MNA  Business Desk: A pavilion was inaugurated on Wednesday at Interior Life-style Fair at the Big Site of Tokyo in Japan to showcase Bangladeshi jute products, reported news agency. Chairman to the parliamentary standing committee on textiles and jute Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Bangladesh ambassador to Japan Rabab Fatima and Export Promotion Bureau vice chairman Bijoy Bhattachariya inaugurated the pavilion. A total of 10 jute business organisations are taking part in the fair where they are showcasing different items of jute products including jute bag, said an official release here. The Bangladeshi businessmen expressed their hope to create a Bangladesh-made jute ...

MNA Feature Desk: Coinciding with the observance of World No Tobacco Day, the World Health Organization has warned that tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke are “major causes” of cardiovascular disease, contributing to three million deaths a year. The theme of this year’s day is ‘Tobacco Attacks Heart: Stay away, Save Lives’. The theme demonstrates link between tobacco and heart and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including stroke, which combined are the world’s leading causes of death and feasible actions and measures that key audiences, including governments and the public, can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is addressing a press conference at 4:00pm today (Wednesday) to brief journalists about the outcomes of her just-concluded visit to Kolkata, India. The press conference has been started at her official residence Ganobhaban. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went to the West Bengal, India on May 25 on a two-day official visit. During the visit, Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated ‘Bangladesh Bhaban’ at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan. They also had a meeting with Modi at Bangladesh Bhaban. Sheikh Hasina also attended Visva Bharati Convocation Ceremony as the Guest of ...

MNA National Desk: Fitra, a charity donation by well-off Muslims at the end of Ramadan, has been fixed at a minimum of Tk 70 per person this year. The maximum Fitra has been fixed at Tk 2,310 per person, taking into account the market prices of flour, dates and some other essential items, said a press release of Islamic Foundation. The Islamic Foundation decided on the donation rates at a meeting on Wednesday, said Baitul Mukarram spokesperson Muhammad Nizamuddin. Fitra can be given either in cash or kind. Last year, the minimum Fitra rate was Tk 65 and maximum at ...

MNA International Desk: Israel launched a massive airstrike on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, hitting 35 targets and a cross-border tunnel, the latest in a back-and-forth exchange of fire after Palestinians launched mortars from Gaza into Israel, reported news agency. The Israeli military in a statement said the airstrike was in response to the barrage of 28 mortar shells that Gaza militants fired at Israel on Tuesday morning. The attack from Gaza caused no major damage except for a man who was slightly injured in the hand, it said. The airstrike was carried out by Israeli fighter jets and aircraft ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Ethnic cleansing targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has not stopped despite growing condemnation from the international community, the Trump administration said Tuesday. In November, the United States declared that violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine state constituted ethnic cleansing, and the US later imposed sanctions. Ambassador Sam Brownback, the US envoy for global religious freedom, said the violence is continuing. “I don’t think we’ve seen progress there in that country,” Brownback said as he unveiled the State Department’s annual report on international religious freedom. The report estimates that about 680,000 people fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh ...

MNA Sports Desk: The threat of terrorist attacks in France has put paid to fans’ hopes of watching the World Cup on big screen in public spaces, France’s ministry for the interior announced Tuesday. “I remind all publicly-elected officials of the fact that ‘big screen’ zones are completely forbidden in public spaces,” said a statement from the ministry. France has been subject to several terrorist attacks in recent years, leading to an increased security presence all round. “In the current climate of terrorist threats, the security procedures used at the last European Championship must be deployed again, with the same ...

MNA Tech Desk: Pickaboo online has started the pre-book of the brand new Samsung Galaxy J6. The Galaxy J6 is bringing the infinity display for the first time in Samsung’s most popular range of J series smartphones in Bangladesh. Customers can pre-book this Smartphone exclusively from Pickaboo.com from 22nd May to 30th May 2018. With every pre-book, customers will get a free football jersey, EMI facility for 12 months at zero interest, and free home delivery. The delivery of the pre-booked Galaxy J6 will initiate from June 1st Week, 2018. The smartphone will be available in black, gold and blue. ...

MNA Education Desk: The authorities of Comilla University on Monday observed its 13th founding anniversary with a daylong colourful programme on the campus, reported news agency. The celebration programme including procession and discussion were inaugurated by the university vice chancellor (VC) professor Emran Kabir Chowdhury, at 11:00am. Teachers, officers, staff and students of the university brought out a colourful procession led by the VC, from in front of the university’s administrative building around 11:00am. The Comilla University started its journey on Lalmai Hillocks on 28 May 2006 with 4 faculties, 7 departments, 15 teachers and 300 students. At present, the ...

MNA Business Desk: Bangladesh Bank (BB) will release new currency notes of Taka 10, 20, 50 and Taka 100 denominations in the market from June 3 ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. The new notes will be distributed from all branches of Bangladesh Bank across the country every day until June 14, said a press release. The notes will also be distributed from Jatrabari Branch of the National Bank, Abdul Ghoni Road Corporate Branch of the Janata Bank, Elephant Road Branch of Agrani Bank, Mirpur Branch of the City Bank, Kawran Bazar Branch of the South East Bank, Bashundhara City (Panthapath) Branch of ...

MNA National Desk: The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday set July 30 to hold Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barishal city corporation polls. Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda told media this after a meeting of the EC, reported news agency. According to the election schedule, June 28 has been fixed for submitting nomination papers, while the July 1 and 2 for scrutinising those and the deadline for withdrawal of candidature is July 9. Recently, the EC completed the Khulna city polls on May 15 this year. Though the Gazipur civic elections were supposed to be held on the same date, it was ...

MNA National Desk: As a nationwide ‘anti-drug’ crackdown continues, 12 more people were killed in what the law enforcers called gunfights early Tuesday, reported news agency. With the incidents, the number of victims, who were described as drug dealers, has reached 117 since 12 May. In ‘gunfights’ with the Rapid Action Battalion and the police, the 12 people were killed in Dhaka, Thakurgaon, Brahmanbaria, Barguna, Cumilla, Mymensingh, Satkhira, Kushtia and Jashore. The law enforcers said, yaba, cannabis, phensedyl and other drugs along with local and foreign firearms are recovered from almost all the spots the raids were conducted. Home minister ...

MNA Sports Desk: The Bangladesh national cricket team have left for India on Tuesday morning to take part in a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan scheduled to be held on 3 to 7 June. The matches will be played at newly built Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Dehradun. Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Mahmudullah (vice-captain), Tamim Iqbal Khan, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Kumar Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shabbir Rahaman, Musaddek Hossain Saikat, Ariful Haque, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Nazmul Islam Apu, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider Rony, Rubel Hossain and Abu Jayed Chowdhury Rahi. Match Schedule: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh series 2018: 3 June – ...

MNA International Desk: The doctors who treated a Russian former spy and his daughter after they were poisoned with a nerve agent in Britain say they don’t know what the pair’s long term health outlook is – and initially feared the incident could have been much worse. Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russia’s military intelligence who betrayed dozens of agents to Britain, and daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4. Staff at Salisbury hospital, where they were treated, told news agency that some started to wonder whether ...

MNA Feature Desk: The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers 2018 is being observed in a befitting manner in the country as elsewhere across the globe on Tuesday. The theme for this year’s International Day of UN Peacekeepers is “70 Years of Service and Sacrifice.” The Day, 29 May, offers a chance to pay tribute to the contributions of uniformed and civilian personnel to the work of the organization and to honour more than 3,700 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 129 who died last year. Different programmes have been taken to ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Drug War: The future of a country is much dependent on the quality – knowledge, education, mindset etc. of its youth and Bangladesh is not any different on that perspective. If the youth of a country is not progressive, that country cannot win any race. Bangladesh in recent times has set itself as an example of development and we are actually in a race to outrun ourselves requiring huge participation of our youth. But regretfully, in spite of having huge potential, our young generation is facing a great enemy – ‘Drugs’. Widespread availability and usage of different ...

MNA Life Style Desk: Grace Lloyd got a round of applause when she walked into her classroom at Doha’s Gulf English School on the first day of Ramadan, wearing a black hijab with her blue uniform. The shy 11-year-old flushed as her fellow grade seven classmates in the Qatari capital clapped and cheered for her earlier this month. Lloyd, a British Christian, will be covering her head for the entire duration of the holy month this year in solidarity with Muslim women who face discrimination for wearing the hijab. “I feel very strongly about this,” said Lloyd, the youngest participant ...

MNA Business Desk: Nepal and Bangladesh will discuss trade facilitation and elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers at the fourth commerce secretary-level trade talks scheduled to begin on May 30.  Nepal plans to ask Bangladesh to address hurdles to exporting acrylic yarn to Bangladesh, quoting Nepal based Kathmandu Post, reports news agency. Harmonising sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and reviewing the list of 108 Nepali products, that have duty free access to the Bangladesh market, will also be a part of the discussion. An eleven-member Bangladeshi delegation would be arriving in Kathmandu to participate in the two-day meeting. Nepal’s Ministry ...

MNA Feature Desk: The 42nd death anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin is being observed today. Different cultural and arts organisations, including Dhaka University’s fine arts faculty which was founded by the master artist in 1948 as an art institute, will pay respect to the artist by placing flowers at his grave beside the Dhaka University Central Mosque. Born in Kishoreganj on December 29, 1914, Zainul is a pioneer of modern fine arts practices in the country. A graduate of Calcutta Government Art School, Zainul is credited for reshaping the fine arts arena of the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) through ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Myanmar says dozens of Rohingya Muslims who fled to neighbouring Bangladesh have returned voluntarily and will be sent to a transit centre pending resettlement, reported news agency. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled mainly Buddhist Myanmar after a violent army crackdown began last August in the western state of Rakhine, a process that the US and UN have described as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has said it is ready to take them back and has traded accusations with Bangladesh over who is responsible for the delay in implementing a repatriation deal. Critics question its sincerity. The long-persecuted stateless minority have ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: Korean boyband phenomenon BTS have become the first K-Pop group to rise to the top of the US album charts, a vivid illustration of the genre’s growing global appeal. Known for boyish good looks, floppy haircuts and meticulously choreographed dance moves, the septet has become one of South Korea’s best known and most lucrative musical exports. On Sunday, they passed a new milestone — becoming the first K-Pop group to top the Billboard 200 music charts which ranks albums via sales, downloads and streams. “It’s the first No. 1 for the seven-member group, and the first K-pop ...

MNA Science & Tech Desk: Egypt’s top administrative court ordered on Saturday to block YouTube streaming website for one month over hosting a video that denigrates Prophet Muhammad of Islam, the Egyptian lawyer who filed the lawsuit said. “The ruling is final, unappealable and enforceable,” Xinhua quoted lawyer Mohamed Hamed Salem as saying. A lower administrative court has previously ordered the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) to do so, but the latter appealed against the ruling, citing it was hard to implement. The top administrative court rejected the NTRA appeal on Saturday and upheld the temporary ban as a final, ...

MNA Education Desk: A Professor of Rajshahi University (RU) has invented a new variety of ‘Bangi’ (melon), a local fruit. He has invented sweet melon after a long eight years’ effort and named it ‘Sonali Bangi’ or ‘Golden Melon’ because of its golden colour. The very sweet ‘golden bangi’ looks like malta or orange. The inventor of the new Bangi is Professor Monjur Hossain, director of Institute of Biological Sciences (IBSE) of RU. He has been successful in cultivating the new varieties of sweet melon. The researchers also expressed hope that the seedlings or saplings will be given at the ...

MNA National Desk: Private bus operators will sell advance bus tickets from Wednesday (May 30) for the home-goers ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr, reported news agency. Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association Chairman and Shohagh Paribahan Managing Director Md Faruk Talukder Sohel confirmed the matter Sunday (May 27). The selling of Air Conditioned buses, however, has started. Earlier on Thursday, Bangladesh Railway announced to begin sale of advance train tickets ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr from June 1. Every year, tens of thousands of people leave the capital Dhaka to celebrate Eid with near and dear ones at their village homes. But their journey ...

MNA Sports Desk: Gareth Bale scored a brace, including a sensational overhead kick, to inspire Real Madrid to a 3-1 win over Liverpool in the Champions League final in Kiev on Saturday. Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius had a night to forget as he was at fault for two of the Real goals but the result could have been different had the Reds not lost talisman Mohamed Salah to a shoulder injury early in the game. Salah left the field in tears after going down while vying for the ball with Real captain Sergio Ramos shortly before the half-hour-mark. He tried ...

MNA Business Desk: Pakistan expects to obtain fresh Chinese loans worth $1-2 billion to help it avert a balance of payments crisis, Pakistani government sources said, in another sign of Islamabad’s growing reliance on Beijing for financial support. Lending to Pakistan by China and its banks is on track to hit $5 billion in the fiscal year ending in June, according to recent disclosures by officials and Pakistan finance ministry data reviewed by Reuters. The ramp up in China’s lending comes as the United States is cutting aid to Pakistan following a fracture in relations between the on-off allies. In ...

MNA Entertainment Desk: The National Film Awards-2016 will be distributed through a gala function at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka on July 8. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to hand over the awards, the highest recognition for contribution to the film industry, reports news agency. On April 5, the Information Ministry announced the names of the National Film Award recipients for the year 2016 in 26 categories for outstanding contributions to the industry. Farida Akhter, better known by her screen name Babita, and Akbar Hossain Pathan, also better known by his screen name Faruq, have jointly been ...