INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10933, 10933, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Monday said that the Election Commission has gifted a good election.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"Those who made negative comments about the election have now understood that Bangladesh had a good election under the Prime Minister and the Election Commission,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister made the remarks at the \'Great Wall Commemorative Medal\' handover ceremony of the Chinese government at the conference room of the ministry today.</div><div><br></div><div>Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen handed over the medal where officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the delegation of China were present.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding China\'s reaction to the national polls, Kamal said,” The Chinese government is our friend. They have always termed the election as an internal matter of Bangladesh and they didn\'t made any comment about it.”</div><div><br></div><div>\"Apart from China, we also have excellent relations with other neighbouring countries. I think it will be stronger,\" Kamal added.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question, the Home Minister said, \"We are always concerned about cyber security. We have been seeking cooperation from China so that we could prevent transnational crimes,\" he added, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said, \"China has been providing training to our security forces for long. So, We have requested them to increase its scope and they have taken into their consideration,\" the home minister said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our Inspector General of Police has already handed over a list to them for training. I think they will accept it,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-22 11:52:53', '2024-01-22 11:52:53'),
(10934, 10934, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday sounded a strong warning against illegal hoarders and market manipulators saying that they would face the music.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“If anyone hoards any goods out of ill-motive, we’ll have to take instant action against them through mobile courts and if needed send them to jail,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina said this while chairing a meeting of AL Central Working Committee in her residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the sudden price-hike (of essentials) after the election is a very abnormal matter.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is very essential to find out who are manipulators behind it. Not only find them, but also take instant actions against them. We’ll do it in future,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier urged the people of the country to stay vigilant so that none could play games with the (prices of) food items by hoarding and black marketeering.&nbsp; “There is no meaning to playing games with the food of people,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Coming down heavily on those who question the recently held 12th parliamentary election, Sheikh Hasina said the people accepted this election.</div><div><br></div><div>“Attempts are being made to create unnecessary confusion. Not only that, all of a sudden, the prices of rice and (some other) commodities went high after the election,” she added.The AL chief said the people spontaneously exercised their franchise in the January 7 general election despite campaigns carried out asking voters not to cast votes.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that there are attempts to wage movements in the RMG sector alongside price-hike of essentials, she said having failed to thwart the election, they (BNP) now want to start again in an alternative way.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’ll not allow them to play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM said the people are pleased and happy that the election was held and Awami League formed the government.</div><div><br></div><div>“Insh\'Allah, any abnormal situation won’t take place anymore in Bangladesh,” she said, adding that they established democracy and it would continue.The socioeconomic development of the people of this country would be ensured through the continuation of democracy, she added.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that her government will make further development of the country, she said they would keep arrangements to give a befitted reply to those who come to obstruct the development journey of Bangladesh.In the meeting, the upcoming countrywide upazila election was discussed, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>AL presidium members Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Kazi Zafarullah, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, and AL central working committee member Abul Hasnat Abdullah were on the dais.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-22 16:11:41', '2024-01-22 16:11:41'),
(10935, 10935, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Monday said the Awami League government will fall apart \'like a house of cards\' as people are not with this regime.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a discussion, he also said the government’s efforts to stay in power \'with the force of the gun\' will not succeed.</div><div><br></div><div>“The basis of democracy is the people. This government has no foundation since the people are not with them. The government itself does not know when they will collapse like a house of cards,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>Stating that the force of guns cannot stand up to the power of people’s unity and justice, he urged the government to come to the path of democracy and arrange a fresh and credible election.</div><div><br></div><div>“Otherwise, the consequences will not be good…people can be defeated with bullets, guns and teargas. But people\'s love can’t be found. The election of January 7 was not fair. Which was said in all the media of the world,” Dr&nbsp; Moyeen said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said the democratic world recognised that there is now no democracy in Bangladesh as the current government usurped power without the mandate of the people. “They are trying to stay in power through the barrel of a gun. Their efforts will never succeed.”</div><div><br></div><div>The University Teachers Association of Bangladesh (UTAB) organised the programme titled the “State philosophy of Shaheed Zia in uprooting the new Baksal” at Dhaka Reports’Unity (DRU), marking the 88th birth anniversary of ex-president Ziaur Rahman, the founder of BNP.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Moyeen, a BNP standing committee member, said the Awami League does not work for the people as they do the politics of one-party rule and logi-baitha (sticks and oars). “They have sieged all the institutions of the country. They are deceiving the people by talking about the constitution.”</div><div><br></div><div>He called upon the all professionals, including the teachers, to play a proactive role in restoring democracy and people’s right to franchise: “No one can sit idle when the country lacks democracy. We want to eliminate the system of new Baksal-II.”</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the current government wants no one in this country to criticise them and talk about the restoration of democracy as the Awami League has become blind for the lust of power.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government obstructed a peaceful programme like the distribution of leaflets urging people to boycott the 12th Parliamentary election.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’ve now announced to take out processions with black flags against the government. But there are threats that if we hold the black-flag processions, then there’ll be a crackdown on us again like in October 28.” - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-22 16:15:58', '2024-01-22 16:15:58'),
(10936, 10936, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has reported that a mild cold wave is currently affecting four divisions and several districts across the country, as of the morning of January 23, 2024. This weather pattern, characterized by lower temperatures and dense fog, is expected to continue and may abate in some areas.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>According to the latest weather bulletin, the mild to moderate cold wave is impacting Dhaka, Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Khulna divisions, along with the districts of Moulvibazar, Barishal, Bhola, and Cumilla. This season’s lowest temperature of 6.6 degrees Celsius was recorded today in Chuadanga and Sirajganj, contrasting with the highest temperature of 27.5 degrees Celsius in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>The BMD classifies a mild cold wave as temperatures ranging from 8 to 10 degrees Celsius, a moderate cold wave from 6 to 8 degrees Celsius, and a severe cold wave as temperatures falling below 6 degrees Celsius.</div><div><br></div><div>Alongside the cold wave, moderate to thick fog is expected to blanket the country from midnight to morning, potentially persisting until noon in some areas. This fog poses significant challenges to air navigation, inland river transport, and road communication.</div><div><br></div><div>There is a slight expectation of rising night and day temperatures across the country. Furthermore, the BMD forecasts light rain or drizzle in one or two places over the Khulna division, while the rest of the country is likely to experience dry weather with partly cloudy skies.</div><div><br></div><div>Residents, especially in the northern part of Bangladesh, have been facing severe cold for the last few days. This weather phenomenon has significantly disrupted normal life, affecting daily routines and transport services. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 09:11:13', '2024-01-23 09:11:13'),
(10937, 10937, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three accused in a murder case from Dhaka’s Keraniganj and Gazipur areas on Monday night.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The arrestees are Hiru Sardar, 40, Babu Sardar, 35, and Alamgir Sardar, 45.</div><div><br></div><div>Shihab Karim, senior assistant director of the RAB-2, said there had been a dispute between the accused and one Kala Chan over ownership of a piece of land.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 16 this year, the accused attacked the house of the victim, he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>They beat him up mercilessly while he was returning home from a local union parishad member’s house after lodging complaints in this regard.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, locals rescued him and sent to Upazila Health Complex where he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment, the RAB officer said.</div><div><br></div><div>The victim’s wife filed the murder case naming eight accused and four to five unnamed with the police station, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Following the case, the elite force conducted drives in Keraniganj and Gazipur to arrest them, he told. adding that the the arrestees were handed over to the police station concerned.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 09:29:47', '2024-01-23 09:29:47'),
(10938, 10938, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b style=\"\">Popular filmmaker Mostafa Sarwar Farooki was hospitalised after he felt unwell on Monday (January 22, 2024) evening.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>His hospitalisation was confirmed by his wife, actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha.</div><div><br></div><div>Tisha wrote on her verified Facebook page at 1 am on Tuesday, “Mostafa has been feeling unwell since last evening. After taking him to the hospital, it was informed that he suffered a mild stroke.”</div><div><br></div><div>“He is now being observed at the Neuro ICU. Please keep Mostafa Sarwar Farooki in your prayers,” Tisha wrote.</div><div><br></div><div>According to sources, the director is at a private hospital in Dhaka’s Panthapath.</div><div><br></div><div>He is currently being closely monitored by doctors but is now out of danger.</div><div><br></div><div>Fans and admirers, including many celebrities, have commented on and shared the post while asking for prayers for the acclaimed director.</div><div><br></div><div>Known for breaking stereotypical storytelling and popularising colloquial language in TV fiction, Farooki is widely acclaimed for his television series ‘51 Borti’, ‘69’, ‘420’, ‘Choruivati’, ‘Carrom’ and more.</div><div><br></div><div>After becoming successful in television, Farooki debuted as a filmmaker with ‘Bachelor’ (2004), featuring an ensemble cast of Ferdous Ahmed, Humayun Faridi, Shabnoor, Aupee Karim, Jaya Ahsan, Marzuk Russell and others, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>After that, he continued his journey as a filmmaker with ‘Made in Bangladesh’, ‘Third Person Singular Number’, ‘Ant Story’ (Piprabiddya), ‘Television’, ‘Doob: No Bed of Roses’ and his most talked-about film ‘Saturday Afternoon (Shonibar Bikel), which is yet to have a proper theatrical release in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>With ‘Ladies & Gentleman’ (2021), Farooki debuted in OTT. He debuted as an actor in the Chorki’s film under the ‘Ministry of Love’ project, titled \'Something Like An Autobiography\' alongside Tisha.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 10:07:51', '2024-01-23 10:30:41'),
(10939, 10939, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Chattogram Challengers and Khulna Tigers secured victories in their respective matches in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Monday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>In the first contest of the day, the Challengers triumphed over Durdanto Dhaka, while the Tigers claimed victory against Barisal Bulls in the evening match; both matches took place at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.</div><div><br></div><div>Batting first, Dhaka managed to post 136 for eight, with Lasith Croospulle, serving as a concussion replacement for their opener Danushka Gunathilaka, top-scoring with 46. Irfan Sukkur contributed 27, and Alex Ross added 11. None of their other batters reached a double-digit total.</div><div><br></div><div>Challengers\' bowlers, Al Amin Hossain (2/15) and Bilal Khan (2/28), played pivotal roles in restricting Dhaka\'s innings.</div><div><br></div><div>In response, the Challengers successfully chased down the target with 10 balls to spare and six wickets in hand. Tanzid Hasan Tamim led the charge with 49, while Najibullah Zadran contributed 32.</div><div><br></div><div>In the next match of the day, the Tigers secured an eight-wicket victory against the Bulls with 12 balls remaining.</div><div><br></div><div>Openers Evin Lewis and Anamul Haque Bijoy both notched fifties, with Bijoy remaining unbeaten on 63, while Lewis scored 53 off 22 balls, featuring five sixes and five fours. Afif Hossain contributed 42 off 36, and Shai Hope remained unbeaten with 25 off just 10 balls.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Mushfiqur Rahim anchored the Tigers\' innings to a total of 187 for four wickets, scoring 68 off 39 balls, including four sixes and five fours. Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad chipped in with 40 and 27 runs, respectively. But their efforts went in vain at the end of the day.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Tamim recorded a personal achievement in this match— reaching 3000 runs in BPL- most by a batter so far. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 10:57:27', '2024-01-23 10:57:27'),
(10940, 10940, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Chinese Communist Party\'s Vice Minister of the International Department Sun Haiyan is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka tonight to have meetings with Bangladesh leadership.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Chinese Vice Minister, now visiting the Maldives, will have a number of meetings during her stay in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>Though there has been no official announcement yet, the Chinese Vice Minister is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and others, said a diplomatic source.</div><div><br></div><div>This is going to be the first visit by any senior Chinese politician after the formation of the new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 11, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Sheikh Hasina on her reelection as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>President Xi hoped that Bangladesh and China would make joint efforts to further implement the important consensus he reached with the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Johannesburg, South Africa, last August, enhance political mutual trust, promote traditional friendship, further synergize development strategies, and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, so as to uplift the China-Bangladesh Strategic Partnership of Cooperation to a new height.</div><div><br></div><div>On the same day, Chinese Premier of State Council Li Qiang sent a congratulatory message to Sheikh Hasina on her reelection as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, saying China and Bangladesh are close neighbours with long-established friendship and development partners of close cooperation. In recent years, China and Bangladesh have deepened political mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in Belt and Road cooperation. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 11:31:30', '2024-01-23 11:31:30'),
(10941, 10941, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Three people were killed in a collision between a truck and a pickup-van in Taldighi area on Mymensingh-Sherpur road under Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh district on Tuesday morning.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as pickup-van driver Kamrul Islam, 22, son of Abdul Latif, Abdul Kadir, 45, son of Usan Ali and Mizanur Rahman, 48, son of Ramjan, hailing from Haluaghat upazila of the same district.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Police and locals said, the Sherpur-bound truck collided with the Mymensingh-bound pickup-van coming from the opposite direction in the morning, leaving the driver dead on the spot and two others critically injured.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, police and fire service personnel recovered the body and sent the injured to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital where physicians declared them dead upon arrival, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Wazedul Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Tarakanda Police Station said that they seized both the vehicles but the trucker managed to flee.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 11:44:05', '2024-01-23 11:44:05'),
(10942, 10942, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><font color=\"#3984c6\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday sought cooperation from the development partners including France for ensuring the sustainability of the development programmes her government has implemented since 2009.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“To make the development of Bangladesh sustainable we have to go a long way. In this we need cooperation from the development partners including France,” she told French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy who called her at her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the call on.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the prime minister told the envoy that during the tenure of the Awami League government transformation of rural areas has taken place in Bangladesh, which was known as poverty, flood and drought.</div><div><br></div><div>“Today’s Bangladesh is totally different,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In this connection, she mentioned that every village of the country has now electricity and communication network has been established.</div><div><br></div><div>“The rural areas have changed a lot while poverty has been reduced significantly,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said that the government has planned to build flats in rural areas for the poor people. Such flats are being built in the urban areas.</div><div><br></div><div>On Rohingya issue, she said that forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals must be repatriated to their homeland.</div><div><br></div><div>“They are getting involved in various types of crimes like drug trafficking and arms smuggling. They are not engaged in education or work,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that without repatriation the crimes cannot be stopped totally.</div><div><br></div><div>She urged the Western countries including France to mount their pressure further for the quick repatriation of the Rohingyas.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about the stranded Pakistanis, the premier said that their fourth generation is living here.</div><div><br></div><div>“It seems Pakistan will not take them back. So we are planning to build flats for them to ensure their permanent rehabilitation here,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She requested the French gas companies to invest in Bangladesh gas sector, including exploration.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting the PM and the envoy discussed some bilateral issues, including Airbus purchase and launching of Bangabandhu Satellite-II.</div><div><br></div><div>Ambassador Masdupuy handed over a message of French President Emmanuel Macron congratulating Hasina on her victory in the January 7 parliamentary election and being re-elected as the prime minister.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned the existence of excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, which strengthened especially following the visits of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to France in 2021 and Macron’s 2023 visit to Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>On the climate issue, the ambassador said that her country wanted to see Bangladesh as the pioneer in using the Loss and Damage Utilisation Fund.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that Bangladesh has set an example in facing the challenges of climate change.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that France wants to assist Bangladesh in green energy transition.</div><div><br></div><div>The ambassador also said that her country wants to cooperate with Bangladesh in blue economy and cyber security.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s Adviser Salman F Rahman, Ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin and Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah were present.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 12:23:17', '2024-01-23 12:23:17'),
(10943, 10943, '<div><font color=\"#e79439\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>There is a saying that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. As electronic and social media have made advertisements easier than ever, there is a growing number of scams, especially leveraging the tourism industry. Here’s what one should keep in mind to avoid scams while booking for travel at home or abroad.&nbsp;</b></span><br></font></div><div><br></div><div>Ways to Avoid Scams while Doing Travel Bookings&nbsp;</div><div>Check for Website Authenticity&nbsp;</div><div>Website authenticity is the first and foremost way to avoid travel booking scams.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>What’s the typical process people follow for booking? They go to Google and type in their keywords like ‘7 days vacation package to (desired destination)’.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Many fake websites leverage these keywords and advertise on search engines. As a result, they tend to show up at the top of the search results. Fortunately, one can easily check where there is an “AD” mark next to the website link.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>There are several ways to check an authentic site. An efficient approach would be to check for the Domain Authority (DA) using free online tools. It is better to avoid sites with lower DA scores.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Avoid Too Good to Be True Offers</div><div>Data harvesting and tracking is another way scammers target tourists and travelers. The moment you put in a keyword in a search bar regarding a booking, you will notice enticing offers showing up regarding that destination. Most of these ads often sound too good to be true. And in almost all the cases, they are.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As a precautionary measure, always double-check the offer on the website. Check for website authority to ensure that the displayed offers are indeed legit.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Double Check on the Payment&nbsp;</div><div>There are two warning signs of scams when it comes to payment – lack of encryption and guiding users to a different landing page. A legit travel booking site will have the necessary SSL encryption which shows up as a keypad lock right after the https in the address bar. Scam websites don’t have those.</div><div><br></div><div>Some scammers have legit-looking websites for information and pricing but would take the users to a different domain for payment. Users should be wary of those sites as well.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Avoid Wire Transfer</div><div>It\'s best to avoid wire transfers using bank credentials or a debit card. For booking, always try to use credit cards as most banks invalidate the transaction in case of fraudulent purchases. That is, if the booking turns out to be a scam, your money is protected.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>It’s also a sign of a scam if a booking site insists on wire transfers rather than the use of credit cards.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Reconfirm the Booking&nbsp;</div><div>Sometimes scammers replicate trusted websites and take the booking through promotional campaigns of lucrative offers. While it\'s paramount to be wary of lucrative offers, many legit booking sites run promotional campaigns which can be a pretty good deal.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As a rule of thumb, tourists should always reconfirm the booking through telephone. They need to make sure to use the telephone number provided on the authentic website and not on the promotional offers.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Check Reviews&nbsp;</div><div>Unsure whether a booking site is legit or a scam? The best way to find out is to check for reviews. Many booking sites have their own dedicated review space. But let’s be honest, there’s no guarantee whether those reviews are legit or not.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The best approach would be to check independent third-party review websites like Trustpilot, Yelp, and Reviewsnap. Tourists can also look for reviews of certain travel companies, hotels, or booking agencies on social networking sites like Quora, Reddit, etc. These websites will give a better idea of whether a website is a scam or not.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Check for Hidden Fees</div><div>Another form of booking scam is the hidden charges. Sometimes even legit sites will put in a lucrative offer. However, the reduced price is often compensated through hidden charges. Booking sites are often pretty good at hiding them.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>As per the law, the sites are obligated to provide a complete breakdown of the charges. Check the breakdown before making any payment. Hidden fees are designated under an inflated service charge or processing fee. So the tourists should check whether those fees are higher than normal prices.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Avoid Rushing&nbsp;</div><div>Any scam booking site would want to close the deal as fast as possible. Because the payment is the last hurdle to scam. Spam mails that have an urgent tone to them or booking sites that have a call to action now and then may turn out to be scams.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The scammers in these cases bank on people’s hesitancy. They aim to create a sense of urgency through limited time or limited booking tropes. To avoid such scams, always plan ahead and thoroughly check before making any transactions.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Consider Getting a Travel Agent&nbsp;</div><div>This is a more traditional and uncommon method to avoid scams. With exciting deals and numerous booking websites, people are comfortable making their plans and itineraries. But that also makes a person potentially vulnerable to scams.</div><div><br></div><div>A dedicated travel agent might be a great alternative if you want to avoid the hassle of vetting and double-checking everything personally. Though there might be some additional charges as travel agent fees.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Be Wary of Unsolicited Mails and Cold Calls</div><div>Phishing emails and cold calls are tried and tested methods when it comes to scamming. There was a time when spam mail scams were easily identifiable as they couldn’t identify the personnel by name. But now even that is possible with data harvesting.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The best approach to unsolicited emails and cold calls would be to confirm the offers on the official website or through a telephone number provided on the website. Under no circumstances use the information or links provided via email.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Final Words&nbsp;</div><div>Travelling is a passion for many. However, to avoid scams, tourists need to be careful while booking their flights and accommodation online. In this day and age of AI and advanced deepfakes, it is possible to replicate anything and everything as legit. Scammers often target non-tech-savvy people and use different tropes for booking scams. The best way to avoid these scams would be to stay alert and double-check everything. And always opt for trusted services, or hire a reliable travel agent even if it costs a few extra bucks. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', '<p><font color=\"#a54a7b\"><b>Travel Bookings</b></font><br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 13:20:52', '2024-01-23 13:20:52'),
(10944, 10944, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><font color=\"#3984c6\">Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus has been sentenced in a case filed by the aggrieved people, and the government is not a party to it.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The government cannot dictate the court. I would like to say, paying due respect to Dr Yunus, that the government is not a party to the case. Aggrieved private people filed the case,” he told reporters while responding to a question at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>He, however, preferred to consider his remarks as a citizen of the country and Awami league joint general secretary, not as the foreign minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, a TV journalist drew the Foreign Minister\'s attention to a letter from US congressmen to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina regarding Dr Yunus.</div><div><br></div><div>If the US congressmen wrote any such letter, they are telling the government to interfere with the court. Can the government do that? Is it logical?” — said the foreign minister.</div><div><br></div><div>UNB could not verify the authenticity of the letter.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, a Dhaka court sentenced Dr Yunus and three top officials of Grameen Telecom to six months’ jail, with fine of Tk 25000 each, in a case over violation of labor law.</div><div><br></div><div>The others accused in the case are: Ashraful Hasan, CEO of Grameen Telecom Trust; trustee Nurjahan Begum; and managing director M Shahjahan.</div><div><br></div><div>They were accused of not making 101 workers and employees of Grameen Telecom permanent, not encashing public leave, and not depositing certain dividends to the Workers Welfare Foundation.</div><div><br></div><div>In the 84-page verdict, the judge said the charges of violating labor laws were proved against them, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The court, however, granted them conditional bail.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Yunus claimed that he had been punished for a crime he did not commit.</div><div><br></div><div>“I have been punished for a crime that I haven’t committed,” Yunus told reporters after he was convicted in a case over violation of labor law. “If you want to call it justice, you can.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 14:08:09', '2024-01-23 14:08:09'),
(10945, 10945, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Israeli army said Tuesday that 21 soldiers were killed in the Gaza Strip in the deadliest attack on its forces of the 3-month-old war against the militant Hamas group.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The reservists were preparing explosives to demolish two buildings in central Gaza on Monday when a militant fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank nearby, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, said. The blast triggered the explosives, causing both two-story buildings to collapse on the soldiers inside.</div><div><br></div><div>The heavy death toll could add new momentum to calls for Israel to pause the offensive or even halt it altogether. Large numbers of Israeli casualties have put pressure on Israel’s government to halt past military operations.</div><div><br></div><div>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead until Israel crushes the ruling Hamas militant group and wins the freedom of over 100 hostages held captive in Gaza. Israelis are increasingly divided on the question of whether it’s possible to do either.</div><div><br></div><div>Families of the hostages and many of their supporters have called for Israel to reach a cease-fire deal, saying that time is running out to bring the hostages home alive. On Monday, dozens of hostages’ relatives stormed a parliamentary committee meeting, demanding a deal to win their loved ones’ release.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel launched the offensive after Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross border attack that killed over 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. More than 100 were released in November in exchange for a weeklong cease-fire and the release of 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>The offensive has caused widespread destruction, displaced an estimated 85% of Gaza\'s population and left over 25,000 Palestinians dead, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory. The United Nations and international aid agencies say the fighting has unleashed a humanitarian disaster, with a quarter of the area\'s 2.3 million people facing starvation.&nbsp; - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 16:00:48', '2024-01-23 16:00:48'),
(10946, 10946, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Social Welfare Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Monday said that due to the effective policies and various initiatives of the government, better days of the country’s film industry have returned and the future of films would be even brighter.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Through the medium of films, a country’s culture, history, tradition, literature and lifestyle can be documented and projected to the audiences - which our maestro filmmakers have done in the past. The government has been focusing on the further development of this important medium and as a result, we are witnessing the return of good films with even more in the future.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Minister shared her remarks while inaugurating the Wide Angle section of the 22nd Dhaka International Film Festival at the Bangladesh National Museum on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>Lauding the DIFF authority, Dipu Moni said that the Dhaka International Film Festival organizers have been performing an extraordinary task to continue this film festivity for such a long time and providing film enthusiasts with a great platform to watch, discuss and collaborate on films.</div><div><br></div><div>Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and Deputy Chair of Shanghai Film Association and distinguished film scholar Dr Shi Chuan were present as special guests in the ceremony, which was chaired by researcher and Liberation War Museum trustee Mofidul Hoque, one of the festival committee members.</div><div><br></div><div>This year’s Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) is showcasing a total of 16 Chinese films as part of its coveted Wide Angle section, in association with the Embassy of the People\'s Republic of China and the Shanghai International Film Festival.</div><div><br></div><div>“In the Wide Angle section, we invite audiences to embark on a fascinating journey that explores the variety of styles represented in contemporary Chinese cinema. A collection of 16 from the most active filmmakers currently working in China, set in refreshingly diverse milieus ranging from the Southeastern metropolitan Shenzhen to the Northwestern grasslands, these films explore various themes and genres such as adventure, animation, comedy, family &amp; children\'s film, Sci-Fi, sport, suspense and more,” according to DIFF authority.</div><div><br></div><div>“Despite the diversity of characters and storytelling, these films engage and resonate with us by sharing universal feelings and deep experiences within our hearts. We wish Chinese culture along with Chinese cinema will continue to enrich the cultural diversity of the world,” the DIFF organizers quoted.</div><div><br></div><div>Initiated and organized by the Rainbow Film Society, the 22nd edition of DIFF will continue till January 28.</div><div><br></div><div>This year’s festival is showcasing 252 films from 74 countries at the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Auditorium (main auditorium) and Poet Sufia Kamal Auditorium of Bangladesh National Museum, National Art Gallery Auditorium and National Music and Dance Auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs\' Academy Auditorium and Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), Dhanmondi in the capital. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 16:03:17', '2024-01-23 16:03:17'),
(10947, 10947, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The ninth death anniversary of Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of ex-president late Ziaur Rahman and thrice-former prime minister Khaleda Zia, founder and current chairperson respectively of the BNP, will be observed on Wednesday.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>BNP and its associate bodies have taken various programmes to mark the day with due respect and remembrance.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Party leaders and activists, led by standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, will place wreaths at Koko’s grave and offer fateha there around 10:30am.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP will arrange a doa mahfil at its Nayapaltan central office at 11am seeking eternal peace for Koko’s departed soul. BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan will be present at the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Another doa mahfil will be held at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office at 4:30pm, to be attended by party standing committee members and the leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies.</div><div><br></div><div>Different associate and professional bodies of BNP and its city and district units will also observe the day by holding various programmes, including discussions and prayer sessions, across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 24, 2015, Koko died of cardiac arrest aged 45 in Malaysia.</div><div><br></div><div>His body was brought back home on January 27 and buried at Banani Graveyard. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 16:12:16', '2024-01-23 16:12:16'),
(10948, 10948, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government will procure liquefied natural gas (LNG), fertiliser, lentil and edible oil to meet domestic demands.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A number of bulk procurement proposals were approved in the maiden meeting of the new Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Tuesday after the new cabinet was sworn in following the parliamentary election on January 7.</div><div><br></div><div>New Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali presided over the virtually held CCGP meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>As per a proposal of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, state-owned Petrobangla will import LNG cargo, having 33.60 lakh MMBtu of LNG, at a cost of Tk 470.48 crore from TotalEnergies Gas &amp; Power Ltd. Switzerland through a limited bidding in the international spot market.</div><div><br></div><div>The committee approved some 8 proposals for importing fertilisers.</div><div><br></div><div>Of these, the 4 were placed by the Agriculture Ministry under which Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) will import a total of 1.4 lakh metric tons of different types of fertiliser from four foreign companies.</div><div><br></div><div>The BADC will import 40,000 MT of DAP fertiliser from Ma\'aden of Saudi Arabia at Tk 259.16 crore with each tonne at $589, some 30,000 MT of TSP fertiliser from OCP, S.A of Morocco at Tk 112.38 crore with each MT at $386, another 40,000 MT of DAP fertiliser from the same company of Morocco at Tk 240.90 crore with each MT at $547.50 and 30,000 MOP fertliser from Russia\'s JSC Foreign Economic Corporation “Prodintorg” at Tk 99.69 crore with each MT at $302.</div><div><br></div><div>As per four separate proposals, placed by the Industries Ministry, the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will import a total of 1.20 lakh metric tons of urea fertiliser.</div><div><br></div><div>Of these, the 30,000 MT of bulk granular urea will imported from Muntajat of Qatar at Tk 103.42 crore with each MT at $313.42, while some 30,000 MT of bagged granular urea from Kafco at Tk 104.48 crore with each MT at $316.62, some 30,000 bulk granular urea from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company of Saudi Arabia at TK 103.42 crore with each MT at $313.42 and another 30,000 MT of bulk granular urea from same Saudi company at Tk 102.42 crore with each MT at $313.42 will be imported.</div><div><br></div><div>The committee approved three separate proposals placed instantly on the table by the Commerce Ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the proposals, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will procure 10,000 MT of lentil through open tender from Uma Expo Pvt. Ltd., India, at Tk 96.14 crore with each kilogram (KG) at Tk 101.13, while another 10,000 MT of lent from (1) Roy Agro Food Products Ltd., Bogura; and (2) Nabil Naba Foods Ltd., Dhaka at Tk 105.45 crore with each kilogram (KG) price at Tk 105.45, and 1.20 crore litres of rice bran oil through direct purchase method (DPM) from (1) Majumdar Products Ltd.; (2) Majumdar Bran Oil Mills Ltd and (3) Ali Natural Oil Mills &amp; Agro Industries Ltd at Tk 189.60 crore with each litre price at Tk 158.</div><div><br></div><div>The TCB will sell the products among its 1 crore cardholder families through open market sale. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 16:18:31', '2024-01-23 16:18:31'),
(10949, 10949, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh\'s Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel today (January 23, 2024) addressed the media regarding the ongoing controversy over a story featured in a textbook.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“We plan to consult with experts about the story of Sharifa discussed in the textbook. If there\'s any confusion or misrepresentation, changes will be made,” Chowdhury told reporters at the Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>The story of Sharifa previously sparked debate, and currently, some are protesting over its content. The Education Minister emphasized the need for a thorough discussion with National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) to understand why the story is eliciting such reactions.</div><div><br></div><div>He expressed concern about certain groups’ tendency to exploit religious sentiments and instigate instability and anarchy in the country, and said, “A few days ago, some recommendations were given to me from an organization. Some Qawmi madrasa teachers claimed that the word ‘transgender’ has been used in the textbook. However, upon examination, it was clarified that the term used was ‘third gender’.”</div><div><br></div><div>“In our society, third gender individuals, commonly known as ‘Hijra,’ are legally recognized citizens with rights,\" Minister Chowdhury clarified, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He further added, “If the presentation of the story leads to misunderstandings and controversies, we will discuss with experts whether we can modify its presentation while respecting the dignity of the third gender individuals. This is a specialized issue, and we don’t want to comment at a policy level.”</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, the Education Minister said, “We will discuss this matter with BRAC University and understand the issue through the University Grants Commission, following which a detailed discussion will be held.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-23 16:23:31', '2024-01-23 16:23:31'),
(10950, 10950, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><font color=\"#3984c6\">Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday said the government would do everything possible at an appropriate time to implement the court verdict against convicted BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman now living in the UK.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Our government wants to make sure that every convicted person’s verdict is implemented. The government will do everything possible at an appropriate time regarding Tarique Rahman’s issue,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister made the remarks when a reporter wanted to know about the efforts to bring back Tarique, acting chairman of BNP, for implementation of the court verdict.</div><div><br></div><div>He spoke with the reporters after a meeting with British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke at his office where they discussed ways of strengthening cooperation between the two countries.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The government has been trying to bring back the BNP\'s convicted acting chairman Tarique to implement the court verdict, but it all depends on the UK government.</div><div><br></div><div>“He is there (UK). Whoever a criminal is, they should be brought back and their sentence should be carried out. We are making our efforts in this regard. But now it totally depends on the British government. Will they keep him there or allow the punishment to be executed? It totally depends on them,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Voice of America Bangla service in an interview in Washington last year.</div><div><br></div><div>There are a number of cases including money laundering, arms smuggling, corruption and also the 21 August grenade attack against him.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, the foreign minister said he laid emphasis on making the process easier as many face problems in terms of family reunion, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He acknowledged that there are people who are living in the UK illegally.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 09:16:26', '2024-01-24 09:16:26');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10951, 10951, '<div><font color=\"#3984c6\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>India\'s Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday (January 24, 2024) handed over the body of a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member, who was shot by BSF members two days ago.</b></span><br></font></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased, Raisuddin, 35, was posted at the BGB-49 Battalion in Jashore.</div><div><br></div><div>Jessore 49-BGB Commanding Officer (CO) Lt. Colonel Ahmed Hasan Jamil and Assistant Director Masud Rana received the body. The body was sent to Jessore General Hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the body will be handed over to his family in Chapainawabganj.</div><div><br></div><div>The BGB member succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in India, BGB said on Tuesday .</div><div><br></div><div>According to a BGB press release, a patrol team of BGB challenged a gang of cattle smugglers when they were intruding into Bangladesh from India, adjacent to Jhelepara post area under the Benapole upazila, around 5:30 am on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>At one stage of the chase, the smugglers went back inside Indian territory, it reads, adding that BGB personnel Raisuddin got separated from the patrol team amid dense fog.</div><div><br></div><div>Though initially he was not found, later it was known through several sources that he was injured in BSF firing and was undergoing treatment in an Indian hospital, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The BGB demanded proper investigation into the incident and sent a protest note to their Indian counterparts.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 09:21:55', '2024-01-24 09:21:55'),
(10952, 10952, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><font color=\"#3984c6\">Uber, the ridesharing app, has announced the appointment of Nasheed Ferdous Kamal as the Country Head for Uber Bangladesh.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Nasheed is a seasoned leader with over 18 years of experience in marketing, product and pricing strategy, new business development, customer lifecycle management, revenue and base growth, said the company on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Before joining Uber, Nasheed was the General Manager at Robi Axiata Limited where she led the company’s Airtel brand Base Management and Customer Lifecycle Management in the region.</div><div><br></div><div>She is an alumnus of the University of Windsor and North South University.</div><div><br></div><div>Commenting on the appointment, Abhishek Padhye, Head of Regional Business Operations, Uber India and South Asia, said, “We are delighted to welcome Nasheed as the new head of our business in Bangladesh. Her addition to our team is a significant step towards reinforcing Uber’s footprint and ensuring sustained growth in Bangladesh. Nasheed brings robust experience from the telecom industry and we are confident that under her leadership, we will explore further avenues of growth in Bangladesh.”</div><div><br></div><div>Commenting on the appointment, Nasheed said: “Uber has transformed the way people move in Bangladesh, while also creating work opportunities for lakhs of people. I am excited to join Uber and work alongside the talented team, as we work together on building shared mobility business in Bangladesh while committing to our sustainability goals.”</div><div><br></div><div>Uber started operations in Bangladesh in 2016 with a mission to power mobility. In over seven years of operations, Uber has built a strong position in the ridesharing ecosystem. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 10:35:19', '2024-01-24 10:35:19'),
(10953, 10953, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke on Wednesday laid emphasis on working together to strengthen the ties between Bangladesh and the UK.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>During her meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she also discussed how they can work together on challenges like climate change, migration and welfare of the Rohingyas.</div><div><br></div><div>The British High Commissioner said they also discussed trade and investment issues and ways to strengthen the security partnership between the two countries, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that they will continue to engage constructively with the government of Bangladesh and political parties on democracy and human rights issues.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 11:05:26', '2024-01-24 11:05:26'),
(10954, 10954, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asked the Planning Commission to identify which of the running projects can be finished quickly with little cost to reap maximum economic benefits from the programmes.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We have to prioritise the development programmes which would be finished with little money. Because I think that the quicker we would be able to finish these projects the quicker would be the returns and the country will get the benefits,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this in her introductory speech at the first meeting of the commission after forming the new government at NEC Auditorium of the Planning Commission in Sher-E-Bangla Nagar. She is also chairperson of the commission.</div><div><br></div><div>She asked the officials concerned to avoid delays in the implementation of projects and their extension.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>PM Hasina asked the officials to deeply look in to the costs of the projects and the expected returns.</div><div><br></div><div>“While taking up new projects, please look deeply in to the expenditure of the projects, how much loan is involved, how much we have to repay with interest, how much time we would get for repaying loans,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She also asked to examine whether the country has the capability to take that much loan.</div><div><br></div><div>“This is urgently needed before taking up any project,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, she said, the government has to consider the returns and effectiveness of a particular project for a particular area.</div><div><br></div><div>“How much the common people will benefit and how much it would inject in the economy. We have to look in to that,” she added.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister mentioned that Bangladesh is bracing for the biggest challenge in 2026 when it will complete the graduation to a developing country.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have to be specific what kind of facilities we would get as the developing country. From those we have to pick up the best facilities for us. And we have to start our work according to that,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that many facilities as the LDC country might not be available after the graduation, although it will be available till 2029 and the government has already requested to extend those up to 2032.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“We have to consider all these elements while counting our challenges and find out the ways to face those,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She requested all to work hard so that the positive results of the independence and spirit of the liberation would be reached to every door of the country and the people enjoy developed and prosperous lives.</div><div><br></div><div>She also vowed to turn the country into a smart one by 2041. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 11:49:37', '2024-01-24 11:49:37'),
(10955, 10955, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><font color=\"#634aa5\">BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Wednesday alleged&nbsp; that the disparity between the rich and the poor is widening gradually due to the lack of democracy in the country.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“If you think about the development of everyone, there is no way except democracy. As there is no democracy, a large number of people in the country are now crushed by the rise in commodity prices while a handful of people are buying houses worth crores of taka,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a doa and milad mahfil, the BNP leader also alleged that only 5 percent of the people are embezzling a huge amount of the country\'s wealth and money by indulging in corruption and looting.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member, said the five percent people are given the scope to amass the ill-gotten money as the government does not need the support of the majority of the people. “As a result, they do not believe in voting.”</div><div><br></div><div>“If the votes were required (to form the government), they would have conducted free and fair elections, not a one-sided election like January-7 one,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>Stating that there is no alternative to restoring the people’s right to vote to get rid of such a situation in the country, the BNP leader urged everyone to get united to make the opposition parties’ ongoing&nbsp; anti-government movement a success.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said the country’s people established democracy by sacrificing their lives and blood by liberating the country through the Liberation War in 1971. “That democracy does not exist now in Bangladesh…it has been destroyed.”</div><div><br></div><div>BNP arranged the programme programme at its Nayapaltan central office, marking the ninth death anniversary of Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and party chairperson Khaleda Zia.</div><div><br></div><div>A munajat was offered at the end of the programme, seeking eternal peace for Koko’s departed soul.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier in the morning, BNP leaders and activists, led by its standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, placed wreaths at Koko’s grave and offer fateha there, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>On January 24, 2015, Koko died of cardiac arrest aged 45 in Malaysia.</div><div><br></div><div>His body was brought back home on January 27 and buried at Banani Graveyard.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 13:28:36', '2024-01-24 13:28:36'),
(10956, 10956, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Despite chilly weather, the country is experiencing load-shedding due to fall in power generation because of a severe gas crisis.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The data of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), which controls the country\'s transmission system, shows that the country experienced about 322 MW of load-shedding on Wednesday (January 24) when the power generation fell to a level of 9113 MW at 9 am when normally the demand remains relatively lower during the peak winter compared with a day in the summer season.</div><div><br></div><div>In the summer, the demand goes up to 16,000 MW.</div><div><br></div><div>The PGCB data also shows that at the time the country\'s demand was 9450 MW and the gas-fired generation was reduced to a level of 4053 MW against its actual capacity of 11708.00 MW which shares 45.12 percent of the country\'s total grid-connected generation capacity of 25951 MW.</div><div><br></div><div>It reveals that in recent days the country experienced the most load shedding of 808 MW on January 21 at 11 am due to the gas crisis.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Available data with the state-owned Petrobangla shows that some 30 gas-fired power plants have remained off due to gas shortages that led to a drastic fall in power generation.</div><div><br></div><div>The plants include Unique Meghnaghat 584 MW, Doreen Narsingdi 22 MW SIPP, Doreen Tangail 22 MW SIPP, Summit Meghn. 335 MW, HPS (100 MW), Siddhirganj (2x120 MW), Tongi (80 MW), Aggreko (GSL)-145 MW Rent, HPL ( 360 MW ), HPL ( 360 MW ), Chandpur 150 MW CCPP, APS 450 MW CCPP, Ashuganj 200 MW Modular, APS 450 MW CCPP E, Sikalbaha 40 MW, Raozan (2x210) MW, S.Bazar 100 MW, S.Bazar 330 MW, K.gaon 3 yrs rent 50 MW, S.Bazar 3 yrs rental 50 MW, K gaon 142 MW CCPP, Habiganj 11 MW SIPP, Bibiyana-3 400 MW, F.ganj 15 yrs rent 51 MW, F.ganj 3 yrs rent 50 MW, Bogra 3 yrs rent (20 MW), Bogra 15 yrs rent (20 MW), Baghabari (100+71 MW, NWPGCL Unit - 1,2,3, Aggreko 95MW, and Bheramara 360 MW.</div><div><br></div><div>These plants together have a power generation capacity of 6012 MW from which the country is being deprived of.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The data also reveals that Petrobangla has been producing 2582.6 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) against its total demand of more than 4,000 mmcfd meaning that the shortfall is over 1,500 mmcfd.</div><div><br></div><div>Petrobangla officials attributed this crisis to the fall in import of liquefied natural gas (LNG).</div><div><br></div><div>\"The two LNG terminals have a combined capacity to supply a total of 1000 mmcfd while they are providing 529 mmcfd which is almost half of their capacity\", said one official.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Actually the ongoing dollar crisis has been the main constraint behind the decreasing import of the LNG\", he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Due to a shortage in gas supply, residential consumers in Dhaka and elsewhere have been experiencing a serious difficulty in their day-to-day cooking while industries are suffering a lot.</div><div><br></div><div>Many residents from different areas in Dhaka city alleged that they don\'t get any gas during the day period and have to wait until midnight to manage their cooking.</div><div><br></div><div>Petrobangla and Titas Gas officials said they can not give any assurance for a substantial improvement in the supply until the dollar crisis is fully resolved, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid recently said that he hopes the situation in Dhaka city will improve soon.</div><div><br></div><div>He also noted that his ministry is taking measures to increase the import of the LPG as 80 percent of the household consumers use this liquefied gas while only 20 percent use piped gas.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 14:00:31', '2024-01-24 14:00:31'),
(10957, 10957, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The amended labour act will be passed in the next parliament session, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haq said on Wednesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"It will definitely be brought up in the next session and passed,\" he said replying to a question from reporters about the possibility of passage of the amended act.</div><div><br></div><div>He was talking to reporters after a meeting with the officials of the Labour Ministry at the secretariat today.</div><div><br></div><div>“ILO’s Governing Board meeting will be held in March. Today\'s meeting was for a briefing on the progress we are making and what we are doing over this labor act,” said the minister, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He also said that the Prime Minister has taken responsibility of this ministry. “This is a reflection of how seriously she has taken the ministry. I will brief the Prime Minister in this regard first then I will tell you details about it,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question regarding lowering the threshold of conditions required to form trade unions to 10 percent, the Law Minister said, “We have discussed this today as well”. We are proceeding according to a decision. I have made a change as per PM\'s earlier instructions, I will brief PM about it very soon.”&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 14:29:22', '2024-01-24 14:29:22'),
(10958, 10958, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>South Africa expects the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule this Friday on whether it will grant emergency measures to stop the war in Gaza, South African news website News24 reported today, citing two sources close to the matter.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A spokesman for South Africa’s justice ministry told Reuters “no communique yet”.</div><div><br></div><div>A spokesman for Israel’s foreign ministry said he was not aware and was looking into it.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this month South Africa asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order an emergency suspension of Israel’s devastating military campaign in the Palestinian enclave, accusing it of carrying out a state-led genocide.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel dismissed the genocide allegations as “grossly distorted” and said it had a right to defend itself and was targeting Hamas, not Palestinians civilians.</div><div><br></div><div>In the initial ruling the ICJ will not deal with the main question of whether Israel is committing genocide.</div><div><br></div><div>The court will just look at possible emergency measures, meant as a kind of restraining order while the court looks at the full case, which usually takes years. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 14:44:09', '2024-01-24 14:44:09'),
(10959, 10959, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane crashed near the Ukrainian border today, and state news agency RIA quoted the defence ministry as saying it was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war to be exchanged for Russian captives.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The plane was carrying 74 people, including six crew and three guards when it crashed, RIA cited the defence ministry as saying.</div><div><br></div><div>There was no immediate information on the cause.</div><div><br></div><div>Andrei Kartapolov, a lawmaker in Russia’s parliament and a retired general, said during a parliamentary session that the plane had been shot down by three missiles.</div><div><br></div><div>He did not say what the source of his information was.</div><div><br></div><div>Reuters could not immediately verify details of who was on board, but Russia and Ukraine regularly swap prisoners of war.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine’s defence ministry and air force did not immediately reply to requests for comment.</div><div><br></div><div>Video posted on the Telegram messenger app by Baza, a channel linked to Russian security services, and verified by Reuters, showed a large aircraft falling towards the ground near the village of Yablonovo in the Belgorod region and exploding in a vast fireball.</div><div><br></div><div>Local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that an unspecified “incident” had occurred in the region’s Korochansky district, northeast of Belgorod city, and that he was going to inspect the site.</div><div><br></div><div>He said investigators and emergency workers were already on the scene.</div><div><br></div><div>The Il-76 is a military transport aircraft designed to airlift troops, cargo, military equipment and weapons.</div><div><br></div><div>It usually has a crew of five, and can carry up to 90 passengers.</div><div><br></div><div>The Kremlin said in response to a reporter’s question that it was looking into the situation.</div><div><br></div><div>Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, has come under frequent attacks from Ukraine in recent months, including a December missile strike which killed 25 people. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 15:13:02', '2024-01-24 15:13:02'),
(10960, 10960, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>More than 110 Rohingya from war-torn western Myanmar were arrested as they tried to flee the country to Malaysia, a local security source told AFP today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The mainly Muslim Rohingya are seen in Myanmar as interlopers from Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>They are denied citizenship and require permission to travel.</div><div><br></div><div>Fifty-nine men and 58 women were arrested from two trucks in Thanbyuzayat township in eastern Mon state yesterday, according to the local security source, who declined to be named as he was not permitted to talk to the media.</div><div><br></div><div>The source said the group was headed for Malaysia via Thailand.</div><div><br></div><div>According to initial reports, the group travelled first by boat from Sittwe and Maungdaw in Rakhine state and were later picked up by traffickers in Thanbyuzayat for the onward journey to Thailand before being abandoned.</div><div><br></div><div>In recent weeks, fighting between the junta and ethnic armed group the Arakan Army (AA) has rocked swathes of Rakhine state, displacing tens of thousands.</div><div><br></div><div>The military has since closed highways and banned water travel in the riverine state.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2017, the military launched a crackdown on Rohingya in Rakhine, sending hundreds of thousands of the persecuted minority fleeing into neighbouring Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The crackdown is now the subject of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, while the Rohingya who remain in Myanmar are subject to what rights groups describe as apartheid-like conditions.</div><div><br></div><div>Every year, thousands of Rohingya undertake risky sea journeys from Myanmar and overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh trying to reach Malaysia or Indonesia.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 569 Rohingya were reported to have died or gone missing at sea last year, the United Nations’ refugee agency said yesterday, the highest number since 2014, reports AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Nearly 4,500 embarked on sea journeys from Myanmar or camps in Bangladesh in 2023, the agency said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 15:16:41', '2024-01-24 15:16:41'),
(10961, 10961, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">South African police said today that they had arrested a man accused of starting a fire that killed more than 70 in Johannesburg last year.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The 29-year-old was detained yesterday after confessing his involvement before an enquiry established to investigate the tragedy.</div><div><br></div><div>“A suspect was arrested in connection to the Marshalltown fire,” police spokesman Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said.</div><div><br></div><div>Seventy-seven people were killed and scores injured as a blaze ripped through a five-storey building taken over for illegal housing in central Johannesburg last August.</div><div><br></div><div>It was one of the deadliest building fires worldwide in recent years.</div><div><br></div><div>The suspect is expected to appear in court “soon” on charges of arson, 76 counts of murder and 120 counts of attempted murder, police said.</div><div><br></div><div>Illegal occupation of disused buildings in the city centre is widespread, with many said to be under the control of criminal syndicates who collect rent from occupants. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 15:18:43', '2024-01-24 15:18:43'),
(10962, 10962, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Russia is closely monitoring the situation in Chad and has been following the fight against terrorist attacks with great concern, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday as he met Chad leader Mahamat Idriss Deby.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a meeting with the transitional president of Chad in Moscow, Putin praised him for stabilizing the situation in the Central African country plagued by poverty and armed conflict.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We are glad that you managed to hold a vote on the new Constitution. I am sure that the election scheduled for the near future will be held at the proper level. We are happy that you managed to stabilize the situation in the country,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Putin said Russia and Chad maintain stable connections and plan to further develop bilateral cooperation.</div><div><br></div><div>For his part, Deby offered condolences over the plane crash that occurred earlier in the day in Russia\'s Belgorod region.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This is a historic visit ... Chad and Russia have long-term relations. ... We hope that this visit will allow us to strengthen relations in all directions,\" he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier commenting on Deby\'s visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Chad Russia\'s \"potential partner,\" saying the possibilities of cooperation with this country \"are far from being disclosed, there is a lot to work on.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Deby was named head of an 18-month transitional council in April 2021 after the death of his father from injuries while visiting troops on the frontline.</div><div><br></div><div>The period expired in October 2022, but the transition was extended by two years. He is eligible to run for the presidency in elections due by November. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 15:21:26', '2024-01-24 15:21:26'),
(10963, 10963, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden\'s membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country\'s entry into the military alliance.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Lawmakers ratified Sweden\'s accession protocol 287 to 55, with ruling party members saying the Nordic country\'s tougher stance on Kurdish militants was key to winning approval. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also previously has linked the ratification to Turkey\'s desire to buy fighter jets from the U.S.</div><div><br></div><div>The ratification comes into effect after its publication in the Official Gazette, which was expected to be swift.</div><div><br></div><div>Hungary then becomes the only NATO ally not to have ratified Sweden\'s accession.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO,\" Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. In Washington, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan welcomed the news, saying having Sweden in the alliance will make it \"safer and stronger.\"</div><div><br></div><div>NATO-member Turkey had been delaying Sweden\'s membership for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara regards as security threats. It sought concessions from Stockholm, including moves to counter militants.</div><div><br></div><div>Turkey also had been angered by a series of demonstrations by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers\' Party, or PKK, in Sweden as well as Quran-burning protests that roiled Muslim countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Sweden in the past was a \"center in Europe\" for the PKK, Fuat Oktay, a senior legislator in Erdogan\'s governing party and the head of the foreign affairs committee, told parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>But since then, Sweden has amended its anti-terrorism laws, curbed the PKK\'s financial activities, convicted a terrorism suspect and extradited another, and lifted restrictions on arms sales to Turkey, Oktay said.</div><div><br></div><div>\"PKK-affiliated circles no longer find a comfortable room for maneuver in Sweden as they did in the past,\" Oktay said, explaining why the ruling party was now supporting Stockholm\'s bid.</div><div><br></div><div>Sweden pledged deeper cooperation with Turkey on counterterrorism, as well as support for Turkey\'s ambition to revive its EU membership bid.</div><div><br></div><div>Last month, parliament\'s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden\'s bid in the first stage of the legislative process, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent its accession protocol to lawmakers for approval.</div><div><br></div><div>Turkey\'s main opposition party also supported Sweden\'s membership in the alliance but a center-right party and the country\'s pro-Kurdish party were among parties that opposed it.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Sweden\'s steps concerning its extradition of wanted criminals or the fight against terrorism have remained limited and insufficient,\" Musavat Dervisoglu, a legislator from the Good Party told parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>Erdogan has linked ratification of Sweden\'s NATO membership to the U.S. Congress\' approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkey\'s existing fleet. He has also urged Canada and other NATO allies to lift arms embargoes on Turkey.</div><div><br></div><div>Koray Aydin, another Good Party legislator, had urged parliament to hold out on ratifying Sweden\'s accession until the F-16 sales and the modernization kits were approved in Washington, saying Turkey would lose an important bargaining chip.</div><div><br></div><div>U.S. President Joe Biden\'s administration never formally tied the sale of the F-16s to Turkey\'s ratification of Sweden\'s NATO membership. However, numerous influential members of Congress had said they would not support the sale unless and until Turkey signed off on Sweden\'s accession to the alliance.</div><div><br></div><div>U.S. administration officials say they expect relatively quick action on the F-16 sale after the ratification.</div><div><br></div><div>Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, said after Tuesday\'s vote that Sweden\'s accession to the alliance has been a priority for Biden.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Sweden is a strong, capable defense partner. Sweden joining NATO is in the national security interests of the United States, and will make the Alliance safer and stronger,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sweden and Finland abandoned their traditional positions of military nonalignment to seek protection under NATO\'s security umbrella, following Russia\'s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Finland joined the alliance in April, becoming NATO\'s 31st member, after Turkey\'s parliament ratified the Nordic country\'s bid.</div><div><br></div><div>Hungary has also stalled Sweden\'s bid, alleging that Swedish politicians have told \"blatant lies\" about the condition of Hungary\'s democracy. Hungary has said it would not be the last to approve accession, although it was not clear when the Hungarian parliament intends to hold a vote.</div><div><br></div><div>Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced Tuesday that he sent a letter to his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, inviting him to Budapest to discuss Sweden\'s entry into NATO.</div><div><br></div><div>NATO requires the unanimous approval of all existing members to expand, and Turkey and Hungary were the only countries that have been holding out, frustrating other NATO allies who had been pressing for Sweden and Finland\'s swift accession. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 15:26:53', '2024-01-24 15:26:53'),
(10964, 10964, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Cricket Captain Shakib Al Hasan has been diagnosed with a retinal condition in his left eye.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This medical update of Shakib Al Hasan comes after the player reported visual-function concerns, said a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) media release on Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>BCB Senior Physician Dr Debashis Chowdhury said, \"Shakib has been complaining of subtle issues with his left eye. After consulting Ophthalmologists in home and abroad and after the multiple eye assessments, it was confirmed that he is suffering from Extrafoveal Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSR) of the left eye.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It has been decided that a conservative approach will be adopted for managing the issue for now.\"</div><div><br></div><div>“Extrafoveal Central Serous Chorioretinopathy is a condition that affects the retina, leading to visual disturbances.The medical team overseeing Shakib\'s case is optimistic about managing the condition effectively with a conservative approach,“ he said.</div><div><br></div><div>BCB urged the cricketing fraternity and fans to respect Shakib\'s privacy as he focuses on his health and recovery, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Further updates on his condition will be provided in due course, the media release added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 15:43:48', '2024-01-24 15:43:48'),
(10965, 10965, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Director Arun Matheswaran’s recent Pongal release Captain Miller, which stars Dhanush, Shiva Rajkumar and Priyanka Mohan in the lead roles, hit screens in Tamil, Kannada and Hindi this Pongal. The film minted ₹104.79 crore at the box office in its 12-day run.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Trade analyst Manobala shared on his X account that the Dhanush-starrer has held well even on the weekdays. He wrote, “#CaptainMiller WW Box Office. #Dhanush\'s Captain Miller holds well on the weekdays.” Giving a breakdown of the numbers, he added, “Day 1 - ₹ 16.29 cr, Day 2 - ₹ 14.18 cr, Day 3 - ₹ 15.65 cr, Day 4 - ₹ 13.51 cr, Day 5 - ₹ 12.24 cr, Day 6 - ₹ 9.33 cr, Day 7 - ₹ 4.92 cr, Day 8 - ₹ 4.27 cr, Day 9 - ₹ 4.80 cr, Day 10 - ₹ 5.04 cr, Day 11 - ₹ 2.52 cr, Day 12 - ₹ 2.04 cr, Total - ₹ 104.79 cr.”</div><div><br></div><div>Asian Cinemas and Suresh Productions will release the film in Telugu and they claimed in a press note that the paid premiers for the film, on January 25, have all been sold out. They even claimed that more shows are getting added due to public demand. Guntur Kaaram, HanuMan, Saindhav and Naa Saami Ranga were released on Pongal, so Captain Miller and Ayalaan’s release was deferred in the Telugu states, reports Hindustan Times&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The official X account of Asian Cinemas posted, “Experience the captain\'s jaw Dropping Action on big screens from January 26th with the updated Runtime of 2 Hours 29 Mins!! #CaptainMillerTelugu.” The Tamil version of the film is 2-hours-37-minutes long and it looks like the markers re-edited the Telugu version. The release is expected to add to the overall collections.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-24 16:10:28', '2024-01-24 16:10:28'),
(10966, 10966, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday hoped that China would come forward in a bigger way than before during the tenure of her new government for implementing its development programmes.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“China is one of the most important development and strategic partners of Bangladesh. We hope that during the new government’s tenure China will help us more than the previous times to help continue the development journey of Bangladesh,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while Chinese Communist Party’s Vice Minister of the International Division Sun Haiyan called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed the reporters after the call on.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Sun Haiyan is the first senior Chinese politician to visit Bangladesh after formation of Hasina\'s new government following a landslide victory in January 7 election.</div><div><br></div><div>She conveyed her country\'s President Xi Jingping\'s greetings to Hasina on her reelection as the prime minister of Bangladesh for the fifth term.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that President&nbsp; Xi&nbsp; was confident about her re-election as the prime minister due to her struggle for changing the fate of the countrymen and the love and affection for the Bangladeshi people.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Xi was confident on Sheikh Hasina’s re-election as Prime Minister as she was committed to changing the fate of the people and her patriotism towards the country and its people,\" Sun said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Chinese vice minister also congratulated&nbsp; Hasina on her re-election as the prime minister on behalf of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China (CPC).</div><div><br></div><div>She also congratulated Bangladesh premier\'s only daughter Saima Wazed on her election as the regional director of the World Health Organisation (WHO).</div><div><br></div><div>\"Saima Wazed will play a great role in containing autism globally,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She hoped that the activities of Bangladesh premier will continue for socio-economic development of Bangladesh and quicken the transformation of the country into a prosperous and developed country.</div><div><br></div><div>To this end, the Sun referred to her several visits to Bangladesh since 1991.</div><div><br></div><div>\"I have witnessed a tremendous and unbelievable development of Bangladesh and efforts to upgrade the living standard of the countrymen (during the period),\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In reply the premier said the massive development has&nbsp; take place as she successfully infused confidence among the people that \"we can do.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister also credited the continuation of her government for a longer period that helped implement the plans to develop Bangladesh socio-economically.</div><div><br></div><div>She suggested Sun Haiyan visit the rural areas to see the \"real change\" of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The Chinese vice minister also stressed the need for enhancing collaboration between China and Banhladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting, Hasina said her government has been working to accomplish the unfinished tasks of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman andc change the lot of the people by giving them a improved and better life.</div><div><br></div><div>She has sought Chinese cooperation to this end.</div><div><br></div><div>The Chinese vice minister also put importance on strengthening relations between Communist Party of China and Bangladesh Awami League by enhancing bilateral programmes.</div><div><br></div><div>Ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin and PM\'s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah were present. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bmbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 09:12:12', '2024-01-25 09:12:12'),
(10967, 10967, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>DC Park in Chattogram’s Fouzdarhat has become place of attraction for city dwellers for vibrant display of colourful flowers along the sea beach after the district administration developed the park inspired by Dubai\'s renowned Miracle Garden.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A month-long flower festival will begin at the park on Thursday (January 25, 2024) evening.</div><div><br></div><div>The festival, organized for the second time, promises a delightful experience for visitors with a collection of 127 species of exotic flowers. In addition to the floral extravaganza, the event features added attractions such as kite flying, traditional sweets festival, boat exhibitions, art displays, and a music festival.</div><div><br></div><div>Once infamous as a drug den near the Fouzdarhat area on the Link Road in Chattogram city, DC Park was transformed into a 194-acre park by the district administration.</div><div><br></div><div>The various species of flowers capture the attention of visitors, not just through their colours but also through the artistic arrangements.</div><div><br></div><div>Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Abuul Bashir Mohammad Fakhruzzaman said, \"The flower festival, starting today, is the second edition of the event initiated by the district administration. This year, the park will also be illuminated in the evenings to enhance the attraction.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Within the park, there is a heavenly kingdom of flowers with more than 127 species, surrounded by a vast pond where kayaking takes place. There are also arrangement of boat rides, art exhibitions by 100 artists, a book fair, a violin show, a kite festival, traditional sweets festival, puppet shows, and daily cultural performances to enchant visitors.</div><div><br></div><div>Chattogram District Administration reported that the park has been adorned with tulips imported from the Netherlands. The entry fee for visitors this year is set atTk 30, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning the efforts behind the festival, UNO of Sitakunda, M Rafiqul Islam, said, \"The drug den has been transformed into a kingdom of flowers. Seeing the enthusiasm of the people last year, we are going to arrange bigger this year with a month-long festival.\"&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 09:54:08', '2024-01-25 09:54:08'),
(10968, 10968, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Residents in Narayanganj are grappling with increased hardships due to acute shortage in gas supply. Due to a lack of gas supply through pipelines, residential consumers are being compelled to resort to using LPG cylinders, electric stoves (induction), and stoves.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Capitalising the situation, businessmen are raising the prices of gas cylinders and electric stoves.&nbsp; Locals said the price of a 12-kg gas cylinder of an unidentified company has surged to Tk 1,500.</div><div><br></div><div>Local shopkeepers are charging up to Tk 1,550 for cylinders from reputable companies, they alleged.</div><div><br></div><div>Ameena Begum, a resident of Choudhury Bari in the port area, said , \"Due to the unavailability of gas, I am now using an electric stove.\"</div><div><br></div><div>This shift has resulted in an additional burden for households, as the monthly electricity bills for electric stoves range from Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,500, said some local people.</div><div><br></div><div>Maksuda Begum, a housewife in the Masdair area, said, \"Despite having gas, I resort to electric stoves because they are more reliable.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The gas crisis is not limited to Narayanganj Sadar; various areas, including Paikpara, Baburail, Deobhog, Nimtala, Nitai Gonj, Tamakpatti, Amlapara, and Kaliar Bazar, are experiencing gas crisis.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Residents from these areas are contacting the gas company\'s complaint center and expressing their frustration over the situation.</div><div><br></div><div>The struggle of residents is especially intense in areas like Kashipur, Masdair, and Baraibhoga.</div><div><br></div><div>A local organization \"We, the Residents of Narayanganj\" has initiated efforts and submitted a&nbsp; memorandum to the regional office of Titas Gas.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The organization\'s president, Noor Uddin Ahmed, emphasized the need to end the malpractices of Titas Gas employees, which, according to him, are the root cause of the ongoing gas crisis. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 10:36:12', '2024-01-25 10:36:12'),
(10969, 10969, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indian actor Mrunal Thakur might have gained success with love stories like Sita Ramam and Hi Nanna in Telugu, but she says similar stories are hard to come by for her in Hindi.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In a conversation with Pinkvilla, she stated that the reason she doesn’t get to do romances in Hindi is that she doesn’t think she’s “popular enough.”</div><div><br></div><div>Mrunal and her affinity for romance</div><div><br></div><div>When asked by the interviewer when she would act in a romantic film in Hindi, Mrunal quipped, “I don’t know, I am not popular enough to get a love story yet. Am I wrong? I have to be popular to get a love story, no? There are a lot of films being offered to me, but definitely not romantic movies. I would love to do that.”</div><div><br></div><div>She added, “I don’t know yaar, I am just tired of proving to filmmakers now. I just want it to happen organically, I am done asking them.”</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to them, the actor claimed that many thanked her for “bringing romance back.”</div><div><br></div><div>She said, “We all grew up watching romantic movies and suddenly there were no films in the genre. Everyone pretends they don’t like romance but everyone watches it secretly. I am happy Hi Nanna and Sita Ramam shaped up the way they did. I hope to continue the magic, hopefully in another language. I was overwhelmed when I was called the queen of romance because Shah Rukh Khan is the king of romance.”</div><div><br></div><div>Upcoming work</div><div><br></div><div>Mrunal was seen in numerous films in 2023. In Hindi, she starred in Gumraah, Lust Stories 2, Aankh Mancholi and Pippa.</div><div><br></div><div>In Telugu, she acted in Hi Nanna, her second film in the language after the 2022 film Sita Ramam.</div><div><br></div><div>She will soon star in Family Star with Vijay Deverakonda and director Parasuram Petla. She will also act in Pooja Meri Jaan in Hindi by Navjot Gulati. Source: Hindustan Times</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 10:40:15', '2024-01-25 10:40:15'),
(10970, 10970, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said any statement “backed by lobbyists” on Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus would have no adverse impact on foreign investment inflow into the country.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“Look, there are several lobbyist firms engaged behind some people who are talking on the Dr Yunus issue. Investment will not be impacted if a statement is backed by lobbyists,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said Dr Yunus has been in the discussion over the last 12 years and Bangladesh still received significant foreign investment.</div><div><br></div><div>“Foreign investment is increasing. There is no relation with that. This is simply a legal matter,” said the Awami League joint general secretary.</div><div><br></div><div>He reiterated that Dr Yunus has been sentenced in a case filed by the aggrieved people, and the government is not a party to it.</div><div><br></div><div>“With due respect to Dr Yunus, I would like to say that aggrieved people filed the case. The government is not a party to it. It is a decision taken by the court. The government cannot interfere in it,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, a Dhaka court sentenced Dr Yunus and three top officials of Grameen Telecom to six months’ jail, with fine of Tk 25000 each, in a case over violation of labor law.</div><div><br></div><div>The others accused in the case are: Ashraful Hasan, CEO of Grameen Telecom Trust; trustee Nurjahan Begum; and managing director M Shahjahan.</div><div><br></div><div>They were accused of not making some workers and employees of Grameen Telecom permanent, not encashing public leave, and not depositing certain dividends to the Workers Welfare Foundation.</div><div><br></div><div>In the 84-page verdict, the judge said the charges of violating labor laws were proved against them, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The court, however, granted them conditional bail.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Yunus claimed that he had been punished for a crime he did not commit. “I have been punished for a crime that I haven’t committed,” Yunus told reporters after he was convicted in a case over violation of labor law. “If you want to call it justice, you can.”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 11:31:04', '2024-01-25 11:31:04');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10971, 10971, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy has expressed optimism that with the newly elected government the ties between Dhaka and Moscow will continue to thrive, bringing peace and prosperity to the peoples.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Ambassador made the remarks in a message on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Russia.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Despite the current turbulence in international affairs, he said, fruitful cooperation between Moscow and Dhaka has been developing across many sectors.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>In 2023, Russia-Bangladesh relations saw a number of milestones, such as the first ever visit of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Bangladesh in September; the nuclear fuel delivery ceremony at the Rooppur NPP in October, with virtual presence of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; a goodwill visit of the Russian Pacific Fleet to the port of Chattogram in November.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"Russia makes a significant contribution to Bangladesh’s food security, being one of the key suppliers of various agro-industrial products, primarily wheat and fertilizers,\" said the Russian Ambassador.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2023, Russia\'s grain export to Bangladesh amounted to 2.7 million tons, said Ambassador Mantytskiy.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"Meaningful interaction between our countries predates the formal establishment of diplomatic ties in January 1972 as the USSR largely supported the Bengali people in the international arena during the ongoing War for Independence in 1971,\" he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Since then, the envoy said, over the span of more than 50 years, the bilateral history has seen many remarkable events and significant achievements, as well as glorious memories, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The strong historic legacy and mutual affection between Russian and Bangladeshi people serve as a solid basis for new accomplishments and shared dreams,\" said the Russian Ambassador.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 11:35:46', '2024-01-25 11:35:46'),
(10972, 10972, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder has called on businessmen to follow best practices in the rice business to ensure its stable market price.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"We urgently need all-out cooperation of millers, dealers, and traders to keep the rice price static for welfare of the public in general as rice is their staple food,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister was addressing a divisional-level view-sharing meeting with stakeholders at the conference hall of deputy commissioner on Thursday as the chief guest.</div><div><br></div><div>Officials of administration, police, food, agriculture and other line departments and rice millers, dealers, traders and stakeholders from all eight districts in the division joined the meeting and some of them took part in its open discussion sharing their views on the issue.</div><div><br></div><div>Prof Shafiqur Rahman Badsha, MP, Secretary to the Ministry of Food Ismiel Hossain, and Director General of the Directorate of Food Md Shakhawat Hossain were present at the meeting with Commissioner of Rajshahi division Dewan Humayun Kabir in the chair.</div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Inspector General of Police Anisur Rahman and Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner Biplob Bijoy Talukder also spoke.</div><div><br></div><div>Food Minister Sadhan Majumder said the country has attained bumper production in aman and boro rice so there is no reason for the price hike.</div><div><br></div><div>He urged the local civil and police administration to take action against any hoarding of rice. There would be no scope for illegal storage of rice with ulterior motives of making a profit. Law violators must be brought to book.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister said they are working relentlessly to keep the rice price stable throughout the country and urged all to extend their wholehearted cooperation to make the effort successful.</div><div><br></div><div>Sadhan said the dealers and millers should extend cooperation in terms of giving information about the unscrupulous businessmen, reports BSS</div><div><br></div><div>\"We are trying to establish transparency and accountability in the activities of the food ministry, department and district and upazila level offices,\" he said, adding stern action would be taken against the officials and employees who would be found guilty.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 12:14:56', '2024-01-25 12:14:56'),
(10973, 10973, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In a significant move to stabilize its power sector, the Bangladesh government has secured Tk 2,062 crore through the issuance of special bonds. This initiative, aimed at clearing outstanding liabilities to private power plants, involves a collaboration with two prominent private banks: City Bank and Pubali Bank.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A comprehensive agreement was inked on Wednesday at the Secretariat, marking a critical step in addressing the financial challenges faced by the power sector. As per this agreement, the government will issue bonds worth Tk 1,985 crore to City Bank and Tk 77.50 crore to Pubali Bank, as confirmed by the Ministry of Finance.</div><div><br></div><div>Sources reveal that the government’s inability to disburse subsidy funds had left private power plants struggling to meet their financial obligations, leading some to the brink of insolvency.</div><div><br></div><div>To counter this crisis, the government’s issuance of special bonds comes with an 8 percent coupon rate, mirroring the repo rate set by Bangladesh Bank. Notably, any future fluctuations in the repo rate will correspondingly adjust the bond interest rate.</div><div><br></div><div>At the term’s end, the government will settle the bank dues along with interest, subsequently reclaiming these bonds. Unlike typical 15–20 year bonds, these special bonds have a maximum tenure of 10 years, a move tailored to the urgent needs of the power sector.</div><div><br></div><div>Key players in the power sector, including Summit Power, United Power, Confidence Power, Baraka, Kushiara, Doreen, and Akron Power, are among the beneficiaries of this initiative. The Finance Division also disclosed plans for phased agreements with other banks, including BRAC Bank and Bank Asia, to further address the sector’s liabilities.</div><div><br></div><div>Reflecting on the agreement’s significance, managing directors of several banks expressed optimism. While banks can leverage these bonds with Bangladesh Bank, it provides the government with crucial financial breathing space.</div><div><br></div><div>This strategic financial maneuver stands as a testament to the government’s commitment to ensuring the stability and sustainability of Bangladesh’s power sector. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 12:57:13', '2024-01-25 12:57:13'),
(10974, 10974, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Swedish prosecutors on Thursday said they had asked a Stockholm court to remand in custody a 51-year-old woman suspected of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Yazidis in Syria.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The woman, who has been active in the Daesh group since around 2000, was sentenced by a Swedish court to six years in prison in 2022 for making it possible for her 12-year-old son to be recruited as a child soldier for Daesh, Swedish Radio reported.</div><div><br></div><div>She is now suspected of crimes against the Kurdish-speaking Yazidi minority in 2014-2016 in Raqqa, then the capital of Daesh in Syria.</div><div><br></div><div>“The investigation concerns events in Raqqa, Syria from August 2014 to December 2016,” prosecutor Reena Devgun said in a statement from the Prosecution Authority.</div><div><br></div><div>She provided no other details of the alleged crimes.</div><div><br></div><div>In her 2022 conviction, the woman was also found guilty of aggravated war crimes and aggravated crimes against international law, Swedish Radio said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sweden’s principle of universal jurisdiction allows it to try a case regardless of where the offenses took place. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 13:46:03', '2024-01-25 13:46:03'),
(10975, 10975, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>France and Germany have agreed to individually widen their bilateral relations with Bangladesh and assured of standing beside the country on its development journey.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said this after holding separate meetings with German Ambassador Achim Tröster and French Ambassador Marie Masdupuy at his office in Segunbagicha on Thursday (January 25, 2024).</div><div><br></div><div>The two most important European ambassadors discussed issues related to trade and investment, climate change, security cooperation and cooperation in the aviation and education sector.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question on Bangabandhu Satellite-2, the foreign minister said this is definitely a priority for the government of Bangladesh and hoped that the discussions with France in this regard will see further progress.</div><div><br></div><div>On purchasing aircraft from the European aviation giants Airbus, the foreign minister said Bangladesh will buy when the country\'s economy permits.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked if the decision to buy the planes was final, Hasan Mahmud said such \'final decisions\' on purchase are not taken at the Foreign Ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>The two ambassadors also handed over congratulatory letters from their respective heads of government.</div><div><br></div><div>Both these countries are major development and trade partners of Bangladesh and the ambassadors discussed widening the relations in the coming days, Hasan Mahmud said.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters, French Ambassador Marie Masdupuy said France wants to start a new exchange programme for young teachers and students with Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>She said France and Bangladesh already have an outstanding relationship and the two countries want to further deepen it in the days to come.</div><div><br></div><div>At the meeting, they reviewed the various aspects of the relationship including trade, climate change, culture, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Marie Masdupuy also said that Bangladesh and France have agreed to work together for a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasan Mahmud said the two countries – France and Germany – have agreed to deepen their ties with Bangladesh and assured of playing a supportive role to Bangladesh on its development journey.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 13:48:52', '2024-01-25 13:48:52'),
(10976, 10976, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indonesia condemned on Thursday Israel’s deadly attacks on a UN facility sheltering displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>At least 12 people were killed and 75 others injured when Israeli forces shelled on Wednesday the Khan Younis Training Center, where thousands of people have sought shelter.</div><div><br></div><div>“Indonesia strongly condemns Israel’s attack on UN refugee facilities in Khan Younis, Gaza, that has resulted in the loss of lives,” the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>“This attack adds to the list of violations of international law by Israel.”</div><div><br></div><div>Thomas White, the Gaza director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said the situation in Khan Younis underscored a “consistent failure” to uphold fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.</div><div><br></div><div>The training center in Khan Younis is one of the largest UNRWA shelters. UN officials said the buildings are clearly marked and had their coordinates shared with Israeli authorities.</div><div><br></div><div>“Persistent attacks on civilian sites in Khan Younis are utterly unacceptable and must stop immediately. People are being killed and injured. As fighting intensifies around hospitals and shelters hosting the displaced, people are trapped inside and lifesaving operations are impeded,” White said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Around 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced during the past three months of daily Israeli bombardment and many of them are sheltering inside or near UN facilities. At least 335 of them have been killed and over 1,100 others injured, according to the agency’s figures.</div><div><br></div><div>“Every measure must be taken to protect civilians. I remind all parties that protection of hospitals, clinics, medical personnel and UN premises is explicitly enshrined within international law,” White said.</div><div><br></div><div>Indonesia’s statement comes after its Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi called on the UN Security Council to make no exceptions in upholding international law and demanded that Israel be held accountable if found responsible for atrocities in Gaza as “no nation is above the law.”</div><div><br></div><div>A staunch supporter of Palestine, Indonesia has been among its most vocal advocates in multiple international forums.</div><div><br></div><div>Marsudi is scheduled to speak at a public hearing held by the International Court of Justice next month, where she will be delivering legal arguments challenging Israel’s occupation of Palestine. - Arab News</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 14:21:51', '2024-01-25 14:21:51'),
(10977, 10977, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday described the new education policy and school curriculum as anti-national, saying it will only destroy the education system.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The government is going to destroy the education system of the country by introducing anti-national curriculum in the new education system,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, the BNP leader also accused the government of trying to make the students forget their national existence with the new school curriculum.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The new education policy and the curriculum are contrary to the culture and values of the country. If the new educational policy and curriculum are implemented, the education system of the country will be destroyed,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi also said the government is trying to put the national existence at stake with the new school curriculum in a very well-planned and very cunning way.</div><div><br></div><div>Whenever the Awami League comes to power, he said democracy and freedom of speech are snatched and the education system is designed to make the new generation subservient to others.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;The BNP leader claimed that the nation has been pushing towards destruction by implementing a new curriculum that is not universal as it has been formulated imitating the curriculum of a country.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;He also said the education curriculum has been introduced with a deceitful political motive as a part of a plot to make the independence and sovereignty of the country dependent and to break the backbone of the nation. “The nation has turned down the new curriculum with hatred.”</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the government earlier tried to do something new by introducing creative methods after spending thousands of crores of taka, but it finally turned unsuccessful.</div><div><br></div><div>“The science education has been compressed through new educational policy and curriculum and the attempts to inculcate moral values through religious education have been completely ignored. Attempts have also been made to pervert the adolescent mind by introducing sex education in the name of health protection education,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said a drastic shrinkage of science education is visible in the new education curriculum and voiced concern that the removal of pure sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology from the secondary level will create obstacles in the way of building a science-minded generation.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said Bangladesh will fail to play a role in career-based knowledge, science, technology and medical science at global standards if the new curriculum is implemented, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, Rizvi said online use has been expanded in the curriculum, but online education is not perfect at all levels. “The children and teenagers can indulge in various misdeeds, illegal games, online gambling, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, porn sites while collecting information using various devices (mobile and tab).”</div><div><br></div><div>He said online can be used in education programmes only during various natural disasters and emergencies like the coronavirus period.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 15:01:05', '2024-01-25 15:01:05'),
(10978, 10978, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Speakers in a dialogue of the CPD on ‘Inception of Social Insurance Forum in Bangladesh’ said that it is time to introduce social insurance instead of a social safety net programme.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The speakers said this in the dialogue organised by the research institute Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and GIZ on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>Khandkar Golam Moazzem, research director of CPD, presented the keynote at the event. CPD Board of Trustee member Parveen Mahmud presided over the event.</div><div><br></div><div>They said that given the existing socio-economic conditions of Bangladesh, it is not allowed to remain only in the social safety net.</div><div><br></div><div>The speakers said now is the time to introduce social insurance. The issue should be brought up in the action plan of the government, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Many countries introduced social insurance over 100 years ago while Bangladesh is far behind in this field, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Those nations are now reaping the benefits of this system, and Bangladesh should learn from those countries and move forward in this regard, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>In the keynote presentation, Dr Moazzem underscored ‘The SIF (Social Insurance Forum) aims to bridge knowledge gaps, facilitate framework development, establish networks with stakeholders, and track progress in thematic areas.’</div><div><br></div><div>“The knowledge gap will be bridged by identifying and addressing gaps in understanding through the dissemination of detailed insights into policy requirements,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Clarity on organisational and operational workflows will be emphasised to enhance comprehension and implementation, he pointed out.</div><div><br></div><div>In the presentation, Moazzem also said that there are many loopholes in the social safety net, and those who are supposed to get social protection do not get it. Those who are not supposed to get it, get it.</div><div><br></div><div>In this reality, if social insurance is introduced, it will be possible to fix these loopholes, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Syed Saad Hossain Gilani, chief technical consultant of ILO\'s Dhaka office, expressed his surprise due to the lack of social security insurance in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>He blamed the sluggish bureaucracy for this. The government formulated the Social Security Strategy eight years ago. But the speed of its implementation is very low., he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He mainly blamed the lack of knowledge and experience of the bureaucracy for this.</div><div><br></div><div>“Social insurance is for everyone; it is not only for the poor because each one of us can experience unemployment, sickness, and aging’, said Dr Silvia Popp, Project Manager, of the Employment Injury Protection Scheme for Workers in the Textile and Leather Industries (EIPS).</div><div><br></div><div>Representatives of various NGOs including the country\'s microcredit institutions participated in the discussion phase of the programme, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>They said that a lot of work has been done on microcredit and microinsurance in the country, and many pilot projects have been launched. Insurance companies also have regular mini-insurance products.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, These projects and work experience need to be shared with everyone, then the work of social insurance will speed up, said the representatives of various NGOs.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 15:05:55', '2024-01-25 15:05:55'),
(10979, 10979, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel on Thursday urged the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) to make recommendations to the policymakers for further review of the examination and evaluation system.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The minister made the request after a views exchange meeting with the experts of the examination and evaluation system at the Curriculum and Textbook Board in the capital\'s Motijheel on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>He also urged them to discuss with experts and gather information from the experience generated up to January and February, the first month of the academic year over the issue.</div><div><br></div><div>Among others, Chairman of National Curriculum and Textbook Board Md Farhadul Islam, and Dhaka University IER Professor Dr Tariq Ahsan were present. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 15:08:22', '2024-01-25 15:08:22'),
(10980, 10980, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The BNP and like-minded opposition parties are set to bring out processions holding black flags in all districts on Friday demanding the cancellation of the 12th parliament and protesting the growing price hikes of essential commodities.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A similar programme will also be held in all metropolitan cities, including Dhaka, on Saturday to press home the same demand and to register their protest against the skyrocketing prices of essential items.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from Ganatantra Mancha, 12-Party Alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, Gono Odhikar Parishad, LDP, Labour Party, Ganatantrik Bam Oikya, Gonoforum and People’s Party will also take out black-flag processions separately in different areas of the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to UNB, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said their party leaders and activists will bring out a procession at 2 pm on Saturday in front of the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have informed the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) about this programme. Our party Vice Chairman Advocate Nitai Roy Chowdhury talked to the&nbsp; DMP authorities about the programme,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the DMP authorities expressed a positive attitude towards the programme though they still did not give formal permission, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said that the leaders and activists of BNP’s Dhaka south and north city units have taken all-out preparations to make the black-flag programme a success.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 15:14:55', '2024-01-25 15:14:55'),
(10981, 10981, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader returned home from Singapore on Thursday evening after a routine health checkup in Mount Elizabeth Hospital.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the minister landed in Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) from&nbsp; Singapore in the evening, said a media release signed by Sheikh Wahlid Fayez, senior information officer of the ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>Quader, also general secretary of Awami League, left Dhaka for Singapore on January 23 for going through his health check-up, reads the release. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-25 15:49:52', '2024-01-25 15:49:52'),
(10982, 10982, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Park Young-sik on Saturday said Bangladesh and South Korea both could further develop the existing bilateral relations in a mutually beneficial manner.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Korea is not India, China, or the United States and does not have strategic interests (in Bangladesh),\" he said while delivering his keynote speech at Cosmos Dialogue.</div><div><br></div><div>Building on what both countries have achieved over the past five decades, the ambassador said, it is now high time for both countries to make the next 50 years even more prosperous.</div><div><br></div><div>To do this, he said that both countries need to expand high-level contacts.</div><div><br></div><div>Cosmos Foundation hosted the dialogue - the latest edition of Ambassadors’ Lecture Series titled \"Bangladesh-South Korea Relations: Prognosis for the Future.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Cosmos Foundation President, scholar-diplomat, and former Foreign Affairs Advisor of Bangladesh Caretaker Government chaired and conducted the session.</div><div><br></div><div>Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of the Cosmos Foundation, delivered the closing remarks while Masud Khan, Deputy Managing Director of Cosmos Group, delivered the welcome remarks.</div><div><br></div><div>Former Ambassador Farooq Sobhan, Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim, Honorary Adviser Emeritous, Cosmos Foundation; Rubana Huq, Chairman of Mohammadi Group; Lailufar Yasmin, Professor, Department of International Relations, Dhaka University; and Parvez Karim Abbasi, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, East West University comprised the panel of discussants.</div><div><br></div><div>Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Republic of Korea and Bangladesh in 1973, the two countries have been enhancing cooperation in various fields, such as politics, economy, culture, development cooperation, and human exchange.</div><div><br></div><div>The two-way trade has surpassed 3 billion dollars recently.</div><div><br></div><div>South Korea’s investment in Bangladesh is the fifth largest in terms of accumulated amount.</div><div><br></div><div>The South Korean ambassador identified footwear and leather, ICT, pharmaceutical, shipbuilding and ship breaking industry, Blue Economy and deep sea fishing, agricultural and agricultural machinery, greenhouse and carbon trading scheme as new areas of bilateral cooperation.</div><div><br></div><div>He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met in New Delhi on September 9 on the sidelines of G20 and vowed to further deepen cooperation in trade and commerce, culture and people to people contacts.</div><div><br></div><div>Issues related to diversifying Bangladesh\'s export, Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries, cooperation in education sector, climate change, foreign direct investment, collaboration in fashion design and ways to add values to existing trade were discussed.</div><div><br></div><div>Former and current diplomats, foreign affairs experts, and economists were present at the dialogue. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 07:44:47', '2024-01-27 07:44:47'),
(10983, 10983, '<div><font color=\"#085294\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Thousands of civilians were trapped in southern Gaza by bombardment and fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters on Saturday, a day after the top UN court ruled Israel must prevent genocidal acts.</b></span><br></font></div><div><br></div><div>Growing alarm has focused on Khan Yunis, the biggest city in Gaza\'s south, where the two main hospitals were barely functioning under the weight of the relentless bombardment and the press of thousands in need.</div><div><br></div><div>Witnesses reported more overnight strikes on Khan Yunis, the current epicentre of Israel\'s assault on Gaza, and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said some of the dead and wounded had been taken to the city\'s barely functioning Al-Amal hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>The strikes came after the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that Israel must prevent possible acts of genocide in its war against Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>The court, which has virtually no enforcement power, stopped short of calling for an end to the fighting but also said in its ruling that Israel must facilitate \"urgently needed\" humanitarian assistance.</div><div><br></div><div>\"This is the first time the world has told Israel that it is out of line,\" said Maha Yasin, a 42-year-old displaced Palestinian woman in Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>\"What Israel did to us in Gaza for four months has never happened in history.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the case as \"outrageous\".</div><div><br></div><div>Israel\'s relentless bombardment and siege of the Palestinian territory began soon after Hamas\'s unprecedented October 7 attacks that resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.</div><div><br></div><div>Militants also seized about 250 hostages and Israel says around 132 of them remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 dead captives.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has vowed to crush Hamas and the health ministry in Gaza says the Israeli military offensive has killed at least 26,083 people, about 70 percent of them women and children.</div><div><br></div><div>- Hospital services \'collapse\' -</div><div><br></div><div>Fierce fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters has raged for days around Khan Yunis, forcing tens of thousands to flee further south to Rafah on the border with Egypt.</div><div><br></div><div>With a humanitarian crisis growing in Khan Yunis and northern areas of Gaza, UN agencies say most of the estimated 1.7 million Palestinians displaced by the war are crowded into Rafah.</div><div><br></div><div>At Khan Yunis\'s Nasser Hospital, the largest in the besieged city, Doctors Without Borders said surgical capacity was \"virtually non-existent\".</div><div><br></div><div>The international medical aid organisation said in a news release that medical services at the hospital had \"collapsed\" and the few staff who remained \"must contend with very low supplies that are insufficient to handle mass casualty events\".</div><div><br></div><div>World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on social media platform X that 350 patients and 5,000 people displaced by the fighting remained at the hospital and that fighting in the vicinity continued.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the Nasser Hospital was \"running out of food, fuel and supplies\" and called for an immediate ceasefire so they could be replenished.</div><div><br></div><div>The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Israeli tanks were targeting Al-Amal hospital, another of the few remaining medical facilities in Khan Yunis, and that it was \"under siege with heavy gunfire\".</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli military accuses Hamas of having tunnels under hospitals in Gaza and of using the medical facilities as command centres.</div><div><br></div><div>Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel\'s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, accused the WHO this week of collusion with Hamas by ignoring Israeli evidence of Hamas\'s \"military use\" of Gaza hospitals.</div><div><br></div><div>Tedros rejected the accusation, saying it could \"endanger our staff who are risking their lives to serve the vulnerable\".</div><div><br></div><div>- Diplomatic relations sour -</div><div><br></div><div>Relations between Israel and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees soured after the UNRWA said tanks had shelled one of its shelters in Khan Yunis on Wednesday, killing 13 people.</div><div><br></div><div>UNRWA said on Friday it had sacked several employees accused by Israel of involvement in the October 7 attack.</div><div><br></div><div>The UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday to discuss the ICJ\'s ruling, the council\'s presidency announced.</div><div><br></div><div>The European Union called for the \"immediate\" application of the ICJ\'s decision.</div><div><br></div><div>The ruling in The Hague was based on an urgent application brought by South Africa, long a supporter of the Palestinian cause, but a broader judgment on whether genocide has been committed could take years.</div><div><br></div><div>A security source told AFP on Friday that the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency will meet officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar \"in the coming days in Paris\" to try to reach a deal with Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>A week-long truce in November saw an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, however the White House warned that \"imminent developments\" are unlikely.</div><div><br></div><div>The war has led to fears of wider conflict, and US forces said they had struck a target in Huthi-held Yemen after an attack on a British tanker in the Gulf of Aden. - AFP </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 07:46:50', '2024-01-27 07:50:06'),
(10984, 10984, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Country’s lowest temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius was recorded in Tetulia of Panchagarh district for the second consecutive day on Saturday as a mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over parts of the country.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>According to Dhaka’s Bangladesh Meteorological Department, “A mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions and the districts of Gopalganj, Kishoreganj, Moulvibazar, Jashore, Kushtia and Chuadanga and it may continue.”</div><div><br></div><div>Moderate to thick fog may occur at places over the river basins and light to moderate fog at places elsewhere over the country during midnight to morning. Inland river transport may be disrupted due to thick fog.</div><div><br></div><div>Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Night temperature may fall slightly and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.</div><div><br></div><div>UNB’s Chuadanga correspondent reports that the district has been grappling with intense cold, disrupting day-to-day life, especially affecting children and the elderly.</div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday, the lowest temperature was recorded at 8.3 degrees Celsius in the district, said meteorologist Rakibul Hasan at the district Met Office.</div><div><br></div><div>Though the sun is visible, a mild cold wave has been prevailing in the district for the past few days.</div><div><br></div><div>The day labourers are the worst sufferers due to lack of daily jobs amid cold. Some people were seen keeping warm by burning logs while most preferred to stay indoors.</div><div><br></div><div>Liakat Ali, a rickshaw puller of Chuadanga district town said, “If this situation continues then it will be difficult for me to maintain the family.”</div><div><br></div><div>Majid, a day labourer, feared that he would have to starve if the situation continued for more days. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 08:45:11', '2024-01-27 08:45:11'),
(10985, 10985, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In the aftermath of World War II and the murder by Nazi Germany of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, the world united around a now-familiar pledge: Never again.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A key part of that lofty aspiration was the drafting of a convention that codified and committed nations to prevent and punish a new crime, sometimes called the crime of crimes: genocide.</div><div><br></div><div>The convention was drawn up in 1948, the year of Israel\'s creation as a Jewish state. Now that country is being accused at the United Nations\' highest court of committing the very crime so deeply woven into its national identity.</div><div><br></div><div>The reason the genocide convention exists \"is related directly to what the (Nazi) Third Reich attempted to do in eliminating a people, the Jewish people, not only of Germany, but of Eastern Europe, of Russia,\" said Mary Ellen O\'Connell, a professor of law and international peace studies at Notre Dame University\'s Kroc Institute.</div><div><br></div><div>Now, in response to Israel\'s devastating military offensive in Gaza that was triggered by murders and atrocities perpetrated by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, South Africa has gone to the International Court of Justice and accused Israel of genocide. Israel rejects the claim and accuses Pretoria of providing political cover for Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>South Africa also asked the 17-judge panel to make nine urgent orders known as provisional measures. They are aimed at protecting civilians in Gaza while the court considers the legal arguments of both sides. First and foremost is for the court to order Israel to \"immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza.\"</div><div><br></div><div>On Friday, the court\'s American president, U.S. judge Joan E. Donoghue, will read out its decision at a public hearing.</div><div><br></div><div>Here is more information about the crime of genocide and other cases in the past.</div><div><br></div><div>WHAT IS GENOCIDE?</div><div><br></div><div>The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, defines the crime as acts \"committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.\" It lists the acts as killing; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group\'s physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births; and forcibly transferring children.</div><div><br></div><div>The text is repeated in the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, as one of the crimes under its jurisdiction, along with war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. The ICC prosecutes individuals and is separate to the International Court of Justice, which rules in disputes between nations.</div><div><br></div><div>In its written filings and at a public hearing earlier this month, South Africa alleged genocidal acts by Israel forces including killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing serious mental and bodily harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions meant to \"bring about their physical destruction as a group.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Israel has vehemently taken issue with South Africa\'s claims, arguing that it is acting in self-defense against what it calls the genocidal threat to its existence posed by Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>HOW DO YOU PROVE GENOCIDE?</div><div><br></div><div>As well as establishing one or more of the underlying crimes listed in the convention, the key element of genocide is intent — the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. It\'s tough to prove.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The most important thing is that whatever happens is done with the specific intent to destroy a group, so there\'s no plausible alternative reason why those crimes have been committed,\" said Marieke de Hoon, an associate professor of international law at the University of Amsterdam.</div><div><br></div><div>Said O\'Connell: \"Can you show that the widespread killing of these people was intended by the government? Or ... was the government waging a war and during that war large numbers of this particular group died, but that was not the intent of the government?\"</div><div><br></div><div>At public hearings earlier this month and in its detailed written submission to the ICJ, South Africa cited comments by Israeli officials that it claimed demonstrate intent.</div><div><br></div><div>Malcolm Shaw, an international law expert on Israel\'s legal team, called the comments South Africa highlighted \"random quotes not in conformity with government policy.\"</div><div><br></div><div>HAS THE ICJ EVER RULED BEFORE ON GENOCIDE?</div><div><br></div><div>In 2007, the court ruled that Serbia \"violated the obligation to prevent genocide\" in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, when Bosnian Serb forces rounded up and murdered some 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys in the Bosnian region.</div><div><br></div><div>Two other genocide cases are currently on the court\'s docket. Ukraine filed a case shortly after Russia\'s invasion nearly two years ago that accuses Moscow of launching the military operation based on trumped-up claims of genocide and that Russia was planning acts of genocide in Ukraine. In that case, the court ordered Russia to halt its invasion, an order that Russia flouted.</div><div><br></div><div>Another case involves Gambia, on behalf of Muslim nations, accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Gambia filed the case on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.</div><div><br></div><div>Both Gambia and South Africa have filed ICJ cases in conflicts they are not directly involved in. That\'s because the genocide convention includes a clause that allows individual states — even uninvolved ones — to call on the United Nations to take action to prevent or suppress acts of genocide.</div><div><br></div><div>HAVE OTHER INTERNATIONAL COURTS PROSECUTED GENOCIDE?</div><div><br></div><div>Two now defunct U.N. tribunals — for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda — both dealt with genocide, among other crimes.</div><div><br></div><div>The Yugoslav court convicted defendants including former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Gen. Ratko Mladic on genocide charges for their involvement in the Srebrenica massacre.</div><div><br></div><div>The Rwanda tribunal, headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania, was the first international court to hand down a genocide conviction when it found Jean Paul Akayesu guilty of genocide and other crimes and sentenced him to life imprisonment in 1998. He was convicted for his role in Rwanda\'s 1994 genocide, when militants from the Hutu majority slaughtered some 800,000 people, mostly minority Tutsis. The tribunal convicted 62 defendants for their roles in the genocide.</div><div><br></div><div>The International Criminal Court has charged ousted Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir with genocide in the Darfur region. He has not been handed to the court to stand trial. Al-Bashir\'s government responded to a 2003 insurgency with a campaign of aerial bombings and unleashed militias known as Janjaweed, who are accused of mass killings and rapes. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes.</div><div><br></div><div>A hybrid domestic and international court in Cambodia convicted three men members of the Khmer Rouge whose brutal 1970s rule caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people. Two of them were found guilty of genocide. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 09:59:50', '2024-01-27 09:59:50');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(10986, 10986, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said Bangladesh’s security forces along the Myanmar border remain alert amid growing tensions in the neighbouring country.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>He said tensions prevailed in Myanmar with brief pauses and Bangladesh forces have remained alert from much earlier.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters at the state guesthouse Padma, the foreign minister said such a tense situation will certainly have a negative impact on the efforts to repatriate Rohingyas to their place of origin in Myanmar.</div><div><br></div><div>But, he added, the Myanmar government will feel compelled to take back their nationals if the international community puts pressure on them. “We always seek the international community’s cooperation,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>During his meeting with the visiting British cross-party parliamentary delegation, the foreign minister discussed the Rohingya repatriation issue.</div><div><br></div><div>“Repatriation of the Rohingyas is the only solution. That is the durable and permanent solution. That is what I told them and they agreed with me,” Hasan said.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister mentioned that there are multiple issues concerning security and environment, and the Rohingya camps might become a breeding ground for militancy. “We are overburdened. We provided them shelter on humanitarian grounds.”</div><div><br></div><div>On the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, he said, “We welcome it. We believe this verdict will help stop genocide and crimes against humanity. Bangladesh stands ready to support South Africa</div><div><br></div><div>British Delegation Lauds PM’s Development Efforts</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding his meeting with the British delegation, he said it was a courtesy meeting and they came to deepen and improve relations with Bangladesh and its parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>They highly appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s development efforts that changed the country over the last 10 years.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister said he requested the delegation members for enhanced private investment in Bangladesh, especially from the Bangladeshi diaspora.</div><div><br></div><div>He said expatriate Bangladeshis have the capacity to invest here in the areas of ICT, agriculture and other potential areas. “We are in the process of mechanization of the agriculture sector.”</div><div><br></div><div>The British parliamentary delegation is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Gonobhaban on January 28.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the first parliamentary visit from the UK since general elections were held in Bangladesh earlier this month, said the Bangladesh High Commission in London.</div><div><br></div><div>The five-member parliamentary delegation led by Paul Scully MP, former Conservative Minister for Tech and Digital Economy also comprises three labour MPs namely Virendra Sharma MP, Vice Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Bangladesh and Chair of APPG on Indo-British, Neil Coyle MP, Member of UK House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Andrew Western MP, Opposition Whip at the House of Commons and Dominic Moffitt, Senior Parliamentary Assistant at House of Commons.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation is accompanied by Zillur Hussain MBE, Advisor for The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and Strategic Adviser for CWEIC and Dr Ivelina Banyalieva, CEO of Connect.</div><div><br></div><div>They will visit Tungipara to pay respects to Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his Mausoleum.</div><div><br></div><div>This would be the first time a British parliamentary delegation is visiting the Bangabandhu Mausoleum at Tungipara.</div><div><br></div><div>During the visit, the delegation is also scheduled to call on State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam to discuss ways to further strengthen Bangladesh-UK trade, economic and Indo-Pacific partnership.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation will also have a meeting with the business leaders of Bangladesh followed by a visit to a green apparel factory.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation will be traveling to Sylhet to visit some of leading charities established by the British-Bangladeshis in the UK.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 30, the delegation will be visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar in reaffirmation of their support to Bangladesh’s generous hosting of the persecuted Rohingyas from Myanmar and resolution of the protracted Rohingya crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh High Commission in London coordinated the visit with the British Parliamentarians and the Commonwealth business delegation by Connect.</div><div><br></div><div>The delegation is scheduled to depart for London on January 31. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 10:17:20', '2024-01-27 10:17:20'),
(10987, 10987, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis today welcomed a US decision to approve the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Athens.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Ending months of negotiations, the US government yesterday approved the US$8.6 billion sale, as well as a separate US$23 billion deal to sell 40 F-16 warplanes to Turkey.</div><div><br></div><div>“Today is an important day for our national defence and for Greek diplomacy,” Mitsotakis said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>“Greece is officially on track to acquire up to 40 new generation F-35 combat planes.”</div><div><br></div><div>Mitsotakis said he had received a letter from US secretary of state Antony Blinken which “showed the strategic strength of Greek-US relations”.</div><div><br></div><div>In the letter, Blinken said, “Greece has taken remarkable steps to modernize its defense capabilities. I look forward to increasing our cooperation and developing a more robust strategic relationship between our armed forces.”</div><div><br></div><div>As required by US law, the state department notified Congress of the agreements, which were held up until Ankara ratified Sweden’s Nato membership.</div><div><br></div><div>In addition to the F-35s, Greece will “acquire for free a very large quantity of equipment which will decisively strengthen the three branches of the armed forces and the Greek coastguard service,” the prime minister said.</div><div><br></div><div>This includes frigates, C-130 cargo planes, tanks, armoured vehicles, and numerous other pieces of military equipment.</div><div><br></div><div>Greece has been seeking for some time to buy more sophisticated F-35 jets from the US as part of its strategy of defence against Turkey, with which ties are often strained.</div><div><br></div><div>Athens vigorously opposed the sale of US F-16s to Ankara, due to a dispute over maritime borders in the eastern Mediterranean, which is rich in energy resources. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 11:16:31', '2024-01-27 11:16:31'),
(10988, 10988, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A jury awarded $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll on Friday in a stinging and expensive rebuke to former President Donald Trump for his continued social media attacks against the longtime advice columnist over her claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The award, coupled with a $5 million sexual assault and defamation verdict last year from another jury in a case brought by Carroll, raised to $88.3 million what Trump must pay her. Protesting vigorously, he said he would appeal.</div><div><br></div><div>Carroll, 80, clutched her lawyers’ hands and smiled as the seven-man, two-woman anonymous jury delivered its verdict. Minutes later, she shared a weepy three-way hug with her attorneys.</div><div><br></div><div>She declined comment as she left the Manhattan federal courthouse, but issued a statement later through a publicist, saying, “This is a great victory for every woman who stands up when she’s been knocked down, and a huge defeat for every bully who has tried to keep a woman down.”</div><div><br></div><div>Trump had attended the trial earlier in the day, but stormed out of the courtroom during closing arguments by Carroll’s attorney. He returned for his own attorney’s closing argument and for a portion of the deliberations, but left the courthouse a half hour before the verdict was read.</div><div><br></div><div>“Absolutely ridiculous!” he said in a statement shortly afterward. “Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon.”</div><div><br></div><div>His attorney, Alina Habba, said the verdict resulted because Trump\'s opponents were suing “in states where they know they will get juries like this.”</div><div><br></div><div>“It will not deter us. We will keep fighting. And, I assure you, we didn\'t win today, but we will win,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The trial reached its conclusion as Trump marches toward winning the Republican presidential nomination a third consecutive time. He has sought to turn his various trials and legal vulnerabilities into an advantage, portraying them as evidence of a weaponized political system.</div><div><br></div><div>Though there’s no evidence that President Joe Biden or anyone in the White House has influenced any of the legal cases against him, Trump’s line of argument has resonated with his most loyal supporters, who view the proceedings with skepticism.</div><div><br></div><div>Nikki Haley, his last major rival in the Republican primaries, said on social media Friday that the verdict meant that people were “talking about $83 million in damages” rather than fixing the border or inflation.</div><div><br></div><div>With the Carroll civil case behind him, Trump still faces 91 criminal charges in four indictments accusing him of trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election, mishandling classified documents and arranging payoffs to a porn star.</div><div><br></div><div>It was the second time in nine months that a civil jury returned a verdict related to Carroll\'s claim that a flirtatious, chance encounter with Trump in 1996 at Bergdorf Goodman\'s Fifth Avenue store ended violently. She said Trump slammed her against a dressing room wall, pulled down her tights and forced himself on her.</div><div><br></div><div>In May, a different jury awarded Carroll $5 million. It found Trump not liable for rape, but responsible for sexually abusing Carroll and then defaming her by claiming she made it up. He is appealing that award, too.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump is also awaiting a verdict in a New York civil fraud trial, where state lawyers are seeking the return of $370 million in what they say were ill-gotten gains from loans and deals made using financial statements that exaggerated his wealth.</div><div><br></div><div>As for Trump’s ability to pay, he reported having about $294 million in cash or cash equivalents on his most recent annual financial statement, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. Testifying at his civil fraud trial last November, Trump boasted, “I have very little debt, and I have a lot of cash.”</div><div><br></div><div>Trump skipped the first Carroll trial. He later expressed regret for not attending and insisted on testifying in the second trial, though the judge limited what he could say, ruling he had missed his chance to argue that he didn\'t attack Carroll. He spent only a few minutes on the witness stand Thursday, during which he denied assaulting Carroll, then left court grumbling “this is not America.”</div><div><br></div><div>This new jury was only asked how much Trump, 77, should pay Carroll for two statements he made as president when he answered reporters’ questions after excerpts of Carroll’s memoir were published in a magazine — damages that couldn’t be decided earlier because of legal appeals. Jurors were not asked to re-decide the issue of whether the sex attack actually happened.</div><div><br></div><div>In her closing argument Friday, Carroll attorney Roberta Kaplan requested $24 million in compensatory damages and “an unusually high punitive award.” The jury awarded $18.3 million in compensatory damages and another $65 million in punitive damages — meant to deter future behavior.</div><div><br></div><div>Kaplan urged jurors to punish Trump enough that he would stop a steady stream of public statements smearing Carroll as a liar and a “whack job.”</div><div><br></div><div>She noted that Trump had boasted of at least $14 billion in assets and that his brand alone is worth $10 billion.</div><div><br></div><div>“Donald Trump is prepared to use his wealth and power to defame people whenever he wants,” she said. “He ignored the last verdict as if it had never happened.”</div><div><br></div><div>Kaplan said he didn\'t show up at last year\'s trial when a jury determined he had sexually assaulted and defamed Carroll, but “he made sure” to attend most of this year\'s trial because it focused solely on damages.</div><div><br></div><div>“While Donald Trump may not care about the law, while he certainly doesn\'t care about the truth, he does care about money,” the lawyer said.</div><div><br></div><div>Big punitive damages, she told jurors, was the only way “to give Ms. Carroll a chance at a normal life again where she is not regularly bullied and humiliated by one of the most powerful men on the planet.”</div><div><br></div><div>Trump shook his head vigorously as Kaplan spoke early in her summation, then suddenly stood and walked out, taking Secret Service agents with him. His exit came only minutes after the judge, without the jury present, threatened to send his attorney to jail for continuing to talk when he told her she was finished.</div><div><br></div><div>“You are on the verge of spending some time in the lockup. Now sit down,” the judge told Habba, who immediately complied.</div><div><br></div><div>Carroll testified early in the trial that Trump’s public statements had led to death threats.</div><div><br></div><div>“He shattered my reputation,” she said. “I am here to get my reputation back and to stop him from telling lies about me.”</div><div><br></div><div>She said she’d had an electronic fence installed around the cabin in upstate New York where she lives, warned neighbors of the threats and bought bullets for a gun she keeps by her bed.</div><div><br></div><div>“Previously, I was known simply as a journalist and had a column, and now I’m known as the liar, the fraud, and the whack job,” Carroll testified.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump’s lawyer, Habba, told jurors that Carroll had been enriched by her accusations against Trump and achieved fame she had craved. She said no damages were warranted after Trump\'s lawyers had established that Carroll didn\'t suffer emotionally from Trump\'s statements and “she certainly hasn\'t suffered professionally.”</div><div><br></div><div>To support Carroll’s request for millions in damages, Northwestern University sociologist Ashlee Humphreys had testified that Trump’s 2019 statements had caused between $7.2 million and $12.1 million in harm to Carroll’s reputation.</div><div><br></div><div>When Trump finally testified, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan gave him little room to maneuver after saying Trump was not permitted to revive issues settled in the first trial.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is a very well-established legal principle in this country that prevents do-overs by disappointed litigants,” said Kaplan, who is unrelated to Roberta Kaplan.</div><div><br></div><div>“He lost it and he is bound. And the jury will be instructed that, regardless of what he says in court here today, he did it, as far as they’re concerned. That is the law,” Kaplan said shortly before Trump testified.</div><div><br></div><div>After he swore to tell the truth, Trump was asked if he stood by a deposition in which he called Carroll a “liar” and a “whack job.” He answered: “100 percent. Yes.”</div><div><br></div><div>Asked if he denied the allegation because Carroll made an accusation, he responded: “That’s exactly right. She said something, I consider it a false accusation.” Asked if he ever instructed anyone to hurt Carroll, he said: “No. I just wanted to defend myself, my family, and frankly, the presidency.”</div><div><br></div><div>The judge ordered the jury to disregard the “false accusation” comment and everything Trump said after “No” to the last question.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier in the trial, Trump tested the judge’s tolerance. When he complained to his lawyers about a “witch hunt” and a “con job” within earshot of jurors, Kaplan threatened to eject him from the courtroom if it happened again. “I would love it,” Trump said. Later that day, Trump told a news conference Kaplan was a “nasty judge.” - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 12:13:01', '2024-01-27 12:13:01'),
(10989, 10989, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Mali’s junta issued a decree yesterday to establish a committee to organise national peace and reconciliation talks, a day after it ended a 2015 peace deal with Tuareg separatist rebels and accused mediator Algeria of interfering in its affairs.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The decision to end the so-called Algiers Accord threatens to further destabilise the conflict-torn West African nation.</div><div><br></div><div>Algeria, which shares a more than 1,300km-long border with Mali said it could put the entire region at risk.</div><div><br></div><div>In an apparent move to establish a new internal peace process, the junta’s decree outlined the structure of a committee and the steps it should take to prepare talks. It did not give a timeframe or say which groups it wanted to include in the dialogue.</div><div><br></div><div>The Tuareg rebels yesterday acknowledged the termination of the 2015 peace deal but did not mention the new initiative.</div><div><br></div><div>Mali, on the Sahara Desert’s southern fringe, has been plagued by violence since 2012, when Islamist militants hijacked an uprising by the Tuareg groups who complained of government neglect and sought autonomy for the desert region they call Azawad.</div><div><br></div><div>The Tuaregs signed the peace accord with the Bamako government in 2015, but militant groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have gone on to kill thousands of civilians in insurgencies that have spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.</div><div><br></div><div>The Tuareg peace agreement had come under increasing strain since the military consolidated power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, teamed up with Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and kicked out French forces and the United Nations peacekeeping mission.</div><div><br></div><div>Fighting between Mali’s army and the separatists has escalated again since last August as they jostled for position during the gradual withdrawal of UN peacekeepers. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 12:31:28', '2024-01-27 12:31:28'),
(10990, 10990, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a thrilling encounter in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Avishka Fernando of Chattogram Challengers played a stellar innings, scoring an unbeaten 91 off 50 balls against Fortune Barishal in Sylhet on Saturday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Avishka\'s brilliant performance guided Chattogram Challengers to a formidable total, proving too challenging for Barishal, who ultimately lost the match by 10 runs.</div><div><br></div><div>The Barishal bowlers struggled to contain Avishka\'s onslaught, with Curtis Campher adding to the onslaught with a quickfire 29 off 9 balls.</div><div><br></div><div>In response, Barishal fought valiantly, with Ahmed Shehzad\'s aggressive 39 off 17 balls and Mehidy Hasan Miraz\'s explosive 35 off 16 keeping the contest alive.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Curtis Campher\'s exceptional bowling, claiming four crucial wickets, tilted the game in favor of Chattogram Challengers.</div><div><br></div><div>All of Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Tamim Iqbal failed to impress in this match. The Barishal batting line is heavily reliant on them. While Tamim posted a slow 33, Mushfiqur posted 23, and Mahmudulla scored only 3.</div><div><br></div><div>This defeat marked Barishal\'s third consecutive loss in four matches played so far, while the Challengers secured their third win in the same number of matches. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 12:34:12', '2024-01-27 12:34:12'),
(10991, 10991, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Iran today dismissed three European countries’ condemnation of its launch of the Soraya satellite, saying peaceful technological advancement in the aerospace field was the country’s legitimate right.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>France, Germany, and the UK yesterday condemned the launch of the Soraya last week using the Ghaem-100 Space Launch Vehicle (SLV).</div><div><br></div><div>The SLV uses technology essential for the development of a long-range ballistic missile system, which could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons, the countries said in a joint statement.</div><div><br></div><div>“Such interventionist statements,” said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani in a post on X, “will not make a dent in Iran’s determination to advance in science and technology.”</div><div><br></div><div>Iran, he said, “considers the use of peaceful technologies” as its given right.</div><div><br></div><div>Last week, the Soraya satellite, which is being developed by the research arm of the civilian Iranian Space Agency, was put into a 750km orbit, the highest successfully reached by Iran, according to Iranian media.</div><div><br></div><div>The 50km satellite was launched by the Ghaem-100, a three-stage solid-fuel rocket built by the elite military Revolutionary Guards, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Tehran denies US assertions that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons.</div><div><br></div><div>Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, has suffered several failed satellite launches in recent years due to technical issues. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-27 12:55:23', '2024-01-27 12:55:23'),
(10992, 10992, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><font color=\"#3984c6\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged the international community to think about a solution of the Rohingya crisis so the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals could return to their homeland and live a decent life</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The whole world should about finding a solution to the crisis enabling the return of the Myanmar nationals to their homeland to have a decent life,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while a British cross party parliamentary delegation led by Virendra Sharma called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the call on.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina also mentioned that the forcibly displaced Rohingyas are becoming heavy burden for a small country like Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh is hosting over one million Rohingyas after they fled their homes in Myanmar to escape a brutal crackdown in 2017. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 09:14:30', '2024-01-28 09:14:30'),
(10993, 10993, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Another Bangladeshi youth was shot dead by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along Aunghorpota border in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat early Sunday within a week of killing a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member by them along Jashore’s Benapole border .</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased, Rafiul Islam Tuklu, 33, is son of Afzal Hossain of Dangarpara village under Dahagram union of the upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>Locals said a gang of five to six smugglers were trying to cross the border between Bangladesh and India early this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Sensing the presence of the traffickers, members of the BSF-6 Battalion opened firing, leaving him dead on the spot, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Commander Amanuzzaman Aman of the BGB-51 Battalion in Rangpur said the youth was killed inside the India territory, 100 to 150 yards off the border, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the BSF members took away the body, he said, adding that a commander-level flag meeting will be held in this connection.</div><div><br></div><div>The body will be handed over by BSF after autopsy, the BGB officer added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 09:51:04', '2024-01-28 09:51:04'),
(10994, 10994, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka, Gwyn Lewis, on Sunday said the situation inside Myanmar is very difficult and it is not a good time for Rohingya repatriation.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>She was speaking to reporters after her meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>The UNRC said repatriation is a priority for Bangladesh, and Rohingyas as well as Bangladesh have agreed on their safe and dignified return to Myanmar.</div><div><br></div><div>In the meeting, they discussed financing issues for the Rohingyas and security issues both inside Myanmar and Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have a shortage of financing,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, the United Nations called for solidarity and increased funding for the Rohingyas and their host communities in Cox’s Bazar.</div><div><br></div><div>“The refugees need our solidarity, and the host communities need our solidarity. We need increased funding for all of that,” Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at a regular media briefing in New York recently.</div><div><br></div><div>He said no refugee should be repatriated against their will.</div><div><br></div><div>It needs to be done voluntarily and in a manner that preserves their dignity and their safety, said the spokesperson, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“It is clear for us that the situation in Myanmar currently does not meet the necessary requirements. What we do need is increased global solidarity for those communities that are hosting Rohingya refugees generously, like the community in Cox’s Bazar, which the Secretary-General has visited,” Dujarric added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 10:22:50', '2024-01-28 10:22:50'),
(10995, 10995, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Labour Appellate Tribunal in Dhaka today granted bail to Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and three officials of Grameen Telecom.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The bail will remain in effect until the labour law violation case filed against them is disposed of.</div><div><br></div><div>Judge MA Awal of the country’s lone Labour Appellate Tribunal, in Dhaka’s Kakrail, passed the order after hearing a petition, said the defendants’ lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun.</div><div><br></div><div>Cancellation of the verdict and acquittal of the convicts from the charges were also sought in the petition, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Taking the petition into cognisance, the appellate tribunal summoned the documents of the verdict of the labour court, the lawyer said.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier in the morning, a petition was submitted with the tribunal challenging a Dhaka court’s verdict that sentenced the four to six months in jail in the labour law violation case.</div><div><br></div><div>The Nobel laureate and the Grameen Telecom officials were present in the court during the submission of the petition.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on January 1 this year, the Dhaka Third Labor Court sentenced the four to six months’ jail, with fine of Tk 25000 each, in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>The court also granted them conditional bail on the same day.</div><div><br></div><div>Rejecting the judgment, the Nobel laureate said, “I have been punished for a crime that I haven’t committed... If you want to call it justice, you can.”</div><div><br></div><div>The court set January 1 to pronounce the verdict in the case after hearing the arguments of both the prosecution and the defence on December 24 last year.</div><div><br></div><div>On June 6, 2023, the court framed charges against the four accused.</div><div><br></div><div>The others accused in the case are: Ashraful Hasan, CEO of Grameen Telecom Trust; trustee Nurjahan Begum; and managing director M Shahjahan.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the case, during an inspection visit to Grameen Telecom, inspectors found that 101 workers and staff members who were supposed to be permanent were not made so. No participation fund and welfare fund were formed for them and five percent of the company’s profit was not provided to the workers following the law. Upon a complaint, a criminal case was filed under sections 4, 7, 8, 117, 234 of the Labor Act. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 10:54:14', '2024-01-28 10:54:14'),
(10996, 10996, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said BNP always looks for other force to assume power rather than going through the democratic process.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“…whenever the election time arrives they (BNP) look for some other force who can put them in the power,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while visiting British cross party parliamentary delegation led by Virendra Sharma called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>The other members of the delegation are: Paul Scully, Neil Coyle and Andrew Western.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the call on.</div><div><br></div><div>Nazrul quoted Hasina as telling the delegation that whenever BNP finds no one to put them in power, they step back from participating in the election.</div><div><br></div><div>“BNP is a terrorist party. They always had come to power without a fair election. They always think that someone will put them in the power,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that not participating in the election was their choice.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that BNP was founded inside cantonment by a military man and that person just polluted the election process and democratic system of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that undemocratic forces ruled Bangladesh for long 29 years.</div><div><br></div><div>“At that time there was no democracy in the country. As a result, no development was done in the country,” she told the delegation.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said that BNP does not have any leadership and they usually get dictation from London.</div><div><br></div><div>“As a result, after 2008 they did not participate in any election sincerely. They boycotted the election in 2014.</div><div><br></div><div>Though in 2018 BNP decided to participate in the election the party nominated multiple candidates in one seat.</div><div><br></div><div>“At last they withdrew their candidatures whenever they had felt that they will not be able to win in the election,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said that there was a free and fair election under the military backed caretaker government in 2018, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“There is no question about that election. In that election BNP-led 20-party alliance bagged 30 seats while AL won 233 seats. It proves that BNP does not have any base among the mass people,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that though BNP boycotted the election held on January 7 this year, people cast their votes with turnout reported at 41.8 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>“People rejected BNP’s appeal to reject vote,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 12:58:44', '2024-01-28 12:58:44'),
(10997, 10997, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The world\'s largest cruise ship — the size of almost four city blocks — is set to begin its maiden voyage Saturday as it leaves from the Port of Miami.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Royal Caribbean\'s Icon of the Seas runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 meters) from bow to stern.</div><div><br></div><div>The ship, which is leaving South Florida for its first seven-day island-hopping voyage through the tropics, was officially christened Tuesday with help from soccer legend Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates.</div><div><br></div><div>“Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission – to deliver the world’s best vacation experiences responsibly,\" Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said earlier this week. “She is the ultimate multigenerational family vacation, forever changing the status quo in family travel and fulfilling vacation dreams for all ages on board.”</div><div><br></div><div>The ship sets sail as Royal Caribbean’s cruises are having a moment online. Since December, the company’s 9-month “Ultimate World Cruise” has captivated — and confused — a following of avid watchers on social media.</div><div><br></div><div>Millions are following the journey through the eyes of the passengers, as they live and post their lives aboard a vessel they’ll be on for nearly a year. If it sounds like a reality show, that’s exactly what some watchers have turned it into.</div><div><br></div><div>When the Icon of the Seas was first revealed in October 2022, the ship spurred the single largest booking day and the highest volume booking week in Royal Caribbean’s then 53-year history, according to the cruise line.</div><div><br></div><div>The Icon of the Seas is divided into eight neighborhoods across 20 decks. The ship includes six waterslides, seven swimming pools, an ice skating rink, a theater and more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges. The ship can carry up to 7,600 passengers at maximum capacity, along with 2,350 crew members.</div><div><br></div><div>It is powered by six dual-fuel engines, which can be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), a fuel alternative that the Cruise Lines International Association says reduces sulfur and greenhouse gas emissions. However, some environmentalists worry LNG-powered ships increase methane emissions. Other say that vacationers generate eight times more carbon on a cruise than they do on land.</div><div><br></div><div>Royal Caribbean says every kilowatt used on the Icon of the Seas “is scrutinized for energy efficiencies and emission reductions.” - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', '<p><font color=\"#a54a7b\"><b>The world\'s largest cruise ship</b></font><br></p>', 'News Desk', '[\"24\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 13:53:39', '2024-01-28 13:53:39'),
(10998, 10998, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The High Court on Sunday asked the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to submit within three months a list of patients who died at the United Medical College and Hospital run by United Group due to negligence in the past 15 years.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah passed the order.</div><div><br></div><div>It also asked the DGHS to submit the probe report prepared by it over the death of five-year-old boy Ayaan Ahmed in an affidavit form.</div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state while Advocate ABM Shahjahan Akanda Masum stood for the petitioner.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 15, the High Court asked the authorities concerned to submit a list of the patients who died at the hospital, located at Satarkul, Badda.</div><div><br></div><div>The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the family of Ayaan should not be given Tk 5 crore as compensation.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, it also asked the authorities concerned to submit the probe report over the death of Ayaan within seven days.</div><div><br></div><div>The HC asked the DGHS to submit the list of unauthorised hospitals and clinics across the country within one month.</div><div><br></div><div>Following the HC order, deputy director (law) Dr. Parimal Kumar Pal, on behalf of the Director General of DGHS, submitted the probe report today. According to the report, Ayaan had been suffering from childhood asthma and he used to take inhaler and nebulizer for respiratory problems.</div><div><br></div><div>On Ayaans circumcision day, Ayaan was given an inhaler and nebulizer before the circumcision at the waiting room which was not informed to the physicians, said the report.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, during operation normal bleeding was profuse, said the report.</div><div><br></div><div>The HC fixed Monday for the next hearing.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 8, Ayaan, died following a circumcision procedure at the United Medical College and Hospital. He was put on life support for seven days after his circumcision.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 9, Advocate ABM Shahjahan Akanda Masum filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking compensation for the death of Ayaan.</div><div><br></div><div>The writ petition also sought revocation of the certificates of the physicians involved in Ayaan’s treatment at the hospital and steps against the authorities concerned of the hospital. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 15:17:16', '2024-01-28 15:17:16'),
(10999, 10999, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">All coaching centres will remain closed for a month as the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations are scheduled to begin from February 15, said Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This year, a total of 20,24,192 examinees will appear in the examinations from 29,735 educational institutions at 3700 centres, he said while talking to reporters after a meeting over ensuring fair and copying-free environment during the examinations.</div><div><br></div><div>The coaching centres will remain shut from February 13 to March 12, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The meeting also decided that no mobile phone and electronic devices will be allowed in the examination centres and only the hall secretary will be allowed to use a general phone set without internet connection.</div><div><br></div><div>The question code will be announced 25 minutes before the exam begins.</div><div><br></div><div>Secretary to the Secondary and Higher Secondary Educaiton Soleman Khan, Secretary to the Technical and Madrasha Education Department Farid Uddin Ahmed, chairman of all education boards and law enforcing agencies were present at the meeting. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 15:35:42', '2024-01-28 15:35:42'),
(11000, 11000, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Amid growing resentment among the party rank and file over its debacle in this month’s parliamentary election, Jatiya Party Chief Patron Raushan Ershad on Sunday declared herself as the chairman of the party, relieving the current party chief and secretary general from their posts.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>She also appointed Jatiya Party presidium member Kazi Mamunur Rashid as the secretary general of the party.</div><div><br></div><div>Raushon made the decision at a views-exchange meeting in her Gulshan residence with a section of the party leaders who were relieved or voluntarily resigned from the party recently.</div><div><br></div><div>“According to Article 20-1 of the party\'s constitution, I have relieved GM Quader and Mujibul Haque Chunnu from the posts of party Chairman and Secretary General respectively at the request of the party leaders and workers to overcome the ongoing crisis (within the party),\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Raushan, the widow of party founder HM Ershad and sister-in-law of GM Quader, said she also took charge of the party chairman at the request of party leaders and followers.</div><div><br></div><div>She said Kazi Mamunur Rashid will work as the Jatiya Party Secretary General and carry out its organisational activities until the next council meeting of the party.</div><div><br></div><div>Raushan said she took the move as she cannot allow the party to suffer as GM Quader and Mujibul Haque have caused serious damage to the party.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said those party leaders who were expelled and relieved of their posts would be reinstated and the party national council would be convened at the right time.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Chunnu at a press conference said they are least bothered about the baseless move taken by Raushon as she has no authority to make such decisions, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“As per our party constitution, she has no power to take the decisions of becoming its chairman or dismissing anyone from any post,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Chunnu said Raushan announced the expulsion of GM Quader earlier thrice and later withdrew her announcements.</div><div><br></div><div>“So, we’re not taking it into our consideration. It has no basis. She (Raushan) has no such power in the constitution,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 15:40:27', '2024-01-28 15:40:27'),
(11001, 11001, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Ghulam Muhammad Quader, chairman of the Jatiya Party, has been made Leader of the Opposition in parliament while Anisul Islam Mahmud as deputy leader of the opposition.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The parliament secretariat issued a gazette notification in this regard on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury recognised GM Quader as opposition leader and Anisul Islam Mahmud as the deputy opposition leader in parliament, according to the gazette.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this day, Jatiya Party Chief Patron Raushan Ershad declared herself as the chairman of the party, relieving the current party chief and secretary general from their posts.</div><div><br></div><div>She also appointed Jatiya Party presidium member Kazi Mamunur Rashid as the secretary general of the party.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Chunnu at a press conference said they are least bothered about the baseless move taken by Raushon as she has no authority to make such decisions. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 15:45:10', '2024-01-28 15:45:10'),
(11002, 11002, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Six people, including four children, were killed yesterday when an explosive device collected by metal scavengers exploded in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state where troops are fighting jihadist groups, a local official and two anti-jihadist militia told AFP today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The homemade bomb went off when two metal scavengers were sorting through scraps they collected from the bush outside the town of Gubio, 80km from the regional capital Maiduguri, the sources said.</div><div><br></div><div>“Six people were killed in the IED (improvised explosive device) explosion, two men and four children who were pupils of an Islamic seminary near the scene,” Mali Bulama, political administrator for Gubio district said.</div><div><br></div><div>The identity of the men had yet to be determined because they were badly mutilated by the blast that occurred inside an unfinished building used to store scraps, Bulama added.</div><div><br></div><div>Militia leader Babakura Kolo said the men were rummaging through heaps of metal when the device went off.</div><div><br></div><div>“The metal scavengers were sorting out the metals for possible objects of value when they brought out the IED from one of the sacks and it went off, killing them and four children playing nearby,” Kolo said.</div><div><br></div><div>Umar Ari, another militia member, gave the same toll.</div><div><br></div><div>The 14-year jihadist violence in the northeast has killed 40,000 and displaced around two million from their homes, forcing them to live in makeshift camps where they receive meagre food handouts from international charities.</div><div><br></div><div>Many of the displaced comb the landscape for firewood and metal scraps to raise money for food to supplement inadequate rations.</div><div><br></div><div>The loggers and scrap metal scavengers as well as farmers and herders are targeted by the jihadists who accuse them of spying on them for troops and militias fighting them.</div><div><br></div><div>Last June, Borno state authorities banned scrap metal collecting following an increase in jihadist attacks on the scavengers whom the authorities also accused of vandalising public property.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite the ban, scavengers continue their search amid risk of attacks by jihadists and explosion from unexploded ordnances.</div><div><br></div><div>In July 2022, 13 metal scrap collectors were killed and three others injured when an unexploded ordnance they excavated from the bush went off in the town of Bama near Sambisa forest, a jihadist enclave. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 15:51:43', '2024-01-28 15:51:43'),
(11003, 11003, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has sought budget proposals from business organizations to make the budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 participatory, balanced and people-oriented.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>For this, all the chambers and associations of the country have been asked to submit their budget proposals in written form to the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) by February 8.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the NBR, chambers and associations have been requested to send their respective budget proposals to FBCCI in writing by February 8 for assistance in budget preparation.</div><div><br></div><div>At the same time, another soft copy of the proposal has been requested to be sent to Chief Budget Coordinator and First Secretary SM Sohail Rahman via e-mail at nbrbudget2024@gmail.com.</div><div><br></div><div>The proposals will be seriously considered by the National Board of Revenue. Institutions, organizations, or departments that are not members of any chamber or association can also send budget proposals directly through that e-mail.</div><div><br></div><div>Institutions or departments that are not members of any chamber or association can also send budget proposals directly through e-mail, according to the NBR notification. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 15:54:41', '2024-01-28 15:54:41');
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(11004, 11004, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Chinese coast guard said it had made “temporary special arrangements” to allow the Philippines to deliver supplies to troops at a grounded World War II-era vessel at a disputed reef.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Chinese coast guard has previously deployed vessels to block missions by the Philippines to supply troops on the transport ship, which has become a military outpost at the Second Thomas Shoal, 190km off the Philippine island of Palawan.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement on its official WeChat account late yesterday, the Chinese coast guard said it had allowed necessary supplies, but also that it would resolutely defend China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests at the Second Thomas Shoal and its adjacent waters.</div><div><br></div><div>“On Jan 21, a small aircraft from the Philippines airdropped supplies to the illegally beached warship,” the WeChat statement said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Chinese coast guard has followed up and monitored the situation in real time, controlled and dealt with it in accordance with laws and regulations, and made temporary special arrangements for the Philippines to replenish necessary daily supplies,” it added.</div><div><br></div><div>Beijing, which claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, points to a line on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.</div><div><br></div><div>It has repeatedly called on the Philippines to tow away the ship on the basis of a promise it said Manila made, but Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr has denied.</div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday’s WeChat message said the “relevant parties” in the Philippines had deliberately misled international opinion and ignored the facts, and that was not conducive to easing tension in the South China Sea. - Reuters</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 15:59:04', '2024-01-28 15:59:04'),
(11005, 11005, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Employees from a Ukrainian arms firm conspired with Ministry of Defence officials to embezzle almost $40m earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reported.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The SBU said late Saturday that five people have been charged, with one person detained while trying to cross the Ukrainian border. If found guilty, they face up to 12 years in prison.</div><div><br></div><div>The announcement, which was confirmed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, will have a deep impact on a country beleaguered by Russia’s nearly two-year-old invasion.</div><div><br></div><div>The SBU said an investigation had “exposed officials of the Ministry of Defence and managers of arms supplier Lviv Arsenal, who stole nearly 1.5 billion hryvnias [$40m] in the purchase of shells.”</div><div><br></div><div>“According to the investigation, former and current high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defence and heads of affiliated companies are involved in the embezzlement,” the SBU said.</div><div><br></div><div>The deal involved the purchase of 100,000 mortar shells for the military, with a contract secured in August 2022 and payment made in advance.</div><div><br></div><div>But no arms were ever provided, the SBU statement said, with some funds then moved to other foreign accounts.</div><div><br></div><div>Five people have been given “notices of suspicion” – the first stage in Ukrainian legal proceedings – both in the ministry and the arms supplier, according to the security service’s statement.</div><div><br></div><div>One suspect, the SBU said, was detained while trying to cross the Ukrainian border.</div><div><br></div><div>Officials accused of participating in the scheme include the current and former heads of the defence ministry’s Department of Military and Technical Policy, Development of Armaments and Military Equipment, as well as the head of Lviv Arsenal.</div><div><br></div><div>According to Ukraine’s prosecutor general, the stolen funds have been seized and will be returned to the defence budget.</div><div><br></div><div>Corruption within Kyiv’s military has been a thorny issue both as it tries to maintain wartime public morale and present its case to join the European Union.</div><div><br></div><div>Last September, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov was dismissed amid various corruption cases. - Al Jazeera </div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 16:14:02', '2024-01-28 16:16:49'),
(11006, 11006, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Britain on Sunday said that it had shot down a Houthi drone in the Red Sea that was poised to attack.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Yesterday, HMS Diamond successfully repelled a drone attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea,\" the British Defense Ministry said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>The ministry said the drone had targeted the Diamond, a guided missile destroyer, and that the droned was destroyed without any injuries or damage.</div><div><br></div><div>\"These intolerable and illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and it is our duty to protect the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,\" it said.</div><div><br></div><div>It also thanked the crew of the HMS Diamond for their service to \"defend British and international interests.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships allegedly linked with Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>The Houthis said the attacks are to pressure Israel to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 26,000 victims since an Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by the Palestinian group, Hamas.</div><div><br></div><div>Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea amid Houthi attacks on commercial ships that allegedly have links with Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>With US and British intervention and tensions escalating in January, the Houthis declared that they consider all American and British ships military targets.</div><div><br></div><div>Since Jan. 12, a coalition led by the US has been launching airstrikes to target Houthi sites in Yemen in response to their attacks in the Red Sea, which are occasionally met with responses from the group. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-28 16:18:53', '2024-01-28 16:18:53'),
(11007, 11007, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">BRAC University, a renowned private university of the country, today issued a statement clearing its stance over the recent incidents involving part-time teacher Asif Mahtab Utsha and demonstration by some students on the campus.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>BRAC University said it believes, like all great institutions of higher education, its role should be to create space for all views to be discussed and debated constructively, predicated on tolerance and respect.</div><div><br></div><div>The university said that it considers any act of vandalism towards national property as unacceptable behavior and does not tolerate or support such activities.</div><div><br></div><div>“The recent act of tearing pages of a textbook published by the Government of Bangladesh, included in the national curriculum for students enrolled in 7th grade in schools, and asking others to do the same in a public forum, is an act of vandalism, a behavior not supported by BRAC University,” the statement reads.</div><div><br></div><div>The university said, it therefore, cannot offer a part-time teaching contract to Asif Mahtab Utsha for the Spring 2024 semester. However, the university will compensate him for his time and efforts towards his preparatory work for Spring 2024, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>BRAC University said it respects and fully complies with the country\'s constitution and laws on all matters. Accordingly, it does not promote homosexuality as has been alleged by some quarters in various social media content.</div><div><br></div><div>However, BRAC University said it believes in equal rights and opportunities for every single human being to realize their potential.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 09:27:40', '2024-01-29 09:27:40'),
(11008, 11008, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A man reportedly committed suicide ‘after killing newly-wed wife’ over family feud in Sadar upazila of Noakhali on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were Mehedi Hasan Shuvo, 20, and his wife Tamanna Islam Priya, 16, of Bashundhara colony in Maijdee under Sadar upazila.</div><div><br></div><div>Locals said Shuvo and his maternal cousin Priya got married following a love affair around six months ago.</div><div><br></div><div>Shuvo along with his wife had been living in his father-in-law’s house since their marriage and was trying to go abroad with a driving license.</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday night, Priya’s mother, father and a brother were staying at a hospital in the town as her younger brother fell sick on Sunday. Only the couple was in the house at night.</div><div><br></div><div>After returning from the hospital on Monday morning, brother Noman knocked on the door but received no response from the inside, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, from a neighbour’s window they saw the body of Shuvo hanging in a room and the neighbors phoned the national emergency service 999 seeking help.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, a team of Sudharam model police station recovered the bodies.</div><div><br></div><div>Several teams of police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Detective Branch, Police Bureau of Investigation and other intelligence agencies visited the spot.</div><div><br></div><div>Md Asaduzzaman, superintendent of district police, suspected that Priya was hacked to death with sharp weapons as there were marks of injuries on her throat, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Family feud might be the reason behind the incident but the mystery will be debunked through investigation, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The bodies were sent to 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital morgue for autopsy, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 10:10:26', '2024-01-29 10:20:49'),
(11009, 11009, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Israel said “significant gaps” remain after cease-fire talks Sunday with the United States, Qatar and Egypt but called them constructive and said they would continue in the week ahead, a tentative sign of progress on a potential agreement that could see Israel pause military operations against Hamas in exchange for the release of remaining hostages.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. announced its first military deaths in the region since the war began and blamed Iran-backed militants for the drone strike in Jordan that killed three American service members amid concerns about a wider conflict.</div><div><br></div><div>The statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\'s office on the cease-fire talks did not say what the “significant gaps” were. There was no immediate statement from the other parties.</div><div><br></div><div>The war has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, destroyed vast swaths of Gaza and displaced nearly 85% of the territory’s people. Israel says its air and ground offensive has killed more than 9,000 militants, without providing evidence. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants took about 250 hostages.</div><div><br></div><div>With Gaza\'s 2.3 million people in a deepening humanitarian crisis, the United Nations secretary-general called on the United States and others to resume funding the main agency providing aid to the besieged territory, after Israel accused a dozen employees of taking part in the Hamas attack that ignited the war.</div><div><br></div><div>Communications Director Juliette Touma warned that the agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, would be forced to stop its support in Gaza by the end of February. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 10:42:25', '2024-01-29 10:42:25'),
(11010, 11010, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday directed the authority concerned to reduce import duty on four essential items – rice, edible oil, sugar and date– ahead of the upcoming Ramadan.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The directive came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the city.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Prime Minister has given a clear directive to decrease the duty on four items – edible oil, sugar, rice and date — on the occasion of the upcoming Ramadan, said Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain while briefing reporters at the Secretariat.</div><div><br></div><div>Now the National Board of Revenue (NBR) would assess how much the duty can be curtailed, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The PM also asked all the authorities concerned to work in a coordinated way&nbsp; and monitor the market so that there would be no deficit in the supply of the goods against the demand in the market, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Reply to a question, the Cabinet secretary said the importers now don\'t face problem to open LCs to import any essential goods. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 12:21:52', '2024-01-29 12:21:52'),
(11011, 11011, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today approved a chargesheet against the then Grameen Telecom Chairman and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others in a graft case.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Commission at its regular meeting today gave the clearance to submit the chargesheet against them, ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain told reporters at the ACC headquarters here.</div><div><br></div><div>On May 30, 2023, deputy director of ACC Md Gulshan Anwar filed the case with its Dhaka-1 integrated district office against Yunus and 12 others for allegedly embezzling Taka 25 crore from the company.</div><div><br></div><div>The other accused in the case are Grameen Telecom Managing Director Nazmul Islam, its directors Ashraful Hasan, Naznin Sultana, Parvin Mahmud, Md Shahjahan, Nurjahan Begum and SM Huzzatul Islam Latifee, Sramik-Karmachari Union President Md Kamruzzaman and its General Secretary Firoz Mahmud Hasan, lawyers Zafrul Hasan Sharif and Yusuf Ali and representative Md Mainul Islam.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the case statement, a decision was made at the company\'s 108th board meeting, presided over by Dr Yunus on May 9, 2022, to open a bank account at Gulshan branch of Dhaka Bank Limited.</div><div><br></div><div>But it was found that the account was opened a day before the decision was even made.</div><div><br></div><div>Over Taka 26 crore was transferred to the account on different occasions, as per \'fake settlement agreements\' and decision of the board.</div><div><br></div><div>But, before even distributing the share of the company\'s profit to the workers, and letting them know, the accused in collusion with each other embezzled about Taka 25 crore from the fund. - BSS</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 12:47:41', '2024-01-29 12:47:41'),
(11012, 11012, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said Bangladesh and Canada are willing to expand the existing multiple engagements between the two countries exploring the areas for further collaboration.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“We have excellent relations with Canada. We have multiple engagements with Canada. They (Canada) want to widen and expand these engagements,” he told reporters after his meeting with Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters separately, the High Commissioner said they had a “productive first discussion” about their “multifaceted” and longstanding relationship.</div><div><br></div><div>“With strong people to people ties, a growing commercial relationship and an evolving development program, there are many areas for potential collaboration, benefiting the citizens of both our countries,” she said in a brief statement.</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting, she said they also discussed the importance of media freedom, civil society and alternative voices in a healthy democracy.</div><div><br></div><div>The High Commissioner reiterated Canada’s continued commitment to responding to the Rohingya crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>On human rights issues, he said human rights are a global issue and this is an issue in America, Europe and also an issue in Canada. “We remain engaged.”</div><div><br></div><div>“We discussed the issues of democracy as we have to make democracy healthier. We value the opinion of our friendly countries,” said the Foreign Minister, while responding to a question.</div><div><br></div><div>“There are many areas for potential collaboration, benefiting the citizens of both our countries,” said the High Commissioner.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister discussed ways to send back the killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Noor Chowdhury to execute the court verdict at home.</div><div><br></div><div>Responding to a question, he said the High Commissioner is not the authority to decide but she will communicate Dhaka’s request with her government.</div><div><br></div><div>They spoke about the special relationship between the two countries and ways to further strengthen the long-standing relations.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have a long-standing and a multifaceted relationship, which has many dimensions,\" said the High Commissioner.</div><div><br></div><div>\"And we also, of course, spoke about the evolving Development Partnership and how each of these offers many opportunities for joint collaboration between our two countries,\" said the envoy.</div><div><br></div><div>As good friends, the High Commissioner said they also spoke very openly about the importance of freedom of expression, the tremendous value of civil society, and a vibrant civil society.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We spoke about the importance of alternative voices and perspectives,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The High Commissioner also took the opportunity to speak with the foreign minister to thank Bangladesh for hosting the Rohingya people, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>\"And it was my opportunity also to reiterate Canada\'s continued support for the Rohingya response,\" she said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 13:24:28', '2024-01-29 13:24:28'),
(11013, 11013, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Two people including a physician of Chattogram Shah Amanat International airport’s health department were arrested along with four gold bars weighing around 4.64 grams at the airport on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The arrested physician was identified as Dr Sharif Mithu who is posted at the health department of the airport while the identity of the rest could not be known immediately.</div><div><br></div><div>Group Captain Taslim Ahmed, also director of the airport, said an Air Arabia flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) landed at the airport in the morning.</div><div><br></div><div>The physician might have been carrying the gold bars of a passenger in his packet, he said, adding that the passenger was also arrested in this connection.</div><div><br></div><div>The gold bars were handed over to the Customs Intelligence and Investigation (CIID), Chattogram, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>CIID Assistant Director Md Abdul Matin Talukdar told media that a UAE-returnee gave the gold bars to Dr Sharif who tried to smuggle it into the country safely.</div><div><br></div><div>The gold bars were detected during scanning.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Friday, 14 gold bars worth Tk 1.5 crore were recovered from a cigarette packet at the airport. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 13:44:49', '2024-01-29 13:44:49'),
(11014, 11014, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday hoped that there would be no further mortal shells from Myanmar landing inside Bangladesh territory amid conflicts inside Myanmar.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“There are conflicts in Myanmar. Amid those ongoing conflicts, mortal shells fell on Bangladesh territory from Myanmar. Our forces along the border remain alert,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while responding to a question.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister said the government of Bangladesh remains in touch with the Myanmar authority and hoped that it would not happen again. “We remain alert.”</div><div><br></div><div>Media reported quoting the local sources that gunshots between the two conflicting groups were heard from Ukhiya and Teknaf border areas in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, the foreign minister said, “Situation in Myanmar has never been good. It always fluctuates – sometimes good, sometimes bad. Myanmar is going through such a situation.”</div><div><br></div><div>He, however, said this current situation is an adverse one for the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters, UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Gwyn Lewis said the security situation inside Myanmar is very difficult at the moment and it is not a good time for Rohingya repatriation, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The UNRC said repatriation is a priority for Bangladesh, and Rohingyas as well as Bangladesh have agreed on their safe and dignified return to Myanmar.</div><div><br></div><div>“We will continue to work in that direction,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She also said that there is a shortage of financing for the basic services that the Rohingyas need.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 14:00:05', '2024-01-29 14:00:05'),
(11015, 11015, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni called for a new partnership with Africa today, unveiling a long-awaited plan aimed at boosting economic ties, creating an energy hub for Europe, and curbing immigration.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a one-day summit attended by more than two dozen African leaders and European Union officials, Meloni outlined a series of initiatives, pledging an initial €5.5 billion, including state guarantees.</div><div><br></div><div>“We believe it is possible to envision and write a new chapter in the history of our relationship, a cooperation among equals, far from any predatory imposition or charitable stance towards Africa,” Meloni said in an opening speech.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the proposal got a cool response from some of those present, with Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission, saying he wished Africa had been consulted first.</div><div><br></div><div>“I want to insist here on the need to move from words to actions. You can well understand that we can no longer be satisfied with mere promises that are often not kept,” he said, standing alongside Meloni in Italy’s ornate Senate.</div><div><br></div><div>Among the African leaders present were the presidents of Tunisia, Senegal, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Somalia. In all, 45 African states were represented at various levels.</div><div><br></div><div>Critics have said that heavily indebted Italy cannot hope to compete with the likes of China, Russia, and Gulf states, which are all looking to boost their presence in Africa, which is home to many of the world’s natural resources.</div><div><br></div><div>While Rome claims ownership of the plan, which it has named after the late Enrico Mattei, who founded state oil company Eni, Meloni said her government would look to help from the private sector and international bodies such as the EU.</div><div><br></div><div>Underscoring that point, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Charles Michel, and the head of the EU Parliament were all at the Rome meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Mattei Plan…fits perfectly into our European Global Gateway worth €150 billion. This is our plan for Africa,” von der Leyen told today’s gathering, referring to an infrastructure project unveiled in 2021. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 14:06:29', '2024-01-29 14:06:29'),
(11016, 11016, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>One motorist was killed and another was missing as torrential rains on France’s Indian Ocean island of Reunion transformed roads into rivers and swept away cars, police said today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Early today, a driver was swept away by floodwater as he drove along a road in the village of Petite-Ile in southern Reunion.</div><div><br></div><div>He was found dead in his vehicle.</div><div><br></div><div>Yesterday, a car carrying several people was washed away in St-Louis, also in the south of the island.</div><div><br></div><div>While the passengers escaped unharmed, the driver, a doctor, was unable to get out of the vehicle.</div><div><br></div><div>A search was underway to locate him.</div><div><br></div><div>Schools in nine communities in the south were closed today.</div><div><br></div><div>Two weeks ago Reunion was hit by a devastating storm, Cyclone Belal, which left four people dead and caused significant damage. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 14:12:50', '2024-01-29 14:12:50'),
(11017, 11017, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Chattogram Challengers secured a convincing eight-wicket win over Sylhet Strikers in the 13th match of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Chasing a target of 138, Chattogram comfortably reached 138/2 in 17.4 overs, with 14 balls to spare.</div><div><br></div><div>Tanzid Hasan\'s half-century, scoring 50 off 40 balls, set the tone for the successful run chase. Tom Bruce remained unbeaten with a well-crafted 51 off 44 balls, steering his team to victory.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, Sylhet Strikers posted a total of 137/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Harry Tector scored 45 off 42 balls, while Zakir Hasan contributed a brisk 31 off 26 deliveries.</div><div><br></div><div>Bilal Khan starred with the ball for Chattogram, claiming three wickets for 24 runs in his four overs.</div><div><br></div><div>It was the third consecutive win for the Challengers, and with this, they topped the points table.</div><div><br></div><div>However, if Khulna Tigers win the next match of the day against Durdanto Dhaka, they will dethrone the Challengers from the top place.</div><div><br></div><div>While the Challengers are en route to confirm a place in the final four, four defeats in four matches made the task tough for Sylhet Strikers. - UNB&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Sports Desk', '[\"20\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 14:18:27', '2024-01-29 14:18:27'),
(11018, 11018, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Members of a dissident Russian rock band critical of the war in Ukraine are facing possible deportation home from Thailand after they were arrested in the resort island of Phuket for working without a permit, several officials told Reuters today.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Human rights activists fear the self-exiled rock band Bi-2 would face harsh punishment if it was sent back to Moscow. The group is known for its condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with its lead singer Igor Bortnick labelled by Russian authorities as a “foreign agent” after he criticised President Vladimir Putin online.</div><div><br></div><div>Seven band members were detained at Bangkok’s immigration detention centre after their arrests on Jan 24 for working without a permit, Kriangkrai Ariyaying, the superintendent of Phuket’s Immigration Bureau, told Reuters.</div><div><br></div><div>“This usually results in deportation to their country of origin but there is some discretion (about the destination),” Kriangkrai said.</div><div><br></div><div>Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher on Thailand for Human Rights Watch, said the band members would “likely face harsh prosecution and other grave dangers” if they were sent back to Russia due to their dissident status.</div><div><br></div><div>“This case is a litmus test of Thailand’s compliance with fundamental human rights principles,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Other officials who declined to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the media told Reuters that the band members could seek an alternative destination if they felt unsafe to return to Russia.</div><div><br></div><div>Band members with dual citizenship have the option of choosing any other country that they belong to as a country of origin, one official said.</div><div><br></div><div>Some band members have dual citizenship with Israel and Australia, the two places the band were based before they moved to Russia in 1999. The management of Bi-2, the Israel embassy in Bangkok, and Australia’s department of foreign affairs and trade did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 14:25:37', '2024-01-29 14:25:37'),
(11019, 11019, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A 72-year-old pensioner was sentenced to five and a half years prison for allegedly sharing a post online about Russia’s military casualties in Ukraine, rights groups said today.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Yevgeniya Maiboroda, from Russia’s southern Rostov region, was prosecuted under a law that prohibits the deliberate spreading of “false information” about the Russian army.</div><div><br></div><div>Maiboroda pleaded guilty but denied she was motivated by “political hatred”, as prosecutors alleged, the OVD-Info rights group reported.</div><div><br></div><div>She shared two posts on her VK social media page, one an “emotional video” about the conflict and the other on the number of soldiers killed, legal group Setevye Svobody said.</div><div><br></div><div>The group said she felt compelled to share the posts after her brother became trapped under the rubble of a building “collapsed by shells” in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.</div><div><br></div><div>A spokesman for Shakhty City Court in Rostov confirmed Maiboroda’s conviction to AFP, and said she was charged over illegal content on her VK account, without elaborating.</div><div><br></div><div>Moscow made criticism of its army illegal shortly after launching its Ukraine offensive in February 2022, reports AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>Thousands of opponents of the conflict have been censored, jailed or exiled.</div><div><br></div><div>A 61-year-old ailing pensioner who criticised the conflict was sentenced this month to over eight years in prison for enemy treason, a charge he denied.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 15:00:08', '2024-01-29 15:00:08'),
(11020, 11020, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Almost 100 people have died or disappeared on the Central and Eastern Mediterranean routes since the start of the year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Even one death is one too many. The latest record of deaths and disappearances is a stark reminder that a comprehensive approach that includes safe and regular pathways – a key strategic pillar for IOM – is the only solution that will benefit migrants and states alike,\" said Amy Pope, the director general of IOM.</div><div><br></div><div>“The toll is over twice as high as the figure for the same period of 2023, the deadliest year for migrants at sea in Europe since 2016,” an IOM statement said.</div><div><br></div><div>The statement noted that Pope is attending the Italy-Africa Conference in Rome to discuss solutions aimed at protecting migrants at a time when the number of people presumed to be dead or missing is on the rise.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, the annual number of migrant deaths and disappearances in all the Mediterranean jumped from 2,048 in 2021, to 2,411 in 2022, and to 3,041 by the end of 2023. - Anadolu Agency&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 15:06:23', '2024-01-29 15:06:23'),
(11021, 11021, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A US base in eastern Syria was targeted by a rocket, local sources said on Monday, but provided no further details.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A single rocket fell near the US Shaddadi Base in southern Hasakah province, according to a local source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.</div><div><br></div><div>The source provided no further information, and the US has yet to issue a statement regarding the latest of a series of attacks on its bases in Syria and Iraq.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Sunday, the US Central Command (CENTOM) reported that three service members were killed and 28 were injured in an attack on the US military base at Al-Tanf, near the Jordanian-Syrian border.</div><div><br></div><div>A group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>Al-Tanf, a base located within Syrian territory outside of regime control where the Syrian, Iraqi, and Jordanian borders meet, houses a number of American troops.</div><div><br></div><div>“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” a statement issued by CENTOM quoted US President Joe Biden as saying.</div><div><br></div><div>However, Iran immediately dismissed claims of its involvement in the attack, and a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran “does not interfere” in the decision-making of groups in the region on “how to support the Palestinian nation.”</div><div><br></div><div>Since the Israeli army launched intensified attacks on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, US military bases in Syria and Iraq have been targeted, particularly Al-Tanf, as well as bases in the Malikiyye district near the Iraqi border, the Shaddadi district in Hasakah province, and the Deir ez-Zor province, with drones and rockets.</div><div><br></div><div>The territories in Deir ez-Zor, east of the Euphrates River, are under the occupation of the terrorist group PKK/YPG, while the provincial center and other rural areas are under the control of the Bashar al-Assad regime and Iranian-backed groups.</div><div><br></div><div>Iran has repeatedly called for the cessation of Israel\'s attacks on Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>Iranian-backed groups occasionally launch rocket and drone attacks on US bases along the Euphrates\' eastern bank.</div><div><br></div><div>On Oct. 19, Iranian state TV aired a news report explaining how, if Israel\'s attacks on Gaza continue, Tehran\'s regional allies, referred to as \"resistance forces,\" could launch simultaneous attacks using missiles and drones from Hezbollah in the north, militias in Iraq, and Syria from the east, and the Houthis in Yemen from the south.</div><div><br></div><div>Iran\'s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in an Oct. 17 speech that if Israel\'s attacks continue, \"resistance forces\" would take action.</div><div><br></div><div>Iran refers to Lebanese Hezbollah, the militias it supports in Syria and Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen as resistance forces. - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 15:22:26', '2024-01-29 15:22:26'),
(11022, 11022, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The BNP and like-minded opposition parties are set to take out processions holding black flags across the country, including in the capital on Tuesday, the first day the 12th parliament goes into session, demanding a fresh election under a non-party government.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The programme will be observed in all metropolitan cities, districts, upazilas, thanans and municipalities also to demand the cancellation of the ‘illegal dummy’ parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said their party’s all units have made all necessary preparations to observe the programme simultaneously.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He called upon people from all walks of life to make the programme a success with their spontaneous participation.</div><div><br></div><div>In the capital, BNP’s Dhaka south city unit will bring out the black-flag processions in front of Pirjungi Mazar, Jatrabari’s Kadamtoli Bus Station, New Market and Dayaganj intersection while the Dhaka north city unit in front of Suvastu Nazar Valley Shopping Mall at Shahjadpur, Uttara Section-12 Graveyard and near a mosque at Mirpur-6.</div><div><br></div><div>Members of the party\'s standing committee, vice chairman and advisory council will lead these processions.</div><div><br></div><div>Apart from BNP, Ganatantra Mancha, 12-Party Alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, Gono Odhikar Parishad, LDP, Labour Party, Ganatantrik Bam Oikya, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Gonoforum and People’s Party and AB Party will also take out black-flag processions separately in different areas of the capital.</div><div><br></div><div>This will be the BNP\'s second street programme after the 12th parliamentary election held on January 7.</div><div><br></div><div>The 12th parliament is set to go into its maiden session on Tuesday. President Mohammed Shahabuddin will address the first session of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) starting at 3:00pm. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 15:27:13', '2024-01-29 15:27:13'),
(11023, 11023, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b><font color=\"#634aa5\">State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that realistic measures have been taken for power generation.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The Power Division has been working on as how to use the hydrogen and ammonia as energy alongside the conventional sources of energy”, he told a workshop on “Techno-Economic Study of Electricity Generation Technologies for Bangladesh: Challenges and Opportunities” at Bidyut Bhaban in the city on Monday.</div><div><br></div><div>He informed the workshop that nuclear power will come to the national grid soon. “Some 12,047 MW of electricity is now in different stages of generation”, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Bloomberg NEF, a US technology and financial strategic research organization, presented research on various sources of power generation in Bangladesh and its cost in this workshop.</div><div><br></div><div>He said availability of non-agricultural land is one of the major problems in the promotion of renewable energy in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“We are also moving forward with onshore and offshore wind power. One of our main goals is to provide uninterrupted power at affordable cost. Special emphasis is now being laid on modernisation of transmission and distribution systems and also grid synchronization”, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>The head of Bloomberg\'s Asia Pacific Region Dr. Ali Izadi, South Asia Market Leader Isshu Kikuma and Senior Associate Tarun Blakrishnan presented the research paper on behalf of Bloomberg at the workshop.</div><div><br></div><div>They emphasised on supporting renewable energy at the utility scale, increasing the use of rooftop and floating solar, and training for clean technology jobs.</div><div><br></div><div>They pointed out that carbon emissions can be reduced by mixing coal with ammonia or natural gas with hydrogen, but the cost will be high, while the use of batteries with solar or batteries with wind is much more cost-effective, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The event conducted by Nirod Chandra Mandal, Joint Secretary of Power Department, was also addressed among others by Member of Parliament Nahim Razzak, Senior Secretary of Power Department Md. Habibur Rahman, Srade Chairman Munira Sultana, BPDB Chairman Md. Mahbubur Rahman, BREB Chairman Ajay Kumar Chakraborty, Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain, Professor of BUET Ijaz Ahmed, Professor of Dhaka University Badrul Imam, Director of Energy Research Center Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury and heads of departments.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-29 15:49:47', '2024-01-29 15:49:47'),
(11024, 11024, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh\'s Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday (January 30, 2024) said what appeared on Washington Post regarding Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus was an advertisement, not a statement.&nbsp;</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“Washington Post published it as an advertisement. That is an advertisement, not news. Clearly, it was done by a lobbyist firm,” he told reporters while responding to a question.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said the lobbyist firm also did the same in the past.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>He said Bangladesh’s judiciary is transparent and the government is not a party to Yunus’ case.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Hasan said the aggrieved people of Yunus’ organization filed the case and the trial is underway in a very transparent way.</div><div><br></div><div>Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus on Sunday claimed that it was the government, not the workers of his company, who filed the labor law violation case against him.</div><div><br></div><div>When his attention was drawn to the claim, the Foreign Minister on Monday said, “With due respect to him, I would like to say that what he said is not correct.”</div><div><br></div><div>The minister said that the aggrieved workers of Yunus’ company filed the case as they were deprived of what they deserve.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 241 global leaders, including more than 125 Nobel laureates, expressed their concern over the “continuous judicial harassment and potential jailing” of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus in a third open letter to Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>On January 1, 2024, Professor Yunus and three Grameen Telecom colleagues were convicted of labor law violations, sentenced to six months in jail, and given bail while appeals are considered.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 09:35:40', '2024-01-30 09:35:40'),
(11025, 11025, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the lack of biomaterials with reliable clinical data infrastructure is one of the major reasons why Bangladesh is under represented in wider medical research.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this in a video message that was played at the roundtable titled “Biobanking with Bangladesh: A joint approach to disease management and prevention”, a collaborative initiative taken by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Embassy of Bangladesh in Brussels and the European Union.</div><div><br></div><div>The event is aimed at laying the groundwork for establishment of national biobank in Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh has made commendable progress in clinical care, medical education and research in recent years with the establishment of a number of medical universities and institutions.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that as part of government’s constitutional and global commitment to provide universal health coverage, it has set up about 18,500 community clinics and health centers at rural level.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have undertaken various measures to introduce state-of-the-art facilities in the medical sector,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Thus, she said, for the development of translational research capacity in Bangladesh, creating a world-class biobank is critical.</div><div><br></div><div>Make the business of parliament meaningful: PM Hasina tells independent MPs</div><div><br></div><div>“Biobank will promote innovation and discoveries in medical and other branches of life sciences disciplines. It could lead to significant improvement in ability to diagnose, prevent and provide personalized care,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, the apex postgraduate medical institution in Bangladesh with a 2650-bed hospital, 8 faculties, 68 departments, and about 500 faculty members, has the ability to host such facilities.</div><div><br></div><div>She welcomed the individuals and organisations to form a comprehensive strategic collaboration with Bangladesh and make long-term commitment towards the enhancement of the health and well-being of millions of citizens in Bangladesh and beyond.</div><div><br></div><div>“Contributing to this biobank is not limited to only a financial choice; it\'s a humanitarian deed, a symbol of hope for a world where everyone has access to quality healthcare,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She asserted that their contribution would surpasses mere numerical values, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>“It symbolises the preservation of life, the safeguarding of family, and the empowerment of a nation, which in turn will contribute to overall research capacity regionally,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She urged all to work together to make establishment of biobank a reality a better and healthier world.</div><div><br></div><div>“Let us work together to make this biobank a reality, a symbol of optimism that will lead to a better, healthier world,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 10:10:01', '2024-01-30 10:10:01'),
(11026, 11026, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The maiden session of the 12th Parliament began at 3pm on Tuesday with Deputy Speaker Shamshul Huq Tuku in the chair.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>President Mohammed Shahabuddin convened the first parliament session of 2024 exercising the power bestowed upon him as per the Article 72 (1) of the Constitution.</div><div><br></div><div>The current parliament was formed through January 7 national election.</div><div><br></div><div>Out of 299 seats in the 12th parliamentary election, Awami League won 223, Jatiya Party 11, Bangladesh Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), and Bangladesh Kalyan Party one each, and independent candidates 62 seats. Fifty eight of the victorious independent candidates were ruling party leaders.</div><div><br></div><div>At the beginning of the sitting, the speaker and the deputy speaker of the House were elected by the MPs and were sworn in by the president.</div><div><br></div><div>Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was elected as speaker when Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader proposed her name and Chief Whip Nur E Alam Chowdhury seconded the name.</div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Speaker Shamsul Huq Tuku said as there was only one name proposed for the post, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will be elected as unopposed.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the session was adjourned for 20 minutes and the speaker went to President’s chamber in Parliament for taking oath.</div><div><br></div><div>President Mohammed Shahabuddin Administered the oath. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 10:26:27', '2024-01-30 10:26:27');
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(11027, 11027, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A Pakistani court on Tuesday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and one of his party deputies to 10 years in prison each, after finding them guilty of revealing official secrets.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The verdict was another blow to Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician, who was ousted through a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022 and is currently serving a three-year prison sentence in a graft case.</div><div><br></div><div>According to Zulfiqar Bukhari, spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, the court announced the verdict at a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Authorities said Khan and his deputy who also received a 10-year sentence, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, have the right to appeal Tuesday’s ruling in the case, popularly known as the Cipher case.</div><div><br></div><div>The ruling comes ahead of the Feb. 8 parliamentary elections in Pakistan — a vote that Khan is barred from running in because of his previous criminal conviction.</div><div><br></div><div>Although Khan will not be on the ballot for the February election, he remains a potent political force because of his grassroots following and anti-establishment rhetoric. He says the legal cases against him were a plot to sideline him ahead of the vote.</div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan has seen violent demonstrations since after Khan’s May 2023 arrest. Authorities have cracked down on his supporters and party since then.</div><div><br></div><div>Pakistan’s independent human rights commission has said there is little chance of a free and fair parliamentary election next month because of “pre-poll rigging.” It also expressed concern about authorities rejecting the candidacies of Khan and senior figures from his party.</div><div><br></div><div>The Cipher case is one of more than 150 cases pending against Khan. Other charges range from contempt of court to terrorism and inciting violence.</div><div><br></div><div>In the secrets case, Khan is alleged to have waved a confidential document — a classified cable — at a rally after he was toppled. The document — dubbed Cipher — has not been made public by either the government or Khan’s lawyers but was apparently diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.</div><div><br></div><div>During the speech, Khan claiming the document was proof he was being threatened and that his ouster was a U.S. conspiracy, allegedly executed by the military and the government in Pakistan. Washington and Pakistani officials have denied the claim.</div><div><br></div><div>Tuesday\'s verdict comes weeks after Khan and Qureshi were indicted in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>During the trial, Khan’s party and supporters had feared he could be sentenced to death for treason. Khan has maintained his innocence and says he didn’t disclose the exact contents of the cable. Qureshi was accused of manipulating the contents of a diplomatic cable to gain political advantage, reports AP</div><div><br></div><div>Political analyst Syed Muhammad Ali said the latest verdict was expected. The two “indeed damaged Pakistan’s diplomatic ties with the United States, and they also embarrassed the then-Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed to the United States,” he said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 10:37:28', '2024-01-30 10:37:28'),
(11028, 11028, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Ukraine said today that two people had been killed and at least five more wounded in the latest overnight Russian attacks across the country targeting military and energy infrastructure.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Moscow’s army, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 21 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the annexed Crimean peninsula, as Kyiv steps up cross border aerial attacks.</div><div><br></div><div>Kyiv said Russian forces had launched two missiles and 35 attack drones across Ukraine and that 20 of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had bypassed air defence systems.</div><div><br></div><div>“The enemy directed some of the attack UAVs along front line territories, trying to hit fuel and energy infrastructure, and civilian and military facilities near the front line and the state border with the Russia,” the air force said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Officials in Kyiv have urged Western allies to bolster its air defence capabilities and said gaining control of the country’s airspace is a priority for this year.</div><div><br></div><div>The air force statement said that air defence systems mainly in eastern and southern regions had downed just 15 of the Iranian-designed attack drones.</div><div><br></div><div>Authorities said the barrage damaged various civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, where officials said two people were injured.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukrenergo, a Ukrainian energy provider, confirmed one of its substations in a central region had been hit.</div><div><br></div><div>Separately, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, prosecutors said a Russian S-300 missile attack had killed one person and wounded another.</div><div><br></div><div>“A 38-year-old man who was riding a bicycle home from work was killed as a result of an attack. A 50-year-old woman was injured. She was taken to the hospital,” prosecutors said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>In the southern region of Kherson, which the Kremlin claimed to have annexed along with the Donetsk region in 2022, the governor said Russian shelling had killed one man and wounded his wife.</div><div><br></div><div>In the southern Mykolaiv region, falling debris from a downed Russian drone injured one man, officials said. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 11:42:09', '2024-01-30 11:42:09'),
(11029, 11029, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday urged all concerned to take stern actions against corruption alongside&nbsp; reforming the financial sector.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"Uncertainty is increasing in the global economy due to geopolitical instability. In this regard, if the global economic crisis occurs, it will also affect us,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He was addressing the opening session of the newly elected 12th Parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, he convened the first parliament session of 2024 exercising the power bestowed upon him as per the Article 72 (1) of the Constitution.</div><div><br></div><div>Maiden JS session: Speaker nominates 5-member panel of chairmen</div><div><br></div><div>The president\'s speech was approved in the cabinet.</div><div><br></div><div>The current parliament was formed through January 7 national election.</div><div><br></div><div>He underlined the the necessity to make the required preparations for the upcoming global crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the production system of the agricultural sector must be sustained, with emphasis on the production of high-value crops.</div><div><br></div><div>The president also called for the use of advanced agricultural technology to boost production.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said agricultural storage and agro processing industries should be developed.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is necessary to sign and implement bilateral and regional trade and investment agreements so that Bangladeshi products can have access to duty-free benefits in the export market, \" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He also pointed out strengthening deep sea gas and oil exploration activities in order to ensure energy security.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;\"New labour markets should be explored so that skilled labour can be exported&nbsp; in addition to create skilled human resources,\" President Shahabuddin said.</div><div><br></div><div>Concerning the election, he said a group tried to obstruct the peaceful course of democracy by creating violence and conflict. Their anti-democratic and violent activities temporarily left people in a state of anxiety, but the spirit of democracy did not deter voters from voting.</div><div><br></div><div>\"All the measures adopted by the government and the Election Commission have been beneficial due to the spontaneity and active participation of the mass people,\" he said .</div><div><br></div><div>He also said the parties abstaining from election participation carried out their political programmes without any hindrance.</div><div><br></div><div>He hoped that the political parties of the country will shun violence and anarchy and carry out constructive programmes in non-violent ways for the establishment of constitutional rights and the welfare of the people and democracy.</div><div><br></div><div>\"It is expected that the government will also play appropriate role in this regard,\" he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Out of 299 seats up for vote, AL won 223, JP 11, Bangladesh Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), and Bangladesh Kalyan Party one each, and independent candidates 62 seats. As many as 58&nbsp; independent candidates belong to the ruling party.</div><div><br></div><div>At the beginning of the sitting, the speaker and deputy speaker of the House were elected and were sworn in by the president, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Shamsul Haque Tuku are continuing in their post as speaker and deputy Leader of the House as the AL parlimentary party in a meeting already nominated them for this posts.</div><div><br></div><div>First lady Rebeka Sultana and secretaries concerned to the president were present at the president box of the parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 11:44:58', '2024-01-30 11:44:58'),
(11030, 11030, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A powerful Hindu group said several mosques in India were built over demolished Hindu temples, apparently hardening its stance in a decades-long sectarian dispute just days after a huge temple was inaugurated on the site of a razed mosque.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The comments from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party, come after Modi and the RSS chief led Monday’s consecration of the temple on the site of a 16th-century mosque demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992.</div><div><br></div><div>The fight over claims to holy sites has divided Hindu-majority India, which has the world’s third-largest Muslim population, since independence from British rule in 1947.</div><div><br></div><div>Four days after the temple was inaugurated in the northern city of Ayodhya, a lawyer for Hindu petitioners said the Archaeological Survey of India had determined that a 17th century mosque in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, in Modi’s parliamentary constituency, had been built over a destroyed a Hindu temple.</div><div><br></div><div>The Archaeological Survey did not respond to a request for comment.</div><div><br></div><div>Late on Friday, senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar questioned whether Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque and three others, including the razed one in Ayodhya on the site where many Hindus believe Lord Ram was born, were mosques at all.</div><div><br></div><div>“Whether we should consider them mosques or not, the people of the country and the world should think about it,” Kumar told Reuters in an interview, referring to the sites in Gyanvapi, Ayodhya, one other in Uttar Pradesh state and one in Madhya Pradesh. “They should stand with the truth, or they should stand with the wrong?”</div><div><br></div><div>In the group’s first reaction to the Gyanvapi findings, Kumar said, “Accept the truth. Hold dialogues and let the judiciary decide.”</div><div><br></div><div>Raising questions about the mosques does not mean Hindu groups comprise “an anti-mosque movement”, he said. “This is not an anti-Islam movement. This is a movement to seek the truth that should be welcomed by the world.”</div><div><br></div><div>‘Nothing political’</div><div>Muslim groups are disputing the assertions of Hindu groups in court.</div><div><br></div><div>Zufar Ahmad Faruqi, chairman of the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Uttar Pradesh, said the group “have confidence in the judiciary that it will do what is correct.</div><div><br></div><div>“We want to live in harmony and peacefully while protecting the monuments as they are,” he said. “Nothing political about it, we are in the court and facing it legally.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Modi-led opening of the Ayodhya temple fulfilled a 35-year-old pledge of his Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of a general election due by May. He is expected to win a third straight term, the longest stretch since India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.</div><div><br></div><div>The razing of the Ayodhya mosque sparked riots across India that authorities say killed at least 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. Hindu groups have for decades said that Muslim Mughal rulers built monuments and places of worship after destroying ancient Hindu structures.</div><div><br></div><div>Indian law bars the conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of places of worship as they existed at the time of independence - except for the Ayodhya shrine. The Supreme Court is hearing challenges to the law.</div><div><br></div><div>The court this month halted plans for a survey of another centuries-old mosque in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous and politically important state, to determine if it contained Hindu relics and symbols.</div><div><br></div><div>The RSS’s Kumar, who is also the chief patron of the group’s Muslim wing, said Islamic law requires mosques to be constructed on undisputed land, or the land should be donated by someone who has bought it or the people building the mosque should buy it. Accoridng to Reuters reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 12:12:43', '2024-01-30 12:12:43'),
(11031, 11031, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh has slipped by two positions to 149th among the 180 countries studied in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2023.&nbsp;</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>This was revealed by Dr Iftekharuzzaman, the executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), at its Dhanmandi office on Tuesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh received a score of 24 out of 100 in the Corruption Perception Index 2023, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Iftekharuzzaman said that according to the CPI, Bangladesh\'s score this year has decreased by one point to 24 compared to 2022.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh is jointly ranked 10th among 180 countries and 149th according to the ascending order.</div><div><br></div><div>The findings placed Denmark on top of the list as the least corrupt country with a score of 90 out of 100. Finland is in second place with 87 and New Zealand is third with a score of 85.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Somalia topped the list of corrupt countries with the lowest score of 11.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>South Sudan, Syria and Venezuela are tied for second place with a score of 13.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"Our performance is frustrating and embarrassing,\" said Iftekharuzzaman.</div><div><br></div><div>The government has, meanwhile, trashed the report politically motivated. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 12:50:30', '2024-01-30 12:50:30'),
(11032, 11032, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The police did not allow the BNP to take out processions at seven points of the capital on Tuesday, the day of the 12th parliament went into its maiden session, citing a lack of permission for the street programme.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The BNP and like-minded opposition parties were supposed to take out processions holding black flags across the country, including in the capital today (Tuesday) demanding a fresh election under a non-party government.</div><div><br></div><div>In the capital, BNP’s Dhaka south city unit was scheduled to bring out the black-flag processions in front of Pirjungi Mazar, Jatrabari’s Kadamtoli Bus Station, New Market and Dayaganj intersection while the Dhaka north city unit in front of Suvastu Nazar Valley Shopping Mall at Shahjadpur, Uttara Section-12 Graveyard and near a mosque at Mirpur-6, also to demand the cancellation of the ‘illegal dummy’ parliament.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP leaders and activists started gathering the seven spots with black flags to hold their programmes, but police obstructed them from taking out processions saying that the party did not get permission for the programme from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authorities.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, police picked up BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan as he went to near a graveyard of Uttara-12 in the capital around 2 pm to join BNP’s black-flag g procession.</div><div><br></div><div>A group of police obstructed Dr Moyeen as he was addressing the gathering and took him to a police van.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the BNP leader was released and allowed to go to his Gulshan residence riding his vehicle.</div><div><br></div><div>Md Shahjahan, deputy commissioner of Uttara Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said “Moyeen Khan was neither arrested nor detained. We asked him to wait.”</div><div><br></div><div>“We also asked him to refrain from joining the black-flag procession,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)\'s Uttara Zone\'s additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Mirza Salahuddin said the party tried to hold a programme without any permission.</div><div><br></div><div>He said the BNP sought permission from the DMP to hold the programme but the party was not permitted in a b bid to maintain law and order in the city. “That is why we didn’t allow them to hold the programme.\"</div><div><br></div><div>He said they also picked up 8 to 10 people from the spot for questioning.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, police also foiled BNP’s processions in other areas of the capital and detained some BNP leaders and activists.</div><div><br></div><div>BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy went to Pirjungi Mazar in the capital’s Motijheel area around 2:20pm but failed to take out the procession.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters, he said holding rallies and processions is a democratic and constitutional right of the political parties.</div><div><br></div><div>“We sent a letter to the DMP police commissioner informing them about our plans to peacefully bring out processions at 7 places in the capital. But the police obstructed us everywhere. We strongly condemn and protest this action of the police.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the government is arresting BNP leaders and workers and not allowing them to hold a peaceful programme without any justified reason.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said their party leaders and activists were staying around the procession venues in a scattered way to hold the programme amid the presence of police. “But tt’s not our intention to be involved in conflict and clash with the police.”</div><div><br></div><div>At one stage, Gayeshwar left the area in his vehicle as the party’s programme was foiled, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Office-in-charge (OC) of Motijheel Police Station Abul Kalam Azad said BNP did not get permission to hold the programme.\"&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 13:07:00', '2024-01-30 13:07:00'),
(11033, 11033, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Leader of the opposition GM Quader on Tuesday said that he has doubts about how the 12th Parliament will be able to perform its duties perfectly.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>He said 75 percent of the seats in this parliament belong to the ruling party, while the independent MPs – mostly linked to Awami League – comprises 21 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>The opposition accounts for only 3-4 percent of the seats and so “It will be tough to find the whole nation reflected in this parliament. This parliament will not be able to perform its duties perfectly,” he feared.</div><div><br></div><div>The opposition leader made the comments this while participating in a discussion to thank Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, the newly elected speaker of the House.</div><div><br></div><div>GM Quader described his experience as a Member of Parliament since 1996 and expressed hope that the speaker would play a neutral role in conducting the businesses of the House.</div><div><br></div><div>On the question of the speaker\'s responsibility, he said that even though she was a speaker with party loyalty, she tried to play her role impartially.</div><div><br></div><div>“I expect you to maintain that impartiality,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the Treasury bench on the right side of the speaker and the seats of the Opposition party on the left side, GM Quader said they wanted to see the both sides having equal numbers.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that one is the government party, the other is the Opposition.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the results of the January 7 national election, the leader of the opposition said that the national parliament is a meeting place for all parties.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to the colour of national flag red and green, GM Quader said that, it is not only red not green. If the government party is called red, then this parliament is completely red.</div><div><br></div><div>“The green is just a splash. It will be difficult to find the picture of the whole nation in this parliament. How far the present parliament will be able to represent the nation is a matter of apprehension,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He mentioned that if the gap between the activities of the two parts can be reduced, the parliament will be considered effective.</div><div><br></div><div>“This apprehension is not unrealistic,” said GM Quader, the leader of Jatiya Party which won only 11 seats in this month’s election.</div><div>The opposition to the government can or will play a more active role, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He placed some suggestions to make the parliament more effective.</div><div><br></div><div>He hoped that the speaker will give opportunity to the opposition members in the House to express their opinion, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>“We will continue our efforts to reduce the imbalance in parliament. So we expect cooperation from the speaker,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 14:25:48', '2024-01-30 14:25:48'),
(11034, 11034, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Palestinians buried dozens of bodies in a mass grave in southern Gaza today, after officials said Israel returned remains it had exhumed from the territory.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>An AFP photographer saw Gazans moving the bodies in blue plastic shrouds from a truck toward the newly dug mass grave east of Rafah.</div><div><br></div><div>Health ministry employees wearing white protective clothing lowered them into the ground, near the tents of people displaced by the Israel-Hamas war.</div><div><br></div><div>A Palestinian source at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt told AFP the bodies returned had been “stolen by the occupation (Israeli) army during its incursion” into Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>A second source at Gaza’s ministry of religious affairs told AFP that Israel “stole them from Bani Suheila cemetery, east of Khan Younis” around two weeks ago.</div><div><br></div><div>The Israeli military did not respond to a request to comment, although it has previously made remarks about exhuming bodies from Gaza graves in search of Israeli hostages.</div><div><br></div><div>“The hostage identification process, conducted at a secure and alternative location, ensures optimal professional conditions and respect for the deceased,” the military said yesterday.</div><div><br></div><div>The government media office in Hamas-run Gaza accused Israel of removing organs from the bodies, an allegation the military did not respond to when contacted by AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>In November and December, AFP journalists also witnessed the reburial of bodies which Gaza officials said had been exhumed by Israeli forces.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s relentless military offensive has killed at least 26,751 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.</div><div><br></div><div>The war was triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented Oct 7 attack that resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.</div><div><br></div><div>Fighters also seized 250 hostages, of whom Israel says around 132 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 dead captives. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 15:32:01', '2024-01-30 15:32:01'),
(11035, 11035, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least six militants were killed in an overnight gun battle with security forces in western Pakistan’s Balochistan province, an official said today.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Provincial government spokesman Jan Achakzai said “security forces successfully repulsed coordinated attacks” on at least three state facilities including a paramilitary headquarters and a police station.</div><div><br></div><div>“Six terrorists were eliminated” during the assault in central Bolan district, he told AFP. Medical rescue teams reported 13 civilians were wounded, with two in critical condition.</div><div><br></div><div>The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) – an armed separatist group – claimed responsibility for the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>Islamabad has for decades battled ethnic separatist factions in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but poorest province which is rich in natural resources.</div><div><br></div><div>Locals say they do not get their fair share of wealth from the oil and gas reserves, with the region consistently ranking at the bottom of Pakistan’s human development indicators.</div><div><br></div><div>Rights groups say a military crackdown on ethnic Baloch citizens includes enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.</div><div><br></div><div>Tensions over militancy in the region flared this month when Islamabad hit BLA fighters sheltering in neighbouring Iran, after Tehran targeted anti-Iran militants sheltering in Pakistan. -&nbsp; AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 15:49:59', '2024-01-30 15:49:59'),
(11036, 11036, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A man has died after being shot by armed officers in southeast London today, in a rare fatal police shooting in the UK.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Unlike many forces around the world, British police do not routinely carry guns but can call in specialist firearms units to deal with the most serious incidents.</div><div><br></div><div>The Metropolitan Police said the man who died is thought to have been in his 30s and was threatening to harm residents at an address in Surrey Quays, southeast London.</div><div><br></div><div>“Local officers attended and attempted to speak to the man but, after being threatened, armed officers were called and quickly attended the scene,” a statement read.</div><div><br></div><div>“The man had got inside the property, and a police firearm was discharged. Officers and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service immediately provided first aid but sadly the man died at the scene.”</div><div><br></div><div>Two people were slightly injured in the incident, which happened earlier today.</div><div><br></div><div>The Met said it had referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog for an investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh said armed officers “discharge their weapons very rarely and all officers understand and expect that when they do, their actions will be closely scrutinised”.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the UK’s interior ministry, which is responsible for policing, there were 18,395 operations involving firearms units in England and Wales in the 12 months to March 31, 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>But there were only 10 incidents in which police firearms were intentionally discharged at people – up from four the previous year.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the charity Inquest, which tracks deaths involving the state, there have been a total of 82 fatal police shootings in England and Wales since 1990. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 15:52:25', '2024-01-30 15:52:25'),
(11037, 11037, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The price of Murikata, an early variety of onion, jumped by Tk 20 per kg to Tk 105 per kg on Tuesday, compared to Tk 80 to 85 per kg two days ago in Dhaka.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Though the wholesaler said that onion prices have dropped slightly in the wholesale market, the effect is yet to be visible in the retail market.</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, onion prices in the capital ranged from Tk100 to Tk105 depending on quality at Karwan Bazar, Mohakhali, Hatirpool, Malibagh, and Santinagar.</div><div><br></div><div>Khalilo Mia, owner of Hasan store at Shantinagar Bazar, told UNB that good-quality onions have arrived in the market at a higher rate.</div><div><br></div><div>As the quality of this onion is slightly better, the price has also increased. However, there is no shortage of onion supply, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The price of Murikata onions has also increased in the market price report released by the state marketing agency, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB). According to its report, new local Murikata onions were sold for Tk 90 to Tk 100 per kg in different markets in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>A week ago, the price of this variety of onion was selling at Tk75 to 80 per kg; the imported onion price was Tk85 to Tk90 per kg. However, local and imported onion prices rose by 23 and 26 percent, respectively, during the week, according to TCB.</div><div><br></div><div>Onion prices have also increased in Sujanagar and Santhia upazilas of Pabna, one of the main production areas of Murikata onion. On Monday, in these upazilas, the price of onions was Tk71 to Tk78 per kg in the local wholesale markets. Onion prices have increased in the district compared to last week. Last week, the price of fresh onion there was Tk 60 to Tk 70 per kg.</div><div><br></div><div>The prices of other curry items like garlic and ginger have also increased by Tk10 per kg. On Tuesday, these items were selling for between Tk240 and Tk270 per kg, respectively, compared to Tk230 and Tk260 per kg last week.</div><div><br></div><div>The prices of all other vegetables have increased by Tk10 to 20 per kg this week compared to the last week.</div><div><br></div><div>However, bean, eggplant, and tomato were selling between Tk 60 to 100 based on quality, potato at Tk 50 to 60 per kg, bitter gourd at Tk 80 kg, balsam apple at Tk 100 to 120 kg, okra at Tk 80 to 100 per kg, cucurbitaceous at Tk 80 per kg, cucumber at Tk 60 to 70 kg, spone gourd at Tk 80 per kg, arum at 80 to 90 kg, radish and carrot at Tk 50 to 60 kg, green papaya at Tk 40 kg, French bean at Tk 100 to 110 kg, snake gourd at Tk 70 to 75 kg, pumpkin (medium size) at Tk 80 to 100 per piece, cauliflower and broccoli at Tk 50 to 70 piece, bottle gourd at Tk 80 to 100 piece, ash gourd at Tk 50 to 60 piece, coriander leaves at Tk 200 kg—Capsicum (red) at Tk 300 to Tk370 per kg base on size and quality.</div><div><br></div><div>The discomfort remains in the fish and meat market. Broiler chicken was selling at Tk200–220 per kg, and Sonaly chicken (a Pakistani variety) at Tk320–340 per kg. Beef, which was sold at Tk 650 in many places a couple of weeks ago, is now being sold at Tk 700 per kg everywhere.</div><div><br></div><div>Prices of eggs are increasing by Tk 5 to 7 in a dozen this week. Per dozen, brown eggs (hens) are at Tk 140 to 145, 5–10 taka less than white eggs. Duck eggs were selling for Tk 180 to 190 per dozen, while eggs of indigenous domestic rearing chicken were selling for Tk 210 per dozen.</div><div><br></div><div>The prices of fish are higher now compared to a few months ago. However, tilapia, pangas, and carp were selling for between Tk220 and 260 per kg. Among other fish, the price of medium-sized weighing 1.5 kg to 2 kg farming Rui, Katla, and Mrigel fish was selling at Tk 300 to Tk 400 per kg. Also, Pabda, Tengra, Koi, sheat (boal), chital, and Hilsa fish are not below Tk600 per kg.</div><div><br></div><div>The bigger fish, like coral, boal, and river pangas, were selling for between Tk700 and 1100 per kg at Karwan Bazar.</div><div><br></div><div>When asked about the price hike, the Director General of the Directorate of National Consumers Rights Protection (DNCRP), AHM Shafiquzzama, told UNB that his office would drive against the unusual price hike of these essentials.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said that a few months ago, he warned different ministries and directorates to take steps to increase the supply of essentials, including onions and potatoes, to control prices.</div><div><br></div><div>Consumers Association of Bangladesh vice president SM Nazer Hossain said consumers in Bangladesh are having a hard time amid record prices of commodities due to higher inflation, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>Farm eggs, broiler chicken, and cultured fish are key protein sources for millions of poor people in the country, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Prices of all such products have increased, forcing a vast population to cut their protein and other nutrition-rich food intake, Nazer said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 16:09:25', '2024-01-30 16:09:25'),
(11038, 11038, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he is not seeking to expand the conflict in the Middle East as he prepares to respond to a suicide drone attack that killed three American troops in Jordan.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"I don\'t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That\'s not what I am looking for,\" Biden told reporters at the White House as he prepared to depart for two campaign events in the state of Florida.</div><div><br></div><div>Sunday\'s suicide drone attack killed three American troops and injured at least 34 others at Tower 22, a remote military installation in Jordan near the Syrian and Iraqi borders. An umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility.</div><div><br></div><div>The group has been carrying out drone and missile attacks on US forces in the region for months amid Israel\'s ongoing war against the besieged Gaza Strip. Sunday\'s fatalities were the first to have resulted from the attacks. Most others were intercepted or resulted in minor injuries to American forces.</div><div><br></div><div>Biden has vowed to retaliate and is weighing potential responses. It is unclear what form the US retaliation will take but the White House declined to rule out strikes on Iran, saying it would not \"telegraph punches.\"</div><div><br></div><div>In response to a question, Biden said he holds Iran responsible for the Sunday attack \"in the sense that they\'re supplying weapons to the people who did it.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Those comments echo the Pentagon, which has said the US holds Iran responsible as it funds “and train and support and equip these militias.\" - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-30 16:46:14', '2024-01-30 16:46:14'),
(11039, 11039, '<div><b><font color=\"#3984c6\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday agreed to take the existing excellent bilateral relations to a higher level.</span><br></font></b></div><div><br></div><div>This was expressed when President of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibraheem Al Sheikh called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s Deputy Press Secretary KM Shakhwat Moon briefed reporters after the call on.</div><div><br></div><div>Moon said that Hasina mentioned that Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia share a rich and longstanding historical relationship rooted in religious, cultural, and economic bonds.</div><div><br></div><div>She Informed that for Bangladeshi Muslims, Saudi Arabia holds a special place in their hearts being the birthplace of Islam and the two holiest sites, Makkah, and Madinah.</div><div><br></div><div>“Thousands of Bangladeshis perform the Holy Haji and the Umrah for religious purposes,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the recent development activities, reforms, and emerging role of Saudi Arabia on the global front under the visionary leadership of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the Prime Minister and Crown Prince His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Muhammad congratulated the prime minister on her reelection.</div><div><br></div><div>He mentioned that Saudi Arabia was always with Bangladesh and it has a historical long lasting relationship.</div><div><br></div><div>He lauded visionary leadership of the prime ninister for the unprecedented development of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“Prime Minister’s leadership is exemplary and imitable,” Shakhwat Moon quoted President of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as saying.</div><div><br></div><div>He also conveyed the greetings of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud to the prime minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Welcoming the greetings, Sheikh Hasina also greeted the Crown Prince.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, Ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin and Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah were present. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 09:11:28', '2024-01-31 09:11:28'),
(11040, 11040, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired “several” missiles at a US warship in the Red Sea, they said today, hours after the US military reported shooting down a missile.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of God Almighty, fired several…naval missiles at the American destroyer USS Gravely in the Red Sea,” the Houthi statement said.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, US Central Command said the USS Gravely shot down a Houthi missile at about 11.30 pm local time yesterday – the latest in a series of such incidents in the Red Sea.</div><div><br></div><div>“Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship cruise missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea,” a Centcom statement said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The missile was shot down by USS Gravely. There were no injuries or damage reported.”</div><div><br></div><div>The Houthis, part of the anti-Western, anti-Israel “axis of resistance” of Iranian-backed groups, have been harassing Red Sea shipping for months, triggering US and British reprisal attacks.</div><div><br></div><div>The Houthis have launched more than 30 attacks on commercial shipping and naval vessels since Nov 19, the Pentagon said yesterday.</div><div><br></div><div>The rebels say the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians and in protest at the Israel-Hamas war that has been raging in the Gaza Strip since October.</div><div><br></div><div>The attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12% of global maritime trade, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>In response, US and British forces have launched two volleys of joint strikes targeting Houthi missile sites and other military facilities. The US has also carried out a series of unilateral strikes.</div><div><br></div><div>The US heads a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping and is seeking to apply diplomatic and financial pressure by redesignating the Houthis as a “terrorist” group.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 09:16:47', '2024-01-31 09:16:47'),
(11041, 11041, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Indonesia’s chief security minister and vice-presidential candidate Mahfud MD said today that he would tender his resignation to President Joko Widodo once he has the chance to meet the president.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The president is scheduled to be in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta tomorrow. Mahfud did not say why he would be stepping down from the job.</div><div><br></div><div>Mahfud is the running mate of former provincial governor Ganjar Pranowo, who is up against defence minister Prabowo Subianto, and ex-Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan.</div><div><br></div><div>“I will say my goodbye to the president with honour. I will report to him that I am done (with the job),” Mahfud said in a statement livestreamed on his Instagram account.</div><div><br></div><div>The office of the president did not immediately respond to a request to comment.</div><div><br></div><div>Indonesia is to have its presidential and legislative elections on Feb 14.</div><div><br></div><div>Mahfud’s resignation comes amid speculation and reports in local media about the potential resignation of respected finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.</div><div><br></div><div>The finance ministry has said Sri Mulyani is continuing to carry out her duties in managing state finances.</div><div><br></div><div>Opinion surveys show the pairing of Ganjar and Mahfud in last place in the race to lead the world’s third-largest democracy, just lagging another candidate Anies Baswedan, but well behind clear frontrunner Prabowo, whose running mate is President Widodo’s son. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 09:33:58', '2024-01-31 09:33:58'),
(11042, 11042, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In mid-January, at a small gathering in a cantonment town in Myanmar, hard-line pro-military monk Pauk Kotaw suggested that the country’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing step down and his deputy take over. The crowd cheered in agreement, according to videos of the event posted on social media.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Online, pro-military journalists and bloggers have been similarly direct. “He should resign as commander-in-chief,” Ko Maung Maung, a pro-military YouTuber said in a post.</div><div><br></div><div>Such public utterances against Myanmar’s powerful junta leader and the chief of its armed forces would have been unthinkable just a few months ago.</div><div><br></div><div>But after seizing power in a dawn coup d’etat on Feb 1, 2021, Min Aung Hlaing finds himself in his weakest position since deposing the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.</div><div><br></div><div>Questions about the 67-year-old’s leadership are being asked after a series of battlefield defeats for the military in a sweeping offensive by rebel groups that started in October, dubbed Operation 1027.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, the junta has lost control of at least 35 towns, according to the media collective Myanmar Peace Monitor, although a Beijing-mediated ceasefire has halted clashes near the Chinese border. In other parts, fighting continues.</div><div><br></div><div>The junta, which has not addressed specifics about battlefield defeats, has previously acknowledged some loss of control of territory.</div><div><br></div><div>“There is deep frustration within the military, which extends to Min Aung Hlaing personally,” a diplomat in Southeast Asia told Reuters, asking not to be named. “Some would certainly love to see him go.”</div><div><br></div><div>The military is also struggling to recruit soldiers and forcing non-combat personnel to the frontline – all causing blowback for Min Aung Hlaing, the diplomat said.</div><div><br></div><div>A junta spokesman did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment.</div><div><br></div><div>To be sure, the army’s losses on the battlefield may not lead to a collapse and it is unclear if or how Min Aung Hlaing could be pushed out or who may replace him, including his current deputy Soe Win.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the events have damaged both Min Aung Hlaing’s standing and that of the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, which the UN has accused of conducting systematic human rights violations in the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“Its poor showing on the battlefield is seen as shameful by nationalists and other military supporters who have launched unprecedented public criticism of commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing’s leadership,” said Richard Horsey, the Crisis Group’s senior Myanmar adviser.</div><div><br></div><div>Those asking hard questions of the regime and its leader include pro-junta journalists, according to a Reuters review of multiple social media posts in recent weeks.</div><div><br></div><div>Moe Hein, who runs the pro-junta news platform Thuriya Nay Wun and often appears on state television, raised doubts about the military’s senior leadership after the fall of Laukkai town during Operation 1027 in early January.</div><div><br></div><div>“A win or loss in a battle depends on everyone from the commander in chief to the troop commanders,” he said on Facebook.</div><div><br></div><div>Scot Marciel, a former US ambassador to Myanmar, said the military was “being pressured on multiple fronts, has lost substantial territory and control of a number of towns, and appears to be suffering from low morale and poor leadership”. According to Reuter reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 09:45:04', '2024-01-31 09:45:04');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11043, 11043, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Khan were each sentenced to 14 years in jail in a case related to illegal selling of state gifts, his party said on Wednesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The verdict also includes a 10-year disqualification from holding public office, his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said. Bushra Khan, commonly known as Bushra Bibi, was arrested shortly after the verdict, PTI said.</div><div><br></div><div>The sentencing by an anti-graft court in Islamabad comes a day after Khan was handed a 10-year jail term in another case in which he was convicted of revealing state secrets, and a week before national elections.</div><div><br></div><div>“Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled,” Khan’s media team said, denying the charges.</div><div><br></div><div>“No cross questioning allowed, no final argument concluded and decision pops up like a pre-determined process in play,” it said, adding “This ridiculous decision will also be challenged.”</div><div><br></div><div>Khan was also handed a three-year prison sentence in August by another court for selling gifts worth more than 140 million rupees (US$501,000) in state possession and received during his 2018-2022 premiership.</div><div><br></div><div>Wednesday’s verdict was linked to the same matter, but followed an investigation by the country’s top anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which had also charged his wife in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>A prosecution team member, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the verdict. Local broadcaster Geo News reported that the verdict also came with a hefty fine.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan’s earlier three-year sentence was later suspended but Khan remains behind bars in connection with other cases. He has said that he legally purchased the state gifts.</div><div><br></div><div>Government officials have alleged Khan’s aides sold the gifts in Dubai.</div><div><br></div><div>Khan’s earlier conviction resulted in a five-year ban from holding public office, ruling the 71-year-old out of the upcoming Feb 8 election. Wednesday’s verdict, however, means that he will be ineligible to hold office till he is 81.</div><div><br></div><div>While Khan has been found guilty in two separate cases, this is the first sentencing for his wife Bushra. The two were married in 2018, months before Khan ascended to premiership for the first time. It was Khan’s third marriage after two divorces. According to Reuters reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 09:48:52', '2024-01-31 09:48:52'),
(11044, 11044, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>China on Wednesday reported the death of a woman due to an infection of combined H3N2 and H10N5 strains of bird flu after a cross-species transmission, but said the risk of human-to-human transmission is low.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The 63-year-old woman from Anhui province had underlying health conditions and developed cough, sore throat, fever and other symptoms on Nov 30 and died on Dec 16, the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Screenings of close contacts were negative and no suspected cases were found, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>Whole genome sequence analyses of the virus showed that the H10N5 virus is of avian origin and did not have the ability to effectively infect humans, the agency said.</div><div><br></div><div>“The outbreak is an episodic cross-species transmission from bird to humans,” it said.</div><div><br></div><div>The risk of the virus infecting people is low, and no human-to-human transmission has occurred, it added.</div><div><br></div><div>China has huge populations of both farmed and wild birds of many species, creating an ideal environment for avian viruses to mix and mutate. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 09:51:48', '2024-01-31 09:51:48'),
(11045, 11045, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A fire broke out at the Taketoyo thermal power station in Aichi prefecture in central Japan today, its owner Jera said, adding that operations at the facility were suspended.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Taketoyo has a power generation capacity of 1,070 MW, making it among the largest in Japan. Jera, a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power 9501.T and Chubu Electric Power 9502.T, is Japan’s largest utility power company.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement today, Jera said that at around 3.14pm local time, smoke was detected and fire was discovered on the belt conveyor transporting fuel at the plant.</div><div><br></div><div>Operations at the facility were suspended shortly after, Jera said, adding that there were no injuries.</div><div><br></div><div>The plant is located about 40km south of Nagoya, the biggest city in central Japan. Chubu Electric Power was experiencing no power outage in its operational area, its website showed. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 10:59:32', '2024-01-31 10:59:32'),
(11046, 11046, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least two civilians have died in the latest exchange of overnight aerial attacks between Russia and Ukraine, officials on both sides said today.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine has been under persistent aerial bombardment by Russian forces for nearly two years and has appealed to allies in the West to bolster its defensive systems.</div><div><br></div><div>In recent months, it has upped drone attacks against Russian territory, mainly targeting border regions, but also the capital Moscow and the northern city of Saint Petersburg.</div><div><br></div><div>The pro-Russia mayor of the town of Gorlivka in Donetsk, one of the Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed, said that two civilians died and one was wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack.</div><div><br></div><div>“Because of a Ukrainian armed forces drone strike along the route between Gorlivka and Donetsk two civilians died and one person was wounded,” Ivan Prikhodko wrote on the Telegram social media platform.</div><div><br></div><div>A Ukrainian drone was also destroyed by Russian air defence systems over the Pskov region, Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement posted on its website.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine for its part said that Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 20 drones and three missiles overnight, and that air defence systems downed more than one dozen of the unmanned aerial vehicles.</div><div><br></div><div>The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 20 Iranian-designed attack drones at Ukraine as well as three ballistic missiles.</div><div><br></div><div>It added that air defence systems, mainly in southern and eastern regions along the front, had downed the drones. It made no mention of the missiles.</div><div><br></div><div>Authorities in the eastern Kharkiv region bordering Russia said a supermarket and residential homes were damaged in the attack that left three injured.</div><div><br></div><div>One person was also injured in the southern Mykolaiv region, officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that it was a priority for Ukraine to regain control of its airspace this year to make progress on the front. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 12:46:46', '2024-01-31 12:46:46'),
(11047, 11047, '<div><br></div><div>Bangladesh and Russia on Wednesday expressed willingness to expand economic ties exploring potential areas and deepen the relations on all fronts.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud discussed the issues when Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytsky met him at his official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have discussed ways to expand the trade basket and more Russian investment in Bangladesh,” Hasan told reporters after the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister recalled the role of Russia during the War of Liberation in 1971 and its support in Bangladesh’s rebuilding efforts.</div><div><br></div><div>During the War of Independence of Bangladesh, the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) stood beside Bangladesh and thwarted international pressures and obstacles in the path to the creation of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>The Soviet Union was also among the first few countries to recognise the newly independent Bangladesh on January 25, 1972.</div><div><br></div><div>Immediately after the independence of Bangladesh, the USSR extended all-out support to the reconstruction efforts of the war-ravaged country. It also provided its valuable support to Bangladesh in acquiring international recognition and eventually joining the United Nations.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasan said the two sides discussed some of the MoUs that are pending and laid emphasis on expediting the MoU on Information and Communication Technology cooperation between the two countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Asked about trade on the Russian currency, he said, “If we can do it with a number of countries, our dependency on some particular currency will lessen. It is not just Russia, with any country. It will be supportive for our economy.”</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters, the Russian ambassador said they discussed cooperation in the areas of political, economic, technical; cultural and science. “We had a very fruitful discussion.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said the two countries are also working in the areas of energy and food security.</div><div><br></div><div>The Russian Ambassador has categorically dismissed the allegations made by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), affirming on Wednesday that the government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was democratically elected by the citizens of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“I can understand that the choice was made by your people. We do not interfere in the political affairs of any country, especially the friendly country of Bangladesh. It is some kind of misleading information or false information. Do not believe it,” he said, adding that over 41 percent of voters did cast their votes in the January 7 national election.</div><div><br></div><div>This statement came in response to a journalist’s inquiry about the BNP Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy’s claim. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 12:55:50', '2024-01-31 12:55:50'),
(11048, 11048, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The government will not allow freestyle political programmes on the streets&nbsp; without permission, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Wednesday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"BNP’s black-flag procession is illegal. There is no reason to think that they (BNP) will protest on the streets without taking permission and we will accept it,\" he warned.</div><div><br></div><div>Obaidul, also Awami League general secretary, was talking at a press briefing at the AL President\'s office in Dhanmondi this afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, police did not allow the BNP to take out processions at seven points of the capital on Tuesday, the day of the 12th parliament went into its maiden session, citing a lack of permission for the street programme.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP and like-minded opposition parties were supposed to take out processions holding black flags across the country, including in the capital on Tuesday demanding a fresh election under a non-party government.</div><div><br></div><div>The AL general secretary said no one termed the 12th parliamentary election flawed, not even the United States.</div><div><br></div><div>After the results of the election, US Ambassador Peter Haas congratulated the Prime Minister and met with some ministers including the Foreign Minister.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding price control of essentials, he said, the Prime Minister has given the necessary instructions to the ministries concerned and they have already started to work.</div><div><br></div><div>“The situation will not change overnight. The government is not just talking but it is in action,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>“Stern action would be taken against the illegal hoarders and law violators,” the minister warned.</div><div><br></div><div>Regarding the nomination of the Awami League for reserved women seats, the general secretary of the party said that Awami League will give importance and priority to those who have been tested and sacrificed for the party.</div><div><br></div><div>Among others, Awami League organizing secretary BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, Mirza Azam, Sujit Roy Nandi, and office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua were present at that time. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 14:05:52', '2024-01-31 14:05:52'),
(11049, 11049, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">There is no threat of militant attack centering the Biswa Ijtema, said M Khurshid Hossain, director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Wednesday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“There is no specific threat of militant attack centering the Biswa Ijtema and we are on alert,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>RAB is ready to tackle any untoward situation at Ijtema venue and adjacent areas, said the Rab DG while talking to reporters after visiting the control room of RAB at Ijtema venue in Tongi.</div><div><br></div><div>Alongside the other law enforcement agencies Rab will perform duties to ensure security of the devotees, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun also visited the places designated for foreign devotees.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters he said security measures have been taken to ensure smooth congregation of devotees at the Ijtema venue and there is no specific information about security threat from the intelligence team.</div><div><br></div><div>CCTVs will be installed while patrol teams will keep patrolling through choppers, said the IGP, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>He said people can join Ijtema without any fear.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 14:16:55', '2024-01-31 14:16:55'),
(11050, 11050, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The BNP on Wednesday denounced the government\'s decision to double the charge for residential prepaid gas meters, saying it is an unjustified and anti-people move.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“The rent of the prepaid meter has been doubled overnight from Tk 100 to Tk 200. It’s said that this decision has been taken by adjusting the cost of running and maintaining the meter. It’s an illogical move,” said BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.</div><div><br></div><div>He made the remarks while addressing a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the charge has been raised at a time when the gas supply situation at the residential level has already seriously deteriorated.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;He said there is no gas supply in the houses most of the time, day and night, but the \'illegal government\' is collecting money using various tactics from the gas users.</div><div><br></div><div>“Doubling the meter charge without ensuring gas supply and putting the common people in misery (by suddenly raising the charge) is a manifestation of the government’s anti-people attitude. I, on behalf of BNP, strongly protest and condemn this anti-people decision.”</div><div><br></div><div>The state-owned gas distribution companies recently hiked the prepaid meter rent to Tk 200 from 100 without any prior notice.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement on Monday, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited said the meter charge was increased as per the government’s decision to adjust the cost of the installation and maintenance of the meter.</div><div><br></div><div>Rizvi said the government has been plundering public money as it has no accountability to the people - since it was formed without a mandate from the voters.</div><div><br></div><div>“They (govt) know they won’t have to be accountable to people and they won’t have to go to people in another election or any election as they subdue the people with guns and the state’s all apparatus. So, they can take anti-people policies and implement them as per their whims,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the government has punished people by increasing the charge for residential prepaid gas meters for boycotting the 12th parliament election and silently witnessing the government\'s election ‘circus’ on 7 January.</div><div><br></div><div>Voicing concern that the dollar crisis has already badly affected export growth, the BNP leader opposed the government’s decisions not to provide cash incentives to the ready-made garments and textiles sector.</div><div><br></div><div>“The orders for RMG products from buyers have already halved. Cash incentives for leather, jute products, and agro-processing products have also been reduced a lot. So, the export of all these products will decrease drastically,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the government is cutting funds from the export sectors only to continue the looting in the name of so-called development and mega projects.</div><div><br></div><div>He also slammed Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud for downplaying an open letter of 242 global leaders expressing alarm over the \"continuous judicial harassment and potential jailing\" of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>He also criticised the Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader for calling the TIB report on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) politically motivated.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Obaidul Quader yesterday (Wednesday) said corruption exists all over the world but only Bangladesh is vilified. We can say corruption may exist more or less all over the world, but we don’t know whether the Awami-styled corruption stain exists anywhere else in the world,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 15:30:44', '2024-01-31 15:30:44'),
(11051, 11051, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the crashed military plane in the country’s Belgorod region a week ago was “shot down” by a Patriot air defense system.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The plane was shot down -- this has already been established for sure -- by the American Patriot (air defense) system. An examination has already established this,” Putin said during a meeting in Moscow.</div><div><br></div><div>Expressing that Russia insists on holding an international investigation into the crash, Putin said he did not understand why Ukraine downed the plane.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down our Il-76 plane, which was carrying 65 of their own servicemen intended for exchange. You asked why they did this. I don’t know. I don’t understand,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Last Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of shooting down a plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian servicemen for a prisoner exchange.</div><div><br></div><div>The crew and all passengers on the plane were killed, it said, calling it \"a terrorist attack\" mounted to accuse Russia of killing Ukrainian servicemen.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukraine\'s Defense Intelligence claimed the incident could be a “planned and deliberate” action by Moscow to “destabilize” the situation. It said it currently does not have “reliable and comprehensive information” about who and how many people were onboard.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will insist on an international investigation into the crash.​​​​​​​ - Anadolu Agency</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 15:40:09', '2024-01-31 15:40:09'),
(11052, 11052, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A Varanasi court on Wednesday allowed the Hindu side to perform prayers in the sealed basement of the contended Gyanvapi mosque premises.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Hindu side\'s advocate Madan Mohan Yadav, reacting to the order, said that the Varanasi court has allowed Hindus to worship in the \"Vyas ji ka tahkhana\" located in the Gyanvapi complex.</div><div><br></div><div>The temple side plaintiffs hailed the order as a \"big\" victory for their case. The puja in the sealed area will begin in seven days while a pujari will be appointed for the same by Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, the court said.</div><div><br></div><div>The development followed a day after the Hindu women plaintiff moved to the Supreme Court, seeking directions for the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to determine the details of the \'Shivling\', claimed to have been found at Varanasi\'s Gyanvapi mosque, in the sealed area.</div><div><br></div><div>The ASI carried out a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi premises, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, after an order from the district court on July 21 last year.</div><div><br></div><div>The ASI had been instructed to determine whether the mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. According to mdeia reports BS.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-01-31 16:03:22', '2024-01-31 16:03:22'),
(11053, 11053, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2024 is set to begin today at Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the country\'s largest book fair this afternoon.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the fair at 3 pm tomorrow,\" said Bangla Academy Director General poet Mohammad Nurul Huda yesterday.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The premier will also confer the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2023 on the winners along with unveiling the covers of some books including \'Collected Works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Volume-2\', published by Bangla Academy.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The theme of this year\'s book fair is \"Paro Boi, Garo Desh: Bangabandhur Bangladesh (Read Book, build country: Bangabandhu\'s Bangladesh) and the Bangla Academy is organizing the fair.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 937 stalls have been allocated to 635 organizations on the book fair. The authorities have allotted 173 stalls to 120 organizations on the Bangla Academy ground and 764 stalls to 515 organizations at the Suhrawardy Udyan.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A total of 37 pavilions have also been allocated this year.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last year, a total of 901 stalls were allocated in favour of 601 organisations.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The entire work of the fair is being done by Bangla Academy alone to avoid any criticism, said Member Secretary of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair Committee Dr KM Muzahidul Islam, adding, \"Almost 95 percent work will be done by tomorrow morning\".</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\"In the previous years, some event management companies were involved in fair arrangements which faced some criticism last year\", said Muzahidul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Along with cultural programmes and month-long seminars, there will be arrangements for children and teenagers which include drawing, music and recitation competitions.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Stall allotment for old and newly enlisted publications was accomplished through a digitalised lottery system on January 23, said the organisers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like the previous years, the main stage of the fair will be on the Bangla Academy premises while book unwrapping and \'Lekhak Bolchi\' stages will be set up on Suhrawardi Udyan premises, said Mujahidul.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\'Shishu Chattar\' has also been set up in Sadhu Shanga area beside the Ramna Kali Temple.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The book fair will remain open for all from 3 pm to 9 pm on working days and 11:00 am to 9 pm on public holidays with a one-hour break for lunch and prayers.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">For notable contributions to various aspects of Bangla literature, this year, the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2023 will be given in 11 categories- poetry, fiction, essay/research, translation, drama, children\'s literature category, Liberation War, Bangabandhu, environment/science field, biography and folklore.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The award recipients are: Shamim Azad (poetry), Novelists Nuruddin Jahangir and Salma Bani (jointly in fiction), Zulfikar Matin (essay/research), Saleha Chowdhury (translation), Playwrights Mrittika Chakma and Masud Pathik (jointly in drama), Tapankar Chakrabarty (children\'s literature), Afroza Parvin and Asaduzzaman Asad (research on the Liberation War), Saifullah Mahmud Dulal and Md Mojibur Rahman (research on Bangabandhu), ornithologist Inam Al Haque (environment/science field), Ishak Khan (biography) and Tapan Bagchi and Suman Kumar Das (jointly in folklore).</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has taken all-out measures to ensure foolproof security of the fair, DMP said in a press release after a meeting with senior police officials.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DMP will deploy sufficient police personnel in both uniform and plain cloth inside and outside the book fair ground while a watch tower and fire tender will be set up to monitor situation around the fair venue.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The fairground and its surrounding areas will be on CCTV cameras and drone surveillance, DMP commissioner said.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">DMP teams will be tasked with eyeing the whole venue while social media will be monitored to thwart any rumour as well. 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, '2024-02-01 08:00:50', '2024-02-01 08:00:50'),
(11054, 11054, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The first phase of three-day ‘Biswa Ijtema’, a large congregation of Muslims in the world, is set to begin on Friday morning on the bank of the Turag River in Gazipur\'s Tongi.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The authorities concerned have completed the necessary preparations to hold the religious gathering smoothly.</div><div><br></div><div>A good number of foreign devotees from different parts of the world along with local ones have already thronged the Ijtema venue and now staying at 91 designated khittas.</div><div><br></div><div>The first phase of Ijtema will start after fajr prayers through ‘Aam Bayan’ on Friday and will end on Sunday after Akheri Munajat.</div><div><br></div><div>Devotees from different foreign countries including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Europe, America and Africa have reached the venue.</div><div><br></div><div>This year, facilities for foreign devotees including water supply, cooking management and security have been improved, said Religious Affairs Minister Faridul Haque Khan after inaugurating a free health camp at the Ijtema venue on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>“Those who are involved in violence can’t be the followers of Tablig Jamaat. As per the Prime Minister directives to ensure highest facilities to the devotees, all public representatives and government offices concerned have been asked to take steps to mitigate the sufferings of the devotees,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, 50 free medical camps were installed and additional beds were arranged at Shahid Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital for providing medical treatment.</div><div><br></div><div>Ambulances will be kept ready for providing emergency services.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, 15,000 members of law enforcement agencies will be deployed to maintain law and order at the Ijtema venue and adjacent areas. Besides, plainclothes police and intelligence officers will remain deployed in the area.</div><div><br></div><div>RAB will perform duties alongside police and watchtowers will be set up to observe the overall situation.</div><div><br></div><div>The cyber team will strengthen their surveillance to prevent spread of rumours in the social networking sites.</div><div><br></div><div>Deputy Commissioner Abul Fate Mohammad Shafiqul Islam said five mobile teams will perform their duties round the clock to prevent the selling of adulterated food and ensure peaceful atmosphere.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, two devotees died after arriving at the Ijtema venue.</div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Yunus Mia, 60, of Brahmanbaria’s Sarail and Jamal Uddin, 40 of Sadar upazila in Chapainawabganj district.</div><div><br></div><div>Both of them died of cardiac arrest, said Farhana Tasnim, physician of Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 09:57:38', '2024-02-01 09:57:38'),
(11055, 11055, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">New research suggests that the moon’s South Pole, a hotspot for future exploration, might be more challenging than expected due to “moonquakes” and landslides.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The moon\'s allure as a target for space agencies like NASA and private companies like SpaceX is undeniable. But a recent study funded by NASA throws a cautionary flag on the lunar South Pole, a region rich in potential water ice and the target for several upcoming missions, reports CNN.</div><div><br></div><div>The study revealed that the moon’s core is cooling and shrinking, causing its surface to wrinkle and crack, similar to a raisin, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>These “faults” trigger moonquakes lasting for hours and landslides, potentially posing a threat to future human settlements and equipment.</div><div><br></div><div>The moon may seem geologically dead, but its interior is still hot, making it seismically active. The study links a powerful moonquake detected by Apollo astronauts to faults near the South Pole, highlighting the potential dangers.</div><div><br></div><div>While the findings won’t affect the upcoming Artemis III mission due to its short duration, they raise concerns for long-term lunar settlements. Future site selection may consider factors like proximity to tectonic features.</div><div><br></div><div>Yosio Nakamura, , a professor emeritus of geophysics at the University of Texas at Austin, who was among the researchers who first looked at the data collected by the Apollo seismic stations, disagreed with the study’s cause of shallow moonquakes, suggesting they originate deeper within the moon. He emphasized the need for more data, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Allen Husker, a research professor of geophysics at the California Institute of Technology, said “It is very unlikely that a large moonquake will happen while they are there. However, it is good to know that these seismic sources (causing the quakes) exist. They can be an opportunity to better study the moon as we do on the earth with earthquakes,” Husker said. “By the time there is an actual moon base, we should have a much better idea of the actual seismic hazard with upcoming missions.”</div><div><br></div><div>Jeffrey Andrews, an associate professor of planetary science at the University of Arizona, said, “Moonquakes are an incredible tool for doing science.” “They are like flashlights in the lunar interior that illuminate its structure for us to see. Studying moonquakes at the South Pole will tell us more about the moon’s interior structure as well as its present-day activity,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"18\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 12:03:53', '2024-02-01 12:03:53'),
(11056, 11056, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday inaugurated the month-long Amar Ekushey book fair, the annual event of book lovers and publishers, in the capital.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The premier opened the country’s biggest book fair in the afternoon, joining its inaugural ceremony on the Bangla Academy premise.</div><div><br></div><div>The Bangla Academy is organising the book fair on the Academy premises and its adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan.</div><div><br></div><div>At the function, the Prime Minister unveiled covers of two books titled \"Collected Works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Volume-2\" and “Praner Melay Sheikh Hasina,” published by Bangla Academy.</div><div><br></div><div>The book lovers can visit the fair from 3 pm to 9 pm on working days and from 11 am to 9 pm on holidays. However, all entry points will be closed after 8.30 pm. On February 21, International Mother Language Day, fairgoers can enter the show at 8 am.</div><div><br></div><div>At the opening ceremony, the prime minister distributed the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar-2023 (Bangla Academy Literary Award 2023) among its recipients.</div><div><br></div><div>She handed over the award to the 16 recipients under 11 categories. Each awardee received a cheque for award money, a crest and a certificate.</div><div><br></div><div>Shamim Azad won the award for her achievements in poetry, while novelists Nuruddin Jahangir and Salma Bani jointly for best fiction writer, Zulfikar Matin for his contribution to essay/research, Saleha Chowdhury for translation work, and playwrights Mrittika Chakma and Masud Pathik for their outstanding work in drama.</div><div><br></div><div>Tapankar Chakrabarty received recognition in the children\'s literature category, ornithologist Inam Al Haque for his contributions to the environment/science field and Tapan Bagchi and Suman Kumar for their significant contributions to folklore.</div><div><br></div><div>Afroza Parvin and Asaduzzaman Asad were honoured with the award for their writings on the Liberation War, while Saifullah Mahmud Dulal and Md. Majibur Rahman for their work on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ishak Khan for his work in the biography category.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangla Academy President novelist Selina Hossain chaired the inaugural ceremony of the book fair, while Cultural Affairs Secretary Khalil Ahmed, Bangla Academy Director General poet Nurul Huda and president of Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers Association Arif Hossain Choton spoke on the occasion.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 937 stalls have been allocated to 635 organisations at the book fair. The authorities have allotted 173 stalls to 120 organizations on the Bangla Academy premises and 764 stalls to 515 organizations at the Suhrawardy Udyan.</div><div><br></div><div>The fair also has 37 pavilions (one on the Academy premises and 36 in the Suhrawardy Udyan section).</div><div><br></div><div>This year, the outer path of the fair has been relocated closer to the Kali Mandir gate due to the metro rail station\'s placement. There will also be eight entry and exit ways in the TSC, Doyel Chattar, MRT Basing Plant, and Engineering Institution areas.</div><div><br></div><div>The food stalls are located within the Engineers\' Institution\'s boundaries and have been structured in a way so that they won’t create any disturbance to the readers attending the book fair. The fairgoers will also have access to the prayer area, restrooms, and other facilities.</div><div><br></div><div>The traditional \"Shishu Prohor\" segment is taking place for the child fairgoers every Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 1 pm The dedicated \"Shishu Chattar\" remains in its previous place, adjacent to the temple area, like last year.</div><div><br></div><div>Seminars will be held on the main stage of the fair venue at 4:00 pm every day, followed by cultural events. The Little Magazine premises have been shifted near the open stage of Suhrawardy Udyan, which will cater to around 170 LittleMags stalls.</div><div><br></div><div>The fair venue was first extended to Suhrawardy Udyan in 2013 to accommodate more spaces for the fair, besides its fixed venue at the Bangla Academy.</div><div><br></div><div>There are strict security arrangements in and around the venue by the Bangladesh Police, RAB, BGB, and other security enforcement agencies to prevent any unpleasant incidents. The entire fair zone is closely monitored with more than 300 CCTV cameras.</div><div><br></div><div>The month-long book fair is arranged every year in February to commemorate the sacrifices of people who gave their lives on February 21, 1952, for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue.</div><div><br></div><div>The traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair had started informally in 1972 on the Bangla Academy premises and then in 1978 the academy officially took the responsibility of arranging the fair every year. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 13:48:25', '2024-02-01 13:48:25'),
(11057, 11057, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><font color=\"#3984c6\">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday stressed the need for digital publication of books and their translations to promote Bengali language, literature and culture throughout the world.</font></span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“If we want to spread our language, literature and culture massively, we should keep pace with time. So, I would like to request the publishers to publish not only printed books but also digital books,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier made this call while opening the Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2024 at the Bangla Academy premises here this afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>The Bangla Academy is organising the country\'s largest annual book fair on its premises and adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan.</div><div><br></div><div>Pointing at the publishers,&nbsp; Hasina said if they become digital publishers, their books can be reached to all the people in the foreign lands. “People speaking the other languages would be able read the books,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In this context, she directed the Bangla Academy to open a web portal with the digital versions of its published books for online readers.</div><div><br></div><div>Alongside the print books, it is essential to make audio version books available in the libraries, she added.</div><div><br></div><div>The premier thanked the Bangla Academy for its contribution to translation literature saying that once many ones demanded not to translate foreign literatures.</div><div><br></div><div>“But I am in favour of translation. How can we know other nations, countries and cultures if the literatures of other languages are not translated?” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>At the same time, the people of different languages will get scope to read Bengali literature as much as Bengali literature can be translated into other languages, Hasina added.</div><div><br></div><div>“If we can translate our books into other languages, we will be able to raise our mother language Bangla, literature and culture throughout the world in a faster way. So, we need to make sure of it,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Referring to her government’s vision-2041, the PM said Bangladesh would be smart in future by making its population, government, economy and society smart.</div><div><br></div><div>“If we want to build a smart society, we’ll have to enrich everything like language, literature and culture,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Noting that now the book fairs are held in district-level, the prime minister said the government would take this book fair to upazila-level in phases.</div><div><br></div><div>Mentioning that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his speech in Bengali in the United Nations General Assembly in 1974,&nbsp; Hasina said Bangabandhu had taken Bengali to the international stage.</div><div><br></div><div>As Rabindranath Tagore had brought international recognition for the Bengali language Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took Bengali language to the international stage through his speeches, works and political, social and economic struggles, she added.</div><div><br></div><div>Later, the Prime Minister visited different book stalls at the book fair. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 13:54:19', '2024-02-01 13:54:19'),
(11058, 11058, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud will attend the 3rd EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum which will be held in Brussels, Belgium on February 2.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister, who is currently visiting Brussels, will have meetings with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Crisis Management Jenaz Lenarcic on the sidelines of the forum, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seheli Sabrin told reporters on Thursday.</div><div><br></div><div>He will also have meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Luxembourg during his visit from February 1-4, she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister is also scheduled to have meetings with his counterparts from Belgium, Austria, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Vietnam and Sweden, said the spokesperson.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Brussels on Wednesday night and will get two and half days for his engagements in Brussels.</div><div><br></div><div>“Let’s see how many meetings we can accommodate,” said the foreign minister before his departure on Wednesday, recalling that he had 17 bilateral meetings within two days on the sidelines of the NAM Summit held in Uganda recently.</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister will return to Dhaka Sunday evening.</div><div><br></div><div>High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell will chair the forum.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum will bring together the EU and its Member States with countries from the East coast of Africa in the West to the Pacific islands in the East.</div><div><br></div><div>The EU and Indo-Pacific partners will discuss how to address the increasing number of complex economic, environmental, geopolitical, and security challenges that affect both regions.</div><div><br></div><div>It will include an opening plenary session, three roundtable discussions and a closing session.</div><div><br></div><div>The Brussels Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum builds on the success of the previous two EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forums held in Paris in February 2022 and in Stockholm in May 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>It will provide a platform for dialogue, for shaping a collective vision for the region’s future and for identifying practical ways to enhance cooperation and deepen solidarity.</div><div><br></div><div>Europe and the Indo-Pacific are highly interconnected and interdependent, that is why the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum serves as a crucial platform for fostering dialogue and cooperation between Europe and the Indo-Pacific.</div><div><br></div><div>The Indo-Pacific region is of key strategic importance, both in economic and geopolitical terms.</div><div><br></div><div>The 2021 EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific sets out how the EU is stepping up collaboration with Indo-Pacific partners to contribute to the region’s stability, security and prosperity.</div><div><br></div><div>It is clear that close cooperation is the key to addressing these challenges effectively, achieving sustainable economic growth, and strengthening resilience to shocks and disruptions, according to the European Union, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The digital economy, in particular, holds the potential for significant innovation and growth, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 14:02:46', '2024-02-01 14:02:46'),
(11059, 11059, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday said move has been to make the Speedy Trial Act permanent but it is not to suppress any group or political party.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The enforcement of the Speedy Trial Act to maintain law and order has yielded results. The law will not be used to suppress the opposition, but against those who would enforce blockade and destabilize law and order,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The minister said these while replying to questions from reporters after inaugurating the online firearms license renewal programme at the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Secretariat in the afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>The law will be made permanent to expedite the trial of crimes, said the minister, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Replying to a question about the BNP\'s black-flag procession on the first day of parliament, he said, “It was not right for the BNP to destabilize the situation by bringing out black-flag procession on the first day of parliament. That\'s why the police obstructed. There is no restriction on political programmes. But such programmes that deteriorate law and order situation will not be allowed.” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 14:18:32', '2024-02-01 14:18:32');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11060, 11060, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bangladesh is keeping its eye along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border so that no new intrusion occurs amid ongoing conflicts inside Myanmar, says a spokesperson in Dhaka on Thursday.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“The ongoing conflict in Rakhine is an internal matter of Myanmar. However, special attention is being paid to ensure that no new intrusion takes place,” Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Seheli Sabrin told reporters at a weekly media briefing.</div><div><br></div><div>At the same time, she said, Bangladesh is also making sure that the country or its citizens remain unharmed amid the conflicts in Myanmar.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have two diplomatic missions in Myanmar. Our Mission in Sittwe and Embassy in Nay Pyi Taw (Yangon) are monitoring the overall situation and maintaining communication with the government of Myanmar,” said the Spokesperson.</div><div><br></div><div>She said the ministry is maintaining close communication with all the government authorities and the Myanmar Embassy in Dhaka regarding the ongoing situation and possible implications.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our border guards (Border Guard Bangladesh) also continue to be in contact with their Myanmar counterparts,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>On Monday, Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said, “There are conflicts in Myanmar. Amid those ongoing conflicts, mortal shells fell on Bangladesh territory from Myanmar. Our forces along the border remain alert.”</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister said the government of Bangladesh remains in touch with the Myanmar authority and hoped that it would not happen again. “We remain alert.”</div><div><br></div><div>On Sunday, the foreign minister said, “Situation in Myanmar has never been good. It always fluctuates – sometimes good, sometimes bad. Myanmar is going through such a situation.”</div><div><br></div><div>He, however, said this current situation is an adverse one for the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking to reporters, UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka Gwyn Lewis said the security situation inside Myanmar is very difficult at the moment and it is not a good time for Rohingya repatriation, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>The UNRC said repatriation is a priority for Bangladesh, and Rohingyas as well as Bangladesh have agreed on their safe and dignified return to Myanmar.</div><div><br></div><div>“We will continue to work in that direction,” she said, noting that there is a shortage of financing for the basic services that the Rohingyas need.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 14:49:53', '2024-02-01 14:49:53'),
(11061, 11061, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Puja will start within seven days. Everyone will have the right to perform Puja, Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer representing the Hindu side, said</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>A Varanasi district court on Wednesday allowed the Hindu side to offer prayers in the southern cellar of Gyanvapi mosque.</div><div><br></div><div>The court directed the Varanasi district magistrate to make arrangements for pooja to be performed by the Hindu side and a poojari nominated by Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 17, the Varanasi district court appointed the district magistrate as the receiver, directing him to keep the cellar safe and not allow any change in it.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 24, a district administration team led by additional district magistrate Prakash Chandra completed the proceedings in connection with the DM becoming the receiver of the cellar and taking it into his custody.</div><div><br></div><div>“Puja will start within seven days. Everyone will have the right to perform Puja,” Vishnu Shankar Jain, the lawyer representing the Hindu side, said.</div><div><br></div><div>Muslim side to appeal in high court</div><div>Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee\'s counsel Akhlaque Ahmad said that he would challenge the order in the higher court. The court has fixed February 8 as date of hearing on an application by the mosque committee saying that the plea should be dismissed.</div><div><br></div><div>“The cellar is a part of the Gyanvapi mosque. So worship could not be performed. Therefore, pooja should not be allowed,\" Ahmad told HT.</div><div><br></div><div>The district court\'s order comes a day after four Hindu women moved the Supreme Court seeking excavation and scientific survey of a sealed section of the mosque, this after an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report concluded that a large Hindu temple existed before the construction of the mosque. According to Hindustan Times reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 15:02:37', '2024-02-01 15:02:37'),
(11062, 11062, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Floods and landslides triggered by torrential rain have killed six people in the Philippines, with one other person missing, rescuers said today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Rain began pounding wide areas of Mindanao, the country’s second-largest island, last weekend, causing floods and landslides that officials said sent thousands fleeing to emergency shelters.</div><div><br></div><div>The hardest-hit areas were the mountainous municipality of Maragusan, which recorded 23 landslides since Sunday, and the adjacent town of New Bataan where more than 10,000 people were evacuated from flooded homes.</div><div><br></div><div>Three people were killed and a fourth was missing in the Maragusan landslides, its municipal disaster officer Romeo Tublag told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>“Our town is surrounded by mountains so landslides are an ever-present threat. It’s been raining almost daily here,” Tublag said.</div><div><br></div><div>In New Bataan, a landslide killed a man while a woman was swept away and killed by floodwaters and another man electrocuted outside his flooded house, disaster official Aeona Armocilla told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>Swollen rivers flooded three villages, forcing the evacuation of 10,100 residents, Armocilla said, adding that it was still raining in the area today.</div><div><br></div><div>Floods also hit the municipalities of Bunawan and Veruela in nearby Agusan del Sur province, with more than 5,000 people sheltering in evacuation centres, provincial disaster official Alexis Cabardo told. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-01 15:23:33', '2024-02-01 15:23:33'),
(11063, 11063, '<div><b><font color=\"#3984c6\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The European Union (EU) wants to strengthen partnership with Bangladesh in the coming days</span><br></font></b></div><div><br></div><div>\"We reconfirmed mutual interest on strengthening EU-Bangladesh cooperation on disaster preparedness and discussed the need to reinforce humanitarian response to Rohingya refugees and the people of Myanmar,\" said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud in Brussels.</div><div><br></div><div>European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen also had a meeting with Foreign Minister Hasan and expressed willingness to strengthen the relations with Bangladesh on all fronts.</div><div><br></div><div>The separate meetings with the Foreign Minister were held Friday evening on the sidelines of 3rd EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum.</div><div><br></div><div>They congratulated Foreign Minister Dr Hasan on his new appointment as the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting, the two European commissioners expressed interest in working with Bangladesh on various issues through increasing EU cooperation and strengthening partnership, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister Hasan also held a number of bilateral meetings on the day with Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Hanke Bruins Slot, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Foreign Minister of Hungary Péter Szijjártó, Foreign Minister of Portugal Dr. João Gomes Cravinho and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.</div><div><br></div><div>During the bilateral meetings, the Ministers discussed matters of mutual interest including increasing trade and investment. Dr. Hasan requested for increased international pressure on Myanmar for repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas with full rights, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Hasan also had fruitful exchanges with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel and Foreign Minister of Slovenia Tanja Fajon.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 09:34:39', '2024-02-03 09:34:39'),
(11064, 11064, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Three more devotees died at the Ijtema venue in Tongi, Gazipur on Friday night, taking the death toll to 10.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Nousher Ali, 65, son of Shamser Ali of Sherpur district, A Kader, 55, son of Belayet Hossain of Bhola district and Swadhin, son of Hossain Ahmed of Netrakona district.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, 10 people including a policeman died till Saturday morning during the first phase of Ijtema.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, seven people died on the Ijtema ground. Of them three died on way to the Ijtema venue.</div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Abdus Sattar, 70, son of Abul Hossain, Ekhlas Mia, 68, son of Abdus Sobhan of Netrakona, Shah Alam, 60, son of Najir Ahmed of Bhola district, Matiur Rahman, 60 of Jamalpur district, Yunus Mia, 60 of Brahmanbaria district, Zaman Mia, 40 of Chapainawabganj and Hasanuzzaman, 30, sub-inspector.</div><div><br></div><div>Habibullah Raihan, coordinator of Biswa Ijtema media cell and Dr Jahangir Alam, supervisor of Tongi Shaheed Ahsanullah Master General Hospital confirmed the deaths.</div><div><br></div><div>The first phase of 57th Bishwa Ijtema, one of the largest global Muslim gatherings, entered its second day today in Tongi with continued spiritual activities, including the recitation of Allah’s divine names and sermons. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 10:49:35', '2024-02-03 10:49:35'),
(11065, 11065, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a government move to tame the country’s potato market, a total of 25 tonnes of potato arrived in Bangladesh through Dinajpur’s Hili land port from India on Saturday afternoon.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>As a result, the price of potatoes came down by Tk 10-15 per kg at retail markets in the district, reports UNB’s Hili correspondent.</div><div><br></div><div>Md Ifsuf Ali, deputy assistant quarantine officer of Hili Land Port Plant Quarantine Centre, said on Wednesday the government decided to import potatoes to rein in the runaway price.</div><div><br></div><div>On the same day, importers of Hili land port applied for permission at Khamarbari in Dhaka to import potatoes, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>A total of 49 importers of the port got permission to import 34,000 metric tonnes of potatoes from Thursday afternoon while the import started on Saturday afternoon, said the quarantine officer.</div><div><br></div><div>Shahidul Islam, an importer at Hili land port, said the price of potato has increased to Tk 40 per kg at retail level, despite the season.</div><div><br></div><div>To deal with the situation, the government has decided to import potatoes to keep the market normal in Ramadan. Potato import from India through Hili land port started on Saturday, said the importer, adding that the price of potato decreased to Tk 25-30 per kg</div><div><br></div><div>Sources at the land port said that the price of potato went out of control on the pretext of a crisis in the country\'s market last year.</div><div><br></div><div>On October 30, the government allowed importing potatoes from India to keep the situation normal. Since then, the price of imported potatoes has come down in the market.</div><div><br></div><div>Following the market stability, the government again stopped importing potatoes through Hili land port from December 15. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 13:27:23', '2024-02-03 13:27:23'),
(11066, 11066, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>BNP chairperson\'s Advisory Council Member Zainul Abedin Farroque on Saturday alleged that the government itself keeps active a business syndicate which is pushing up the prices of essential commodities, as part of their crony capitalist modelFarr</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"Alas, Awami League... they speak with arrogance... they have no shame. They talk about controlling hikes in commodity prices, but they also create a syndicate undercover,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a human chain programme, the BNP leader also said the government gets a share of the money the business syndicate makes by increasing the prices of essential items.</div><div><br></div><div>“With that money from syndicate, you ((AL leaders) will build houses in Malaysia, Canada, Bangkok and Singapore and do business while the poor people of Bangladesh can’t buy and eat an egg and a kilogram of meat, let alone a kg. But they (govt) show arrogance,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>\'Swadhinta Odhikar Andolon’ arranged the human chain programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club demanding the unconditional release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Members Mirza Abbas, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and other arrested opposition leaders and workers.</div><div><br></div><div>Farroque, also a former opposition chief whip in parliament, said those who cannot prevent the rise in commodity prices and make people sleep peacefully at home, and those who are looting crores of taka in the name of mega projects and in the name of development should be ashamed of themselves.</div><div><br></div><div>“You (AL leaders) should keep your mouth shut… you should resign immediately. Because this is not a government of the people and it’s not formed by the votes of people,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>Farroque asked the ruling party leaders not to make comments belittling the BNP since the ground is also slipping from beneath AL\'s feet, reports UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>\"Don\'t think we’re weak. We’re strong as we’re honest and we have run the government with integrity in the past,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Farroque said though their party leaders and workers are going through a tough time, they will continue the ongoing movement together with people to ensure the fall of the government.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 14:21:07', '2024-02-03 14:21:07'),
(11067, 11067, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Bongo, the premiere OTT platform in Bangladesh, continues to dazzle audiences globally with one success after another, with the latest “Osomoy” directed by Kajal Arefin Ome.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Recently, Ome\'s debut web film, \'Osomoy,\' has garnered an impressive audience of over 300,000 paid unique viewers from over 100+ countries, 33 percent higher than Hotel Relax.</div><div><br></div><div>The film has achieved more than 35 million paid watch time minutes in 8.5 days surpassing the previous record of 30 million minutes of Hotel Relax, a web series also directed by Kajal Arefin Ome.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>\"Osomoy\" presents a compelling narrative, delving into the life of Urbi, a young girl from a lower-middle-class family navigating university life.</div><div><br></div><div>Director Kajal Arefin Ome, known for his diverse portfolio, departs from his usual works to offer a poignant portrayal of contemporary society.</div><div><br></div><div>The film resonates with audiences, combining a serious storyline with Ome\'s signature humor.</div><div><br></div><div>Expressing his thoughts on the record-breaking success, Director Kajal Arefin Ome stated, \"We had high expectations for the content, and the immediate positive response exceeded our predictions. The audience\'s love for \'Osomoy\' has been overwhelming. Their support encourages me to strive for excellence in future projects.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Tasnia Farin, a talented actress of the time, delivers a stellar performance as Urbi, supported by Tariq Anam Khan and Monira Mithu, who portray Urbi\'s parents with emotional depth.</div><div><br></div><div>The on-screen chemistry between Saraf Ahmed Zibon and Iresh Zaker, playing a journalist and police officer, adds a delightful touch, inducing laughter.</div><div><br></div><div>Runa Khan\'s portrayal of a lawyer and her compelling scenes with Intekhab Dinar has garnered attention.</div><div><br></div><div>The ensemble cast, including Shahed Ali, Shaswata Datta, Shimul Sharma, Lamima Lam, Israt Zaheen Ahmed, Scuman Patwary, and Ziaul Haque Polash, contributes to the film\'s success with their outstanding performances.</div><div><br></div><div>Netizens hail \"Osomoy\" as Kajal Arefin Ome\'s masterpiece, praising its superb cinematography, excellent dialogues, outstanding color grading, and captivating ambient music.</div><div><br></div><div>Mushfiqur Rahman Manzu, the producer of \"Osomoy\" and Chief Content Officer of Bongo, expressed delight, saying, \"We are thrilled with the overwhelming response to \'Osomoy,\' surpassing the success of \'Hotel Relax.\' We extend our gratitude to the audience for their continued support.\"</div><div><br></div><div>This time, Bongo saw a huge growth of users watching from Apple, Samsung, Redmi, Realme, and OPPO device brands, including tremendous growth from Chittagong, Comilla, Khulna, Sylhet and Rajshahi.</div><div><br></div><div>“We launched Pre-booking this time which was a huge success, we had over 10,000 paid users book early and win a chance to watch on the opening day of the Premiere with the Ome and the exciting cast! We also enabled gifting where thousands of fans showed their appreciation for the film. We are constantly working on new ways to be ahead of the curve with our technology and tools, said COO &amp; Co-Founder of Bongo, Fayaz Taher.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>“Last year we beta-tested a lot with new advertising tools such as clickable Digital screen ads including L-shaped, we plan to do a full roll in Q1 this year to enable new ways for advertisers to also connect with content in meaningful ways.” - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 14:30:14', '2024-02-03 14:30:14'),
(11068, 11068, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A fire that broke out in a warehouse of plastic pipe and rubber of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) in Narayanganj city on Saturday noon was brought under control after around four hours.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Tanha bin Zasim, station officer (medical cell) of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters said the flame erupted around 1:23 pm in the No-4 godown of the BIWTA in front of DC Bungalow in Hajiganj area of Narayanganj headquarters.</div><div><br></div><div>On information, nine firefighting units from several stations rushed to the spot and finally doused the flame around 5:15 pm, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The reason behind the fire could not be known immediately, he said, adding that no casualty was reported in this connection.</div><div><br></div><div>UNB’s Narayanganj correspondent reports the BIWTA hoards valuables of ships in the warehouse. Plastic pipes and rubbers were stored in the damaged warehouse located on the bank of the Shitalakshya River.</div><div><br></div><div>BIWTA’s Member (Finance) Md Rafiul Hussain said that a committee would be formed to investigate the fire incident. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 14:41:26', '2024-02-03 14:41:26'),
(11069, 11069, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A case with the potential to disrupt Donald Trump\'s drive to return to the White House is putting the Supreme Court uncomfortably at the center of the 2024 presidential campaign.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>In arguments Thursday, the justices will, for the first time, wrestle with a constitutional provision that was adopted after the Civil War to prevent former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from reclaiming power.</div><div><br></div><div>The case is the court’s most direct involvement in a presidential election since Bush v. Gore, a decision delivered a quarter-century ago that effectively delivered the 2000 election to Republican George W. Bush. It comes to a court that has been buffeted by criticism over ethics, which led the justices to adopt their first code of conduct in November, and at a time when public approval of the court is diminished, at near-record lows in surveys.</div><div><br></div><div>The dispute stems from the push by Republican and independent voters in Colorado to kick Trump off the state’s Republican primary ballot because of his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.</div><div><br></div><div>Colorado’s highest court determined that Trump incited the riot in the nation\'s capital and is ineligible to be president again as a result and should not be on the ballot for the state\'s primary on March 5.</div><div><br></div><div>A victory for the Colorado voters would amount to a declaration from the justices, who include three appointed by Trump when he was president, that he did engage in insurrection and is barred by the 14th Amendment from holding office again. That would allow states to keep him off the ballot and imperil his campaign.</div><div><br></div><div>A definitive ruling for Trump would largely end efforts in Colorado, Maine and elsewhere to prevent his name from appearing on the ballot.</div><div><br></div><div>The justices could opt for a less conclusive outcome, but with the knowledge that the issue could return to them, perhaps after the general election in November and in the midst of a full-blown constitutional crisis.</div><div><br></div><div>The court has signaled it will try to act quickly, dramatically shortening the period in which it receives written briefing and holds arguments in the courtroom.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump is separately appealing to state court a ruling by Maine’s Democratic secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, that he was ineligible to appear on that state’s ballot over his role in the Capitol attack. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state’s rulings are on hold until the appeals play out.</div><div><br></div><div>The former president is not expected to attend the Supreme Court session this coming week, though he has shown up for court proceedings in the civil lawsuits and criminal charges he is fighting.</div><div><br></div><div>Whatever the justices decide, they are likely to see more of Trump, who is facing criminal charges related to Jan. 6 and other issues. Other election-related litigation also is possible.</div><div><br></div><div>In 2000, in Bush v. Gore, the court and the parties were divided over whether the justices should intervene at all.</div><div><br></div><div>The conservative-driven 5-4 decision has been heavily criticized ever since, especially given that the court cautioned against using the case as precedent when the unsigned majority opinion declared that “our consideration is limited to the present circumstances.”</div><div><br></div><div>In the current case, both parties want the matter settled, and quickly.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump’s campaign declined to make anyone available for this story, but his lawyers urged the justices not to delay.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Court should put a swift and decisive end to these ballot-disqualification efforts, which threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and which promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado’s lead and exclude the likely Republican presidential nominee from their ballots,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.</div><div><br></div><div>Donald Sherman, the top lawyer at the group behind the ballot challenge, said voters and election officials need to have an answer quickly.</div><div><br></div><div>“And I think, obviously, voters have a not small interest in knowing whether the Supreme Court thinks, as every fact-finder that has reached this question, that Jan. 6 was an insurrection and that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist,” Sherman said in an interview with The Associated Press. He is executive vice president and chief legal counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.</div><div><br></div><div>Justice Clarence Thomas is the only sitting member of the court who was on the bench for Bush v. Gore. He was part of that majority.</div><div><br></div><div>But three other justices joined the legal fight on Bush’s side: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Bush eventually put Roberts on a federal appeals court and then appointed him chief justice. Bush hired Kavanaugh to important White House jobs before making him an appellate judge, too.</div><div><br></div><div>Kavanaugh and Barrett were elevated to the Supreme Court by Trump, who also appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch.</div><div><br></div><div>Thomas has ignored calls by some Democratic lawmakers and ethics professors to step aside from the current case. They note that his wife, Ginni Thomas, supported Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Ginni Thomas repeatedly texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in the weeks after that election, once referring to it as a “heist,\" and she attended the rally that preceded the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters. Nearly two years later, she told the congressional committee investigating the attack that she regretted sending the texts.</div><div><br></div><div>Trump lost 60 different court challenges to his false claims that there was massive voter fraud that would have changed the results of that election.</div><div><br></div><div>The Supreme Court ruled repeatedly ruled against Trump and his allies in 2020 election-related lawsuits, as well as his efforts to keep documents related to Jan. 6 and his tax returns from being turned over to congressional committees.</div><div><br></div><div>But the conservative majority Trump\'s appointees cemented has produced decisions that overturned the five-decade-old constitutional right to abortion, expanded gun rights and struck down affirmative action in college admissions.</div><div><br></div><div>The issue of whether Trump can be on the ballot is just one among several matters related to the former president or Jan. 6 that have reached the high court. The justices declined a request from special counsel Jack Smith to rule swiftly on Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution, though the issue could be back before the court soon depending on the ruling of a Washington-based appeals court.</div><div><br></div><div>In April, the court will hear an appeal that could upend hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot, including against Trump. - AP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 14:44:44', '2024-02-03 14:44:44'),
(11070, 11070, '<div><font color=\"#3984c6\"><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Islamic Resistance in Iraq militants on Saturday targeted the al-Harir air base hosting US forces in northern Iraq, the group said hours after the US carried out retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran-linked targets.</b></span><br></font></div><div><br></div><div>President Joe Biden and other top US leaders had been warning for days that America would strike back at the militias, and they made it clear it wouldn’t be just one hit but a “tiered response” over time.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The officials confirming the initial strikes spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations not yet announced.</div><div><br></div><div>The strikes by manned and unmanned aircraft hit more than 85 targets, including command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities.</div><div><br></div><div>After Washington carried out the strikes, Damascus said Saturday that US occupation of Syrian territory “cannot continue”.</div><div><br></div><div>The overnight strikes killed “a number of civilians and soldiers, wounded others and caused significant damage to public and private property,” the Syrian military said in a statement, adding: “The occupation of parts of Syrian territory by US forces cannot continue.”</div><div><br></div><div>In Iraq 16 killed including civilians</div><div><br></div><div>Sixteen people were killed, among them civilians, and 25 injured in overnight US airstrikes on pro-Iran targets in Iraq, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s office said on Saturday.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement, it condemned the strikes as a “new aggression against Iraq’s sovereignty” and denied that they were coordinated by the Baghdad government beforehand with Washington, calling such assertions “lies.”</div><div><br></div><div>Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned overnight US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as “violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the two countries.</div><div><br></div><div>Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani, in a statement, said the attacks represented “another adventurous and strategic mistake by the United States that will result only in increased tension in instability in the region.”</div><div><br></div><div>US Central Command said the strikes used more than 125 precision munitions, and they were delivered by numerous aircraft, inlcuding long-range bombers flown from the United States. One official said B-1 bombers were used.</div><div><br></div><div>The assault came came just hours after Biden and top defense leaders joined grieving families to watch as the remains of the three Army Reserve soldiers were returned to the US at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.</div><div><br></div><div>It was unclear what the next steps will be, or whether the days of US warnings have sent militia members scattering into hiding, making it more difficult to detect and strike them. But it was evident that the recent statement released by Kataeb Hezbollah, one of the main Iran-backed militias, saying it was suspending attacks on American troops had no impact on the administration’s plans.</div><div><br></div><div>The US strikes appeared to stop short of directly targeting Iran or senior leaders of the Revolutionary Guard Quds force within its borders. Iran has denied it was behind the Jordan attack.</div><div><br></div><div>In a statement this week, Kataib Hezbollah announced “the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.” But Harakat Al-Nujaba, one of the other major Iran-backed groups, vowed Friday to continue military operations against US troops.</div><div><br></div><div>The US has blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a broad coalition of Iran-backed militias, for the deadly attack in Jordan, but has not yet narrowed it down to a specific group. Kataeb Hezbollah is, however, a top suspect.</div><div><br></div><div>Some of the militias have been a threat to US bases for years, but the groups intensified their assaults in the wake of Israel’s war with Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The war has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians in Gaza and spilled across four other countries now. Iran-backed militia groups throughout the region have used the conflict to justify striking Israeli or US interests, including threatening civilian commercial ships and US warships with drones or missiles in almost daily exchanges.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that “this is a dangerous moment in the Middle East.” He added, “We will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our interests and our people. And we will respond when we choose, where we choose and how we choose.”</div><div><br></div><div>As of Tuesday, Iran-backed militia groups had launched 166 attacks on US military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, according to a US military official. The last attack was Jan. 29 at at Al-Asad air base in Iraq, and there were no injuries or damage.&nbsp; - Arab News&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 15:07:24', '2024-02-03 15:07:24'),
(11071, 11071, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A fire broke out overnight at a major Russian oil refinery in the southwestern Volgograd region, authorities said Saturday, after a drone strike claimed by Ukraine.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Kyiv has launched drone attacks on Russia for months during Moscow’s almost two-year offensive, and a Ukrainian defense source told AFP Kyiv’s SBU security service had “organized” the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>“Last night, the air defense and electronic jamming repelled an attack by drones in the Volgograd region’s Kalachyovsky and Zakanalye districts,” governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram.</div><div><br></div><div>“A fire started at the Volgograd refinery after one of the downed drones fell,” he said, adding that the fire service had already brought the blaze under control by the start of the morning.</div><div>No one was hurt, Bocharov said.</div><div><br></div><div>Kyiv, which used not to claim such attacks, has changed tactic and now publicly takes responsibility.</div><div><br></div><div>“The fire at the refinery in Volgograd was “organized” by SBU drones,” a source in the Ukrainian defense sector told AFP.</div><div><br></div><div>Industry giant Lukoil, which operates the refinery, says on its website it is “the biggest producer of oil products in the federal South district” which covers eight regions of southwest Russia.</div><div>The plant is located south of the city of Volgograd.</div><div><br></div><div>Local media V1 published photos it said showed an overnight explosion during the attack.</div><div><br></div><div>Local resident told V1 they heard two explosions.</div><div><br></div><div>The Russian army said air defense electronic jamming had brought down or intercepted four drones in the region of Belgorod which borders Ukraine, two in Volgograd and one more in the Rostov-on-Don area. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 15:14:11', '2024-02-03 15:14:11'),
(11072, 11072, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Trade unions in India are raising the alarm over a lack of legal protection and rights guarantees for their countrymen working in Israel.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Israel has started a recruitment drive in India as it looks to replace with manpower from South Asia the tens of thousands of Palestinian laborers who have had their work permits revoked since the start of Israel’s attacks on Gaza in October.</div><div><br></div><div>In November, the Indian Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed a three-year agreement with Tel Aviv regarding the “temporary employment” of workers in the construction and caregiving sectors.</div><div><br></div><div>Authorities in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have published advertisements offering jobs for 10,000 carpenters, ironworkers, and floor fitters. The advertised salaries were in the range of $1,680 — four times what the workers could earn at home.</div><div><br></div><div>While the jobs were advertised by local administrators, workers’ unions have warned that it is unclear who will be taking responsibility for the workers, as they will not be registered in India’s Emigrate system, which is run by the government to ensure that those seeking employment abroad have some protection of their rights. Israel is not one of the 18 countries included in that system.</div><div><br></div><div>With concerns growing, the Ministry of External Affairs said in mid-January that labor laws in Israel provide for the protection of migrant rights and labor rights and that it is “committed to safe and legal mobility and migration of our people.”</div><div><br></div><div>Unionists, however, say that the workers in Israel have no clarity about who is responsible for their social security and safety in a war zone. They also say that Israel’s treatment of Palestinian laborers casts doubt on how the newly recruited workers will be treated.</div><div><br></div><div>“They have driven out the Palestinian workers and they want to recruit Indian workers in their place ... the Indian workers are being made into sacrificial goats,” K. Hemalata, president of the Construction Workers Federation of India, told Arab News. “The labor ministry is not taking responsibility, the state government is not taking responsibility, the National Skill Development Corporation is not taking responsibility, the Ministry of External Affairs is not taking responsibility.”</div><div><br></div><div>Sucheta De, secretary of the All-India Central Council of Trade Unions, said the lives of Indians were being put at risk by their own government.</div><div><br></div><div>“If you are the government of a sovereign country, the lives and safety of the citizens of that country are your primary responsibility. And, being a sovereign country, if you assess what is going on around the world, you would definitely want your citizens to be safe from a war that is happening somewhere else,” she said. “This is a deliberate attempt to put the lives of the workers at risk.”</div><div><br></div><div>Representing some 100 million workers, Indian trade unions have been opposing the mass employment of Indians in Israel since the moment it became public. In early November, they issued a statement saying that Israel’s occupation of Palestine had decimated its economy, making Palestinians dependent on Israel for employment, and that providing the country with manpower would “amount to complicity on India’s part with Israel’s ongoing genocidal war against Palestinians.”</div><div><br></div><div>Since the Indian government has proceeded with the plan, the unions are preparing to take action against it.</div><div><br></div><div>“Without being transparent, luring our workers like this by sending them to war-torn areas, is a criminal act,” said Amarjeet Kaur, secretary of the All-India Trade Union Congress. “We are totally opposed to it, and we are trying to find out if legal intervention is possible.”</div><div><br></div><div>She told Arab News that she also had concerns about India’s complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>“Already 30,000 people have been killed and the vast majority of them are women and children. The Israeli government wants Palestinians working in Israel to be replaced by Indian workers. Should the Indian government do it?” Kaur said. “History will not excuse us if India stands with a government which is committing genocide.”</div><div><br></div><div>Teams from Israel were conducting job interviews in Rohtak — a city in Haryana — in late January. Thousands of candidates arrived not only from across the state but also from as far afield as Bihar, more than 1,000 km away.</div><div><br></div><div>Those who came were desperate for work. Mostly young, they see no prospect of employment in India, where the unemployment rate for those aged 20 to 34 is higher than 20 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>Prince Khattar, 25, who came to Rohtak to apply for a carpenter’s job, told Arab News why he wanted to go to Israel. “I heard the salary is very good, somewhere in the range of 140,000 ($1,680). I hope that once I get the job, I will get married,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Amit Kumar, 30, who applied to work as a mason, was not concerned about his safety.</div><div><br></div><div>“I don’t care about the tense situation in Israel. The job is important and it’s a lucrative offer. If death has to come, it will come anyway,” he said. “People die while sleeping too.”</div><div><br></div><div>The mostly semi-skilled candidates, not all of whom are literate, had little awareness of Israel’s ongoing war, let alone the social conditions or working conditions in which they would find themselves.</div><div><br></div><div>Jagmati Sangwan, an activist in Rohtak, believes the Israeli recruiters are taking advantage of India’s unemployment rates and said the way they had treated the job applicants spoke volumes about the treatment Indian workers could face in Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>“In the absence of proper employment opportunities, these young people are being used as fodder,” she told Arab News. “Hundreds of youths came from different states. They were sitting outside the university from 5:30 in the morning, and in the evening the Israelis said they would (only) be conducting interviews for people who were from Haryana.”</div><div><br></div><div>Those who arrived from outside the state told Sangwan they had not previously been informed that they would not even be considered for work opportunities, reports Arab News</div><div><br></div><div>“It’s a small example of how these young people will be treated in the whole process,” Sangwan said.</div><div><br></div><div>“They were all so disappointed. They said: ‘We are returning with heavy hearts. Why did they treat us like this?’”</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-03 15:17:03', '2024-02-03 15:17:03'),
(11073, 11073, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The Iraqi government said Saturday that the U.S. airstrikes on the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces in western Iraq killed 16 people, including civilians, and injured 25 others.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Calling the airstrikes \"blatant aggression,\" government spokesman Basim al-Awadi told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that \"the U.S. administration violated Iraq\'s sovereignty when its aircraft conducted airstrikes on the positions of our security forces in the Akashat and al-Qaim areas, as well as neighboring civilian places.\"</div><div><br></div><div>Al-Awadi also denied reports that claimed there was coordination between the government and the U.S. administration about the airstrikes, stressing that these reports are \"a false claim aimed at misleading international public opinion and evading legal responsibility for this crime,\" according to the INA.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said that the government believes that the presence of the international coalition forces on Iraqi soil has become a threat to security and stability in Iraq and a justification for involving Iraq in regional and international conflicts.</div><div><br></div><div>Al-Awadi warned that the recent airstrikes put security in Iraq and the region on the brink of the abyss, adding, \"Iraq renews its refusal to make its lands an arena for settling scores.\"</div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Friday that the U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria against Iran\'s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militia groups.</div><div><br></div><div>The U.S. airstrikes came in response to recent attacks by Iranian-backed militias that caused the first U.S. fatalities since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023. - XINHUA</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 08:33:45', '2024-02-04 08:33:45'),
(11074, 11074, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>The first phase of the three-day 57th Bishwa Ijtema – the second largest congregation of Muslims – ended today (February 4, 2024) through “Akheri Munajat” (final prayer).</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Maulana Hafez Zobair Ahmad, leader of Bangladesh Tabligh Jamaat and head imam of Kakrail Jame Masjid in Dhaka, conducted the prayer this morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Thousands of devotees sought mercy from Almighty Allah by raising their hands for divine forgiveness, blessings for peace and prosperity of the Muslim ummah. They also prayed for the country’s welfare.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier in the morning after the Fajr prayer, Pakistani Tabligh leader Ziaul Huq delivered the sermon, which was translated into Bangla by Bangladeshi Maulana Nurul Rahman.</div><div><br></div><div>As part of the rationalized traffic system centring the final prayer, movement of vehicles will remain suspended from Tongi-Kamarpara road on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway — from Tongi to Bhogra Bypass in Gazipur and from Abdullahpur to Ashulia Bypile — from Saturday midnight (12 am) to 2 pm today.</div><div><br></div><div>Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mahbub Alam told media that the restriction may end at 2 pm or extend following the final prayer as it will depend on circumstances.</div><div><br></div><div>He said vehicles heading to Mymensingh and Gazipur have been advised to use Konabari via Gabtoli while vehicles heading to Dhaka from Mymensingh have been advised to use the 300 Feet Road through Bhogra bypass. During this time, no goods carrying vehicles will be allowed to run on these roads. However, all types of traffic movement related to Ijtema will remain normal.</div><div><br></div><div>On the other hand, Bangladesh Railway has decided to run 17 special trains on the occasion of Bishwa Ijtema.</div><div><br></div><div>Of these, 14 trains are operating only on the day of Akheri Munajat. Five special trains are running on the Dhaka-Tongi route, five trains on the Tongi-Dhaka route, one on the Tongi-Mymensingh route, one on the Tongi-Tangail route and two trains on the Ishwardi-Tongi-Ishwardi route.</div><div><br></div><div>Commencing on Friday after Fajr prayers, this edition of Ijtema kicked off with general sermons by the esteemed Maulana Ahmad Buttullah from Pakistan. The grounds of the Ijtema witnessed the influx of several hundred thousand Muslim worshippers from around the world.</div><div><br></div><div>So far, 14 elderly devotees have died at the Ijtema venue during the first phase of the global congregation, said Habibulla Imran, media coordinator of the Tabligh Jamaat.</div><div><br></div><div>Of them, four devotees died last night, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>For security, approximately 15,000 law enforcement officials are on duty at the Ijtema grounds and the surrounding vicinity, supplemented by undercover police and intelligence personnel.</div><div><br></div><div>The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is also present, with watchtowers erected to oversee and ensure the safety of the congregation.</div><div><br></div><div>Tabligh Jamaat has been organising the congregation at the venue since 1967. In 2011, it divided Ijtema into two phases to accommodate a large number of attendees.</div><div><br></div><div>The second phase of Ijtema will be held from February 9-11 this year. According to UNB reprots&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 09:30:17', '2024-02-04 09:30:17');
INSERT INTO `news_details` (`id`, `news_id`, `details`, `ticker`, `representative`, `keyword`, `video_link`, `google_drive_link`, `audio_link`, `shoulder`, `created_at`, `updated_at`) VALUES
(11075, 11075, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has gone up to Tk 122.86 per kg for the month of February from Tk 119.40 in January, said BERC.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The latest hike in LPG price will put more pressure on customers as the retail consumers will have to pay an additional Tk 3.46 for per kg of LPG from 6 pm on Sunday, according to Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).</div><div><br></div><div><div>The energy regulator announced the new price, saying that retail consumers will now have to play Tk 1474 (including VAT) for a 12 kg cylinder of LPG. The previous 12 kg LPG cylinder price was Tk 1433, up by Tk 41.</div><div><br></div></div><div>Prices of other LPG cylinders – from 5.5 kg to 45 kg – will go up rationally, said a BERC official at a press briefing at the BERC office in Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>As per the BERC decision, the price of “auto gas” (LPG used for motor vehicles) also increased to Tk 67.68 per litre (including VAT) from Tk 65.76 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 percent.</div><div><br></div><div>BERC officials said LPG price witnessed an increase in the local market due to increase in the prices of Saudi CP (contract price).</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladeshi LPG operators normally import their products from the Middle-eastern market on the basis of Saudi CP.</div><div><br></div><div>LPG witnessed the highest price at Tk 1,498 (per 12 kg cylinder) in the local market in February last year following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 09:56:19', '2024-02-04 09:56:19'),
(11076, 11076, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>In a move towards bolstering environmental protection and climate change mitigation, Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today discussed a collaborative effort with the United States after a productive meeting with Peter Haas, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, at the Secretariat office.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The minister informed journalists about the positive outcomes of the discussions, emphasizing the shared goal of advancing bilateral relations with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and climate resilience.</div><div><br></div><div>The meeting between Ambassador Haas and Minister Chowdhury highlighted a range of shared priorities, including the scaling up of collaborative initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing Bangladesh’s capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Both parties expressed optimism about the continuation of their close collaboration in the years to come, indicating a long-term commitment to environmental and climate objectives.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite acknowledging some differences of opinion, Ambassador Haas reassured that the United States is keen to work with Bangladesh on various fronts, including the fight against climate change. He also noted the significant opportunities for collaboration, expressing eagerness to work together towards building a more climate-resilient future for both nations. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 10:36:36', '2024-02-04 10:36:36'),
(11077, 11077, '<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>Two Biswa Ijtema devotees were killed and 11 people were injured when a covered van hit an auto-rickshaw at Shilmun of Tongi in Gazipur on Sunday (February 04, 2024).</b></div><div><br></div><div>The deceased were identified as Jony, 18, son of Monir Hossain of South Sadharchar village in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi, Sohel, 40, son of Kajal Mia of the same village.</div><div><br></div><div>The injured were Firoz ,50, Jahirul Islam, 52, Jisan, 22, Zahid Hasan, 35, Iqbal Hossain, 55, Nazrul Islam, 50, Anisur Rahman, Md. Borhan Uddin,50 and Basir Uddin, 55 and two unidentified people. The condition of the unidentified victims was stated to be critical.</div><div><br></div><div>Mostafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Tongi East Police Station of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said the accident occurred around 7 pm before the Akheri. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 11:34:37', '2024-02-04 11:34:37'),
(11078, 11078, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">US President Joe Biden has written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing his willingness to work together to achieve Bangladesh\'s economic goals.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>He also expressed willingness to partnering with Bangladesh on their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The United States is committed to supporting Bangladesh\'s ambitious economic goals and partnering with Bangladesh on our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,\" President Biden said in his letter seen by UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>As the two countries embark on the next chapter of the U.S.-Bangladesh partnership, the US President said he wants to convey the sincere desire of his Administration to continue their work together on regional and global security, economic development, climate change and energy, global health, humanitarian support, especially for Rohingya refugees, and more.</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have a long and successful history of working together to solve problems, and our strong people-to-people ties are the foundation of this relationship,\" the US President wrote to PM Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>The Embassy of the United States of America shared the letter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 11:56:51', '2024-02-04 11:56:51'),
(11079, 11079, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Police have arrested four people including a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader for allegedly gang raping a woman after holding her husband captive on the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, teachers and students of JU staged a demonstration and formed a human chain demanding capital punishment of those involved in the rape.</div><div><br></div><div>Superintendent of Police Abdullahil Kafi confirmed the arrest of the accused at a press conference today.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier, prime accused Mustafizur Rahman Khan, a student of the 45th batch of International Relations Department and international affairs secretary of BCL, JU unit, was arrested from Savar bus stand area around 7am.</div><div><br></div><div>The other arrestees are Mostafa Monwar alias Sagar Siddique, Hasanuzzaman, students of International Relations department and Sabbir Hossain, a student of Botany department, for helping the prime accused to escape.</div><div><br></div><div>All of them are known to be followers of BCL university unit president Akhtaruzzaman Sohel.</div><div><br></div><div>However, the central BCL expelled Mustafizur after the incident.</div><div><br></div><div>Another accused Mamun, 45, and Murad, a student of the Department of International Relations, tied up the victim\'s husband Robin and beat him up.</div><div><br></div><div>Meanwhile, teachers and students of JU staged a demonstration and formed a human chain demanding capital punishment for those involved in the rape.</div><div><br></div><div>Their programme began at 11:30 am and then they held a brief rally in front of the new administrative building of the university. Speakers at the rally demanded the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor for the failure of the university administration in this incident.</div><div><br></div><div>The victim, a resident of Ashulia, said that the accused Mamun used to rent a room in their house and had prior acquaintance with Mostafizur. Mamun occasionally stayed with Mostafizur in Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall. Mamun had invited her husband to visit the university under the pretext of purchasing furniture.</div><div><br></div><div>On the evening of the incident, the victim’s husband informed Mamun about their plan to buy furniture. Mamun then instructed the husband to call his wife to the university, suggesting she bring some clothes for Mamun as he would be staying on campus for a few days.</div><div><br></div><div>Subsequently, Mostafizur and Mamun confined the victim’s husband in room 317 of the ‘A’ block of Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall. When the woman arrived with the clothes, Mamun took them and later deceived her into going to the forested area near the hall under the pretense of meeting her husband from another gate, where she alleges both men raped her. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 12:22:54', '2024-02-04 12:22:54'),
(11080, 11080, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Moscow-installed officials say Ukrainian shelling killed at least 28 people at a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>At least one child was among the dead Saturday, local leader Leonid Pasechnik wrote in a statement on Telegram. A further 10 people were rescued from under the rubble by emergency services, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Ukrainian officials in Kyiv did not comment on the incident.</div><div><br></div><div>Both Moscow and Kyiv have increasingly relied on longer-range attacks this winter amid largely unchanged positions on the 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line in the nearly 2-year-old war.</div><div><br></div><div>The military administration for Ukraine’s Sumy region said Sunday that Russian forces had shelled the region in 16 separate attacks the previous day, firing on the border communities of Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, and Esman. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 13:06:58', '2024-02-04 13:06:58'),
(11081, 11081, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A petition was filed with the High Court on Sunday against the Labour Appellate Tribunal’s order that had stayed the effectiveness of the jail sentence awarded to Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and three others in a Labour Law violation case.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Senior Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan filed the petition to the HC bench concerned.</div><div><br></div><div>Besides, a petition was also filed seeking a bar on traveling abroad without the permission of the court.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on January 28, the Labour Appellate Tribunal on January 28 granted bail to Dr Yunus and three others in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>Chairman of Labour Appellate Tribunal MA Awal stayed the punishment of the Nobel laureate and three others and fixed March 3 for next hearing.</div><div><br></div><div>On January 1, Dhaka 3rd Labour Court Judge Sheikh Merin Sultana sentenced Dr Yunus and three top officials of Grameen Telecom to six months’ jail in a case over violation of labour law.</div><div><br></div><div>The court also fined them Tk 30,000 each.</div><div><br></div><div>The other convicts were-- Ashraful Hasan, CEO of Grameen Telecom Trust; trustee Nurjahan Begum; and managing director M Shahjahan.</div><div><br></div><div>On September 9, 2021, Labour Inspector Arifuzzaman, of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, filed the case with Dhaka’s 3rd Labour Court.</div><div><br></div><div>On June 6, 2023, Dhaka Labor Court-3 framed charges against the four accused.</div><div><br></div><div>Dr Yunus and the three others filed a petition challenging the legality of the charge framing and seeking a stay order on trial proceedings in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>The High Court on July 23 last year issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the indictment order against the four should not be scrapped.</div><div><br></div><div>On August 3, the Appellate Division directed the High Court to dispose of the rule questioning the charge framing against Dr Yunus and others by the lower court in the case.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the case, during an inspection visit to Grameen Telecom, inspectors of the department found that 101 workers and staff members who were supposed to be permanent were not made so.</div><div><br></div><div>No participation fund and welfare fund was formed for them and five percent of the company’s profit was not provided to the workers following the law. Upon a complaint, a criminal case was filed under sections 4, 7, 8, 117, 234 of the Labour Act. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 13:19:44', '2024-02-04 13:19:44'),
(11082, 11082, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh Bank (BB) has set a harsh 11-point roadmap to realise default loans and ensure good governance in bank operations.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The central bank board meeting on Sunday approved this roadmap for establishing good corporate governance in banks along with a guideline for reducing huge amounts of default loans, Deputy Governor of BB Abu Farah Md Nasser told UNB.</div><div><br></div><div>The BB governor Abdur Rouf Talukder presided over the meeting.</div><div>Nasser said that the defaulters would be deprived of various benefits such disqualification in buying new land, house, car, or even open a new business.</div><div><br></div><div>“The board of directors has taken such harsh decision to reduce overall defaulted loans to 8 percent, state-owned bank defaulted loans ratio to reduce by 10 percent and 5 percent respectively, and reducing fraud, disguise and limit cross loan disbursement to zero level,” said Nasser.</div><div><br></div><div>The BB introduced a new rule to keep 100 percent provision before the write-off loan defaulted for 2 years from the 3 years. As a result, the Tk43300 crore bad loans will be reduced, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>A bank has to form a unit in coordination of the bank’s managing director to realize the write-off loans, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The stressed asset (defaulted loans) is to be shown in a separate balance sheet until realization of the loan.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 13:23:25', '2024-02-04 13:23:25'),
(11083, 11083, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Light rain or drizzle is likely at one or two places over Sylhet division on Tuesday, according to Bangladesh Metrological Department.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country, said a Met office&nbsp; bulletin on Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Moderate to thick fog may occur over the river basins of the country and light to moderate fog elsewhere over the country during midnight to morning. Inland river transport may disrupt temporarily due to thick fog.</div><div><br></div><div>Night temperature may rise by (1-2)°C and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over thecountry. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 14:05:53', '2024-02-04 14:05:53'),
(11084, 11084, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>&nbsp;A Palestinian doctor says Israeli forces in Gaza detained him when they overran a hospital and subjected him to abuse during 45 days of captivity including sleep deprivation and constant shackling and blindfolding before releasing him last week.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Doctor Said Abdulrahman Maarouf was working at al-Ahli al-Arab hospital in Gaza City when it was surrounded by Israeli forces in December.</div><div><br></div><div>He described having his hands cuffed, his legs shackled and his eyes masked for the nearly seven-week duration of his imprisonment.</div><div><br></div><div>He said he was told to sleep in places that were covered with pebbles without a mattress, pillow or cover and with loud music blaring.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s military did not respond to a Reuters request for comment after more than a day but said it would have a statement later.</div><div><br></div><div>It has previously denied targeting or abusing civilians and accuses Hamas of using hospitals for military operations, which Hamas denies.</div><div><br></div><div>“The torture was very severe in Israeli prison. I am a doctor. My weight was 87kg. I lost, in 45 days, more than 25kg. I lost my balance. I lost focus. I lost all feeling,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“However you describe the suffering and the insults in prison you can never know the reality unless you lived through it,” he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Maarouf said he has no idea where he was detained as he was blindfolded throughout his detention, and he was not sure if he was held inside or outside Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>He was dropped at the Kerem Shalom crossing and was picked up by the Red Cross.</div><div><br></div><div>Maarouf’s arrest was the last moment he had news of his family, and he still does not know if they survived the onslaught as Israeli forces advanced into Gaza City under an intense artillery barrage.</div><div><br></div><div>The war began when Hamas rampaged across the border into Israeli towns on Oct 7, killing more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking away 240 hostages.</div><div><br></div><div>Israel’s military assault began the same day with an intense bombardment, followed later in October by a ground assault that has continued for months.</div><div><br></div><div>Health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza say Israel’s offensive has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians.</div><div><br></div><div>As well as hospitals, Israel has said Hamas routinely uses other medical facilities including ambulances for military operations, and it has shown evidence of tunnels and some weapons at some facilities.</div><div><br></div><div>Maarouf held back tears as he described his last phone conversation with his daughter as the Israeli soldiers called on loudspeakers for all doctors and medical staff to leave the hospital building.</div><div><br></div><div>She had been in the family home in Gaza City, one of his five children who were all there with his wife and 15 to 20 other relatives.</div><div><br></div><div>“Dad the bombing has reached us. What do we do?” she said to him.</div><div><br></div><div>He replied that if he told her to stay and they were killed, or if he told her to leave and they were killed it would be torture for him.</div><div><br></div><div>“If you want to leave then leave. If you want to stay then stay. I’m in the same trench with you and I’m going now to the Israeli soldiers without knowing my fate,” he remembered telling her.</div><div><br></div><div>“From that moment until today I have no information about my children or my wife,” he said, crying.</div><div><br></div><div>The devastation in Gaza has scattered families and cut off communications, making it hard for people to reach many areas physically and unable to contact each other by phone, with most telecom networks down.</div><div><br></div><div>Maarouf believes he was one of more than 100 prisoners being held in the same place.</div><div><br></div><div>“Each one of us was wishing for death … wishing to die from the severity of the suffering,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>He said being told to try to sleep lying on pebbles was the worst part of his experience.</div><div><br></div><div>“I am a paediatrician working for 23 years in this field. I did not commit any humanitarian crime. My weapon is my pen, my notebook and my stethoscope. I didn’t leave the place. I was treating children inside hospitals,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>“When we were called to where the tanks were I thought we’d be there a few hours and leave. I thought if they took me and my colleagues they would treat us well because we are doctors and did not commit any crime,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Back in Gaza, he is working again in a children’s ward, a stethoscope around his neck, the sound of crying infants and the concerned whispers of parents around him once more. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 14:16:58', '2024-02-04 14:16:58'),
(11085, 11085, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>A migrant found shot in northern France died of his wounds overnight, prosecutors said today, with a second person injured.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The fatally wounded man was “found, still alive, on the side of the A16 road near the town of Grande-Synthe”, said Charlotte Hutet, prosecutor in adjacent Dunkirk.</div><div><br></div><div>“This man was living in a migrant camp near to the spot where he was found” at Loon-Plage, she added, saying his identity had yet to be confirmed.</div><div><br></div><div>He had been shot in the chest, a police source said.</div><div><br></div><div>The second person, a 33-year-old Iraqi also believed to be living in the camp, was wounded in the hand, the source said on condition of anonymity.</div><div><br></div><div>Police opened an investigation into the shooting.</div><div><br></div><div>Up to 600 migrants currently live in camps around Dunkirk, according to Claire Millot of the Salam aid group.</div><div><br></div><div>The area has long been a jumping-off point for people attempting irregular crossings to Britain, which has poured resources into police cooperation with France in a bid to halt arrivals. - AFP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 14:20:07', '2024-02-04 14:20:07'),
(11086, 11086, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky today said he visited troops at the southern frontline village Robotyne, which Kyiv retook from Russian forces last summer but is again under heavy attack.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Kyiv recaptured the small village in the southern Zaporizhzhia region in August last year in what it hailed as a major success in the counter-offensive against Russian forces.</div><div><br></div><div>Robotyne has since been relentlessly attacked by Russian troops and is one of the main hotspots on the southern front.</div><div><br></div><div>“Zaporizhzhia region. Robotyne. The location of the 65th mechanised brigade. I spoke with the defenders, thanked them and presented state awards,” Zelensky said on social media.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is an honour to be here today.”</div><div><br></div><div>Video posted on Facebook showed the president in uniform meeting soldiers in a dark room that looked like an underground cellar.</div><div><br></div><div>“I have the great honour to be here today, to reward you, because you have such a difficult and decisive mission on your shoulders to repel the enemy and win this war,” Zelensky told fighters.</div><div><br></div><div>“I wish you victory, I want to reward you and I wish you to do everything to achieve this victory sooner,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>The 65th brigade led the assault on the village last year.</div><div><br></div><div>While the recapture of Robotyne was hailed as a success of Kyiv’s counter-offensive, Ukraine’s bid to claw back territory lost to Moscow has since slowed. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 14:22:06', '2024-02-04 14:22:06'),
(11087, 11087, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque complex, has appealed to the Muslim community to keep their shops closed on Friday in protest against pooja performed in the southern cellar of the mosque a day after a district court allowed it.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>A large number of people usually gather to offer namaz on Friday in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.</div><div><br></div><div>As a precautionary measure, security has been beefed up in the city given Friday namaz with the police force conducting flag marches in sensitive areas, said Pragya Pathak, Assistant Police Commissioner of the Dasheshmegh area.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier in the day, prayers were performed in a cellar of Varanasi\'s Gyanvapi Masjid on Wednesday night after a district court ruling. This took place hours before the mosque committee approached the Supreme Court and the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on that order. According to media reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-04 14:27:52', '2024-02-04 14:27:52'),
(11088, 11088, '<div style=\"text-align: justify; \"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">Muslim devotees who attended the first phase of three-day Biswa Ijtema from neighbouring India have started returning home through Benapole land port in Jashore on Monday morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sources at the port’s immigration office said that a huge number of devotees came to Bangladesh from several states of India to participate the Ijtema that ended on Sunday with Akheri Munajat on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Indian devotees were seen standing in queues of Benapole’s Immigration customs to return home in the early morning.</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Benapole Immigration police station’s Officer-in-Charge (investigation) Shafiq Ahmed said there are additional officers so that the devotees face no hassles during departure from Bangladesh. UNB</div><div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><br></div><div style=\"text-align: justify; \">bnbd24/kh</div>', NULL, 'news desk', '[\"7\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 07:55:03', '2024-02-05 07:55:03'),
(11089, 11089, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Thirty-seven more members of Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) aka Nasaka have taken shelter in Bangladesh border amid a conflict between the Myanmar military and the armed rebel group, the Arakan Army, in Myanmar\'s Rakhine state.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>With this, the total number of Nasaka members who took shelter in Bangladesh stood at 95 till this morning (February 5, 2024), said Shariful Islam, public relations officer at Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Headquarters.</div><div><br></div><div>The BGB disarmed the Nasaka members and took them to a safe shelter, he said, adding that a process was underway to take action in this connection.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier on Sunday, 58 BGP members took shelter along the border, the BGB officer said.</div><div><br></div><div>UNB Cox’s Bazar correspondent reported that two Bangladeshis sustained bullet injuries during firing between Myanmar army and armed groups in Tumbru area along Ghumdhum border in Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban on Sunday morning.</div><div><br></div><div>Locals said there has been a fierce conflict between the country\'s army and armed groups inside Myanmar over the past few days.</div><div><br></div><div>High-powered ammunition and explosives have been used and people in the border area of Ghumdhum have become tensed. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 09:09:52', '2024-02-05 09:09:52'),
(11090, 11090, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">In a significant gesture of international diplomacy, US President Joe Biden has extended a letter of commitment to work in unison with Bangladesh across various sectors, including the economy. This announcement has sparked a pointed query from Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Awami League and the Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, directed towards the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP): “What will BNP say now?”</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>During a press interaction at the Awami League President’s office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, earlier today, Quader criticized the BNP leadership for their absence and evasion, questioning the source of their confidence in regaining power. He remarked, “The people have already distanced themselves from you. Your international allies have also turned their backs. The US has now pledged to work alongside Sheikh Hasina’s government. What hope does the BNP have for returning to power?”</div><div><br></div><div>Quader also expressed concern over the recent conflicts near the Myanmar border, where violence has forced citizens from several Bangladeshi villages to flee. The ongoing internal conflict in Myanmar, resulting in gunfire and mortar shells landing within Bangladeshi territory, has prompted communication between the foreign ministries of Bangladesh and Myanmar. “The conflict is Myanmar’s internal issue, but its resolution should ensure that the panic does not spill over to neighboring countries,” Quader added, mentioning the potential role of the United Nations in mediating a solution.</div><div><br></div><div>Addressing the issue of the Rohingya refugees amid Myanmar’s continued unrest, the minister firmly stated that Bangladesh would not show leniency in accepting more refugees: “We cannot bear this burden anymore.”</div><div><br></div><div>In response to a question about negative activities within the student wing of the ruling party at Jahangirnagar University, Quader emphasized Awami League’s zero tolerance for misconduct. “Not everyone in a party can be virtuous, but we do not condone wrongdoing. Any criminal activity should be dealt with according to the law. No one has been spared for committing crimes while we are in power,” he asserted.</div><div><br></div><div>The meeting was also attended by Awami League’s Organizational Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, and other central and metropolitan leaders. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 10:10:29', '2024-02-05 10:10:29'),
(11091, 11091, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Two people, including a woman, were killed in reported shelling on a house at Jolpaitoli under Ghumdum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban district on Monday.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>One of the deceased was identified as Hosne Ara, 50, wife of Badsha Mia while the identity of the other could not be known immediately.</div><div><br></div><div>Shafiqul Islam, Jolpaitoli Ward 1 member, said the explosion occurred around 2:30 pm inside Bangladesh and two people were found dead after the explosion, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>ASP (Lama circle, Bandarban district) Md Nurul Anwar said he heard about the deaths of two people but they are yet to identify them.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 10:15:39', '2024-02-05 10:15:39'),
(11092, 11092, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Thirty-seven people were killed over the weekend in fighting apparently tied to a land feud in the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei, an official said Sunday. The bloodshed came a week after 52 people died in a land dispute in the same region.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Information Minister Bolis Koch in Abyei, which is claimed by South Sudan and Sudan, said the fighting erupted in Rum-Ameer, Alal and Mijak counties with an attack by armed youth from South Sudan\'s Warrap state who were backed by fighters loyal to spiritual leader Gai Machiek from the country\'s Unity state.</div><div><br></div><div>Koch said the fighting left 19 people dead and 18 injured Saturday and claimed the lives of 18 more people Sunday, including four women and three children. He said 1,000 head of cattle also were stolen.</div><div><br></div><div>“The Abyei Special Administrative Area strongly condemns the terrorist attacks, the heinous killings of innocent civilians, the burning of local markets and residential areas,” Koch said in a statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Ethnic violence has been common in the region, where Twic Dinka tribal members from Warrap are contesting for land with Ngok Dinka people in Abyei\'s Aneet area, located at the border.</div><div><br></div><div>Although land is seen as the major driver of the conflict, officials allege the armed Twic young people are being incited by Machiek, an ethnic Neur spiritual leader who has been accused of formenting conflict. He also was blamed for the attack a week ago that killed 53 people, including two U.N. peacekeepers.</div><div><br></div><div>Machiek has denied any wrongdoing in interviews with local media.</div><div><br></div><div>Sudan and South Sudan have disagreed over control of the Abyei region since a 2005 peace deal ended decades of civil war between Sudan’s north and south. Abyei\'s status was unresolved after South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011, though it is under control of South Sudan.</div><div><br></div><div>The region’s majority Ngok Dinka people favor South Sudan, while the Misseriya nomads who come to Abyei to find pasture for their cattle favor Sudan. An African Union panel proposed a referendum for Abyei but there was disagreement over who could vote. - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 10:33:48', '2024-02-05 10:33:48'),
(11093, 11093, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Bangladesh\'s foreign exchange reserves fell below 20 billion U.S. dollars by the end of January, the latest central bank data showed.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Bank (BB) data showed the country\'s foreign exchange reserves stood at 19.94 billion dollars on Jan. 31, according to the International Monetary Fund calculation method, compared with 17.20 billion dollars on Dec. 31.</div><div><br></div><div>BB said the gross reserve was 25.09 billion dollars by the end of January.</div><div><br></div><div>The reserve calculated under the IMF\'s balance of payments and investment position manual method is immediately usable, while the gross reserve is also usable subject to the realization of investment.</div><div><br></div><div>For a growing economy like Bangladesh, forex reserves equivalent to six months\' import bills are considered adequate.</div><div><br></div><div>With the existing reserves, however, central bank officials said Bangladesh is in a position to pay about four months\' import bills.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh\'s gross foreign exchange reserves hit an all-time high of 48 billion dollars in August 2021.</div><div><br></div><div>In a bid to boost shrinking forex reserves, the central bank has taken various measures, including relaxed rules, to woo more remittances from millions of Bangladeshi people living and working abroad in recent years.&nbsp; - XINHUA</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 10:42:26', '2024-02-05 10:42:26'),
(11094, 11094, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemned on Sunday the U.S.-British airstrikes on Yemen, considering it \"an escalation that will drag the region into more turmoil.\"</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"We strongly condemn the U.S.-British airstrikes of the Republic of Yemen and consider it a blatant attack on the sovereignty of an Arab country,\" the movement said in a press statement.</div><div><br></div><div>Hamas said the airstrikes represented \"an escalation that will drag the region into more turmoil and instability, for the repercussions of which Washington and Israel bear full responsibility.\"</div><div><br></div><div>U.S. and British forces launched joint strikes Saturday against targets in the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, said the U.S. Pentagon.</div><div><br></div><div>Yemen\'s Houthi group said on Sunday morning it would launch retaliatory attacks for the U.S.-British airstrikes overnight on six provinces under Houthis\' control in northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.</div><div><br></div><div>Since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, the Houthis have carried out more than 40 missile attacks against commercial vessels and U.S. naval ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, reports XINHUA.</div><div><br></div><div>The Houthis said they aimed to press Israel to end the offensive and siege of Gaza.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 10:47:20', '2024-02-05 10:47:20'),
(11095, 11095, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">A list of top winners at the 2024 Grammy Awards.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>ALBUM OF THE YEAR</div><div>“Midnights,” Taylor Swift</div><div><br></div><div>RECORD OF THE YEAR</div><div>“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus</div><div><br></div><div>BEST NEW ARTIST</div><div>Victoria Monét</div><div><br></div><div>SONG OF THE YEAR (SONGWRITER’S AWARD)</div><div>“What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish and Finneas</div><div><br></div><div>BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM</div><div>“Midnights,” Taylor Swift</div><div><br></div><div>BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE</div><div>“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus</div><div><br></div><div>BEST NEW ARTIST</div><div>Gracie Abrams; Fred again..; Ice Spice; Jelly Roll; Coco Jones; Noah Kahan; Victoria Monét; The War and Treaty.</div><div><br></div><div>BEST COUNTRY ALBUM</div><div>“Bell Bottom Country,” Lainey Wilson</div><div><br></div><div>BEST R&amp;B SONG</div><div>“Snooze,” SZA</div><div><br></div><div>BEST MUSICA URBANA ALBUM</div><div>“Mañana Será Bonito,” Karol G</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE</div><div>“Ghost in the Machine,” SZA featuring Phoebe Bridgers</div><div><br></div><div>BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM</div><div>“The Record,” Boygenius</div><div><br></div><div>SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL</div><div>Theron Thomas</div><div><br></div><div>PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL</div><div>Jack Antonoff</div><div><br></div><div>BEST R&amp;B ALBUM</div><div>“Jaguar II,” Victoria Monét</div><div><br></div><div>BEST PROGRESSIVE R&amp;B ALBUM</div><div>“SOS,” SZA</div><div><br></div><div>BEST AUDIO BOOK, NARRATION AND STORYTELLING RECORDING</div><div>“The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times,” Michelle Obama</div><div><br></div><div>BEST REGGAE ALBUM</div><div>“Colors of Royal,” Julian Marley and Antaeus</div><div><br></div><div>BEST LATIN ROCK OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM (tie)</div><div>“Vida Cotidiana,” Juanes and “De Todas Las Flores,” Natalia Lafourcade</div><div><br></div><div>BEST LATIN POP ALBUM</div><div>“X Mi (Vol 1),\" Gaby Moreno</div><div><br></div><div>BEST RAP ALBUM</div><div>“Michael,” Killer Mike</div><div><br></div><div>BEST RAP SONG</div><div>“Scientists &amp; Engineers,” Killer Mike ft. André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane</div><div><br></div><div>BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE</div><div>“White Horse,” Chris Stapleton</div><div><br></div><div>BEST COUNTRY SONG</div><div>“White Horse,” Chris Stapleton</div><div><br></div><div>BEST FOLK ALBUM</div><div>\"Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live),\" Joni Mitchell</div><div><br></div><div>BEST POP DANCE RECORDING</div><div>“Padam Padam,” Kylie Minogue</div><div><br></div><div>BEST ROCK ALBUM</div><div>“This Is Why,” Paramore</div><div><br></div><div>BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE</div><div>“Not Strong Enough,” Boygenius</div><div><br></div><div>BEST ROCK SONG</div><div>“Not Strong Enough,” Boygenius</div><div><br></div><div>BEST AMERICANA ALBUM</div><div>“Weathervanes,” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit</div><div><br></div><div>BEST METAL PERFORMANCE</div><div>“72 Seasons,” Metallica</div><div><br></div><div>BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM</div><div>“The Winds of Change,” Billy Childs</div><div><br></div><div>BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM</div><div>“How Love Begins,” Nicole Zuraitis</div><div><br></div><div>BEST COMEDY ALBUM</div><div>“What’s in a Name?,” Dave Chappelle</div><div><br></div><div>BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA</div><div>“Barbie The Album,” various artists</div><div><br></div><div>BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA</div><div>“What Was I Made For?,” Billie Eilish</div><div><br></div><div>BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA</div><div>“Oppenheimer,” Ludwig Göransson</div><div><br></div><div>BEST MUSIC VIDEO</div><div>“I\'m Only Sleeping,\" the Beatles</div><div><br></div><div>BEST MUSIC FILM</div><div>“Moonage Daydream”</div><div><br></div><div>BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM</div><div>“Some Like It Hot”</div><div><br></div><div>BEST GOSPEL ALBUM</div><div><br></div><div>“All Things New: Live in Orlando,” Tye Tribbett</div><div><br></div><div>BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM</div><div>“Church Clothes 4,” Lecrae</div><div><br></div><div>BEST AFRICAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE</div><div>“Water,” Tyla - AP</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'Entertainment', '[\"13\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 10:52:24', '2024-02-05 10:52:24'),
(11096, 11096, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Monday pushed back four Rohingyas while they were trying to enter Bangladesh through Teknaf border in Cox’s Bazar district.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>Commanding officer of BGB Teknaf Battalion Lieutenant colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed said four members of a Rohingya family were trying to enter Bangladesh through Whaikhong Ulubunia point of Teknaf in the afternoon.</div><div><br></div><div>Sensing their intention, the BGB members obstructed them and sent them back, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Mohammad Fahim, a resident of the Whaikhong area, said a tense situation has been prevailing along the border with Myanmar amid clashes between Myanmar Army and a rebel group for several days. Some Rohingyas were staying along the Bangladesh border due to the tense situation in Myanmar and BGB members prevented them from entering Bangladesh, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Mizanur Rahman, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (Additional Secretary), said no new Myanmar national will be allowed to enter the country. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 10:57:33', '2024-02-05 10:57:33'),
(11097, 11097, '<div><b><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">At least 18 houses were gutted and five people including three children suffered burn injuries in a fire at Anwara upazila in Chattogram early Monday.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>The injured are Helal, 35, Jamal,45, Niha,13, Hasan,10 and Tania,5.</div><div><br></div><div>The fire that broke out around 3 pm was brought under control with the help of fire service and locals, said UP member MD. Ishaq.</div><div><br></div><div>The fire might have originated from an electric short circuit, said Maung Suinyu Marma, in-charge of Anwara Fire Station.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>All of the injured were admitted to the burn unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 11:10:01', '2024-02-05 11:10:01'),
(11098, 11098, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>At least 20 people have died after days of torrential rains in parts of the southern Philippines, provincial disaster agencies said today.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Thirteen people died in Davao de Oro province while two were missing, and seven people were killed in neighbouring Davao del Norte, disaster agency officials said.</div><div><br></div><div>A northeast monsoon and trough of a low-pressure area brought rains in the southern Mindanao region from Jan 28 to Feb 2, resulting in deadly floods and landslides, data from the national disaster agency show.</div><div><br></div><div>More than 812,000 persons were affected, of which around 85,000 people took shelter in evacuation centres, it added.</div><div><br></div><div>In mid-January, 18 people died due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in the southern Philippines.</div><div><br></div><div>Landslides and floods are frequent in the Southeast Asian nation, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands that is hit by about 20 tropical storms annually. - Reuters&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'International Desk', '[\"29\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 11:23:35', '2024-02-05 11:23:35'),
(11099, 11099, '<div><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\"><b>Myanmar has reached out to Bangladesh to take back members of Border Guard Police (BGP) who entered Bangladesh territory to save themselves amid conflicts there with the Arakan Army.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>\"We are in constant communication. They want to take back their BGP members. The Myanmar government is communicating with Bangladesh as they (BGP members) want to go back. There is communication from both ends,\" Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud told reporters at the Foreign Services on Monday.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Thirty-seven more members of Myanmar’s border police have taken shelter in Bangladesh border amid a conflict between the Myanmar military and the armed rebel group, the Arakan Army, in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.</div><div><br></div><div>With this, the total number of BGP personnel who took shelter in Bangladesh stood at 95 till this morning (February 5, 2024), said Shariful Islam, public relations officer at Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Headquarters.</div><div><br></div><div>The Foreign Minister said Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh and Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister have communicated with the Foreign Ministry and conveyed that they would take back the BGP members.</div><div><br></div><div>“How they will be taken back – by air or by road – is now being discussed. You know that the members of Myanmar security forces also entered Indian territory earlier, but they were sent back by air. We will also send them back,” Hasan said.</div><div><br></div><div>‘WE WELCOME BIDEN’S LETTER’</div><div><br></div><div>The foreign minister also said that Bangladesh has welcomed the letter written by US President Joe Biden and thinks that any question that was there has been cleared by this letter.</div><div><br></div><div>“We welcome the letter written by President Biden. We already have very good relations with the US. Through this letter, our partnership will further advance,” Hasan told reporters.</div><div><br></div><div>There is no more “discomfort” in the Bangladesh-US relations, Hasan said.</div><div><br></div><div>US President Joe Biden has written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing his willingness to work together to achieve Bangladesh’s economic goal.</div><div><br></div><div>He also expressed willingness to partner with Bangladesh on their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.</div><div><br></div><div>\"The United States is committed to supporting Bangladesh\'s ambitious economic goals and partnering with Bangladesh on our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,\" President Biden said in his letter.</div><div><br></div><div>As the two countries embark on the next chapter of the US-Bangladesh partnership, the US President said he wants to convey the sincere desire of his administration to continue their work together on regional and global security, economic development, climate change and energy, global health, humanitarian support, especially for Rohingya refugees, and more, reports UNB</div><div><br></div><div>\"We have a long and successful history of working together to solve problems, and our strong people-to-people ties are the foundation of this relationship,\" the US President wrote to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>', NULL, 'News Desk', '[\"30\"]', NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, '2024-02-05 11:46:28', '2024-02-05 11:46:28');
