Category: General

Canadian Minister of International Development Karina Gould has said she is impressed by the resilience and the remarkable progress taking place in Bangladesh.

“Canada has been a friend and development partner to Bangladesh for nearly 50 years,” she said, adding that they are committed to continuing to tackle the challenges together, including to support the needs of refugees and people living in extreme poverty.

The minister said it was important for her, as Minister of International Development, to undertake this virtual visit at this particularly difficult moment marked by challenges ranging from public health, to the economy, climate change, and the continued Rohingya crisis.

On Thursday, Karina Gould ended a “successful” three-day virtual visit to Bangladesh.

All events and meetings were hosted on digital platforms in order to minimize health risks.

“This was my first visit to Bangladesh and, although it was virtual, it allowed me to hear first-hand people’s stories and the challenges they face,” said the Canadian Minister.

Minister Gould announced contributions to two important projects in Bangladesh.

The first will see Canada join Brac’s Strategic Partnership Arrangement for the next five years (2021-2026), with a contribution of $45 million.

The second provides $2 million in additional Canadian funding to Unicef for the ‘Strengthening Quality Education in Cox’s Bazar’ initiative, to support preparations for the reopening of schools and learning centres.

During the visit, the Minister met partners from civil society, NGOs and international organizations to discuss their work in Bangladesh, and Canada’s continued support for Rohingya refugees, impacted host communities, and Covid-19 response.

Gould had a meeting with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen when she extended her congratulations on Bangladesh’s anticipated graduation from the Least Developed Countries group, and expressed Canada’s appreciation for Bangladesh’s inclusion of the most vulnerable Rohingya for the COVAX vaccination campaign.

She apprised the Foreign Minister of Canada’s “Together for Learning” campaign and its objective of making education available for all refugees, forcibly displaced and host community children and youth.

The two ministers spoke about their shared interests in holding accountable those responsible for acts perpetrated against the Rohingya.

They also shared their priorities related to the pandemic response and climate change.

Her visit concluded with a live event held in Mohakhali’s Bashantek Slum where Canada is supporting critical Covid-19 prevention activities and skills training for urban poor.

It was an opportunity to speak with young women and healthcare workers to learn about the challenges they face, and hear their ideas on how to reduce the impacts of Covid-19 on their communities.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The 10th death anniversary of late filmmaker Tareque Masud, a storyteller who is recognized for his creative brilliance and critical acclaim from home and abroad throughout his lifetime, is being observed in the country.

Tareque and Mishuk Munier along with three others were killed in a fatal road accident on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Ghior Upazila of Manikganj on August 13 in 2011. The accident happened when a microbus carrying the two short-lived celebrities crashed into a bus on the highway while they were returning to Dhaka from Manikganj after visiting a shooting location.

The day is being observed this year through various programmes organized by different organisations, including Tareque Masud Memorial Trust, Moviyana Film Society, Kathaprokash and Lagvelki, to name a few, adopting the new normalcy of virtual events.

Tareque Masud Memorial Trust and publishing house Kathaprokash jointly organized a virtual book launching ceremony on Thursday night, publishing the remastered edition of Tareque Masud’s book titled ‘Chalachchittrajatra’,

Catherine Masud, Tareque’s widow, an American-born producer-filmmaker, Tareque Masud Memorial Trust chairperson and joint editor of the book joined the event alongside filmmaker and joint editor of the book Proshoon Rahman, Moviyana Film Society president and joint editor of the book Belayet Hossain Mamun, Indian film scholar Sanjay Mukhopadhyay, artist Dhali Al Mamoon and Kathaprokash owner Jashim Uddin.

Lagvelki, the first online pay-per-view movie streaming platform in the country, is organising an online discussion programme at 5 pm on Friday. Scheduled to be streamed live from LagVelki’s official Facebook page, the event will be joined by filmmaker Proshoon Rahmaan who will talk about his new book, ‘Tareque Masud O Tar Shwapnoshonkranto’, alongside Lagvelki founder Shariful Islam Shaon.

Indian film scholar Sanjay Mukhopadhyay will deliver the Tareque Masud Memorial Lecture on Friday at 8.30 pm, which will be streamed live on Moviyana Film Society’s Facebook page. The event, being organized by Tareque Masud Memorial Trust and Moviyana Film Society, will be joined by Catherine Masud and Moviyana Film Society president Belayet Hossain Mamun.

Born on December 6, 1956, in Faridpur, Tareque was involved with the film society movement in the late 70s. His maiden film is ‘Adam Surat’, a documentary on the legendary artist SM Sultan which was released in 1989.

‘Matir Moyna’, the most acclaimed film made by Tareque Masud, earned the FIPRESCI Prize in the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and became Bangladesh’s first film to compete for the Academy Award for the best foreign-language film in the same year. His other major films are ‘Runway’, ‘Ontorjatra’ ‘Muktir Gaan’ and the unfinished ‘Kagojer Phul’.

In addition to filmmaking, Tareque was also a pioneer of the independent film movement in Bangladesh. He was a founding member of the Short Film Forum, the leading platform for independent filmmakers. He organised the country’s first International Short and Documentary Film Festival in 1988.

For his majestic and influential role in modern Bangladeshi filmmaking, Tareque Masud was posthumously awarded Ekushey Padak in 2012.

Mishuk Munier was a former faculty member of the Department of Journalism at Dhaka University and a well-revered cinematographer. He was the son of cultural activist Lily Chowdhury and Bangla Academy Award-winning educationist, playwright, literary critic and political activist Munier Chowdhury, an intellectual martyr who was assassinated by Pakistan Army and its local collaborators on December 14, 1971.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Police on Thursday detained a state-run orphanage’s staff over the death of a two-month old infant in Bagbari of Sylhet city.

The detainee was identified as Sultana Ferdousi Siddiqa, a nanny at the ‘Chhotomoni Nibas’ run by the Department of Social Services.

SM Abu Farhad, officer-in-charge of Sylhet’s Kotwali police station, said the nanny was detained after an investigation that pored through CCTV footage of the orphanage.

The OC said, “At first, the nanny denied her involvement in the incident. She admitted the matter when asked again after being shown CCTV footage.”

Which only means she confessed when she was already found out. Closed-circuit cameras on July 22 captured the disturbing footage of Sultana throwing the crying infant, Nabil Ahmed, out of his bed before shockingly suffocating him to death with a pillow.

Incredibly, no case has been filed yet in this regard, with the Department of Social Services possibly refraining from filing against its staff, but the OC said police will file the case if needed. But government approval is needed in this regard, since the nanny is an employee of the state.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday expressed deep sorrow at the death of Awami League Jatiya Parishad member and former president of Feni Awami League Abdur Rahman B.Com.

Abdur Rahman, also a freedom fighter, breathed his last at his home at the age of 80.

She prayed for the eternal salvation of the departed soul and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family members.

Abdur Rahman left behind wife, three sons, two daughters and a host of relatives, colleagues and well-wishers.

AL general secretary and Highways and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader also condoled Abdur Rahman’s death.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

German sporting-goods company Adidas Thursday announced that it had made a deal to sell Reebok to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) for $2.5 billion, roughly 15 years after acquiring the US fitness brand.

Back in February, the German company started the formal process of selling Reebok, which it acquired for roughly $3.8 billion to expand in the US.

“Adidas announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Reebok to Authentic Brands Group for a total consideration of up to €2.1 billion, with the majority to be paid in cash at closing of the transaction and the remainder comprised of deferred and contingent consideration,” the company said in a statement.

The transaction is expected to be closed in the first quarter of 2022 with most of the proceeds to be shared with Adidas’ shareholders.

“Reebok has been a valued part of Adidas, and we are grateful for the contributions the brand and the team behind it has made to our company. With this change in ownership, we believe the Reebok brand will be well-positioned for long-term success,” Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted said.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Friday said the ferries that ply the Shumulia-Banglabazar Ferry Ghat route will install an outer layer of rubber for the security of the Padma Bridge.

The layer of rubber will act to cushion the blow from the vessels’ bodies on the concrete pillars.

“An order has been issued to install outer rubber layers on ferries,” he said after visiting Shimulia Ferry Ghat in Munshiganj.

The state minister said they feel embarrassed at the alarming frequency with which vessels have been hitting the pillars of the Padma Bridge.

“Steps have been taken in this regard. There were some instructions. But we noticed laxity to some extent in following the instructions,” he said adding that they would sit in a high-level meeting soon to decide the next steps to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.

Read: 20 hurt as ferry hits Padma bridge pillar

Banglabazar ferry ghat can’t be used any more after the Padma Bridge is launched fully because of the overall security of the bridge. “In that case, we want to shift the ferry ghat to Majikhandi,” he said, adding that they also visited the Majikandi on Friday.

Khalid Mahmud hoped the government’s flagship development project, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, would be opened for traffic in the next year. “If any part of Padma Bridge is hit by anything, it actually hurts the heart of the people. So, it (hitting the Padma Bridge) will no way be accepted,” he said.

He also visited the Padma Bridge and also its pillar no-10, that was most recently hit by a ferry. Mawa naval police IC JM Shirajul Kabir said the navigator of the ferry lost control of the vessel due to strong river current, leading to the crash.

Navigator Md Badal Hossain said “Though a crack developed in the ferry after it had hit the pier, we could safely reach Shimulia ghat,” he said.

In the past two months, at least five such accidents have taken place in the district.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq and Deputy Commissioner of Munshiganj Kazi Nahid Rasul were present during the state minister’s visit.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Gas supply will remain suspended in different areas of the national capital for 10 hours from 9 am to 7 pm on Saturday.

According to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company, the areas include Boro Moghbazar, Taltala Gali, Jahabox Lane, Gabtala, Wahab Road, Nayatola, Chairman Gali, Modhubagh and their adjoining areas.

The consumers of the areas will either have no gas supply or experience low pressure in supply due to works on gas pipeline relocation, said Titas Gas.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Stressing the importance of justice, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Friday said the police personnel who have connections with crimes will be punished as no one is above the law.

“If anyone in the police force commits a crime, he or she must be punished as the law is equal for all,” he said.

The home minister came up with the remarks responding to a question from reporters during a food distribution programme organized by Dhaka City North Awami League on the occasion of ‘National Mourning Day’ on Friday.

Kama’ls tough remarks came as the involvement of several police officers was found in various offences and crimes in recent weeks.

Among them, the alleged relationship between Gulam Saklain, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), and arrested film actress Pori Moni sparked outcry in social media and drew attention of the whole country.

There have been much talks when a rape case was filed against Superintendent of Police (SP) Moktar Hossain of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) by a female police inspector and the arrest news of six DB police officers of Feni district for snatching gold bars from a businessman.

When his attention was drawn to those allegations against cops, the home minister said one or two members of the police force may be involved in such crimes.

“They’re being punished as per the law of the land. The policemen who have recently been found involved in various crimes will be punished because no one is above the law,” Kamal told the journalists.

Mentioning that there has been a lot of qualitative changes in the police force over 10 years, he said, “This police force has also played a very brave role in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. They (police personnel) have done a lot of good jobs.”

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Saif Sporting Club forced six times champions Dhaka Abahani Limited to concede 2-3 goals defeat in the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football 2020-21 at the Banglabandhu National Stadium here on Friday.

Saif SC dominated the first half by 2-0 goals.

After the day ‘s shocking defeat, Dhaka Abahani Ltd went down in the runners-up race with 40 points from 21 matches while Saif SC advanced to 6th slot securing 35 points from 20 encounters.

Three times champions Sheikh Jamal DC are in the 2nd place toppling six times champions Dhaka Abahani Ltd securing 42 points from 20.

Star studded Bashundhara Kings, which smartly clinched league title with four matches to spare last Monday ,further sounded their margin securing 58 points from 21 matches.

In the day’s match, Nigerian booter Kenneth Ikechukwu put Saif SC ahead in the 43rd minute while another Nigerian John Okoli doubled the margin in the stoppage time of the first half (45+2 minute).(2-0).

Haitian forward Kervens Belfort and local striker Jewel Rana scored two quick goals for the sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani in the span of only one minute in the 77th and 78th minutes to level the margin (2-2).

Finally, Nigerian booter Kenneth Ikechukwu scored the match-winner for Saif SC netting his 2nd goal in the 81st minute (3-1).

In the day’s another league match, Bangladesh Police FC outplayed Muktijoddha Sangshad KC by 3-1 goals at the same venue Friday evening, featuring a hattrick by Ivory Coast forward Christian Kouakou .

After a barren first half, Christian Kouakou made a hattrick scoring all the three goals for the Police FC in the 61st, 75th and 85th minutes (3-0).

Another Ivory Coast forward Ballo Famoussa netted the consolation goal for the freedom fighters team Muktijoddha in the 90th minute from a penalty. (3-1).

After the match, Police FC are in the 8th slot collecting 22 points from 20 matches while Muktijoddha SKC at the 11th place with 15 points from 20 encounters.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Several commuters had a narrow escape after a ferry carrying them crashed into a pier of the Padma bridge on Friday morning.

The accident occurred when the K-type ferry, named Kakoli, was heading towards Shimlulia ghat in Munshiganj district from Banglabazar ghat in Madaripur.

“Around 7am, the ferry hit pier number 10 shedding a portion of concrete of the pile cap,” executive engineer (main bridge) Dewan Abdul Kader told UNB.

Though the vessel was partially damaged, there has been no structural damage to the bridge. “But frequent ferry accidents are really concerning,” Dewan said.

A pier is a structure that extends into the water to support the bridge superstructure and transfer the loads to the foundation.

Mawa naval police IC JM Shirajul Kabir said the navigator of the ferry lost control of the vessel due to strong river current, leading to the crash.

Navigator Md Badal Hossain said that he lost control of the ferry due to strong river current. “Though a crack developed in the ferry after it had hit the pier, we could safely reach Shimulia ghat,” he said.

In the past two months, at least five such accidents have taken place in the district.

On August 10, the government banned the movement of ferries with heavy vehicles on board under the Padma bridge.

However, the bridge authority claims that the bridge is so strong that only the ferries will sustain damage in case of a collision.

Recently, on the night of August 9, another ferry, Ro Ro Birsreshtha Jahangir, hit pier 10 of the bridge injuring five passengers and causing damage to three vehicles it was carrying.

The authority had filed a complaint at the Louhajang police station in this regard and temporarily suspended the inland master officer and wheel sukani of the ferry.

Besides, on August 10, a five-member probe body was formed and ordered to submit a report within three days.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The district administration formed a five-member probe committee Friday after the sudden fire at the Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) 33/11 thousand kV sub-station in Naogaon.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Harun ur Rashid formed the committee on Friday noon after inspecting the damaged 33/11 thousand kV sub-station.

Additional District Magistrate Razia Sultana was made convener of the probe committee which has been asked to submit an investigation report within the next three working days.

On Friday 7:30 am, seven breakers in the power control room caught fire with a sudden load noise resulting power supply cut off in Naogaon, Sadar upazila, Raninagar, some parts of Atrai upazila as well as Shantahar and Adamdighi areas of Bogura district.

On information, four units of Naogaon Fire Service brought the fire under control after trying for about an hour.

However, no casualties were reported.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

A major fire broke out at the Kathaltali power substation in the early hours of Friday, leading to an outage in Naogaon and Santahar municipal areas.

Officials said the fire originated in the control room of the substation around 5.30am. Three fire tenders were soon pressed into service but it took them nearly three hours to contain the blaze.

However, the substation fire has knocked out power to lakhs of homes in Naogaon and Santahar.

According to the Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) office in Naogaon, the fire started in six breakers of the control room. The officials present there had tried to douse the flames before the arrival of the fire tenders.

Executive engineer (sales and distribution) of NESCO, Monir Hossain, said, “The exact reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained, but we suspect an electrical glitch. A probe has been ordered.”

A team of senior officials, including the chief engineer of Rajshahi, has reached the substation to restore power supply to the affected areas at the earliest, he added.

Source: United News of Bangladesh