Bangladesh
2 killed in Bogura road crash
Two people were killed when a bus hit a motorbike on Bogura-Rangpur highway in Shibganj upazila on Sunday, said police.
One of the deceased was identified as Shakil, 24, son of Abdul Majid of the upazila. The other victim could not be identified immediately. Both were on the motorcycle.
Also read: Traffic accident leaves man dead in Kushtia
The accident occurred around 3:15 pm when the Pabna-bound bus .Nabin Baran Paribahan’ from Rangpur hit the motorbike leaving two riders dead on the spot, said Aminul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj Highway Police Station.
Police seized the bus and arrested its driver.
Also read: 519 dead in 458 accidents in August, over 27% accidents in Dhaka division
Kuwaiti envoy urged to explore investment opportunities in Bangladesh
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has urged newly appointed Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to Bangladesh Faisal Mutlaq Al Adwani to visit Bangladesh's IT parks, economic zones and look for investment opportunities.
He then highlighted some recent transformations that have taken place in Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the socio-economic sectors including the construction of the Padma Bridge, the Karnaphuli tunnel, metro-rail and expressways.
The ambassador had a courtesy meeting with the State Minister for Foreign Minister at his office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
Also read: Our priority is to ensure food security, PM tells outgoing Vatican envoy
The State Minister expressed happiness at the excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Kuwait in the political, economic, defence, manpower and in the trade fields.
He urged the ambassador to draw initiatives to strengthen the relationship by exploring new and emerging areas of collaboration including energy and health sectors.
Upon enquiry of the Ambassador on the Rohingya issue, the State Minister apprised him of the current state of the problem and sought Kuwaiti government’s political and economic support for solving the Rohingya crisis.
The Ambassador commended Bangladesh government’s quest for development and peace in its strides for economic emancipation and appreciated the capable and courageous leadership of the Prime Minister.
Also read: Sri Lanka ready to welcome Bangladeshi tourists, others: Envoy
Earlier, the ambassador met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen in his office where they had discussed and exchanged views on bilateral issues of mutual interests.
Dhaka to sign legal cooperation agreement with Doha
The cabinet approved the draft of an ‘Agreement for cooperation in the Legal Field’ to be signed with Gulf state Qatar in its meeting Sunday.
The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The agreement will be signed between Dhaka and Doha very soon. It will help Bangladesh in seeking legal assistance from the Gulf country, said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam at a briefing after the meeting.
“The agreement will let Bangladesh learn about the legal system of Qatar. The agreement will lead to the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Qatar’s legal institutions, which will further lead to exchange of legal personnel between the two countries,” the Cabinet Secretary said.
Read: Dhaka seeks Qatar's investment
Anwarul added that the Cabinet has approved a proposal to support the amendment of Protocol 50(A) and 56 of International Civil Aviation.
“Through the amendments, the membership of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council (ICAO) will be increased to 40 from the current 36 and the membership of the Air Navigation Commission will be expanded to 21 from the existing 19. It’s an international agreement which Bangladesh had conformed to a long time ago. That’s why the amendment has been brought to the Cabinet for approval,” added Anwarul.
Bangladesh sees one more Covid death, 230 cases
Bangladesh reported one more Covid-linked death and 230 cases in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,328 and caseload to 2,012,761, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case test positivity rate fell to 4.93 percent from Saturday's 6.51 percent as 4,669 samples were tested.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent and the recovery at 97.24 percent.
Read: Bangladesh sees another Covid death, 155 cases
In August, the country reported 32 Covid-linked deaths and 6,689 cases.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.
PM mourns passing away of lyricist-film director Gazi Majharul
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed shock and deep grief at the death of eminent musician, film director, producer and lyricist Gazi Majharul Anwar.
Gazi Mazharul, who was honoured with the Ekushey Padak in 2002 and the Independence Award in 2021, passed away Sunday morning. He was 79.
Read: PM expresses condolences at Mohiuddin's passing
The famous lyricist will live in the hearts of the people through his timeless creations, Sheikh Hasina said.
She also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and extended her heartfelt sympathy to Gazi Majharul's family.
All govt officials must arrive at office within 8:00am: Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam today (September 4, 2022) said that directive has been given once again about office timings.
He was speaking at a briefing after the cabinet meeting.
“According to the new timing, all government officials have to arrive at office within 8:00am and leave at 3:00pm. No one can leave office before the set time, except those who take permission from their bosses. We’re going to ensure this,” said Anwarul.
Replying to a question, the Cabinet Secretary said that the new office timing will remain effective until further notice.
The decision on the new office timing was taken at a cabinet meeting on August 22, which was implemented on August 24.
Read: PM directs import of additional food grains
About the Mother of Humanity Social Welfare Award, Anwarul said that the cabinet has decided to change its name.
“Cabinet members were pressing to change the name of the award for a long time. Based on their proposal, the cabinet has approved a draft today according to which the new name of the award will be ‘National Human Development Medal-2022’,” said the Cabinet Secretary.
The Mother of Humanity Award was approved by the cabinet in 2018.
213 more hospitalised with Dengue in Bangladesh
Another 213 people were hospitalised with dengue – a viral infection – in the 24 hours till Sunday morning.
Of them, 158 were admitted to the hospitals of Dhaka and 55 outside it, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
A total of 817 dengue patients, including 688 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Also read: Dengue death toll rises to 23 as another dies; 245 new patients hospitalised
This year's death toll from the mosquito-borne viral disease rose to 23 Saturday with one more death reported from Cox's Bazar. Of all the deceased, 13 were from Cox's Bazar and 10 from Dhaka.
On June 21, the DGHS reported the first death of the season from the viral disease.
Also read: 90 more dengue cases reported
This year, the directorate has recorded 6,905 dengue cases and 6,065 recoveries so far.
PM directs import of additional food grains
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the Food Ministry to import additional food grains from countries other than the usual ones in order to ensure food security in the country.
The PM provided the directive at a cabinet meeting held at her office today (September 4, 2022).
Cabinet Secretary Khondker Anwarul Islam confirmed the development at a briefing held after the meeting.
“We’ve signed agreements with five countries, namely Russia, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, to import food grains. At today’s meeting, the PM has told us to keep some other sources ready so that no complexities arise at the last moment,” said the Cabinet Secretary.
Read: Bangladesh is building a modern transport system: PM
Anwarul added that there is no problem in importing food from Russia.
“According to the Food Ministry, the country’s current stock of food grains is more than 19 lakh metric tons. We’re in a comfortable situation in terms of the speculated food crisis in November,” added the Cabinet Secretary.
Dhaka, Delhi likely to sign 7 deals, MoUs during PM's India visit: FM
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said Bangladesh and India are likely to sign seven agreements and MoUs on water management, railway, science and technology; and information and broadcasting during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit.
"We hope the visit will be very successful. It will help achieve our goals," he told reporters while briefing the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The prime minister leaves for New Delhi on Monday on a four-day state visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Also read: “Rohingyas a big burden on Bangladesh, India can help”
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were also present at the media briefing.
Bangladesh thinks the visit will open new "windows of cooperation" between the countries.
Issues related to security cooperation, investment, enhanced trade relations, power and energy sector cooperation, water sharing of common rivers, water resources management, border management, combating drug smuggling an human trafficking will get priority during the talks between PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House.
The visit is seen as significant amid the Ukraine crisis, global economic downturn and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the two South Asian neighbors seek enhanced cooperation to overcome the challenges, he said.
Hasina will visit India after three years since she last visited in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. The visit is significant for both Bangladesh and India, said the government of Bangladesh.
The visit will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Also read: “Decision to join politics is best left to Joy and people of Bangladesh”
The prime minister will lead a high-level delegation which includes several ministers, advisers, state ministers, secretaries and senior officials.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Railways Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan, PM’s economic affairs adviser Dr Mashiur Rahman, PM’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque are among the delegation members.
Representatives from business bodies of Bangladesh will also accompany PM Hasina. Hasina is also scheduled to attend a business event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries.
The prime minister will be formally received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while a ceremonial guard of honour will be accorded to her. She will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
During her visit, PM Hasina will meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar apart from holding bilateral consultations with her Indian counterpart Modi at the Hyderabad House.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will call on PM Hasina, said the Ministry of External Affairs. Hasina is also likely to visit Ajmer.
The Bangladesh prime minister is also scheduled to attend a lunch to be hosted by her Indian counterpart.
She will award the Mujib Scholarship, an initiative of the Bangladesh government, to the descendants of 200 Indian Armed Forces personnel who were martyred and critically injured during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
In recent years, both sides have sustained a high level of engagement, including at the highest level, MEA said.
A VVIP chartered flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage members will depart the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka at 10am Monday, said PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.
The flight is scheduled to land at the Palam Airport, New Delhi at 12pm (BD time). Bangladesh premier will be received by State Minister for Railways and Textiles of India Darshana Vikram Jardosh and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran.
A red carpet will be rolled out at the airport in honour of Sheikh Hasina while a cultural team comprising 6-7 members will later perform a welcome dance and play musical instruments.
During the visit, she is scheduled to hold bilateral talks and a one-to-one meeting with Modi at the Hyderabad House on September 6, the second day of her India visit.
After holding the bilateral talks, agreements and MoUs (Memorandum of Understandings) are likely to be signed between the neighbouring countries while a press statement will be issued later.
On September 6, she is scheduled to meet family members of former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee the same day.
Minister for Development of North Eastern Region of India G. Kishan Reddy and Nobel laureate Kailash Shatyarthi will separately meet her on September 7.
Adani Group Chairman, Gautam Adani will also pay a courtesy call on Hasina on September 5.
The prime minister is scheduled to visit Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah Sharif, Ajmer (Ajmer Sharif Dargah) in Rajasthan before returning to Dhaka on September 8 and Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi on her first day of India visit on September 5.
Prime accused among 4 held over mugging of DU student after abduction
Detectives in a drive arrested four people including the prime accused in a case over snatching belongings of a 3rd year student of Dhaka University after abduction, said police on Sunday.
The accused were prime accused Shakil Ahmed Rubel, 28, Akash Sheikh, 22, Delwar Hossain, 55 and Habibur Rahman.
Police also seized two pistols, two bullets, one magazine, one wireless set, two motorbikes with police sticker and six mobile phone sets from their possession.
Tipped off, a team of DB police conducted simultaneous drives in different parts of the city and arrested them, said Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Harun-or-Rashid.
Read: DB arrests suspected drug dealer in city
“Shakil was involved in 1500 mugging incidents. He used to tease girls and the female students of universities and colleges in the guise of police personnel,” said Additional Commissioner Harun.
Shakil used to carry out criminal activities by living in a rented hotel room.
Earlier on August 25, Shakil, in the guise of police, intercepted a rickshaw carrying a DU female student in the city’s Kalyanpur area and forced the girl to go with him saying that she was carrying something illegal in her bag.
He then took her to Diabari and snatched away gold ornaments after keeping her hostage at knife point.
The DU student lodged a complaint with Turag Police