The Detective Branch of Police has arrested 15 people including a Chinese national for operating loan scams through social media. The mastermind behind this operation is identified as Zhang Ji Zhang, a 60-year-old Chinese national. The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) showed them arrested in cases filed at Hatirjheel and Kafrul police stations in the capital. Train movement on Bhairab-Mymensingh route suspended following derailment in Kishoreganj The gang was involved in fraudulent schemes using social media for easy loan opportunities and job applications without any association with legitimate institutions. During the operation, police seized evidence from the suspects, uncovering information from 29 mobile banking accounts. Additional Commissioner and Chief of Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mohammad Harun or Rashid on Saturday said the group had siphoned off  over Tk 200 crore in the past two years. However, none of this money is in Bangladesh; it has all been transferred to China, he said. Minor boy among two dead in Feni road crash During the last six months alone, more than Tk 50 crore had been transacted using the mobile banking accounts. The gang has victimized at least 1,500 people in the country. An app, developed by Chinese nationals, has its server in Singapore, and the call centres are located in Bangladesh and in Pakistan, the DB chief told journalists at his office. The gang used to extort lakhs of taka after providing small amounts of money to the victims They also enticed victims by advertisements on social media to download the app that, once installed, allowed the fraudsters access to crucial information such as photos, videos, and contact lists on the victims' mobile phones. Subsequently, the scammers used the information to blackmail individuals and extort money, sometimes resorting to creating false images and videos, said the police official. Speakers for nature-based solutions and local adaptation for building resilience in Sundarbans Harun also said more than 60 people have committed suicide due to harassment in various ways by taking loans from these apps in the neighbouring country. It is not known whether anyone has committed suicide in Bangladesh. The DB chief suggested that if anyone is duped by this gang, the victim should file a case. He added that there are many others involved in this racket. They went into hiding. DB’s drive to bring them under the law is underway.

In Dasherkandi village, located around the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, local children happily swam in the clean river under the scorching sun. Deng Mingze, deputy manager of the Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant project, felt elated as he observed this scene. "Things were completely different before," explained the 33-year-old Chinese engineer from PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, adding that untreated sewage went straight into the river, making it so dirty in the past. The Dasherkandi Sewage Treatment Plant, financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and constructed by HydroChina Corporation, a subsidiary of PowerChina, started operation in April 2022. It marked the first modern large-scale sewage treatment plant in Bangladesh, capable of providing modern sewerage services to approximately 5 million people in Dhaka. From then on, all water that flows into the river has been treated, making the river clear and visible to the naked eye, Deng said, citing that children frequently play in the area. However, the project was not without its challenges. During the busiest period of construction, Deng and his colleagues worked from 6 a.m. until late at night for nearly six months. As the saying goes, "no pain, no gain." Deng recalled that despite difficulties throughout the project, he became stronger mentally and more capable. "As young people, we should have adaptability, innovation and problem-solving skills while working on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects to demonstrate the positive spirit of the Chinese youth to the world," he stressed. In Keraniganj, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Zhang Yadong, an engineer from China Railway Group Limited, is working alongside his local colleagues on Bangladesh's largest BRI rail project. Zhang arrived in Bangladesh right after his graduation in 2016, and he vividly remembers his initial struggles. "The first difficulty I encountered was having a meeting with the quantity surveyor to discuss measurements independently. It took me a long time to communicate with him due to differences in our understanding of the measurements," he said, adding that "it was a small thing, but I was really nervous at the time." Using this experience as a foundation, Zhang has grown from an assistant economist to a commercial executive, working on key projects such as the 172-km Padma Bridge Rail Link Project that connects over 20 districts in Bangladesh.  

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed shock at the heavy casualties following an explosion in a commercial building in Dhaka. "I hereby extend my deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathies to the bereaved families," he said in a message to his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen. The Chinese Foreign Minister wished the injured victims a full and quick recovery.

A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying on sensitive military sites despite China's firm denials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions. Aside from the government response, fuzzy videos dotted social media as people with binoculars and telephoto lenses tried to find the “spy balloon” in the sky as it headed southeastward over Kansas and Missouri at 60,000 feet (18,300 meters). It was spotted earlier over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base, defense officials said. Later Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement, declining to offer further information such as where it was spotted. The U.S. actually had been tracking the initial balloon since at least Tuesday, when President Joe Biden was first briefed, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. According to three U.S. officials, Biden was initially inclined to order the surveillance balloon to be blown out of the sky, and a senior defense official said the U.S. had prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot it down if ordered. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strongly advised Biden against shooting down the balloon, warning that its size — as big as three school buses — and considerable weight could create a debris field large enough to endanger Americans on the ground. The Pentagon also assessed that after unspecified U.S. measures, the possibility of the balloon uncovering important information was not great. It was not the first time Chinese surveillance balloons have been tracked over U.S. territory, including at least once during former President Donald Trump’s administration, officials said. Blinken's trip cancellation came despite China’s claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China's contention that the balloon was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability. Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was “an irresponsible act and that (China's) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have.” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday morning: “In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit. The U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that.” It again emphasized that the incident was out of China's control, saying, “This was completely an accident.” After passing the sensitive military sites in Montana, the balloon was moving southeastward over the heartland of the central United States during the day and was expected to remain in U.S. airspace for several days, officials said. The development dealt a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years over numerous issues. Still, U.S. officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and Blinken said he remained willing to travel to China “when conditions allow.” “We continue to believe that having open lines of communication is important," he said. Biden declined to comment on the matter when questioned at an economic event. Two likely 2024 reelection challengers, Trump, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon. Several Republican congressmen said the same, and a number blasted the administration for “allowing” the balloon intrusion. “The idea that Communist China has a spy balloon headed towards Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri right now — the home of the Stealth Bomber — is absolutely unbelievable,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “No American should accept this. I don’t.” Jean-Pierre did not shed light on why the administration waited until Thursday to make its concerns public. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, refused to say Friday whether there was any new consideration of shooting the balloon down. He said it currently was posing no threat. Ryder said it was maneuverable, not just at the mercy of the wind, and had changed course. Still, weather experts said China’s claim that the balloon had gone off course was not unfeasible. China’s account of wind patterns known as the Westerlies carrying a balloon to the western United States was “absolutely possible — not possible, likely,” said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington. As for Blinken's trip, Jean-Pierre said a diplomatic visit to China was not appropriate at such a time. She said that "the presence of this balloon in our airspace ... is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable this occurred.” A State Department official said Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had both protested to the top official at the Chinese Embassy on Wednesday, a day before the Pentagon announced the discovery of the balloon. Blinken’s long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a possible way to find some areas of common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change. Read more: Big China spy balloon moving east over US, Pentagon says Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had spoken in recent days about Blinken’s imminent arrival for meetings on Sunday and Monday. China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane and held its crew captive on Hainan Island, was relatively conciliatory in its response to the U.S. complaints. In a statement that approached an apology, the Chinese foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. It said said the airship had limited “self-steering” capabilities and had “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds. “The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one’s control.

Dim sum is a customary Chinese meal. They are small plates of dumplings and other snack dishes. They are naturally served with tea. Most modern dim sum dishes are usually related to Cantonese cuisine. Dim sum dishes also exist in the Chinese cuisines. Explore here 5 Simple Chinese Dim Sum recipes that you can try at home.  5 Mouth-watering Chinese Dim Sum Recipes  Vegetable Dim Sum Recipe Ingredients for the Dough: 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt Ingredients for the Filling: 1 cup finely minced mixed vegetables, 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 cup onion finely chopped, 1 tsp garlic-chopped, 1/2 tsp salt or to taste, 1/4 tsp vinegar, 1/4 tsp black pepper Instructions First, prepare the soft dough with the given ingredients of the dough. Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel. Now take a pan and saute onions and garlic for a while. Then add the mixed vegetables. Cook on medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until they become soft. Remove from the heat and add salt, vinegar, and black pepper and mix well.  Divide the dough into 10 pieces and give each wrapper a dumplings shape. Fill each dum sim with the filling and seal all around the parts. Steam them for about 10 minutes. Let them cool and serve them with tea.  Read More: 5 Mouth-watering Orange Dessert Recipes to Try this Winter Chicken Dimsums Recipe Ingredients for the filling 250 grams Chicken (minced), 2 Onions (finely chopped), 7 cloves Garlic (minced), 1/2 tablespoon Soy sauce, Salt Ingredients for the Dough 1 cup Flour, Oil, and Salt Instructions First, prepare the dim sum wrappers and put flour, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and a little bit of water in a bowl and knead it nicely. Then, when the dough is done, cover the dough with a wet clean cloth for 10-15 minutes.  Now make the filling and saute the chopped garlic in a pot add minced chicken, salt, soy sauce, and onions and cook for 10 minutes or as long as the chicken is a bit tender. The filling is ready. Then prepare the dim sums, and so divide the dough into 12 equal parts. Make a small circular dim sum with each part. Put some chicken filling in the middle of the disc and seal it using water and your finger. Prepare all the dim sums following the same process and cover them with a wet kitchen towel. Now put them in a correctly oiled steamer and cook for about 20 minutes or as long as the outer covering of the dim sum starts looking glassy. Your chicken dim sums are ready.  Read More: 5 Nepali Momo Recipes for Bangladeshi Kitchen

A Chinese navy vessel arrived at a Beijing-built port in southern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, after its port call was earlier delayed due to apparent security concerns raised by India. The Yuan Wang 5 sailed into the Hambantota port and was welcomed by Sri Lankan and Chinese officials. The development could spark worry in India, which views China’s rising influence in the Indian Ocean with suspicion. Sri Lanka has referred to the Yuan Wang 5 as a “scientific research ship," but there are fears in India that the vessel could be used to surveil the region, with multiple media reports calling it a “dual-use spy ship." “The Yuan Wang 5 is a powerful tracking vessel whose significant aerial reach — reportedly around 750 km — means that several ports in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh could be on China’s radar,” the Indian Express newspaper wrote. The closely watched developments surrounding the vessel underscore the competing interests of regional giants India and China in the small island nation. For more than a decade, Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean and along one of the busiest shipping routes has seen both countries vie for influence. Read: Sri Lanka holds its breath as new PM fights to save economy Over the years, Beijing was widely seen as having an upper hand with its free-flowing loans and infrastructure investments. But Sri Lanka’s economic collapse proved an opportunity for India to gain greater sway, as New Delhi stepped in with massive financial and material assistance to its neighbor. The ship has permission to dock in Hambantota until Aug. 22, Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry said last weekend. It added that China had agreed the ship would keep its identification systems on and would not carry out any research activities while in Sri Lankan waters. “Given the geopolitical dynamics in the region and Sri Lanka’s heavy vulnerability on the economic front, Sri Lanka is playing with two fires at a diplomatic level,” said international affairs analyst Ranga Kalansooriya. The Yuan Wang family of naval vessels serve both the Chinese missile force and its space program, which is run by the People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party. Previous official Chinese media reports have described PLA officers serving in command positions aboard the vessels in the Yuan Wang class, which may also have civilians in their crews. China Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin dismissed concerns about the ship in a briefing Tuesday. “I would like to reiterate that the marine scientific research conducted by the research ship Yuan Wang 5 conforms to international law and international common practice, and will not affect the security and economic interests of any country,” he said. On Monday, India gifted a maritime reconnaissance aircraft to Sri Lanka to strengthen its maritime security. The Indian Embassy said the aircraft would help Sri Lanka tackle multiple security challenges such as human and drug trafficking as well as other crimes in its coastal waters more effectively. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last week that India was aware of the planned visit by the vessel and that it carefully monitors any development that affects its security and economic interests and would take all measures to safeguard them. He also dismissed claims last week that India put pressure on Sri Lanka to delay the ship. As Sri Lanka endures its worst economic crisis, India in recent months has provided crucial assistance including food, fuel, medicines and cooking gas. At the same time, China’s agreement to restructure its infrastructure loans to Sri Lanka is vital for the country to reach a bailout program with the International Monetary Fund. China has lent Sri Lanka billions of dollars for development projects, some of which have been criticized as having little practical use. They include the Hambantota port, built with Chinese money under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his home region, despite the plan having been rejected by an expert panel. When the port failed to generate enough revenue to pay back the loan, Sri Lanka in 2017 was forced to hand the facility and thousands of acres of surrounding land to Beijing for 99 years — giving China a key foothold in the country directly opposite India’s coastline. Kalansooriya said while Sri Lanka is unable to discount both regional powers, President Ranil Wickremesinghe is tasked not only with salvaging the country’s economy but also maintaining a diplomatic balance.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said taking a new loan from China will not be a part of their agenda during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's upcoming Bangladesh visit. "This time, the issue of taking loan afresh isn't there at least," he said on Wednesday when a reporter wanted to know whether Bangladesh is going to take a loan from China again. Asked what message this visit carries amid the crisis in various parts of the world, the foreign secretary said it will be known once the Chinese foreign minister comes. "We are working on the visit. Things are yet to be finalised." He reiterated that the visit is part of the Chinese side's routine visit to the region and also it is an opportunity to review the existing engagements between the two countries. "It can't be said (there's) urgency (from the Chinese side). Since he will be visiting this region, he expressed the desire to come here if we can give him time. We are looking into the timings," he said earlier when a reporter wanted to know why there was so much urgency from the Chinese side. Read: 12th bi-annual CSO meeting: Foreign secretary highlights implementation of IORDA-DDI State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday said time, arrival and departure have not been confirmed yet. The state minister said he does not want to shed any doubt but there is nothing to say in detail about the visit yet. "You will get to know," said, adding that things will be cleared within the next 48 hours. Shahriar also suggested not bringing any third country into a bilateral context and discussion. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen is expected to return home on August 6 evening after attending the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting during August 5-6 in Cambodia. In January 2017, Wang Yi had an hour-long stopover in Dhaka. "This time, he will be coming for a longer period," said the foreign secretary. The Chinese foreign minister is likely to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning apart from a bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Momen to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming met Momen recently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed various issues of mutual interest, including the proposed visit of the Chinese foreign minister.    

Amid much discussion on the public domain over crisis-ridden Sri Lanka, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Wednesday reiterated that there is no debt trap in Bangladesh. “There is no debt trap, especially no Chinese debt trap in this country. At least I can guarantee that,” he told reporters after his meeting with Foreign Minister  AK Abdul Momen  at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.    Momen also ruled out the fear of debt trap and said there is no such scope in Bangladesh. “We’re prudent (while taking loans and its subsequent management). We don’t borrow that much and when we borrow we do it with much calculation,” he said. Highlighting Bangladesh’s economic strength backed by stronger export growth and remittance inflow,  Momen said, “We are capable of (loans) repayment.” Asked about the situation in Sri Lanka, he said, “Let us see what happens. We’re yet to sit to discuss it.” READ: Chinese envoy hands over 14,280 surgical masks to BDRCS On a number of occasions in the past, the FM said there is no scope for Bangladesh to get into Chinese “debt trap,” noting that Bangladesh has borrowed the highest amount from Japan. “We remain very careful. There’s no scope that we’ll fall into debt trap. We cut our coats according to our clothes,” he told reporters earlier. Hecsaid Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina takes decisions through proper scrutiny and analyzing every aspect and in no way Bangladesh should be compared with the Sri Lankan case.

An explosion ripped through a van inside a university campus in southern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing three Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, officials said. A separatist militant group claimed responsibility and said the attack was carried out by a woman suicide bomber. The bombing at the University of Karachi also wounded a fourth Chinese national, as well as a Pakistani guard accompanying the van, according to university spokesman Mohammad Farooq. Also read:Militants in Afghanistan strike Pakistan army post, kill 3 Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said the initial investigation suggests a suicide bomber was behind the attack. He said that closed circuit television footage from the site showed a person dressed in the female burqa head-to-toe covering walking up to the van, followed by an instantaneous explosion. The Chinese fatalities included the director of the Chinese-built Confucius Institute, which offers Chinese language graduate classes, and two teachers. The Baluchistan Liberation Army, a militant group in nearby Baluchistan province, has targeted Chinese nationals in attacks in the past. The group's statement that followed Tuesday's attack identified the bomber as Shari Baluch or Bramsh, saying she was the group's first female bomber. The attack marks “a new chapter in the history of Baluch resistance,” the statement said. Baluchistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by armed Baluch groups demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region’s natural resources if not outright independence from Islamabad. However, the Pakistani Taliban have also targeted Chinese interest in the past. Last July, the group — also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan — claimed responsibility for an attack on a bus that killed nine Chinese nationals in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province. Four Pakistanis also died in that attack. The Pakistani Taliban are a separate group from the Afghan Taliban, their allies who have seized power in neighboring Afghanistan. Also read: Pakistan’s new Cabinet sworn in at presidency in Islamabad Thousands of Chinese workers are living and working in Pakistan, with most of them involved in Beijing's multi-billion dollar project known as “One Belt One Road Project" that is to connect south and central Asia with the Chinese capital. A key road linking Pakistan's southern port of Gwadar, in southwestern Baluchistan province, with China's northwest Xinjiang province, is part of what is known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The project includes a number of infrastructure projects and several power projects.

Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd. (PGCB) has signed a number of contracts with two Chinese joint venture companies to construct 11 grid substations in Khulna region. According to the PGCB, the grid sub-stations will enhance the capacity of high voltage power transmission in the greater Khulna region. The PGCB signed a contract for two joint ventures with China National Technical Import & Export Corporation (CNTIC) and Shanghai Electric Company (SEC) to set up a new indoor GIS Grid sub-station of 400/230/132 kV at Karer Hat area and upgrade the existing 230/33 kV grid sub-station at Mirsarai in Chattagram to a 400/230 kV grid sub-station. PGCB company secretary Md Jahangir Azad and CNTIC deputy general manager Zhang Kun signed the contract on behalf of their respective sides. READ: PGCB moves to transmit power from Payra, Rampal to Dhaka The two projects will cost Tk 736 crore.   As per the contract, the contractor will complete the job of the projects within next 30 months and hand them over to the PGCB.     Earlier on Sunday, another agreement was signed with the joint venture of China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and China National Electric Engineering Company Limited (CNEEC) at the PGCB headquarters. Under the agreement, a 230/132/33 kV GIS grid substation at Rupsha and four grid substations with 132/33 KV capacity at Meherpur, Maheshpur, Fultala and Monirampur will be constructed. The capacity of the existing grid sub-stations at Satkhira, Kaliganj (Jessore) and Kushtia will be expanded to 132 kV Bay and Bagerhat sub-station to 132 kV GIS Bay. The work will cost about Tk 492 crore. READ: PGCB inks Tk 597cr deal with China firm to set up 4 grid substations PGCB Company Secretary Md. Jahangir Azad and CNEEC Deputy General Manager Ge Wenbo signed the contract on behalf of their respective sides. According to the agreement, the joint venture contractor will complete the job and hand over the substations to PGCB within the next 24 months. The signing ceremony was attended by PGCB Executive Director (P&D) Mohammad Yaqub Elahi Chowdhury, project directors and other senior officials from both the parties were present on the occasion.