News Brief

            President Md. Abdul Hamid has called upon scout leaders, guardians, teachers, public representatives and other concerned to utilize the scout movement as a tool of changing the society. The President made the call in his written speech at the 48th Annual General Meeting of the National Council of Bangladesh Scouts at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka yesterday. President's Secretary Sampad Barua read out the speech of the President at the inaugural session of the scouts' council. The scout leaders being imbued with patriotism must inspire children, juveniles and youths to get educated with moral and practical education, the President added.

            Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced continuation of incentives in leather sector for at least five more years aimed at achieving the desired export target of the leather and footwear industry. The Prime Minister made the announcement while inaugurating the third edition of three-day Bangladesh Leather Footwear and Leather-goods International Sourcing Show, 2019 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka yesterday. The Premier in her address noted that as part of export diversification, leather sector is being defined as the priority one in the economy and National Industrial Development Strategy. Sheikh Hasina said, her government in its last two tenures has taken various initiatives such as giving policy support and incentives for development of the leather and footwear industry.

            Leaders of World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) and South East Asian Cooperation (SEACO) Foundation have lauded the economic progress of Bangladesh. The appreciation came when a seven-member delegation of WIEF and SEACO Foundation led by WIEF Secretary General Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razzak met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban in Dhaka yesterday. They said, they had productive dialogues at the WIEF-SEACO Foundation roundtable held in Dhaka on Tuesday. The Prime Minister while exchanging views appreciated the agenda of the roundtable jointly organised by WIFE and SEACO Foundation.  The WIEF Secretary General invited the Prime Minister to join the next WIEF conference to be held in Qatar in 2020. He proposed Bangladesh to host the WIEF conference in 2021.

            Visiting Qatari Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi has expressed his country’s keen interest to work with Bangladesh in the field of energy and power. The Qatari Minister of State expressed the eagerness as he called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban in Dhaka yesterday. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi also said, Qatar will continue supports for further development of Bangladesh.

            Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has said, every citizen of the country should be aware of his or her skill development to face the competitive global challenges. The Speaker said this while addressing an event hosted by the Australian High Commission at its Recreation Center in Dhaka yesterday.  The discussion titled ‘Australia Award South and West Asia' was also addressed by Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Julia Niblett.

            The government will give over Tk 80.74 crore as incentives to 687,700 small and marginal farmers of 64 districts of the country in the upcoming Rabi cropping season. More than 87,700 bighas of land of the farmers will be covered by this incentive programme and the incentives will be given to recover the farmer's losses due to damages of crops in the last Kahrif-1 season. Agriculture Minister Dr. Abdur Razzaque, made the disclosure at a press conference held at his ministry in Dhaka yesterday.

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            The three-day Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Radio Asia Conference and Radio Song Festival 2019 formally concluded in Dhaka yesterday. The closing ceremony was addressed by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Information Nurul Karim and Dr Javad Mottaghi, Secretary General, ABU. On the occasion, Radio song Festival will be held at the same venue this evening. Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud will attend the festival as Chief Guest.

            Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said, BNP is suffering from political inaptness as the party is indulged in ill politics over the illness of its Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. The Minister came up with the remark while speaking at a press conference at Awami League President’s Dhanmondi Political Office in Dhaka yesterday. Replying to a question about the ICC’s ban on Cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, the Minister said, it is a matter of sports and this punishment is a little bit excessive.

             Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly called on Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan at his ministry office in Dhaka yesterday. During the meeting they discussed the ongoing three important projects of Bangladesh Railway under Indian Line of Credit. The projects are Khulna-Mongla Railway Construction Project, the Dhaka-Tongi Third Railway and the second double-line construction project from Tongi to Joydevpur and the modernization of Saidpur and Pahartali workshops.

            Volume 1, 2 and 3 of a book titled ‘Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’ edited by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was formally given to the Queens Library in New York. Bangladesh Consul General in New York Sadia Faizunnesa handed over the book, written on Bangabandhu on the basis of intelligence report from 1948 to 1971, to Queens Library’s Chief Librarian Nick Buron at the Consulate General office in New York on Monday.

            Bangladesh has reacted sharply on Myanmar's persistent campaign to mislead the international community with fabricated information, misrepresentation of facts, unsubstantiated claims and undue accusations. Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka in a statement yesterday made it clear that Nay Pyi Taw is doing so to avoid its obligations for the sustained repatriation and reintegration of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas in safety and dignity. The Bangladesh Foreign Office statement came as  Myanmar Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin again made similar statement at the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting ahead of the recent NAM Summit  in Baku of Azerbaijan while the event was joined by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen as well.

            Bangladesh has signed a $100 million financing agreement with the World Bank to ensure improved water supply, sanitation, and drainage system in 30 selected municipalities. Economic Relations Division Secretary Monowar Ahmed and World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh Mercy Tembon signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides at the ERD in Dhaka yesterday.

            More than two-thirds of the populations of Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Thailand are at vulnerable to flooding made worse by climate change, no matter how aggressively humanity curbs carbon emissions, scientists have warned. AFP report says coastal areas of these countries currently home to 300 million people will be at risk by 2050.

Surath Kumar Sarker

Principal Information Officer

Phone -9546091