Haque Specialized Group's News

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman this morning on the occasion of the 47th Independence and National Day, reports BSS. On her return from the National Memorial at Savar, the Prime Minister paid homage to Father of the Nation by placing a wreath at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital.  After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of Bangladesh’s independence.  Flanked by central leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, laid another wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu on behalf of her party.  Awami League Advisory Council members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, Presidium Members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Advocate Sahara Khatun, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain and Dr Abdur Razzak, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Food Minister Advocate Qamrul Islam, AL Joint Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak were present on the occasion, among others. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Deputy Speaker Advocate Fazley Rabbi Mian also paid tributes to the Father of Nation by placing wreaths at his portrait at Dhanmondi.  ....

Published at: 2017-03-26 00:00:05

Saqlain Mushtaq is set to join the ECB on a two-year contract, reports Cricinfo. Saqlain, the former Pakistan spinner, has already had a couple of spells with the England team as a "spin consultant." In India it was noticeable that the performance of Adil Rashid, in particular, dipped sharply once Saqlain had left the tour. The new deal will extend his involvement to 100-days each year and allow him to work not only with players in the international side but those developing within the county game. "The ECB has hired my services for two-years and I have to work 100 days a year with them," Saqlain told Dawn. "My main duty will be with the England team but I will also work with young and rising spinners in English cricket. "Both Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali are very talented and are already making a mark in International Cricket.  They performed well in England's tour of India and I am hopeful that I will be able to guide them to more success." Saqlain admitted that the PCB had approached him about working with Pakistan but said there had been no follow-up to an initial enquiry. "If people ask why Saqlain has not worked with the PCB yet, then they should redirect their questions to the PCB," he said.....

Published at: 2017-03-26 00:00:05

The relationship between the government and the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has never been comfortable in this part of the world. Some people tend to describe the relationship 'antagonistic'. But the antipathy is more or less one-sided. The government that wields almost unlimited powers has always shown its dislike for NGOs. But why is this antagonism?  The government has never given reply to this question. Nor it would admit publicly that it has any hard feeling towards NGOs. Yet people concerned do know that the government has a hostile attitude towards the NGOs notwithstanding the fact that the latter are very much dependent on the former's clearance to carry on with their operations.  A government is a mighty entity and its role in socio-economic development of a country is beyond any question. Yet others are also making some contributions, no matter how limited they are. In most developing and least developed countries, NGOs have been making significant contributions in the fields of health, education, nutrition, family planning, women empowerment and so on.  Bangladesh is also no exception. The world's largest NGO BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) and the Grameen Bank (GB), the institution that has pioneered microcredit are from this country. Prof. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of GB, has received the much-coveted Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to eradication of poverty using the microcredit programme.   The country has earned both laurels and praise for its achievements in the areas of human development. There should be no reason to ignore the great contributions the NGOs have made to human development over the past few decades. The bid to empower rural women, economically, might have proved elusive without microcredit operations.  There is no denying that the NGO movement in Bangladesh has lost its pace in recent years. NGOs are partly to blame themselves for it. Earlier, they had one national platform. Now they are divided, leading to erosion in their strength. Other major reason is that flow of funds from the developed and affluent countries has declined notably for a variety of reasons, including global economic slowdown and the government's lack of sympathy towards the NGOs.  But that should not have been the case. Bangladesh has done well in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS). And it would be unfair if the contributions of the NGOs in this respect are not duly recognised.  The country is now entrusted with the responsibility of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The goals are tougher than the MDGs, particularly that relating to poverty reduction. The country will have to eliminate fully the extreme poverty by 2030. The government would need cooperation of private sector and NGOs if it is really serious about its task.  That is why experts gathering at a workshop in Dhaka recently underscored the need for giving up the 'antagonistic' approach towards the NGOs by the government and developing a 'collaborative' relationship with them. Such relationship, they felt, might prove very helpful in achieving the SDGs. Experts who spoke at the workshop included a few noted economists. The government does need to listen to their advice and do the needful to work hand in hand with the NGOs as partners in progress.  zahidmar10@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:05

KEY BISCAYNE, Mar 24 (AP): Bethanie Mattek-Sands picked up her first top-10 victory since 2015, upsetting ninth-seeded Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Miami Open's third round. Mattek-Sands, who turned 32 on Thursday, is ranked only 158th in singles and needed a wild-card invitation to get into the hard-court tournament. She is ranked No. 1 in doubles. Against Svitolina, Mattek-Sands saved 12 of the 15 break points she faced. The woman with whom Mattek-Sands won the doubles championships at the past two Grand Slam tournaments, Lucie Safarova, eliminated 23rd-seeded Daria Gavrilova 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday. Safarova, the 2015 French Open runner-up, is ranked 36th, so was just outside the seedings at the hard-court tournament. She broke Gavrilova five times while losing serve only once herself. In another surprise, Kirsten Flipkens beat No. 29 Ana Konjuh 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-2. Also, second-seeded Karolina Pliskova, a finalist at last year's US Open, had no trouble beating 86th-ranked Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3 in about an hour to get to the third round. Other seeded winners included No. 4 Dominika Cibulkova, No. 5 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 12 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, No. 26 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, No. 27 Yulia Putintseva and No. 30 Zhang Shuai. In men's action, now things will get a little more challenging for Frances Tiafoe.....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:05

TO be stuck in a traffic gridlock is a common phenomenon in Dhaka city, capital of one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Pathao.com, a new logistics provider in the service industry of Bangladesh has come up with ideas to lessen the traffic congestion time of the residents. Pathao.com is a technology-based logistics provider, which places both the user and the driver on their map and establishes contact between them interactively.  At present, Pathao.com is a popular name to the people who are not fond of waiting for  auto rickshaws or buses and people who need to reach their offices within the shortest possible time with less transportation cost. At the most, what the user has to do is to track the current location through Pataho.com mobile application, select the ride, receive the tracking ID, wait for five minutes and take a ride to the destination. It also provides Real-Time Tracking, Cash-On-Delivery service, Superior Customer Service, Reverse Logistics, Mobile Friendly User Interface and Environment-Friendly services through bikes. In addition, the mobile application shows the driver profile, licence number and the position in the map, ensuring verified delivery people for security.  With time, it has become a necessity for the urban people to reach the target point within the shortest time possible passing through the high traffic congestion. Although Pathao.com is a new entry in the business, it has already created a strong base through providing a time-saving and fast delivery system in the service industry. Antara Biswas Department of Business Administration East West University, Aftabnagar, Dhaka. antara080994@gmail.com  ....

Published at: 2017-03-25 00:00:05