Bangladesh
Matt Cannell new British deputy high commissioner, development director to Bangladesh
Matt Cannell has become the new deputy high commissioner and development director at the British High Commission Dhaka.
He joined the high commission as the development director in March 2022.
Immediately before this, he was portfolio director, transformation, leading work to create the FCDO following the merger of the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Matt spent more than half his career overseas with both the FCO and DfID, covering a wide range of development and foreign policy roles.
From 2014 to 2017, he was the foreign secretary's special representative for Sudan and South Sudan. He served in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014.
From 2006 to 2010, he represented the UK on the governing boards of UNICEF, the UNFPA, UNDP and UN Women at the UK's mission to the United Nations.
ACC to ask US authorities to freeze ex-chief justice Sinha's house, bank accounts
Former Chief Justice SK Sinha's house in the US and bank accounts will be sought to be frozen as the court accepted the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) appeal, said ACC Secretary Mahbub Hossain at a press conference yesterday.
As a result, the investigating officer of the ACC will shortly submit a Mutual Legal Assistance Request (MLAR) to the US to collect documents and freeze the bank accounts.
On June 12, 2018, SK Sinha bought a three-storey house in the name of his younger brother Ananta Kumar Sinha with $280,000 in cash. The money for the purchase of the house comes from The Roy A Group in Indonesia and Canada, which is a non-existent/cell company, said the ACC secretary.
The secretary also said When Ananta Kumar Sinha went to Daly National Bank of America with his elder brother Surendra Kumar Sinha to collect a cashier's cheque of $ 157,090, SK Sinha informed the bank authorities in writing that he had received funds from a friend to buy a house in Paterson area of America.
Surendra Kumar Sinha, during his tenure as the Chief Justice of Bangladesh, earned illegal money in various ways, smuggled it to America in various ways, including hundi, transferred the money to his younger brother's account and with that, on June 12, 2018, at 179, Zapper Street, Patterson New Jersey 07522, he purchased a house with $ 280,000 in cash, which violates the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, said Mahbub.
ACC Deputy Director Md Gulshan Anwar Prodhan filed a case against SK Sinha under sections 4 (2), (3) of 2012 and section 5 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. As a result, the investigating officer will soon send an MLAR to the United States to collect various documents, and the freezing of the house and bank account.
In the meantime, the ACC secretary said the Special Court-4 of Dhaka sentenced 11 accused, including Surendra Kumar Sinha, to 11 years imprisonment and a fine for creating a false loan of Tk 4 crore from the Gulshan branch of Farmers Bank Limited and transferring the money to personal accounts through pay-order and money laundering.
CGS hosts dialogue on confronting misinformation in Bangladesh
To tackle the growing concerns surrounding fake news in Bangladesh, the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), in collaboration with the US Department of State, organized a dialogue titled "Confronting Misinformation in Bangladesh". The event was held at Well Park hotel in Chattogram yesterday.
Zillur Rahman, CGS executive director gave the event’s opening speech and discussed the importance of preventing misinformation in Bangladesh.
He added that journalists can play a key factor in minimizing this issue along with the fact-checker. He also included the objective and summary of this dialogue session.The dialogue is part of a series of sessions aimed at understanding how misinformation is produced and recirculated in Bangladesh.
The attendees comprised journalists, senior editors, professional fact-checkers, and social media influencers.
Speakers including Zahid Newaz Khan, chief news editor of Channel i, and Qadaruddin Shishir, fact check editor at Agence France-Presse (AFP) shared their thoughts and insights.The speakers and the participants noted that the source of misinformation should be identified and the verification problem can be mitigated if people are more cordial and utilize online technology.
The need for accurate and diverse information to reach everyone, especially minorities, was emphasized.
The speakers agreed that preventing the spread of fake news and misinformation is crucial to ensuring trustworthy journalism and upholding democracy.Zahid Newaz Khan said, "We are currently living in a postmodern era where fake news permeates everything, most politicians spread false information, and journalists disseminate that news on their own initiative."
He emphasized that social media is playing a significant part in this and that, with the development of AI, the preferences and personal beliefs of a person usually come first.
Cross-checking should be standard practice in journalism, but these days people are so quick to accept information at face value that they do not even bother to examine the sources, said Zahid.
He also mentioned, "We should have common sense and be cognizant of sharing our posts and thoughts wisely and consciously."Qadaruddin Shishir gave his account of how fact-checking led to the discovery of some false information. He issued a warning about considering journalism to be the avatar of truth.
He also made note of the fact that certain major newspapers run showy headlines that have little to do with the actual story, which causes enormous issues because most readers only read the headlines rather than the whole story.
Finally, he advised the journalists to shoulder some of the blame for reducing fake news and be cautious about disseminating ambiguous and inaccurate information on social media.After the roundtable discussion, participants took part in a survey and a focus group discussion to provide more in-depth information and their perspectives on fake news.
The data collected during these dialogues will be used to enhance the capacity of journalists and encourage social media influencers in Bangladesh to effectively counter misinformation, particularly during election periods.The discussion was moderated by Zillur Rahman.
Rohingya repatriation: Myanmar delegation in Teknaf for verifications
A 22-member delegation from Myanmar arrived in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf Wednesday to verify the information about Rohingyas enlisted for repatriation and willing to return to Rakhine.
They arrived at Teknaf Jetty Ghat by speed boat across the River Naf River in the morning. Officials of the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Border Guard Bangladesh, and law enforcers welcomed them.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said seventeen officials of Myanmar – two from the foreign ministry officials, 15 from the immigration department, and five from the police have come here to hold talks with the Rohingyas residing in camps to discuss the repatriation.
They met with the officials of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Office.
The delegation also met with some of the Rohingyas of the refugee camps, who are willing to return to their homes in Rakhine, at the Teknaf land port.
The delegation will verify the list of Rohingyas willing to return to Myanmar, Mizanur said. "They will also visit Rohingya camps."
More than 1,000 Rohingya could be taken back under family-based repatriation initially, including hundreds of Hindu Rohingyas, he added.
Earlier, the Bangladesh government sent a list of 8.62 lakh Rohingyas for repatriation to Myanmar. Out of it, 70,000 were selected for repatriation.
However, efforts to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar ended in smoke as the Rohingyas refused to go back to Myanmar without a guarantee of a safe, secure and dignified return to Rakhine.
More than a million Rohingyas now live in camps in Bangladesh – mostly in Cox's Bazar. Over 30, 000 Rohingyas have been relocated to Bhasan Char.
45 services on agriculture available on single digital platform
Forty-five services under the Ministry of Agriculture and its 17 departments and directorates will be available on an integrated digital platform from Wednesday.According to a media release by the ministry, over two crore people involved with the agricultural activities will directly benefit from the digital platform.Agriculture Minister Dr Md Abdur Razzaque inaugurated the platform at the secretariat in the capital on Wednesday. The ministry’s Secretary Wahida Akter and others were also present during the inaugural ceremony.Razzaque, also presidium member of Awami League, directed scientists to escalate research on fruits and vegetables or horticulture at the meeting of the ministry’s annual development implementation programme. He said local scientists have been staying behind in research on fruits, vegetables or horticulture.The minister also directed to hold a views-exchange meeting between scientists and private entrepreneurs. All citizen services will be available on: http://service.moa.gov.bd/portal/homeThe services include details on farmers, producers, businesses, agricultural consultancy for importers, exporters on grains, licence, registration, fertilizers, donation, subsidiary and irrigation.
Principal confined for ‘sexual harassment’ of student in Cumilla
Students and parents of a school in Cumilla's Debidwar on Wednesday staged a protest against the headmaster of a school and confined him for allegedly sexually harassing a Grade-X female student.
They were protesting at the Mashikara High School ground in Debidwar upazila since Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the angry mob vandalized two motorcycles used by the headmaster Moktol Hossain and his son-in-law and set them on fire.
The mob also vandalized a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and some doors of the school's classroom.
Debidwar-Bipara (Circle) Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Md Amirullah and Officer-in-Charge Kamal Krishna went to the spot around 9:30pm. Various law enforcers were present there and trying to control the situation.
At around 8 pm, the protesters started throwing stones at the police. Police fired several rounds of bullets to bring the situation under control, but 10-12 people were seriously injured.
The injured were taken to Debidwar Upazila Health Complex and Cumilla Medical College Hospital.
The incident with the victim student happened around 8:30 am yesterday, according to students and locals.
In the afternoon the students, parents and locals protested against him and demanded his withdrawal.
UP Chairman Humayun Kabri, and other members of the school, teachers and prominent people of the area, were unable to bring the situation under control.
Some people in favour of the principal came and attacked the students. At least 25-30 students were injured in the attack. according to students Nayeem Khandakar, Md Nayeem and Jahidul Islam.
The injured students were given treatment at the Health Complex in Debidwar Upazila. All the injured are students from classes nine and 10 of the school, they said.
According to police, locals and students, Moktol made sexual advances to female students at various times.
Asked about the allegations, Motkol said, “This is a conspiracy against me.”
The ASP and Debidwar OC were called several times for comments but they were unreachable.
The situation was still tense in the area at the time of filing this report at 10 pm.
8-year-old raped in Dhaka’s Adabor
An eight-year-old girl was gang-raped in Dhaka’s Adabor early Wednesday.
The victim was picked up in a CNG autorickshaw in front of the Ma o Sishu Porikalpana Odhidoptor under Mohammadpur Police Station in the capital at around 1:30 am yesterday and raped by two men in a secluded place in Dhaka Udyan, according to the victim’s brother.
When she became ill, the rapists left her there and fled. Later she was rescued and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the duty doctor admitted her, said Inspector Bachchu Miah, in-charge of DMCH Police outpost.
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Discussions with Russia held for economic and scientific cooperation
The 4th Session of the Bangladesh-Russia intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, and technical cooperation ended on Wednesday, an ERD press release said.
The session was held virtually through video conferencing and began on March 12.
The Russian side was led by ILYA V. Shestakov, head of the federal agency for fisheries co-chair of the commission, while Bangladesh Side was led by Sharifa Khan, Secretary, of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Co-Chair of the Commission.
They discussed the aspects of cooperation in different areas of trade and economics, including Industrial Power and Energy, Atomic Energy, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Sector, Financial, Geological Research, and ICT, Transport, and Education Sectors.
They explored various ways of cooperation and agreed to have a meaningful engagement to reap the mutual benefits.
They highlighted the importance of the commission meeting and expressed willingness to address the diversified fields of cooperation and consultation reflected in the protocol.
Bangladesh has everything to become prosperous, democratic, developed: US envoy
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has said Bangladesh has everything it needs to become a prosperous, democratic, developed country over the coming decades.
The road ahead is, of course, filled with potholes, he added. "And Bangladesh will have to take steps to nourish democracy, improve governance, build institutions, and educate its people in order to navigate these potholes."
The ambassador was speaking in a video message to celebrate his first year in office in Bangladesh Tuesday.
He said: "When I think about Bangladesh, an analogy comes to mind: I am riding in a car in which movement down the road represents the passage of time. When I look in the rearview mirror, I am amazed by how far Bangladesh has come in just 51 years."
"I see a Bangladesh that has made the journey from a country with little more than its independence and pride to a country with one of the world's fastest-growing economies that is on the cusp of graduating from the least developed country status."
"When I look down the road through the windscreen, I imagine just how far Bangladesh can travel over the next 51 years. Bangladesh and its people are steering the vehicle and it is you who will determine the direction – and speed – in which the car travels in the future," Haas said.
The US has been and will continue to accompany you in the journey, he added. "We will do everything we can to help you reach the destination."
Haas also recalled some of his trips and activities in Bangladesh in the past year, including the Sundarbans, Rajshahi, and Cox's Bazar.
The ambassador said he met with Bangladeshis from all walks of life and learned to love shingara, biriyani and mishti doi (sweet curd).
Terminal 3 of Dhaka Airport getting ready to ‘take off’: JICA shares latest photos
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) yesterday (March 14, 2023) shared stunning photos of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Terminal 3 on its Facebook page.
The photos show the beautifully designed ceiling of the new terminal and construction work going on at the extension site.
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