Bangladesh
PM mourns death of Gopalgonj AL leader Rezaul
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Labour Affairs Secretary of Gopalganj District Awami League Rezaul Haque Shikdar Raju.
Raju was also the President of Gopalganj District Sramik League and former elected Mayor of Gopalganj Municipality.
The prime minister prayed for the eternal salvation of the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved members of the family.
PM Hasina expresses condolence for Nepal earthquake victims
PM Hasina departs for Thailand on six-day official visit
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka on Wednesday (April 24, 2024) for Bangkok on a six-day official visit to Thailand at the invitation of her Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.
A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the premier and her entourage, departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:13am on Wednesday, said PM’s Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam.
The PM is scheduled to land at Don Mueang International Airport, Bangkok at 1:30pm local time.
"It's both a bilateral and multilateral visit," said Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said at a media briefing on Monday.
The bilateral visit of the prime minister will be the first-ever visit at the level of head of government from Bangladesh to Thailand since establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972.
PM Hasina begins her six-day official visit to Thailand on Wednesday
During her visit from April 24 to 29, the Bangladesh premier will hold bilateral talks with PM Thavisin and also attend the 80th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Bangladesh and Thailand will sign a number of cooperation documents including a letter of intent on negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two countries, said the Foreign Minister.
Bangladesh and Thailand are likely to sign an agreement on visa exemption for official passport holders, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on energy cooperation while two more MoUs on tourism sector cooperation and duty related mutual cooperation to expand the relations, he said.
Bangladesh will seek support from Thailand regarding Rohingya repatriation as well as increased investment from Thailand, said Hasan Mahmud adding that the issue of shipping connectivity will also be discussed.
On April 26, PM Hasina will be formally received by her Thai host Srettha Thavisin while a ceremonial guard of honor will be accorded to her.
On the same day, the Bangladesh premier will hold bilateral talks with PM Thavisin at the Government House (Prime Minister’s Office) following a tete-a-tete between the two leaders, witness the signing of the documents, participate in a joint press conference and then attend a state lunch to be hosted by her Thai counterpart in her honour there.
PM Hasina likely to travel to India and China in first bilateral visits since forming new govt
During the visit, the prime minister will have a Royal audience of Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshan, King and Queen of the Kingdom of Thailand at the Palace.
In her multilateral engagement, PM Hasina is scheduled to attend the 80th Session of ESCAP and deliver a speech there on April 25.
On the same day, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and ESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjabana will call on the prime minister.
Guided by the theme “Leveraging digital innovation for sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific”, the eightieth session will be an opportunity to strengthen region-wide cooperative action on leveraging digital innovation for the accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The session will bring together government leaders and ministers from across Asia and the Pacific and other key stakeholders to discuss how digital innovation can more inclusively contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals across multiple disciplines.
Read more: Bangladesh, Qatar sign 10 cooperation documents to take ties to new height
Dhaka’s air quality unhealthy for sensitive groups
Dhaka's air quality was categorised as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ this morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 134 at 8:59 am, Dhaka ranked 11th on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
India’s Delhi, Egypt’s Cairo City and Thailand’s Chiang Mai occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 193, 171 and 170 respectively.
Dhaka’s air quality ‘unhealthy’ this morning
When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
After a day of being ‘moderate’, Dhaka’s air quality back to being ‘unhealthy’
As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
Gas supply to remain off for 3 hours in different areas Wednesday
Gas supply will remain suspended for 3 hours from 2pm to 5pm on Wednesday at different areas in the city for emergency work of gas pipeline.
According to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, the areas where supply will remain off for all categories of customers include Shanirakhra, Baraitla, Chhapra Mosque, Dania, Jurain, Dholairpar and Kadmatoli.
The adjoining areas may experience low pressure in gas supply, said Titas Gas regretting the temporary inconvenience of the consumers.
25 days after going missing, body of BCL leader retrieved from Kishoreganj’s Narsunda River
The body of a local leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of Awami League, was recovered on Tuesday from the Narsunda River in Kishoreganj, some 25 days after he went missing.
The deceased was identified as Mokhles Uddin Bhuiya, vice-president of Kewarjur Union unit of BCL under Mithamain Upazila of the upazila and son of Mokbul Hossain, who reportedly died of cardiac arrest after hearing the missing news, of Phulpur village under Kewarjur Union.
Ashraf Ali, elder brother of the victim, said that his younger brother had been missing since March 29 after he came out of his rented house in upazila sadar around 9pm.
Later, he filed a case against six identified people with the concerned police station on April 16.
After scrutinising CCTV footage, police could identify four people and round them up from Habiganj’s Shaistaganj upazila subsequently.
The arrestees are Sheful Sheikh and his three sons- Mizan Sheikh, Marjan Sheikh and Raihan Sheikh, residents of the same union.
During the preliminary interrogation, the arrestees admitted that they dumped the body into the river after killing him.
Information gleaned from the arrestees, divers with the help of police started salvation work on Monday morning and could fish out the body on Tuesday.
Al-Amin Hussain, additional superintendent of police (Crime and Operations) of Kishoreganj, confirmed the matter saying that dives were on to arrest the rest other involved with the murder.
HC directs judicial inquiry to identify those responsible for topsoil depletion in Satkania
The High Court (HC) directed to form a judiciary body to find out the accused involved with cutting off topsoil from croplands for selling it to brick kilns in Satkania upazila of Chattogram Tuesday.
The HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Md Atabullah also ordered Chattogram Chief Judicial Magistrate to submit a report within one month in this regard.
The court passed the order on Tuesday when Chattogram Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, Satkania Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Satkania police station’s Officer-in-Charge virtually joined the HC to explain as to why the cutting off topsoil from croplands in the upazila was going on despite an HC restriction issued earlier.
The HC also ordered the authorities concerned to fill up the lands, whose topsoil was dug for brick kilns, with alluvial soil by collecting from outside and make those as cultivable.
Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy, Assistant Attorney Generals Selim Azad and Anis Ul-Mawa represented the state during the court procedure.
Earlier on Monday, the HC summoned the four government officers including DC and SP virtually to explain on Tuesday why the restriction order over cutting off the topsoil from the croplands was ignored.
As per the order, the officers joined virtually to submit their statements in this regard.
On March 19 this year, the HC imposed a restriction on cutting off the topsoil after one local named Abdul Munaf submitted a petition following media outlets reporting on this point.
Despite the restriction, the topsoil cutting continues unabated in the upazila in collaboration with syndicates.
However, on Sunday (April 21) a mobile court sentenced two people to jail for cutting off the topsoil in Pathanipul area under Kaliyash union of the upazila.
ILO's Global Skills Forum: Session on Bangladesh tomorrow
The two-day Global Skills Forum hosted by the ILO Skills and Employability Branch started in Geneva on Tuesday.
A session titled "Transforming Skills Development Systems: A Case Study of Successful ILO-EU-Canada Partnership in Bangladesh" will take place during the Forum on Wednesday.
The session will showcase how collaborative efforts between the International Labour Organization (ILO), European Union (EU), and Canada have effectively supported Bangladesh in revamping its skills development systems to be more market-oriented, appealing, and inclusive.
The speakers will also discuss how these efforts will shape future investments, said the ILO on Tuesday.
Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury, along with representatives from employers' organizations, trade unions, and development partners, will examine the achievements, current challenges, and recommendations for advancing Bangladesh's skills ecosystem through partnerships and collaboration.
The forum brings together delegates from governments, employers' associations, trade unions, and international organizations.
The aim of this Forum is to foster a comprehensive dialogue on navigating the complexities of our rapidly evolving economies and societies.
Skills development is a crucial part of preparing individuals and societies for the jobs of the future.
As economies shift direction to clean energy use and advances in technology transform the world of work, new skills will be needed throughout our lives.
ICMAB hosted pre-budget round table discussion
To forge policy recommendations for the government in preparation for the national budget announcement, the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) convened a round table discussion on Tuesday.
The discussants highlighted and expressed the country's keen anticipation of the government's response to various global challenges, including climate change, inflation, and policy uncertainties, reads a press release.
They pointed out the need for increased funding to meet the commitment for UN Sustainable Development Goals and ultimately achieve the country’s strategic objectives.
The discussion also covered the need for nuanced adjustments in fiscal and monetary policies to address issues such as exchange rate stability, currency policy, and balancing export-import dynamics. The importance of encouraging household savings, broadening the tax base, enhancing reserve buffers, and controlling the prices of daily commodities were also highlighted.
Waseqa Ayesha Khan, State Minister of Finance, joined the discussion as the chief guest.
She said, “To ensure economic prosperity, the government is planning to emphasize on controlling inflation, increase in reserve and remittance, increase export revenue, explore new markets for export, create investment friendly environment, and uninterrupted electricity and power supply.”
She also assured the government's plan to continue infrastructural and ICT development, human resource development, and short- and long-term revenue strategy.
The discussion was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Md. Salim Uddin FCMA, President of ICMAB, and moderated by Arif Khan FCMA, past president and current council member of the institute.
Professor Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, former Governor of Bangladesh Bank and Chief Advisor of East West University; Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur, Executive Director of the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh; and Mr. Mahbubul Alam, President of FBCCI, participated in the program as the special guests along with a diverse panel of experts from academia, research institutes, business leadership, and professional chambers.
Nothing to worry about deposits in merged banks: Bangladesh Bank
The central bank of Bangladesh has been forced to issue a statement to clear the air, as it were, of the confusion arising out of its initiative to bring about consolidation in the country's ailing banking sector. As a necessary part of the process aimed at reducing the number of banks in the country, the sector is going to witness a number of mergers between previously disparate entities in the coming days.
Top execs of merging bank cannot hold posts at acquiring entity: Bangladesh Bank
Five merger proposals have already been received and are expected to be approved by the end of 2024. They involve around 11 institutions, and if completed as proposed, would reduce the number of banks in Bangladesh by 6 - around 10% of the total.
Yet the unprecedented nature of these moves in the banking sector, where there is no previous record of two Bangladeshi banks having merged, has led to a state of panic and confusion among members of the public, to the extent that people are reportedly withdrawing their deposits from certain banks, said sources at some respected banks.
Bangladesh Bank auctions gold for the first time in 16 years
They said most of the depositors are suffering from the dilemma of whether or not to keep money in the bank. Some are withdrawing their money from the banks due to 'fear'.
Bangladesh Bank was forced to address the issue in its statement today, asserting that individual as well as institutional depositors' money will remain fully safe and secure in banks during the merger process.
Noticing different news and social media posts, the central bank said accountholders of two merging banks will be able to maintain their respective accounts as before even after the completion of the merger.
Bangladesh Bank issues detailed directive on appointment of MD, CEO for NBFIs
The merger process will be completed based on the consent of the entrepreneurial directors, current boards, and common shareholders of the banks covered by the merger, said the statement.
Fake certificate syndicate: Ex-chairman of Technical Education Board questioned by DB following wife's arrest
Ali Akbar Khan, former chairman of Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB), whose wife was arrested in a case filed over forging and selling fake certificates, was questioned at the DB office on Tuesday afternoon.
He has been given two days by the DB authorities. If he does not provide an explanation regarding the allegations against him within these two days and if evidence of involvement in the forgery is found later, action will be taken against him, said DB Chief Harun-Or-Rashid at a press conference in the DB office on Tuesday evening.
He said, “I believe the Chairman of the Board cannot evade responsibility for this incident. We will now see whether he really knew about the certificate sale incident."
Harun said, "The Chairman and the Exam Controller have neglected their duties or have deliberately overlooked them. We have questioned them about it. Despite knowing about such forgery, no action was taken. About his wife's involvement, he claimed he didn't know."
"In our interrogation, we have tried to find out how this forgery occurred month after month using the password of the technical board's website. He is the chairman of that institution. The institution operates under his guidance and leadership. Documents are being taken from that institution which can be seen through CCTV footage. Yet no action was taken. Moreover, the Exam Controller has also been signing certificates month after month,” he said.
The DB chief also said, "Ali Akbar Khan's wife has also been questioned. She admitted in the interrogation that she took money from the system analyst Shamsujjaman."
After the questioning at DB office, Ali Akbar Khan told the media, “As the Chairman of the Board, I cannot evade responsibility for the certificate sales.”
When asked about his wife's arrest, he said, “I don't know anything about my wife's situation. I don't know what information the intelligence agency has obtained. But I believe she is being arrested without any crime.”
Ali Akbar Khan said, “An incident has occurred. A thorough investigation should be conducted into this matter. Those responsible should be punished. In this case, we are ashamed and saddened!”
About the system analyst’s claim that he took a TK20 lakh bribe, Ali Akbar said, “It is false, baseless, and without foundation. Investigation is ongoing.”
On April 1, DB arrested the system analyst and one of his cohorts with certificates, certificate-making papers. Later, several others were also arrested. The latest arrest was Sehela Parveen, the wife of Akbar Ali Khan. Following her arrest, DB summoned him for interrogation.