MNA Editorial Desk: India, one of the uprising superpowers of the world, is the greatest economy and entity of South Asia. It has immense influence over almost all of its South Asian neighbours. But visibly it has strong issues with powerhouses like China with decade long tensions with neighbouring country Pakistan. During the recent conflicts, it was observed that China is trying to develop better relationships with the neighbours of India and it is nothing surprising as any country with such an enormous economy will try to spread its influence. Both the countries have engaged in numerous small to medium ...

MNA Editorial Desk: COVID-19 pandemic is still a life threatening issue around the world, including Bangladesh. For around 6-8 months, varying in different countries, the whole world is passing an appalling time. The pandemic is affecting lives in different ways – economically, financially, physically, mentally etc. The lockdowns have been lifted off at most of the places and most of the institutions; even public places have been opened. People are moving out of their safe shelters for different reasons and the life is coping up with the concept of ‘new normal’. But, apparently COVID-19 might have most negatively influenced the ...

MNA National Desk: Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das on Monday described Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the founder of modern Bangladesh and one of the most influential and courageous leaders of the 20th century. She made the remarks at a book gifting session on the Father of the Nationas part of the ‘Mujib Borsho’ celebrations. Books on Bangabandhu and Liberation War written by acclaimed authors and historians have been gifted to 100 universities and colleges across Bangladesh, including those situated in Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet, among others. Keynote speaker at the event was Barrister Mohibul ...

MNA National Desk: Urging all to maintain austerity in electricity use, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said it will not be possible to always provide subsidy for power generation. “It’s not always possible to give subsidy… everybody should keep it in mind,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating two power generation stations, 11 grid sub-center, six transmission lines and 100 percent electrification activities in 31 upazilas under 18 districts across the country virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. Sheikh Hasina said the actual cost of power generation is much higher than the price per unit at ...

MNA Business Desk: Energypac Power Generation Limited has received approval for the initial public offering (IPO) through the book-building process. The securities regulator Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) it its 734th commission meeting gave the approval for fixing the company’s cut-off price through electronic bidding with BSEC chairman Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam in the chair, according to a press release. Through IPO, Energypac will raise BDT 150 crore from the capital market. The IPO proceeds will be used to expand the LPG business, repay bank loans and meet the cost of the IPO process. According to the consolidated financial ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Child abuse, a heinous crime, has become a worldwide problem today. Despite having strict laws in almost every country, it continues to grow. It is a grave concern in Bangladesh too. Children are the future of a nation or the world but we are failing to fulfill their rights, which is very important if we want a safe, secured and bright future. Child abuse has increased significantly during the last two decades and we must stop this trend for the sake of a better world. We might not even realize how badly this can impact our society ...

MNA International Desk: Soon after issuing a list bearing the name of Dawood Ibrahim as a designated terrorist along with his address in Karachi and details of his passports, Pakistan on Saturday denied his presence on its soil. It said there is no admission that Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan. Pakistan had issued a list of UN-designated terrorists and entities who will be subject to “assets freeze, travel ban and arms embargo” as per the United Nations Security Council resolution that Islamabad has to adhere to. In a notification, Pakistan said, “As of August 18, 2020, the ISIL (Da’esh) and ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has described Bangladesh’s first military ruler Ziaur Rahman as “real villain” of the August 15, 1975 plot while years later his wife Khaleda Zia emerged as another such figure as the August 21, 2004 grenade attack was carried out. “The real villain behind the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was Ziaur Rahman,” she told a virtual discussion marking the National Mourning Day and the 45th martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu on Sunday. The premier said Zia became the main beneficiary of the carnage as he simultaneously emerged as the ...

MNA Business Report: Stocks witnessed an upward trend in early trading on Sunday as investors are showing a buying spree on sector-wise issues despite facing troubles due to the slow Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) website. The DSE website has remained slow for the last three consecutive sessions due to its maintenance and upgradation work. Investors and stockbrokers alleged in the morning that they were unable to access information on time for the last couple of days as the new website of the DSE was “very slow to load”. Many investors complained that they do not see the share prices on ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Recalling the barbaric carnage, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said it was not possible to carry out an attack like that of August 21, 2004 had there been no direct patronage from the then BNP-Jamaat government. “Had there been no patronage from the [then] government, it was not possible to carry out the August-21 grenade attack this way,” she said. Sheikh Hasina made the allegation while addressing a discussion marking the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on Friday. Awami League organised the event at its Bangabandhu Avenue central office. The Prime Minister attended the event virtually from ...

MNA National Desk: Different political parties, including ruling Awami League, and other socio-cultural organisations on Friday observed the 16th anniversary of the grisly grenade attack on an Awami League (AL) anti-terrorism rally in the capital on August 21, 2004 in a befitting manner. The AL organized a virtual discussion at its central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka this morning marking the 16th anniversary of the gruesome grenade attack. Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina presided over the discussion through a videoconference from her official Ganabhaban residence. AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader ...

MNA International Desk: US Senator Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on Wednesday, imploring the country to elect Joe Biden in November and accusing President Donald Trump of failed leadership that had cost lives and livelihoods during a pandemic. Making history as the first Black woman and Asian-American on a major US presidential ticket, Harris made a direct appeal to Black Americans and other crucial constituencies that Democrats need in the Nov 3 election, Reuters reported. “The constant chaos leaves us adrift, the incompetence makes us feel afraid, the callousness makes us feel alone. It’s a lot,” ...

MNA National Desk: Bangladesh has registered 41 new fatalities from the novel coronavirus infection in a daily count, taking the death toll to 3,822. The tally of infections surged to 287,959 after 2,868 people tested positive for COVID-19 until 8 am Thursday, reports bdnews24.com citing a health directorate’s statement. Another 3,253 patients recovered from the disease through treatment at home and in hospital care in the same period, bringing the total to 168,991. The official figures put the recovery rate at 58.69 per cent, while the mortality rate stands at 1.33 per cent following the latest deaths of 32 men ...

MNA Business Desk: After about five months of flight suspension due to coronavirus pandemic, the US-Bangla Airlines announced resumption of operations on Dhaka-Doha route from August 31. It will operate flights on the route twice a week following all health and travel guidelines of Bangladesh and Qatar governments, the company said in a statement on Thursday. The Doha-bound flights of Boeing 737-800 aircraft will leave Dhaka at 7:30pm on Mondays and Fridays. The return flight will leave Doha at 11:50pm (local time) on the same day, said the press release. US-Bangla Airlines has 13 aircraft, including six brand new ATR ...

MNA National Desk: Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla arrived in Dhaka on a brief visit on Tuesday carrying a message from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shringla will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence and hand over the message he is carrying from Prime Minister Modi, a senior official said. But, no meeting schedule with the Prime Minister was found until Tuesday noon. They are expected to discuss ways to strengthen the ties between the two neighbouring countries apart from issues related to cooperation on Covid-19 front. Shringla is likely to go to Yangon from Dhaka ...

MNA International Desk: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan are “world-class chess players” and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden won’t be able to deal with them if he wins the election, US President Donald Trump told his supporters on Monday. “Listen, one thing I’ve learned: Putin, President Xi of China, Kim Jong Un and Erdogan of Turkey are world-class chess players… They are all dreaming of Joe Biden [as a president],” Trump said, noting that Biden would not be able to work with them as an equal partner because he wasn’t very ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Proper physical and psychological growth of children is always desired for a better future of not only a particular country but also for the whole world. But if we need to name one curse, that will be acts of war, genocide or ethnic cleansing, which is destroying that scope for millions of children all around the world. It is not the case in today’s era only. It is rather a truth from the very inception of the human race. Children have been the greatest victim of any such atrocious acts. We should not desire or tolerate such ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has donated Tk 10.0 million to the Buddhist community for celebrating their religious festival in a befitting manner. She gave the money to Buddha Dhormio Kalyan Trust for upcoming Probarona Purnima and Kathin Chibor Daan Utshab 2020, which will be observed on October 1, from the PM’s Relief and Welfare Fund. This money will be spent to observe their religious festival at all Buddha Bihar, Mandir, Kyang, Chaitya and Pagoda across the country. PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim said that the cheque was provided on Monday (August 17). He said the secular Prime ...

MNA International Desk: National Intellectual Property Administration has granted the China’s first patent for a COVID-19 vaccine. The patent was jointly applied for by a research team with the Academy of Military Sciences and CanSino Biologics Inc., a Chinese high-tech biopharmaceutical company, said a report in People’s Daily. The team led by Chen Wei, a researcher at the Institute of Military Medicine under the academy, developed the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine, with the modified defective adenovirus as the vector. In March, the vaccine became the first in China to be approved to enter clinical trials. According to the patent abstract, the ...

MNA International Desk: The personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army along with local people continued on Sunday to search for missing people in a massive landslide that has killed at least 18 people in central Nepal. Eighteen bodies have been recovered at Jugal Rural Municipality in Sindhupalchowk district while 21 people are still missing, reports XInhua. The incident happened in the early morning on Friday as the falling hill damaged 37 houses in the Lidi village of nearly 170 houses. Among the 18 bodies, 11 were children, four were women and three were men, Superintendent of ...

MNA National Desk: Bangladesh Ambassador to USA Mohammad Ziauddin has said they are convinced that the USA, as champion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, shall return the killer of Bangabandhu to Bangladesh soon. He said efforts continued to this day for the return of the killers of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and members of his family, who were tried and convicted in absentia. The killers are now hiding in foreign lands, including the USA. Ziauddin expressed strong optimism at the National Mourning Day programme commemorating the 45th anniversary of martyrdom of ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The four-member committee formed by the home ministry started holding a public hearing over the killing of Major (retd) Sinha Md Rashed Khan this morning. The hearing started at 11:00am at the office of Shamlapur Rohingya Camp in-charge in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar, our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reports from the spot. Rafiq Uddin, chairman of Baharchhara union in Teknaf, told our correspondent that the probe committee has already listed the names of 12 people for recording their witness accounts. Hundreds of people thronged the Shamlapur Rohingya camp and its surrounding areas, added our correspondent. On August 12, ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marking the National Mourning Day and the 45th anniversary of his martyrdom. As part of the state program, the prime minister paid homage to the architect of the independence by placing wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi Road No 32 in the capital on Saturday. The day is being observed as the National Mourning Day. After placing wreaths, the prime minister stood in solemn silence for some time showing respect to the ...

MNA National Desk: The nation is observing the National Mourning Day today (Saturday), marking the 45th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were brutally killed by some disgruntled army men on the fateful night of August 15, 1975 and this carnage is considered as the ugliest chapter of the nation’s history. The self-confessed killers of August 15 did not assassinate Bangabandhu alone, but also killed 16 other members of his family, friends and relatives. The martyrs included Bangabandhu’s wife Begum Fazilatunnesa ...

MNA National Desk: Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Audrey Azoulay on Friday said the legacy of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is a great source of inspiration for the generations to come. “It is certain that Bangabandhu’s legacy will continue to be a great source of inspiration for generations to come, for all those working to reinvent the world,” she said in a message on the occasion of the 45th martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In her message, Audrey Azoulay said: “I would like to pay tribute to ...

MNA International Desk: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday urged people not to fear catching the novel coronavirus from food, after Chinese testers found traces on food and food packaging. The virus was found Tuesday in the Chinese city of Shenzhen during a routine check on samples of frozen chicken wings imported from Brazil, city authorities said. The authorities said they immediately screened people who had been in contact with the contaminated products, plus their relatives, and all the tests came back negative. In China’s eastern Anhui province, the mayor of Wuhu announced Thursday that the virus had been ...

MNA National Desk: Claiming that the number of coronavirus patients is decreasing, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said that some more Covid-19 dedicated hospitals would be made non-Covid-19 by the end of this month. The Health Minister said this to reporters after a meeting on the progress of the project on setting up cancer hospitals at eight divisional levels at the secretariat on Thursday. “We are a bit behind because of Covid-19. We have not been able to work for the last six to seven months. Now we have started working on the non-communicable diseases,” he added. The ...