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Govt moves to hike license, renewal fees of pvt health facilities
Fahad Ferdous, UNB Staff Writer
Cell in SCBs to monitor, recover default loans
Dhaka, Sept 6 (UNB) – Each of the state-owned commercial banks (SCBs) will have to put in place a dedicated supervision cell to oversee cases of default loan worth Tk. 100 crore and above and take measures to recover the money.
Three cheers for SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018
Dhaka, Sep 6 (UNB) – The beginning of the 12th edition of the SAFF Championship is marked by three unique features.
There are – revival of football’s popularity in the country with each game proving to be formidable crowd-puller, live telecast of the games via country’s first commercial satellite Bangabandhu-1, and comeback of Pakistan after a four-year break including a suspension from international football by FIFA.
Bangladesh hosting the seven-nation biennial event – this time named as the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018 – for the third time, after 2003 and 2009, and got off to a flying start on Tuesday with a 2-0 win against visiting Bhutan, the side that kept Bangladesh out of the international circuit for long 17-month by defeating Bangladesh by 3-1 goals in the ACC Asia Cup Qualifiers in Thimphu back in 2016.
The home of Bangladesh football, Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) with a capacity of 23000 suffered crowd droughts for a long time, but the opening day’s Bangladesh-Bhutan match pulled a good 12000-strong crowd. Braving intermittent rains the local spectators continued to enjoy the English coach Jamie Day boys’ early success in the very first match.
Jamie Day was pleased with his team performance. On Tuesday night speaking at the post-match press conference he said, “The boys played very well and I think, we deserved the win tonight.”
Earlier, a day before the match day the coach Jamie Day said, “I’m not looking in the past. We are looking forward, after a long preparation. We have 20 players and we will play match by match.” He was speaking at the pre-match press conference at BFF House.
However, in the last three editions of the SAFF Championships, Bangladesh finished their journey from the group stage after a successful title-winning campaign in 2003.
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman and BFF Senior-vice President Abdus Salam Murshedy earlier expected a revival of national football team’s popularity through this ongoing event.
“We need only a winning start to bring back our football loving people to the stadium as I believe football is still a popular game in Bangladesh. I hope Bangladesh will play the final,” Murshedy said on August 31.
The BFF President Kazi Salahuddin also expressed optimism this time about having a good result in the tournament. He said, “As a footballer, I can say, the level of the participating nations of this event is much higher than any other SAFF event held before. I hope we’ll be the champions. As the BFF president, I’ve done enough for the national team’s preparations. I hope we’ll get a good result.”
The BFF president was speaking on logo unveiling ceremony on September 3.
Meanwhile, country’s first commercial satellite station has made its debut on an experimental operation by facilitating Bangladesh Television (BTV) air the SAFF Championship matches.
Bangladesh entered the elite Space Club of 57 nations with the launch of its first geostationary communications satellite, Bangabandhu-1, into the orbit by US space transport company SpaceX on May 12, 2018. The satellite was launched using the latest version of SpaceX's upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, from the historic Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The slot was rented from Russian satellite company Intersputnik for $28 million in January 2015.
Another feature of this edition of SAFF game is Pakistan’s first appearance in international football after a four year lull. Pakistan have overcome their frustration, making a winning return into the international football as they started their campaign in the meet with a 2-1 win against Nepal in the tournament opener also on September 4.
The ban on Pakistan, which was imposed due to third-party interference in the Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) affairs, has been withdrawn by FIFA in March 2018.
The biggest football festival of the region--The SAFF Suzuki Cup -- will end with its final on September 15 where host Bangladesh was placed in Group ‘A’ with Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan and Group ‘B’ comprises defending champions India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives to qualify the semifinals.
Bangladesh are now at the top of the group table ahead of Pakistan by virtue of goal difference.
BNP plans simultaneous movement with other parties in Oct
Dhaka, Sept 5 (UNB) - BNP is getting ready to launch a ‘brief but effective’ simultaneous movement with other opposition parties in October next to force the government to release Khaleda Zia and hold the next national election under a non-party administration.
China-Europe freight train service growing under BRI: Officials
Dhaka, Sept 5 (UNB) – The China-Europe freight train service carrying containers from both ends is gaining popularity as China has made direct rail service a major feature of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) encouraging other BRI countries to follow suit, officials said.
Good yield brings fortune to Jhalakathi guava growers
Jhalakathi, September 4 (UNB) – After several years of relatively dull business, hundreds of fruit growers in the district’s guava-rich zones in the district are elated this year at the prospect of a bumper production of the tropical fruit.
Bangladesh Bank moves to stop collateral fraud
Dhaka, Sept 4 (UNB) – Banks are not unfamiliar to unscrupulous borrowers who tend to secure loans by offering same piece of land property as collateral from multiple lenders.
BRI not only for China’s interest but also for countries along Belt & Road: China
AKM Moinuddin, Back from Xinjiang, China
Dhaka, Sept 3 (UNB) – China has said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is not only for the development of China but it is also an answer for the common destination of human being through stronger partnership and broader connectivity among countries along the Belt and Road.
Describing massive development in the largest region Xinjiang, China has also said they have made a lot of achievements in terms of social stability in the region that the international media should see with an eye of “objective understanding”.
“We’ve made a lot of achievements. Terrorism, separatist and religious extremist ideas, these aren’t only the problems of China but these are also the common problems all over the world,” Vice Director of the Information Office of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Ailit Shaliyefu told UNB.
He said China is making the best use of Xinjiang’s geographic advantages and its role as a window of westward opening-up to deepen communication and cooperation with Central, South and West Asian countries.
Xinjiang works as a key transportation, trade, logistics, culture, science and education centre, and a core area on the Silk Road Economic Belt.
During Xi’s historic visit, Bangladesh formally joined the 'Belt and Road Initiative', a drive which has already drawn the close attention of the world.
Responding to a question, the senior Chinese official said the global problems of separatists, religious extremists and terrorism could be solved under the framework of common destination of human being.
Govt plans to implement 10 mega power projects by 2030
Dhaka, Sept 3 (UNB) – As part of its Power System Master Plan (PSMP) 2016, the government is going to implement 10 mega projects of about 15,000 MW of capacity by 2030.
Resolving Rohingya Crisis: Dipu says understanding Myanmar character important
Dhaka, Sept 2 (UNB) – Though Bangladesh’s diplomatic efforts yielded success to evoke global support over Rohingya crisis, former Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni MP thinks Myanmar’s traditional character suggests it may not easily succumb to international pressure to pave the way for quick repatriation of its forcibly displaced people.