The Traffic Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) filed 2,131 cases and imposed fines totalling Tk 77,65,500 during operations targeting traffic rule violations on Wednesday. The fines were for various offences, including speeding, illegal parking, and driving without the necessary documentation or safety measures, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of the DMP, in a media release on Wednesday. In addition, 240 vehicles were seized and impounded, while 68 others were towed due to poor driving practices, he added.

The traffic division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) filed 799 cases and imposed fine of around Tk 33.39 lakh after conducting drives against traffic rule violators on Sunday. Muhammad Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of DMP, said this in a media release on Monday. Read: 838 cases filed, over Tk 37 lakh fined for breaching traffic rules: DMP Fifty-three vehicles were dumped and 29 others were towed during the drives conducted in parts of the capital. The drive will remain continued to maintain the traffic order in Dhaka, it added

The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion privacy fine Monday (May 22, 2023) and ordered it to stop transferring user data across the Atlantic by October, the latest salvo in a decadelong case sparked by U.S. cybersnooping fears. The penalty fine of 1.2 billion euros from Ireland's Data Protection Commission is the biggest since the EU's strict data privacy regime took effect five years ago, surpassing Amazon's 746 million euro penalty in 2021 for data protection violations. The Irish watchdog is Meta's lead privacy regulator in the 27-nation bloc because the Silicon Valley tech giant's European headquarters is based in Dublin. Meta, which had previously warned that services for its users in Europe could be cut off, vowed to appeal and ask courts to immediately put the decision on hold. Read more: Facebook user data issue: Facebook parent company Meta will pay $725M “There is no immediate disruption to Facebook in Europe,” the company said. “This decision is flawed, unjustified and sets a dangerous precedent for the countless other companies transferring data between the EU and U.S.,” Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global and affairs, and Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead said in a statement. It's yet another twist in a legal battle that began in 2013 when Austrian lawyer and privacy activist Max Schrems filed a complaint about Facebook’s handling of his data following former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s revelations about U.S. cybersnooping. The saga has highlighted the clash between Washington and Brussels over the differences between Europe's strict view on data privacy and the comparatively lax regime in the U.S., which lacks a federal privacy law. Read more: Meta oversight board urges changes to VIP moderation system An agreement covering EU-U.S. data transfers known as the Privacy Shield was struck down in 2020 by the EU's top court, which said it didn’t do enough to protect residents from the U.S. government's electronic prying. That left another tool to govern data transfers — stock legal contracts. Irish regulators initially ruled that Meta didn't need to be fined because it was acting in good faith in using them to move data across the Atlantic. But it was overruled by the EU's top panel of data privacy authorities last month, a decision that the Irish watchdog confirmed Monday. Meanwhile, Brussels and Washington signed an agreement last year on a reworked Privacy Shield that Meta could use, but the pact is awaiting a decision from European officials on whether it adequately protects data privacy. EU institutions have been reviewing the agreement, and the bloc's lawmakers this month called for improvements, saying the safeguards aren't strong enough. Read more: Meta contributes over Tk1.5 crore for Sitrang-hit people's rehabilitation efforts Meta warned in its latest earnings report that without a legal basis for data transfers, it will be forced to stop offering its products and services in Europe, “which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.” The social media company might have to carry out a costly and complex revamp of its operations if it's forced to stop shipping user data across the Atlantic. Meta has a fleet of 21 data centers, according to its website, but 17 of them are in the United States. Three others are in the European nations of Denmark, Ireland and Sweden. Another is in Singapore. Other social media giants are facing pressure over their data practices. TikTok has tried to soothe Western fears about the Chinese-owned short video sharing app's potential cybersecurity risks with a $1.5 billion project to store U.S. user data on Oracle servers. Read more: Ohio retirement fund sues Facebook over investment loss

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Thursday (May 18, 2023) rejected a writ petition filed challenging the legality of the election of Md Shahabuddin as president of the country. The eight-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order and fined the writ petitioner Advocate MA Aziz Tk one lakh “for wasting the court’s time” by filling an “illogical writ petition.” The other members of the bench are: Justice Md. Nuruzzaman, Justice Obaidul Hassan, Justice Borhanuddin, Justice M. Enayetur Rahim, Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam, Justice Md. Abu Zafor Siddique, Justice Jahangir Hossain. Also read: Supreme Court to conduct judicial activities physically from Wednesday Advocate MA Aziz Khan stood for the petitioner while Attorney General MA Amin Uddin represented the state. On March 7, a writ petition was filed challenging the legality of the process for electing Md Shahabuddin as president and publication of the gazette notification by the Election Commission. The writ petition also sought a stay order of the operation of the gazette notification issued by the Election Commission. On March 15, the High Court rejected the writ petition. On March 21, an appeal petition was filed against the HC order that has rejected the writ petition. Read more: Lawyers can play a big role to ensure good governance: President

The Department of Environment (DoE) has fined 10 establishments and 26 vehicles TK 4.45 lakh through mobile court operations at five spots in Dhaka and its adjacent areas for polluting air. The drives were conducted at Savar, Manik Mia avenue, Khilkhet, Aftabnagar, and Bypass Expressway area of Gazipur. Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin visited the mobile court operations at Manik Mia avenue, Khilkhet, and Aftabnagar. “Government will do whatever is needed to curb air pollution. We would continue our drives against polluters,” said the minister. Also Read: Dhaka’s air pollution: HC asks what steps have been taken Deputy Minister of the ministry Habibun Nahar, Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Director General of DoE, and other senior officials were also present during the drives. Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed said the ministry urged all DCs to take action against polluters. A special meeting is will be held to determine the related ministry’s responsibilities, she said. Two contractor firms of Dhaka Bypass Expressway and BRT highway were fined TK 1 lakh. TK 2.5 lakh fine was collected from 7 establishments at Aftabnagar. The rest of the amount was collected from different vehicles.    

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined by police on Friday (January 20, 2023) for taking off his seat belt to film a social media video in a moving car. Sunak, 42, has apologized for making an “error of judgment” while recording a message for Instagram from the back of an official government car during a visit to northwest England on Thursday. The Lancashire Police force said it had looked into video “circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire.” The force said, without naming Sunak, that it had “issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.” Also read: UK’s Sunak vows to halve inflation, tackle illegal migration Failing to wear a seat belt is punishable by a penalty of up to 500 pounds ($620), though fixed penalty notices for such offenses are usually 100 pounds ($124) if paid promptly. The conditional offer means that the person fined accepts guilt but doesn’t have to go to court. Police didn’t say how much Sunak was fined. Sunak’s office said in a statement that “the prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologized. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty.” Read More: Sunak won’t go to UN climate conference: UK It’s the second time Sunak has been fined during his political career. Last year, when he was Treasury chief, he was fined 50 pounds for breaching pandemic lockdown rules by briefly attending a party inside government offices. He was one of dozens of officials fined over the “partygate” scandal, including then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Sunak took office as U.K. leader in October, promising “integrity, professionalism and accountability” after a tumultuous few years that saw Johnson ousted by multiple scandals and his successor Liz Truss toppled after her policies rocked the U.K. economy.

A Cox’s Bazar court has sentenced 101 self-confessed drug peddlers to one and a half years of rigorous imprisonment. It also fined them Tk 20,000 each. Judge Mohammad Ismail of district and sessions judge court pronounced the judgment Wednesday noon. However, the accused were acquitted from another arms case as allegations against them were not proved. Among the convicts, only 17 were present at the courtroom while 84 others tried in absentia, said Md Faridul Alam, Public Prosecutor (PP) of the court. Read: Drug peddler snatched from police custody in Ctg; woman shot dead “In its observation, the court said that the verdict will play an important role in preventing others from joining the illegal trade in the future,” said Faridul. According to the PP, the court in its observation said that a total of 37 yaba dealers died during shootouts with law enforcers in 2019. On February 16, 2019, 3,50,000 yaba pills  and 30 firearms were recovered, which the surrendered drug dealers identified as theirs. A total of 34 witnesses gave testimonies in the arms case, the court said. Some influential people who have been convicted in the drugs case include four brothers of former Member of Parliament (MP) Abdur Rahman Badi -Abdul Amin, Abdur Shukkur, Shafiqul Islam and Foysal Rahman, current chairman of Teknaf Sadar Union Ziaur Rahman Jihad, his elder brother Abdur Rahman and Didar Mia, son of former Teknaf upazila Chairman Jafar Ahmed.   Read: 5 members of drugs gang sentenced for 2014 attack on Rab According to court sources, a total of 102 drug dealers surrendered before law enforcement agencies at Teknaf Pilot High School field on February 16, 2019. Later, two separate cases were filed in this regard by ABMS Doha, then Officer In-charge (OC) of Teknaf Model Police Station.

The High Court (HC) on Sunday stayed the realisation Tk 2 lakh fine imposed by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) on e-ticketing platform Shohoz.com following a complaint by a Dhaka University student over irregularities in ticket sale. The HC bench of Justice Mohammad Khoshruzzaman and Justice Iqbal Kabir passed the order after hearing a writ filed by Shohoz, said Lawyer Tanjib-ul Alam, counsel of Shohoz.com. The court also issued a rule questioning why DNCRP’s fine on Shohoz.com should not be declared illegal. On July 26, Shohoz.com filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the legality of the Tk 2 lakh fine imposed by DNCRP. In the writ, Shohoz.com appealed to the court to suspend the realisation of fine by the DNCRP and issuae a rule declaring the fine illegal. Four including the commerce secretary and DNCRP have been made respondents to the rule. Read: Shohoz files writ with HC challenging legality of Tk 2 lakh fine On July 20, DNCRP fined Shohoz.com, an online ticketing platform of the country, Tk 2 lakh after finding evidence of its mismanagement in selling tickets for Bangladesh Railway. The DNCRP organised a hearing after receiving a complaint from Mohiuddin Rony, a 4th-year student of Dhaka University's Theatre and Performance Studies Department, over irregularities in ticket sale by Shohoz.com. On July 25, Shohoz claimed there was no negligence while providing service. In a statement, the company said service was provided to Mohiuddin Roni following the terms and conditions mentioned on the ticketing website of Bangladesh Railway (www.eticket.railway.gov.bd). Read: Shohoz fined Tk 2 lakh after DU student’s complaint over irregularities in ticket sale Mohiuddin Roni, a Dhaka university student, from July 8, has been demanding the implementation of his six-point demand after being deceived by shohoz.com while buying a train ticket to go home during the vacation of Eid-Ul-Azha.   He suspended his movement on July 25 after a meeting with the high officials of Bangladesh Railway including the Railways secretary and Director General at Rail Bhaban.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission realised Tk 2.78 crore as fines from three mobile phone operators of the country over the allegations of operating illegal VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). A total of Tk 2,78,25,000 fine have been collected from  Robi, Grameenphone and Banglalink, said BTRC in a press release on Thursday. Also read: BTRC places indefinite suspension on GP SIM card sale Robi paid Tk 2.10 crore, Grameenphone Tk 52.5 lakh and Banglalink Tk15.75 lakh between July 12 to 14. On April 10, the operators were asked to pay the fines after a hearing by the commission under sub-section 5 of section 65 of Bangladesh Telecommunication Act,2001, over the use of SIM (subscriber identity module) used in illegal VoIPs . Also read: BTRC fines 4 mobile operators Tk 7.65 crore

A mobile court on Monday fined Tk 1000 to a young man for breaching rules while crossing the Padma Bridge, on the second day of the opening of the long-cherished bridge to vehicular traffic. The mobile court led by executive magistrate of the local administration Ashraful Kabir slapped the fine to Fakhrul Alam, a private car driver along with a group, numbering 7 to 8 for making tiktok video after parking his car on the bridge in the afternoon, said The mobile court also warned five vehicle drivers and asked them to refrain from violating the rules. Read: CID detains youth who removed nuts, bolts of Padma Bridge “The local administration has issued a mass notification on the movement of vehicles on the Padma Bridge and its maintenance following the occurrence of many incidents on the first day of opening of the bridge. Directives were also given to conduct mobile court,” he said. The government has imposed ban on plying of motorcycles on the Padma Bridge until further notice. The ban imposed by the Bridge Division under the Ministry of Road, Transport and Bridges will be effective from 6am Monday. The Press Information Department issued a notification in this regard on Sunday night.