United News of Bangladesh

The United Kingdom has expressed interest to help Bangladesh reform its banking and revenue sectors as well as the capital market. British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke conveyed this desire to Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed during a meeting on Tuesday at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) office at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. After the meeting, the adviser said the UK is willing to help Bangladesh particularly on reforming banking and revenue sectors along with capital market reforms. UK offers support for Bangladesh’s banking, revenue, and capital market reforms “Those are very immediate concerns for us also, because unless we make the reforms it would be difficult for us” to take the economy ahead, he told reporters after the meeting. The adviser said that they also discussed about enhancement of trade and commerce between the two countries. UK High Commissioner meets Mirza Fakhrul Islam “We want that the trade and commerce should flourish. The UK government was very very helpful in the past and I hope that they will be helpful in the coming days. We are looking forward for their help and cooperation,” he said. The meeting also discussed the cooperation between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. He mentioned that the UK will continue working with Bangladesh in economic development and women empowerment. “Private sector investment is also very very important. Big business houses of Britain have invested here,” he added. Dr Salehuddin said that he told the British envoy that Bangladesh, which exports mainly readymade garments to the UK and the other European countries want to diversify the export items. He also said that to attract more private investment Bangladesh has to improve the country's business environment. “… we need ease of doing business that means we have to fix the climate of doing business. Otherwise private sector will not come,” he said. Mentioning that the discussion was very fruitful, the British high commissioner said that he country and Bangladesh have a very strong economic, trade and investment relations. “We’re very keen to expand our trade and investment ties and we also discussed how the UK can support the economic reforms in Bangladesh that the Adviser is leading and how we may work together to bring our experts together to discuss the issues of economic reforms and also how we can boost our trade and investment ties between the two countries.” Responding to a question on mobilising more FDI from the UK, she said that Britain has a very strong partnership with Bangladesh. “We’ve a very strong and investment environment. Off course, we would like to see more FDI into Bangladesh,” she said. The envoy said the British investors are responsible investors. “I discussed with the adviser how we can build investors’ confidence and strengthen our trade and investment ties.” Replying to another question, Sarah Cooke said she discussed with the finance adviser the economic reforms that Bangladesh is prioritising and how the UK can support Bangladesh in this regard.  

Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Farooq-e-Azam said on Tuesday, no new areas have been flooded after India opened 109 gates of the Farakka Barrage when parts of the country are reeling from catastrophic flood. He came up with the information while briefing the media at a joint press conference of the ministry and the armed forces about the current situation of the ongoing flood at the Secretariat.  The adviser said the government is working in coordination with all concerned in relief distribution.  Initiatives have been taken to transport relief to the places from where the water is receding. In many cases, the army and other forces are taking relief through helicopters in more remote areas.  So far, relief has reached all the remote upazilas and medical care has been ensured, he said. “We expect the running water will recede quickly in the areas that are being flooded again. We will be able to complete the relief activities smoothly. People's enthusiasm are giving us strength,” he added.    

Two senior police officers have been sent on forced retirement on Tuesday. The Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs issued separate notifications in this regard. The police officers are: Krishna Pada Roy, additional inspector general of Police Headquarters, and Mozammel Haque, commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police. 13 police stations under DMP get new OCs

Water level of Ganges-Padma river is stable, the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said on Tuesday, a day after India opened 109 gates of Farakka Barrage to release excess water from the Ganga River, causing concern over possible flooding in Bangladesh.  Chapainawabganj Water Development Board sources told UNB the water level of Padma River has increased by 7 cm in the last 24 hours and is flowing 1.5 meters below the danger level. On the other hand, the water level of the Mahananda River has increased by 4 cm and is flowing 2.4 meters below the danger level while the water of Punarbhaba River has increased by 1 cm in the last 24 hours and is flowing 3.05 meters below the danger level. India on Monday said they have seen fake videos, rumours, and fear mongering regarding the Farakka barrage to create misunderstanding which should be firmly countered with facts. How to Avoid Electric or Gas-related Accidents during Flood “We have seen media reports of the opening of Farakka barrage gates that will allow the flow of over 11 lakh cusecs of water downstream of the river in its natural course into the Ganga/Padma river,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said  in response to media queries. He said this is a normal seasonal development that takes place due to increased inflow from heavy rainfall in the Ganga river basin catchment areas upstream. The water level of major rivers in North-Eastern, Eastern and South-Eastern regions of the country continues to decrease, FFWC said. In the last 24 hours, no significant rainfall was observed in eastern Cumilla, Brahmanbaria and Feni districts bordering Indian Tripura and inland basins of Tripura province and water levels in upstream rivers continued to recede. As a result, the current flood situation in the eastern districts continues to improve. Water level in the rivers of Moulvibazar, Habiganj district is flowing below the danger level. According to the data of meteorological agencies, there is no possibility of heavy rainfall in the north-eastern region of the country and adjoining uplands in the next 48 hours. At this time, the water level of the rivers of Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts in the northeastern region may decrease. According to the data of meteorological agencies, there is no possibility of heavy rainfall in the eastern part of the country and adjacent uplands in the next 24 hours. At this time, the water level of Gomti river of Cumilla and Muhuri river of Feni district may decrease. As a result, the flood situation in the lower areas of Cumilla district may improve in the next 24 hours. Receding waters start to reveal full extent of damage due to floods in Feni According to the information of meteorological agencies, there is no possibility of heavy rainfall in the south-eastern region of the country and adjacent uplands in the next 24 hours. At this time, the water level of Sangu, Matamuhuri, Karnaphuli, Halda and other major rivers of Bandarban, Khagrachari, Cox's Bazar and Chittagong district may decrease. According to the data of Bangladesh Meteorological Organization, a well-marked low pressure is located in the North-West Bay of Bengal and adjoining southern part of Bangladesh. Due to this, there is a possibility of moderate to heavy rainfall in the south and south-western parts of the country in the next 24 hours, which may increase the water level of the main rivers in the region. Water level of Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Surma-Kushiyara rivers in northeastern part of the country is receding, normal flow of Teesta-Dharla-Dudhkumar River in northern region is prevailing, which may continue till next 48 hours.  

The government on Tuesday appointed Superintendent of Police (SPs) in 24 districts  including in Rangpur and Narsingdi and transferred the incumbent ones.    Moreover, the government transferred eight senior police officials to  Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Industrial and Tourist Police.    Three separate gazette notifications, signed by Md Mahabubur Rahman Sheikh, deputy secretary of the Public Security Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs, were issued in these regard. DMP’s Additional Police Commissioners (DIG rank) AKM Hafiz Aktar, Dr Kha Mahid Uddin and Md Munibur Rahman have been transferred to the Industrial, Tourist and APBn headquarters respectively.  Moreover, DMP’s Deputy Commissioners Faruk Ahmed and Md Israel Hawlader and Khondaker Nazmul Hasan and Joint Commissioners Md Masud Karim and Hasan Md Showkat Ali have been made additional police commissioners of the DMP.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Tuesday sought soft loan facilities of around Tk 1,900 crore from the government to recoup their recent losses due to general holidays and severe flood  disrupting communication on key Dhaka-Chittagong highway. A BGMEA delegation led by its President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam made a he demand when it met with Finance and Commerce Adviser to the interim government Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at his ERD office. Emerging from the meeting, Khandoker Rafiqul said that they sought such soft loan facilities from the Adviser for one month which could be repaid in one year. “Besides, they were a couple of issues for discussions. We’re confident that if we work with the government, then we can move forward the sector,” said the BGMEA President. Besides, he said their loans are now being made classified if any entrepreneur fails to pay three installments in a row which was earlier six installments. “We’re demanding to make it six installments again while if it made so, then it could be changed again when the situation becomes normal.” Rafiqul Islam said that the Adviser was very much positive and assured the BGMEA of extending his highest cooperation. “We’ve also assured him that if we can make a turnaround, then our exports will make a fast come back…we just need cooperation from all, the foreign buyers have now trust and confidence on us as Bangladesh is stable now. We believe that more businesses now will move to Bangladesh,” he added. Asked about the details of soft loans, the BGMEA president said that the RMG exporters and entrepreneurs could not operate in full swing over the last 15 to 16 days out of the last 45 days which were disrupted by student-led mass uprising and the post prevailing situation including severe flash floods following the ouster of Awami League government. Responding to another question, Rafiqul said there is now no problem with the formation of new committee of the BGMEA as the Ministry of Commerce had suggested them to move forward the sector with current leadership. He also informed that they would sit with the international buyers and brand forums this afternoon centering the current situation.

The 48th death anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, widely revered for his limitless contributions to Bangla literature, is being observed in a befitting manner across the country today. Also celebrated as the ‘Rebel Poet’, Kazi Nazrul Islam is considered a pioneer in Bangla literature. Marking his 48th death anniversary, several organisations and institutions are holding multiple programmes throughout the day commemorating the life and works of the great poet. Dhaka University teachers, students, officials and employees visited the poet's grave, offered wreaths and recite Fateha. A delegation of the BNP led by Senior Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also paid tribute to the Rebel Poet at his grave. Marking the anniversary, people from all walks of life paid tribute to the poet with flowers. Tributes were paid to the poet by placing wreaths at his grave adjacent to Dhaka University Central Mosque in the morning. Members of the poet's family also came to the poet's grave to pay homage. National Museum, Nazrul Research Centre, Bangla Department of Dhaka University, Nazrul Academy, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Sursaptak, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Bangla Academy, Dhaka University Teachers' Association and Bashori– a Nazrul Research Centre and many other organizations paid homage to the poet by placing wreaths at his grave in the morning. Several television channels, including Bangladesh Television (BTV), radio stations, including Bangladesh Betar, and online platforms are broadcasting special programmes commemorating the life and works of the National Poet. Kazi Nazrul Islam, widely revered for his revolutionary and spectacular literary works in then-undivided India, was born in the Churulia village of Bardhaman in West Bengal, India, in 1899. Nazrul had a brief 21-year-long literary career, during which he produced 2,600 songs, 600 poems, three books, and 43 essays, according to the Kabi Nazrul Institute. In his early childhood, he had to work as a caretaker and as a muazzin in a mosque to support his family when his father passed away. He was forced to leave school at the age of nine in order to work for a professional "Leto" music group in Churulia, West Bengal. While working with the group, he became familiar with Bangla and Sanskrit literature. A year later, he went back to school and enrolled at Matharun English School, but due to financial hardship, he dropped out once more in Class six. After some time, police officer Kazi Rafizullah took him under his wing and enrolled him in Class seven at Darirampur School in Trishal, Mymensingh. Within a few years of beginning military service in the British Army in 1917, Nazrul embarked on his literary career. He wrote the classic "Bidrohi" (The Rebel) in 1921 and founded "Dhumketu" (The Comet), a monthly journal, in 1922. Due to his nationalist stance in the Indian Independence Movement, Nazrul found himself in the clutches of colonial British authorities. He wrote "Rajbandir Jabanbandi" (Deposition of a Political Prisoner) while he was incarcerated. His works later inspired the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, and his poems inspired many to revolt against the oppression of Pakistan. Freedom, humanity, love, and revolution are recurring themes throughout Nazrul's remarkable literary creations. He was against radicalism and the constraints of caste, gender, and religious prejudice. Nazrul also published short stories, novels, and essays, although his songs and poems have received the most praise. He is renowned for his liberal use of Arabic and Farsi terms in his writings and for popularizing Bangla ghazals. He invented his own musical genre known as "Nazrul Geeti," which consists of almost 4,000 songs he penned and composed music for, many of which were released on vinyl and HMV records. In 1942, when Nazrul was 43 years old and suffering from an unidentified illness, he started to lose his voice and memory. His condition was later discovered to be "Pick's disease," a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease, by a medical team in Vienna. At the invitation of the Bangladeshi government and then President and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Nazrul's family migrated to Bangladesh and settled in Dhaka in 1972. The government of Bangladesh conferred upon him the status of "National Poet" in the same year. He was awarded the honorary DLitt by Dhaka University in 1974 and he received the Ekushey Padak in 1976, for his legendary contribution to Bangla literature and culture, On August 27, 1976, the Rebel Poet breathed his last in Dhaka and was buried next to the mosque on Dhaka University campus, fulfilling a wish he had made in one of his poems.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) on Monday expressed grave concern and strongly condemned the "baseless and politically motivated" murder case filed against seven Bangladeshi journalists. The journalists in question are Mozammel Haque Babu, Syed Ishtiaque Reza, Ahmed Jobaer, Munni Saha, Farzana Rupa, Shakil Ahmed, and Nayeemul Islam Khan. These charges, related to the tragic death of a student during protests in Jatrabari on July 19, 2024, are not only absurd but also a grave injustice. Reports from various newspapers in Bangladesh indicate that a murder case has been filed against these journalists, along with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 192 others, following the death of Nayeem Howlader, a 17-year-old HSC student at Shanarpar Rowshan Ara Degree College. Nayeem was shot dead during the anti-quota protests in Jatrabari, and the case was registered at Jatrabari Police Station on August 22, 2024. Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa are currently on a four-day remand in connection with a separate murder case filed at Uttara East Police Station. Robert Simon, a prominent French human rights activist and Chief Adviser of JMBF, stated, "Targeting journalists with false accusations and legal harassment is a gross violation of human rights and an attack on the democratic values that underpin society. Such actions set a dangerous precedent and serve as a chilling reminder of the growing threats to press freedom in Bangladesh." Advocate Shahanur Islam, Founder and President of JMBF, added, "Filing false cases against journalists is a deliberate attempt to stifle free speech, suppress critical voices, silence independent journalism, intimidate the media, and undermine the foundations of press freedom in Bangladesh. This practice must stop immediately." JMBF has called upon the interim government of Bangladesh to immediately withdraw these baseless charges against all the journalists, release Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa, and respect the fundamental rights of journalists to report the truth without fear of retribution. JMBF further urged the government to reaffirm its commitment to press freedom, ensure the safety of all journalists, and cease using the judiciary as a tool for political repression.

Private television channel Somoy TV is resuming its regular broadcast on Monday under new management. The broadcast was set to resume at 11:59pm on Monday (midnight on August 26), the channel announced through its social media handles. Its broadcast was suspended for a week since August 19, on the back of a petition filed by the new management to take the channel off air for a week to allow them to make a new beginning - something the old management that has now been pushed out was vehemently against. The court order granting what the petition asked for was misunderstood in some quarters as an intervention by the court in the free operation of the media.

 Adilur Rahman Khan, adviser to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works and Industries, visited Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Monday afternoon to check on students injured in the Ansar attack at the Secretariat on Sunday night.During his visit, Adulur spoke with the injured students receiving treatment at the One Stop Emergency Care unit of DMCH and inquired about their condition. He was accompanied by Brigadier General Asaduzzaman, Director of DMCH, and several physicians.The adviser also checked on the treatment of students involved in the anti-discrimination movement at the hospital's casualty department.