Month: April 2023

A student died after being electrocuted at Dhopadi village under Abhaynagar upazila of district last evening.

The deceased was identified as Subrata Das, 14, a student of class eight of Dhopadi Secondary School and son of Pashupati Das, a resident of Dhopadi village of the upazila.

Local people said he was electrocuted at around 6:30 pm when putting a bulb in the electricity holder at his house.

Later he was taken to Abhaynagar Upazila Health Complex where the on-duty doctor declared him dead.

Sub-Inspector (SI) of Abhaynagar Police Station Harshit Roy confirmed the matter.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Gopalganj Sporting Club and Fakirerpool Young Men's Club won their respective matches of the Bangladesh Championship League football held today (Saturday) at Birshreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in the city's Kamalapur.

In the day's first match, Gopalganj Sporting Club beat BFF Elite Football Academy team by 2-1 goals with Anik and Saiful scored one goal each for the winners' in the 41st and 89th minutes respective while Mirajul netted the lone goal for the losses' in the 73rd minute from a spot kick.

In the day's second match, Fakirerpool Young Men's Club, came from behind, defeated NoFeL Sporting Club also by the same identical margin of 2-1 goals.

In the proceeding, Kankar Biswas put NoFeL ahead in the 39th minute while after the breather Fakirerpool Young Men's Club staged a fight back through a suicidal goal as Rakib of NoFeL Sporting Club scored a own goal in the 51st minute of the match.

Tarikul sealed the victory scoring the second goal for Fakirerpool Young Men's Club in the 81st minute of the match.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The season of collecting honey from the

Sundarbans began this (Saturday) noon.

The honey season was formally inaugurated by Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain,

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans West Department (DFO), at

12:00 pm through collecting honey in Satkhira range area of the west

Sundarbans.

The West Department of the forest has distributed permission letters among

the Moual after the successful completion of honey collection training on the

premises of Government Primary School, adjacent to the Buri Goalini Forest

Office.

Later, the Moual will go to the deep forest to collect honey, the sources

said.

Talking to BSS, the DFO Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, said 60 Mouals have

received permission letters today to enter into the Sundarbans. The remaining

Moual will gradually enter into the forest till June.

Besides, security measures have already been enhanced to ensure safe honey

collection in the Sundarbans. He advised that the Moual should loiter

carefully to protect themselves from the attack of wild animals like tigers,

the DFO added.

A target has been set to collect 3,000 quintals or three lakh kilograms of

honey and 800 quintals of wax from the Sundarbans this year, he said.

Of the total honey, at least 1,050 quintals of honey and 200 quintals of wax

have found in the Satkhira range of the Sundarbans.

According to the Forest Department, 1,012 permits were issued for the

collection of honey and wax in 2021. Against the permits, 6,797 honey

collectors went to the Sundarbans and collected 3,376.90 tonnes of honey and

113.09 tonnes of wax.

The Forest Department earned Taka 25,64,363 as revenue from honey and Taka

10,25,850 from wax.

In 2022, the revenue from honey was Taka 36,93,600, and from wax, it was Taka

15,31,200. That year, 2,320 quintals of honey and 696 quintals of wax were

found in the Sundarbans.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The Editors Guild, Bangladesh has strongly condemned the Prothom Alo's controversial report published on the Independence Day, saying that it is tantamount to undermining the country's glorious independence.

"The controversial report published by the Prothom Alo on the Independence Day on March 26 is tantamount to undermining the country's glorious independence. It is a part of the continuous effort to serve an agenda in the name of journalism," said the combined platform of online, print and electronic media editors in a statement issued on Friday night.

Editors Guild, Bangladesh President Mozammel Babu and General Secretary Inam Ahmed signed the statement.

"Publishing fabricated and purposeful news is not journalism, it is a non-journalistic approach. Editors Guild, Bangladesh strongly condemns it," said the statement.

Noting that no one is above the law, the editors' body, however, asked for taking opinion of the Press Council before filing any case if anyone is aggrieved by any report published in the mainstream media.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Bangladesh and Netherlands held discussions to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries, as Prime Minister's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah called on Dutch Prime Minister's Foreign and Security Adviser Ambassador Geoffrey Van Leeuwen.

Leeuwen, during the meeting held yesterday (Friday), mentioned the Dutch Government's intention to deepen cooperation with Bangladesh beyond water sector, according to a press release of Bangladesh Embassy to the Netherlands received here today.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands M Riaz Hamidullah was present at the meeting.

The Principal Secretary highlighted Bangladesh's journey in building a pluralist and liberal society, advancing women and commitment to strengthening the function of democratic institutions in Bangladesh.

He also sought Dutch support towards sustainable return of the Rohingyas and political solution of the issue in Myanmar.

Leeuwen lauded Bangladesh's continued journey in development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and reiterated the Dutch Prime Minister's invitation to visit the Netherlands.

The Principal Secretary proposed for instituting a Public-Private Dialogue mechanism with the Netherlands which was welcomed by the Dutch side.

The Principal Secretary is leading a high-level Bangladesh delegation joined by Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan, former MCCI President Barrister Nihad Kabir and the Secretary-General Farooq Ahmed.

The delegation held several day-long meetings at the Dutch Foreign Ministry where the two sides discussed a wide range of issues, including extension of EU GSP facilities towards Bangladesh apparel sector beyond graduation as an LDC, collaboration on implementation of transformative projects under Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP), facilitating Dutch investment financing in private sector, especially across diverse sectors of Bangladesh agriculture, brining innovative Dutch water solutions to Bangladesh.

The Principal Secretary also met with representatives of leading Dutch financial institutions and the Eindhoven-based Brainport.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Presidium Member of Awami League (AL) and former food minister Advocate Kamrul Islam, MP, today said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been waging unnecessary agitations to raise public sufferings during the holy month of 'Ramadan'.

"Awami League has been trying to alleviate common people's sufferings by looking after their needs and necessities, while BNP waging movements for no reason causing huge public sufferings," said Kamrul.

He was addressing a food distribution ceremony organised by Awami Jubo League at Kamrangirchar 31 bed hospital ground on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

Kamrul said on behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Jubo League is distributing foods among the needy people and Muslim devotees who are fasting in a bid to alleviate people's sufferings.

"BNP is an internationally recognized terrorist group. The defeated power of '71, Jamaat-BNP is rising again, making multifaceted conspiracies against the country", he said, adding, "Jubo League has to give proper reply to each of their conspiracy."

Awami Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash presided over the event while AL Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Aminul Islam Amin, Juga League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Dhaka Metropolitan south Jubo League Acting President Main Uddin Rana, Acting General Secretary HM Rezaul Karim Reza, Jubo League Publicity Secretary Jaydev Nandi and Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Md. Saddam Hossain addressed on the occasion, among others.

Aminul Islam said that the economy of Bangladesh is advancing smoothly at the moment when the world's economy facing severe crisis due to the Corona epidemic and the Ukraine-Russia war. "But in Bangladesh, no bank is closed, no insurance is closed, and no one remains hungry because there is a Sheikh Hasina for us", he added.

Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash said, "Efforts are underway to implement a planned blueprint to prove that the government has failed. Attempts are being made to create such a situation so that the common people lose their faith in the government."

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

After bringing almost every inch of land under

crop farming responding to the call of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, farmers

are now getting bumper output of vegetables with lucrative prices in Rangpur

agriculture region.

Following the PM's repeated call to enhance food production in the wake of

global crises caused by the Russia-Ukraine War, encaustic farmers engaged

all-out efforts to increase production of all crops, including vegetables,

this time to ensure food security.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) took special steps to inspire

farmers in bringing their croplands, fallow lands, homesteads and char lands

under cultivation of vegetables and other crops to enhance food production.

"To realize the PM's call, a record target of producing 9,61,170 tonnes of

winter vegetables was fixed from 40,470 hectares of land for the region

during the Rabi season," said Additional Director of the DAE, Rangpur region

Agriculturist Md. Aftab Hossain.

Farmers have finally cultivated winter vegetables in 40,558 hectares of land

in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts of the

region exceeding the fixed farming target by 198 hectares or 0.49 percent

this time.

"Since the beginning of the Rabi season, farmers and rural people, including

women cultivated winter vegetables in their homesteads, nearby abandoned and

fallow lands and char lands with huge enthusiasm," Hossain said.

As a result of various pragmatic steps taken by the government in the last 14

years, vegetable cultivation round the year adopting newer cropping patterns

and latest technologies has become a lucrative scheme to change the fortunes

of many farmers.

Getting incentives, assistance, easy-term agro-loan, quality seeds, inputs

and technologies from the government, farmers are expanding vegetable

cultivation during Rabi, Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 seasons and increasing

production every year.

"Farmers have, so far, harvested winter vegetables cultivated on 37,485

hectares of land and produced 9,43,137 tonnes of vegetables at an excellent

average yield rate of 25.16 tonnes per hectare," Hossain said.

After completing harvest by this month-end, farmers are expected to produce

over 10.23-lakh tonnes of winter vegetables to exceed the fixed production

target by around 62,000 tonnes this season in the region.

Deputy Director of the DAE, Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mandal

said farmers showed more interest in farming winter vegetables responding to

the call of the Premier to enhance food production.

"As a result, farmers have brought more lands in the mainland, riverine char

areas and fallow homesteads under cultivation of winter vegetables with the

DAE assistance," he said.

Talking to BSS, farmers Arman Hossain, Abdul Haque, Aiyub Ali and Golam

Mostafa of different villages in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur said they are

now harvesting winter vegetables and getting bumper production to reap

excellent profits.

Farmers Solaiman Ali, Shahinur Islam and Anwarul Islam of Gangachara upazila

and Shamsul Haque, Nurul Amin and Azizur Rahman of Kawnia upazila in Rangpur

said they have cultivated varieties of winter vegetables on sandy char lands.

"We are harvesting winter vegetables and getting excellent yield and earning

pleasing profits to lead a normal life despite the prevailing global crises

caused by the Russia-Ukraine War," said Solaiman Ali.

Rangpur Chamber President Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu stressed on setting

up of more agro-based industries for processing the produced vegetables to

enhance export of the agro-products to benefit farmers alongside

strengthening the rural economy.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Bangladesh has sought Dutch investment in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and driving sustainability in the country.

The request was made when a delegation, led by Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, met with Ren, van Hell, Director of Inclusive Growth at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands, and Karin M ssenlechner, Director, Asia and Oceania Department at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.

The principal secretary was accompanied by BGMEA President Faruque Hassan, Senior Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands M. Riaz Hamidullah, former President of MCCI Nihad Kabir in the meeting which was also attended by Netherlands Ambassador toBangladesh Anne van Leeuwen, said a press release.

Wies van Leeuwen, Business Development Coordinator, India and Bangladesh at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Joost Oorthuizen, CEO of Invest International were present at the meeting held in the Hague, Netherlands.

The delegation apprised the Dutch government high-ups of Bangladesh's progress in the direction of achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while spotlighting potential of investment in sustainability in the country.

Speaking at the meeting, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan stated how Bangladesh's garment industry is making continuous strides towards going green, and is already the global leader with the highest number of green factories.

He urged the Dutch government to support the industry, especially in the areas of environmental sustainability - circular fashion, recycling, energy efficiency.

He also invited investment from the Netherlands in the industry to accelerate its move towards sustainability.

Faruque also called on the Netherlands government to extend its cooperation in developing knowledge and skills of the students of BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT) in textile, apparel, fashion, design and business through collaboration with leading Dutch fashion universities and institutes.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Bangladesh has urged international community to scale up global actions including climate financing for protecting persons displaced by climate change and associated disaster.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen made the call while speaking at a panel discussion organized by IOM during its 2023 International Dialogue on Migration held at the United Nations Headquarters on Friday, according to a press release received here today.

The foreign secretary also called upon development partners to extend financial support for implementing the recently launched Bangladesh's national adaptation plan 2023-2050.

"The recently adopted UN General Assembly Resolution requesting for an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on obligations of States in respect of climate change recognizes the link between climate change and displacement of affected persons," he said.

Masud shared various initiatives undertaken by the Bangladesh government in addressing the impact of climate change including the Eighth Five Year Plan' incorporating action point to address the environment, climate change adaptation and mitigation, establishment of Climate Change Trust Fund and launching of 'Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan'.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also undertaken the biggest housing project for climate migrants in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, the "Khurushkul Special Ashrayan Project", he added.

Earlier on the day, the foreign secretary held a bilateral meeting with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations Headquarters.

During the meeting, Lacroix thanked Bangladesh for serving the UN peacekeeping operations as the top troops and police contributing country with dignity, sincerity and high professionalism.

Masud requested USG to appoint more officers from Bangladesh in the Department of Peace Operations.

In return, USG assured to work more closely with Bangladesh in this regard.

Permanent Representative Muhammad Abdul Muhith accompanied the foreign secretary in the meeting.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau has

congratulated his Bangladesh counterpart Dr. A K Abdul Momen on the occasion

of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh.

In his congratulatory message, Rau conveyed warm wishes and congratulations

to Bangladesh foreign minister, a foreign ministry press release said here

today.

The Polish foreign minister mentioned that the 50th anniversary of

establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and Bangladesh, which was

celebrated last year, was a convenient opportunity to emphasize the

traditionally friendly relations between the two countries.

Rau expressed hope that the bilateral political dialogue would resume soon,

in particular, that another round of consultations at the level of Deputy

Foreign Ministers would be held in Warsaw.

He underscored the untapped potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in

areas such as the agro-food sector, mining and energy transformation, as well

as green technologies and digitization.

Noting the global threats resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war, he stressed

the importance of cooperation between the countries in international

organisations, including the UN, to contribute to strengthening international

peace and security.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The people of Ukraine need peace, but no one in the West cares a bit, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said in his address to the Belarusian people and parliament on Friday.

"Don't the people of Ukraine need peace? But no one cares about the opinion of the people," said Lukashenko.

The Belarusian president recalled that at a certain point he "tried to turn the president of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky the right way."

"I told Zelensky: a war is underway on your territory. In due time, the people will ask you why you didn't stop the war," Lukashenko added.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Donald Trump raised over USD 4 million towards his 2024 presidential run in 24 hours after a Manhattan grand jury indicted the former US president on charges related to paying off a porn star, his office has said.

According to the former president's campaign, over 25 per cent of donations came from first-time donors to the Trump Campaign, further solidifying his status as the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary.

"This incredible surge of grassroots contributions confirms that the American people see the indictment of President Trump as a disgraceful weaponisation of our justice system by a Soros-funded prosecutor," it said in a statement on Friday.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha