bangladesh
Police recovers GM Quader's phone
Police Wednesday recovered Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader's mobile phone eight days after it was snatched.
The law enforcers also arrested five members of a gang – Azizul, Md Aziz, Md Ismail, Md Sanaullah and Subal Chandra Ghosh – in connection with the theft, Officer-in-Charge of Airport Police Station BM Farman Ali said.
Read: It seems Bangladesh is paradise of mismanagement: GM Quader
On August 31, GM Quader's phone was snatched while he was talking on the phone in his car in the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area. Later a case was filed.
During investigation, Azizul said he stole the phone and sold it to Ismail for Tk18,000.
Ismail sold the phone to Sanaullah for Tk20,000 who then sold it to Subal for Tk22,000.
16, including 11 of bKash, held over money laundering
– Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police has said it recently arrested 16 people, most of whom worked for bKash, from Dhaka and Chattogram for their involvement in money laundering through hundi under the cloak of mobile financial services (MFS).
The arrestees include bKash's Rumon Kanti Das Joy, 34, Md Hosainul Kabir, 35, Nobin Ullah, 37, Md Junaidul Haque, 30, Adibur Rahman, 25, Asif Newaz, 27, Farhad Hossain, 25, Abdul Basir, 27, Mahbubur Rahman Selim, 50, Abdul Awal Shohag, 36, and Fazle Rabbi, 27.
The others are Akter Hossain, 40, Didarul Alam Sumon, 34, Khorshed Alam Emon, 22, Rashed Monjur Firoz, 45, and Shamim Akter, 32.
The financial crime and cybercrime units of CID conducted three separate drives to arrest the money launderers.
During interrogation, the arrestees confessed to the CID that they embezzled Tk20.70 crore through hundi in the last four months.
The CID team also seized Tk11 lakh in cash, digital money amounting to almost Tk3.5 crore, 34 mobile phones, three laptops, one tab, 33 SIM cards, one hard disk, seven modems and 10 cheque books from their possession.
Read: Banks instructed to campaign for bringing back laundered money
The launderers work in three groups.
The first group collects money in foreign currency from expatriates. The Bangladeshi agents or the second group distributed the money in local currency to MFS agents.
The third group, working for different MFS providers, sends money to the numbers provided by the expats.
Till now, the CID has filed three cases at different police stations in Dhaka and Chattogram over the issue.
Lightning strike kill 9 men at work in Sirajganj
Lightning strike killed nine agricultural workers and injured four others in Sirajganj's Ullapara upazila Thursday, according to police.
Eight of the deceased were identified as Md Mobarak, 40, Monnaf Hossain, 19, Shamsher Ali, 62, Md Afsar, 63, Md Shahin, 21, Abdul Kuddus, 60, Shah Alam, 42 and Ritu Khatun, 15, Mohammad Mahfuz, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of Ullapara Circle, said.
The identities of the other deceased could not immediately be confirmed, he added.
The workers were planting paddy seedlings when it started to rain heavily, Nazrul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ullapara Police Station, said.
Read: Lightning strikes kill three in Kushtia, Natore
"Then all of them sheltered in a house near the field. Suddenly a streak of lightning struck the men, killing five of them on the spot and leaving others critically injured," Nazrul said.
"The locals rushed the injured to different hospitals and clinics where they died while undergoing treatment."
PM returns home ending 4-day visit to India
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday night returned home wrapping her four-day official state visit to India.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:06pm.
Earlier, the flight departed Jaipur International Airport in Rajasthan at 5:30pm local time (6:00pm BST) where Rajasthan’s Education Minister Bulaki Das Kalla and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran saw her off.
Earlier in the morning, the Bangladesh prime minister arrived in Ajmer in Rajasthan to offer prayers at Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah Sharif, the mazar (shrine) of Sufi Moinuddin Chishti on the last day of her visit to India.
Hasina travelled to New Delhi on Monday for her first India tour in three years at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Also read: At a glance: Jointly agreed upon decisions during PM's India visit
She held bilateral talks with Modi and met Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar separately on Tuesday.
After the bilateral talks between the two leaders, Dhaka and Delhi signed seven MoUs -- demonstrating cooperation in a number of areas, including water sharing of the Kushiyara River.
Other MoUs are cooperation in the areas of space technology, science and technology, railways, judiciary and broadcasting.
Besides, the two leaders unveiled unit-I of the Maitree power plant in Rampal and 5.13-km Rupsha Bridge in Khulna.
During Hasina’s stay in India, former Congress party president Rahul Gandhi, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region of India G. Kishan Reddy, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and late Indian president Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee also separately met her.
The Bangladesh premier visited the altar of the Samadhi (memorial) of Mahatma Gandhi to pay tribute to India’s Father of the Nation.
Also read: PM leaves for Dhaka ending 4-day visit to India
Sheikh Hasina visited Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi and joined a business event, jointly organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi.
Sheikh Hasina also awarded the Mujib scholarships among 200 students, the descendants of Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
As work week ends, rain spells traffic woes for Dhaka dwellers
Dhaka, Sept 8 (UNB)-Sudden rain in Dhaka may have provided some relief from scorching heat, but for this city, rain also means traffic congestion —worse than it usually is on Thursday evenings.
As a mild heat wave sweeps over parts of Bangladesh, the sun was glaring in the capital from morning.
Unexpectedly around 4 pm, downpours with lightning started cooling off the Dhaka roads. But immediately after that, as it always happens, gridlocks formed on most major roads.
As the work week ends, it added to the severity of traffic woes for Dhaka dwellers.
People were in a hurry to rush back to their homes but the long tailback of vehicles meant they were stuck on the road.
The photos of rain and its repercussions in the form of traffic congestion were captured by UNB photographer Abu Sufiyan Jewel at TSC of Dhaka University and Bangla Motor areas.
UK to invest 54.5 mn pounds for children in Bangladesh by next 8 years
British Deputy High Commissioner Javed Patel has said ensuring 12 years of quality education for all children is at the centre of the UK’s drive to tackle poverty, promote gender equality, boost economic growth and reduce conflict.
“In Bangladesh, we are investing up to 54.5 million pounds over the next eight years to improve education outcomes for children, particularly girls and marginalised children,” he said.
The Deputy High Commissioner said he wholly believes that sport is integral to a child’s education, and today. “We are proud to stand with the girls’ football team that will be representing Bangladesh on the international stage.”
He hosted a send-off event for the girls’ football team on Thursday which will shortly represent Bangladesh in the Street Child Football World Cup in Qatar.
The team is comprised of children who were all rescued from life on the streets, and now live at the LEEDO (Local Education and Economic Development Organisation) Peace Home in Dhaka.
LEEDO is a not-for-profit, voluntary-based development organisation founded in 2000. Through the provision of education, shelters, and lifestyle support, LEEDO aims to protect vulnerable street children and help them return to the mainstream community.
Read: UK keen to invest in Bangladesh’s higher education sector
During the event, the young guests shared stories of their time living on the street, and appealed to guests to help improve the life chances of other less fortunate children.
They were excited about the opportunity to meet two players from the Bangladesh U-19 national football team, Aklima Khatun and Halima Akhther, and talk to the professional players about their upcoming big game.
They also showed off their footballing skills, and challenged the British Deputy High Commissioner to a ‘keepy-uppy’ contest!
Kazi Nabil Ahmed MP, Vice President of the Bangladesh Football Federation, and Abu Nayeem, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Football Federation, were also present at the event.
Forhad Hossain, Executive Director of LEEDO said they should all raise their voices together to protect the most vulnerable children from the dangers of the streets so that they can create a better Bangladesh.
According to the UNCRC all children have the right to survive with dignity. “I want to thank the British High Commission for organising this event with LEEDO,” he said.
Mamata flays Modi govt for not inviting her to meet Hasina
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has come down heavily on the federal government for "not inviting" her to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the latter's four-day state visit to India.
"I share an excellent relationship with Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, but (the Indian government) did not invite me to be a part of her visit,” Mamata said, addressing her supporters at a meeting of the state's Trinamool Congress in Kolkata on Thursday.
“I don’t want to talk about external affairs or bilateral ties. But, I have noticed that the Centre (the federal government) tries to stop me whenever I am invited to any foreign country. I want to know why is the Union government so worried about me meeting foreign dignitaries,” Manata said.
Read: Mamata sacks tainted Bengal Minister over school jobs scam
Hasina wrapped up her state visit to India on Thursday, with a visit to the Dargah of the revered Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in the town of Ajmer, some 350kms from the national capital.
The Bangladesh PM had also regretted not having met Mamata during her India visit. "Mamata is like my sister. I can meet her whenever I want. We always have a good relationship," she told the media at a dinner reception in Bangladesh High Commission.
Constructing ferry ghat, road in Mongla port area may put 2 LPG plant operations at risk
Construction of a ferry ghat and connecting road in a location between two LGP plants in Mongla port industrial area may create major risks for the two sensitive establishments.
Such concern was expressed by the two largest private operators of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) – Omera LPG and Jamuna LPG which opposed the construction of the road and the Laudoba ferry ghat in between their plants in Mongla port area.
They also requested the authorities concerned to build the road and ferry ghat at any alternative location so that movement of the foreign LPG carriers to their plants is not obstructed.
The LPG operators claimed that the Roads and Highways Department is constructing the road by violating the land policy of the Mongla Port Authority (MPA).
They alleged that such construction may lead to a risk of serious accidents in the navigation of Mongla port and also the two LPG plants set up on both sides of the road.
The MPA is also not happy to see this road being built through the industrial area of the port by creating obstacles to the Pashur channel.
Both Jamuna and Omera LPG plant authorities have lodged complaints with various departments including the MPA, opposing the construction of this road to avoid the risk of accidents.
Read: Another Russian shipment for Rooppur arrives at Mongla Port
The Roads and Highways Department undertook the project to construct the road and ferry ghat at a cost of Tk 1.90 crore to facilitate the movement of the local people from Dakop upazila to Khulna.
Receiving the complaints, initially, the MPA blocked the construction work. But later, the construction work resumed following a verbal permission from the Ministry of Shipping.
Meanwhile, President of LPG Operators Association of Bangladesh (LOAB) and owner of Omera Petroleum Azam J Chowdhury met the chairman of the port authority, Rear Admiral M Musa, and requested him through a letter not to allow the construction of the proposed road and ferry ghat between Omera and Jamuna LPG plants in the port industrial area.
Officials of the Mongla Port Authority said that they have not given any permission for the construction of the structures through the port industrial area in Bagerhat.
They said if the proposed road and ferry ghat are constructed, the navigation system of the Pashur River channel of the port will be under threat and the navigability there will be reduced.
PM leaves for Dhaka ending 4-day visit to India
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, for home on Thursday afternoon wrapping up her four-day official visit to India.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the premier and her entourage departed Jaipur International Airport at 5:30pm local time (6:00pm BST).
Rajasthan’s Education Minister Bulaki Das Kalla and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran saw her off at the airport. The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:00pm.
Also read: At a glance: Jointly agreed upon decisions during PM's India visit
Earlier in the morning, the Bangladesh prime minister arrived at Ajmer in Rajasthan to offer prayers at Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah Sharif, the mazar (shrine) of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti on the last day of her four-day official visit to India.
Hasina reached New Delhi on Monday for her first India tour in three years at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
She held bilateral talks with Modi and met Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar separately on Tuesday.
Also read: PM Hasina visits Ajmer Sharif to offer prayers
After the bilateral talks between the two leaders, Dhaka and Delhi signed seven MoUs -- demonstrating cooperation in a number of areas, including water sharing of the Kushiyara River.
Other MoUs are cooperation in the areas of space technology, science and technology, railways, judiciary and broadcasting.
Besides, the two leaders unveiled unit-I of the Maitree power plant in Rampal and 5.13-km Rupsha Bridge in Khulna.
During Hasina’s stay in India, former Congress party president Rahul Gandhi, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region of India G. Kishan Reddy, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and late Indian president Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee also separately met her.
The Bangladesh premier visited the altar of the Samadhi (memorial) of Mahatma Gandhi to pay tribute to India’s Father of the Nation.
Sheikh Hasina visited Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi and joined a business event, jointly organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi.
Sheikh Hasina also awarded the Mujib scholarships among 200 students, the descendants of Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
Bangladesh, US to host seminar for senior military officers to promote peace, stability
The Bangladesh Army and US Army will host the 46th annual Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS) here on September 12-15 to promote “peace and stability” in the Indo-Pacific region through mutual understanding, dialogue and friendship.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Prospects and Challenges in Maintaining Peace and Security in the Indo-Pacific.”
This is going to be the largest conference for land forces (army, marines) in the region, said the US Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday.
Also read: Digital devices increase women's capacity to contribute to livelihoods: UNDP envoy
It will give senior level officers a forum to exchange views and ideas, and to develop and strengthen their relationships.
The conference will feature plenary sessions, as well as smaller break-out sessions. Attendees will hear from guest speakers and participate in “lively discussions” on topics, such as peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, leadership development, and empowering women.
Participation in IPAMS has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977, to 31 nations in Seoul, Korea in 2017.
Also read: Japanese Embassy celebrates Abul Kalam's receipt of Order of the Rising Sun
IPAMS provides all participants a unique opportunity to discuss the Indo-Pacific region’s security issues and to exchange ideas on topics of mutual concern.
An opening ceremony will start at 8:45 am on September 12 at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, followed by a joint press conference with General Shafiuddin, Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff, and General Charles Flynn, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Pacific, according to the Embassy.