United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to leave for Doha, Qatar on Monday to attend the Earthna Summit 2025 and discuss the issues of mutual interest with the leadership of the gas-rich Gulf kingdom.  The Chief Adviser will pay the four-day official visit at the invitation of Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, said an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr Yunus is likely to have meetings with both the Amir of Qatar and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in addition to attending several high-level meetings at the Summit, the official told UNB. Bangladesh stressed the need for a deepening trade and investment relationship with Qatar. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani was appointed Prime Minister on 7 March 2023 and Minister of Foreign Affairs in January 2016. Reform Commission on Women’s Affairs submits report to Dr Yunus Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan and Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan are likely to accompany the Chief Adviser during the visit. National Women Athletes to Accompany In a historic first, four national women athletes from Bangladesh will accompany the Chief Adviser during his upcoming four-day visit to Qatar, according to the Chief Adviser’s press wing. The delegation includes footballers Afida Khandakar and Shaheda Akhter Ripa and cricketers Sumaiya Akhter and Sharmin Sultana. This is the first time a group of female athletes will travel as part of an official state delegation with a head of government of Bangladesh. The Qatar Foundation extended the invitation to the athletes through the Chief Adviser’s office. On Thursday evening, the four athletes met Professor Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna, where they discussed their goals for the visit and expressed their excitement. "We are thrilled to be part of this visit. It's not just a personal honour but also a proud moment for our teammates and the sports community in Bangladesh," the footballers were quoted by the press wing as saying. They added that they hoped to invite the Qatari women's football team for a friendly match and were eager to explore Qatar's sports facilities and professional training methods. The cricketers expressed their desire to spark interest in cricket in Qatar, where the sport is not yet widely followed. "We've prepared a presentation to introduce both our men's and women's cricket journeys," they said. During the meeting, the athletes also shared their personal struggles and thanked the Chief Adviser for giving them the opportunity to represent the country abroad. Dr Yunus praised the athletes for their resilience and passion. "You are Bangladesh's sports ambassadors. Share your real stories. Represent our country's spirit and progress through sports," he said. He assured full support from his office to ensure the success of their trip. Earthna Summit The second edition of the Earthna Summit under the theme “Building our Legacy: Sustainability, Innovation and Traditional Knowledge” highlights Qatar’s commitment to advancing sustainability in hot and arid environments, by drawing on its rich cultural heritage and unique ecosystems. Dr Yunus urges quick implementation of Women Affairs Commission’s recommendations The Summit serves as a platform for exploring how both traditional knowledge and innovation approaches can inform modern sustainability, shaping a more resilient and inclusive future. During the two days – April 22-23, the Earthna Summit will explore a wide range of topics through presentations, interactive panel discussions, workshops and roundtables. Besides, the Earthna Village in Barahat Msheireb will host a series of inspiring talks and discussions led by various experts and innovators to foster dialogue and inspiration. A number of side events by partners will host a series of networking activations and discussions lead by local stakeholders. Dr Yunus relentlessly devotes his time and energy to inspire people into creating a world of 3 Zeros - zero net carbon emission, zero wealth concentration for ending poverty once for all and zero unemployment by unleashing entrepreneurship in everyone.

As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare services for the most vulnerable, Qatar Charity organised its fourth paediatric medical camp in Bangladesh to treat children with congenital heart defects. During the seven-day medical camp, which began on April 12 at Bangladesh Specialised Hospital in the capital, 110 life-saving cardiac catheterisation procedures were carried out on children from underprivileged families. The medical team was led by a group of distinguished specialists, including Professor Muhammad Noman from the University of Texas in the USA, Professor Iyad Al-Amouri, a paediatric cardiologist from the Jordan University Hospital, Dr Rajab Al-Sayed, a cardiac catheterisation expert from King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Saudi Arabia, Dr Hassan Ismail, a paediatric anaesthesia specialist from Palestine, and Abdullah Ashkanani, Head Technician at the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at Hamad Hospital in Qatar. Four women athletes to join CA Yunus on state visit to Qatar Their efforts were supported by a dedicated team of local and international medical professionals, ensuring the success of the humanitarian mission, said a press release on Saturday. During the same period, Qatar Charity also launched its first-ever medical campaign dedicated to treating adults and the elderly in need of cardiac catheterisation.Held at Shamarita Medical College Hospital in Dhaka, the initiative resulted in 25 life-saving procedures. Daud Miah, Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau of Bangladesh, commended Qatar Charity for its vital role in providing healthcare to those in need while attending the inaugural ceremony. “I encourage other NGOs in Bangladesh to follow this inspiring example,” he said. The parents of the children expressed their deep gratitude and immense relief at receiving free treatment for their children.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending the director of the Mossad foreign intelligence agency to ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, his office said Saturday, in a sign of progress in talks on the war in Gaza. It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Qatar’s capital, Doha, for the latest round of indirect talks between Israel and the Hamas militant group, but there is U.S. pressure for a deal before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. Barnea's presence means high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agreement are now involved. Just one brief ceasefire has been achieved in 15 months of war, and that was in the earliest weeks of fighting. The talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled since then. Under discussion is a phased ceasefire, with Netanyahu signaling he is committed only to the first phase, a partial hostage release in exchange for a weekslong halt in fighting. Hamas has insisted on a full Israeli troop withdrawal from the largely devastated territory, but Netanyahu has insisted on destroying Hamas’ ability to fight in Gaza. On Thursday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, the majority women and children, though it doesn't say how many were fighters or civilians. Also being sent to Qatar are the head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency and military and political advisers. Netanyahu’s office said the decision followed a meeting with his defense minister, security chiefs and negotiators “on behalf of the outgoing and incoming U.S. administrations.” The office also released a photo showing Netanyahu with President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who was in Qatar this week. Read: Israeli airstrikes in Gaza kill 5, including 2 infants Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza after being seized in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war are pressing Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home. Israelis rallied again on Saturday night in the city of Tel Aviv, with photos of hostages on display. “We join together in the hope that the talks in Doha succeed,” outgoing U.S. Ambassador Jack Lew said at the rally. “We’re encouraged by the news today, but we know we can’t stop.” The recovery of two hostages’ bodies in the past week renewed fears that time is running out. Hamas has said that after months of heavy fighting, it isn’t sure who is alive or dead. Read more: Gaza death toll surpasses 46,000 “Return with an agreement that ensures the return of all hostages, down to the last one — the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial in their homeland,” said a statement by a group representing some hostages' families. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week a deal is “very close” and he hoped to complete it before handing over diplomacy to the incoming Trump administration. But U.S. officials have expressed similar optimism on several occasions over the past year. Issues in the talks have included which hostages would be released in the first part of a phased ceasefire deal, which Palestinian prisoners would be released and the extent of any Israeli troop withdrawal from population centers in Gaza. The toll Hamas and other groups killed some 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages into Gaza in the attack that started the war. A truce in November 2023 freed more than 100 hostages, while others have been rescued or their remains have been recovered over the past year. Israel's military announced the deaths of four soldiers in northern Gaza on Saturday, without details. At least 400 soldiers have been killed in the war. Six others were killed this week in largely isolated northern Gaza, where Israel has been pressing an offensive against regrouping Hamas militants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants during the war, without providing evidence. Inside Gaza On Saturday, an airstrike killed a 5-year-old girl and two male relatives in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where an AP team saw them. Read more: Lebanese elects army commander Joseph Aoun as president The girl’s body, in a pink sweater, was wrapped in foil and placed on the floor of the morgue. Her father knelt and pressed his face to hers. “God!” he cried. Another Israeli airstrike killed at least eight Palestinians — including two children and two women — in a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza, according to the Civil Defense, first responders affiliated with the Hamas-run government. It said the strike on the Halawa school that shelters displaced people in the Jabaliya area also wounded 30 others, including 19 children. Israel’s military said it struck a Hamas command center at a former school in Jabaliya, without giving evidence. And a strike killed four people on a street in Gaza City, said Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal. Overall, Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 32 bodies had arrived at hospitals in the past 24 hours. “I ask the world, do you hear us? Do we exist?” said Hamza Saleh, one of the vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million residents who have been displaced. He spoke on Friday in the southern city of Khan Younis as children and others jostled for food aid, while hunger grows.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has expressed gratitude to Qatar and the UK governments for facilitating the treatment of party Chairperson Khaldeda Zia abroad. “We convey our gratitude to the Qatar government. They provided the air ambulance without taking any rent for taking Khaleda Zia to London. We also thank the British government for facilitating her treatment there,” he said. Fakhrul said this while unveiling the cover of a book titled “Rajbandir Jabanbandi” which chronicles the depositions given in court by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in ‘false’ cases’ at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office on Thursday. She flew to London with state honour after being freed and thousands of people saw her off and she did not face any hindrance on her way to London, he said. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was admitted to The London Clinic in the United Kingdom on Wednesday for advanced treatment. Read: Unity essential amid efforts to divide nation: Fakhrul She left Dhaka for London on Tuesday night aboard a special air ambulance sent by the Emir of Qatar. Her eldest son Tarique Rahman, accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman, greeted his mother with open arms at the Heathrow Airport. Earlier, the Acting High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom, Mohammad Hazrat Ali Khan, welcomed Khaleda Zia at the airport with flowers. BNP’s UK chapter President MA Malek, General Secretary Koyser M Ahmad and many other leaders and activists were present at the airport. Khaleda’s doctors have been advocating for her treatment abroad ever since she was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in late 2021. Despite the severity of her condition, she was denied permission to travel for treatment by the Awami League government, citing legal hurdles related to her convictions in two cases. Read more: Emotional Moment:  Khaleda reunites with son Tarique after 7 years On August 6, 2024, a day after the fall of the Awami League government, Khaleda was fully freed by an order from President Mohammed Shahabuddin, paving the way for her overseas treatment. Khaleda Zia, a three-time former Prime Minister, has been battling multiple health issues, including liver cirrhosis, diabetes, arthritis, and complications involving her kidneys, lungs, heart and eyes.

The Council of Advisers, chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, on Thursday approved the draft on an agreement between the governments of the Maldives and Bangladesh on ‘transfer of prisoners’. The Council of Advisers also in principle approved a proposal for ratification of the agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons between Bangladesh and Qatar. “Once these are done, we will be able to bring back our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters who have been sentenced in the Maldives or Qatar,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters while briefing the media at Foreign Service Academy on Thursday evening. Deputy Press Secretaries Apurba Jahangir and Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were also present at the media briefing. Bangladesh currently has agreements on ‘transfer of sentenced persons’ with India, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Bangladesh received a draft agreement on ‘transfer of prisoners’ from the Maldives in 2015 through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Once the proposed agreement is signed, Bangladesh will be able to bring back its citizens from the Maldives who are sentenced and imprisoned. The agreement will be in force for 10 years and it can be renewed for another 10 years if the two countries agree. The Council of Advisers also in principle approved a proposal for ratification of the agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons between Bangladesh and Qatar. The agreement with Qatar was signed between the two governments on April 23 this year during Qatar Emir’s visit to Bangladesh. The agreement will remain in force for one year and if neither part expresses willingness to end it, it will remain in force for another year.    

A passenger suspected of having mpox (monkeypox) at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon landing on Friday (August 23, 2024) has tested negative today. The passenger, hailing from Cumilla, arrived in Dhaka on August 23 at 9:20 am aboard a Qatar Airways flight. Upon arrival, airport health services flagged him as a potential mpox case due to his symptoms. Read more: Mpox: Common Signs and Symptoms The man was immediately transported by ambulance to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali. Dhaka for further examination. Dr. Ariful Bashar of the hospital confirmed that the patient was being tested and promised to provide further information once results were available. Today, tests confirmed that the man does not have mpox, easing concerns raised by the initial diagnosis. Read more: What is Mpox? How does it affect people?

Bangladesh and Qatar want to expand the existing ties with broader cooperation in the areas of manpower, energy, trade and investment following the planned visit of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Bangladesh next month. The two countries are in discussion to finalise nearly a dozen of cooperation documents which will be signed during the visit, said a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two-day visit is likely to take place on April 21-22, he said.  The two sides are now working on the MoUs and agreements that will be signed after the Emir’s meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Cease-fire talks with Israel and Hamas are expected to resume Sunday in Qatar The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already held an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss various aspects of the visit. In March last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had a meeting with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha. She sought increased energy, particularly LNG, from Qatar to meet the energy demands. The State of Qatar recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign State on March 4, 1974 following the 2nd OIC Summit held in February 1974. Qatar assures support for Bangladesh's media sector development Bangladesh opened its diplomatic mission in Doha on June 25, 1975. The State of Qatar reciprocated by opening its diplomatic mission in Dhaka in 1982. Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Qatar are based on mutual respect, shared values, common religious ground, shared culture, and tradition. People-to-people contacts bolstered by more than four hundred thousand Bangladeshi workers who are highly appreciated as disciplined and hardworking is one of the dominant features of bilateral relations, according to the MoFA. Bangladesh and Qatar consider each other as brotherly countries and important development partners in materialising Bangladesh’s Vision 2041 and Qatar’s vision 2030. Read more: Bangladesh ambassador accredited to Hungary presents credentials to Hungarian president

Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed returned home on Sunday after a 3-day official visit to Qatar. During the 3-day official visit, the Army Chief enjoyed the semi-final and final games of the '18th AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™' held in Qatar and observed various events of the 'World Aquatics Championships Doha 2024'. Shab-e-Barat on February 25 Besides, the army chief also participated in bilateral meetings with representatives from different countries and discussed various issues of mutual cooperation, says an Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR) Directorate media release. Anita Ghazi Rahman joins Brac Bank as independent director The Chief of Army Staff went to Qatar on February 7 at the invitation of Qatar Olympic Committee and President of Local Organizing Committee Joan Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud had a series of meetings on the sidelines of the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Kampala, Uganda on January 19-20. He had the meetings with Narayan Prakash Saud, Foreign Minister of Nepal, Lemogang Kwape, Foreign Minister of Botswana, and Sergei Aleinik, Foreign Minister of Belarus. At NAM Summit Dhaka seeks support for Palestine, redoubling efforts for Rohingya repatriation In a busy day in Kampala, the Foreign Minister had meetings with State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikh and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Pahala Nugraha Mansury. His counterparts congratulated the new government in Bangladesh and, particularly, Dr. Hasan Mahmud for assuming his new role. FM Hasan Mahmud to deliver national statement at NAM Summit  The Foreign Minister discussed various issues of mutual interests including political, economic and strengthening people to people relations. He is set to have a few more bilateral engagements today and Sunday. Hasan Mahmud is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the third South Summit of the G77 and China scheduled on 21-22 January 2024. FM Hasan Mahmud to lead Bangladesh delegation at South Summit in Uganda Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Muhammad A Muhith and Bangladesh High Commissioner to Kenya and Uganda Muhammad Tareque among others are accompanying the Foreign Minister.

Qatar Charity (QC), an international charity organisation, implemented 1,391 development, humanitarian and social welfare projects in Bangladesh, benefitting 342,603 people in 2023. The charity implemented these projects in parts of the country giving priority to vulnerable communities and justifying their actual necessities. Maiden session of 12th Jatiya Sangshad set for January 30 It also provided humanitarian support throughout the year to the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char Island, said a press release on Monday. Among the projects, in the field of water and sanitation, in 2023, the agency implemented 1,282 projects to install deep tube wells, solar-driven water pumps, and technology-based water purifiers, and 101 projects were implemented in the field of education, economic empowerment and development across the country. WHO launches appeal for US$1.5 billion for key emergencies in 2024 The organisation implemented 2 seasonal relief projects--Ramadan and Qurbani—for needy families, including orphans, widows, and refugees which benefitted 103,970. As a humanitarian response, the QC provided food and non-food relief aid for the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasanchar, benefitting more than 150,000. Cabinet approves President’s speech to commence 12th Jatiya Sangshad Apart from these, the QC sponsored 4668 orphans under its social welfare programme, aiming to impart education and fulfil their basic needs.