The Front Page

  • Shakib Khan unveils jaw-dropping look from ‘Priyotoma’

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Shakib Khan, the king of Dhallywood, has once again wowed fans with a stunning look from his highly anticipated film, “Priyotoma.”

    Shakib Khan’s stunning transition into an elderly persona, replete with a wrinkled face and a long, white beard, is showcased in the recently released look. He sits with expectation, his eyes eagerly waiting for his loves, dressed in a white punjabi and trouser.

    Shakib Khan posted the intriguing photo on his Facebook account with the remark, “Waiting for you.” The message drew a lot of attention and produced a lot of discussion among his millions of followers.

    Shakib Khan has already set social media ablaze with a hot video from “Priyotoma” revealing his youthful look. The overwhelmingly positive reaction to his involvement in the film hints that audiences will be in for a pleasant surprise this Eid.

    “Priyotoma,” directed by Himel Ashraf, promises to be an enthralling romantic-action drama. Faruk Hossain, the film’s skilled writer, has created an entertaining and innovative scenario.

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  • Man from Pakistan walks 5400 km to perform Hajj

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    Source: ARY NEWS

    A Pakistani man trekked 5400 kilometers from Okara to Makkah to fulfill Hajj.

    According to reports, Usman Arshad of Pakistan traveled 5400 kilometers in six months and thirteen days. He arrived in Saudi Arabia after passing through Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain.

    Usman Arshad was granted his Hajj visa thanks to the efforts of the Pakistan Hajj delegation. Usman Arshad, according to DG Pakistan Hajj mission Abdul Wahab Soomro, is a role model for the younger generation.

    He was entertained in the official housing of hajj pilgrims and was supplied with all of the same amenities as other pilgrims.

    Previously, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said that 40,781 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia on 158 aircraft.

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  • Andrew Tate charged with rape and human trafficking

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    Source: BBC

    Andrew Tate, a controversial influencer, has been accused with rape, human trafficking, and organizing an organized crime ring to sexually exploit women in Romania.

    Tristan, his brother, and two associates have all been charged. The charges have been refuted by everybody.

    In 2022, the Tate brothers were detained at their Bucharest house for the first time. Following a judgement by a Romanian judge, they were transferred from detention to house arrest on March 31.

    According to the accusation filed with the Bucharest court, the four defendants formed an organized criminal cell in 2021 to commit human trafficking not only in Romania, but also in other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.

    It cites seven claimed victims, alleging that the Tate brothers lured them in with false promises of love and marriage.

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  • Auto rickshaw on the wrong way of Padma Bridge; driver jumps into river fearing security chase

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    Source: Dhaka Tribune Bangla

    The driver of a battery-powered rickshaw jumped off the bridge into the Padma river after “chasing security personnel” after climbing the Padma bridge in the opposite way at the Mawa end of Munshiganj.

    The event happened around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 18. So far, the cops have not been able to help the person.

    Alamgir Hossain, who is in charge of the Padma North Police Station, said that the rickshaw came in from the wrong way. When the security staff noticed after a while, they went up to the car driver. When the driver saw them, he sped up and drove the autorickshaw faster. At one point, the rickshaw ran into a broken Corvadvan and crashed to the ground. After that, the driver ran away from the security staff and jumped into Padma from pole number 21.

    On the other hand, sources from Padma Bridge South Police Station said that when the auto-rickshaw got on the bridge going the other way, some people rushed to stop it with the bridge’s police car. But the autorickshaw was going fast, and it came close to the 21st bridge post. The driver of the autorickshaw quickly stopped it and climbed the fence to jump into the river.

    Sub-Inspector Feroz Al Mamun of the Padma Bridge South Police Station told the reporters, “It was an accident. The naval cops are trying to save the driver of the autorickshaw. No one can figure out why he did such a bad thing late at night.

    Sub-Inspector Ruhul Amin of the Shivchar Charjanajat naval police station said in the afternoon, “The Padma river is being searched to find the missing autorickshaw driver. But they haven’t found the driver yet.”

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  • Proposed Tk 2000 minimum Tax for TIN holders withdrawn amid controversy

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    Source: The Financial Express

    The Tk 2000 minimum tax for eligible citizens to receive government services is set to be discarded in the final cobbling of new fiscal measures, according to sources. Instead, the amount would be adjusted against tax at source during return filing, as citizens already pay taxes at source. The government has decided not to impose Tk 2000 as minimum tax on people not having taxable income by “honoring opinion of cross-sections of people.” Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal proposed the new measure while placing the national budget for fiscal year 2023-24 in parliament on June 1, 2023.

    The provision has been incorporated into the Income Tax Bill 2023, placed in parliament on June 8. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Finance submitted amendments to the draft Income Tax Bill 2023 on Thursday to the parliament with recommendation for the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to scrap the provision.

    Currently, people with annual incomes up to Tk 0.3 million are exempt from payment of income tax. In the proposed budget, the threshold has been increased to Tk 350,000. A report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Finance has placed a set of recommendations, including exempting bank depositors having up to Tk 1.0 million deposits from mandatory submission of tax returns. Instead, the committee has proposed making return submission mandatory for bank depositors having term or fixed deposits in the bank of the said amount.

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  • Mahila Anjuman demands fingerprints instead of face photos on NID cards for veiled women

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    Source: Dhaka Tribune Bangla

    The Mahila Anjuman Darbar Sharif Razarbagh has demanded that veiled women be handed National Identity Cards (NIDs) based on fingerprints rather than facial photographs.

    This demand was expressed by Mahila Anjuman spokeswoman Sharmin Yasmin during a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Monday (June 19) morning.

    In a press conference, it was proposed in the “Identity Registration Act 2023” to make face masks optional for NID, to introduce fingerprint identification and appearance to prevent crime, corruption, and proxy in all places throughout the state, such as offices, courts, factories, educational institutes, or exam halls, and to use a woman’s face if necessary. If any collaboration is necessary, including seeing, six items are required, including arranging for women’s cooperation in different locations.

    According to the press conference, now that the Ministry of Home Affairs is in charge of NID, Mahila Anjuman is hopeful that the Ministry of Home Affairs will prioritize the issue of veiled women and provide NID facilities while respecting their religious rights.

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  • Bangladesh Bank to launch ‘Taka-Rupee’ debit card that can be used in both India & Bangladesh

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder announced today that the central bank will create the country’s own debit card by August, allowing holders to make payments both at home and in India.

    Currently, travelers must purchase US dollars prior to their trip to India and convert them into rupees once they arrive in the neighboring nation.

    As a result, they face a double exchange rate loss, which may be as high as 6%, according to the governor.

    Holders of the unique debit cards will be able to make payments in both India and Bangladesh, he said, adding that the cards will be issued by banks and other institutions.

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  • 3M people to leave Dhaka, adjacent districts on waterways ahead of Eid-ul-Azha

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    Source: Dhaka Tribune

    According to a report by the non-governmental organization National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads, and Railways, approximately 3 million people from Dhaka and its neighboring districts will travel home by waterways ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

    In a news release released to the media on Sunday, NCPSRR President Haji Mohammad Shahid Mia and General Secretary Ashish Kumar Dey detailed the report.

    Around 300,000 Eid visitors would travel through Narayanganj river port. The remaining 2.7 million passengers will be routed through other ports, notably the Sadarghat terminal. So Sadarghat will be under a lot of strain this time as well.

    During Eid, over 15 million people depart the greater Dhaka region, which includes Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj, according to the research. 20% (3 million) of them depart Dhaka via waterways. The coastal districts of Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalkathi, Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Chandpur, Shariatpur, and Madaripur receive nearly all of them.

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  • Budget allocation for education in Bangladesh lowest in 15 years, at the bottom among South-Asian countries

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    Source: Bangladesh Posts English

    The proposed budget for the next fiscal year 2023-24 allocates 1.76 percent of GDP to the education ministry, which is the lowest allocation in the last 15 years. UNESCO advises investing 4 to 6% of GDP to education, which is significantly more than the planned budget.

    Economists and educationists feel that Bangladesh will have difficulties in shifting from a less developed country due to inadequate educational funding.

    According to data provided at the Center for Policy Dialogue’s post-budget debate, Bangladesh’s average spending on education as a proportion of GDP from 2016 to 2022 was the fifth lowest among 41 least developed countries.

    According to economists, this declining trend will make it impossible to meet the Eighth Five Year Plan aim of boosting education allocation to 3% of GDP by 2024-2025.

    Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of CPD said, “among underdeveloped countries, Bangladesh has the lowest budget in the education sector.”

    For the coming fiscal year, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, and the Department of Technical and Madrasah Education have each been granted 88 thousand crores.

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  • Donald Trump offers ‘food for everyone’ at restaurant, leaves without paying

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    Source: Mint

    On Tuesday, former US President Donald Trump waltzed into a Miami eatery and left patrons cheering after promising “food for everyone.”

    The offer, on the other hand, appears to be rather open to interpretation. As fans and well-wishers wished him a happy birthday and diners at the famed Cuban restaurant Versailles completed their dinners, the Republican leader discreetly left without topping him the tab.

    The event occurred shortly after Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts in federal court in Miami. After leaving the courts, Trump and his entourage went straight to the bakery in Little Havana, according to the Miami New Times.

    “It turns out that no one received anything. There wasn’t even a cafecito to-go. According to a knowledgeable source, Donald Trump’s trip at Versailles lasted approximately ten minutes, leaving no time for anyone to eat anything, let alone place an order.”

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  • PM Sheikh Hasina takes regular Biman flight from Geneva, surprises passengers with greetings

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, surprised passengers on a regular commercial flight of the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines today.

    She wandered around the plane on her way back from Geneva, exchanging pleasantries with people.

    Passengers on Biman’s fully filled commercial flight were shocked when she went to their seats and inquired about their well-being.

    “Many of them were surprised and astonished having their prime minister beside their seats on the flight,” M Nazrul Islam, the PM’s speechwriter, said.

    PM Sheikh Hasina also posed for photos with them. She spoke with much tenderness to youngsters. Some of the passengers conveyed their views to the prime minister on a variety of themes, including the country’s development over the last 14 and a half years.

    —

  • LinkedIn bans 14y/o Bangladeshi-American SpaceX engineer hired by Elon Musk

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    Source: INDEPENDENT

    Elon Musk has hired a 14-year-old “wonder kid” as a SpaceX software engineer.

    Kairan Quazi will join the billionaire’s organization after graduating from Santa Clara University in California later this month with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Engineering.

    The adolescent has already completed an internship at Intel and will be part of SpaceX’s Starlink team, which is constructing the world’s largest satellite internet network.

    “I will be joining the coolest company on the planet as a software engineer on the Starlink engineering team,” he announced last week on LinkedIn.

    “One of the few companies that did not rely on my age as an arbitrary and out-of-date proxy for maturity and ability.”

    His LinkedIn profile has now been deleted since members must be at least 16 years old to join the professional networking site.

    In a response to the ban, Quazi wrote on Instagram that his removal from the network was “illogical, primitive nonsense” that amounted to discrimination.

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  • Netflix opens its first restaurant, featuring British-Bangladeshi chef Nadiya Jamir Hussain

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Netflix is bringing its content “from screen to table” with the June 30 launch of their new popup restaurant “Netflix Bites” in Los Angeles.

    The menu will include dishes from renowned cooking series such as “Chef’s Table,” “Iron Chef,” “Is It Cake?” and “Drink Masters.”

    Michelin-starred chefs Dominque Crenn and Curtis Stone are among those taking part. The cuisine for the limited-time pop-up features East-West fusion master Ming Tsai and baker Nadiya Hussain.

    Sixth series winner of “Great British Bake Off” Nadiya Hussain’s BBC cookery series “Nadiya’s Simple Spices” will be released on BBC Two and iPlayer later this year.

    Throughout the series, Nadiya will employ eight simple spices to transform bland dishes into delectable feasts. She’ll demonstrate how to cook with spices effortlessly by fusing her childhood Bangladeshi influences with British flavors.

    On June 30, Netflix Bites will be accessible for a limited time at Short Stories Hotel. Through July 12, the pop-up restaurant will be open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

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  • Bangladesh to reportedly generate electricity from waste material for the first time ever

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    Source: Dhaka Tribune

    In an effort to ease power shortages and turn waste into a resource, the Bangladeshi government has unveiled its plans to produce electricity for the first time from rubbish.

    Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is due to officially launch the construction of the first of these power plants on July 20. Local Government Minister Md Tajul Islam announced this on Thursday at a meeting to prepare for the project.

    Atiqul Islam, the mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, Nasrul Hamid, the local government secretary Muhammad Ibrahim, and other senior members of the Dhaka North City Corporation and the Local Government Division were also present at the meeting.

    According to the LGRD minister, the waste-to-energy plant, scheduled to begin operations in October 2025, is anticipated to produce 42.5 megawatts of electricity daily from 3,000 tons of mixed waste, and the Bangladesh Power Development Board will purchase the generated electricity for 25 years at a set price.

    To keep the atmosphere clean and pleasant, Md. Tajul Islam continued, it was decided to eliminate waste by generating electricity using incineration techniques.

    “The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), the Local Government Division, and the Power Development Board are jointly working on this initiative,” he claimed.

    He noted that China Machinery Engineering Corporation will participate as a sponsor in the electricity-generating incineration plant.

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  • Tom Holland says he, Tobey and Garfield have a group chat called ‘The Spider Boys’

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    Source: Hola

    Tom Holland has spoken up about his friendship with ‘Spider-Man’ stars Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, who both played the iconic superhero before him. The 27-year-old actor expressed his admiration for the two stars and discussed their friendship after filming the 2021 picture ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’

    During a recent Vanity Fair interview, the actor stated that they still communicate after working together. “We have a great group chat and check in on a regular basis.” When asked about their friendship, Tom answered, “It’s called the Spider-Boys.” “Myself, Andrew, and Tobey—we have this amazing bond as three people who have been through something so unique that we really are like brothers.”

    He also expressed guilt for not reaching out to Andrew before portraying ‘Spider-Man’ for the first time in 2015, one year after his depiction of the superhero. “I was 19 years old when I was cast. “I was so focused on getting the role that I never stopped to consider what it must have been like for him,” he remarked, alluding to Andrew’s Spider-Man’s poor reaction. “If I’d made my second film and it didn’t necessarily deliver as well as it should have, and they recast me, I’d have a hard time coming back.”

    “Andrew recovered in the most incredible way. “I just wish I’d called him and said, ‘You know I can’t pass up this opportunity,’” she says. Tom went on to say that he is “a little apprehensive” about the franchise’s fourth movie, which is currently on hold due to a writer’s strike.

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  • Fire hydrants set to be installed every 1 km in Dhaka, says Home Minister

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    Source: Bangladesh Posts English

    Asaduzzaman Khan, the Home Minister, has announced plans to put fire hydrants (special panicles used in firefighting) every one kilometer throughout the capital to improve the availability of water for firefighting.

    This was said by the Home Minister today in the National Parliament in answer to a question from M. Abdul Latif, a member of parliament from the ruling party. He stated that there are currently no street fire hydrant points in Dhaka. However, multi-story structures and some organizations have their own fire hydrant locations on the private level.

    Given the necessity of receiving water during a fire, the Home Minister stated that the Directorate of Fire Service and Civil Defense has requested that Dhaka Wasa, Dhaka North, and Dhaka South City Corporations take the initiative in building street fire hydrants. In light of this, the local government agency was asked to take the appropriate steps to establish fire hydrants in Dhaka on September 6, 2022.

    He stated that on February 2, 2021, an agreement was reached between Dhaka Wasa and the Fire Service to assure the provision of water during a fire.

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  • Property owners to getProperty owners to get 10% tax discount for rooftop gardening, declares govtProperty owners to get

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    Source: The Financial Express

    The government is giving property owners who produce rooftop gardens in city corporations and municipal districts around the country a 10% tax break.

    On Wednesday, Local Government Minister Tazul Islam unveiled the idea at the secretariat and stated that a circular will be released within a week.

    He informed reporters that the Dhaka North City Corporation had earlier asked to the ministry for a 10% refund for rooftop gardening.

    With this in mind, Tajul reports that the administration has decided to extend the discount to all city corporations and municipal districts in the country.

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  • Johnny Depp donates all of Amber Heard $1M settlement money to charity

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    Source: CNN

    According to a source close to Johnny Depp, he has decided which charity would receive the $1 million compensation he is due from Amber Heard as a result of their widely publicized defamation trial.

    The Make-A-Film Foundation, The Painted Turtle, Red Feather, Marlon Brando’s Tetiaroa Society charity, and the Amazonia Fund Alliance are the five charities Depp has selected to receive the settlement monies. According to the source, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor intends to give $200,000 to each of the five charity.

    In June 2022, a Virginia jury determined that Heard and Depp were both guilty of slander. Heard agreed to pay Depp $1 million in damages as part of the deal the ex-couple reached in December.

    Depp promised to give the money from the Heard settlement to charity, according to a statement from his attorneys at the time.

    Depp received a $10 million compensation damage award and a $5 million punitive damage award from the Virginia jury in June 2022. Heard received a $2 million compensatory damages award but no punitive damages compensation.

    In the end, when the ex-couple reached a settlement agreement in December, the damages that Heard owed to Depp were decreased to $1 million.

    Heard announced the settlement at the time in a statement on her verified Instagram page, claiming that she had “made no admission” and that the agreement was “not an act of concession.”\

    “I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder,” Heard wrote in her blog post.

    —

  • TikTok Influencers overtaking journalists as news source, report claims

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    Source: The Daily Star

    According to a survey released Wednesday by the UK-based Reuters Institute, TikTok influencers and celebrities are gradually replacing journalists as the primary source of news for young people.

    According to the survey, 55 percent of TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram users get their news from “personalities,” compared to 33-42 percent who get it from mainstream media and journalists on those platforms, which are most popular among young people.

    The results are based on 94,000 interviews done for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which is part of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

    “While mainstream journalists frequently lead news-related conversations on Twitter and Facebook, they struggle to gain attention on newer networks like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok,” according to the survey.

    Nic Newman, the lead author, singled out people like Britain’s Matt Welland, who uses TikTok to discuss current events and daily life with his 2.8 million followers.

    “Or it could be a celebrity like a footballer talking about a topical news event,” he said AFP, referring to midfielder Marcus Rashford’s 2020 push to win free school lunches for impoverished children.

    For young people, “news” means more than simply politics and international relations. It also means “anything new that is happening in any walk of life: sports, entertainment, celebrity gossip, current affairs, culture, arts, technology…” he added.

    Facebook is the most popular source of news among social networks worldwide, but its influence is waning, with only 28% reporting they use it to acquire news, down from 42% in 2016.

    This is most likely due to Facebook’s transition away from news-sharing and toward an emphasis on friends and family, as well as young people’s preference for video-based apps such as TikTok and YouTube.

    TikTok now reaches 44% of 18-24-year-olds, and 20% obtain their news from the app, up 5% from last year.

    The largest difficulty for traditional news organizations is the decreasing amount of people who go directly to their websites rather than depending on social media links (22 percent, down 10 points since 2018).

    —

  • Bangladesh to have its own ‘The Godfather,’ says Khijir Hayat

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Khijir Hayat Khan is getting ready to start work on his dream project, which is based on Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.”

    The director has already begun writing the script. The director of “Ora 7 Jon” shared the news on his Facebook page.

    “I’m not sure if I’ll make a film or a web series.” For many years, though, I had a goal of adapting ‘The Godfather’ in the setting of Bangladesh. I’ve finally begun writing the script, and I was inspired by ‘The Godfather’ writers Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola for this project. Please pray for us,” he wrote in his article.

    —

  • Dhaka’s divorce rate reaches ‘one’ in every 40 minutes

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    Source: Prothom Alo

    The number of broken families in the country is increasing, with the highest number of divorces occurring in the capital. Last year, a divorce took place every 40 minutes in Dhaka. Additionally, separation rates are increasing outside of Dhaka.

    It has been observed that women are filing for divorce more frequently. Self-respecting women seek release from torture and choose to pursue divorce. However, settlements after filing for divorce are very low, with less than 5 percent resulting in satisfactory agreements. This information regarding divorce rates was obtained through an analysis of data from the two city corporations and the district registrar’s office in Dhaka.

    In matters of divorce, the Muslim Family Act of 1961 is still in force. According to this law, divorce applications in the capital must be sent to the mayor’s office of the two city corporations in Dhaka. The applications are initially registered there and then forwarded from the wife’s original place of residence to the regional office.

    According to data from the mayor’s office of the two city corporations in Dhaka, a total of 13,288 divorce applications were received in 2022. Out of these, 7,698 applications were received by the South City Corporation, and 5,590 applications were received by the North City Corporation. Based on this data, it can be deduced that approximately 37 marriages are breaking up in the capital every day, equating to one divorce occurring every 40 minutes. Furthermore, there were 2,488 divorce applications recorded in January and February of the current year.

    —

  • Every newborn to get a unique ID

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    Source: The Daily Star

    The Cabinet approved the draft “National Identity Registration Act 2022” today, which includes the provision of assigning a unique identity number to each birth, which will serve as his or her lifelong identity.

    There will be no need for any other number. This number will be assigned to him or her. And this figure is immutable, said Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain during a press conference at the secretariat.

    Every citizen under the age of 18 will be assigned a unique number. The primary goal of this initiative is to eliminate confusion. Citizens currently receive distinct numbers from several organizations, which causes confusion. He stated, “We want to overcome it.”

    Every individual will now have this one-of-a-kind number for the rest of his or her life. Various government services will be offered to him or her via this unique number, according to the cabinet secretary.

    The decision was made today in the Prime Minister’s Office at a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The government will, however, determine when the act will take into effect.

    “Normally, an act takes effect after it is published in the gazette.” “However, the government will set the date for the implementation of this act,” Mahbub Hossain stated.

    —

  • 14-year old Bangladeshi-American boy joins SpaceX as youngest employee

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Kairan Quazi, a 14-year-old software developer of Bangladeshi-American origin, has joined Elon Musk’s SpaceX as the company’s youngest employee.

    Quazi shared his achievement on LinkedIn, exuding excitement at the idea of joining the Starlink engineering team, which he proudly referred to as the “coolest company on the planet.” SpaceX’s cutting-edge satellite internet service is represented by Starlink.

    “I am overjoyed to embark on this journey as a software engineer with the revered Starlink engineering team at the world’s coolest company,” Quazi wrote on LinkedIn. Unlike many others, SpaceX’s refusal to evaluate my merit based on my age is absolutely astounding.

    Kairan Quazi, the son of Bangladeshi parents Mustahid and Julia Quazi, stunned people around him at the age of two by speaking in whole sentences—an early indication of his high intellect, according to the Los Angeles Times.

    When Quazi was nine years old, he apparently found the conventional school curriculum to be a “lackluster challenge” for his advanced ability. Only a few months later, he landed an internship at Intel Labs as an AI research co-op fellow. Quazi began formal studies in computer science and engineering at the age of 11.

    Quazi’s skills were put to work in 2022 during a four-month internship as a machine learning intern with the cyber intelligence startup Blackbird.AI. According to his LinkedIn profile, one of his accomplishments was the creation of a “anomaly detection statistical learning pipeline” to detect instances of social media content manipulation. Quazi is preparing to become Santa Clara University’s youngest-ever graduate as he prepares to graduate from the School of Engineering.

    Earlier this year, the 14-year-old documented his preparations for a big job interview on Instagram. He enthusiastically tweeted a screenshot of the job acceptance letter he received from SpaceX a few weeks later.

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  • Bangladesh ranks 5th in globally and 1st in Asia in money laundering from drugs trade

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Bangladesh ranked fifth in the world and top in Asia in terms of money laundering from the illegal drugs trade, according to a report by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

    The report said drug trafficking in Bangladesh is estimated to have generated an annual average of $481 million in outward illicit financial flows (IFFs) between 2017 and 2021.

    “This estimate includes the trafficking in methamphetamine tablets, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as buprenorphine and phensidyl,” mentioned the report released on Thursday.

    The report analyzes data from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Colombia, Ecuador, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, and Peru over a period of five years (2017-2021).

    For Bangladesh, the estimate covers the trafficking of drugs such as methamphetamine tablets (yaba), heroin, buprenorphine, and phensidyl.

    The UNCTAD report reveals that Mexico holds the top position globally in terms of illegal drug money flows, followed by Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bangladesh.

    Among the five Asian countries mentioned in the report, Bangladesh is the most prominent in terms of drug-related illicit financial flows, followed by Maldives and Nepal. Afghanistan and Myanmar hold the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

    The report said Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Ecuador, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, and Peru have produced the first-ever national estimates of IFFs related to drug trafficking, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants with the support of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    “Such statistics are needed to shed light on the activities, sectors and channels most prone to illicit financial flows, pointing to where actions should be undertaken as a priority to curb these flows,” said Anu Peltola, who heads UNCTAD’s statistics work.

    —

  • No more load-shedding from Tuesday, says State Minister

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    Source: Dhaka Tribune

    Farhad Hossain, State Minister for Public Administration, stated on Saturday that the electricity situation would return to normal by Tuesday, putting an end to load-shedding.

    “There will be no further load-shedding after Tuesday, June 13.” “Coal imports have already begun, and we expect a rapid reduction in load shedding,” he said.

    Farhad Hossain delivered these remarks on Saturday afternoon at a meeting in Meherpur’s Shalika village. Various development projects in the area were also visited by the state minister.

    The state minister blamed the coal crisis on a rise in global oil costs as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

    —

  • Two Bangladeshi scientists featured in the list of the “best and brightest” 100 Asian scientists

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    Source: Prothom Alo English

    For the contributions to research, two Bangladeshi scientists have been named to the 2023 list of the “best and brightest” 100 Asian scientists.

    Dr Senjuti Saha of Child Health Research Foundation and Dr Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury of Dhaka University have been named to the eighth edition of the list published by Singapore-based magazine Asian Scientist.

    This year’s list comprises academics and inventors from a variety of scientific fields who have made revolutionary contributions to our understanding of glacial cycles and structural geology, as well as advancing space travel.

    “Researchers in Asia continue to dream big and serve marginalized communities.” “By pushing the boundaries of the unknown, the awardees achieved huge successes with the help of their teams,” Asian Scientist Magazine said in a press release.
    Dr. Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury was named to the list for her contributions to sustainability.

    Dr. Chowdhury is a zoology professor at the University of Dhaka. The University of Cambridge awarded her a PhD in zoology (wetland ecology). She serves on the board of the internationally recognized conservation organization WildTeam. WildTeam aims to preserve Bangladesh’s fast dwindling natural resources.

    In 2022, Dr. Chowdhury was awarded the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award for her contributions to the conservation of aquatic environments and vulnerable species in Bangladesh. She is concerned about the threat of plastic pollution in the country’s waterways. She is also enabling women from disadvantaged and marginalized communities to repurpose abandoned fishing nets into items like as carpets, which will help women generate alternative revenue streams while safeguarding aquatic environments.

    Meanwhile, Dr Senjuti Saha, one of Bangladesh’s outstanding young scientists who has advocated for equity in global health research, has been named to the list for her contributions to life sciences.

    —

  • ‘শয়তান দেহ পাবি, মন পাবি না’ Barisal University exam question sparks debate.

    Interested to get early access to our newsletter for free? Join now: https://forms.gle/Q2qkFdEUen76frat8 Source: Bangla Tribune

    In the question of an examination of Barisal University, the discussion of Bengali cinema has been asked to discuss in detail the dialogue ‘Shaitan Deh Pabi, Man Paabi Na’. The students took pictures of the question and shared it on social media. There has been a storm of discussion and criticism about the issue.

    Harun-or-Rashid, head of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, said, “I do not have a proper explanation as to why such words were used in the question paper. Mehedi Hasan Sohag, assistant professor of the political science department, can explain this well.

    Mehedi Hasan said that the students who know about the subject of hegemony would not c

    —

  • Facebook page of Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) gets hacked

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    Source: Dhaka Tribune

    Cyber hackers have hacked the official Facebook page of Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco).

    It was apparently hacked about 11:50 a.m. on Saturday, according to Mir Mohammad Aslam Uddin, Information Officer of the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources.

    He stated that all government cyber teams, including Desco, are now working to retrieve the page.

    Everyone is asked to refrain from trading messages and postings until the page is restored.

    He stated that once the page is restored, everyone will be alerted.

    —

  • BNP visits electricity office to complain about load-shedding; finds the office itself without power

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    Source:  Jamuna TV

    The sit-in protests organized by the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) in front of electricity offices across the country aimed to express their dissatisfaction and raise awareness about the issue of load shedding.

    During one such protest in Laxmipur district, the BNP members handed over a memorandum to the local electricity office. The memorandum likely outlined their demands, and expectations regarding the persistent problem of load shedding.

    However, it was observed that even the electricity office itself was experiencing load shedding. This ironic situation highlighted the severity of the problem and the dire need for immediate solutions.

    —

  • Employee makes application for permission to wear ‘Lungi’ to office in summer

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    Source: Bangladesh Posts English

    People’s lives are miserable due to extreme and scorching heat. The frequent load shedding exacerbates the heat, making it even more unbearable. Office air conditioning and fans are not functioning.

    Meanwhile, employees are required to stay in their shirt, pants, shoes, and official attire for more than 8 hours, which is challenging for many to endure.

    Unable to tolerate this discomfort, an incident occurred where employees applied to the office authorities for permission to wear a lungi to work.

    Naushad Ansari, a computer operator at the insurance company’s Syedpur office in Nilphamari, submitted a written request to the chief executive officer on Thursday (June 8).

    In his application, he mentioned that the entire country is engulfed in intense heat. Syedpur is experiencing a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. The unbearable heat, coupled with the lack of rain and frequent power outages, has made it difficult to work continuously in pants. It has led to itching in various parts of the body.

    —

  • HSC and equivalent examinations to start from August 17

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    Source: The Daily Star

    This year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations are scheduled to begin on August 17. According to the recently published schedule, students will sit for the Bangla first paper on the first day of the exams.

    The examinations will continue for several weeks, concluding on September 25. This extended period allows students ample time to complete all their subjects and ensures a comprehensive evaluation of their academic performance.

    The press release announcing the schedule was signed by Controller of Examinations, Dhaka Education Board, Prof. Md Abul Bashar. It serves as an official confirmation of the examination timeline, providing important information for students, teachers, and educational institutions.

    —

  • Saudi Arabia threatens to ‘red list’ Bangladesh’s hajj office

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Saudi Arabia has threatened to put Bangladesh’s hajj office in the Kingdom on the “red list” if it does not process visas for at least 80% of pilgrims by today.

    The warning came after the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah informed the Bangladesh Hajj Office in Jeddah of its decision on June 5. The government further stated that if the targets are not met, the Bangladesh Hajj Office will be held accountable.

    Jahirul Islam, Councilor, Bangladesh Hajj Office, Saudi Arabia, advised the Religious Affairs government of the Kingdom’s warning and urged the government to take appropriate action.

    The International Cooperation Department of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stated in the letter. “We express our gratitude to the hajj offices of those countries that have completed their activities in accordance with the agreement with Saudi Arabia regarding the issuance of hajj pilgrim visas.”

    “However, some countries’ hajj offices have been placed on the red list.” As a result, severe complications have arisen in the implementation and completion of many activities. However, the respective hajj offices will be solely responsible,” according to the letter signed by Al-Hasan Al-Manakherah, representative of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s International Cooperation Department.

    “By June 7 (Wednesday), we hope to have completed 80 percent of the work of issuing visas to pilgrims.” In the event of failure, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will be forced to take whatever measures,” the letter also threatened.

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  • Lionel Messi set to join MLS side Inter Miami

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    Source: BBC

    Argentina legend Lionel Messi has left French winners Paris St-Germain to join American club Inter Miami. The former Barcelona star is expected to turn down a higher-paying offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. Adidas and Apple are among the brands involved in the Miami arrangement.

    Forward Messi, 35, has won the accolade for the world’s greatest player seven times and is likely to win it again after winning the World Cup. This is the first time Messi has played outside of Europe.

    He planned to stay in Europe for another season, but after receiving no suitable offers, he was forced to choose between Inter Miami and Al-Hilal.

    He was highly rumored to want a move to Saudi Arabia, where he would have joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the league in an unbeatable financial contract.

    However, Messi was eventually enticed to join Major League Soccer club Inter Miami for a multitude of reasons, including lifestyle and a contract with huge brands that goes beyond football. He already has a home in Miami, which he rents out.

    He wanted to return to Barcelona this summer, but the Financial Fair Play restrictions that will be in force in La Liga next season made any ambitious plan to bring him back impossible.

    —

  • Bangladesh pays first foreign bill in taka

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Bangladesh has made the first payment in taka for a project primarily backed by foreign loans, ushering in a new method of better maintaining foreign currency reserves.

    The plan is to build a 24-kilometer elevated road connecting Dhaka and Ashulia for Tk 17,653 crore ($1.2 billion).

    China is contributing 85% of the cost in the form of a loan at 2% interest over 20 years, with a five-year grace period. The Bangladesh government is responsible for the remaining 15%.

    The Chinese contractor, China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation, is receiving the loan portion in US dollars from the Export-Import Bank of China. The bank will be reimbursed by the Bangladesh government.

    According to Shahabuddin Khan, the project director, “we convinced them (the contractor) to accept the bill in taka as they will have some spending to do in Bangladesh.”

    “They accepted our proposal while keeping the current context in mind,” he told The Daily Star last week.

    Over 250 Chinese citizens, including engineers and employees, and 1,000 Bangladeshis are now working on the project, he claims.

    To remedy a demand-supply imbalance in the foreign exchange market, the Bangladesh Bank sold foreign currencies and allowed the taka to depreciate.

    —

  • Football club launches in Argentina named after Bangladesh

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    Source: Daily Sun

    From next season, the ‘Club Deportivo Bangladesh’ will compete in Argentine Football Association (AFA) recognized competitions, albeit the tier has yet to be determined.

    The club named after Bangladesh debuted on December 16 in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, two days before Argentina’s FIFA World Cup final against France.

    On Tuesday, club officials attended a viewpoint exchange meeting with Argentina’s Bangladesh community, which included approximately 2000 immigrants.

    During the meeting, the club also unveiled both home and away kits and presented a brief outline of their aim and vision to the Bangladeshi residents.

    “Offical meeting of the leaders of Argentina’s Bangladesh Sports Club with fans of Bangladeshi residents in Argentina.” “A great night of presenting this new club and a great pact of commitment and friendship, working together for an international dream,” CDB stated on their official Facebook page.

    For their emblem and shirts, the club used the colors of Bangladesh’s national flag – red and green.

    The portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman, the Father of the Nation, and Jose de San Martin, the Father of Argentina, have been placed on the right and left shoulders of the jerseys.

    The front and back sides of the jerseys also include depictions of the Bangladesh map, Jatiyo Smriti Soudho (the National Martyrs’ Memorial), and the visage and autograph of Argentine football icon Diego Armando Maradona.

    —

  • UIU places 1st among Asian teams in University Rover Challenge 2023

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    Source: The Daily Star

    The UIU Mars rover team’s TELOS Mars rover prototype and ICARUS companion aerial subsystem recently won first place in Asia in the University Rover Challenge 2023.

    This is the second year in a row that UIU has finished first among Asian teams in the Universal Rover Challenge (URC), with its rover named MAVEN also finishing first in Asia in the previous URC. This year, the UIU team finished ninth out of 37 worldwide finalists.They finished 13th out of 36 worldwide finalists last year.

    The Mars Society, a nonprofit organization that promotes Mars exploration for research and development, hosts an international rover showcase competition called the University Rover Challenge. This year, 104 teams from 15 different nations competed in the worldwide competition, with the final round held from June 1 to 3 at the Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah, USA.

    The team had to present a compelling System Acceptance Review (SAR) film in the first round, which showcased the rover’s capabilities in executing multiple missions like as terrain traversal, equipment servicing, scientific investigation, and autonomous operations. TELOS also demonstrated its ability to conduct scientific experiments and analyze soil and rock samples for signs of potential life.

    The SAR movie demonstrated TELOS’s basic electronic and communication technologies, as well as its testing and operation robustness. TELOS had a SAR score of 93.06 out of 100, placing it among the 37 finalists from around the world.

    Akib Zaman, Lecturer at United International University’s Department of Computer Science & Engineering, leads the team. Md Abid Hossain from EEE, UIU, led the student team. Ahmed Junaed (CSE), T M Al Anam (CSE), Suraiya Afroz Maria (CSE), Sheikh Sakib Hossain (CSE), Shah Mehrab Hossain Fahim (CSE), Md Yasin (CSE), Abdullah Al Masud (CSE), Shorower Hossain (CSE), and Md Bodiuzzaman Shikder (EEE) completed the visiting team.

    “This achievement is a source of immense pride for the team, as it demonstrates their ability to compete on a global stage and showcases the talent and potential that resides within their university and the entire Asian region,” says Akib Zaman. According to him, the team hopes that this achievement would encourage future generations of kids to pursue STEM jobs. “Hopefully, this will also instill in them the belief that they can achieve great things through dedication and hard work,” Akib added.

    —

  • 11y/o girl falls ill from severe heat at school, dies on the way to hospital

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    Source: Prothom Alo

    Habiba Akhter (11), a student of class 6, died due to heat illness in a school in Daudkandi Upazila of Comilla. This incident took place at Gouripur Subal Aftab High School of Upazila at around 12 noon on Tuesday.

    Habiba Akhter (11), a student of Class 6, died due to heat illness at a school in Daudkandi Upazila of Comilla. The incident occurred at Gouripur Subal Aftab High School in the Upazila around 12 noon on Tuesday.

    Habiba, the daughter of Bhuiyan and school teacher Maqsuda Akhtar, resided in Chandnagerchar village of Titas Upazila in Comilla. She fell ill at school and passed away while being transported to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Habiba has an older sister named Shahzadi Akter, who is in high school, and a younger sister named Faiza, who is in the first class.

    According to information gathered from the school’s teachers and students, Habiba fell ill due to the intense heat before the teacher arrived at the school after 12 noon. She started vomiting repeatedly during this time. The school teachers promptly poured water on her head and immediately rushed her to Daudkandi Upazila Health Complex. After receiving initial treatment there, as her condition worsened, she was advised to be taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Unfortunately, she passed away in the Baldakhal area of Daudkandi Upazila while being transported to Dhaka in an ambulance. Subsequently, when Habiba’s parents took her to a private hospital and the Upazila Health Complex in Daudkandi, the doctor declared her dead after an examination.

    Habiba’s uncle, Ariful Haque Bhuiyan, mentioned that while en route to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the ambulance, when they reached the Baldakhal area of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, blood suddenly started coming out of Habiba’s nose, mouth, and eyes. At that point, she passed away.

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  • PepsiCo’s Lay’s, one of the world’s most popular potato chip brands, will manufacture its chips in Bangladesh.

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    Source: The Daily Star

    PepsiCo’s Lay’s, one of the world’s most popular potato chip brands, will manufacture its chips in Bangladesh.

    According to a press release, “Lay’s Make in Bangladesh” program has been launched in collaboration with Transcom Consumer Products Ltd to demonstrate the company’s unwavering commitment to Bangladesh.

    The concept was unveiled at a manufacturing factory in Bogura by Ahmed ElSheikh, president of PepsiCo India region, and Simeen Rahman, global chief executive officer of Transcom.

    “The establishment of the manufacturing unit dedicated to making the iconic Lay’s potato chips, at the plant, serves as a powerful testament to Lay’s unwavering commitment to supporting the local community and driving economic growth in the region,” PepsiCo said.

    The program was launched as a result of PepsiCo’s presence in the country for over two decades as a result of its strong and profitable cooperation with Transcom Group.

    Taking advantage of Lay’s existing popularity in Bangladesh, this project will address the robust and rising local demand for unique forms and flavors in the developing potato chips sector, providing consumers with a wonderful snacking experience, according to the company.

    Lay’s has set a target of acquiring 10,000 tonnes of high-quality chip-grade potatoes for its Bogura facility, due to buy-back agreements with more than 1,200 local farmers.

    —

  • Two brothers die due to pesticide poisoning given at home

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    Source: The Daily Star

    Two brothers from Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area are thought to have died from pesticide poisoning after a cleaning service used pest control in their home.

    Shayan Mobarrat Zahin, who was 15 and in grade 8 at an English speaking school, and Shahir Mobarrat Zayan, who was 9 and in grade 3 there, both died on Sunday.

    Asaduzzaman, who is in charge of the Bhatara Police Station, said today that they think the two boys may have died because they ate too much pesticide.

    Inspector (Investigation) Shariful Islam said that family members told him that the father of the two children, Mobarak Hossain, hired DCS Organisation Ltd to get rid of pests in the house at Block-I.

    “On Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., workers of the company put down pesticides there. Mobarak told The Daily Star yesterday, “I was there supervising the work while my wife and three children were out at an event.”

    He said that the workers told them to come back in two to three hours. But the family members took extra care and came back to the house about 10 hours later.

    The officer said that everyone in the family got sick, but the kids had to be rushed to a private hospital nearby. The officer said that Zayan died there on Sunday morning, and Zahin died later that night.

    He said that they are thought to have died because the chemicals made them sick.

    Police say that their sister is still getting care at the hospital.

    The family members and relatives said that the event happened because the pest control service had “incompetent” workers.

    When this reporter called the company that does cleaning and pest control, an unnamed man said that an expert team that worked at the house is now at the Bhatara Police Station.

    The deputy commissioner of the Gulshan Division Police, Md Shohidullah, said that they let the family bury the body of one child without doing an autopsy.

    The body of the other child was taken to the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College morgue so that it could be examined.

    When asked, the father said he didn’t know what happened on Sunday morning to kill his older son. So he went to the funeral without having the body examined.

    But when his second son died, he realized that the chemicals the service provider used might have had something to do with it.

    Sources at the morgue said that they think the boy died from being poisoned by pesticides. When the report from the forensic lab comes out, they said, we’ll know more.

    No case had been filed with any of the police stations in the capital as of 10 p.m., when this story was written.

    —

  • Ctg Environment department gives slogan against plastic using plastic banners

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    Source: The Daily Star

    The Chittagong Environment Department has faced criticism for using more plastic in its own events, despite promoting slogans against plastic and its alternatives on World Environment Day. During a special discussion and award distribution meeting held at the Chittagong Shilpakala Academy, the Department of Environment used a large number of PVC banners. The entire academy was covered with these banners for the duration of the discussion.

    When questioned about the use of PVC banners and their disposal after the meeting, the environment officials were unable to provide a satisfactory answer, despite advocating for awareness against plastic.

    Around the venue, it was observed that more than fifty PVC banners of various sizes, including banners measuring 10 to 20 feet, were hung. PVC banners with different slogans were also placed on the road dividers leading to the arts section. At the end of the meeting, Department of Environment employees were seen removing the large banners. When one of the workers was asked about the banners, he mentioned distributing some to schools and colleges while discarding the rest. However, he refused to provide his name when identified as a journalist.

    When Dr. Alok Pal, the Chittagong City Director of the Department of Environment, was questioned about the PVC banners, he told The Daily Star, “I didn’t look at it that way. I can’t say for sure.”

    Despite attempts to contact him several times, Hillol Biswas, the Director of the Chittagong City Department of Environment, did not respond to inquiries about the plastic banners.

    —

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