Haque Specialized Group's News

The government will provide 500 acres of land to Bashundhara Group for setting up an industrial economic zone (EZ) at Mirsarai in Chittagong. Under the move, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and Bashundhara Group (BG) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the handover of land for setting up Bashundhara Industrial Economic Zone. Executive Chairman of BEZA Paban Chowdhury and Chairman of BG Ahmed Akbar Sobhan signed on Monday the MoU at a city hotel on behalf of their respective sides. As per the MoU, BG will invest US$ 488 million in setting up a modern pulp and board mill and other industries that will create 15,000 jobs. The government has set a target to build 100 special economic zones in the country by 2030 for generating employment for 10 million people. After starting operations, the special economic zones will help earn additional $ 40 billion by export of products annually.   The BEZA has already issued pre-qualification licences to 15 private organisations for developing special economic zones in different parts of the country.   talhabinhabib@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-07-25 00:00:04

BEIJING, July 24 (Reuters): China's defence ministry on Monday warned India not to harbour any illusions about the Chinese military's ability to defend its territory, amid a festering border dispute. The stand-off on a plateau next to the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim, which borders China, has ratcheted up tension between the neighbours, who share a 3,500-km (2,175-mile) frontier, large parts of which are disputed. "Shaking a mountain is easy but shaking the People's Liberation Army is hard," ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a briefing, adding that its ability to defend China's territory and sovereignty had "constantly strengthened". Early in June, according to the Chinese interpretation of events, Indian guards crossed into China's Donglang region and obstructed work on a road on the plateau. The two sides' troops then confronted each other close to a valley controlled by China that separates India from its close ally, Bhutan, and gives China access to the so-called Chicken's Neck, a thin strip of land connecting India and its remote northeastern regions. India has said it warned China that construction of the road near their common border would have serious security implications. The withdrawal of Indian border guards was a precondition for resolving the situation, Wu reiterated. "India should not leave things to luck and not harbour any unrealistic illusions," Wu said, adding that the military had taken emergency measures in the region and would continue to increase focused deployments and drills. "We strongly urge India to take practical steps to correct its mistake, cease provocations, and meet China halfway in jointly safeguarding the border region's peace and tranquillity," he said. Indian officials say about 300 soldiers from either side are facing each other about 150 metres (yards) apart on the plateau. They have told Reuters that both sides' diplomats have quietly engaged to try to ensure the stand-off does not escalate, and that India's ambassador to Beijing is leading the effort to find a way for both sides to back down from confrontation without losing face. Chinese state media have warned India of a fate worse than the defeat it suffered in their brief border war in 1962. This month, state media said China's military had carried out live fire drills close to the disputed area.....

Published at: 2017-07-25 00:00:04

AMMAN, July 24 (Reuters): Two Jordanians died from wounds inflicted during a shooting on Sunday in the compound of the heavily-guarded Israeli embassy that also wounded an Israeli, police and a security source said. Police said earlier that the two Jordanians worked for a furniture firm and entered the embassy compound before the shooting to do repairs. Police did not identify the wounded Israeli, and few other details were immediately available. Israel has imposed a ban on reporting the incident and has made no public comment. The fortress-like embassy in the affluent Rabae district of the capital Amman is protected by Jordanian gendarme. It has long been a flashpoint of anti-Israeli protests at times of turmoil in the Palestinian territories. Violence against Israelis is rare in Jordan, a tightly policed country that is also a staunch regional ally of the United States and signed a peace treaty with Israel, the Arab neighbour with which it shares a long border. But tensions have escalated between the two countries since Israel installed metal detectors at entry points to Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem after two Israeli policemen were shot dead by three Arab-Israeli gunmen on Friday near the site. The new security measures have triggered the bloodiest spate of Israeli-Palestinian violence for years. Jordan has called for the removal of the metal detectors and thousands of Jordanians have protested against the Israeli move in an outpouring of public anger against Israel. Jordanian police said after Sunday's shooting that they sealed off the embassy compound and deployed dozens of anti-terrorism gendarmie forces. "We have started a large scale investigation into the incident and ordered the prosecutor general to look at all the details," the police said in a statement. Initial checks suggested the two Jordanian men had entered the embassy compound as workmen, the statement said. Many of Jordan's 7 million citizens are of Palestinian origin. They or their parents or grandparents were expelled or fled to Jordan in the fighting that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. Israel has in the past given repeated assurances that it understands Jordan's concerns and does not seek to alter the status quo in the Muslim holy sites of Jerusalem. King Abdullah's Hashemite monarchy has been custodian of the sites since 1924, paying for their upkeep and deriving part of its legitimacy from the role.....

Published at: 2017-07-25 00:00:04

The telecom regulator will not hold price auctions with companies seeking to provide mobile number portability or MNP services, but will handpick a participant through a ‘beauty contest’. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission issued a notice seeking applications on Monday, after an amended MNP guideline was approved by the prime minister and the finance ministry, said BTRC Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood, according to bdnews24.com. There will be no price auction, he told bdnews24.com. One company will receive a 15-year licence in return for a Tk 100 million fee, he said.    As for the beauty contest, it means a committee will elect the winner after reviewing the financial capacity, technical skills and experiences of the companies that will apply for MNP licence. Beauty contest, a procurement mechanism, is different from price auction. # Any foreign company can apply for the licence along with any company based in Bangladesh. # The foreign company that applies for the licence with a Bangladeshi partner cannot have a stake in the business beyond 51 percent. This condition does not apply to non-resident Bangladeshis. # No mobile operators, their directors, shareholders and partners cannot apply for the licence. # Applicants must have at least three-year experience in providing MNP services to at least 10 million users in one or multiple countries. # All applications must be submitted to the chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission before Aug 23.  ....

Published at: 2017-07-25 00:00:04

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina asked those involved in the country's film industry on Monday not to exert any influence on the process to select nominees for the National Film Award, report agencies. The Premier said this while speaking at a distribution ceremony of the 40th National Film Award-2015 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city on Monday. The premier handed over the awards, the highest state recognition for contributions to the country's film industry, to 31 artistes and performers in 25 categories. Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu presided over the function. Shakib Khan and Mahfuz Ahmed jointly won the 'Best Actor Award' for their performances in 'Aro Bhalobashbo Tomai' and 'Zero Degree' respectively while Joya Ahsan won the Best Actress award for her performance in 'Zero Degree'. Popular Bangladeshi actress Shabana and playback singer Ferdausi Rahman were given the lifetime achievement awards at the function. Reazul Rezu's Bapjaner Bioscope and Morshedul Islam's Anil Bagchir Ekdin were selected in the Best Film category while the Department of Films and Publication (DFP)'s 'Ekattorer Ganohatta O Baddyabhumi' won the best documentary award. The jury selected Riazul Maola Riju and Morshedul Islam as the best directors for their films 'Bapjaner Bioscope' and 'Anil Bagchir Ekdin' respectively while Humayun Ahmed was awarded for the best dialogue category for 'Anil Bagchir Ekdin'. The other winners are: best side actor - Gazi Rakayet (Anil Bagchir Ekdin), best side actress - Toma Mirza (Nodijan), best villain - Iresh Zaker (Chuye Dile Mon), best child actor - Zara Zarib (Prarthana), best child actress (special award) - Promia Rahman (Prarthana), best music director - Sunny Jubayer (Anil Bagchir Ekdin), best singers male - Subir Nandi (Tomare Charite Bandhu) and SI Tutul (Uthal Pathal Joyar), best singer female - Priyanka Ghoup (Amar Sukh Se Thou), best composer - Amirul Islam (Uthal Pathal Joyar), best lyricist - SI Tutul (Uthal Pathal Joyar) and best storywriter - Masum Reza (Bapzaner Bioscope).....

Published at: 2017-07-25 00:00:04