Page 63 - Bangladesh

Hamoon over Bay of Bengal intensifies into very severe cyclonic storm: IMD

The official statement by the Director of Amaravati Meteorological Centre further mentioned that the cyclonic is very likely to maintain its intensity of 'Very Severe Cyclonic Storm' for a few hours

13 killed, several others injured after 2 trains collide in Bangladesh

At least 13 people were killed and several others injured on Monday when a passenger train collided with a freight train in Bangladesh, officials said. The accident took place when the passenger train headed from Kishoreganj to Dhaka collided with the freight train around 4:15 pm. Thirteen bodies have been found so far, bdnews24 reported, citing a police official at the Bhairab Railway Station. Several people were trapped under the damaged coaches, the news portal said. "An initial report said that the freight train crashed into the Egaro Sindhur from behind, striking two of the carriages, said Anowar Hossain, superintendent of Dhaka Railway Police.

US issues Level 2 advisory for B'desh, urges citizens to exercise caution

The United States Thursday issued a 'Level 2' travel advisory for Bangladesh, urging its citizens to exercise caution while travelling to the country. Reissued after a periodic review with updates regarding crime, terrorism, kidnapping, and short-term events, the State Department urged its citizens to exercise increased caution in Bangladesh. Some areas have increased risk due to crime, terrorism and the upcoming general election, the State Department said. The US also urged its citizens to reconsider travel to Chittagong Hill Tracts Region due to occasional communal violence, crime, terrorism, kidnapping, and other security risks. Travellers should be aware of petty crimes such as pickpocketing in crowded areas. Crimes such as muggings, burglaries, assaults, and illegal drug trafficking constitute the majority of criminal activity in Bangladesh's major cities, but there are no indications foreigners are being targeted because of their nationality. These crimes tend to be situationa

B'desh PM Hasina inaugurates largest infra project built with Chinese loan

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday inaugurated the 82-km Padma Bridge Rail Link, the country's largest infrastructure project built under China's Belt and Road Initiative. Hasina unveiled the Dhaka-Bhanga section of the rail route between Dhaka and Jashore through the Padma Bridge from Mawa Railway Station in Munshiganj. The remaining portion of the project linking Jessore is expected to be launched in June of next year, the Dhaka Tribune reported, quoting project officials. Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen, who attended the inaugural ceremony, said the Padma Bridge Rail Link is a landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and also the largest infrastructure project in Bangladesh using Chinese preferential loans. As one of the most important infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, it is estimated to directly benefit 80 million people and boost economic growth by 1.5 per cent, he claimed. The project is estimated to cost Tk 39,246.80 crore, wi

India had world's highest number of preterm births in 2020: Lancet study

India recorded 3.02 million preterm births in 2020 -- the highest worldwide -- accounting for over 20 per cent of all preterm births globally, according to a study published in the The Lancet journal. The research by authors from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, showed that over 50 per cent of all preterm births in 2020 occurred in just eight countries. India was followed by Pakistan, Nigeria, China, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo and the US, the researchers said. The high numbers of preterm births in these countries and areas are, in part, a reflection of their large population sizes, high numbers of total births, and weaker health systems that are unable to deliver high-quality family planning, antenatal care, and childbirth services to all individuals who need them, they said. Globally, an estimated 13.4 million babies were born early in 2020, with

Bangladesh PM, US NSA discussed importance of improving bilateral ties: WH

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan last week during which they discussed the importance of improving the relationship between the two countries, the White House said. The Bangladeshi prime minister was here last week and also met several other senior officials of the Biden Administration. Last month, she had a fruitful pull-aside meeting with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi. They (the prime minister and US NSA) talked about the importance of improving our bilateral relationship across a range of issues including climate change, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House told reporters at a news conference here on Tuesday. The two meetings gained significance in the wake of the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh. They did talk about the importance of free and fair elections, Kirby said in response to a ...

SAMPRITI: Indian, Bangladesh armies commence joint military exercise

India and Bangladesh on Tuesday commenced the 11th edition of the annual joint military exercise, 'SAMPRITI-XI' in Umroi, Meghalaya, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement

India, Bangladesh kick-start 2-week military exercise in Meghalaya

India and Bangladesh began a two-week military exercise in Meghalaya's Umroi on Tuesday with an aim to share tactical drills and promote best practices in carrying out sub-conventional operations. The exercise -- "SAMPRITI-XI" -- promises to further enhance the defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, fostering deeper bilateral relations, cultural understanding and mutual benefits from shared experiences, the defence ministry said. "This exercise, alternatingly organised by both countries, signifies strong bilateral defence cooperation initiatives. With its inception in Jorhat, Assam in 2009, the exercise has witnessed 10 successful editions till 2022," it said. Around 350 personnel from both sides are participating in the exercise. The Bangladeshi contingent comprises 170 personnel, led by Brigadier General Mohammed Mafizul Islam Rashed, Commander of 52 Bangladesh Infantry Brigade. The lead unit from the Bangladesh Army side is 27 Bangladesh Infantry Regiment. The India

Death toll in Bangladesh's dengue outbreak crosses 1,000, shows data

The deaths reported are nearly four times more than in the whole of last year

Harmanpreet, Mandeep score hat tricks as India storms into semifinals

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh slammed a hat-trick each as India mauled Bangladesh 12-0 to storm into the semifinals of the men's hockey competition at the Asian Games here on Monday. Harmanpreet (2nd, 4th, 32nd minutes) converted three penalty corners, while Mandeep (18th, 24th, 46th) also found the net thrice as India remained unbeaten in Pool A. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (23rd), Amit Rohidas (28th), Abhishek (41st, 57th), Nilakanta Sharma (47th) and Gurjant Singh (56th) were the other goal getters for India. India will play the second-best team of Pool B in the semifinal on Wednesday. It was complete dominance by India from start to finish as they scored goals from both penalty corners and field play. The Indians pumped in seven field goals and converted five out of 11 penalty corners earned in the match. India mounted continuous raids throughout the match to pump in six goals in each half. It took India two minutes to take the lead when Harmanpreet converted the firs

India, Bangladesh discuss preparations to start talks for free trade pact

India and Bangladesh have discussed preparations to start talks for a free trade agreement between the two countries to promote economic ties, an official statement said on Sunday. It was discussed during an official-level meeting of the Joint Working Group on Trade (JWG) between India and Bangladesh, which was held last week in Dhaka. The meeting "discussed a host of bilateral issues such as removal of port restrictions, ground work on commencement of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), harmonization of standards, and mutual recognition of standards, supply of essential commodities to Bangladesh," the commerce ministry said. CEPA is a kind of free trade agreement, under which two trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Besides, they also ease norms to promote trade in services and investments. They also deliberated upon issues related to development of road and rail infrastructure, regio

India acts to eliminate trans-fatty acids from national food supplies: WHO

One in four adults in the region has raised blood pressure, while one in ten has diabetes, and less than 15 per cent are on effective treatment coverage

Assam's unsettled legacy

In the decades since Independence, Assam's relationship with India, its neighbouring regions, and its political dynamics has been shaped by the enduring aftermath of World War II

Women's Reservation Bill: Where else have seats been reserved for women?

Parliament special session: In 2018, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report, only 24 per cent of parliamentarians were women

Dengue fatalities in B'desh cross 800 after 14 deaths reported on Saturday

As many as 2,598 more patients were hospitalised with dengue fever this year, added DGHS, according to Dhaka Tribune

India, Bangladesh discuss bilateral cooperation, sign 3 MoUs ahead of G20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sign agreements on cooperation in digital payments, renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme, and agricultural research

PM Modi lauds Dhaka for shouldering the burden of Rohingya refugees

Bangladesh has been asking India to lean on Myanmar to repatriate the people who took refuge in the country to escape persecution after a military clampdown in 2017

PM Hasina asked Bangladeshi Hindus not to consider themselves minorities

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday asked Bangladesh's Hindu community not to consider themselves minorities, saying the country belongs to everyone irrespective of caste, creed and religion as they fought for its independence against Pakistani occupation forces in 1971. "Why would you call yourselves a minority? ... There is nothing like minority and majority here, she said during an interaction with leading Hindu community leaders coinciding with Janmashtami at her official Gano Bhaban residence here. Hasina said, Don't undermine yourselves as a minority...Why are you doing so when you are the people of this country? She said those who were born on this soil, are the children of this soil and they have citizen rights "so, you will live accordingly". "I want you all to practise your respective religions properly," Hasina said and simultaneously called for constant vigil against any move to destroy the country's religious harmony and propaganda against its advancement. Hasina s

Dengue outbreak in Bangladesh: Over 60,000 cases recorded in August

Dengue cases are not likely to ebb anytime soon, the report noted, adding that in August alone, the country witnessed more deaths than the overall toll recorded last year

NRL, IWAI sign MoU for transportation of petroleum products to Bangladesh

Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) and Inland Waterways Authority of India on Thursday signed an MoU for the transportation of petroleum products of the Assam-based company to Bangladesh. The collaboration was made for supplying such products through IWAI's upgraded jetty at Jogighopa in Assam, an official said. NRL envisages to export 200 thousand metric tonne of products per annum to Bangladesh through Jogighopa jetty, after the commissioning of its expanded refinery and petrochemicals plant. The MoU was signed here by NRL's chief general manager (Marketing) Subrata Das and IWAI director A Selva Kumar in the presence of Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameshwar Teli. Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal said that collaboration between NRL and IWAI is expected to provide a boost to the Centre's 'Gati Shakti' initiative and 'Act East Policy'. Following the inauguration of the 'India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL)