bangladesh
Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia, Aricha-Kazirhat resume after 11 hours
Ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia and Aricha-Kazirhat routes resumed this morning, after 11 hours of disruption caused by thick fog.
Ferry service on Paturia-Daulatdia route remained suspended from 10:30 pm on Saturday due to poor visibility. Services resumed around 9 am today, said Shah Md Khaled Nawaz, deputy general manager (Commercial) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Aricha point.
Read more: Ferry services on Daulatdia-Paturia route resume after 6 hours
Meanwhile, ferry service on the Aricha-Kazirhat route was suspended from 9:30 pm last night and resumed at 9:30 am this morning as fog started to dissipate.
Four ferries on Paturia-Daulatdia and two on Aricha-Kazirhat routes were stranded in the middle of the Padma.
Over 300 small and large vehicles were seen waiting on both sides to cross the river, causing immense suffering for the passengers amidst the cold, the BIWTC official added.
Read more: Dense fog disrupts Daulatdia-Paturia ferry services
Bangladesh Passport Renewal Process: How to renew MRP Passport
Every year, thousands of Bangladeshis embark on foreign trips for various purposes. From education and health to recreational needs, the number of Bangladeshis opting for foreign travel is increasing exponentially. With a limited validity on a passport, it becomes necessary to get the passport renewed at some point. Considering the bureaucratic hassle involved, here’s a comprehensive guide on how to renew a Bangladeshi MRP passport.
There are mainly three types of passports in Bangladesh: handwritten, machine-readable, and e-passport. The last handwritten passport was issued in 2010 and considering each passport has a maximum validity of 10 years, all handwritten passports are obsolete at this point.
Currently, passports are available either as MRP or e-passports. E-passports have been made available on a rollout basis starting in 2020. As of 2022, all the regional passport offices of Bangladesh are now offering the e-passport service. As a result, anyone holding an MRP passport can easily apply for reissuing their passport as an e-passport in the following way.
Read More: How to Get E-Passport in Bangladesh: Things you need to know
How to Apply Online for Reissuing MRP as E-passports
The process of applying for e-passports is a hybrid one. You need to apply for the passport online and visit the regional passport office (in accordance with your present address) for biometric verification. Follow the steps below.
Registering on the Official Passport Site
The first step is to open an account on the official e-passport website. Here you will have to select whether you are currently in Bangladesh or not.
SC upholds bail of Fakhrul and Abbas, no bar to release
The Appellate Division this morning (January 08, 2023) upheld the High Court order granting bail to BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas in a case filed over the clash between police and the party activists at Nayapaltan on December 7 last year.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Hasan Foyez Siddiqui passed the order disposing of the state’s petition challenging the HC order.
The court also ordered to dispose of the High Court rule on a maintenance ground.
Read more: State files petition challenging HC bail to Fakhrul, Abbas
On January 4, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Jahangir Hossain fixed today (Sunday) for the hearing of the petition at the full-bench of the Appellate Division.
The petition was filed on the same day with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court seeking stay on the High Court order granting bail to the two BNP leaders in the case.
The High Court granted six months' bail to Mirza Fakhrul and Mirza Abbas, in the case on January 3.
The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain why the two BNP leaders should not be granted permanent bail.
Read more: Nayapaltan clash: Fakhrul, Abbas get 6-month HC bail
On December 21 last year, Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge Asaduzzaman rejected the BNP leaders’ bail petitions for the fourth time.
On December 9, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up Fakhrul and Abbas from their homes in separate raids in the capital.
Later, they were shown arrested in a case over the clash between police and the party activists in the capital’s Nayapaltan. A Dhaka court sent them to jail rejecting their bail pleas.
Read More: With or without BNP, election to be held on time: Razzaque
US is invested in Bangladesh’s success: Biden
US President Joe Biden has said his country acknowledges their enduring partnership with Dhaka and termed Bangladesh's economic growth in the past 50 years “a remarkable story”.
“I hope our nations will continue to work on democratic governance, climate change, refugees, and maritime security. We are invested in your success and support the ability of all Bangladeshis to freely participate in and contribute to their country's development,” he said.
The US President made the remarks while accepting the credentials of the newly-appointed Bangladesh Ambassador to the US, Muhammad Imran, at the White House, according to the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC.
“As 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of US-Bangladesh relations, I would like to acknowledge our enduring partnership with Bangladesh,” Biden mentioned in his written remarks.
Read more: US National Security Council official arrives Saturday
While formally presenting the credentials to the US President recently, Ambassador Imran conveyed the greetings of President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the US President.
Welcoming the new Bangladesh envoy in the United States, Biden said his administration looks forward to working with the ambassador to expand bilateral relations between the two countries.
“My Administration looks forward to working with you to deepen our relations as we address the opportunities and challenges ahead. It is a pleasure to welcome you to Washington,” he said in a letter to the Ambassador.
Biden also assured the Bangladesh ambassador of extending all sorts of cooperation during his tenure in the United States.
Read More: India to host "Voice of Global South Summit" January 12-13 virtually under theme "Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose”
Two policemen 'closed' on charges of extortion
Two policemen were closed on Friday night from the Companiganj police station on a charge of extortion from drivers of stone-laden trucks at Companiganj upazila in the district.The policemen are Md Suman Miah and Shahriar Hossain of the Companiganj police station.They were withdrawn from the Companiganj police station and attached to the district police line in Sylhet, according to a letter signed by Sylhet Additional Superintendent of Police Shahriar bin Saleh.Local people said that the drivers of stone-laden trucks in association with the local residents chased off Suman and Shahriar on December 24 night in Kalabari area under Companiganj upazila as they demanded extortion money from the drivers after stopping their stone-loaded vehicles.Bholaganj police outpost in-charge Shahab Uddin filed a general diary in this regard with the Companiganj police against constable Suman and Shahriar following a complaint from the local people.Later, the district police administration issued an order on Friday night asking for the withdrawal of the two constables from their workplace and to attach them to the police lines after the allegation brought against them was found true in the primary investigation.Read more: Consider police stations as 'service delivery centres' to provide better service: IGP
E-gates at Sylhet airport to open for passengers today
The authorities of Sylhet Osmani International Airport have completed all preparations for opening six electronic gates at the airport to make the immigration process faster and improve the quality of services.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, lawmaker from Sylhet-1, will inaugurate the gates at 11 am, said Hafiz Ahmed, manager of the airport.
"Six e-gates will be inaugurated on Sunday (January 08, 2023). Three of them were set up for departure and three for entry," he added.
Read More: E-gates to be introduced at Chattogram airport
He also said the passengers who have e-passports will be able to complete the immigration activities through e-gate.
APBn detains Saudi resident with yaba at Dhaka Airport
Members of the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) on Saturday detained a Saudi Arabia resident with 15,400 yaba pills at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The detainee has been identified as Md Rubel Hossain, originally from Chandpur district.
Additional SP of Airport Armed Police (AAP) Mohammad Ziaul Haque said they detained Rubel on suspicion in front of Gate No. 1 of the departure terminal this afternoon.
During preliminary interrogation, Masud revealed that he had kept 15,400 Yaba pills in his luggage which were recovered later, he added.
Legal action will be taken against him, said the ASP.
Read more: 2 held with Yaba worth over Tk 1 cr in Dhaka
TIB wants ACC's work order granting greater powers to secretary withdrawn
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has demanded that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) withdraw the work order that gives its secretary the authority to appoint and transfer Deputy Director and Assistant Director rank officers involved in any investigation and inquiry.
TIB voiced worry that this order could undermine the power of the ACC because the commission's chairman and commissioners will no longer have the aforementioned power, according to a press release.
Mentioning the office order published on the ACC website on December 18, Iftekharuzzaman, the executive director of TIB, said, “According to the relevant law, the executive power of the ACC is entrusted to the chairman and the commissioners under his leadership."
“What was the logic behind this shift of executive power? Why did the Commission decide to leave the power in the hands of the secretary, aka the bureaucracy?” asked Iftekharuzzaman.
“This suicidal decision cedes all powers to the bureaucracy, including the permanent employment of ACC investigating officers, granting of current duties, allowances and leave, pension, PRL, awards on conviction of cases, and so on. Nothing remains of the ACC now,” he added.
Stating the shift in executive authority to be the final nail in the coffin of public expectations from the national anti-graft agency, TIB urged to revoke the order as soon as possible.
Read more: IMF’s conditions for loan: TIB watchful about “discriminatory implications”
Bangladesh reports 27 more dengue cases
Twenty-seven more people were hospitalised with dengue in the 24 hours to Saturday morning.
However, no fatalities were reported during this period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Also, the DGHS did not report any dengue death in the first six days of this year.
The country recorded 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019.
A total of 202 dengue patients, including 94 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
The DGHS has recorded 242 dengue cases and 40 recoveries so far this year. It recorded 62,423 cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Read more: Govt fixes cost of dengue test
Gold worth Tk 1.5 cr seized at Benapole
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh seized 17 gold bars weighing 1.98kg from Pachvulot border of Jashore's Sharsha upazila on Saturday.
Lt Col Tanveer Ahmed, commanding officer of BGB-21 battalion, said tipped off that gold was being smuggled to India, a team of BGB conducted a drive in Bottola area at noon.
Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, two smugglers riding on a motorcycle fled the scene leaving behind two bags and the BGB team recovered the gold bars worth Tk 1.5 crore from the bags, said Tanveer Ahmed.
Also Read: Gold worth over Tk 8.5cr seized in Chuadanga, Jhenaidah; one detained
He said they are trying to arrest the two smugglers.
A case has been filed with Sharsha police in this regard, added the commanding officer.