Haque Specialized Group's News

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today led the nation in paying homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marking the 42nd anniversary of his martyrdom. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the architect of the independence by placing floral wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi Road No. 32 in the capital on Tuesday morning, reports BSS. The day is being observed as the National Mourning Day. As part of the state programme, the President and the Prime Minister laid wreaths separately at the portrait of Bangabandhu. After placing wreaths, the President and the Prime Minister stood in solemn silence for sometime showing respect to the great leader. A smartly turned out contingent of Bangladesh Armed Forces gave state salute at that time, while bugle played tune of grief and somber to the last post. Munajat was offered seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of the August 15 carnage. Bangabandhu, his spouse Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, his three sons- Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal, and Sheikh Russell, and most of the family members of three close relatives of Bangabandhu were killed in cold blood on August 15, 1975 by a group of disgruntled army men. Two daughters of Bangabandhu - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and his sister Sheikh Rehana - could escape the carnage as they were staying abroad this time. Sheikh Rehana, youngest daughter of Bangabandhu, Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Chief Justice S K Sinha, cabinet members, Prime Minister's advisors, senior leaders of Awami League and 14-Party, and senior government officials were also present. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Chief Justice S K Sinha followed the President and the Prime Minister in paying tributes to Bangabandhu. Later, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Awami League, flanked by party's General Secretary Obaidul Quader and senior leaders placed wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu on behalf of the Awami League. After paying tributes to Bangabandhu, the Prime Minister along with her sister Sheikh Rehana visited the historic residence of Bangabandhu at Dhanmondi Road No. 32 which witnessed the world's most barbaric carnage on this day 42 years ago. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana stayed some times in the house which now has been turned into Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. Later, the Prime Minister went to Banani Graveyard where her mother Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell and other martyrs of August 15 were laid to eternal rest. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana placed floral wreaths and spread flower petals on their graves. She also offered Fateha and doa seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of the martyrs of August 15.....

Published at: 2017-08-15 05:00:06

At least seven people were killed and seven others injured as unidentified gunmen attacked the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping force in the northern Mali city of Timbuktu on Monday. Earlier Monday, gunmen attacked two neighbouring UN camps in Douentza in the Mopti region of central Mali, killing a Malian soldier and a UN peacekeeper and lightly wounding another peacekeeper.  The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, also called that incident a terrorist attack, reports AP. The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali is the deadliest of the UN's 16 global peacekeeping operations.  The death of the soldier in Douentza brought the number of UN peacekeepers killed in attacks this year to nine, according to the UN peacekeeping department.  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and stressed that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers "may constitute war crimes under international law," UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.  Guterres commends "the important efforts" that Mali and four neighbouring countries are making to combat terrorism and violent extremism and promote peace in the region, Haq added.....

Published at: 2017-08-15 05:00:06

A man was beaten to death at Panka village of Jessore sadar upazila on Monday night over a trifling matter. The deceased was identified as Aziz, 50, son of one Kashem Mandal, a farmer of the village. Emdadul Haque, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said that Aziz was pushed by a bicycle ridden by Azimuddin Mandal while he was going to a local hat in the afternoon. At one stage, Aziz slapped Azimuddin. Following the incident, Azimuddin along with his several associates beat Aziz later at night, leaving him critically injured. Later, he was sent to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 9:00pm. Police have already arrested two people in connection with the murder; according to UNB.....

Published at: 2017-08-15 05:00:06

State-owned Sonali Bank has planned to expand its treasury services across Dhaka and Chittagong cities, aimed at making the services easily available to the neighbourhood of the dwellers. The bank would bring the entire areas of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) under the treasury operations, considering that it will help cut both the cost and time for the service recipients, officials said. They said the bank recently sought the central bank's permission to allow it for providing the services from all the branches in the cities, including the ones presently not operating treasury functions. "We have sought Bangladesh Bank's permission to operate treasury activities from all the branches in DSCC, DNCC and CCC," a senior official at the treasury wing of Sonali Bank told the FE. Currently, the bank has 603 treasury branches, including 58 chest and eight sub-chest branches, out of the total 1210 branches across the country. In the Dhaka north and south city corporation areas, only half (61) of the total 122 branches provide treasury services. In Chittagong City Corporation area, 22 out of 35 branches operate treasury functions. Officials said that the clients or people now have to deposit Chalans with the existing treasury branches, which in many cases would be far from ones neighbourhood and would require more time and money. On the other hand, they added, proper services could not be provided to the clients due to limited number of treasury branches. Besides, operational activities of the branches are also being hampered sometimes. "We received a letter from the Sonali Bank on operating treasury activities," a senior official at the BB said. Sonali Bank collected over 3.5 million Chalans through the existing treasury branches of the bank in the first six months of 2017, according to the bank sources.     rezamumu@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-14 05:00:03

Potential global firms are submitting bids for designing, building, financing and operating a new seaport terminal in Chittagong amid a cargo boom, officials said.    Government authorities have planned the port terminal, named Laldia, for enhancing overall port capacity and handling efficiently a mounting influx of cargoes into the country's apex seaport-Chittagong Port. "A selected international firm will be awarded the job under 'landlord' model," Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral M Khaled Iqbal told the FE Sunday The model means the port authority would provide only necessary land while the remaining works will be done by the firm. The CPA floated international tender on June 18 with August 20 fixed as the bid-submission deadline. Mr Iqbal hoped engaging globally reputed firms in overall operations and maintenance of new terminals, to be built by them, would help reduce turnover period and increase handling capacity. The premier port handles around 92 per cent of the country's total imports and exports worth around US$ 77 billion in total. Chittagong Port is one of the oldest in the region, and it was ranked 76th busiest port in the world by Llyod's List in 2016 in a rise from 87th position in 2015. Apace with country's consistent economic growth of over 6.0 per cent in the past several years, container traffic in the port increased by over 1.0 million TEUs to around 2.41 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2016 within the period of five years since 2012, according to CPA statistics. The seaport handled 1.4 million TEUs in 2012, 1.5 million TEUs in 2013, 1.7 million TEUs in 2014, 2.0 million TEUs in 2015 and 2.41 million TEUs in 2017, CPA statistics reveal the crescendo. The port's container-handling capacity is now 2.64 TEUs per year, which is set to be saturated by 2019 if the current increasing trend in container inflows continues, said Mohammad Zafar Alam, member (admin & planning) of CPA. "Chittagong Port witnessed around 16-17 per cent growth in cargo and container handling over the past few years sans any new jetty constructed, resulting in vessel congestion at the port," he said. To increase overall capacity of the country's apex port, the CPA is now working with a cluster of development plans, including the building of two more terminals - Potenga Terminal and Bay Terminal - apart from Laldia terminal, Mr Alam said. He said implementation of the development plans will be started in 2019 with the building of Patenga container terminal with three container jetties and one oil-container jetty. All the 13 existing old jetties will be rebuilt in phases to ramp up capacity of Chittagong Port, he added. Apart from developing infrastructure, the authority has now ensured 24-hour operation of customs in Chittagong port, said the CPA chairman. The port authority will soon keep the banks operational round the clock in port areas to facilitate its smooth functioning, Mr Iqbal added. The government is working to develop the country's second seaport Mongla in the southwestern coastal belt as well, joint secretary of the Ministry of Shipping ASM Mamunur Rahman Khalili said. Two new container jetties would be built in Mongla by 2018, he added. The Mongla seaport has the capacity of handling 70,000 TEUs of containers a year, but much of it remains unutilized. It handled only 26,952 TEUs of containers in the fiscal year 2016-17, according to statistics from the Mongla Port Authority. Apart from the two existing seaports, efforts are there to build another seaport at Payra and a deep-sea port at Matarbari in the Bay of Bengal, said Mr Khalili.     Azizjst@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-08-14 05:00:03