Youth advocates against tobacco on Thursday called for the amendment and strengthening of existing tobacco control laws to protect the health of adolescents and young people.   They made this demand at the conclusion of a training programme titled "Capacity Building Workshop for the Youth Leaders Against Tobacco” held at Nari Maitree’s headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. The training was attended by 20 young women.   The programme was chaired by Nari Maitree's Executive Director, Shaheen Akter Dolly, and the special guest was Md. Abdus Salam Mia, Programs Manager of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Bangladesh.   During the workshop Nasrin Akter, Project Coordinator of Nari Maitree, delivered the main presentation, outlining six key demands included in the draft amendments to the tobacco control law prepared by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the FCTC.   These are: the elimination of designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport to protect non-smokers; the prohibition of tobacco product displays at sales points to halt tobacco advertising; and the complete ban on the social responsibility activities of tobacco companies. Additionally, it calls for the prohibition of the import, use, and marketing of e-cigarettes or emerging heated tobacco products, the cessation of all forms of retail and loose sales of tobacco products, and the increase of pictorial health warnings from 50% to 90%.   Shaheen Akter Dolly said that tobacco is highly detrimental to the health of women and children as each year, around 38.4 million people in Bangladesh are exposed to second-hand smoke, with women and children being the most affected.   Abdus Salam Mia, Programs Manager of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Bangladesh, called upon young people to resist the misleading campaigns of tobacco companies, which aim to make tobacco products appealing to youth.   After the enactment of the Tobacco Control Act in 2005, cigarette tax revenue increased by 17.97% in the 2005-06 fiscal year and by 37.52% in 2006-07. Similarly, after the 2013 amendment, revenue rose by 25.51% in 2013-14 and 46.52% in 2014-15.   According to the World Health Organization, both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes are equally harmful. Salam Mia urged young people to be vigilant, resist tobacco companies' deceitful activities, and stand firm against their harmful practices.  

A 50-member trade delegation from Bangladesh will be visiting Thailand to take part in the biggest business-to-business matchmaking seminar to be held in Bangkok on November 30. The delegation will be led by Abdur Rahim, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Commerce; Makawadee Sumitmor, Ambassador of Thailand to Bangladesh; and Bangladesh Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTCCI) President Shams Mahmud. Bangladesh Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry along with the Commerce Ministry of Thailand and the Royal Thai Embassy in Dhaka jointly organised this program. The delegation visit will be the first of a series of planned visits to Thailand by Bangladesh Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry to make Thailand the gateway for Bangladesh to Southeast Asia and promote Bangladesh as the gateway to South Asia for Thailand, BTCCI said on Tuesday. Read: BGMEA chief for stepping up economic diplomacy to boost Bangladesh-US trade A seminar titled  “Bangladesh and Thailand: New Horizons for Trade and Investment” will also be held during this time where Dr Masrur Reaz, Chairman of Policy Exchange, will make the keynote presentation. Over 100 Thai companies will be participating in this event, comprising of agro, beauty and skincare, construction, light engineering, textile, aviation, hospitality, renewable energy, and fisheries sectors. During this visit, important discussions are expected to take place regarding free trade agreement between Bangladesh and Thailand along with ways to encourage FDI, joint ventures, transfer of technology, and new avenues of cooperation. Besides this, the delegation leaders will make courtesy calls on Dr. Nalinee Taveesin, Adviser to the Prime Minister and Thailand Trade Representative; Sarun Charoensuwan, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Ekachat Seetavorarat, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce. Read: BMCCI advocates for business-friendly environment in meeting with deputy governor of central bank Four factory visits have been arranged to showcase cutting edge technologies in garments and textile, environmental management, construction, light engineering, and agro sectors for the delegation members.

An academic seminar was jointly organized by Kasetsart University and Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok on Friday at Kasetsart University campus on the occasion of International Mother Language Day 2023. In the opening ceremony, The Ambassador of Bangladesh to Bangkok Mohammed Abdul Hye was present as a special guest where Dr. Ladawan Puangchit, Vice President (Academic Affairs) of Kasetsart University and Director of Kasetsart University International College and Dr. Buncha Chinnasri, Deputy Director of Kasetsart University International College were also present. Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Mohammed Abdul Hye mentioned in his remarks that the main source of the vocabulary of both Bangla and Thai languages is Sanskrit. The same source of written form-the Brahmi script is used in both the languages. Therefore, there is ample scope for further comparative research on Bangla and Thai languages, he added. The Ambassador emphasized on organizing such academic seminars on a regular basis and assured that the Bangladesh Embassy would come forward for such an endeavor with Kasetsart University in the future. At the outset, the Deputy Director of Kasetsart University International College Dr. Buncha explained the background of this joint venture of Kasetsart University and Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok. Moreover, Dr. Puangchit, in her welcome speech, mentioned the ongoing activities between Kasetsart University and the Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok including specially earmarked scholarships for Bangladeshi graduates in Masters and Post-doctoral programmes. During the seminar, Dr. Kowit Pimpuang, Associate Professor of Thai Language Department of Kasetsart University, Dr. Sombat Mangmeesukhsiri, Managing Director of the Sanskrit Studies Centre of Silapakorn University and International Mother Language Institute Director General and Dhaka University Communication Disorders department professor Dr. Hakim Arif participated as panelists. At the end, Maleka Parveen, Minister (Political) and Deputy Head of Mission of the Bangladesh Embassy, expressed her sincere thanks to all the panelists for their enlightening discussions.  

The Entrepreneur Economist Club of Dhaka School of Economics organized a virtual seminar on the importance of big data and machine learning in entrepreneurship analysis. Speakers from different countries connected the seminar through online, while the students and faculties of entrepreneurship economics joined the program as hosts, held on Tuesday. The speakers emphasized increasing practice on machine learning and data analytics, to face the challenges of entrepreneurship in the new era. There is a possibility of major changes in the economic activities of the country. So any skills in machine learning and data analytics will put an employee ahead, they said. Read More;: Google's AI Chatbot Bard: All You Need to Know  Prof Parul Khanna, Vice Principal, IMT, Faridabad, India was the chief guest in the seminar while Economist and Coordinator of entrepreneurship economics Professor Dr. Muhammad Mahbub Ali chaired the session. Prof.Dr.Rinku Sharma Dixit, New Delhi School of Management, India presents a keynote paper on ‘using big data and artificial intelligence to accelerate entrepreneurial development Dr. Sudipta Bhattacharya, Dr. Dipika Kundal, Dr. Kunal Sheel, Dr. Pranjal Kumar Pukhan, Assistant Professors Rehena Parveen, and Dr. Sara Tasnim, among others, spoke at the function. Read More: ChatGPT maker releases tool to help teachers detect if AI wrote homework

Speakers at a conference on Sunday underlined the need to establish the ideology of Prophet Mohammed (SM) in every sphere of life.They termed Prophet Mohammed (SM) as the best man ever, saying that those who could fall in his love are the real believers.Bangladesh Ashikane Awlia Parishad organised the Rahmatullil Alamin Conference at Jatiya Press Club to mark the Eid-e-Miladunnabi, the day of birth and demise of prophet.Founder president of the organisation and Pir of Sureshwar Darbar Sharif Alhaj Syed Shah Sufi Belal Noori Al Sureshwari presided over  the conference while nuclear scientist Prof Dr M Shamsher Ali spoke in the function as the chief guest.Moderated by senior vice president of Ashikane Awlia Parishad and Sazzadanshin of Sureswar Darbar Sharif Syed Shah Sufi Muktadir Al Noori, the conference was addressed by vice chancellor of Bangladesh University Prof Dr Anisuzzaman, former education secretary Nazrul Islam Khan, former chairman of Madrasha Education Board Prof Dr Md Abu Bakar Siddique, director of Bangla Academy Mufti Dr Md Harun Or Rashid and founder president of Worldwide Human Rights Foundation Prof Dr Emdadul Haque Khan addressed the function as the special guests. Read: Holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi observed Speaking as the chief  guest, Prof Shamsher Mobin said Muslims are not communal and cannot be communal.He mentioned that the Holy Quran is the book of  guidance for the entire mankind and the Prophet (SM) is the mercy of the whole world.Pir of Sureshwar Darbar Sharif Alhaj Syed Shah Sufi Belal Noori Al Sureshwari said, "Love and affection for the Prophet is true faith. Those who love the Prophet are true Muslims."He said that some scholars are reluctant to observe the Eid-e-Miladunnabi (SM) and claim that Miladunnabi did not exist during the era of the Prophet (SM) and his companions (sahabas) - this is not correct. Rather, prophet Mohammed (SM) celebrated the day by fasting.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh genocide committed in 1971 by the Pakistani military is one of the most heinous crimes in human history and regretted that the Bangladesh genocide is yet to be recognised by the international community to the extent the genocide warrants. “We do not know of another instance of such barbarism of such intensity and mayhem,” Momen said while speaking at a virtual seminar as the chief guest. The Foreign Minister said on 25 March 1971 the Pakistan junta undertook the cruel and enormous mayhem of innocent civilian people of Bangladesh in order to suppress the nation's democratic aspirations by sheer force of fear and terror. He informed that Bangladesh declared 25 March as the Genocide Day and Bangladesh is working for getting the date recognized as the International Genocide Day by all the countries in the world. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momenn said 1971 has been the most significant year in the history of Bangladesh. In one hand, Bangladesh achieved her independence in this very year, on the other hand, the nation experienced the ugliest chapter of brutality, atrocities, indiscriminate killing, raping, looting, and arson to achieve independence, he said, adding that the world witnessed genocide within three decades of the Second World War. Read: Momen in NY: No specific info given by US on Rab sanctions The High Commission for Bangladesh in Canada and the Bangabandhu Centre for Bangladesh Studies (BCBS) in Canada, Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh, Genocide Studies Centre, University of Dhaka, Refugees Resilience Centre and Rotary Club Canada jointly organized the day-long seminar on remembering and recognition of the case of Bangladesh Genocide on 1971 at the Human Rights Museum, Winipeg, Canada on September 21. High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Canada and the Chief Patron of the BCBS in Canada Dr Khalilur Rahman and Dr Kawser Ahmed, Chief Coordinator of the BCBS, Canada, delivered introductory remarks. Dr. Gregory Stanton of Genocide Watch delivered the keynote speech. David C Newman, Rotarian and Peace-Builder and Canadian Patron of the BCBS, Dr. James Waller, Cohen Professor of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies of Keene State College, New Hampshire, USA, Dr. Adam Muller, Professor and Director of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Manitoba, spoke at the seminar. In addition, Dr. John Adam of University of British Colombia, Vancouver, Canada, gave a verbal illustration of the Bangladesh Genocide which pictures the heinous crimes committed in Bangladesh in 1971. Joining virtually, Mofidul Hoque, Trustee, Liberation War Museum of Bangladesh, and Director of Centre for the Study of Genocide and Justice explained the case of genocide in Bangladesh in 1971. His statement was followed by presentations by post-genocide generation researchers. Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, Director of Center for Genocide Studies, University of Dhaka, presented a paper delineating the Bangladesh genocide. Professor Ahmed said that the Bangladesh genocide fulfills all criteria declared by the UN to get the global recognition. Some members of the victim families of the Genocide also spoke at the Seminar. Professor Dr. Nuzhat Chowdhury described the abduction of her father Dr Alim Chowdhury by collaborators of the Pakistan military, the Rajakars, and his subsequent brutal killing just before the independence of Bangladesh. Read: Myanmar’s shelling inside Bangladesh “unintentional mistake”, Momen says in NY She explained the international politics behind the dilemma of getting Bangladesh Genocide recognised and urged for end to such realpolitik. Dr Towheed Reza Noor, son of Sirajuddin Hossain, described his father's abduction and killing. Martyr Mr. Sirajuddin Hossain was a prominent journalist. He described how the Bengali intellectuals were made victim of genocide committed by Pakistani military. Asif Muneir, son of Professor Munir Chowdhury, gave the description of his father's abduction and killing during the Bangladesh Genocide of 1971 by the collaborators of Pakistan military, Rajakar, Al Badr and Al Shams.

To maintain regional peace and stability, the Armies of twenty-four countries have expressed solidarity to work together. The 46th Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) - 2022 co-hosted by the Bangladesh Army and US Army Pacific (USARPAC) has come to an end with participants expressing optimism for continued peace and stability in the region. Delegates from 24 countries headed by senior military leaders attended the seminar held at a city hotel, which was scheduled from September 12-15, said a press release of Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR), signed by its Assistant Director Rashedul Alam Khan on Friday. “Twenty-four nations came together to share ideas, build relationships, and even express concerns about the security and prosperity of the world’s most consequential region, sending a powerful message of unity and collective commitment,” U.S. Army Pacific’s Gen. Charles A. Flynn told a closing ceremony.

The four-day 46th Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS) 2022, hosted by Bangladesh Army and US Army Pacific, will begin at a Dhaka hotel Monday. The IPAMS is one of the preeminent army engagements that provide a forum for senior military leaderships from the Indo-Pacific regional land forces to exchange views and ideas on peace and stability.   The objective of the 46th edition of the seminar is to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific through mutual understanding, dialogue, and friendship. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the seminar as the chief guest using an online platform, according to the Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate. Read: Bangladesh, US to host seminar for senior military officers to promote peace, stability The 46th edition of IPAMS sessions will focus on "robust peacekeeping," "women empowerment," and "land power in regional cooperation." Delegates from 26 countries, headed by senior military leaders, will join the seminar, which will end on September 15. The junior and non-commissioned officers from the participating countries will attend a session on leadership challenges. The delegates will have the opportunity to visit one of the camps of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Cox's Bazar. The IPAMS participation has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1977, to 31 nations in South Korea's Seoul in 2017. Bangladesh is co-hosting the seminar for the third time. Previously Bangladesh co-hosted the event in 1993 and 2014.

Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited (AIBL) on Tuesday organized a seminar titled 'Bangabandhu and Bangladesh' marking the 47th Death Anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The event was presided by Managing Director and CEO Farman R. Chowdhury while Director Kh. Mesbah Uddin Ahmed was present, according to a press release. Read: AIBL signs agreement with Padma Diagnostic Chairman of the Bank Alhajj Salim Rahman was present as the chief guest on the occasion. Former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University AAMS Arefin Siddique discussed as key speaker on the occasion. Among others, Deputy Managing Directors and Senior Executives of the Bank participated in  the seminar.

A seminar here on Sunday heard complaints that excessive tax and customs harassment of businesspeople are obstructing the growth of Bangladesh’s foreign trade and hurting businesses. The seminar, organized by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) at its auditorium, reviewed the economy of Bangladesh during the second quarter of the January-June 2022 from the perspective of the private sector. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman gave a presentation on the topic in the seminar. Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said the honest businesses involved in export and import of goods and services are mostly harassed at customs and National Board of Revenue. Hatem said they face a number of hurdles in doing honest business. “These are our main obstacles,” he noted. Read: Tackling inflation to protect people’s purchasing power key challenge: DCCI  "We need to call Chattogram Customs, Dhaka Customs and the Commissioner of North-South Customs almost every day to rescue the businesspeople from harassment. Transports and goods are detained on various pretexts. Why do they do it? It’s irritating." He also said customs and NBR instead should pursue the corrupt businesses and detect those who commit crimes. Shamsul Alam, state minister for planning, spoke as the chief guest, while former FBCCI president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin was the special guest.