Bangladesh
Dhaka, Colombo celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties; eye greater cooperation
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka started the celebration of the 50 years of diplomatic ties with a hybrid webinar at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute in Colombo Friday.
The speakers highlighted the commonalities and historical linkages between the two countries.
They also discussed the existing bilateral cooperation and the prospect of sectoral cooperation, especially in trade, commerce, shipping, connectivity, and people-to-people contact.
In presence of high dignitaries from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the programme began with the national anthem of both the countries followed by an exchange of goodwill messages between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Sri Lanka counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.
With gratitude, Sheikh Hasina recalled Sri Lanka's recognition of independent Bangladesh on March 4, 1972.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction over existing friendly relations between the two countries.
India evacuates Bangladeshi national from Ukraine: MEA
Apart from its own citizens, India has evacuated a Bangladeshi national from war-torn Ukraine.
"I know at least one Bangladeshi citizen has come and received a request from a Nepalese national for evacuation," said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson at Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Friday.
He also confirmed that India's neighbouring nations have sought help for evacuation of their nationals.
Read: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine leaves global trade in tatters
Bagchi said over 20,000 Indians have left the Ukraine borders since India issued advisories, and more are expected to come back in the coming days.
As many as16 flights are scheduled for the next 24 hours, including IAF's C-17 aircraft to carry out evacuation, Bagchi said.
Daughter, contract killer arrested for murder of mother in Gazipur
Police arrested a woman and the contract killer she hired to murder her own mother from Sreepur municipality in Gazipur on Thursday.
The arrestees are- Shefali, 35, wife of Farid, a resident of Kewa Purba Khand village in Sreepur and Sohail Rana, 25, son of Meraj Uddin of Kharia Kazirchar village at Srivardi in Sherpur district, said Ajmir Hossain, assistant superintendent of Kaliakair Circle police at a press briefing on Friday.
During primary interrogation, they confessed to killing Minara, 57, wife of Abu Taher of Kewa Purba Khand village, he added. “The accused are now in Gazipur jail."
On February 11, police recovered the throat-slit body of Minara from a secluded place in Sadhukhara Tech area, 5 km away from her house.
He also said that Sohail Rana demanded Tk 1 lakh for killing her mother. Shefali agreed to his proposal and paid Tk 15,000 in advance.
According to the plan, Shefali left the house with her mother in the evening on February 10, telling her that they would be going to listen to waz. On the way, Shefali hit her mother in the head with a brick and Sohail slit her throat confirming her death.
International Leasing Chairman NI Khan gets Bima Padak
International Leasing and Financial Services Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan, better known as NI Khan, has received the Bima Padak 2022.
NI Khan was honoured with the award for his contribution in the making of a documentary on the insurance sector and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's contribution to the development of the sector.
Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah, secretary at the Financial Institutions Division, handed over the award on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on National Insurance Day Tuesday.
NI Khan, a former bureaucrat, was the national project director of the Access to Information (A2i).
He joined International Leasing on June 1, 2020, as an independent director and chairman following a directive of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court.
Shah Alam, Prince new CPB president, secretary
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) on Friday elected Shah Alam and Ruhin Hossain Prince as the party's new president and general secretary respectively for the next four years.
They were elected during the first meeting of the 43-member new central committee which was formed at the end of the party's 12th congress, said new CPB general secretary Prince.
The meeting was held at the party’s central office Mukti Bhaban in the city’s Old Paltan area with outgoing president Mujahidul Islam Selim in the chair.
Read: CPB demands expulsion of MP Papul
The meeting also elected Mihir Ghosh, CPB’s central leader, as its assistant general secretary.
The CPB elected its top leadership without Mujahidul Islam Selim at the helm after around 30 years.
He, however, was made the number one member of the CBP’s new central committee.
The four-day 12th congress of the party ended on Monday last at the capital's Mahanagar Natyamancha.
BNP slams govt for its stance over Ukraine attack
BNP on Friday alleged that the Bangladesh government’s stance regarding Russia's attack on Ukraine is against the UN Charter and the country’s Constitution.
“BNP considers this attack as a war imposed on Ukraine and a clear violation of the independence and sovereignty of the country,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Read:Unity of all is a must for prosperity: BNP
Speaking at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, he also said Russia’s such hegemonic and imperialist activities are a crime under the UN Charter. “This attack is a threat to independence and sovereignty."
The BNP leader said they think the spontaneous opinion of the people of Bangladesh is in line with the entire world’s values on democracy and human rights.
“But our country's government has abstained from voting in favour of a UN resolution on the Ukraine issue, taking a stand against popular opinion of the country’s people only to secure its power. This is against the principles of democracy and human values enshrined in the constitution of Bangladesh,” the BNP leader said.
Fakhrul said their party expects all the powers of the world to take a strong stance in favour of the world opinion for the protection of democracy and human rights under the leadership of the United Nations.
The BNP leader also urged all the parties concerned to be sincere to end the war and restore peace immediately through the ongoing talks between the two warring countries.
He also expressed deep sorrow and concern over the death of a Bangladeshi sailor along with hundreds of innocent Ukrainians and the displacement of one million people by Russia's 'inhumane' attack on Ukraine over the last seven days.
"The people of Bangladesh respect the fundamental rights to independence and sovereignty of any country, including Ukraine, and oppose the violation of its borders," Fakhrul said.
The BNP leader said their party is always in favour of the protection of the independence and sovereignty of all countries and in favour of the prevailing world opinions for the sake of the protection of democracy and human rights.
Read: Govt let loose police against BNP, alleges Rizvi
He also alleged that the government had similarly acted against the hopes and aspirations of people in the case of UN’s resolutions condemning the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people in Myanmar and their human rights violations. “They (govt) have failed to take effective steps as per people’s expectations regarding the Rohingya issue.”
Fakhrul said the action of the Bangladesh government regarding the Ukraine issue demonstrates that it is pursuing a knee-jerk foreign policy, threating the independence and sovereignty of the country.
Govt will take necessary steps on financial transactions involving Russian projects: Foreign Secy
The government will take necessary steps, specifically on financial transactions involving Russian projects though, as of now, it seems okay, the foreign secretary has said.
"Things depend on the situation. The situation may turn complicated if there are more sanctions on (Russian) banks or SWIFT, or the big companies,” Masud Bin Momen told reporters at the foreign ministry on Friday.
The US, UK, European Union and G7 countries already imposed harsh sanctions against many Russian banks and oligarchs since Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine.
Global payments messaging network SWIFT, meanwhile, asked Bangladesh's banks to suspend transactions with seven Russian lenders.
Asked whether the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project will be affected, Masud Momen said it is not clear yet as the sanctions now see initial days.
Read:Trying to shift stranded sailors from Ukraine to Romania, says Foreign Secy
“We have discussed the impacts. We held meeting with the stakeholders Thursday. We will hold more meetings to assess the impacts,” he said.
The FS said the government is also assessing the possible impacts on the exports and imports, the projects where Russia is involved.
“We will soon determine the necessary measures. At this moment, we are not facing any problem. Everything will depend on the situation in the coming days.”
Masud said the Russian side is still trying to ascertain who is responsible for the rocket attack on Bangladeshi ship 'Banglar Samriddhi' stranded at a port in war-torn Ukraine.
“They have also expressed their deep condolences over the death of a Bangladeshi sailor in the attack. They claimed that they didn't do it," he said.
However, it is very difficult to ascertain who is doing what from where and which side in a ‘Fog of War’, he added.
But the Russian side has assured Bangladesh of informing Dhaka on what exactly happened.
Masud also said efforts are underway to bring 28 crew of Bangladeshi ship "Banglar Samriddhi" to Romania from war-ravaged Ukraine.
Asked whether there is any communication with the Ukrainian side, he said Ukraine's priorities are different now.
"They are now more engaged in saving the territory. So it may not be possible for them to answer all our questions.”
Masud said around 600 Bangladeshis safely left Ukraine and are now in Poland while there are 100 Bangladeshis staying in Ukraine.
Read:Bangladeshi crew in Ukraine: Govt trying to evacuate them to Poland, says Shahriar
"However, many of them may have families in Ukraine or have Ukrainian spouses. So, they may not be at risk," he added.
There are some pockets where a few Indians are staying, Bangladesh came to know.
Bangladesh has also requested the Indian Mission in Ukraine to help the two or four Bangladeshis if they are there, said the foreign secretary.
Stating that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is a matter of concern for the whole world, he said fuel prices have increased the most in ten years in the last few days.
“There will be huge pressure on oil, gas and fuel. Inflation is going on the rise in many European countries at the moment. So everyone is still worried about it," he said, adding that war is not desirable for anyone.
Trying to shift stranded sailors from Ukraine to Romania, says Foreign Secy
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Friday said efforts are underway to bring 28 crew of Bangladeshi ship "Banglar Samriddhi" to Romania from war-ravaged Ukraine.
Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also said around 600 Bangladeshis have so far reached Poland from bordering Ukraine fleeing the strife.
Read:Bangladeshi crew in Ukraine: Govt trying to evacuate them to Poland, says Shahriar
In a video message earlier on Thursday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said the Bangladeshi crew members had already been taken to a relatively safe place from the ship that came under attack leaving its third engineer dead on Wednesday.
The ship had also been declared abandoned.
The government initially tried to move the crew members to Warsaw, Poland.
The sailors are also carrying with them the body of deceased Hadisur Rahman, a 47-year-old Bangladesh national.
The state minister said the government, in consultation with the Shipping Ministry, will bring back the 28 sailors along with the body of the third engineer if they can safely leave Ukraine.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Poland Sultana Laila Hossain talked to the captain of the ship.
20km long tailback on Dhaka-Ctg highway following road crashes
Hundreds of vehicles and commuters got stuck in a 20-kilometer long tailback on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Cumilla early Friday due to three separate road crashes in the area.
Elliotganj Highway Police In-charge Saiful Islam said the traffic congestion since 4 am today was caused by three accidents involving trucks at Chandina that took place in the wee hours.
READ: 4 km long tailback of vehicles at Daulatdia ferry terminal
A truck driver also died in one of these accidents, he added.
Hundreds of vehicles got stuck which caused extreme miseres to the drivers and passengers.
However, the traffic on the highway became normal after 3pm, the official said.
READ: Hours of tailbacks are delaying arrivals of cattle in city markets, pushing up prices
Biker killed in road crash on Sajek road
A motorcyclist was killed on Friday after a head-on collision with a speeding truck in Rangamati's Baghaichhari, police said.
The deceased was identified as Dhanmoni Chakma, 30, son of Shanti Ranjan Chakma of Brij Para area.
The accident occurred at around 9 am when the truck collided with Dhanmoni's motorcycle at Atmail area on the Sajek-Machalang road leaving him dead on the spot.
Officer-in-charge of Sajek Police Station Nurul Alam said that the truck driver managed to flee after the accident but police and army seized the truck.
READ: 3 killed in Brahmanbaria road accident
According to the locals, at least 20 people, including tourists were injured in four road accidents in the hilly area last week.
Nayan Chakma, chairman of Sajek Union Parishad urged increasing surveillance of law enforcement agencies on Sajek road to prevent accidents.
READ: 2 killed in B’baria road accident