Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) during their annual day parade on Monday (March 04, 2024), emphasizing the paramount importance of adhering to the chain of command for maintaining discipline within the ranks. “Keep in mind that the chain of command is the most important driving power for a disciplined force. Never break the discipline; continue following the chain of command,” Sheikh Hasina urged the BGB members. The premier was addressing the parade of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Day-2024 at its headquarters in Dhaka. The Prime Minister reflected on her government’s initiatives to bolster the BGB, citing the enactment of the Border Guard Bangladesh Act 2010 as a pivotal step towards enhancing the force's capabilities. “Now BGB has been built as an efficient, strong, modern three-dimensional force,” she said, adding that BGB is now capable of performing its duty on land, water, and air. She said the Awami League government adopted the ‘Border Guard Bangladesh Vision-2041’ in a bid to develop the BGB as a world-class border guard force. Clamp down on illegal hoarding of commodities during Ramadan: PM tells DCs “We want Border Guard Bangladesh to be developed as a world-class border force, and march forward as border sentinels, becoming a symbol of trust for the people of Bangladesh,” she said adding that BGB will also be a smart force in Smart Bangladesh by 2041. The prime minister appreciated the role of protecting the country’s borders and combating different border crimes, and standing beside the people during any crisis in the country. “Alongside protecting the border, the BGB resisted different border crimes including smuggling, drug and women, children trafficking in a responsible manner,” she said. Apart from playing the role as sentinels on the border, the BGB stands beside the people during any problem like arson violence in the country and always plays a role in protecting the lives and property, and thus they gained the trust and confidence of the nation, she said. Recalling the 2009 BDR mutiny, Prime Minister Hasina shared her deep emotional connection to the tragedy, in which 74 individuals, including 57 distinguished officers, were tragically killed. The events unfolded on February 25 and 26, 2009, marking one of the darkest chapters in Bangladesh’s history. PM said that she feels a profound sorrow, remembering the lives lost during the mutiny. She offered prayers for the souls of the deceased and extended her heartfelt condolences to their families. “No one can truly comprehend the depth of sorrow that comes with losing loved ones, as I do,” Hasina stated, emphasising her personal empathy for the bereaved families. The Prime Minister reassured that those responsible for the mutiny have been held accountable, expressing her hope that such a tragedy will never be repeated. Turning to the advancements made under her leadership, the PM outlined significant steps taken to modernise the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), noting the recruitment of 35,517 soldiers over the past 15 years. A notable milestone in inclusivity, her government initiated the integration of women into the force, with 936 female soldiers joining since 2015. Blaze-hit Bailey Road building had no fire exit: PM Hasina In response to emerging threats, her administration has implemented the ‘Smart Digital Surveillance and Tactical Border Response System’ across vulnerable sections of the border, enhancing surveillance capabilities and bolstering defences against trans-border terrorism. Further emphasizing her commitment to border security and regional development, Hasina highlighted the construction of 1,036 km of border roads. This infrastructure project aims not only to secure the hilly border areas but also to improve the socio-economic conditions of remote communities. The prime minister inspected a spectacular parade arranged at Bir Uttam Anwar Hossain Parade Ground in Pilkhana, riding on an open decorated vehicle, and then received salute of the march-past. She handed over the BGB Medal, President BGB Medal, BGB Medal-Service and President BGB Medal-Service to 72 selected BGB personnel in recognition of their heroic and outstanding contribution to different activities of the force. The PM unveiled a sculpture of Bangabandhu titled “Prerona” at the BGB headquarters. Earlier, on her arrival, Sheikh Hasina was received by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqu. Read more: BGB thwarts gold smuggling attempt, arrests woman with 11 bars in Chuadanga

Bangladesh team clinched bronze medal in the men's recurve team events of the 2023 Archery Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament, Stage -3 beating Australia by 5-4 sets in Singapore on Saturday (June 10, 2023). Bangladesh recurve team consists of Sagor Islam, Hakim Ahmed Rubel and Ram Krishna Saha played 4-4 draw with their Australian rivals in the first stage. REad: Asian Chess: IM Fahad Rahman beat Kuziev Miraziz of Uzbekistan in 6th round. Later in the tie breaker, Bangladesh beat Australia by 29-27 score to win the bronze medal. China win the event's gold medal while India took the silver medal in the event of the Asian meet, participated by 26 countries. A 15- member Bangladesh National Archery team participated in the Archery Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament, Stage-3 concluded on Saturday in Singapore. Read: Jr Asia Cup Hockey: Bangladesh eliminated in group stage Members of Bangladesh Archery team are: Archers: Hakim Ahmed Rubel, Sagor Islam, Ram Krishna Saha ( Recurve Men's), Diya Siddiqui, Joyti Rani, Shima Akhter Shimu (Recurve Women's), Mohammad Ashiquzzaman, Newaj Ahmed Rakib, Sohel Rana (Compound Men's), Bonnya Akhter, Shymoli Rai and Puspita Zaman (Compound Women's) Read: DRU Shooting: Rumel Khan emerges men's, Nadia Sharmin women's champions

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today received the medal and citation of IDF Global Ambassador for Diabetes.  Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen handed over the medal to her at her official residence Ganabhaban this morning, said PM's Speech Writer Md. Nazrul Islam. Read more: Work collectively for a fair economic order: PM at Voice of South Summit Sheikh Hasina was offered the first-ever Honorary title of the Global Ambassador for Diabetes in recognition of her role to ensure affordable access to health care for patients with diabetes and other non-communicable diseases during the opening ceremony of the IDF world diabetes congress held in Lisbon, Portugal on 5 December 2022. Earlier the Prime Minister accepted the title during a call on by IDF President Professor Akhtar Hussain on 24 August 2022 at Ganabhaban here in Dhaka. Read more: If voted to power in next election, will continue Bangladesh’s dev journey: PM tells CPC Vice-Minister The Bangladesh Ambassador to Portugal accepted the title on her behalf at the opening ceremony of the IDF world diabetes congress in Lisbon. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, PM’s ambassador-at-large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM's Principal Secretary Tofazzal Hossain and Senior Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were present, while handing over the medal and the citation at Ganabhaban.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the police personnel to continue their service towards the people to sustain the public trust they have earned. “…serve the people keeping the humanitarian aspects in mind so that the trust and confidence among the mass people regarding the police force remain intact,” she said. The prime minister said this while inaugurating the Police Week-2023 at the capital's Rajarbagh Police Lines. She said that police are now serving the people as the force of the people while in the past they used to live in fear of police. “Now they know that police serve them and stand beside them and gaining trust of people is very much important for any force. You (police force) are doing that,” she said. Hasina said her government wanted to develop the country’s police force to the standard of the developed countries. “In keeping compatibility with the developed countries we want to build our police force a skilled and smart police force and drive the country towards development,” she told the programme.. She urged all to ensure that no one can put any obstacle in the country’s march towards development and prosperity. She recalled that the opposition BNP-Jamaat alliance unleashed arson attacks on the people in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She hoped that these kinds of heinous acts will not be repeated in the country. “I thank all law enforcing agencies including the police force for their courageous role to stop those attacks,” she said. Read more: Govt committed to expanding techno-based police services: PM “That Bangladesh will be a Smart Bangladesh in knowledge, science and technology. The digital devices will be used in everything such as our business, trade, education, health and the government,’’ she said. She also mentioned that Bangladesh Police would be built in a smarter way by giving them education on science and technology and proper training. PM Hasina alerted the police about conspiracies being hatched against Bangladesh. “Conspiracies are being hatched when Bangladesh is advancing towards prosperity,” she said. She said that police had successfully broken the base of the militant organisations following the Holey Artisan which has brightened the country’s image globally. “Police are also successfully checking the smuggling and human trafficking,” she said. She also highly praised the police, particularly the women members of the force, as they have achieved global fame for their professional and sincere work in the UN peace missions. She said Bangladesh must keep the pace of development despite the world is going through an economic recession. Hasina reiterated her call to grow more food, bringing every inch of land under cultivation to keep Bangladesh safe from global recession and food crisis. “You all have to grow something at your working places as Bangladesh never has to face global economic recession and food crisis,” she said. Read more: Pay production cost to get smooth supply of gas, electricity: PM Hasina tells industries Briefly describing her government's measures taken for ensuring the overall development of the Bangladesh Police, she said that they increased the allocation for police in the budget to Tk 800 crore from Tk 400 crore, after assuming office for the first time in 1996. She said the government has ensured ration for all the police personnel including the retired ones and introduced risk allowances alongside promoting a female police personnel as the superintendent of police (SP) in 1998. The Prime Minister said they have built a Police Welfare Trust by giving Tk 5 crore as seed money and established the Police Staff College in 2000. She said they have built 25 police stations, 86 investigation centres, 58 highway police outposts, 150 police camps alongside appointing 803 sub inspectors, 507 sergeants, 14,680 constables during her first tenure 1996-2001 period. Read More: Proposal sent for formation of specialised police unit for metro rail: DMP Commissioner After assuming power for three consecutive terms since 2009, she said her government has taken various measures to turn Bangladesh into a self-dependent state and Bangladesh Police as modern, people friendly. She said they have increased the posts for grade-1 and 2 to solve the problem over promotion. Hasina said that the government has created Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Tourist Police, River Police, Special Security and Protection Battalion, Industrial Police, Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) while two battalions of the armed police and one battalion of the RAB in Rohingya camps to ensure their security. She said that DNA Lab, Automated Finger Print Identification System (AFIS) and modern forensic lab have been established in police, adding that such labs would be built in every division in future. Mentioning that cyber crimes have appeared as a big problem across the globe, she said a complete cyber police unite will be formed soon. The Prime Minister said they have taken measures to develop the Central Police Hospital and build divisional hospitals for police in each division, adding that a step has already taken to build a divisional hospital in Dhaka division.

Although the Tokyo Olympics began with a muted ceremony in a near-empty stadium amid anger and disbelief in much of Japan, Games medals made from recycled electronics have finally got a chance to shine. Japan had turned obsolete electronics into Olympic, and Paralympic medals, one of the most coveted prizes in sport, in an "act of 21st-century alchemy" before the virus-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics finally opened Friday. Tokyo 2020 medallists have become the first in the history of the Games to hang medals made from recycled electrical goods around their necks. Chinese air rifle shooter Qian Yang became the first athlete to step to the podium and have a gold medal placed around her neck after the first events started Saturday. Qian is also the first athlete to receive a gold medal made from recycled electronics. READ: Pandemic Olympics endured heat, and now a typhoon’s en route The precious prizes – 5,000 gold, silver and bronze medals – have been crafted from around 80,000 tonnes of small electrical goods – including 6.21 million used phones. The medals started as just a pile of old tech when the Tokyo 2020 Medal Project sourced small electronic devices from all over Japan, the organisers said. In a two-year nationwide campaign, Japan extracted enough gold, silver and bronze from old gadgets to make Games medals. Before taking the round glossy shape of an Olympic medal, electrical goods had to be sorted out, dismantled, smelted and refined, according to Tokyo 2020. Around 90% of Japanese cities, towns, and villages participated in the medal project by setting up donation pick-up sites where thousands of people donated obsolete consumer electronics. Electronic waste (e-waste) is the fastest-growing part of the world's domestic waste stream. The world generated a record 7.3kg per person of e-waste in 2019, according to the UN. However, most of this waste never reaches collection centres. Only 20% of discarded electronics are recycled; the rest is either dumped or burned. The Tokyo 2020 organising committee saw this as an opportunity and invited people to donate their old electronic devices. The campaign finally produced 32kg of gold, 3,500kg of silver and 2,200kg of bronze from nearly 80,000 tonnes of electronic devices, which were then moulded into glittering Olympic medals. READ: Prof Yunus gets highest viewership in Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony, says Yunus Centre  "The Tokyo 2020 Medal Project aims towards an innovative future for the world. From April 2017 to March 2019, small electronic devices, including mobile phones were collected to produce the Olympic and Paralympic medals," the organisers said. Making medals from recycled electronics is not new. In Rio 2016, 30% of the sterling silver to make the gold and silver medals came from recycled materials, including leftover mirrors, old car parts, and X-ray plates.  But Tokyo has elevated it to a different level – the first ever Games where all of the medals that both the Olympians and Paralympians will go away with are made from recycled e-waste, a particularly dangerous concern for the environment.  By going all the way, they have essentially demonstrated  that not an ounce of these precious metals have to be extracted from the earth again, in order to serve the Olympics.  It is a triumphant demonstration of Japanese society's advanced thinking around matters relating to the environment, as well as their powers of execution.  READ: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Meet the Bangladesh Athletes Paris and Los Angeles, slated to host the next two Summer Games, and champions of environmentalism in their own right, must already know that as the torch passes to them, it will come with the responsibility to carry forward this most precious legacy of Tokyo 2020.  

Dhaka, Sept 19 (UNB) - Dipu Chakma of Bangladesh Army clinched the men’s singles gold medal in senior (Under-39) category of the 3rd Kathmandu International Taekwondo Championship’2019 that concluded in Nepalese capital Kathmandu recently.