Day: February 10, 2023

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam had a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Agriculture of Eswatini Jabulani Mabuza in Mbabane Tuesday.

The agriculture minister invited investment from Bangladesh into contract farming in Eswatini.

He briefed the Bangladesh delegation about various subsidies extended by the Eswatinian government in the agriculture sector and the opportunities for the production of agricultural products in Eswatini like maize, beans, other crops and dairy products.

The Eswatinian side also said they have dedicated government institutes for the production of maize, dairy products, horticulture and cotton among others.

They sought Bangladesh's cooperation in the commercial production of crops in Eswatini.

Shahriar called for the creation of a partnership between Bangladesh and Eswatini in contract farming areas.

He informed the Eswatinian side about the agricultural projects of the Bangladesh government.

As both sides concluded the agreement on cooperation in agriculture and contract farming, it will contribute to the establishment of cooperation in different areas of agriculture between Bangladesh and Eswatini, Shahriar added.

Also, the Bangladesh delegation showed interest in sending an agricultural delegation to Eswatini to identify potential agricultural sectors of cooperation.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Touched by the pouring of love and assistance from Bangladeshis, Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan on Thursday said they seek no cash but “in-kind assistance” like medical and non-medical items along with winter clothes from Bangladesh.

“We have decided not to receive cash assistance but we request everyone to deliver in-kind assistance,” he told reporters as his country needs support to cope with the magnitude of the urgent needs of people who are suffering on the ground due to harsh winter conditions in the southeastern region of Turkey struck by earthquakes.

Thousands who lost their homes in the catastrophic earthquake huddled around campfires and clamored for food and water in the bitter cold, three days after the temblor and series of aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 17,000.

He said many Bangladeshis would like to offer financial and in-kind assistance and noted that they are “very much touched and remain very humble” by their generosity.

An in-kind contribution is a contribution of a good or a service other than money.

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) launched a campaign to receive assistance from Bangladesh.

Ambassador Turan said Bangladeshi citizens are pouring love and support for their Turkish brothers and sisters through their messages. “We will never forget this type of solidarity.”

Turkish Airlines will carry the goods free of cost while the government of Bangladesh will facilitate customs clearances for quick delivery of those assistances.

The next one or two days will be very crucial to save more lives as his country is struggling to overcome the enormous challenges being hit by twin earthquakes and many aftershocks.

In a media briefing at the embassy, the ambassador expressed gratitude to the government and the people of Bangladesh for coming forward instantly after the earthquake.

Turan said no Bangladesh citizen has so far been affected.

He, however, said a former Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh (immediate past Ambassador Devrim Ozturk) who was posted in one of the affected provinces remains missing soon after the earthquake hit there.

"Unfortunately, we don't have any information about him," said Turan, seeking prayers for his quick rescue.

The Bangladesh government sent a search and rescue team by a military aircraft last evening and declared a day of national mourning with flags lowered at half-mast on all government premises for Thursday.

"This is a gesture we will not forget. There is an outpouring of support and solidarity by the people of Bangladesh on social media too," said the Ambassador.

“Very few countries declared a day for mourning,” he said, adding that many countries are now on the ground supporting his country with large teams.

Regarding the press visa, the envoy said visa will not be required for professional work requests received due to the earthquake in Turkey.

Members of the press should apply to the e-mail address pressaccreditation@iletisim.gov.tr with a copy of the assignment letter, photograph and passport, he said.

The ambassador, however, said it is very difficult to reach the affected areas and there is no hotel to stay there but the journalists can report from big cities including Ankara.

The president of Turkey on Wednesday acknowledged “shortcomings” in his country’s response to the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade as hope dwindled that more survivors would emerge from the rubble of thousands of toppled buildings.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is also actively considering to send rescue team to Syria as rescuers continue struggling to save lives in the aftermath of the massive twin earthquakes and aftershocks.

"It's under our active consideration," Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

At the weekly media briefing, she also said two rescued Bangladeshi students Nur-e-Alam and Md Golam Syed Rinku are undergoing treatment.

"Bangladesh Mission in Turkey is in constant touch with them and their family members," said the Spokesperson.

Bangladesh has already sent a 61-member rescue team to Turkey.

Seheli Sabrin said 19 Bangladeshis who were stuck in the most earthquake-affected region in Turkey were shifted to Ankara on Thursday.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Law enforcement agencies will take action if any attempt is made to occupy roads in Dhaka in the name of movement, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said today.

“The law enforcement agencies will do whatever necessary if anyone tries to block roads, and carries out vandalism and arson attacks again in the name of movement. If they observe their programmes for a short time then we have no problem,” he said.

The home minister came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after attending a certificate distribution programme on ‘Money Laundering Prevention and Financial Crime Investigation,” at Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters.

Read: Stern action will be taken against Yaba traders: Home Minister

“BNP is a political party and it is so normal that they will talk about many issues before the national election. Alongside, there are other parties which can hold political programmes and we have no problem with that,” he said.

He also urged all political parties to refrain from disrupting public movement through blocking roads.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Uttara Centre and Mirpur-10 stations of Metro Rail will be open to commuters on February 18 and March 1 respectively.

Nazmul Ahsan Bhuiya, deputy project director of Metro Rail, disclosed the information on Thursday.

Earlier, on January 25, the authorities opened the Mirpur’s Pallabi Station after nearly one month after the inauguration of the metro rail service in Dhaka.

Currently, commuters are using Uttara North Station to Pallabi, Pallabi to Uttara, and Agargaon to Pallabi.

The government has fixed Tk 30 for Uttara North Station to Pallabi, Pallabi to Uttara and Agargaon to Pallabi.

According to Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), the rail operation till Motijheel may start by the end of 2024, and Kamalapur by 2025.

By December 2024, metro rail will start operation from Agargaon to Kamalapur route with 24 trains.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar has said digital security will be a big challenge in building a "Smart Bangladesh."

"If we fail to combat this challenge, it could boomerang against us," he said while speaking at "Smart Connectivity for Smart Bangladesh" organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) Thursday.

"Financial gambling on the internet has become a concern as a growing number of fraud cases are being reported every day. So, we need to sensitise people about the good and bad sides of technology," Jabbar said.

Broadband connectivity in villages would be the key to building the infrastructure for a Smart Bangladesh, he also said.

While presenting the keynote speech, telecom expert TIM Nurul Kabir suggested the BTRC oversee the quality of all service providers instead of monitoring telecom operators only.

Sumon Ahmed Sabir, chief technology officer at Fiber@ Home, said: "If we want to make our education and health sectors smart, we need to see where we stand now and where our connectivity level needs to be taken."

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder was also present at the event chaired by TRNB President Rashed Mehedi.

TRNB General Secretary SM Masuduzzaman Robin and Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh President Md Emdadul Hoque were also present.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that Dhaka city will witness a “massive difference by 2030” as the government will implement various projects for improving rail connectivity to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

“Insha Allah, Dhaka city will have a different scenario by 2030, through rail communication,” she said while inaugurating train operations from Rooppur, Shashidal and Joydebpur railway stations on the newly installed 69.20 km track under three projects of Bangladesh Railway, joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

The prime minister said that the government has already introduced Metro Rail for Dhaka city dwellers which will be extended from Uttara to Kamalapur in near future.

She said that not only elevated, the government is also going to introduce underground train, and for that it has started construction work under the MRT-I project.

“It (rail) will save commute time and costs. Traffic of Dhaka city will ease,” she said.

Railways Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Dr Binoy George, and Railways Secretary Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir also spoke at the programme. A documentary on the three projects of Bangladesh Railway was screened at the event.

The PM said that her government has constructed the Padma Multipurpose Bridge with own financing and ensured rail communication facilities on the bridge.

She said that installation work of rail track on the Padma Multipurpose Bridge is going on in full swing. She added that extension of the rail track to Rupdia and Singia of Jashore is progressing.

“Besides, two fast-track projects are being implemented to establish rail connectivity with the tourist destination Cox's Bazar, thanks to the initiative of the Awami League government,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the government is also constructing a separate rail bridge on the Jamuna river, which is progressing fast.

“Those who once opposed rail connectivity through the Bangabandhu Bridge are now proposing to construct a separate rail bridge on Jamuna river. Construction work of the Bangabandhu Rail Bridge is going on,” she said.

The PM said that construction of Akhaura-Laksam dual-gauge double-line, Dhaka-Tongi 3rd and 4th dual-gauge line and Tongi-Joydebpur dual-gauge double-line are under construction.

In addition, she said, the government is constructing Dhaka-Narayanganj dual-gauge line, Bhanga-Barishal-Paira Port railway line, Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double-line, Khulna-Darshana dual-gauge double-line, Sirajganj-Bogura dual-gauge railway line.

"Moreover, work on Joydebpur-Mymensingh-Jamalpur dual-gauge double-line, Rooppur nuclear power plant rail-link, Akhaura-Agartala rail line, Dhirashram ICD project is in progress," she said.

The prime minister said that for the purpose of transporting goods of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the government took up the project titled “Rehabilitation and Construction of Railway Line with Signaling for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant” with own funding.

Under the project, a total of 26.52 km railway track including loop-line, Rooppur Railway Station building, 7 culverts, 13 level crossing gates and signaling-telecom work have been completed.

Sheikh Hasina said they undertook the project to upgrade the Dhaka-Chittagong corridor to a double-line.

Earlier, out of 321 km of this corridor, 249 km double-line construction has been completed, she said.

The project titled “Construction of Dual Gauge Double Rail Line from Akhaura to Laksam and Conversion of Existing Rail Line to Dual Gauge” was taken up with Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank and self-financing for construction of remaining 72 km double-line.

Saying that Laksam-Cumilla train service started earlier, Sheikh Hasina said that now railway double line construction from Shashidal to Rajapur and from Kasba to Mandbagh has been completed which was inaugurated today.

“The double line on the remaining 33 km route will be completed in June this year, Insha Allah,” she said.

The prime minister also highlighted briefly the development works for railway in the last 14 years.

She said that they have constructed 650 km of new railway lines, converted 280 km of meter gauge to dual gauge and rehabilitated/reconstructed 1,297 km of lines.

Besides, 126 new station buildings and 223 station buildings have been rehabilitated/reconstructed, she said.

In addition, 732 new railway bridges were constructed while 774 railway bridges were rehabilitated or reconstructed alongside rehabilitation of 50 broad gauge and 50 meter gauge passenger coaches.

Sheikh Hasina said they have acquired 106 locomotives, 20 sets of DEMUs, 535 passenger carriages and 516 freight wagons.

The government has developed and modernized signaling system at 130 stations, she said, adding that a total of 142 new trains including Mitali Express have been launched on 44 new and extended routes.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

A shallow earthquake shook Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua on Thursday, killing four people who were unable to escape when a floating restaurant collapsed into the sea.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit residential areas in Jayapura, near Papua's northern coast and was centered at a depth of 22 kilometers (13 miles). Shallow quakes often cause more damage on the Earth's surface.

“The residents were really panicked. I was in a car, and I felt like the car's wheels were lifted up,” said Tri Asih, a resident of Jayapura, Papua's capital.

Officials said four people who were inside a floating restaurant died when the quake caused it to collapse into the sea.

“The bodies of the four victims have been recovered," National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said at a news conference. "The victims were trapped under the rubble of the cafe and covered by the roof.”

Rescue divers were searching the area around the cafeteria for possible survivors.

Muhari said houses, buildings and medical facilities also were damaged. Some patients at the city's hospital were evacuated to its yard.

A series of strong earthquakes has shaken Papua since January. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said it has recorded 1,079 earthquakes in Jayapura city and nearby areas since Jan. 2, with 132 of them strong enough to be felt by residents.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago and a home to more than 270 million people, is frequently hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Basin.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on Nov. 21 killed at least 331 people in West Java. It was the deadliest in Indonesia since a 2018 quake and tsunami in Sulawesi killed about 4,340 people.

In 2004, an extremely powerful Indian Ocean quake set off a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

Source: United News of Bangladesh