Bank’s formula.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The method, based on which the interest rate is now being determined, is known as “SMART” or “Six Months Moving Average Rate of Treasury Bills.” Bangladesh Bank informs of this rate at the beginning of every month.</div><div><br></div><div>The new interest rate determining method was introduced on July 1, 2023. Earlier, from April 2020, the maximum interest rate on bank loans was 9 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>Accordingly, in the current month of October, banks can take a maximum of 10.20 percent interest on large-scale industrial loans.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) can charge interest against loans by adding a margin at a maximum rate of 5 percent. Their maximum interest rate will be 12.20 percent and 9.20 percent on deposits. However, the loan interest rate set in October cannot be changed within the next six months.</div><div><br></div><div>This will make the highest interest rate on agricultural loans in September 9.14 percent. An additional 1 percent supervision charge can be levied on CMSME, personal, and car purchase loans.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Bank publishes the 6-month average interest rate of 182-day treasury bills from January this year. Last January, the smart rate was 6.96 percent. After that, it gradually increased every month and reached 7.13 percent last May. But in June and July, it decreased slightly to 7.10 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>However, it increased to 7.14 percent in August and reached 7.20 percent in September.</div><div><br></div><div>On the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bangladesh Bank introduced a market-based interest rate system.</div><div><br></div><div>The interest rate cap of 9 percent was imposed from April 2020 to facilitate traders.</div><div><br></div><div>A research report by the central bank also recommends withdrawing or increasing the interest rate limit. But Bangladesh Bank was silent as the government did not give positive consent. One of the conditions of IMF’s USD $4.7 billion loan is to make the interest rate market-based. In light of that condition, the new interest rate system was introduced. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 12:35:03', '2023-10-01 12:35:03'),
(9430, 9430, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has filed a supplementary charge sheet against nine people, including a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader, in connection with the attack on former US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat’s convoy in Dhaka\'s Mohammadpur area.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The charge sheet was submitted to the court on September 19. The case is scheduled to be heard on October 4.</div><div><br></div><div>The accused in the case are: Ishtiaq Mahmud, brother-in-law of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar; President of Mohammadpur Thana unit of Chhatra League Naimul Hasan alias Russel; Firoz Mahmud; Mir Amjad Hossain; Saju Islam; Rajibul Islam; Shahidul Alam Khan; Siam; and Oli Ahmed.</div><div><br></div><div>Ishtiaq Mahmud, one of the accused, is currently a fugitive. An application for his arrest warrant has been submitted, while the remaining accused are currently on bail.</div><div><br></div><div>Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station on August 10, 2018, over the attack on the convoy of former US envoy Marcia Bernicat.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 18, 2021, the investigation officer of the case, Police Inspector Md Abdur Rouf, submitted the charge sheet to the court accusing nine people.</div><div><br></div><div>The nine accused were formally charged on March 1, 2022, and the trial commenced on March 28 of the previous year.</div><div><br></div><div>On December 4, six witnesses testified in the case. During their statements, witnesses Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Khushi Begum, and Mahbubul Alam Majumder mentioned the name of Ishtiaq Mahmud.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, on December 27, the court lifted the case from the deposition stage and sent it to the CMM Court in Dhaka to take necessary steps for further investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 1, the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury ordered a further investigation into the case. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 13:07:23', '2023-10-01 13:07:23'),
(9431, 9431, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Expatriate Bangladeshis sent around US$1,343.66 million remittances during the month of September in the fiscal 2023-24.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>As per Bangladesh Bank (BB) available data, state-owned banks brought in $118.66 million while 43 private sector banks brought $1,184.84 million remittances.</div><div><br></div><div>The highest $341.37 million remittance came to the country through Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 13:43:47', '2023-10-01 13:43:47'),
(9432, 9432, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Sunday said they want to take up the challenge of holding the next national election in a free and neutral manner despite the trust deficit prevailing among the public regarding elections.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“There is a perception in the public sphere. There is no trust in us and in the government. Elections are not held in an impartial manner (people think). We want to take up this challenge that the next election will be free and fair and peaceful as well as transparent,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The CEC was addressing the inaugural session of a two-day training workshop arranged for Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) and Upazila/Thana Election Officers ahead of the 12th parliamentary elections.</div><div><br></div><div>Some 50 UNOs and 50 election officers participated in the workshop at the Electoral Training Institute (ETI) in the city’s Agargaon area.</div><div><br></div><div>Habibul Awal said they would ensure transparency in the election through their monitoring and media surveillance.</div><div><br></div><div>He asked the participant officers to work so that there would be no trust crisis regarding the next election.</div><div><br></div><div>“Those of us who will conduct the election --starting from the election officer to you-- will have to take the responsibility properly as per the RPO,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that the magnitude of complaints or controversy regarding the next election is excessive, he said, “The pressure (liability) of 2014 and 2018 (elections) has fallen on us. So, we are working tirelessly.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The CEC asked the officers to perform their duty properly during the elections. “We, from the Election Commission, will also strictly monitor,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He asked them to keep in mind that there might be various arguments and debates about the election as in the past:&nbsp; “It happened in the past as well. If we look at the history of the 50, 60 and 70 years, it had happened in some cases of the elections held during the British era……But the magnitude was lower to some extent.”</div><div><br></div><div>Habibul Awal said there is a word called ‘credible,’ which remains in the laws of all countries.&nbsp; The international community also suggests that elections must be credible. “It would be credible only when we can ensure transparency through our performance,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about propaganda, the CEC said the EC will strictly curb media propaganda regarding the parliamentary elections, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said now a lot of propagandas is propagated through the media, which is called misinformation or disinformation.&nbsp;</div><div>“We will strictly resist these things so that the elections are not affected negatively,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 14:16:18', '2023-10-01 14:16:18'),
(9433, 9433, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Awami League (AL) general secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said that BNP is hatching a deep conspiracy to form an \"abnormal government\", indicating the military-backed caretaker regime following 1/11.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"And their (BNP) sole purpose is to oust Sheikh Hasina, \" Quader said, at a joint meeting of the president-general secretaries of affiliated organizations at the central office of Bangladesh Awami League on Bangabandhu Avenue at 3:30 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the Awami League did not come to power by floating in the air or raising the barrel of a gun. If Awami League is an illegal party then why permission is sought to release or send Khaleda Zia abroad, Quader questioned. “As a political party, BNP should follow the limits.”</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding Khaleda Zia\'s treatment abroad, he said, if Khaleda Zia wants to go abroad, she should go according to the court\'s decision following the prevailing laws of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>The facilities accorded to a convicted convict are rare in the world in terms of humanity, Quader said.</div><div><br></div><div>The senior AL leader called on the party leaders and activists to respond when their leader calls.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the BNP is trying to stymie the government through terrorism but they have to be resisted on the streets.</div><div><br></div><div>Awami League general secretary also urged the Awami League leaders and workers to refrain from campaigning by festooning billboards or posters. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 14:29:58', '2023-10-01 14:29:58'),
(9434, 9434, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">After the chaotic altercations happened at the Celebrity Cricket League on Friday night, organisers have postponed the league until further notice.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>They also informed the media that cases have been filed against the assaulters on Friday night’s game at the Mirpur Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>The brawl took place during a friendly group match between two teams headed by filmmakers Mostafa Kamal Raz and Dipankar Dipon, resulting in several players being injured, and six of them were taken to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation in the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday night, the organisers arranged a press conference at the venue where the league was supposed to be concluded on the same day, instead, they had to clarify the foreseeable future surrounding the teams and the league itself.</div><div><br></div><div>The two team captains were present at the press conference, along with producer Arshad Adnan, who said neither Raz nor Dipon were behind the incident, but the organisers have evaluated the available video footage from multiple sources and filed cases against them.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the name of the police station and the alleged assaulters were not revealed at the press conference.</div><div><br></div><div>“The regrettable situation that occurred yesterday (September 29) is quite distressing. Everyone saw that we did not initiate the fight; it began when four or five individuals suddenly assaulted us. They were dressed in supporter t-shirts, and the assaulters even threatened one of our players, actor Manoj Pramanik,” said Dipankar Dipon.</div><div><br></div><div>“My assistant was brutally attacked by being thrown to the ground. We were stunned, wondering: who are they and where did they come from? After the incident, we demanded from the authorities that we would not leave the field if the situation failed to get resolved. They asked us for one day, and credit goes to them for taking action in the meantime,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, producer Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raj has apologised for his team’s behaviour. \"I\'m sorry,\" he said. “I am ashamed of this unexpected incident. Legal action has also been taken against those involved in my party. Since we belong to the same family, we are the ones who solved the matter.”</div><div><br></div><div>Mostafa Kamal Raj\'s team won the toss and elected to bat on Friday. They scored 119 runs in the stipulated six overs. Dipankar Dipan\'s team was scoring runs at a proportional rate when they came out to bat for a big score. But in the end, they lost by 7 runs. The team scored 112 runs in the stipulated 6 overs. The fight broke out after the match.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Mostafa Kamal Raz apologised for the behaviour of his team. At the press conference, he said, \"I wholeheartedly apologise and am ashamed of this unexpected incident. Legal action has also been taken against the assaulters who were on my team. As we are members of the same family, our showbiz industry, we resolved the matter internally among ourselves.”</div><div><br></div><div>The organisers, however, did not clarify whether the league will resume shortly or will restart entirely. They did not provide a tentative timeline as well, but informed that it would be announced soon. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 14:37:03', '2023-10-01 14:37:03'),
(9435, 9435, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Standing Committee Member Abdul Moyeen Khan on Sunday warned that people will not leave streets until the government steps down.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this while addressing a brief rally prior to a scheduled road march in Bagar Bazar area in Trishal of Mymensingh on Sunday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>“Today we have taken to the streets, take oath…we won’t leave the streets until our leader Begum Khaleda Zia is released and the government now in power without people’s mandate quits,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP’s senior leader claimed that the people of the country expressed&nbsp; no-confidence in the government and they (govt) don’t have right to stay in power. “The sooner they quit power; the better it will be for the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>Another standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the movement will intensify in the coming days. “Because people want to live, the poor people of this country have no way to live anymore. People will not be able to survive amid such hike in prices of essentials. ”</div><div><br></div><div>“ So you(people) have to topple&nbsp; the government and establish a caretaker government once you want to exercise your franchise, lead a better life and live with dignity.”</div><div><br></div><div>BNP arranged the road march demanding resignation of the government, dissolution of the parliament, elections under neutral government, formation of new election commission and release of Khaleda Zia.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, the party held a similar road march in Sylhet on September 21, on September 23 in Barishal and on September 26 in Khulna .</div><div><br></div><div>Chaired by Mymensingh south district unit BNP President Dr Mahbubur Rahman Liton, party’s Joint Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Treasure Rashiduzzaman Millat, Organizing Secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince and Assistant Organizing Secretary Shariful Alam, among others spoke at the brief rally. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 15:03:29', '2023-10-01 15:03:29');
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(9436, 9436, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Authorities in one Pakistan province are turning to a controversial new tactic in the decades-long initiative to wipe out polio: prison.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Last month, the government in Sindh introduced a bill that would imprison parents for up to one month if they fail to get their children immunized against polio or eight other common diseases.</div><div><br></div><div>Experts at the World Health Organization and elsewhere worry the unusual strategy could further undermine trust in the polio vaccines, particularly in a country where many believe false conspiracies about them and where dozens of vaccinators have been shot and killed.</div><div><br></div><div>Adding to the problems faced by experts trying to persuade people of the vaccines\' safety: The oral vaccines themselves now cause most polio cases worldwide.</div><div><br></div><div>WHO\'s polio director in the Eastern Mediterranean warned the new law could backfire.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Coercion is counterproductive,\" said Dr. Hamid Jafari.</div><div><br></div><div>He said health workers have typically succeeded in raising immunization rates in vaccine-hesitant areas by figuring out the reasons for people\'s refusal and addressing those concerns, like bringing in a trusted political or religious leader to talk with people.</div><div><br></div><div>\"My own sense is that Pakistan wants to have this legislation in their back pocket in case they need it,\" Jafari said. \"I would be surprised if there\'s a willingness to actually enforce these coercive measures.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only countries where the spread of polio has never been stopped. The potentially fatal, paralyzing disease mostly strikes children up to age 5 and typically spreads in contaminated water.</div><div><br></div><div>WHO and its partners have administered billions of vaccine doses since they first began trying to eradicate the disease in 1988. The effort costs nearly $1 billion a year and is largely funded by donor countries and private organizations including the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.</div><div><br></div><div>The immunizations, given to children as drops in the mouth, have reduced polio cases by more than 99%. But in very rare cases, the live virus in the vaccine can cause polio or mutate into a strain that triggers a new outbreak.</div><div><br></div><div>So far this year, there have been seven cases of polio caused by the wild virus — all in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, more than 270 cases have been caused by a virus linked to the vaccine in 21 countries across three continents.</div><div><br></div><div>In January, roughly 62,000 parents, mostly in Pakistan\'s Sindh province, refused polio vaccinations for their children, prompting authorities there to propose the new law with penalties.</div><div><br></div><div>The bill is in the final stages of becoming law after the provincial assembly approved it in August. It would punish parents with up to a month in prison for failing to vaccinate their children against certain diseases; they could also be fined up to 50,000 rupees ($168). Officials said their primary aim was to boost polio immunization rates, though diseases including measles, pneumonia and pertussis are also in the legislation.</div><div><br></div><div>Rukhsana Bibi, a health worker in Karachi, hopes the new law will reduce vaccine refusal rates and protect health workers. Karachi is considered at high risk for a polio resurgence.</div><div><br></div><div>Bibi noted that in the past, abusive or threatening parents have been detained by police. They were released on the condition that they have their children immunized, and that they help the polio team with outreach efforts.</div><div><br></div><div>There are multiple factors fueling vaccine hesitation in Pakistan.</div><div><br></div><div>Many people are suspicious of the outside entities funding the vaccines and of the Pakistan government itself.</div><div><br></div><div>Some \"fringe elements\" believe in a false conspiracy theory — that the vaccines are part of a plot by Western outsiders to sterilize people, Bibi acknowledged. But many parents would prefer that the government provide better health care, food or financial assistance.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Parents believe that\'s because the government gets grants and donations for such vaccines, so it keeps focusing on (the polio vaccines) instead of providing basic health care,\" Bibi said. \"It makes parents suspicious.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The public\'s already-shaken confidence in vaccine drives also took a dive in 2011, when the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency set up a fake hepatitis vaccination program in an attempt to gather intel on former al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden. Militants have also gunned down health workers distributing vaccines and sent suicide bombers to blow up the police vehicles protecting them.</div><div><br></div><div>Heidi Larson, director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said it was disheartening that people were so mistrustful of the government that they didn\'t believe the polio vaccine was in their children\'s best interests.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I don\'t think in this kind of situation that throwing parents in jail is going to help,\" she said. \"Not only does it not work, but it\'s likely to ramp up the anger.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Larson drew a comparison to COVID-19 vaccine mandates implemented in countries including Australia, Britain, France and the U.S.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It\'s a challenge because when you\'re talking about a (vaccine) that comes with a risk, even if it\'s a very small one, can you force this and make people take it?\" Larson asked.</div><div><br></div><div>In some parts of Sindh province, the refusal rate for the polio vaccine is as high as 15%, according to a government official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. To eradicate polio, more than 95% of the population needs to be immunized.</div><div><br></div><div>The Sindh official said parents would be penalized for refusing the vaccine, but doses wouldn\'t be administered to their children without their consent.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children\'s Hospital of Philadelphia, said it would be extremely challenging to rebuild trust with punitive measures.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The oral polio vaccine is not the best vaccine, but it\'s still much better than not getting the vaccine at all,\" Offit said. \"It\'s ultimately the job of governments to stand up for children and we know that if we don\'t vaccinate a certain percentage of children, that polio will always come back.\" Last year, the virus was detected in rich countries including Britain, Israel and the U.S. for the first time in nearly a decade.</div><div><br></div><div>Muhammad Akhtar, the father of three children in Karachi, said he believes in the importance of polio vaccination because his cousin was sickened by the disease. But Akhtar disagrees with the idea of punishing people, saying parents should be able to choose which vaccines their children receive.</div><div><br></div><div>Another father, Khan Muhammad, of Benaras Town near Karachi, is among those who believe in the false conspiracy theories. He has seven children and argues that polio is just like any other debilitating disease.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Allah blessed us with these children and he alone will protect them,\" Muhammad said. \"At the end of the day, it\'s God\'s will.\" According UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-01 15:08:37', '2023-10-01 15:08:37'),
(9437, 9437, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A new transport corridor announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi will become the basis of world trade for hundreds of years to come, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a recent radio address. Can it really?</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman upgraded their frosty relationship from an awkward fist bump last year to a firm handshake as they announced the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). (Biden had once vowed to make Saudi Arabia a global pariah.)</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The project launched to bolster transportation and communication links between Europe and Asia through rail and shipping networks, while beneficial for the region, was also telling of American foreign policy, \"which, to put it simply, is anything that would further US interests against China,\" Ravi Agarwal, editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine told the BBC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">America does not benefit materially from being part of the project, \"but this can be put in the category of the Japan-South Korea summit at Camp David,\" says Parag Khanna, author of Connectography. The US marked its diplomatic presence at the presidential country retreat by brokering a thaw in the relationship of the two pacific nations in the face of growing Chinese expansionism.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The IMEC is also being seen by many as a US counter to China\'s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure-building project that connects China with Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Russia and Europe.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Are comparisons with BRI justified?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This year marks a decade since President Xi launched the BRI.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some say the project\'s grand ambitions have dwindled significantly, as lending to projects has slowed down amid China\'s economic slowdown. Countries like Italy are expressing their desire to withdraw, and nations such as Sri Lanka and Zambia find themselves caught in debt traps, unable to meet their loan obligations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BRI has also faced criticism for a numerous other reasons from its \"underlying objectives of gaining strategic influence through developmental footprint… aggressively linking different regions with Sino-centric value chains, inadequate attention to local needs, lack of transparency, disregard for sovereignty, adverse environmental impact, corruption, and lack of sound financial oversight,\" Girish Luthra, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think-tank wrote in a recent paper.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite the hiccups the Chinese have achieved a \"staggering amount\" and IMEC isn\'t even close to being a \"rival\" says Mr Khanna, adding that it can at best be a moderate volume corridor.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is not a game changer on the scale of BRI. It is a good announcement but you don\'t look at the proposal and say, oh my god, the world can\'t live without it,\" Mr Khanna told the BBC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">You can see why.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">China has a 10 year head-start with BRI with total investments under the initiative crossing an eye popping $1 trillion this July. Over 150 countries have joined as partners, which as Mr Luthra writes has significantly expanded its geographical scope \"from a regional to a near-global initiative.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">IMEC isn\'t the first effort by the developed west to use infrastructure as a counter to contain China\'s growing footprint.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The G7 and US launched a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in 2022, aiming to mobilize $600bn in global infrastructure projects by 2027. The Global Gateway is the EU\'s answer to BRI.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Neither match its scale or ambition. However the fact that the past five years have witnessed a surge in these projects in response to China\'s initiative is evidence that BRI has been a \"global economic multiplier,\" says Mr Khanna.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some analysts caution against exclusively viewing IMEC through the lens of opposition to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), suggesting that such a binary perspective may not be fruitful.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Its formation gives a further boost to the ongoing trend of transactional partnerships, where countries engage in collaboration with multiple partners simultaneously. \"Most countries these days tend to participate in multiple fora and alliances,\" says Ravinder Kaur, a professor at the University of Copenhagen.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Devil in the detail</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">IMEC\'s memorandum of understanding document is thin on detail but an action plan is expected in the next 60 days. As of date all it has done is map out the potential geography of a corridor.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Making it happen will be enormously complex. \"I\'d like to see an identification of key government agencies who will underwrite the investments, the capital each government will allocate, and the time frames, says Mr Khanna.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A new customs and trade architecture will also be need to be put in place to harmonise paperwork, he adds, giving the example of the Trans-Eurasian railway through Kazakhstan that passes through 30 countries. \"That transit is seamless. You need clearances only at the beginning and end of the journey. We don\'t have this with IMEC.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Then there are also the obvious geopolitical complexities of navigating ties between partner countries such as the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia who often don\'t see eye to eye. It wouldn\'t take very much for tactical cooperation of this kind to go awry, say experts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The IMEC will compete with the Suez Canal, the sea-level waterway in Egypt used to transport freight between Mumbai and Europe. \"To the extent IMEC improves our relations with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, it will hurt relations with Egypt,\" economist Swaminathan Aiyar wrote in his column for the Times of India.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Transport by sea through the Suez Canal is also cheaper, faster and considerably less cumbersome. \"It may make excellent political sense, but it goes against all the tenets of transport economics,\" Mr Aiyar adds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But IMEC\'s ambitions transcend the narrow scope of trade and economics to include everything from electricity grids to cybersecurity - building on conversations that have taken place in security forums like the Quad, points out Navdeep Puri, a former Indian ambassador to the UAE in a column for The National News.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If the lofty ambitions outlined in New Delhi can become a reality, they would make a singular contribution to a safer, more habitable planet. For now, let\'s live with that hope.\" 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, '2023-10-02 02:39:16', '2023-10-02 02:39:16'),
(9438, 9438, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Seven people are reported to have been killed and 30 others trapped after a church roof collapsed in Mexico.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Local media said 10 people had been taken to hospital, after the roof of the Santa Cruz church in Ciudad Madero.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police in the coastal state of Tamaulipas said around 100 people were at a mass at the time of the collapse. Local media reported it was a baptism.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A number of children are believed to be amongst those trapped and rescue efforts are ongoing.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Images on social media showed the church building in ruins as people crowded around the rubble, desperately searching for those who were trapped inside.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">People were said to be arriving with shovels and pickaxes to try to move the debris.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Later posts showed the emergency services were at the scene, following the collapse on Sunday afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Calls were made on social media for medical and rescue materials to help those searching for survivors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Authorities were said to be requesting silence from those gathered at the scene so that they could hear if anyone trapped inside was calling for help.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The bishop of the diocese of Tampico, José Armando Álvarez Cano, sent a message to the community on social media saying that work was under way \"to find those under the rubble\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said it was a \"difficult time\" and ended his video address by saying: \"May the Lord help you.\" 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, '2023-10-02 02:42:14', '2023-10-02 02:42:14'),
(9439, 9439, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkey says it has carried out a number of air strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, hours after a suicide blast hit the interior ministry.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government said 20 targets were destroyed and many militants from the banned PKK rebel group \"neutralised\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PKK said Sunday morning\'s bombing in the capital, Ankara, was carried out by a group linked to them, a member of which blew himself up.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A second attacker was killed by police and two police officers were injured.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Kurdistan Workers\' Party (PKK) is considered a terror group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sunday\'s air strikes targeted caves, depots and bunkers used by the PKK, Turkey\'s defence ministry said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AFP quoted it as saying the operation was \"to neutralise the PKK and other terrorist elements, prevent terrorist attacks from northern Iraq against our population and our law enforcement agencies, and ensure the security of our borders\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Kurdish news agency Rudaw said the strikes targeted Mount Qandil near the Iranian border, believed to be a PKK stronghold.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They were carried out following an explosion on Ankara\'s Ataturk Boulevard that happened hours before parliament was due to reconvene after a summer break.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Immortals Battalion - the group that claimed responsibility - said this is why they targeted the ministry, which is close to parliament.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident began at around 09:30 (06:30 GMT) when one of the attackers exited their car and threw a small explosive at the ministry building to distract security.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After this, the second attacker opened fire at guards by the ministry gate, before detonating a suicide bomb.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first person, meanwhile, ran into the compound and was immediately shot dead by police.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two officers were injured. One was shot in the chest and another suffered injuries in both legs and an eye.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters that none of the injuries were life-threatening.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A senior Turkish security official told the BBC the attackers had hijacked their vehicle on Saturday in Kayseri, a city some 260 km (161 miles) south-east of Ankara.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They reportedly shot dead the car\'s driver, a 24-year-old veterinarian who was driving in the countryside.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The official said footage from security cameras from Kayseri to the Syrian border were being reviewed to determine where the suspects came from. 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, '2023-10-02 02:44:42', '2023-10-02 02:44:42'),
(9440, 9440, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Britain has signed contracts worth 4 billion pounds ($4.8 billion) to finance a new phase of the SSN-AUKUS next-generation attack submarine project, according to government officials.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deals, which involve British companies BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Babcock, are part of the AUKUS military alliance between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom to counter China in the Asia-Pacific region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"(The) submarines will empower the Royal Navy to maintain our strategic advantage under the sea,\" UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said at the Conservative Party\'s annual conference in Manchester on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">AUKUS leaders unveiled the joint submarine project last March in a deal that will see Australia replace its diesel-powered submarines with nuclear-powered ones that have far greater stealth and range.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plan involves Australia purchasing US nuclear-powered submarines, and then building a new model with US and British technology.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised it as \"the most important multilateral defence agreement for generations\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a separate statement, BAE Systems said that the future SSN-AUKUS \"will be the largest, most powerful and most advanced submarine\" supplied to the Royal Navy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The British military equipment maker said the investment will \"cover development work until 2028\", and the \"recruitment of more than 5,000 people\" at its Barrow-in-Furness site in northern England.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The first examples of this submarine are due to be delivered in the late 2030s.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nuclear-powered submarines are difficult to detect, can travel great distances for long periods, and can carry sophisticated cruise missiles. 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, '2023-10-02 04:16:00', '2023-10-02 04:16:00'),
(9441, 9441, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkish jets launched air strikes inside Iraqi Kurdistan late Sunday, after a blast earlier the same day injured two police officers near the parliament building in Ankara.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the hours following the bombing, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already vowed that \"terrorists\" would never achieve their aims.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Kurdistan Workers\' Party (PKK), listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies, claimed responsibility for the blast. It has waged a deadly insurgency against Ankara for four decades.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The district targeted in the bombing is home to several other ministries and the Turkish parliament, which reopened as planned in the afternoon with an address from Erdogan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The villains who threaten the peace and security of citizens have not achieved their objectives and will never achieve them,\" Erdogan said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The interior ministry said two attackers had arrived in a commercial vehicle around 9:30 am (0630 GMT) in front of \"the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security of our Ministry of the Interior, and carried out a bomb attack.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"One of the terrorists blew himself up,\" Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told journalists outside the ministry. \"The other was killed by a bullet to the head before he had a chance to blow himself up.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two police officers were lightly injured in the exchange of fire, but their lives were not in danger, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Ankara prosecutor\'s office said it had opened an investigation and banned access to the area. Local media were asked to stop broadcasting images from the scene of the attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- North Iraq strikes -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a statement to the ANF news agency, which is close to the Kurdish movement, the PKK said that \"a sacrificial action was carried out against the Turkish Interior Ministry\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Sunday evening, an official in Iraqi Kurdistan reported Turkish army planes bombing parts of the Bradost region and the village of Badran.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turkey\'s defence ministry acknowledged an \"air operation\" in northern Iraq to \"neutralise the PKK\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ministry said that \"20 targets used by terrorists\" had been destroyed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In his opening remarks, Erdogan also slammed the European Union for stalling his country\'s membership bid, stating that Turkey \"no longer expects anything from the European Union, which has kept us waiting at its door for 40 years\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We have kept all the promises we have made to the EU but they have kept almost none of theirs,\" he said, adding that he would not \"tolerate any new demands or conditions\" for his country to join the bloc.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- Sweden NATO bid -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This session of Turkey\'s parliament must also validate Sweden\'s entry into the NATO alliance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hungary and Turkey in July lifted their vetoes against Sweden\'s entry into the Atlantic alliance, but have been slow to ratify its membership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erdogan indicated in July that ratification by the Turkish parliament would not take place before October, but it is expected to be approved during this parliamentary year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For months, Erdogan has been putting pressure on Sweden to take action against Koran desecrations that have strained relations between the two countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sweden\'s prime minister Ulf Kristersson was quick to pledge in a statement that his country \"once again confirms its commitment to long-term cooperation with Turkey in the fight against terrorism\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Numerous foreign leaders also voiced support for Turkey after the attack, with messages of support coming from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States embassy in Ankara.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Turkish capital has been the scene of several attacks, particularly during the years 2015 and 2016 -- many claimed by the PKK or the Islamic State group.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In October 2015 an attack in front of a central station in Ankara claimed by the Islamic State group killed 109 people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The most recent bomb attack in Turkey was in a shopping street in Istanbul in November 2022, where six were killed and 81 were injured. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 04:18:52', '2023-10-02 04:18:52'),
(9442, 9442, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">More than two-thirds of the total power generation capacity will remain idle this coming winter, as more power is added to the national grid from the private sector pushing up the capacity payment obligation of the government.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It comes at a time when already the government’s outstanding bills to the private sector power producers has ballooned out to $3.5 billion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the Power Division’s official statistics, as of September 13, 2023, the country\'s power generation capacity was 27,834 MW including off-grid renewable and captive power, while the highest generated in a day was 15,648 MW.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) official data shows the country generated 14,021 MW on September 26, while covering the excess demand by resorting to load shedding of 113 MW.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It means half the power generation capacity remains utilised, while load shedding is also unavoidable.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to power industry insiders, the surplus power situation will be getting worse in the coming winter with more electricity coming to the national grid from the private sector power plants in the next few months and installed generation capacity may cross 30,000 MW, increasing the surplus electricity to about 70 percent as demand usually dips during the season.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The expected boost to capacity includes 1,224 MW from S Alam Group’s power plant in Bashkhali of Chattagram (of which first unit of 620 MW already came to the grid), 718 MW electricity from Reliance Power LNG-based Plant in Meghnaghat, 590 MW from LNG-based GE-Summit Meghnaghat-2 power plant and 584 MW from LNG-based Unique Group’s power plant in Meghnaghat.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The sponsors of these plants are working hard to persuade the government to allow them to officially commission their plants as all of them are ready for operation. But due to shortage of gas they are not allowed to start operation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the meantime, more electricity from some of the recently completed power plants already came to the grid, including the second unit of the Adani Group’s 1,600 MW coal-fired power plant, and 620 MW from the second unit of Rampal Power Plant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last winter, the power generation came down to below 10,000 MW with the decreasing demand.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BPDB record shows the generation was recorded at 9,134 MW on December 31 in 2022. Experts believe the generation will remain below 10,000 MW in the coming winter as demand is not increasing at a faster pace.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though 70 percent electricity will remain idle, the sponsors will get their payments in the form of capacity charges as per their contract with the government, said the BPDB officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government is already struggling to keep up with its payments owed to the private power producers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Officials at the Power Division and BPDB said currently the total owed to the Independent Power Producers (IPPS) is $3.5 billion (equivalent to over Tk 35,000 crore) as of September 2023.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per contract with the government, the IPPs are facing dual problems with their bills. First, they are not getting bills on time and secondly, they are getting partial bills, but not being able to convert the payment into foreign exchange due to the dollar crisis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A top BPDB official admitted the problem to UNB, saying that they had reached an understanding with Bangladesh Bank under a mediation of the Finance Ministry that the central bank will provide on average $20 million every day to BPDB to cover its costs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“But we’re not getting more than $10-15 million a day,” a top BPDB official told UNB on condition of anonymity as the issue is very sensitive and he is not allowed to speak on the issue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Energy experts said the country is heading for problems in the power sector and it would have a big impact on the overall economy pushing up inflation further.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Eminent energy expert and advisor to the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Prof M Shamsul Alam said that with the 50 percent surplus power in summer and 70 percent in winter, the country will be heading towards a disastrous situation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“There will be a big indiscipline in the power sector as pressure for private sector’s capacity payment will continue to go up while import of primary fuel will be increasing. Finally, it will lead to energy insecurity,” he told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In such a situation, he said, the only way-out is that the government has to admit first it has done a mistake by giving permission to the private sector for excessive power generation without consideration of the demand and then change the current policy and strategy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Otherwise, the situation will be more difficult to manage as pressure from the International Finance Corporation is coming to raise electricity tariff again. If so, it will further push up inflation, 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, '2023-10-02 04:40:35', '2023-10-02 04:40:35'),
(9443, 9443, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality was categorised as \'unhealthy for sensitive groups\' for the third consecutive day 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 152 at 9:55 am, Dhaka ranked 5th on the list of cities worldwide with worst air quality, according to the AQI.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan’s Lahore, Indonesia’s Jakarta and India’s Delhi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 170, 161 and 158, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', while a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 04:42:53', '2023-10-02 04:42:53'),
(9444, 9444, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh’s inward remittances in September fell by a whopping 12.7 percent ($ 196 million) year-on-year, to USD $1.34 billion - the lowest in almost 3-and-a-half years.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It will lead to further concern over the declining trend in remittances, even as the country sends more and more workers abroad.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The remittance flow in September decreased by $255.79 billion compared to August, Bangladesh Bank\'s (BB) latest remittance data reveals.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The expatriates sent close to $1.6 billion in remittances in August, itself the lowest in six months, since February when it was $1.56 billion. Yet the flow decreased even further to $1.34 billion in September, the lowest in the last 41 months.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That dates back to when Bangladesh received $1.09 billion in remittances in April 2020. After that, the flow of inward remittance increased sharply even during the COVID-19 pandemic time.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladeshi expatriates sent $2.19 billion in remittances in June this year and in July it was $1.97 billion.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The sector insiders said that when the exchange rates available in the Kerb or the open market become higher than in the banking channel, transactions in Hundi increase. And when demand for hundi increases, remittances decrease.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last month, the dollar exchange rate was Tk6 to 7 higher in the open market than in the banking channel. Therefore, expatriates have reduced sending remittances through legitimate channels in the hope of more profit, they said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the last fiscal (2022-23,) Bangladesh received total remittances of $21.61 billion. In the previous fiscal year 2021-22, the expatriate sent a remittance of $21.03 billion. Bangladesh received the highest remittances ever in the fiscal year 2020-21. The amount of which was $24.77 billion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tasked by the central bank, the Bangladesh Foreign Exchange Dealers Association (BAFEDA), and the Association of Bankers Bangladesh have been fixing the price of the US dollar under three different headings since September 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Currently the banks are giving a price of Tk110.5 for every dollar of expatriate income. Export Bill Cashing is offered at Tk109.5 per dollar. And Tk110.5 is given for import and interbank transactions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economist and Chairman of Policy Research Institute (PRI) Ahsan H. Mansur told UNB that it is a recipe for mismanagement of the economy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the expatriates are sending remittances through the illegal channel (Hundi), as the rate of the US dollar is comparatively higher. The situation may not improve soon till the rate of the dollar is similar in the kerb market and banking channel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mansur said, “Lack of confidence in the state systems, Bangladeshi expatriates are sending lower remittance in the country, as the money smuggling is happening randomly from the country.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite exporting a record number of workers in different countries, the volume of remittance is decreasing continuously, which does not match the statistics, he said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 04:45:51', '2023-10-02 04:45:51');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(9445, 9445, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 10 Cuban migrants were killed and 25 injured on Sunday when a cargo truck carrying them overturned in southern Mexico, local officials reported, the latest fatal crash involving US-bound migrants.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The accident took place in southern Chiapas state, near the border with Guatemala, the report said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A source in the prosecutor\'s office, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, told AFP the victims were apparently from Cuba and all were women, including one minor.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The accident occurred on a highway along the Pacific coast between the towns of Pijijiapan and Tonala, where migrants often travel as they attempt to reach the United States -- part of a flow drawing increasingly urgent attention in Washington.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The truck, its body built partly of wood, was destroyed, with the migrants\' clothes, bags and backpacks strewn around it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel lamented the tragedy and said the Mexican embassy was offering assistance.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We urge you to use established, safe and orderly routes when emigrating,\" he told Cubans looking to leave their country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Thursday, two migrants died when a truck overturned in the Chiapas municipality of Mezcalapa.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thousands of migrants from different countries have been traveling across Mexico in cramped buses, trailers and freight trains -- or on foot -- in an attempt to reach the United States.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In early August, at least 18 people died and another 23 were injured after a bus with local passengers and migrants from countries such as India, the Dominican Republic and some African nations plunged into a ravine in the state of Nayarit.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This weekend, in the northern states of Chihuahua and Zacatecas, nearly 3,000 migrants were stranded in isolated areas when the freight trains they were traveling on inexplicably stopped.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Help\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mexican authorities said they detained more than 189,000 migrants last month, while the US border patrol has reported 1.8 million apprehensions between October 2022 and August 2023.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With the influx of migrants \"overwhelming\" Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has called on his US counterpart for \"help.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Friday, Washington and Mexico City pledged to redouble their efforts to strengthen economic and security cooperation on migration issues, as well as drug and arms trafficking.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Republican lawmakers in Washington have grown increasingly angered by the migrant arrivals and have called on President Joe Biden\'s administration to do more to address the issue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After passing a last-minute measure on Saturday to avoid a US government shutdown, Republican leaders expressed a willingness to block any additional funding for Ukraine\'s war effort unless more is spent on the border.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I\'m going to make sure that the weapons are provided for Ukraine,\" House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CBS\'s \"Face the Nation\" on Sunday, \"but they\'re not going to get some big package if the border is not secure.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He did not define what it would take for him to consider the border as being \"secure.\" 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, '2023-10-02 05:18:03', '2023-10-02 05:18:03'),
(9446, 9446, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A massive fire that broke out in a house and later spread to a textile waste warehouse in Gazipur early Monday was brought under control, officials said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The blaze started at a house in Gazipur\'s Sharifpur area around 3 am and spread to the adjacent warehouse of Unimax Textile Limited factory, said Abdullah Al Arefin, deputy assistant director of Gazipur Fire Service.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On information, five fire-fighting units from Joydebpur and Tongi fire stations rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control around 5 am, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A huge quantity of textile waste and chemicals of the factory were gutted in the devastating fire.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The exact cause of the fire could not be known immediately, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">No casualties were reported, said the officer, adding that the extent of damages is yet to be ascertained. 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, '2023-10-02 05:34:24', '2023-10-02 05:34:24'),
(9447, 9447, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Indonesia launched Southeast Asia\'s first high-speed railway on Monday, a delayed, multibillion-dollar project backed by China that President Joko Widodo hailed as \"a symbol of our modernisation\".</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With a top speed of 350 kilometres (220 miles) per hour, the bullet train \"Whoosh\" can get between the capital Jakarta and Bandung in 45 minutes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 140 km journey would previously have taken about three hours by train.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train marks our efficient, friendly, and integrated mass transportation system,\" Widodo said during a ceremony at the capital\'s central station.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is a symbol of our modernisation in the public transport, seamlessly connecting with other modes of transportation.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Widodo said the 600-capacity train was the first high-speed rail transportation in Southeast Asia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is part of Beijing\'s Belt and Road initiative -- a decade-old programme of China-backed infrastructure projects.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The president said the name was actually an acronym, standing for a tagline of \"Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal\" -- which in Bahasa Indonesia means \"Saving time, optimal operation, reliable system\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was built by PT KCIC, which is made up of four Indonesian state companies and Beijing\'s China Railway International Co.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The project was initially set to cost less than $5 billion and be completed by 2019.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, delays caused by construction challenges and the Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in costs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In preparation for its opening, officials have conducted public trials for the new high-speed route.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last week, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed that the government would extend the high-speed train route from Bandung to the country\'s second-biggest city Surabaya.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last month, Chinese Premier Li Qiang joined Senior Minister Luhut Pandjaitan on a ride aboard the train during his Jakarta visit for summits with Southeast Asian leaders.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pandjaitan told reporters on Thursday that Widodo plans to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in the future to ride the train, but did not give more specifics. 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, '2023-10-02 06:52:20', '2023-10-02 06:52:20'),
(9448, 9448, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Trade between Bangladesh and India through Benapole-Petrapole land port remained suspended since Monday morning due to celebration of the birth anniversary of Indian Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a result, thousands of goods-laden trucks remained stranded on both sides of the port. Most of the vehicles were carrying the raw materials of Bangladesh\'s garment industry.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Karthik Chandra Chakraborty, general secretary of Indian Petrapole C&amp;F Agent Staff Welfare Association, said that due to the public holiday on the occasion of the 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the promoter of India\'s non-violent movement and pacifist leader, the import-export trade between Bangladesh and India remained shut today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the movement of passengers between the two countries and other activities of the port remained uninterrupted, he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The export-import activities will resume on Tuesday morning, he said. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 06:56:09', '2023-10-02 06:56:09'),
(9449, 9449, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Our lungs play an important role in our overall health and our lifestyle choices affect their health for the rest of our life. Maintaining healthy lungs throughout life is vital for overall well-being and health experts reveal that there are several lifestyle choices which can significantly contribute to lung health.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr SK Chabra, Senior Consultant, Pulmonary Medicine at Primus Superspeciality Hospital in New Delhi\'s Chanakyapuri, recommended -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">We\'re now on WhatsApp. Click to join.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">1. Avoid Smoking: The most crucial step is to never start smoking and to quit if you do. Smoking is the leading cause of lung diseases, including lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">2. Limit Exposure to Pollutants: Minimise exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants, such as secondhand smoke, industrial fumes and allergens. Use air purifiers and ensure good ventilation in your home.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">3. Regular Exercise: Engage in regular physical activity to improve lung capacity and efficiency. Aerobic exercises like jogging, swimming and cycling can strengthen respiratory muscles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">4. Balanced Diet: Eat a diet rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. These nutrients support lung function and reduce inflammation. Include fruits, vegetables and whole grains.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr SK Chabra, Senior Consultant, Pulmonary Medicine at Primus Superspeciality Hospital in New Delhi\'s Chanakyapuri, recommended -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">We\'re now on WhatsApp. Click to join.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">1. Avoid Smoking: The most crucial step is to never start smoking and to quit if you do. Smoking is the leading cause of lung diseases, including lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">2. Limit Exposure to Pollutants: Minimise exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollutants, such as secondhand smoke, industrial fumes and allergens. Use air purifiers and ensure good ventilation in your home.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">3. Regular Exercise: Engage in regular physical activity to improve lung capacity and efficiency. Aerobic exercises like jogging, swimming and cycling can strengthen respiratory muscles.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">4. Balanced Diet: Eat a diet rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. These nutrients support lung function and reduce inflammation. Include fruits, vegetables and whole grains.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added, “Keeping your body hydrated helps your respiratory tract stay moist, which helps in clearing mucus. Good respiratory hygiene, avoiding respiratory irritants in the workplace, maintaining a healthy weight and getting vaccinated against diseases such as flu and pneumonia, are all good ways to keep your lungs healthy for life. Learn how to breathe diaphragmatically and to manage stress. Stay up to date on respiratory health trends and have regular checkups to catch any potential problems early. These lifestyle choices will help you enjoy good lungs for life.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By making these lifestyle choices, you can significantly contribute to healthy lungs that serve you well throughout your life. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"24\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 07:25:17', '2023-10-02 07:25:17'),
(9450, 9450, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia\'s Battlegroup South has repelled eight Ukrainian attacks in the Artyomovsk and Avdeyevka areas, with the enemy\'s losses exceeding 300 servicemen, battlegroup Spokesman Georgy Minesashvili told TASS.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Battlegroup South units have repelled eight attacks by Ukrainian assault groups in the Artyomovsk and Avdeyevka areas. The enemy\'s losses amounted to over 300 servicemen, one Krab self-propelled artillery system, a D-20 weapon, two tanks, a mechanized infantry fighting vehicle, two Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile launchers, a signals intelligence station, as well as seven vehicles and eight drones,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Missile forces and artillery attacked three Ukrainian ammunition depots in Krasnogorovka, Belogorovka and Kramatorsk, as well as troops of the 24th mechanized brigade\'s unit near Dzerzhinsk, spokesman added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Battlegroup South with the help of aviation eliminated a hangar with Ukrainian military equipment in the Donetsk area, Minesashvili said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Operational-tactical aviation of the group eliminated a hangar with military equipment, army aviation destructed a temporary deployment site of the 110th mechanized and the 79th air assault brigades of the Ukrainian army in Novomikhailovka and Avdeyevka,\" he said, adding that the teams of Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower systems hit the stronghold of the 54th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army near the settlement of Verkhnekamenskoye in the Donetsk People\'s Republic (DPR). 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, '2023-10-02 07:58:15', '2023-10-02 07:58:15'),
(9451, 9451, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">‘Sheikh Hasina Regional Park’, set to be established on 442 acares of land in Keraniganj&nbsp; under Detailed Area Plan (DAP 2022-2035),will be Dhaka’s largest park, surpassing National Botanical Garden and Ramna Park.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mushtaq Ahmed, the Chief Architect of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), said Rajuk has already appointed an implementation and consulting firm for the park, and a consultant team has been engaged for the construction work.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They are working on the park\'s design, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rajuk\'s urban planner Mohammad Ashraful Islam, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, and Keraniganj Upazila Chairman Shaheen Ahmed, in collaboration with Rajuk\'s project team have finalized location&nbsp; of the park.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The construction of this park is expected to commence shortly, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Detailed Area Plan 2016-2035 for Dhaka Metropolitan Region aims to create an eco-friendly and modern city by constructing five large regional parks, 49 water-based parks, eight eco parks (including Bhawal Shal Forest), and nine other parks and playgrounds.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As part of this initiative, Rajuk has acquired approximately 422 acres of land in Subhadhya, Kullirchak, Baghair, and Kazirgaon mouzas of Keraniganj upazila in Dhaka, designating it as Sheikh Hasina Regional Park. The proposed land use for this park is designated as open space.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rajuk also intends to construct a new 100-feet road on the western side of Sheikh Hasina Regional Park. The project is currently awaiting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s approval.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At a programme here recently Nasrul Hamid told reporters that&nbsp; National Botanical Garden was established in 1961 on 208 acres or 624 bighas of land near the National Zoo. After that area, Ramna Park is in second place with an area of 68.5 acares. Sheikh Hasina Regional Park in Keraniganj will set a new record in terms of size, surpassing the botanical garden and Ramna Park, he said</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Several senior officers from Rajuk, along with local MP and Upazila Chairman,&nbsp; recently visited the proposed park location in Keraniganj. The delegation included Rajuk member and project planner Mohammad Nasir Uddin, member (development control) Samsuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Bangladesh University of Engineering (Buet) Professor Md. Al Amin, and others. 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, '2023-10-02 08:12:59', '2023-10-02 08:12:59'),
(9452, 9452, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">If any political party\'s members gather without prior permission, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will take strict action without any hesitation, said the DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He made the comment during a press conference at the DMP media centre when asked about BNP\'s declaration that it would hold rallies without permission.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Law and order situation is our main concern, we wouldn\'t allow anything that will harm public security and safety centring the national polls,\" the commissioner said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Regarding the US visa restrictions ahead of the upcoming polls, the DMP boss said it would not affect any visa policy within the DMP as it\'s the country\'s internal matter.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I do not think Bangladesh police have anything to worry about. I have not seen any concern in my police regarding visa policy after joining,\" said the DMP boss.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As an organisation, DMP is always working for the people of Dhaka and for a safe Dhaka, said Rahman.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rahman further said that traffic congestion is not the problem of only the traffic police, other agencies are also involved here.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We have already formed a coordination committee and we will start operating the signal light system soon, where available,\" added the DMP boss.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also stressed on strict vigilance to prevent criminals from carrying illegal weapons in the capital ahead of the upcoming election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"DMP is fully committed to doing whatever is necessary to maintain the safety of the city,\" he affirmed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He acknowledged the unique challenges of policing a megacity like Dhaka, where the population density exceeds 73,000 people per square kilometre. Despite these challenges, DMP remains dedicated to providing essential civic services to the city\'s residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In line with this commitment, a dedicated phone number will soon be launched, allowing citizens to directly report complaints to the commissioner. This initiative aims to make policing services accessible to every citizen, facilitating the reporting of concerns and grievances.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Citizens will have the ability to file complaints directly by sending a \"Message to Commissioner\", as outlined by the DMP chief.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, Commissioner Rahman clarified that instructions have been issued at various levels within the police, including police stations, zonal assistant commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, and deputy commissioners.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">These instructions are given to ensure that complaints are received, addressed, and resolved promptly at the appropriate level, before they reach the commissioner\'s office, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 08:25:25', '2023-10-02 08:25:25'),
(9453, 9453, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Chairman of Brahmanbaria Zila Parishad and General Secretary of Awami League Brahmanbaria district unit freedom fighter Al Mamun Sarkar.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a condolence message, the premier said the people of Brahmanbaria has lost a people-loving leader with the death of Al Mamun Sarkar.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Bangladesh Awami League, prayed for the salvation of his departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family members.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Monday morning, Al Mamun died at the age of 67 at a residence in Brahmanbaria town. He had been suffering from various health-related complications for a long.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He had engaged in the politics of Chhatra League during his student life and then he joined the politics of Bangladesh Awami League.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He was also chairman of Brahmanbaria Red Crescent Society and former mayor of Brahmanbaria municipality. 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, '2023-10-02 08:59:30', '2023-10-02 08:59:30'),
(9454, 9454, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The history of earthquakes is nothing less than terrifying. Whether it’s the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake or something as recent as the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, every major earthquake in the world involves destruction and death. For centuries, scientists, geologists, saints, and seers alike have searched for answers to one inevitable question: Can earthquakes be predicted? Let’s try to find out.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Myths about Earthquakes and Predicting Them</div><div><br></div><div>The phenomenon of earthquakes has long been attributed to mythical and otherworldly happenings. Thousands of years ago, the occurrence of an earthquake not only brought destruction but also paved the way for the fear of the unknown and faith in supernatural power.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The concept of an earthquake is often attributed to Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. It is said that Poseidon uses his trident to shake the earth which causes earthquakes. Similar stories are found in Japanese mythology where the giant catfish Namazu causes earthquakes. According to Mongolian mythology, the earth is placed on the back of a giant frog. When the frog stumbles, it causes earthquakes.</div><div><br></div><div>But beyond the myths, there are also some common misconceptions about earthquake predictions. Unlike the myths, these aren’t quite outlandish and are often passed on as hard facts. Some of the common misconceptions regarding earthquake prediction include:&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>- Animals can predict earthquake&nbsp;</div><div>- There are always advanced signs of earthquakes&nbsp;</div><div>- Earthquake is preceded by sudden weather change&nbsp;</div><div>- Planetary alignment influences earthquake&nbsp;</div><div>- Increased seismic activity is a precursor for a large earthquake&nbsp;</div><div>- A series of small earthquakes deters the chance of a large earthquake in a region.</div><div><br></div><div>Unfortunately, none of these concepts are true. There is no set pattern to earthquakes and neither does it have any identifiable precursors. And that brings us to the all-important question.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Can We Predict Earthquakes Now?&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The short answer is no, earthquakes cannot be predicted. Several methods are employed to make a gross estimation regarding earthquake probability in a certain region. However, it is currently not possible to predict earthquakes with precision. Some of the prediction methods include&nbsp;</div><div>Long-term Seismic Hazard Assessment</div><div><br></div><div>Scientists and seismologists analyze historical earthquake data as well as geological studies, and information about fault lines to estimate the likelihood of earthquakes occurring in specific regions over long periods. The fault line estimation helps to understand which areas are highly prone to earthquakes.</div><div><br></div><div>Early Warning Systems</div><div><br></div><div>Some regions of the world like Japan and parts of the United States, have implemented early warning systems that use real-time data from seismometers. It provides a few seconds to a minute of advance notice before strong shaking from an earthquake reaches a location. These systems are connected to trigger alarms and automated responses to mitigate damage and protect lives.</div><div><br></div><div>Probabilistic Models</div><div><br></div><div>Many earthquake scientists use probabilistic models to estimate the probability of earthquakes in different regions of the world. These models consider factors like fault activity, historical seismicity, and strain accumulation to assess the likelihood of earthquakes of different magnitudes occurring within a given timeframe.</div><div><br></div><div>Precursor Research&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Precursor research is not exactly a very reliable prediction method. In this method, scientists study potential precursors like changes in groundwater levels, radon gas emissions, and electromagnetic signals to better understand earthquake processes. However, these precursors are not consistently reliable indicators for earthquakes.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Measuring the Earthquake&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>While it is not exactly possible to precisely predict the earthquake till date, scientists have come up with several measurement systems to correctly identify the intensity of the earthquake. The most common among these are magnitude measurement, seismometers, epicenter location, depth determination, and intensity scales. Each of these measurements is often crosslinked with each other to ensure measurement validity.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Final Words&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As of today, there is no reliable way to accurately predict an earthquake. There is also no way to predict the intensity as well as the havoc it may create. However, technological advancements have helped to understand the precautionary and safety measures needed in the wake of an earthquake. We hope that frontier technology will someday soon find a breakthrough in this mystery that has puzzled humans for thousands of years. Until then, we are at the mercy of nature. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p>earthquakes<br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 09:52:35', '2023-10-02 09:52:35'),
(9455, 9455, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine-2023 was awarded jointly to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman “for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Dr Katalin Kariko and Dr Drew Weissman will share the prize.</div><div><br></div><div>The technology was experimental before the pandemic, but has now been given to millions of people around the world.</div><div><br></div><div>The same mRNA technology is now being researched for other diseases and even cancer. - BBC</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 11:50:47', '2023-10-02 11:50:47'),
(9456, 9456, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The soft opening of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s third terminal is set for October 7 as decided earlier, Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said this today during a press conference at the construction site of Dhaka airport’s third terminal.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>According to him, the construction contract for the terminal was initiated in 2020, with a stipulated soft opening timeline of 1,471 days.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Presently, as per the contract, 1,241 days have passed, leading to the decision to have a soft opening in advance, on October 7. The soft opening ceremony, to be attended by the prime minister, would be held inside the newly built third terminal. This decision was made so that citizens from across the country can witness the inauguration through the media,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the progress of work, he said “Our target was to complete 90 percent of the work before the soft opening. Presently, it stands at over 88 percent. We are optimistic about completing 90 percent of the work before the soft opening of the third terminal.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We’ve set a goal for the terminal\'s full functionality by December 2024,” he said, adding, “We hope the terminal will be fully operational before the scheduled time.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to queries about manpower readiness for the new terminal, he mentioned an application was submitted to the ministry and training is ongoing for current staff members.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“A lot of the responsibilities of this project are not in our hands. A friendly country will assist in fulfilling the responsibilities, and preparations for immigration police and customs are underway,” the CAAB chairman added.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Addressing queries on service quality, he said that the third terminal of Dhaka airport aims to enhance passenger experience and establish itself as a regional aviation hub.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“The responsibility for passenger services will be entrusted to a foreign company; we have asked them to ensure standards comparable to globally renowned airports like Singapore\'s Changi,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We will enter an agreement with the foreign organization after confirming their ability to maintain the quality of services. Domestic stakeholders are also actively participating in training the workforce, and office space will be allocated based on requirements,” he explained.</div><div><br></div><div>In response to questions regarding the airport\'s readiness to operate the new terminal, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Executive Director, Group Captain Mohammad Kamrul Islam, said, “We will collaboratively manage the third terminal, like any other airport in the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>The project, with an estimated cost of Tk 13,610.47 crore, got the nod of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on October 24, 2017.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the cost of the project rose subsequently due to expansion of some of the project works, including setting up separate export and import cargo houses and construction of new VVIP terminal.</div><div><br></div><div>The project’s additional fund was approved by ECNEC on December 10 last year.</div><div><br></div><div>The three-storey third terminal building, designed by Rohani Baharin of internationally renowned CPG Corporation (Private) Limited Singapore, will have a floor space of 2,30,000 square meters.</div><div><br></div><div>It will have 115 check-in counters, including 15 self-service; 66 departure immigration counters, including 10 automatic passport control counters; 59 arrival immigration desks, including five automatic check-in counters; 19 check-in arrival counters; and 16 arrival baggage belts.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the project design, the third terminal of Dhaka airport will have 12 boarding bridges. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 11:56:36', '2023-10-02 11:56:36'),
(9457, 9457, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has increased further to Tk 113.61 per kg for the month of October from Tk 107.01 in September.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Now the retail customers will have to pay an additional Tk 6.6 for per kg LPG.</div><div><br></div><div>The new prices will be effective from 6pm on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) announced the new price, saying that the retail consumers will now get a 12kg LPG cylinder at Tk 1363 including VAT instead of the previous price of Tk Tk1,284.</div><div><br></div><div>It means that the customers of 12kg LPG will have to spend additional Tk 79 for cooking purposes.</div><div><br></div><div>Prices of other sizes of LPG cylinders – from 5.5kg to 45kg – will go up rationally, Md Nurul Amin, the chairman of BERC, said at a press briefing on Monday at the BERC office in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the BERC decision, the price of “auto gas” (LPG used for motor vehicles) also increased to Tk 62.54 per litre (including VAT) from Tk 58.87 per litre. The increase is Tk 3.67 per litre.</div><div><br></div><div>The price of LPG, marketed by state-owned LP Gas Company, will remain the same as it is locally produced with a market share of less than 5%.</div><div><br></div><div>BERC officials said the LPG price will witness an increase in the local market due to the increase in the prices of Saudi CP (contract price).</div><div>Bangladeshi LPG operators normally import their products from the Middle-East market on the basis of Saudi CP.</div><div><br></div><div>LPG witnessed the highest price at Tk1,498 (per 12kg cylinder) in the local market in February this year following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February last year. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 12:16:24', '2023-10-02 12:16:24'),
(9458, 9458, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Newly appointed Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Habibur Rahman today said that police are not worried about visa policy of the United States.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“I don\'t think that Bangladesh police have anything to be worried about visa policy. Our recently retired Chief Justice said that he has never been to that country. He has no desire to go. He was the Chief Justice of Bangladesh,” Habib said while replying to a question at a briefing at DMP media centre.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“I have not seen any such concern in my colleagues after joining to the DMP.&nbsp; As an organization, Dhaka Metropolitan Police is always working for the people of Dhaka, for a safe Dhaka City. They (police) don\'t care about it,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Habibur Rahman said that police is determined to curb crime and ensure safety of the capital dwellers with professionalism and efficiency. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 12:30:10', '2023-10-02 12:30:10'),
(9459, 9459, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said democracy must continue in Bangladesh at any cost, reiterating her commitment to hold the next general election in a free and fair manner.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Democracy should continue in Bangladesh at any cost. In no way, the undemocratic forces can assume power,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now in London, said this when a delegation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) of Bangladesh paid a courtesy call on her at her Place of Residence, the Taj Hotel, here.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>Rushanara Ali MP, Chair of APPG on Bangladesh and on Rohingya and the Shadow Minister for Investment and Small Business led the delegation.</div><div><br></div><div>Other members comprising the delegation are: APPG on Bangladesh members, Vice Chair Virendra Sharma MP, Vice Chair Valerie Vaz MP, Vice Chair Imran Hussain MP, and Foysol Choudhury MSP, Chair, Cross-party Group on Bangladesh at the Scottish Parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen briefed reporters after the courtesy call.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina told the APPG delegation that they are committed to hold a free and fair election, saying all the reforms required to this end have already been made.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister said they have enacted a law for formation of the new election commission (EC) through a search committee and giving the EC complete administrative and financial independence to work independently to hold free and fair elections.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She also said the voter list was prepared with photographs and transparent ballot boxes in line with her party Awami League’s proposal placed while it was in opposition.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The APPGs delegation has expressed their satisfaction over preparation to hold a free and fair election in Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh has offered the AAPGs delegation to send an election observer team to oversee the next general election, Foreign Minister Momen said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>All the members of the AAPGs have highly praised the remarkable development of Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister, in reply, said the massive development of Bangladesh has been possible due to having continued democracy and stable situation for long years.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina expressed her satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations with Britain, saying that Bangladesh has been doing various businesses with them and British investment in Bangladesh has been increasing.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Premier has sought larger investment from the UK, particularly in renewable energy citing that 100 special economic zones and 39 high-tech parks are being set up across Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She offered the UK a dedicated economic zone in Bangladesh likewise South Korea, India and Japan.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the Rohingya issue, the Prime Minister has sought cooperation from the UK to send them back to their homeland, saying, “Rohingyas want to go to their motherland, Mymanmar.”</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh has also sought attention from the UK to take measures for raising humanitarian funds for the Rohingyas which has been showing a decreasing trend recently, Momen said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The British government has committed to support Bangladesh in the International Court of Justice over the Rohingya issue, he added.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>About the Ukraine war, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh never wants any war rather to resolve any issue through discussion.</div><div><br></div><div>In this regard she referred to the inhuman experience of Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 saying “We never want war as the poor people, particularly women and children immensely suffer from the war.’’&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Prime Minister\'s Office (PMO) Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin, Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem and PM\'s Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam, were present during the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, FCDO Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations and Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Member of the House of Lords from the Conservative Party and Chair of the British Asian Trust also paid a courtesy calls separately on the Bangladesh Premier.</div><div><br></div><div>Gopichand Hinduja, Chairman Hinduja Group, Prakash P Hinduja, Chairman, Hinduja Group (Europe), Ashok Hinduja and Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, Ashok Leyland also met Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Lord Rami Ranger, patron of Conservative Friends of India and Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Indo-Pacific and eminent international human rights lawyer Professor Payam Akhavan separately paid courtesy call on the Prime Minister.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Ms. Cherie Blair, Co-Founder and Chair, OMNIA is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this evening (Oct 2). According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 16:01:46', '2023-10-02 16:01:46');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(9460, 9460, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday alleged that the incumbent ‘cowardly’ government wants to kill Khaleda Zia without allowing her to receive treatment abroad.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The people of the country have burst into anger as the current unelected and anti-mass regime wants to kill her without giving her any scope for treatment,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said the government is resorting to deception and giving wrong interpretation of laws to mislead people in a bid to kill Khaleda without treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>“They’re scared and cowards. They know that if Khaleda Zia recovers and returns among the people their throne will collapse,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal arranged the rally in front of BNP’s Nayapaltan Central Office, demanding the release of party chairperson Khaleda Zia from ‘unjust’ captivity, resignation of the current regime and holding the next election under a non-party neutral government.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said the government is showing various laws regarding Khaleda Zia’s treatment abroad though Awami League President Sheik Hasina went to the USA from jail for the treatment of her ear problem during the 1/11 political changeover.</div><div><br></div><div>“So, why are you saying these things now when Begum Khaleda Zia is on the crossroad of life and death,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the government is unwilling to allow Khaleda to receive treatment abroad out of political vengeance.</div><div><br></div><div>“They don\'t want Begum Zia to recover and they don’t want to allow her to do politics. The main goal of the Awami League is that there will be no opposition party in this country. Only they will run the government in this country. Their statements give an impression that they are the only owners of this country and we all are their subjects,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka since August 9 as she has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, and eye problems.</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, Law Minister Anisul Huq rejected an application seeking permission to send BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>The Law Ministry gave this opinion upon receiving an application sent by the Home Ministry in response to the request of the family of the former prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>On September 18, the government once again extended the suspension of Khaleda Zia’s jail term by another six months.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul slammed the ruling party leaders for what he said making unguarded comments against US Ambassador Peter Haas ignoring the diplomatic norms as they are angry with him.</div><div><br></div><div>Even, he said the television channels subservient to the government are spreading lies involving the US ambassador.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“They (govt) are so irresponsible that they have created a problem with the country where we export the most goods and RMG products.”</div><div><br></div><div>About the significant decrease in remittance flow in the last month, the BNP leader said the Bangladeshi expatriates living in different countries are sending less money to Bangladesh as they lost confidence in its economy.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul once again urged the government to quit with dignity and dissolve parliament to hold the next election under a non-party neutral administration, paving the way for a credible election in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Otherwise, he said the people of the country know how to eliminate the dictatorship and fascism. “We don’t have any other alternative to ousting this regime.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader also urged the government to wake up and put up a strong resistance against the current government.</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the farmers are not getting the fair price of their produce due to corruption and plundering by the government, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul alleged that ruling party leaders are amassing huge wealth and siphoning off money abroad by indulging in plundering in the name of mega projects.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-02 16:07:29', '2023-10-02 16:07:29'),
(9461, 9461, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy is fighting for his political life after a right-wing rebel launched a formal bid to oust him.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Responding to the move by Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mr McCarthy posted on social media: \"Bring it on.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tensions between the two Republicans boiled over at the weekend after the Speaker passed a bill with the help of Democrats to fund government agencies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">No US Speaker has ever been ousted by such a rarely filed motion to vacate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The leadership has two days to bring up the measure for a vote.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Speaker is second in the line of succession for the presidency after the US vice-president. He or she sets the lower house of Congress\' legislative priorities, controls committee assignments, and can make or break an American president\'s agenda.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The deal late on Saturday that averted a government shutdown left out $6bn (£5bn) of funding for Ukraine because Mr Gaetz and other ultraconservatives insist the US has spent too much funding that country\'s war with Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr McCarthy, a California congressman, only became Speaker in January after 15 rounds of voting when he was able to win over a key group of right-wing Republicans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Gaetz, a persistent thorn in Mr McCarthy\'s side, was one of the Republicans who repeatedly voted against him - and even until the end the Florida lawmaker abstained from voting.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the political horse-trading before he ultimately won the gavel, Mr McCarthy agreed to a change of rules that would allow any single lawmaker member to call for a vote to oust the Speaker.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Matt Gaetz (left) and Kevin McCarthy in January during the fractious speakership vote</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">That paved the way to Monday\'s motion to vacate.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a speech on the House floor on Monday, Mr Gaetz said Mr McCarthy must disclose the details of a deal he made with the White House to bring new Ukraine funding to a vote in separate legislation soon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr McCarthy has said there is \"no side deal on Ukraine\", adding that he does \"not know who is bringing that up\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Gaetz, a Trump ally, had already threatened to file the motion in recent weeks, saying he would do so if a short-term government spending bill was passed with help from Democrats.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After filing the motion, Mr Gaetz told a crowd of reporters: \"When we stand here a week from now, I won\'t own Kevin McCarthy anymore.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"He won\'t belong to me. So if the Democrats want to adopt him, they can adopt him.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Gaetz told reporters outside the Capitol on Monday night that he would vote for Louisiana Republican, Steve Scalise - currently deputy to Mr McCarthy - to succeed the Speaker.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked earlier on Monday whether his actions were plunging the institution into turmoil, Mr Gaetz told reporters: \"You talk about chaos as if it\'s me forcing a few votes and filing a few motions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Real chaos is when the American people have to go through the austerity that is coming if we continue to have $2 trillion annual deficits.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tom McClintock, a California Republican, chastised Mr Gaetz before his floor speech saying he could not \"conceive of a more counterproductive and self-destructive course\" than removing a Speaker of the same party.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr McClintock said: \"I implore my Republican colleagues to look past their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests and their selfish views.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It would take a simple majority of the House to remove the Speaker in a floor vote. Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the rules of the chamber, the Speaker is required to keep a list of individuals who could act as a temporary replacement in case the role is ever vacated.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">If Mr McCarthy were voted out, this list would be made public and the person at the top of it would be named Speaker pro tempore until elections were held in the chamber for a new leader of the majority party in the chamber.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Now Democrats must decide if they will step in and vote to help the Speaker keep his job.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Democrats are unhappy with Mr McCarthy after he recently approved the launch of a congressional inquiry to see if there is enough evidence to impeach President Joe Biden.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Left-wing New York lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN on Sunday her fellow Democrats might be interested in politically bailing out Mr McCarthy if they can extract concessions from him.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rare procedural tool to remove a Speaker has only been used twice in the past century and never successfully.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was last used in 2015 against Speaker John Boehner.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The motion to remove him failed but it built enough pressure on Mr Boehner that, unable to unite his caucus, he announced his resignation two months later.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before then it was last used in 1910. 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, '2023-10-03 02:10:34', '2023-10-03 02:10:34'),
(9462, 9462, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Former President Donald Trump has attacked a judge and prosecutor in a day of courtroom drama as he attended the opening of a fraud trial that could threaten his business empire.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On entering the room on Monday dressed in a blue suit, Mr Trump - who turned up voluntarily - looked ahead as he walked past the prosecutor who brought the case.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">State\'s attorney general Letitia James, sitting in the front row, averted her gaze.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their paths did not cross for the rest of opening statements as both sides laid out their case.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Trump, the Trump Organization, several executives and two of his children - Donald Jr and Eric - are the defendants in the civil trial in New York Superior Court.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fact-checking Trump\'s claims about NY fraud trial</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They are accused of fraud, falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements and conspiracy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the trial got under way, the former president occasionally glanced in the direction of Judge Arthur Engoron as he addressed the court.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Moments beforehand, in a tirade outside court that echoed across the chamber, Mr Trump had called the judge a \"rogue adjudicator\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ms James was not spared either in his remarks to reporters at the top of the courtroom steps.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s a scam, it\'s a sham. Just so you know, my financial statements are phenomenal,\" Mr Trump added. \"There was no crime - the crime was against me.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Given the former president\'s personal attacks, observers expected a tense atmosphere in the cramped confines of the court. But the three key figures in the legal drama had minimal direct interactions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While prosecutors set out their case, Mr Trump for the most part sat still, occasionally whispering to his legal team.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ms James kept her eyes on the lawyer unveiling a visual presentation that accompanied her team\'s opening statements. 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, '2023-10-03 02:14:15', '2023-10-03 02:14:15'),
(9463, 9463, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The tragic death of an Indian schoolgirl has laid bare the consequences of \"Eve-teasing\" - a popular South Asian euphemism which many say trivialises the street harassment and assault of women.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The short CCTV video of two Indian girls riding bicycles starts off quite innocuously.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dressed in their school uniform - tunics, salwar bottoms and scarves - the teenagers are riding side by side on a near-empty road.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But within seconds, the calm of the scene is shattered.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two men on a motorbike overtake them and one of them pulls away the scarf of one of the girls. Immediately she loses her balance and her cycle moves right and collides with a second motorbike coming from behind.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As she and the riders fall on the road, the 17-year-old is run over by a third motorbike coming from the opposite direction.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The moment I saw my daughter, I knew she was dead,\" says her father Sabhajit Varma, who arrived at the scene within minutes after receiving a call from his niece - the other girl in the CCTV footage.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Some people had gathered and we loaded her onto a tempo [a small vehicle used to transport goods] and rushed to a hospital,\" he told me on the phone from his home.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Doctors said she was \'brought dead\'. They said her jaw was shattered and she had died from severe injuries to her head,\" he said. \"There were no last words, no goodbyes.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mr Varma\'s wife died eight years ago and after his two older daughters were married, the 17-year-old, the youngest of three, was the only one living with him. She was good at studies and wanted to be a doctor, he tells me.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two days before her death, he said, she\'d told him that some boys had been harassing her and other girls outside their school. Since then, his niece and other students have also told police that the young men used to hover around their school morning and evening, sometimes racing their bikes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His daughter\'s death has left Mr Varma heartbroken and angry. \"My daughter was murdered. The men who killed her must be hanged,\" he says.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The incident took place last month in Ambedkar Nagar district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Police have arrested three suspects - reports say at least one of them is a minor - and are looking for a fourth man. Since the tragedy, Mr Varma says, he\'s been visited by government officials, including a minister in the state, but not received any compensation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the footage of the incident went viral on social media and made headline news, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned those who harassed women on the streets that \"Yamraj [the Hindu god of death] would be waiting for them at the next traffic crossing\". 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, '2023-10-03 02:16:47', '2023-10-03 02:16:47'),
(9464, 9464, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Chanting in unison, students marched through downtown Mexico City on Monday evening, marking 55 years since the military massacred hundreds of students in Tlatelolco plaza.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Enrique Treviño Taudres survived the massacre and now marches every year with the Pro Democratic Freedoms 68 Committee. “People know a lot and forget easily,” he said, adding that the memory of Tlatelolco holds important lessons for modern Mexico.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As many as 300 people were massacred at a student protest in Tlatelolco plaza on Oct. 2, 1968, in what the Mexican government initially reported as the lawful suppression of a violent riot just 10 days before the Summer Olympics’ Opening Ceremony in Mexico City.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since then military reports have revealed at least 360 government snipers were stationed on rooftops around the square. They opened fire and, in the ensuing chaos, the military members posted round the square began shooting peaceful protesters and students.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Look, it’s a commemoration of that day but it is also a call to the current students, the current young people to be aware of the reality,” said Treviño. “The best example that we grandparents can give young people is that we were conscientious and committed young people. We took to the streets.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Adolfo Cruz, a tourism student in the city, marched on Monday for the first time. “Part of this is remembering all our deceased companions because it’s thanks to them we have the right to march today,” Cruz said. “We also want to change things.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mexican students today still find themselves the victims of violence and organized crime. In 2018 three university students in the western city of Guadalajara were killed by a gang and their bodies dissolved in acid. Infamously, 43 students were abducted and murdered in southern Mexico in 2014, the victims of an attack which implicated municipal, state and national authorities.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">October 2nd, said Cruz, “is a commemoration, but it’s also for the rights of all students,” in a country where there are still “many difficulties” across the education system.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the massacre in 1968, 25 people were officially reported dead, but later investigations identified 44 remains. Successive government inquiries have never shown exactly how many died, but eyewitnesses claimed bodies were carted away from the square and estimates range that over 300 were killed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Mexican government acknowledged the massacre was a “state crime”on its 50th anniversary in 2018.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Monday, interim head of Mexico City’s government Martí Bartes spoke about the historical ramifications of the tragedy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“\'68 is so strong because it transformed political culture from below,” he said from the Plaza of the Three Cultures, where the protest began in 1968. “\'68 transformed universities, massively expanded higher education, incorporated new critical thinking into the social sciences, generated activists, opened the doors to new ideas such as feminism or sexual diversity.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A rainy Monday night marked the end of a run of protests in Mexico’s capital: from the anniversary of the 43 abducted students in southern Mexico last Tuesday, to a march for abortion rights Thursday. Since last week, monuments have been hiding behind blue barricades across the city and the Marabunta Brigade, a group trained to keep protestors safe, has been busy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Monday evening was Mario Romero’s 20th protest as a member of the brigade but, he said, he was not tired, or afraid.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I like to come out because things need to change, but nothing changes,\" he said. AP/UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 03:07:43', '2023-10-03 03:07:43'),
(9465, 9465, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality was marked as ‘moderate’ 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 90 at 9:15 am, Dhaka ranked 12th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality, according to the AQI.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi and Milano of Italy occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 206, 164 and 157, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', while a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 04:01:20', '2023-10-03 04:01:20'),
(9466, 9466, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The European Union reiterated its long-term support for Ukraine on Monday as its foreign ministers convened in Kyiv for a \"historic\" gathering beyond the bloc\'s borders.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The meeting came as disagreements grow among EU members over support for Ukraine and as Kyiv\'s forces make limited gains in a high-stakes counteroffensive against Russian troops in the south and east of the country.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Concerns are also rising over aid from Washington, where a government funding deal this weekend left out fresh help for Ukraine due to opposition from hardline Republicans.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the White House on Monday rejected claims by the Kremlin that the West was fatigued on providing aid for Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If Putin thinks he can outlast us he\'s wrong,\" Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU\'s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described Monday\'s gathering as \"historic\" but made clear there would be no new concrete announcements.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is the first time that we met in a candidate country. And, unfortunately, it was also the first time that the foreign ministers of the European Union met in a country at war,\" he said at a press conference.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, meeting the foreign ministers, said the duration of the war -- now in its twentieth month -- was linked to the quality and quantity of support Ukraine receives from its allies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our victory directly depends on our cooperation: the more strong and principled steps we take together, the sooner this war will end,\" Zelensky said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">To bring about a speedy end to the fighting, he urged the European Union to expand its sanctions on Russia and Iran, which has supplied attack drones for Russian forces.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And he called for the \"acceleration\" of work to direct \"frozen Russian assets to finance the restoration of war-torn Ukraine\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The EU\'s 27 members have remained broadly united through the war on their support for Ukraine, hitting Russia with 11 rounds of sanctions and spending billions of euros on arms for Kyiv.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Lasting support\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, Hungary, Russia\'s closest ally in the EU, could now be joined by Slovakia as a potential block to more backing, as populist Robert Fico pushes for power in Bratislava after winning elections there this weekend.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The foreign ministers of Hungary, Poland and Latvia did not attend the summit, a Ukrainian government official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that the Polish and Latvian representatives were ill.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There have also been tensions between Kyiv and some of its most strident backers -- most notably Poland -- over the influx of Ukrainian grain onto European markets.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Borrell that the Kremlin was investing \"huge resources\" into its efforts to stir disunity among Ukraine\'s allies, but urged them to stand firm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Putin\'s greatest expectation is precisely that the West and the world will tire of standing on the side of Ukraine in this war,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">France\'s top diplomat Catherine Colonna earlier addressed the concerns, saying the meeting was a signal of the bloc\'s \"lasting support for Ukraine, until it can win\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It is also a message to Russia that it should not count on our fatigue. We will be there for a long time to come,\" she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Kremlin, which anticipated a lightning-fast takeover of Ukraine and is counting on Western countries tiring in their support, predicted Monday that Western war fatigue \"will grow\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'Winter protection plan\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Germany\'s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for a strategy to limit the fallout from an expected campaign of Russian strikes on Ukraine\'s energy grid in the coming months as temperatures drop.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Ukraine needs a winter protection plan of air defence, generators and a strengthening of the energy supply,\" she said. \"We saw last winter the brutal way in which the Russian president wages this war.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian authorities say Russia has launched systemic aerial attacks on Ukraine\'s energy infrastructure, a strategy that last year left millions without heating or water.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Kuleba also urged EU support for a new maritime export route in the Black Sea, so it can reach its \"full capacity\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukraine has been pushing for support for a naval route since Moscow scrapped a deal in July guaranteeing safe passage of grain exports in the Black Sea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"A sea corridor through which Ukrainian grain can be exported to the world without the involvement of Russia is possible. We have already demonstrated it,\" Kuleba said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and his army swept quickly through large swathes of the south and east of the country but were beaten back from the north.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In June, Kyiv launched a long-awaited counteroffensive but has acknowledged slow progress as its forces encounter deep lines of heavily fortified Russian defences. 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, '2023-10-03 04:04:02', '2023-10-03 04:04:02'),
(9467, 9467, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned that her government won\'t tolerate any arson and atrocities, in the name of movement, before the next national election.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“There will be no scope left to spare if arson terrorism or likewise incidents or attacks on the people take place before the election, in the name of movement,’’ she said while speaking at a community reception hosted in her honour at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster in London on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister reminded the countrymen that the BNP-Jamaat alliance carried out mayhem across the country by “burning people to death, destroying public and private properties, hurling petrol bombs on vehicles that included buses, trains and launches” during 2013-14 in the name of so-called movement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many, including women, suffered critical burn injuries in the arson attacks and they have been living inhuman lives with their injuries, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Killing people through arson terrorism and destroying the country\'s properties are their movements. They have earlier killed 29 police personnel. If any such attempts are made on the lives of my distressed people, no mercy will be shown,’’ she warned.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap were present at the event.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">UK AL President Sultan Sharif presided over the function while General Secretary Syed Sajedur Rahman Faruk moderated it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sheikh Hasina, also president of Awami League, said BNP had played ducks and drakes with the voting rights of the people during its time in office.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP held a farcical election on February 15, 1996 and the people of the country ousted them from power soon after, she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The people of the country never allow vote riggers to hang on to power,’’ she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister also reminded the countrymen that the BNP-Jamaat alliance had prepared a voter list with 1.23 crore fake voters and attempted to hold an election with the list.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the contrary, the leaders and activists of Awami League had struggled for long to establish the voting rights of the people and democracy, she said, adding that many of them sacrificed their lives in doing so.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PM reiterated her pledge to hold a free and fair election, saying that her government has made all reforms needed including enacting law for forming the Election Commission (EC) alongside making it financially independent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said they have introduced transparent ballot boxes and prepared a voter list with photographs to hold a free and fair election.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She said that she allowed Khaleda Zia to stay home after suspending her jail term in a corruption case, over embezzling money of orphans, with the executive power vested upon her as the head of the government.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister said she had nothing to do in case of sending Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment, adding that she did what he could as per the law.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Many are now saying that I can show more sympathy to Khaleda Zia despite the fact that the law will take its own course,’’ she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Referring to August 15, 1975 carnage, August 21, 2004 grenade attacks, turning the house of Sheikh Rehana — which she got under law to ensure security of the family members of the Father of the Nation — into a police outpost, and the incident of not allowing her (Sheikh Hasina) to enter Khaleda Zia’s house after the death of her son Koko, the prime minister said: “How can they expect more sympathy from me for Khaleda Zia?’’</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister called upon the Bangladeshi expatriates in the UK to send remittance through banking channels, recalling their contribution in every progressive and democratic movement including the Liberation War in 1971.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Against the backdrop of inflation and price hike due to the ongoing Ukraine war, sanctions and counter sanctions, she asked all not to leave a single inch of land unused, to cut dependency on others for food.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Grow whatever you can by using every inch of land,’’ she said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Briefly describing her government measures to make Bangladesh socio-economically advanced, she said her government has transformed Bangladesh into a developing and digital country and is now working to make it a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041. 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, '2023-10-03 04:46:07', '2023-10-03 04:46:07'),
(9468, 9468, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In the conclusive warm-up match ahead of the impending ICC World Cup set to kick off in India this week, Bangladesh faced a defeat at the hands of England, losing by four wickets.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The rain-affected contest was restricted to 37 overs. Bangladesh took the batting stance first, amassing a total of 188 for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 37 overs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mehidy Hasan Miraz emerged as the highest run scorer for Bangladesh, notching up an impressive 74 runs. He had previously secured a half-century in the match against Sri Lanka. Tanzid Hasan Tamim followed closely with 45 runs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reece Topley led the bowling charge for England, claiming three wickets, while David Willey and Adil Rashid secured two wickets each.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In response, Moeen Ali\'s 50, coupled with Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler\'s contributions of 34 and 30 runs, respectively, propelled England to a four-wicket victory in just 24.1 overs.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the Bangladesh side, Mustafizur Rahman stood out with two crucial wickets, while Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, and Nasum Ahmed each secured one wicket. 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, '2023-10-03 05:51:45', '2023-10-03 05:51:45'),
(9469, 9469, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The overall number of Covid-19 cases around the world has now surpassed 696 million.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the latest global data, the total Covid-19 case count is 696,050,046, while the death toll reached 6,922,372 this morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US has reported 108,758,605 Covid-19 cases so far, while 1,177,793 people have died from the virus in the country — both highest counts globally.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">India saw a single-day rise of 56 new Covid-19 infections, while the active cases have been recorded at 440, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The death toll has been recorded at 5,32,032, the data updated on Sunday morning stated. The total number of Covid-19 cases stands at 4.49 crore in the country, data showed.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">France and Germany have registered 40,138,560 and 38,494,789 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third and fourth positions in the world number-wise, and 167,642 and 176,101 people have died in the European countries, as per Worldometer.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh reported 7 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">With the new numbers, the country\'s total caseload rose to 2,045,741, 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 29,477 as no new fatalities were reported. 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, '2023-10-03 05:54:15', '2023-10-03 05:54:15'),
(9470, 9470, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Syrian state media said Tuesday that the Israeli military carried out airstrikes in a strategic eastern province wounding two soldiers and causing material damage. There was no comment from Israel on the reported strikes.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Syria’s state news agency, SANA, quoted an unnamed military official as saying the airstrikes late Monday targeted military positions in Deir el-Zour.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The eastern Deir el-Zour province that borders Iraq contains oil fields and has been a strategic province throughout Syria’s conflict, now in its 13th year. Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area and have often been the target of Israeli war planes in previous strikes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and activist collective Deir Ezzor 24 said the airstrike targeted positions in the Boukamal region along the Iraqi border, a stronghold for Iran-backed militia groups. Both said they could not identify the source of the airstrike.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, including attacks on the airports in the capital of Damascus, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.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, '2023-10-03 06:52:49', '2023-10-03 06:52:49'),
(9471, 9471, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave here for home today after wrapping up her 16-day official visit to the USA and UK.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A commercial flight (BG-208) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines will depart from the London Heathrow Airport around 8:35pm (London time) on October 3 (Tuesday).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem will see the premier off at the airport.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The flight will reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka around 12:30pm on October 4 (Bangladesh time).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister arrived in London, the capital city of the United Kingdom, on September 30 by a British Airways from Washington DC, the capital city of the USA.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In London, Sheikh Hasina was hosted a reception by the Bangladeshi community and held several courtesy calls with some dignatories including a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) led by Rushanara Ali, MP, chair of APPG on Bangladesh and Rohingya and the UK shadow minister for investment and small business on October 2.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During her stay in New York and Washington DC from September 17-29, the premier attended the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session and other high-level side and bilateral events and attended a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates in the US and visited Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC. 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, '2023-10-03 07:11:41', '2023-10-03 07:11:41');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(9472, 9472, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United States has reiterated that it does not support any particular party and does not want to influence the outcome of the election in Bangladesh.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The US only wants to ensure that the people of Bangladesh cab freely choose their leaders.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“So, let me restate or state in slightly different language what I said last week, which is the United States wants what the Bangladeshis themselves want: free and fair elections that are conducted in a peaceful manner,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular media briefing in Washington on October 2.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He, however, once again refrained from mentioning visa restrictions on media. US Ambassador in Dhaka, Peter Haas, during a recent TV interview had mentioned possible visa restrictions on media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the US State Department briefing, a questioner said that radical groups that advocate “Taliban-style rule” in Bangladesh along with opposition leaders, have hailed the US ambassador’s remark on including media under the visa restrictions, and have already threatened media persons, circulating a list of journalists who have been critical of radical views.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the other hand, rights activists, anti-war crimes campaigners, editors, writers, minority community leaders found the statement by the US ambassador on possible visa curbs on media to be an “affront to freedom of press” that has been pivotal to the fight against terror, the questioner added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He asked the State Department spokesperson whether the US supports the statement of the ambassador and denies the concerns raised by such a large group of liberals.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Miller did not give a direct response, but said that the government, political parties, civil society, and the media in Bangladesh have all expressed their desire that the upcoming national election be free and fair and conducted in a peaceful manner – “as we want.”&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The visa restriction policy that we’ve announced supports this objective and the desire of the people of Bangladesh to freely choose their leaders,” he said.&nbsp; UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 07:24:28', '2023-10-03 07:24:28'),
(9473, 9473, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ukraine said Tuesday it had downed a swarm of Iranian-made attack drones and a cruise missile launched by Russian forces from the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"On the night of October 3, 2023, Russian occupiers attacked (Ukraine) with 31 Shaheds (unmanned aerial vehicles) and an Iskander-K cruise missile,\" the air force said, specifying it had downed the missile and 29 of the drones.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">&nbsp;bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 08:11:51', '2023-10-03 08:11:51'),
(9474, 9474, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">That film which probably every youngster in India has been shy of watching with their parents, is turning 20 today. Baghban, an emotional story about children abandoning their ageing parents, struck a chord with the movie going audience in 2003, and the impact is felt even today.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hema Malini played the leading role opposite Amitabh Bachchan, and she is surprised when we reach out to her about the film. “Aisa lagta hai hum abhi shoot karke aaye hain,” she laughs. But she was not convinced about saying a yes to the role.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“I was not doing too many films at that point, I had reduced the number. Actually, I was just not doing anything. That is when Ravi Chopra (director) came to me and narrated this subject. I was not convinced because I had to play a mother to four elderly boys. I was feeling very awkward ‘main aisa kaise karun, maine aise mother ka role kabhi kiya hi nahi kisi film mein’ Then my mother said ‘if Amitabh Bachchan is doing it, then you can also do it, no problem. He is opposite you’, I said yes,” shares the 74-year-old.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Malini was assured that she won’t be made to look like ‘an old woman with white hair’ and be presented the way she was in real life. Malini recalls the romantic scenes she shot with Bachchan, especially the song Main Yahaan Tu Wahaan. “It was BR Chopra sahab’s (producer) dream, to make this film. He gave me a narration before the shoot started. He was watching all the scenes from day one. I think this must have been the romance he had at his home, with his partner. He wanted to bring all those things out,” she says.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">While the making of the film, the one thing which stood out for her was Bachchan’s jovial nature. Having previously worked in films such as Sholay (1975), she narrates, “Sabne khushi khushi kaam kiya iss film mein. When Amit ji used to enter the set, he would bring so much light, all the workers used to light up and say ‘arre Amit ji aa gaye’ , unko lagta tha ab koi mazaak karenge. He used to be so jovial, fun loving. I don’t think he is like that anymore. Pata nahi, thoda serious ho gaye hain aaj kal.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Appreciating the music and mourning the loss of the man behind it, late music composer Aadesh Srivastava (along with Uttam Singh), Malini adds that she got to know the film is a success when her daughter Esha Deol was working with Bachchan’s son Abhishek in Dus. “They would keep telling me picture hit ho gayi hai, mujhe lagta tha mazaak kar rahe hain, but it turned out to be a fact,” she smiles. 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, '2023-10-03 08:14:43', '2023-10-03 08:14:43'),
(9475, 9475, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">People with multiple myeloma, a blood malignancy of plasma cells in the bone marrow, have a poorer overall survival rate when compared to individuals without diabetes. This difference in survival due to diabetes was found in white patients in a subgroup analysis but not in black patients, according to a study published today in Blood Advances.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 13% of Americans have diabetes, and the prevalence of the disease is rising quickly. The majority of non-Hispanic Black adults in the U.S. who have multiple myeloma, the second most frequent blood malignancy, are affected by this disease. While investigators have long been aware of the increased risk of multiple myeloma in patients with diabetes, this is the first study to examine racial disparities in survival rates among those living with these comorbid conditions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We knew from prior studies that patients with multiple myeloma and diabetes have lower survival rates,” explained Urvi Shah, MD, a multiple myeloma specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “But what we did not know is how these outcomes differ between races. Diabetes is much more common in Black individuals versus white individuals, and we wanted to understand whether this difference may play a role in health outcomes among patients with both conditions.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Researchers conducted a retrospective study, collecting data from electronic health care records of 5,383 patients with multiple myeloma from two academic medical centers: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Fifteen per cent of patients included had a diabetes diagnosis (12% of white and 25% of Black patients).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Across the board, Dr. Shah and colleagues observed that among patients with myeloma, those with diabetes had poorer survival rates than those without. When analyzing results by race, however, they found that while white patients with myeloma and diabetes had lower survival rates than those without diabetes, they did not observe this finding among Black patients.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“What we did not expect to see here was that diabetes was actually associated with worse survival outcomes among white individuals with myeloma, but not Black individuals,” said Dr. Shah.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr. Shah added that generally, one’s risk of developing diabetes increases with age. Study findings also show that overall survival decreased with age. Notably, however, in this cohort, diabetes was 50% more prevalent among Black patients 45-60 years old than white patients over 60 years old. Younger patients may tolerate multiple myeloma treatments better than older individuals, and these differences could explain some of the racial differences investigators observed in survival outcomes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When investigating the mechanisms behind these findings, Dr. Shah and colleagues observed that in genetically engineered mouse models, multiple myeloma tumors grew more rapidly in non-obese diabetic mice than in non-diabetic controls.After studying the biological mechanisms underlying tumor growth in these mice, researchers found that an insulin-related signal was overactivated in the diabetic mice, leading them to believe that higher insulin levels associated with diabetes may accelerate cancer growth. HT</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"24\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 08:45:11', '2023-10-03 08:45:11'),
(9476, 9476, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Indian government has asked Canada to withdraw over 40 of its diplomats from the country, the Financial Times has reported.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>New Delhi has set a deadline of October 10 for the repatriation, reads the report.</div><div><br></div><div>Canada has 62 diplomats in India, and earlier, New Delhi had said the total number should be reduced by 41, the report said.</div><div><br></div><div>India had asked Canada to curtail its diplomatic presence in the country as relations between the two countries plunged to the lowest point following Ottawa\'s allegations against New Delhi over the killing of a Khalistani separatist on Canadian soil.</div><div><br></div><div>However, India has outright rejected the claim, calling it absurd.</div><div><br></div><div>External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently said there was a \"climate of violence\" and an \"atmosphere of intimidation\" against Indian diplomats in Canada. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 09:21:12', '2023-10-03 09:21:12'),
(9477, 9477, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Strong tremors were felt in Indian’s capital New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon after two earthquakes in Nepal.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The first earthquake with 4.6 magnitude hit Nepal at 2:25pm before being hit by the second one at 2:51pm with 6.2 magnitude, the National Centre for Seismology said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The earthquake was felt in Delhi and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). There are reports that tremors were felt in Uttar Pradesh\'s Lucknow, Hapur, and Amroha as well. Parts of Uttarakhand also experienced tremors following the back-to-back earthquakes in Nepal.</div><div><br></div><div>As soon as the tremors were felt in the national capital, videos of people evacuating buildings flooded social media, reports NDTV.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 12:02:25', '2023-10-03 12:02:25'),
(9478, 9478, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Although the Law Ministry says it has nothing to do about BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s treatment abroad due to legal barriers, some legal experts think the government can still let her go overseas using its discretionary power.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>In comments to UNB this week they argued that when the government has extended the tenure of suspension of Khaleda’s sentence for eighth time taking fresh decisions on the application what it is saying \"past and closed transaction\", it can also give the BNP chief permission to receive treatment abroad in the same way by withdrawing or changing the conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>The experts also said the government can issue a fresh executive order allowing Khaleda to leave the country as per section 401 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC).</div><div><br></div><div>Citing section 401 (1) of the (CrPC), they said the government can suspend or remit Khaleda’s sentence at any time without conditions or upon conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>On October 1, the law ministry denied former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia permission to go abroad for better treatment, suggesting that she must first return to jail and may apply to the court to get permission in this regard.</div><div><br></div><div>On September 5, Khaleda\'s brother Shamim Iskandar submitted an application to the government, seeking her unconditional release and permission to take her abroad for her treatment at an \"advanced medical centre\" on an urgent basis to save her life.</div><div><br></div><div>In response Law Minister Anisul Huq said there is no chance to open the petition, which has already been disposed of as per Section 401 of the CrPC. “We gave the opinion that the petition disposed under Section 401 is a past and closed transaction. There is no other scope to open it,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sought comments, former law minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed and some pro-ruling party lawyers declined to talk about the matter.</div><div><br></div><div>Contacted, eminent jurist and constitution expert Dr Shahdeen Malik said the government can suspend the sentence of any prisoner upon conditions or without condition or can remit the whole or any part of the punishment.</div><div><br></div><div>As per section 401 (1) of the CrPC, he said the government released Khaleda Zia from jail through an executive order by suspending her sentence upon two conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>“The first condition was the tenure of her release for six months while the second condition was she has to receive treatment in Dhaka,” the expert said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government has extended the suspension of her jail sentence several times later changing the first condition, but Khaleda Zia did not have to go to jail again for changing this condition. “This means that the government did it with its discretionary power.”</div><div><br></div><div>In the same way, Dr Malik said the government can change the second condition by saying she can receive treatment at any ‘suitable’ hospital instead of saying she must receive treatment in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>“If the government does it, there’ll be no legal barrier to sending Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The jurist said he does not agree with the Law Minister\'s interpretation of section 401 (1) of the CrPc. “It is not clear to me why Khaleda Zia should go to jail again for getting permission to go abroad for treatment.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government can allow her to go overseas as per section 401 (1) and it can add some more conditions like she cannot do politics abroad and she must return home after receiving treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question, Dr Malik also said he does not think Khaleda needs to go to court for going abroad for her treatment when the government can do it by using its executive power.</div><div><br></div><div>Another Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Monir echoed Dr Malik. He said Khaleda Zia needs not to return to jail to get permission or receive treatment overseas if only the government shows its good intentions.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government applied its power with conditions while releasing the BNP chief as per section 401 (1) of the CrPC. “They (govt) can also now apply such power without any condition.”</div><div><br></div><div>The lawyer said it is clearly mentioned in section 401 (1) of the CrPC that the government can use its discretionary power at any time. “So, It’s not legally acceptable the law minister’s statement that there is no scope to reconsider Khaleda Zia’s fresh application under section 401 (1) of the CrPC.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government can remove the legal barriers to taking Khaleda abroad if it only issues a fresh executive order</div><div><br></div><div>Shishir said it is not a ‘past and closed transaction’ since the government has been increasing the tenure of Khaleda’s release every six months. “Since the government has been extending the suspension of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia\'s jail sentence, it is not a ‘past and closed transaction’. So, the law minister’s interpretation is self-contradictory.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government suspended the BNP chief’s sentence and released her from jail by an executive order without the court\'s consultation. “So, it’s the government, not the court, can make a decision on Khaleda Zia’s plea for treatment abroad.”</div><div><br></div><div>BNP law affairs secretary Barrister Kaiser Kamal said it is mentioned clearly in section 401 of the CrPC that the government can release a convicted person and allow to go abroad by its executive order.</div><div><br></div><div>He said there are precedents of releasing state prisoners for treatment abroad in national and international laws. But the government did not consider the application for allowing Khaleda Zia to go abroad out of political vengeance.</div><div><br></div><div>The government in March 2020 suspended Khaleda\'s jail sentence and released her from jail on two conditions in response to an application by her family.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka since August 9 as she has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, and eye problems. According to UNB Reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 12:36:02', '2023-10-03 12:36:02'),
(9479, 9479, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The World Bank in its latest update has projected Bangladesh’s economic growth to be 5.6 percent in the 2023-24 fiscal year ending next June.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The global lender in its previous projection in April, forecasted a 6.2 percent GDP growth for the current fiscal year.</div><div><br></div><div>The report’s companion piece, the latest “South Asia Development Update — Toward Faster, Cleaner Growth,” also released today, says South Asia is expected to grow by 5.8 percent this year, higher than any other emerging and developing region in the world, but slower than its pre-pandemic pace and not fast enough to meet its development goals.</div><div><br></div><div>The World Bank in its update stated that Bangladesh made a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the post-pandemic recovery was disrupted in FY23 with rising inflation, vulnerabilities in the financial sector, external pressure, and global economic uncertainty.</div><div><br></div><div>“New Frontiers in Poverty Reduction says that reforms to address inflation, through monetary and fiscal policies, as well as financial sector vulnerabilities will be critical for the country to sustain growth and poverty reduction,” the report said.</div><div><br></div><div>A single market-based exchange rate would help attract foreign currency inflows through formal channels and support the balance of payment and reserve accumulation, it added.</div><div><br></div><div>Supported by economic growth, Bangladesh improved living conditions and reduced extreme poverty to 5 percent in 2022 from 9 percent in 2016, which is comparable to Latin America and the Caribbean countries and fares better than the South Asian average.</div><div><br></div><div>The World Bank said, the new poverty numbers are based on the international poverty line of $2.15 a day (using 2017 Purchasing Power Parity) and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ (BBS) Household Income Expenditure Survey 2022 and re-estimation for 2016.</div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh’s progress in reducing poverty is multidimensional — it has improved poor people’s wellbeing, including in reduced infant mortality and stunting, and improved access to electricity, sanitary toilets, and education. The rural areas witnessed faster poverty reduction than the cities and towns,” said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.</div><div><br></div><div>“Despite these gains, inequality has slightly narrowed in rural areas and widened in urban areas. The World Bank stands ready to support Bangladesh to take on urgent reforms to accelerate inclusive economic growth,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The regional report forecasts growth to slow to 5.6 percent in 2024 and 2025 in South Asia, as post-pandemic rebounds fade and a combination of monetary tightening, fiscal consolidation, and reduced global demand weigh on economic activity.</div><div><br></div><div>Growth prospects are subject to downside risks, including due to fragile fiscal positions. Government debt in South Asian countries averaged 86 percent of GDP in 2022, increasing the risks of defaults, raising borrowing costs, and diverting credit away from the private sector. The region could also be affected by a further slowdown in China’s economic growth and natural disasters made more frequent and intense by climate change.</div><div><br></div><div>“While South Asia is making steady progress, most countries in the region are not growing fast enough to reach high-income thresholds within a generation,” said Martin Raiser, World Bank Vice President for South Asia.</div><div><br></div><div>“Countries need to urgently manage fiscal risks and focus on measures to accelerate growth, including by boosting private sector investment and seizing opportunities created by the global energy transition,” the World Bank Vice President for South Asia pointed out. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 13:01:09', '2023-10-03 13:01:09'),
(9480, 9480, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Sri Lanka\'s economy is expected to grow by 1.7 percent in 2024 after contracting by 3.8 percent in 2023, the World Bank said in its twice-a-year update on Tuesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The World Bank said that the outlook is clouded with uncertainty and that growth prospects depend on progress with debt restructuring and the implementation of critical structural reforms.</div><div><br></div><div>The World Bank released on Tuesday its latest Sri Lanka Development Update, Mobilizing Tax Revenue for a Better Future, saying that improved revenue mobilization is critical to Sri Lanka\'s return to macroeconomic stability.</div><div><br></div><div>A government-led tax reform package has been under implementation since May 2022, which includes the introduction of new taxes, a wide range of adjustments to the tax rates and bases, and an intention to improve the efficiency of tax collection and increase compliance, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Sri Lanka has carried out critical reforms since the start of the economic crisis. Staying on the course of reforms while managing fiscal risks is crucial to restoring a sustainable growth path,\" said Faris H. Hadad-Zervos, World Bank country director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, reports XINHUA.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said current efforts to mobilize tax revenue should be coupled with continued reforms towards transparency of expenditures to build public confidence and to deliver better public services.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 13:36:52', '2023-10-03 13:36:52'),
(9481, 9481, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The BNP Standing Committee has urged the government to let the party’s ailing chairperson Khaleda Zia go abroad for advanced treatment as soon as possible by ensuring a senior citizen’s fundamental and constitutional rights.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Receiving proper treatment is a fundamental right of a citizen. Begum Khaleda Zia is a senior citizen of the country. The Constitution guarantees her right to life-saving treatment,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a press conference, on behalf of the BNP standing committee, at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office, he said it is tantamount to ignoring the constitution by preventing Khaleda from going abroad to get treatment for diseases that cannot be treated in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“In fact, our leader (Khaleda) is being denied the medical protection enshrined by the Constitution. It’s unfair, inhumane and unconstitutional,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said there is no scope to deprive a critically ill former prime minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, of advanced medical treatment abroad on the pretext of laws.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said the BNP chief’s treatment is impossible in the country. “The government is pushing her towards death by depriving her of medical treatment on the excuses of the law with an ulterior motive.”</div><div><br></div><div>He warned that the consequences for unjustly putting a political opponent to death can never be good. So, we again appeal to the government to allow our leader to go abroad for medical treatment as soon as possible by ensuring her basic and constitutional rights as a citizen.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Otherwise, the government will be held responsible for denying the constitutional rights of an important and popular senior citizen and for showing an illegal, inhumane and cruel attitude towards her.</div><div><br></div><div>On September 5, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia\'s brother Shamim Iskandar submitted an application to the government, seeking her unconditional release and permission to take her abroad for her treatment at an \"advanced medical centre\" on an urgent basis to save her life.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the law ministry denied her permission to go abroad for better treatment, suggesting that she must first return to jail and may apply to the court to get permission in this regard.</div><div><br></div><div>Khaleda has been undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka since August 9 as she has been suffering from various ailments, including liver cirrhosis, arthritis, diabetes, kidney, lung, heart, and eye problems.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked what BNP may do as the government has denied Khaleda permission to go abroad, Fakhrul said the doctors are trying to provide her with the best possible treatment available in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We can’t forcibly take her abroad. It is not possible for us…we believe that the government\'s fall will be ensured through the people\'s movement and then it will be possible to ensure her better treatment,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader ASM Abdur Rob, who was in jail while serving a 10-year sentence in 1979 during the rule of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, was allowed to go to Germany for treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>Similarly, he said Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim, who was sentenced to 13 years, was given scope by the 1/11 government to go abroad for treatment in 2008. “There are more such instances.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul slammed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her ‘indecent’ remarks on Khaleda in London, saying it has exposed the current government’s autocratic attitude.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I strongly condemn the statements given by the Prime Minister in London...We cannot even imagine that a responsible Prime Minister can make such indecent and ugly remarks,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the Prime Minister’s comments also demonstrated that she is the only owner of this country and she controls the judiciary. “She does not care about the law and administration and she is the order giver of all misdeeds.”</div><div><br></div><div>He bemoaned that what the Prime Minister said about the treatment of Khaleda was inhumane and vindictive.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question, Fakhrul said BNP will not join the upcoming election keeping Sheikh Hasina in power and leaving Khaleda in the lurch. “It is our clear stance. I’ve repeated it again.\"</div><div><br></div><div>BNP standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan and vice chairman Barkatullah Bulu 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, '2023-10-03 14:36:48', '2023-10-03 14:36:48'),
(9482, 9482, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to focus on film study with new superstar teammate Damian Lillard so they will have chemistry before ever taking the court together for the Milwaukee Bucks.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Even as Lillard was declaring it was the right moment for him to arrive on an NBA title contender after last week\'s trade from Portland, two-time Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo was working to maximize them as a deadly combination.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Having a guy like Dame on the team, it\'s unbelievable,\" Antetokounmpo said Monday. \"Plays at a high level, built from the same cloth, wants to win. He\'s extremely hungry.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The 28-year-old Greek center led the Bucks to their first title in 50 years in 2021 and with 33-year-old guard Lillard adding a talented pick and roll partner and outside shooting threat, a second crown in four seasons isn\'t out of reach.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We\'ve got to watch film together because we have to expedite our chemistry,\" Antetokounmpo said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We cannot just wait to play in training camp and first pre-season game and figure things out. We\'ve got to get in the film room and try to track with one another, see how can we click, how can our games come together.</div><div><br></div><div>\"At the end of the day I know we\'re both willing to be ourselves and let the other guy be himself because I need Dame to be Dame and I think he needs me to be me.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Oddsmakers like the combination, moving the Bucks to the most fancied of NBA title contenders for the campaign just over three weeks away.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I believe, and people believe, we\'re one of the best teams in the East,\" Antetokounmpo said. \"It\'s not about what we believe or what people believe. It\'s about what we do.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Lillard likes Milwaukee, from the reception he received at a rally to welcome him Saturday to the inner workings a team that has won a title, a feat he has never achieved.</div><div><br></div><div>\"In this moment, this is what it\'s supposed to be. I\'m supposed to be here. I\'m excited for what\'s to come,\" Lillard said. \"I wouldn\'t do anything differently. I\'m here at the time I\'m supposed to be here and I\'m excited for this moment.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Lillard, a seven-time All-Star with the Trail Blazers who helped the US team win Tokyo Olympic gold, says tribulations over 11 NBA seasons all spent in Portland made him ready for this chance.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I\'m ultimately prepared for this time. I\'ve had success and failure, good and bad moments. I\'ve had enough experiences to shape me to be ready for this now to where I can handle it,\" Lillard said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Mentally and as far as where my game is, I\'m prepared for it.\"</div><div><br></div><div>- \'Boost of energy\' -</div><div><br></div><div>Lillard was ready for a change and a next step in his evolution as a player.</div><div><br></div><div>\"They want to win equally as bad as I do. I couldn\'t be more excited, I couldn\'t be more thankful for this opportunity, to play alongside the best player in the league. It\'s going to be fun,\" Lillard said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"To walk in with something like that (rally) was special. It was a great welcoming and it\'s something I really appreciated. It has only made me more excited to be here, more excited to get to work.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Lillard called his new club \"a boost of energy and focus and excitement.\"</div><div><br></div><div>\"You make your way around and you start to see the level of the organization,\" he said. \"They won a championship so it\'s the standard.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I\'ve been striving for that. That\'s something I\'ve been wanting to get closer to, so to walk into that type of environment and complement that environment so well, for it to be a humble environment, small market similar to what I\'ve been in, it feels safe.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Watching others win titles pushed Lillard to escape the familiar.</div><div><br></div><div>\"How much I wanted to opportunity to win just became more powerful than me worrying about other things,\" he said. \"I want to win and the way it affects me, when I watch other people win, I was like, I just have to have the opportunity to do it.\" According to AFP reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 15:05:32', '2023-10-03 15:05:32'),
(9483, 9483, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reiterated her call to the expatriate Bangladeshis to work for brightening the country’s image abroad.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“I would like to call upon all of you to brighten the image of the country,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while leaders of the UK Awami League along with its front and associate bodies met her in her place of residence here.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also the chief of ruling Awami League, regretted that a group of people living abroad are making slander deliberately against the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“Some people, who have left the country after committing various crimes or misdeeds or corruption as well as lost jobs due to illegal acts are spreading slanders against the country deliberately,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She observed that they don\'t see any good and development works (of the government) rather always find faults.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Issuing directives to her party members to get involved with the activities in digital and social platforms to tackle this despicable propaganda, the prime minister laid emphasis on the necessity to carry out publicity of the development works of the government by the AL along with its front and associate bodies before the people.</div><div><br></div><div>Asking the critics (of the government and its development works) to travel all over Bangladesh, the premier said that there is no complaints heard in the rural Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“I can claim that living standard of the rural people in Bangladesh has been upgraded, and if AL remains power, we will do all other remaining necessary works for their developed life,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that poverty in Bangladesh has been brought down to 18 percent from 41 percent, while extreme poverty reduced to only 5 percent and unemployment rate now stood at only 3 percent due to different initiatives of the Awami League government.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said after the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, they started the movement of restoring democracy in Bangladesh from London in 1980, as Ziaur Rahman and other military dictators grabbed power illegally.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that Bangladesh has been witnessing a stable democratic journey till now in 2023 as AL formed government in 2009 after winning 2008 election.</div><div><br></div><div>“The country has witnessed this unprecedented development due to establishment of the democracy,” she said, adding, “We’re pulling the country ahead overcoming various difficulties- both local and global such as arson terrorism inside the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also elder daughter of Bangabandhu, said that “My father has brought the independence of the country and this independence can’t be failed. The benefits of this independence have to be reached to all people of the country, and my struggle is for this.”</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister listened to the leaders of AL along with its front and associate bodies. They said Bangladesh will march ahead towards implementing Sonar Bangla envisioned by Father of the Nation under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>Leaders from AL, Chhatra League, Jubo League, Mohila League, Swechhasebak League and other associate bodies demanded unanimously to the AL President and Prime Minister to strengthen their organisation through holding conference and forming new committees.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also spoke. Bangladesh High Commissioner in London Saida Muna Tasneem was on the dais. AL leaders from different European countries were also present. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 15:49:22', '2023-10-03 15:49:22'),
(9484, 9484, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader today reiterated that the next general elections would be held in a free and fair manner.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"There will be free and fair elections. The country\'s people don\'t care about sanction and visa policy,\" he told a rally here.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka District unit of the AL arranged the peace and development rally at Aminbazar.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking as the chief guest, Quader said: \"We are all right. We want peaceful elections....the days of intimidation are over now\".</div><div><br></div><div>He said BNP Secretary General Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has already softened his voice. If BNP somehow assumes the state power, it will establish the reign of looting and graft again, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The AL general secretary said BNP will destroy the country\'s democracy and power sector if it comes to power.</div><div><br></div><div>\"They (BNP) will destroy the spirit of liberation war and will once again make Bangladesh the world champion in corruption if they come to power,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader said BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman had given undertaking that he would not do politics.</div><div><br></div><div>Terming Tarique a coward, the AL general secretary asked him to come to Bangladesh if he has the courage.</div><div><br></div><div>AL presidium members Qamrul Islam and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, AL joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and organising secretary Mirza Azam also spoke.</div><div><br></div><div>State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Enamur Rahman, Dhaka District AL president Benazir Ahmed, MP, and its general secretary Paniruzzaman Tarun were, among others, present at the rally. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-03 15:59:18', '2023-10-03 15:59:18');

INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(9495, 9495, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">With war in Ukraine, coups in Africa and flaring geopolitical tensions, who in our \"dysfunctional\" global family, to use the words of the UN secretary general, could win this year\'s Nobel Peace Prize?</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The much-anticipated prize, the highlight of the Nobel season, will be announced on Friday in Oslo.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the bleak state of world affairs has made it unusually difficult to speculate on possible contenders this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The sad truth is that not a lot of peace is being made in the world in 2023,\" Dan Smith, the head of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), told AFP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"There are now almost twice as many wars as there were in 2010, for example.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"So I don\'t think there is a peacemaker to be found for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the prize went to a symbolic trio -- Russian human rights group Memorial, Ukraine\'s Center for Civil Liberties and jailed Belarusian rights advocate Ales Bialiatski.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">All three represent the nations at the centre of the war in Ukraine, which they oppose.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After honouring another Kremlin critic the previous year -- Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, who shared the prize with his Philippine colleague Maria Ressa -- the Nobel committee could decide to turn its spotlight on another geographical region.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some experts point to the Iranian women demonstrating their anger -- some dropping their hijabs -- over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in Tehran a year ago.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Or those fighting for women\'s rights, in particular education, in countries where these are being trampled.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The head of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, Henrik Urdal, said he would like to see the prize awarded jointly to jailed Iranian women\'s rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi and her Afghan counterpart Mahbouba Seraj.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Both are fighting for women\'s \"access to politics and access to society\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Urdal\'s colleague at SIPRI, Dan Smith, said he wanted to see the prize highlight the climate emergency.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He suggested it could go jointly to the Fridays for Future movement, founded by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and to Brazilian tribal chief Raoni Metuktire, who campaigns against deforestation and for Indigenous rights.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- No winner? -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Others, discouraged by the current geopolitical situation, think the Nobel Committee should not award the prize at all this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the committee is not fond of the idea -- the last time it happened was in 1972 -- and would consider it an admission of failure, especially given the large number (351) of nominations this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The list is sealed for 50 years, making the guessing game even more tricky.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thousands of people worldwide are eligible to nominate candidates before the January 31 deadline, including members of parliament and cabinet ministers of all countries, former laureates and some university professors.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The five Nobel Committee members can also submit nominations at their first meeting of the year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among other possible contenders mentioned are the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, or courts like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A choice that is likely to call attention to the issue of war crimes in Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is the favourite on betting sites but experts say it is unlikely the Nobel would be awarded to the leader of a country at war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nobel historian Asle Sveen has meanwhile suggested the laurels could go to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who last month lamented that the \"global family\" was \"a rather dysfunctional one\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sveen said that awarding him the prize would be a welcome boost for multilateralism, peace efforts, human rights, and climate and environment work, at a time when all of these causes are struggling to make progress.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Nobel Committee in Oslo will announce its pick on Friday at 11:00 am (0900 GMT). 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, '2023-10-04 05:34:07', '2023-10-04 05:34:07'),
(9496, 9496, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Canada’s House of Commons on Tuesday elected Greg Fergus as its new speaker, making the Liberal lawmaker the first Black Canadian to hold the position.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The election was triggered by the resignation of Anthony Rota, who stepped down last week after he invited — and honored — a man who fought for a Nazi military unit during World War II.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke before the Canadian parliament last month, Canadian lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as a war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Observers later began to publicize the fact that the First Ukrainian Division also was known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, or the SS 14th Waffen Division, a voluntary unit that was under the command of the Nazis. Rota later apologized saying he had not been aware of that.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fergus, 54, is a Quebec Liberal lawmaker.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Read: Despite dispute, Canada remains committed to its relationship with India: Trudeau</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After lawmakers elected him to the role through a secret ballot, he promised to lead with respect, and encouraged his fellow lawmakers to respect each other. Canadians are watching, he noted.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The speaker, to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee,” Fergus said in his first speech from the chair. “And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that nobody pays good money to go see the referee. They go to see the stars: you.” 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, '2023-10-04 05:35:55', '2023-10-04 05:35:55'),
(9497, 9497, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">United States National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, has said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and US President Joe Biden have discussed the importance of free and fair elections in Bangladesh.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">At a media briefing on October 4 at the White House, Kirby said the two leaders also talked about the importance of improving bilateral relationship across a range of issues, including climate change.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The NSC coordinator came up with the remarks when a questioner wanted to know about the current state of relationship between the US and Bangladesh, mentioning that President Biden also had a pull-aside meeting with PM Hasina in New Delhi. 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, '2023-10-04 06:32:54', '2023-10-04 06:32:54'),
(9498, 9498, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached Dhaka from London after wrapping up her 16-day official visit to the US and UK.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A commercial flight (BG-208) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the enturage of the prime minister landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:15 pm.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The flight earlier departed from London\'s Heathrow Airport around 9:10 pm (local time) on Tuesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister arrived in London from Washington DC on September 30 via a British Airways flight.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In London, from September 30 to October 3, Sheikh Hasina attended reception hosted by the Bangladeshi community and held several courtesy calls with some dignitaries, including a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) led by Rushanara Ali, MP, chair of APPG on Bangladesh and Rohingya and the UK shadow minister for investment and small business.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During her stay in New York from September 17 to 22, the premier attended the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session and other high-level side and bilateral events.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Washington DC from September 23-29, Sheikh Hasina attended a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States and visited the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC. 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, '2023-10-04 06:44:25', '2023-10-04 06:44:25'),
(9499, 9499, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is going to officially receive a fresh batch of uranium from the Russian contractor, Rosatom, at a formal “Graduation Ceremony” on Thursday (tomorrow).</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to official sources, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin are expected to virtually join the historic ceremony to mark the occasion.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sources said Director General of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, Aleksey Likhachev, will hand over the fuel officially to the project authority in Rooppur project.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman will preside over the function while Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will join the ceremony through video conference.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Md. Ail Hossain, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, said that all arrangements are ready for making the Graduation Ceremony a success.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We have made all necessary arrangements to mark the historic moment,” he told UNB.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier, the first batch of uranium, the nuclear fuel of the first unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, arrived in Bangladesh on September 28.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The consignment of uranium arrived in Dhaka from Russia through a special air cargo and it was moved to the nuclear power plant site by road under heavy security the next day.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The nuclear fuel was brought to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka by a special plane from a factory in Russia.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fuel was produced at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP) in Russia, a subsidiary of Rosatom\'s fuel manufacturing company Tevel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rosatom, as a Russian contractor, has been engaged in building the 2400 MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant with two units, each with the capacity of producing 1200 MW electricity.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The nuclear reactor of the first unit of the power plant was loaded in October 2021 while reactor for second unit was installed in October 2022.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government conceived the idea of setting up the RNPP project in 2009 and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian Federation on May 13 in 2009 on the “Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On January 15, 2013, an agreement regarding State Export Credit of US$ 500 million was signed for carrying out preparatory phase construction works of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The government signed a US$12.65 billion general contract (GC) in 2015 with the Russian Federation for building the nuclear power plant in Rooppur.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh signed a credit agreement with Russia to obtain $11.385 billion Russian credit for RNPP in July 2016. The credit covers 90 percent of the project cost.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Ministry of Science and Technology recently said that the first unit of the plant may come into operation in July 2024 and the second unit in July 2025.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, Project Director of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project Dr. M Shawkat Akbar said that the government is expecting to commission the first unit of the RNPP in September next year and second unit in mid of 2025.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Though the 1200 MW first unit of the nuclear power plant at Rooppur is expected to start production from next year, the Power Division and Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) are still in dark about the possible tariff of the electricity of the plant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to sources at the Power Division, the officials of the BPDP sat in a number of meetings with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) to discuss a possible power tariff of the plant, but they failed to get a clear picture in this regard.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BAEC has been implementing the RNPP project and the BPDB will purchase electricity from the Russian-aided plant under a long-term agreement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A top official of the BPDB, however, said that they have made a primary calculation on the basis of the data derived from the discussions with BAEC and reports in the newspaper and tariff of per unit electricity of the RNPP will be not less than Tk 10.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to some local experts\' calculation the power tariff of the RNPP project will cross $0.08 -0.10 (8-10 US cents).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the country\'s eminent power tariff experts, Mizanur Rahman, former Member of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), said the electricity tariff from the nuclear power project will be more than over $0.085 (8.5 Cents). 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, '2023-10-04 06:47:08', '2023-10-04 06:47:08'),
(9500, 9500, '<div>Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley on Wednesday said aligning labour law with international standards will be an “essential element” for the European Parliament and the Commission in considering Bangladesh’s application for market access, the GSP+.</div><div><br></div><div>“Bangladesh has the option to accede to GSP+ which is the next most generous GSP programme after the Everything but Arms (EBA),” he said while speaking at a seminar in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU ambassador said the implementation of the National Action Plan on the labour sector, which Bangladesh agreed with the EU, will be key deciding factor for GSP+.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are closely following the ongoing amendments of the Bangladesh Labour Act. We hope that the amendments will be effective with full transparency, in consultation with tripartite stakeholders, and with technical assistance from ILO,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The envoy said Bangladesh is a rising economy with a great story of economic development and social progress.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The graduation to a lower middle-income and to a developing country status are historic milestones which bring new opportunities and which call for a reinvigoration of EU-Bangladesh ties, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Ambassador Whiteley said the time is ripe for the partnership to evolve beyond current trends and to explore new areas of cooperation, from ICT to infrastructure, aviation to renewable energy, agriculture to pharmaceuticals.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the EU is keen to boost bilateral trade and investment ties, bearing in mind the sustained dynamism of the Bangladesh economy and the interest of European investors.</div><div><br></div><div>Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi attended the seminar as the chief guest while President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Md Sameer Sattar delivered welcome remarks.</div><div><br></div><div>The DCCI and European Union Delegation to Bangladesh jointly hosted the seminar, titled “Unlocking Trade and Investment for European Companies in Bangladesh.”</div><div><br></div><div>DCCI President Sameer Sattar said since Bangladesh will graduate into a developing country in 2026, Bangladesh’s exports will experience higher tariff and loss of existing international support measures which may affect entire export market and local industrial landscape linked with global value chain system.</div><div><br></div><div>In this regard, he said, Bangladesh needs to sustain the export market in its traditional and major destinations including the EU.</div><div><br></div><div>The DCCI president acknowledged the decision of GSP facility extension to Bangladesh by the EU till 2029 considering the need for Bangladesh’s smooth economic transition. UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 07:16:08', '2023-10-04 07:16:08'),
(9501, 9501, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">New Zealand\'s Tim Southee will miss the World Cup\'s opening match against holders England and potentially some of the following matches due to an injured thumb, stand-in-skipper Tom Latham said Wednesday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Black Caps will be without regular captain Kane Williamson (knee injury) and Southee (thumb injury) at the tournament\'s opening match in the world\'s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Williamson played the team\'s first warm-up purely as a batsman and then fielded as well in the second warm-up, but Southee still awaits his first outing in India.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"No Kane and no Tim as well,\" Latham told reporters ahead of the opener.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"He (Southee) is unavailable for selection. He is recovering nicely, it has been nearly two weeks post-surgery, so fingers crossed he keeps recovering.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s a bit of a day-by-day process. But fingers crossed he\'ll be available sooner rather than later as well.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Southee, who dislocated his thumb in a one-day against England more than three weeks ago, underwent surgery and said doctors had to \"chuck in some screws and a plate\" to boost his chances of playing in the 50-over showpiece event.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Southee played a key role in his team\'s runners-up finish in the 2019 edition but missed the dramatic final defeat to hosts England at Lord\'s.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">- \'We can beat anyone\' -</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Kiwis are still hunting for their first World Cup title after making eight semi-final appearances in 12 editions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">They come into the tournament as the underdogs, with most pundits handing the favourites tag to either India or England.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We are not focused on what people are predicting; from our point of view we are solely focused on what we have to do,\" said Latham.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If we can play our brand of cricket in these conditions -- which is pretty different to the last two ODI World Cups, in Australia and England.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He added: \"If we play to the best of our ability then we are hard to beat on the day.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">New Zealand come in fresh from a 2-0 win over hosts Bangladesh, but lost a four-match ODI series 3-1 to England last month.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"I don\'t think it has any bearing on the next game,\" said Latham.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It\'s about turning up on that particular day and trying to play your best brand of cricket. If we play to the best of our ability then we can beat anyone in the world. Conditions are totally different to what we played in England.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Latham said the team is \"excited\" to open the World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which has a capacity of 132,000. 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, '2023-10-04 07:19:27', '2023-10-04 07:19:27'),
(9502, 9502, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The government has declared December 30 as ‘NRB Day’ to resolve issues affecting non-resident Bangladeshis and encourage their contributions to the country, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said in London.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">“The main objective of the day is to enhance the engagement of more than one crore expatriate Bangladeshis around the world,” he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Also read: Momen urges Bangladeshi diaspora to counter misinformation and propaganda with facts</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“To that end, including the Bangladesh High Commission in London, the missions have been directed to celebrate the upcoming ‘NRB Day’ in a grand manner,” said the foreign minister, adding that “expatriates are the biggest contributors to foreign currency of our country.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The country can benefit from increased connectivity with our expatriate professionals who are highly skilled in different fields, working in different countries of the world,” he also said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Momen, who was accompanying the prime minister at the Taj Hotel in London on Tuesday afternoon, recalled the sincere efforts of the British Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BBCCI) regarding ‘NRB Day’ and said, “At the closing ceremony of the historic NRB World Convention in Sylhet in 2017, I myself announced the date to celebrate the day in a private way.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The minister also suggested the Mayor of Sylhet, Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, to organise a three-day festival on the occasion of NRB Day on December 30 and the mayor agreed to it.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem, Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, BBCCI President Saidur Rahman Renu, and former president Shahgir Bakht Faruk were present at the meeting, among others. 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, '2023-10-04 08:17:28', '2023-10-04 08:17:28'),
(9503, 9503, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Ottawa believes in having a “strong diplomatic footprint” in India, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated that Ottawa is not aiming to “escalate” tensions with India. His government has stated that “private” conversations are being held in order to preserve a “strong diplomatic footprint” in India, reports NDTV.</div><div><br></div><div>Trudeau addressed the media after the Financial Times reported that India wants 41 of the 62 Canadian diplomats out of the country after Trudeau alleged that the Indian government was involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>According to CBC News, in response to a question on whether Canada will request India to remove diplomats, he stated, “We’re not looking to escalate, as I’ve said, we’re going to be doing the work that matters in continuing to have constructive relations with India through this extremely difficult time.”</div><div><br></div><div>In a similar vein, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated that Ottawa believes in establishing a “strong diplomatic footprint” in India. “We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats’ safety very seriously, and we will continue to engage privately because we think that diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private,” she was quoted as saying by Global News, the report said.</div><div><br></div><div>“In moments of tensions – because indeed there are tensions between both our governments more than ever – it’s important that diplomats be on the ground, and that’s why we believe in the importance of having a strong diplomatic footprint in India,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist leader involved with the Khalistan movement, was killed by masked gunmen in British Columbia in June. The Indian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act labelled the 45-year-old as a “terrorist,” the NDTV report said.</div><div><br></div><div>Trudeau accused India of being involved in Nijjar’s death a few weeks ago. “Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” he said, adding, “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”</div><div><br></div><div>This sparked a diplomatic uproar. The claims were described as “absurd” and “motivated” by India. Following this, both Canada and India removed top ambassadors and issued travel cautions. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 10:23:48', '2023-10-04 10:23:48'),
(9504, 9504, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said Bangladesh and the United States are on the same page regarding “free and fair” elections in Bangladesh.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“We made it clear that we want free and fair elections. The US also wants free and fair elections and they will play a supportive role to that end. And the US is not with those who will not take part in the elections,” he told reporters while responding to a question.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister, who returned home from the US and UK, said foreigners keep coming and are having more interactions than before as Bangladesh’s image and dignity boosted.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said many countries including the USA, France, UK and other countries from Europe come here to sell their own things.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked about the US visa policy, Momen said Bangladesh also has a visa policy like the US and there is nothing to worry about.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said Bangladesh will also impose sanctions on those who will impose sanctions on Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh has multifaceted relations with the US and the two countries routinely discuss issues like climate change, regulated migration, Rohingya crisis and security issues.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Bangladesh puts emphasis on multilateralism for a better world.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said Bangladesh Awami League established democracy in the country while Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strengthened it, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“PM Hasina has the courage and she has the confidence,” he said, adding that if people cast their votes that will be considered as participatory elections.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 13:06:54', '2023-10-04 13:06:54'),
(9505, 9505, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>TikTok said it will halt its online retail operation in Indonesia on Wednesday to comply with the country’s decision to ban e-commerce transactions on social media platforms — a big blow to the video platform\'s fastest-growing market.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Indonesian government announced the new regulation, which prohibits social media companies from facilitating sales of products on their platforms, on Sept. 28 in a bid to protect small businesses from e-commerce competition, accusing the popular apps and websites of predatory pricing.</div><div><br></div><div>The Chinese-owned video sharing app said in a statement it will stop facilitating e-commerce sales in TikTok Shop Indonesia by 5 p.m. Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our priority is to remain compliant with local laws and regulations,” said the statement released Tuesday on its website.</div><div><br></div><div>Indonesia’s Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the ban aims to “prevent the domination of the algorithm and prevent the use of personal data in business interests\" and \"create a fair, healthy and beneficial electronic commerce ecosystem,” according to a statement released by the Trade Ministry when the ban was announced. It said marketplaces and sellers can only offer or promote goods and services.</div><div><br></div><div>A week before the ban was announced, Southeast Asia’s largest wholesale market, Tanah Abang, came under inspection. Sellers at the market in the capital, Jakarta, were experiencing a more than 50% loss of profits because they could not compete with imported products sold online at much lower prices, according to Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki.</div><div><br></div><div>He said TikTok was involved in predatory pricing that caused damages to local small- and medium-sized businesses, and that the new regulation “will justly regulate fair trade online and offline.”</div><div><br></div><div>Days after the ban was announced, TikTok Indonesia said it regretted the government’s decision — particularly the impact it would have on the millions of sellers who use TikTok Shop. But the company said it will respect the regulations and “will take a constructive path forward.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Southeast Asia, a region home to more than 675 million people, is one of TikTok’s biggest markets in terms of user numbers, generating more than 325 million visitors to the app every month.</div><div><br></div><div>TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, is also facing scrutiny from some governments and regulators because of concerns that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests. Countries including the United States, Britain and New Zealand have banned the app on government phones, despite TikTok repeatedly denying that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and would not do so if asked. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 13:43:11', '2023-10-04 13:43:11'),
(9506, 9506, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today returned home from London after wrapping up her 16-day official visit to the USA and the UK.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A commercial flight (BG-208) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:15 pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, on her way back home from London, the prime minister roamed every nook and corner of the flight, exchanged pleasantries with the passengers and also took pictures with them.</div><div><br></div><div>She spent some good moments with the passengers as some returnees were seen becoming emotional by getting their premier beside them and took selfies with her.</div><div><br></div><div>Several women passengers were also seen hugging the prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>The flight previously departed from the London Heathrow Airport around 09:10 pm (London time) on October 3.</div><div><br></div><div>Before that, the prime minister reached London, the capital city of the United Kingdom from Washington DC, on September 30 by a British Airways aircraft.</div><div><br></div><div>In London from September 30 to October 3, Sheikh Hasina was accorded a reception by the expatriate Bangladeshi community.</div><div><br></div><div>She also had several courtesy meetings with some dignitaries including a delegation of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) led by Rushanara Ali, MP, chair of APPG on Bangladesh and Rohingya and the UK shadow minister for investment and small business.</div><div><br></div><div>During her stay in New York from September 17-22, the premier attended the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session and other high-level side and bilateral events.</div><div><br></div><div>In Washington DC from September 23-29, Sheikh Hasina attended a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States and visited Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 14:37:51', '2023-10-04 14:37:51'),
(9507, 9507, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Former Chief Economist of the World Bank\'s Dhaka office Zahid Hussain said on Wednesday that the actual calculation of foreign exchange entering into the country and leaving does not match.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>He said that the reserves are decreasing due to a deficit in the balance of payments or transaction balance. The net reserves of foreign exchange as per BPM-6 is below $18 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>Zahid gave this information while speaking at the annual conference of the International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB) held in a city hotel on Wednesday. Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pranay K. Verma, was the chief guest at the event.</div><div><br></div><div>He pointed out that one of the reasons for the overall macroeconomic instability of the country is external. The major aspect of this external factor is the price of the dollar.</div><div><br></div><div>The exchange rate of the US dollar was remained below Tk100 in 2021. But in September 2022 it went above Tk100. It is still above Tk110 even though it has decreased a bit now.</div><div><br></div><div>Zahid complained that the account of how much foreign currency is entering the country and how much currency is going outside does not match with the reserve.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that usually this calculation is sometimes positive and sometimes negative. But recently it is seen in case of Bangladesh, this account has been negative for quite some time, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This means that something is happening beyond our knowledge,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 14:43:34', '2023-10-04 14:43:34'),
(9508, 9508, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said Begum Khaleda Zia is a convicted accused and she is supposed to be in jail, not outside.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Prime Minister has shown her unprecedented generosity to Begum Zia giving her release from jail. Family members and even the BNP leaders can meet with her regularly, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Hasan said this while replying to a query of the reporters after a meeting in the ministry with the leaders of Confederation of Film, TV and Digital Media Professionals.</div><div><br></div><div>“If the Prime Minister withdraws her order of allowing Khaleda Zia to stay outside the jail then BNP leaders would realize how much generosity Sheikh Hasina has shown to Begum Zia,” Dr Hasan said.</div><div><br></div><div>President of the confederation Sadek Siddiqque, general secretary Zafar Apu and leaders Iftekhar Ali and Salam Chowdhury, among others, were present.</div><div><br></div><div>The information minister said Begum Khaleda Zia certainly would not have shown the greatness if she was in power. Even, Khaleda Zia didn’t meet Sheikh Hasina when the Prime Minister visited her house to console her at her son\'s death.</div><div><br></div><div>In a mockery Begum Zia celebrates her fake birthday on the martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu on August 15 by cutting cake, he said adding that Begum Zia also showed her utter ridicules after grenade attacks in 2004.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to another query over anti-state propaganda, Hasan Mahmud said BNP’s paid agents are spreading rumours abroad. They were spread rumour that there were no money in the country’s banks, he said adding, for this, many common people have withdrawn their savings from the banks.</div><div><br></div><div>In fact, he said, those rumours are against the state, not against the government. BNP and their paid agents are spreading the rumours, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>He said there is no benefit of spreading rumours as the government is working in controlling the rumours.</div><div><br></div><div>Pointing out recent inter conflict between two rival grops pf BNP the minister said such incidents have taken place in different places across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Dr Hasan said, the government is ensuring their security in the rallies of BNP where they are demanding fall of the government. Even, they are carrying out attacks on police and innocent people, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sadek Siddique said conspiracy is being carried out against the country. A vested group is trying to frustrate democracy, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Urging all to remain alert against the conspiracy, he said the confederation would play role to continue the country’s progress under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, Sadek handed over a letter containing nine-point demand to the information minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Hasan gave assurance to fulfill most of their demands. According to BSS reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 16:30:38', '2023-10-04 16:30:38'),
(9509, 9509, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is reviewing Bangladesh’s economic update including foreign exchange reserves before releasing the second installment of $4.70 billion loan.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>One of the conditions of the IMF loan was that there should be real (net) foreign exchange reserves of $24.46 billion as of last June.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the conditions, Bangladesh Bank (BB) could not keep that amount of foreign exchange reserves.</div><div><br></div><div>The visiting IMF delegation held a meeting with the Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday (October 4).</div><div><br></div><div>The central bank’s progress, success, and failure in fulfilling various conditions came up in the discussion. The failure to meet the conditions of the reserve was also informed in the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>The IMF will hold several meetings with different ministries, institutions, and business groups. Financial sector stability, banking sector reforms, liquidity management, dollar market rate transactions, revenue management modernisation, expendable reserve calculation method, interest rate, and monetary policy implementation would be discussed.</div><div><br></div><div>The BB in the meeting informed the IMF that most of the conditions related to the central bank have been fulfilled.</div><div><br></div><div>Central bank’s Executive Director and spokesperson Mezbaul Haque told reporters on Wednesday, “The IMF gave us some conditions while approving the loan, some of these have been fulfilled.\"</div><div><br></div><div>There are two failures--reserves slide a little and the revenue collection is low. But many other areas have been implemented successfully, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The central bank revealed the financial stability report of the banks as per conditions. Reserves are being calculated as per BPM-6. A market-fixed exchange rate of the currency was also introduced. New rules of interest have been introduced, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“I have mentioned the conditions given by the IMF which have been achieved and those which have not been achieved. It has also been informed why it did not happen,” added Mezbaul.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-04 16:39:32', '2023-10-04 16:39:32');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(9510, 9510, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Italian authorities are still trying to identify all of the 21 victims of Tuesday\'s deadly bus crash in Venice.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The electric bus crashed through a bridge barrier, and plunged almost 15m (50ft) in the mainland borough of Mestre, before bursting into flames.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DNA samples are being used to confirm the identities of those who were not carrying personal documents, prosecutor Bruno Cherchi said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Three children including a baby were among the dead, according to officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The bus was carrying 39 tourists from the centre of Venice to a campsite. On Wednesday evening, relatives began arriving in Italy from other countries to identify the dead.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said a huge tragedy had taken place. \"An apocalyptic scene, there are no words,\" he said on social media.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">CCTV footage showed the vehicle driving past another bus before toppling off the carriageway.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">One rescuer spoke of a \"tragedy of young people, if not very young people, except for a few adults\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nine Ukrainians, three Germans, four Romanians, two Portuguese, a South African national and the Italian driver were among those killed, a spokesperson for Venice\'s mayor said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fifteen people are known to have been injured, five of them seriously - including Ukrainians, Austrians, Spaniards and other foreign tourists, according to officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the injured were two 16-year-olds and two younger children, the local governor said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Two German brothers, aged seven and 13, were being treated for broken bones in hospital in nearby Treviso. Their parents were killed in the accident and the boys were being given counselling.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A young Croatian woman who was on her honeymoon also died, Ansa news agency reported. Her husband of about three weeks was sent to hospital.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some survivors in the Angelo di Mestre hospital were asking for their loved ones, said the head of medicine, Chiara Berti. \"There were entire families, grandparents, grandchildren, spouses.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Venice prosecutor Bruno Cherchi said only three or four survivors had so far been able to talk to investigators by Wednesday afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The city\'s authorities have declared three days of mourning after the tragedy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The bus crashed at around 19:45 (17:45 GMT) on Tuesday. It had apparently been rented by a local company to pick up tourists from the historic centre of Venice and take them to a campsite in the nearby Marghera district, on the mainland.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Witnesses saw the bus scraping along the guard-rail on the flyover for 50m, before tumbling to the ground, the prosecutor added. 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, '2023-10-05 01:53:56', '2023-10-05 01:53:56'),
(9511, 9511, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">When Taiwan raised the alarm last month over a record number of Chinese fighter jets crossing the unofficial border between them, Beijing said that line did not exist.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 103 fighter jets that China flew near Taiwan - 40 of which entered the island\'s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) - were yet another escalation in Chinese war games.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Beijing, which has long claimed Taiwan, has in the past year repeatedly rehearsed encircling the self-ruled island with fighter jets and navy ships. The military drills have taken an especially menacing turn in light of China\'s vows to \"reunite\" with Taiwan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, the manoeuvres have fallen short of an invasion and stayed within a grey zone, which is military speak for tactics that fall between war and peace.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But Taiwan is now a tinderbox in what has become a volatile US-China relationship - and analysts say grey zone tactics are part of Beijing\'s strategy to control Taipei without firing a single shot.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">What is China trying to achieve?</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Grey zone warfare tactics are aimed at weakening an adversary over a prolonged period - and that is exactly what China is trying to do with Taiwan, observers say.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By regularly crossing Taiwan\'s ADIZ, Beijing is testing how far Taipei will go to reinforce it, says Alessio Patalano, a professor of war and strategy in East Asia at King\'s College in London.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ADIZ is self-declared and technically counts as international airspace, but governments use it to monitor foreign aircraft.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Taiwan has routinely scrambled fighter jets to warn off Chinese aircraft in its ADIZ - a response that can strain Taiwan\'s resources in the long run, Prof Patalano said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">But that\'s not the only goal - or benefit. For one, the drills allow China to test its own capabilities such as force co-ordination and surveillance, according to analysts. And two they fit China\'s pattern of normalising increasing levels of military pressure on Taiwan to test the latter\'s defences and international support for the island.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"This normalisation may one day serve to mask the first moves of a real attack, making it difficult for Taiwan and [its chief ally] the United States to prepare accordingly,\" said David Gitter, a non-resident fellow at the US-based National Bureau of Asian Research.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Beijing\'s moves also reset the baseline to deny Taiwan\'s assertion that it has a border with China in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water that lies between the island and the Chinese mainland.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said \"there is no so-called median line\" in the strait when asked about Taiwan\'s reaction to the September drills.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"It also serves to numb Taiwan\'s public to the threat posed by such a force, which may undermine political support for a more dedicated Taiwanese military preparation for the possibility of war,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most analysts agree that Taiwan\'s military - a shrunken army, outnumbered navy and old artillery - would be no match against a far more powerful China. Many Taiwanese seem to agree as well, judging by a survey last year by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation which found that a little over half of them think China will win if it goes to war - only a third believe Taiwan will win.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">And yet appetite for a larger defence budget appears to be weak. Nearly half of Taiwanese people think the current spend is sufficient while a third think it\'s already too much, according to a recent survey by the University of Nottingham. 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, '2023-10-05 01:58:12', '2023-10-05 01:58:12'),
(9512, 9512, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The UK government on Wednesday warned that Russia could target civilian shipping in the Black Sea by laying sea mines on the approaches to Ukrainian ports and then blaming Ukraine.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">London last month said that Russian forces targeted a civilian cargo ship in the region with \"multiple missiles\" but they were successfully intercepted by air defences.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Citing declassified intelligence, it said there was a risk of attack to cargo ships travelling through Ukraine\'s \"humanitarian corridor\" to deter Ukrainian grain exports.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Russia\'s pernicious targeting of civilian shipping in the Black Sea demonstrates Putin\'s total disregard for civilian lives and the needs of the world\'s most vulnerable,\" said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The world is watching -- and we see right through Russia\'s cynical attempts to lay blame on Ukraine for their attacks.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cleverly\'s department said by releasing its assessment of intelligence reports, \"the UK seeks to expose Russia\'s tactics to deter any such incident from occurring\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since then, Russian attacks have damaged 130 port infrastructure facilities and destroyed nearly 300,000 tonnes of grain -- enough to feed more than one million people for a year, the UK said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reaffirmed UK backing for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky, urging wavering Western allies to maintain weapons supplies.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"If we give President Zelensky the tools, the Ukrainians will finish the job,\" he told his ruling Conservative party\'s annual conference in Manchester, northwest England. 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, '2023-10-05 03:31:41', '2023-10-05 03:31:41'),
(9513, 9513, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Typhoon Koinu grazed the southern&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">edge of Taiwan on Thursday, blanketing the region in torrential rain and&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">bringing record-breaking winds of more than 340 kilometres an hour to an&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">outlying island.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The eastern volcanic islet of Orchid Island -- mostly home to fishermen and&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">farmers -- saw gusts equivalent to 342.72 kilometres (212 miles) per hour&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">overnight as Koinu moved west towards Taiwan\'s southern tip, according to the&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Central Weather Administration.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"The maximum wind gusts of 95.2 metres per second measured in Orchid Island&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">last night is a new record in Taiwan,\" the forecaster told AFP.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Koinu was initially expected to hit the island\'s southern tip directly, but&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">\"its course has veered further south\", the forecaster said, adding that the&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">storm could move out to sea.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Experts say climate change has made the paths of tropical storms harder to&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">forecast while increasing their intensity -- leading to heavy rains, flash&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">floods and strong gales.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Taiwan experiences frequent tropical storms from May to November, and on&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Thursday it had closed schools and offices in anticipation of Koinu\'s impact.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">More than 200 international and domestic flights were cancelled, while nearly&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">3,000 people in mountainous regions were evacuated as a precaution.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Residents living in the southern county of Taitung had stocked up on food&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">ahead of the typhoon.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">\"We live in the mountains and have to drive some distance to come here.&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">That\'s why we thought we better stock up just in case,\" 26-year-old Meng Xin&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">told AFP.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Streets were deserted on Thursday as rains drenched the region, with strong&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">winds knocking over street signs and tearing off metal roofing.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">A 7-11 convenience store had taped up its glass windows and doors to prevent&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">breakage.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Koinu comes about a month after Taiwan saw a direct hit by Typhoon Haiku --&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">the first in four years -- which forced nearly 8,000 people to evacuate from&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">their homes.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">It is expected to weaken as it moves towards the coastal waters of China\'s&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">eastern Guangdong province.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Chinese territory -- which last month was skirted by a typhoon before&nbsp;<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">being flooded by the heaviest rainfall in 140 years days later -- issued its&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">lowest typhoon signal last night. AFP</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-05 03:40:44', '2023-10-05 03:40:44'),
(9514, 9514, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Joe Biden\'s dog Commander has been removed from the White House, a spokeswoman said Wednesday, after it bit a number of staff members.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The Bidens have sent the two-year-old German Shepherd to an unknown location while they look at \"next steps\" for the presidential pooch.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The announcement came after CNN and Axios reported that Commander, who arrived at the White House as a cute pup in 2021, had been involved in more biting incidents than previously known.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Secret Service had acknowledged that 11 of its agents had been nipped, but CNN said the actual number was higher and that the dog had bitten other</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">White House workers too.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The President and First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day,\" Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for Biden\'s wife Jill, said in a</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"They remain grateful for the patience and support of the US Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There were no further details of Commander\'s location, or whether the move was permanent.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The last time Commander was seen at the White House was on September 30, when photographers spotted him on the Truman balcony of the president\'s private quarters.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Bidens have previously blamed the \"stressful\" environment at the White House for the rambunctious behavior of their pets.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Commander is the second of the Biden\'s dogs to be sent away from the White House for biting, after another German Shepherd, Major, was dispatched to live with family friends in Delaware.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Bidens\' beloved dog Champ died in 2021 at the age of 13.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The First Family introduced Commander amid great fanfare in December 2021, with Biden tweeting \"Welcome to the White House\" along with a photo of the puppy running with a tennis ball in his mouth. 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, '2023-10-05 03:44:36', '2023-10-05 03:44:36'),
(9515, 9515, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Turkish warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes against Kurdish militant targets in Iraq on Wednesday hours after the foreign minister warned that Turkey would hit the militant group\'s positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a suicide bombing in Ankara earlier this week.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, claimed responsibility for Sunday\'s attack outside the Interior Ministry in Ankara in which one attacker blew himself up and another would-be bomber was killed in a shootout with police. Two police were wounded in the attack.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Turkish jets targeted 22 suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday, destroying caves, shelters and depots used by the militants, the Turkish defense ministry said. The PKK maintains bases in the region, where its leadership has a foothold.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">It was the Turkish air force\'s third airstrike against suspected Kurdish militant sites in northern Iraq following the attack, which came as parliament prepared to reopen after a long summer recess. Meanwhile, dozens of people suspected of links to the PKK have been detained in a series of raids across Turkey.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ankara said a large number of PKK militants were “neutralized” in the strikes.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There was no immediate comment from Kurdish officials in Iraq.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference that Turkish intelligence officials have established that the two assailants arrived from Syria, where they had been trained. He said Turkey would now target facilities in Syria and Iraq belonging to the PKK, or its affiliated Kurdish militia group in Syria, which is known as People\'s Defense Units, or YPG.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“From now on, all infrastructure, superstructure and energy facilities belonging to the PKK or the YPG in Iraq and Syria are legitimate targets of our security forces, armed forces and intelligence elements,” Fidan said. “Our armed forces’ response to this terrorist attack will be extremely clear and they will regret committing such an act.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A Syrian Kurdish commander denied on Wednesday that the Ankara attackers were trained in Syria or crossed into Turkey from Syria.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Force that controls large parts of northeastern Syria tweeted that those who carried out the attack in Ankara “did not pass through our territories.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Syrian Kurdish-led force is a coalition of several factions, including the YPG.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We are not a side in the internal conflict in Turkey,” Abdi wrote. He added that Turkey is looking “for a pretext to legitimatize its continuous attacks on our region and to launch a new aggression and this is raising our concerns.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Abdi, who is wanted by Turkey on terrorism charges, said that targeting the infrastructure and economic targets in northeast Syria and cities “is considered a war crime.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fidan later joined a previously unannounced security meeting with Turkey\'s interior minister, defense minister, top military commander and intelligence chief, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi was scheduled to visit Turkey on Thursday, the agency also reported.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PKK has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkey and is considered a terror organization by the United States and the European Union. Tens of thousands of people have died since the start of the conflict in 1984.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Turkish intelligence agents killed a wanted Kurdish militant in an operation in Syria, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The militant, identified as Nabo Kele Hayri, who also went by Mazlum Afrin, was wanted for his alleged role in planning an attack last year on Istanbul’s main pedestrian street, Istiklal. The attack killed six people. AP/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', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-05 03:47:32', '2023-10-05 03:47:32'),
(9516, 9516, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dhaka\'s air quality was categorised as ‘moderate’ for the third consecutive day 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 87 at 9 am, Dhaka ranked 17th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. Dhaka’s AQI scores were 90 and 84 on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan’s Lahore, United Arab Emirates’ Dubai and India’s Delhi occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 186, 168 and 164, respectively.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be \'very unhealthy\', while a reading of 301+ is considered \'hazardous\', posing serious health risks to residents.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and Ozone.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-05 04:26:40', '2023-10-05 04:26:40'),
(9517, 9517, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia has long turned to Iranian-made drones to attack Ukraine. Now Ukrainian forces will be using bullets seized from Iran against Russia troops.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A U.S. Navy ship seized the 1.1 million rounds off of a vessel that was being used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to arm Houthi rebels in Yemen’s civil war in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Those 7.62 mm rounds have now been transferred to Ukraine, U.S. Central Command said Wednesday. The much-needed ammunition has been sent at a time when continued U.S. financial support for Kyiv’s fight to defend itself remains in question.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 7.62 mm ammunition is the standard round for Soviet-era Kalashnikov assault rifles and their many derivatives. Ukraine, as a former Soviet republic, still relies on the Kalashnikov for many of its units.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“With this weapons transfer, the Justice Department’s forfeiture actions against one authoritarian regime are now directly supporting the Ukrainian people’s fight against another authoritarian regime. We will continue to use every legal authority at our disposal to support Ukraine in their fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet and its allies have intercepted numerous ships believed to be transporting weapons and ammunition from Iran to Yemen in support of the Iranian-backed Houthis. This is the first time that the seized weaponry has been handed over to Ukraine, Central Command spokeswoman Capt. Abigail Hammock said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">This shipment was seized by Central Command naval forces in December off of a vessel the command described as a “stateless dhow,\" a traditional wooden sailing ship, that was being used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to arm the Houthis.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A fragile cease-fire is in place in Yemen after the almost decadelong war, but Iran has continued to supply the Houthis with lethal aid, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central, told reporters on Wednesday. He said this was a major threat to Yemen finding a durable peace.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">U.S. Central Command said the U.S. “obtained ownership of these munitions on July 20, 2023, through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A United Nations arms embargo has prohibited weapons transfers to the Houthis since 2014. Iran insists it adheres to the ban, even as it has long been transferring rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and other weaponry to the Houthis via the sea.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Independent experts, Western nations and U.N. experts have traced components seized aboard detained vessels back to Iran.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Iran\'s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even though the shipment of more than 1 million rounds of small arms ammunition is substantial, it pales in comparison with the amount that the U.S. has already sent to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, much of which has already been used in the intense ground battle.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The U.S. has provided more than 300 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades as part of the almost $44 billion in military aid it has sent to help Ukraine.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Further U.S. funding for Ukraine\'s war was not included in a stopgap measure that prevented a government shutdown last weekend. With the ouster of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, it was unclear whether the future leader will be able to generate enough support from the party’s hard-liners, who have opposed sending more money to Ukraine. 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, '2023-10-05 04:29:44', '2023-10-05 04:29:44'),
(9518, 9518, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus appeared before the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) this morning, in response to summons for questioning in a case filed over alleged misappropriation of Tk 25.22 crore from the company\'s Workers Profit Participation Fund.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr Yunus’ lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun said his client appeared before the ACC to help them in investigation despite him having a meeting at the United Nations as he respects the law.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, it could not be known whether the 12 others appeared before the ACC with Dr Yunus today.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Earlier on Tuesday, the ACC asked Dr Yunus and 12 others to appear today (Thursday) for questioning in the misappropriation case.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ACC’s investigation officer in a letter summoned Dr Yunus for the purpose of investigation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the letter to Dr Yunus dated September 27, the ACC said Dr Yunus’s statement was crucial for the thorough investigation of the embezzlement case involving Tk 25.22 crore against 13 accused, including the management council of Grameen Telecom Company.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Based on the allegations of embezzlement of dividends of the workers, the ACC conducted an investigation and filed a case based on the report from the Department Of Inspection for Factories and Establishments.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">ACC’s Deputy Director Gulshan Anowar Pradhan filed the case against Dr Yunus and 12 others for misappropriation of about Tk 25 crore from the company’s WPPF fund on May 30 this 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, '2023-10-05 05:47:27', '2023-10-05 05:47:27'),
(9519, 9519, '<div>The nucler fuel hand over ceremony (graduation ceremony) for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) will be held at the plant site here today as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to virtually join it.</div><div><br></div><div>The two leaders are scheduled to join the handover event of the Certificate and Model of Nuclear Fuel through virtual platforms, an official source said.</div><div><br></div><div>Science and Technology Affairs Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman will be present at the function as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi will attend the event virtually.</div><div><br></div><div>Director General of ROSATOM, Russian Federation Alexei Likhachev will also be present at Rooppur site.</div><div><br></div><div>Science and Technology Secretary Md Ali Hossain and Project Director of RNPP construction Dr Md Shawkat Akbar will be present as well.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to BSS, the science and technology secretary said all arrangements for holding the historic graduation ceremony of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) and handing over of the Certificate and Model of Nuclear Fuel have been completed.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We are ready for holding the programme successfully. Guests will join the event from four points and deliver speeches,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh is going to be 33rd nuclear power-using country in the world in the perspective of uranium handing, receiving ceremony as part of the government\'s commitment to ensure energy security in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>The first consignment of nuclear fuel for RNPP reached here by a special flight on September 28.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the project details, the government expects to commission the first unit of RNPP in September 2024 and the second in mid-2025.</div><div><br></div><div>There are 30,000 people, including 7,000 professionals, working on the project. The project is expected to operate for 60-80 years.</div><div><br></div><div>Sources said Rooppur nuclear power plant will be able to take Bangladesh to unique heights by entering the nuclear club as it will also be able to play a leading role in meeting carbon emission reduction targets.</div><div><br></div><div>At the same time, it will reduce the cost of power generation in a flash.</div><div><br></div><div>The project layout said the RNPP will generate 2,400 MW of electricity everyday and ensure global initiative of reducing carbon emission.</div><div><br></div><div>Rosatom, as a Russian contractor, was involved in the construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant, which consists of two units with 1,200 megawatts capacity each.</div><div><br></div><div>The Atomic Energy Commission, under the ministry, is implementing the RNPP project. The Russian contractor Atomstroyexport is constructing two 1200 MW units under the project. The nuclear fuel is being produced by Rosatom\'s associate company TVEL Fuel. Various countries around the world purchase nuclear fuel from them.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the World Nuclear Association website, the countries using nuclear energy include the US, China, France, Russia, South Korea, Canada, Ukraine, Germany, Japan, Spain Sweden, Belgium, UK, India, Czech Republic, Finland, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Hungary, Slovakia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Romania, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iran and Armenia.</div><div><br></div><div>Once the nuclear fuel is loaded into the power plant\'s reactors, power can be produced for one year. After that, the fuel will have to be reloaded into the reactor.</div><div><br></div><div>In October 2021, Rooppur unit-1 was almost completed, with the placement of the reactor within the unit\'s structure. It was set up in accordance with the IAEA standards.</div><div><br></div><div>The reactor is the main component of a nuclear power plant. The second unit\'s reactor was set up in October last year.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the ministry, in 2013, during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s visit to Russia, a loan agreement for the Rooppur nuclear power project was signed. BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"19\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-05 05:51:01', '2023-10-05 05:51:01'),
(9520, 9520, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The United States has given Ukraine small arms ammunition that was seized while being transferred from Iranian forces to Tehran-backed rebels in Yemen, the military said Wednesday.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The move could presage the provision of more seized military gear to Ukraine at a time when Washington\'s ability to continue arming Kyiv has been called into question due to opposition from hardline Republican lawmakers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The US government transferred approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds to the Ukrainian armed forces\" on Monday, the military\'s Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The ammunition was seized by US naval forces in December 2022 while it was \"being transferred from the IRGC to the Huthis in Yemen,\" CENTCOM said, referring to Iran\'s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Yemeni rebel forces they support.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The government obtained ownership of these munitions on July 20, 2023, through the Department of Justice\'s civil forfeiture claims\" against the IRGC, it added.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Pentagon said Tuesday that the United States can continue meeting Ukraine\'s military needs for a \"little bit longer\" with assistance that has already been authorized, but that congressional action is required for aid to continue in the longer term.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Republican opposition to Ukraine assistance led lawmakers to exclude new aid funding from a bill passed over the weekend to avert a US government shutdown, and it is uncertain exactly how long previously authorized support will last.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The approval of additional funding is further complicated by unprecedented chaos in the US House of Representatives, which removed its speaker -- the chamber\'s most senior official -- this week.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Pentagon says the government still has authority to withdraw $5.4 billion in equipment for Ukraine from US military stocks, but only $1.6 billion in funding to replace the donated gear.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">US officials have spearheaded the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forging a coalition to back Kyiv after Russia invaded last year and coordinating aid from dozens of countries.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Washington has committed more than $43 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 -- more than half of all international security aid. 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, '2023-10-05 06:29:55', '2023-10-05 06:29:55'),
(9521, 9521, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">It was one year back when Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha officiated their wedding with festivities spread across three cities, and now the actor couple has decided to share it with their fans. They have turned their wedding into a documentary, RiAlity, with Richa saying that it will reflect the reality behind the glitzy world.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In fact, the couple has picked a special moment to unveil the first glimpse of their wedding documentary as it coincides with the one-year anniversary of the conclusion of their grand wedding celebrations that spanned across the cultural tapestry of Delhi, Lucknow, and Mumbai with the festivities going on till October 6 last year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“Weddings are often portrayed as fairytales, but the reality is a mix of emotions – joy, anxiety, excitement, and everything in between. Our documentary, RiAlity, is a heartfelt attempt to capture the genuine essence of our wedding experience,” Richa shares, adding, “Our wedding was a tapestry woven with threads of every emotion imaginable. RiAlity is our attempt to unravel the complexities of that experience. It’s a mirror reflecting the reality behind the glitz, a candid portrayal of two individuals from humble beginnings”.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In fact, their decision to create RiAlity stems from a desire to share an unfiltered, candid account of their wedding journey. The documentary, directed by Rahul Singh Datta, will bring forward a unique perspective of how the wedding and days leading to it were, where the couple will not even sit down to talk about their take during the wedding. It will come with an outsider’s perspective.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Fazal asserts that they are “laying bare our emotions, the struggles, and the triumphs that came with planning this union”.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“RiAlity is a testament to the fact that love is not always perfect, but it is always enough . Love is profound, it is messy, and yet worth moving worlds for. RiAlity captures some of the essence of our journey, not just as actors but as two regular people in love. We wanted to give you all a glimpse of the effect of this not just through us but through the gaze of the people around us. This document is our way of saying, ‘This is us - flaws, dreams, and all. And there is a bit of you in us and a bit of us in you all,” he wraps up. 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, '2023-10-05 06:48:02', '2023-10-05 06:48:02'),
(9522, 9522, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address a press conference tomorrow to brief the media about the outcome of her joining the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The press conference will be held at the premier\'s official Ganabhaban residence at 4pm tomorrow (Friday),\" Prime Minister\'s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told BSS.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prime minister returned home yesterday after wrapping up her 16-day official visit to the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During her stay in New York and Washington DC from September 17-29, she attended the UNGA session and other high-level side and bilateral events, joined a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi expatriates in the US, and visited the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During her stay in the UK from September 30 to October 3, the prime minister also had several courtesy meetings and attended a reception accorded to her by Bangladeshi community in London. 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, '2023-10-05 07:47:05', '2023-10-05 07:47:05');

INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(9537, 9537, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Aviators are counting hours as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will make soft opening of exciting third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) tomorrow with slogan of \"connecting dreams to reality\" towards making Bangladesh as an aviation hub.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We can say the third terminal is the first milestone to realize Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina\'s dream to make Bangladesh as an aviation hub,\" Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman told BSS today.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will partially open the new scenic terminal witnessing trial of a Biman Bangladesh airlines flight from the new establishment.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The CAAB chairman said the 90 per cent work of the new terminal has been done for the soft launching and from Saturday airlines would be able to use new parking pay of the terminal.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The third terminal will be fully operational for passengers use at the end of next year after completion of systems integration and calibration.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The new terminal will change the country\'s image with all world class amenities and passenger services,\" said the CAAB chief.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the third terminal\'s features with immaculate floor and eye-catching patterns on ceiling with enough natural light are very sophisticated.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Passengers will appreciate the world class facilities of the new terminal which we never had here before,\" CAAB chairman added.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The 12 boarding gates with double entry bridges of the third terminal will be operational by next year while the additional 14 boarding bridges are expected to be installed afterwards.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The third terminal project, costing Taka 21,300 crore, commenced on December 28, 2019. The government contributed Taka 5,000 crore, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided the remaining funding.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Covering an area of 542,000 square metres, the third terminal will boast a floor space of 230,000 square metres, housing 115 check-in counters, 66 departure immigration desks, 59 arrival immigration and 3 VIP immigration desks.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Upon full-fledged operation of the 3rd terminal, Dhaka Airport\'s annual passenger and cargo handling capacity is expected to double.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The annual passenger handling capacity of the HSIA would be 24 million (including the old terminals) which is now only eight million and the airport can handle 500,000 tonnes of cargo each year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The construction work of 37 new aircraft parking area and two taxiways connecting to the apron area have already been completed.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The third terminal is designed to connect with a multimodal transport system to enable passengers to enter and exit the international airport smoothly.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The new terminal will be connected with the elevated expressway, underground railway (MRT-5, Kamalapur to airport portion) and also with the airport railway station through an underground tunnel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides, hajj pilgrims will be able to access the third terminal from Ashkona hajj camp through an underground tunnel.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The third terminal is expected to be operated and maintained by a Japanese company under public private partnership.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ahead of the third terminal\'s full operation, different foreign airlines are eyeing to start their operation from Dhaka Airport, which is expected to play a great role to take the country\'s aviation sector forward,&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">experts 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, '2023-10-06 08:55:14', '2023-10-06 08:55:14'),
(9538, 9538, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Netherlands sent Pakistan in to bat in their World Cup clash in Hyderabad on Friday after skipper Scott Edwards won the toss.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan picked two frontline spinners in Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz alongside fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Netherlands, the only Associate side in the World Cup, have Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, and Saqib Zulfiqar as their spin options.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Teams:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Netherlands: Vikramjit Singh, Max O\'Dowd, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Scott Edwards (captain), Saqib Zulfiqar, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Umpires: Chris Brown (NZL) and Adrian Holdstock (RSA)</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL) 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, '2023-10-06 08:57:42', '2023-10-06 08:57:42'),
(9539, 9539, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Dengue fever will become a major threat in the southern United States, southern Europe and new parts of Africa this decade, the WHO\'s chief scientist said, as warmer temperatures create the conditions for the mosquitoes carrying the infection to spread.&nbsp;</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The illness has long been a scourge in much of Asia and Latin America, causing an estimated 20,000 deaths each year. Rates of the disease have already risen eight-fold globally since 2000, driven largely by climate change as well as the increased movement of people and urbanization.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Many cases go unrecorded, but in 2022 4.2 million cases were reported worldwide and public health officials have warned that near-record levels of transmission are expected this year. Bangladesh is currently experiencing its worst-ever outbreak, with more than 1,000 deaths.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We need to talk much more proactively about dengue,” Jeremy Farrar, an infectious diseases specialist who joined the World Health Organization in May this year, told Reuters.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We need to really prepare countries for how they will deal with the additional pressure that will come… in the future in many, many big cities.”&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Farrar previously spent 18 years working in Vietnam on tropical diseases including dengue. He later headed up the Wellcome Trust global health charity and advised the UK government on its COVID-19 response before joining the WHO in May this year.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Farrar said the infection is likely to “take off” and become endemic in parts of the United States, Europe and Africa - all regions where there has already been some limited local transmission - as global warming makes new areas hospitable to the mosquitoes that spread it. That will put acute pressure on hospital systems in many countries, he warned.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“The clinical care is really intensive, it requires a high ratio of nurses to patients,” he said. “I really worry when this becomes a big issue in sub-Saharan Africa.”&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Most people who get dengue do not have symptoms, meaning case rates are thought to be far higher than the reported numbers. Those who do can experience fever, muscle spasms and joint pain so severe it is known as “break-bone fever.” In severe cases – less than 1 percent - it can be fatal.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There is no specific treatment for dengue, although there is a vaccine available. Earlier this week, the WHO recommended Takeda Pharmaceuticals\' 4502.T Qdenga vaccine for children aged 6 to 16 in areas where the infection is a significant public health problem.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Qdenga is also approved by the EU regulator, but Takeda withdrew its application in the United States earlier this year, citing data collection issues. Takeda said it was still in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the vaccine.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Preparing new regions of the world to deal with dengue means ensuring that any public health funds get spent in the right areas, Farrar said, including on the best way to control the mosquito.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dengue is spread by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which behave differently to the malaria-carrying kind. For example, they bite people indoors, and they bite all day rather than overnight. They also breed in very shallow water.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Farrar said proper prevention would include triaging plans for hospitals as well as scientific innovation alongside other key factors, such as urban planning, to avoid areas of standing water near or in houses.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“We need to combine different sectors that are not used to working together,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with our newsletter Reuters Health Rounds. Reuters</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"6\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-06 09:05:18', '2023-10-06 09:05:18'),
(9540, 9540, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize Friday for fighting the oppression of women in Iran.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">“This prize is first and foremost a recognition of the very important work of a whole movement in Iran with with its undisputed leader, Nargis Mohammadi,\" said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee who announced the prize in Oslo. \"The impact of the prize is not for the Nobel committee to decide upon. We hope that it is an encouragement to continue the work in whichever form this movement finds to be fitting.”</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Authorities arrested Mohammadi in November after she attended a memorial for a victim of violent 2019 protests. Reiss-Andersen said Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times. In total, she has been sentenced to 31 years in prison.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman, after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi won the award in 2003.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before being jailed, Mohammadi was vice president of the banned Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. She has been close to Ebadi, who founded the center.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In 2018, Mohammadi, an engineer, was awarded the 2018 Andrei Sakharov Prize.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1 million). Winners also receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma at the award ceremonies in December.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The winner of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize is chosen by a panel of experts in Norway from a list of just over 350 nominations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year\'s prize was won by human rights activists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, in what was seen as a strong rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart and ally.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other previous winners include Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Aung San Suu Kyi and the United Nations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Unlike the other Nobel prizes that are selected and announced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed that the peace prize be decided and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The independent panel is appointed by the Norwegian parliament.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The peace prize is the fifth of this year\'s prizes to be announced. A day earlier, the Nobel committee awarded Norwegian writer Jon Fosse the prize for literature. On Wednesday, the chemistry prize went to U.S. scientists Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The physics prize went Tuesday to French-Swedish physicist Anne L’Huillier, French scientist Pierre Agostini and Hungarian-born Ferenc Krausz. Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Nobels season ends on Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The prizes are handed out at awards ceremonies in December in Oslo and Stockholm. They carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1 million). Winners also receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma when they collect their Nobel Prizes at the award ceremonies in December. 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, '2023-10-06 10:51:51', '2023-10-06 10:51:51'),
(9541, 9541, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today addressed a press conference at her official Ganabhaban residence here this afternoon on her joining the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and visits to the USA and the UK.</span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">She read out a written speech at the beginning of the press conference.&nbsp;</span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><br></span></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following is the verbatim of her written speech:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Colleagues and</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dear journalist brothers and sisters,</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Assalamu Alaikum. Good afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">My heartiest greetings to all.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On September 17 in 2023, I went to New York to join the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. I stayed there till September 22. I returned home on Wednesday last after wrapping up my visit from September 23 to September 30 in Washington and September 30 to October 3 in the United Kingdom.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">I addressed the debate session of the General Assembly on September 22. The theme for this year\'s General Debate was \"Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.\"&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The topics I upheld in my speech were:</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">* I emphasized unity, solidarity and multilateralism instead of divisions, parochialism and isolation in achieving world peace and sustainable prosperity and facing the challenges of common crises.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">* Bangladesh and other developing countries lagged behind in implementing SDG due to the impacts of climate change and coronavirus pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. Under the circumstances, I called for keeping intact the special advantages entitled under this category for required period even after the graduation from the category of least developed countries (LDCs). 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, '2023-10-06 10:55:31', '2023-10-06 10:55:31'),
(9542, 9542, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha&nbsp; believes his side can realistically give themselves a shot to the semifinal of the World Cup if they win four or five matches.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Tigers have never won more than three matches in the cricket\'s biggest&nbsp; extravaganza but this time the goal is bigger given Bangladesh\'s reputation&nbsp; in ODI format.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We all want to win the World Cup but if you rightly ask me realistically ---&nbsp; if we win 4-5 games, we give ourselves a chance to get into the semifinal of&nbsp; the knockout stage - that\'s our first aim,\" Hathurusingha said during the pre-match conference today at Dharamshala.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh will open their World Cup with a match against Afghanistan tomorrow (Saturday).&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even some days ago, the Bangladesh coach warned that people should wake up if they are dreaming that Bangladesh would win the World Cup.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When asked, he reminded that the team has its own goal regardless of what people dreamed of.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"People can dream, people can aim, people can have goals. Whatever the word you use, it is the same thing. We\'re trying to have a good World Cup and win matches. That\'s the main aim for me. As I just said, our aim is to get into the semifinal, that can be a dream or can be an aim - doesn\'t matter.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The coach under whose guidance Bangladesh reached quarterfinal in 2015 World Cup, which as of now remained their best achievement, made it clear they would set their combination according to the condition.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"It depends on the surface to be honest and the way the game is going to expand. We will use tactically our bowling resources. Sometimes we might come with a plan against the opposition and the conditions that we see before the game. Then after that, it\'s up to the captains to use his bowling resources,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Bangladesh tactically used Mehidy Hasan Miraz as opener in some matches and also his spot upper in the order gave the side a flexibility but the way Tanzid Hasan Tamim staked a claim in opening spot, it gave Hathurusingha a sweet problem.&nbsp;</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The youngster batted beautifully in the two practice matches to prove that he has the credential to thrive in big tournament like World Cup/</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"We have a few options. So, we will be in a better place to make that decision tomorrow morning. You will see tomorrow who will work out if we bat first and if you bat second then who will go out together.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The head coach however predicted the Dharamshala pitch would provide a high scoring game and so combination will be made, keeping that in mind.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"The wickets look really good for one day cricket - I thought very firm wicket, nice covering of grass. I think it\'s really good sporting wicket. Expecting some high scoring on this ground. The combination we will decide tomorrow morning and see the wicket again because the curator said that he will do a little bit of work today as well on that wicket.\" BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-06 11:07:34', '2023-10-06 11:07:34'),
(9543, 9543, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Palestinian was killed in the early hours of Friday in a town that has been the scene of frequent violence in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Labib Mohammad Lahib Damidi, 19, was shot in the heart by settlers in the town of Huwara,\" the ministry said in a statement, without giving further details.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Israeli army said in a statement that a suspect had been shot by soldiers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Huwara, in the northern West Bank, has witnessed several fatal shootings by Palestinians against Israelis in cars this year. Jewish settlers have carried out reprisal attacks against the local population and their property.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Late on Thursday, Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who had opened fire on a car stuck in traffic at a junction adjacent to Huwara, without hitting any of the Israeli civilians inside, the army said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">After midnight, dozens of Israeli civilians gathered in an area of Huwara and engaged in stone-throwing clashes with Palestinians, the army said, before soldiers intervened with \"riot dispersal means to defuse the confrontation\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In its statement, the army said a suspect \"threw a block at an Israeli vehicle\", prompting soldiers to respond with live fire. It added that \"a hit was identified\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated 58 people at the scene of the clashes who had suffered from tear gas inhalation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The military said it had received reports \"regarding vandalism of the properties of Palestinian residents of the town by Israeli civilians\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In February, dozens of Israeli settlers set fire to numerous buildings in Huwara after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis in the town.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A surge in violence has hit the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">There has been a rise in army raids, Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis and Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far this year at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis and two foreigners have been killed in the conflict, including combatants and civilians on both sides, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. AFP</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"1\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-06 11:10:16', '2023-10-06 11:10:16'),
(9544, 9544, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Awami League (AL) general secretary Obaidul Quader today said BNP\'s threat of movement has turned into a mockery to the country\'s people.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Before diminishing of the relish of a series of its failed ultimatums, BNP has again given a ridiculous ultimatum for its so-called one-point demand,\" he said in a statement.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the people have not forgotten yet that the BNP\'s one-point, 10-point and 31- point movements reduced to ultimate failure.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Their threat of a harsher movement after Puja has become a matter of laughter for the people today, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AL general secretary said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and BNP leaders are spreading propaganda and confusion among the people in the name of so-called road march.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The BNP leaders have become perplexed by seeing the new bridges, flyovers and new industrial areas developed on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway and the modern communication system in the entire Bangladesh, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader said all the intimidations of BNP are as ridiculous as cock-and-bull story and every time, when BNP called for a movement, the country\'s people turned their faces away.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The people of Bangladesh know better that the BNP\'s movement is a movement for bringing Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, who are sentenced in graft cases, to the state power through murder, coup and conspiracy, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The road transport minister said the country\'s history testifies that the BNP is a failed political party, which destroyed the country\'s constitution and democracy and snatched the voting rights of people.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said seizing the state power by putting people at gun-point and declaring curfew by suspending the constitution, BNP held a \'Yes-No\' vote of farce, gave terrorism and corruption a institutional form at all levels of the state, misappropriated the money of orphans and turned Bangladesh into a sanctuary of terrorism and militancy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader said as a political party, the BNP has no ideology for public welfare rather it is involved in spreading falsehood and propaganda against the government and the country to make the people confused and hatching plots to make the anti-liberation forces united surrendering the country\'s sovereignty.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">BNP leaders are spreading propaganda against not only the ruling Awami League but also various constitutional institutions of the country, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AL general secretary said BNP is also trying to create anarchy and terrorism in the country through provocation.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The AL is committed to resisting any kind of terrorism and anarchy involving the country\'s peace-loving people, he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Quader said Bangabandhu\'s daughter, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, never returns home empty handed, while she always brought dignity, prosperity and recognition to Bangladesh.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">When BNP was in power, their achievement was becoming champion five times in graft in a row and Bangladesh was a name for hunger-poverty, terrorism and militancy before the world, he said. BSS</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"4\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-06 11:41:35', '2023-10-06 11:41:35'),
(9545, 9545, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Terming Bangladesh a “longtime friend and good partner,” Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his country will collaborate with Bangladesh in line with the principles of equality, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests.</span><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As part of the cooperation under the Rooppur project, he said Russia is training highly qualified specialists for the Bangladeshi nuclear sector.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than 80 Bangladeshi students who seek careers in the nuclear sector have already completed their studies at Russian universities, and their number will continue to grow, Putin said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In fact, we are not simply building a nuclear power plant but creating an entire nuclear sector, a peaceful atomic industry in Bangladesh, and we are doing it together with you,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On Thursday, Russian President Putin and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took part, via videoconference, in an official ceremony marking the delivery of nuclear fuel from Russia to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s Unit 1.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Russian president said this flagship project meets the interests of the two countries and helps strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation further, according to the English copy of his speech provided by the Russian side on Friday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Of course, it is making a real and considerable contribution to the Republic’s economic development and to strengthening its energy security,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Our country was among the first to recognise the young republic and was actively involved in developing its economy, while also helping to build major industrial and energy facilities that continue to benefit the people of Bangladesh,\" Putin said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As a recognised global leader in peaceful nuclear energy, he said, Rosatom builds nuclear power plants utilising the most advanced engineering solutions and technologies based on the most stringent safety standards as well as on environmental and conservation requirements.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was built and prepared for launch in strict compliance with the IAEA rules and recommendations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said the physical protection system for the plant is advanced and reliable. \"We would like to thank the IAEA for their assistance in this project,\" he said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Naturally, Putin said, Russia’s efforts are not limited to building the facility. \"We will provide assistance to our Bangladeshi partners throughout the entire life cycle of the nuclear project, including our obligations for the long-term deliveries of reactor fuel, plant maintenance, and handling nuclear waste.\"</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Since last year, an education and training centre for Bangladeshi personnel has been operating at the nuclear power plant.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Specialists that are trained there will oversee basic technological processes at the plant, with over 1,000 Bangladeshi citizens having already completed their training.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Their essential professional skills and knowledge will allow them to be employed not only in the nuclear industry but also in many other economic sectors in Bangladesh,\" said the Russian president.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Now, as part of our ceremony, we will hand over to our Bangladeshi colleagues a certificate of delivery of Russian nuclear fuel to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s Energy Unit 1. Upon this, Rooppur will receive the official nuclear facility status,\" he added.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">President Putin expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her personal attention to the bilateral cooperation — both in peaceful nuclear energy and all other key areas.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other attendees included International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi; Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev; Minister of Science and Technology of Bangladesh Yeafesh Osman; Rooppur Project Director Shawkat Akbar; and Andrei Petrov, the CEO of a general contractor building the Rooppur NPP.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The State Corporation Rosatom is building the nuclear power plant in the Pabna district under an intergovernmental agreement, signed in 2011.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The plant will consist of two generation III+ reactors with a total capacity of 2,400 megawatts.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over 20,000 specialists, including over 4,000 Russian citizens, are working at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction site. 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, '2023-10-06 12:54:19', '2023-10-06 12:54:19'),
(9546, 9546, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>As many as 496 people were killed and 681 others injured in 467 accidents that occurred on roads, railways and waterways in September across the country, according to Jatri Kalyan Samity.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Jatri Kalyan Samity, a non-government organisation, prepared the report based on news published in various national, local dailies and online news portals, said a press release on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the casualties, 417 people were killed and 651 injured in 402 road accidents from September 1 to 30. Besides, 51 people were killed and 26 others injured in 49 accidents on the railway while 28 people were killed, four others injured and three people went missing in 16 accidents on the waterways during the same period.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, 5.47 per cent of the total accidents across the country were reported in Dhaka city, 0.49 per cent in Chattogram city and 0.24 per cent in railway crossings.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the victims, 10 are members of law enforcement agencies, 143 drivers, 66 pedestrians, 60 transport workers, 65 students, eight teachers, 74 women and 44 children.</div><div><br></div><div>The group identified several reasons behind most of the accidents. Among them, dangerous overtaking, reckless speed, unfit vehicles, lack of footpaths or grabbed footpaths, sudden entrance of vehicles from feeder roads at railway crossings and highways, increasing number of small vehicles, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, lack of service lanes on various national and regional highways, easy bikes, rickshaws, autorickshaws come down from various feeder roads on national and regional highways were the other reasons, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-07 09:32:06', '2023-10-07 09:32:06'),
(9547, 9547, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 jolted northwestern Afghanistan at 0712 GMT on Saturday, the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences said.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 34.62 degrees north latitude and 62.04 degrees east longitude. - XINHUA</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-07 09:39:00', '2023-10-07 09:39:00'),
(9549, 9549, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Amazon launched two satellites on Friday as part of its plan to deliver the internet from space and compete with Elon Musk\'s Starlink service.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The Atlas V rocket carrying the satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 2:06 pm local time (6:06 pm GMT).</div><div><br></div><div>The launch was carried out by the United Launch Alliance (ULA) industrial group, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.</div><div>Once up and running, the company founded by Jeff Bezos says its Project Kuiper will provide \"fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world,\" with a constellation of more than 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).</div><div><br></div><div>\"We\'ve done extensive testing here in our lab and have a high degree of confidence in our satellite design, but there\'s no substitute for on-orbit testing,\" said Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper\'s vice president of technology.</div><div><br></div><div>The company has said it would invest $10 billion in the project and has booked 77 heavy-lift launches with commercial providers Arianespace, ULA, and Bezos-owned Blue Origin.</div><div><br></div><div>The first operational satellites of the Kuiper project are due to be launched in early 2024, according to Amazon, which hopes for initial tests with customers at the end of next year.</div><div><br></div><div>The test on Friday attempted to establish contact between the probes and Earth, deploy their solar panels, and confirm that all instruments are operating correctly and at the desired temperatures.</div><div><br></div><div>The two prototypes will then be removed from orbit and disintegrated in the Earth\'s atmosphere at the end of the test mission.</div><div><br></div><div>These services are designed to provide internet access to even the most remote and underserved areas around the world, including war zones or disaster-struck areas.</div><div><br></div><div>Musk\'s SpaceX launched the first batch of its more than 3,700 operational Starlink satellites in 2019 and is by far the biggest player.</div><div><br></div><div>Musk\'s ownership of Starlink caused uproar in Ukraine last month when it was revealed that he refused to turn on the service for a planned attack by Kyiv forces on Russia\'s Black Sea navy fleet last year.</div><div><br></div><div>London-headquartered OneWeb is another early entrant in the emerging sector. Given the technology\'s strategic importance, governments are also keen to join the rush into the sector.</div><div><br></div><div>China plans to launch 13,000 satellites as part of its GuoWang constellation, while Canada\'s Telesat will add 300 and German start-up Rivada is eyeing 600.</div><div><br></div><div>That will be in addition to the European Union\'s Iris project -- 170 satellites -- and the 300-500 satellites planned to be launched by the US military\'s Space Development Agency. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-07 10:11:02', '2023-10-07 10:11:02'),
(9550, 9550, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rescuers found more bodies overnight as they dug through slushy debris and ice-cold water in a hunt for survivors after a glacial lake burst through a dam in India’s Himalayan northeast, washing away houses and bridges and forcing thousands to flee.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Officials said the hundreds of rescuers recovered six more bodies early Saturday, taking the death toll to 47. At least 150 people are still missing.</div><div><br></div><div>The flood began shortly after midnight Wednesday, when the waters of a glacial lake overflowed, cracking open the biggest hydroelectric dam in Sikkim state. The icy waters then cascades through towns in the valley below, where it killed scores of people and carried some bodies kilometers (miles) away.</div><div><br></div><div>Bad weather has made rescue efforts more challenging. Police said nearly 4,000 tourists were stranded in two locations, Lachung and Lachen in the northern part of the state, where access was severely restricted as the floods had washed away roads.</div><div><br></div><div>Some 3,900 people were currently in 26 relief camps set up by the state, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said on Saturday. He added that seven out of the 22 Indian army soldiers who were reported missing had died.</div><div><br></div><div>It wasn’t clear what triggered the deadly flood in the mountainous Sikkim state, the latest to hit northeast India in a year of unusually heavy monsoon rains. Nearly 50 people died in flash floods and landslides in August in nearby Himachal Pradesh state. In July, record rains killed more than 100 people over two weeks in northern India.</div><div><br></div><div>Experts pointed to intense rain, and a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck nearby Nepal on Tuesday afternoon, as possible contributors.</div><div><br></div><div>But the disaster also underscores a climate dilemma that pits local environmental activists who say dams in the Himalayas are too dangerous against authorities pursuing a national green energy agenda.</div><div><br></div><div>The design and placement of the 6-year-old Teesta 3 dam, the largest in Sikkim state, were controversial from the time it was built. A 2019 report compiled by the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority had identified Lhonak Lake as “highly vulnerable” to flooding that could breach dams and cause extensive damage to life and property.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite risks to dams due to increasing frequency of extreme weather, the Indian federal government aims to increase India’s hydroelectric dam output by half, to 70,000 megawatts, by 2030.</div><div><br></div><div>Disasters caused by landslides and floods are common in India’s Himalayan region during the June-September monsoon season. Scientists say they are becoming more frequent as global warming contributes to the melting of glaciers there.</div><div><br></div><div>Himalayan glaciers could lose 80% of their volume is global warming isn’t controlled, according to a report from the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development.</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, dam breaches caused by Storm Daniel caused devastating damage to the city of Derna in Libya.</div><div><br></div><div>In February 2021, flash floods killed nearly 200 people and washed away houses in Uttarakhand state in northern India. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-07 10:26:26', '2023-10-07 10:26:26'),
(9551, 9551, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck northeastern Papua New Guinea on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The strong quake had a depth of 53 kilometres (33 miles) and hit at around 7:30 pm (0830 GMT) with the epicentre about 56 kilometres southeast of the coastal town of Madang, the USGS said.</div><div><br></div><div>An aftershock of equal magnitude hit off the coast of Madang minutes later, the USGS said.</div><div><br></div><div>Earthquakes are common in Papua New Guinea, but rarely cause widespread damage.</div><div><br></div><div>Outside major towns and cities, most areas are sparsely populated, and what buildings there are tend to be made of wood.</div><div><br></div><div>But some quakes are more destructive.</div><div><br></div><div>In April, at least seven people were killed when a 7.0 magnitude quake hit a jungle-clad area on the Pacific island nation.</div><div><br></div><div>About 180 homes were destroyed in the Karawari area, near the quake\'s epicentre.</div><div><br></div><div>In September last year, 10 people were killed when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake levelled hundreds of homes, split roads and caused power outages across the rugged north of the country. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2023-10-07 10:59:08', '2023-10-07 10:59:08');
