Death due to coronavirus decreases in last 24 hours
In the last 24 hours 38 people died due to coronavirus in the country. 1,514 new cases were detected in this period. The number of deaths has reached at 11,972. With the new figure the number detected cases has reached at 7,75,027.
On Sunday 56 people died due to coronavirus and the number fresh detected cases was 1,386.
The information was delivered through a press release of the health directorate on Monday afternoon.
The press release said, from 8 am, Saturday to 8 am, Sunday total 16,848 samples were tested through Antigen and RT-PCR method.
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Soybean oil prices reduced by Tk 10 per litre
The government has fixed the new price of edible oil, the new rates will be effective from March 1. The price will be reduced by Tk 10 per liter, said a press release of the Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners & Vanaspati Manufacturers Association today (Feb 20).
The meeting was held at the at the Commerce Ministry on Tuesday (February 20). State Minister for Commerce Ahasanul Islam Titu briefed reporters after the meeting.
Accordingly, the price of bottled edible oil has been reduced by Tk 10 per liter to Tk 163. On the other hand, open soybean oil will be retailed at Tk 159 per litre.
The Bangladeshi Politician and His £200 Million UK Property Empire
On a private residential street in northwest London sits a property which was last sold in 2022 for £11 million ($13.8 million). The row of white townhouses is located in one of the UK capital's most affluent neighborhoods, a stone’s throw away from Regent’s Park and Lord's Cricket Ground. Marketing photographs of one of the properties in the development showcase floor-to-ceiling windows, a spiral staircase across several floors, a cinema and a gym.
Now valued at more than £13 million by one property platform, the house is owned by a politician from Bangladesh, a country with currency controls that restrict its citizens, residents and public servants from moving more than $12,000 a year outside the country. The measures also prohibit corporations from transferring funds abroad unless permitted and only when certain conditions are met.
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury served as land minister for five years up to January 2024. Since 2016, companies that he owns have built up a UK real estate empire of more than 350 properties worth about £200 million. These figures are based on a Bloomberg analysis of available Companies House corporate accounts in the UK, mortgage charges and HM Land Registry transactions.
The properties range from luxury apartments in central London to housing in Tower Hamlets, home to the largest Bangladeshi community in England, and student accommodation in Liverpool. Analysis of nearly 250 of the UK properties show that almost 90% were classified as new-builds when bought, a valuable component in a UK housing market suffering severe shortages.
These transactions took place during a period when the UK government had committed to making foreign property ownership more transparent amid criticism of the ease with which Russian oligarchs were able to hide their wealth in the UK. This process became more urgent in the wake of Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Chowdhury property deals could revive questions over whether UK legislation to scrutinize such purchases involving politicians are effective, according to transparency advocates.
Bangladeshi Politician Buys London Property Empire
Properties acquired by companies owned by MP and former Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, sized by the price paid, where known
Bloomberg has also identified at least five properties in Manhattan belonging to Chowdhury, bought for a total of about $6 million between 2018 and 2020, according to municipal property records.
Chowdhury was re-elected as an MP, but lost his cabinet post after national elections on Jan. 7, which were boycotted by the opposition after anti-government protests were violently put down. He has since become chair of the parliamentary committee for land.
In a pre-election declaration of his interests in December, Chowdhury listed his total assets at about 258.3 million Bangladeshi taka ($2.4 million), and those of his wife, Rukhmila Zaman, at about $993,000. He did not include his UK property holdings in the declaration of assets in Bangladesh. His 2022-23 salary as a minister of state is listed as about £10,000.
The country’s currency controls are policed by the central bank.
Source: Bloomberg
International Mother Language Day today
21 February is the International Mother Language Day . The day is observed as National Martyr's day since 1952.
UNESCO declared 21st February as International Mother Language Day by on November 17, 1999.
The whole nation observe the day remembering the supreme sacrifice of the language martyrs, the brave sons of the country for upholding the dignity of mother tongue Bangla.
The plot of the language movement begins when the then governor of pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on 21 March 1948 declared at a public meeting that ''Urdu and Urdu will be the state language of Pakistan.'' The student community instantly denied his proposal saying 'no' and thus the struggle begins.
On February 21, 1952, students alone with the common people of Dhaka marched in the streets to protest. To protect mother tongue, Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Shafiq and Jabbar sacrificed their lives.
The homage to the language martyrs began with placing of flowers at the Central Shaheed Minar in the early hours of 21st February. The program 'Prabhat Feri' starts in the morning to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the rights of Bangla language.
Language martyrs are remembered with respect in various events throughout the day.
144 more Bangladeshi migrants repatriated from Libya
At least 144 Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated from Libya. They have already left Benghazi by air with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Among them, 12 Bangladeshi nationals were detained at the Benghazi Ganfuda Detention Centre in Libya.
The flight is expected to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday (February 23).
U.S. partners with businesses to enhance youth development and employment opportunities
Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United States brought together leaders from youth organizations across the country and the private sector to establish new partnerships for youth employment and greater prosperity.
USAID Assistant Administrator for Asia Michael Schiffer, visiting from Washington, D.C., joined USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman and Shikho CEO Shahir Chowdhury to sign a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in building the job skills of Bangladeshi youth and unlock employment opportunities.
USAID convened its first-ever youth-private sector marketplace event to connect businesses like Visa and Shikho with youth organizations like Jaago and the Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center to identify and strengthen skills needed to modernize the country’s workforce, while enabling youth to contribute more fully to Bangladesh’s economic growth.
“Providing youth with more marketable job skills will make Bangladesh more competitive and help position the country to be the next ‘Asian Tiger’ – a royal Bengal tiger – and deliver on the promise of providing more equitable opportunities for prosperity to all citizens,” said USAID Assistant Administrator Schiffer.
USAID’s education and youth programs are increasingly seeking private sector partners to invest in building the skills of youth in classrooms, communities, and in the workplace.
The United States has partnered with Bangladesh for more than 50 years and provided more than $8 billion to improve health, education, agriculture, food security, and humanitarian assistance, and strengthen resilience to climate change and natural disasters.
Avoid costly iftar parties, distribute food among needy: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the authorities concerned not to hold Iftar party on a large scale at government expense during the holy month of Ramadan. At the same time, the head of the government has discouraged organizing such iftar parties privately.
The directives came from a cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday (Feb 28). Cabinet Secretary, Mahbub Hossain briefed reporters after the meeting.
Responding to a question Mahbub Hossain said that private iftar parties have also been discouraged by PM. She also said that if anyone wants to hold such events then they should buy food with that money and distribute it among the poor people.
Zijin Receives Green Light for Expansion of Julong Copper Project in Tibet
Zijin Mining, a prominent Chinese company, has recently been granted approval to proceed with the second-phase expansion of the Julong copper project situated in Tibet. This significant development received the green light from the Tibet Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission, signaling a pivotal step forward in the project's evolution.
The proposed expansion endeavors to substantially augment the operational capacity of the Julong copper project, elevating its daily processing capacity from the existing 200,000 tons to a formidable 350,000 tons. Such a substantial increase is poised to establish the Julong mine as the foremost single copper mining operation in China in terms of both mining and processing scale, underscoring its strategic importance within the domestic mining landscape.
In tandem with the expansion plans, Zijin has publicly disclosed its commitment to invest a staggering sum of 17.46 billion yuan, equivalent to approximately $2.42 billion, into the augmentation of the Julong copper project. Notably, this substantial investment will be entirely self-financed by Julong Copper, reflecting the company's confidence in the project's long-term viability and potential for profitability.
Looking ahead, upon the successful completion of the expansion endeavors and associated construction activities, the Julong mine is slated to commence full-fledged production operations by the culmination of 2025. This projected timeline underscores the concerted efforts and meticulous planning involved in bringing such large-scale mining projects to fruition, ensuring that they adhere to stringent regulatory requirements while meeting the evolving demands of the global copper market.
The approval for the second-phase expansion of the Julong copper project in Tibet marks a significant milestone in Zijin's strategic objectives and underscores its commitment to fostering sustainable growth within the mining sector. As one of the leading mining companies in China, Zijin's ambitious expansion plans for the Julong project underscore its proactive approach towards capitalizing on opportunities for growth and maximizing the potential of its mineral assets.
Furthermore, the approval granted by the Tibet Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission underscores the collaborative efforts between regulatory authorities and private enterprises to promote responsible and sustainable development within the region. By adhering to stringent regulatory frameworks and incorporating best practices in environmental stewardship and community engagement, Zijin is poised to set new benchmarks for excellence in the mining industry while fostering positive socio-economic impacts in Tibet and beyond.
From an operational perspective, the expansion of the Julong copper project represents a significant technological and logistical undertaking, requiring meticulous planning and execution to ensure seamless integration with existing infrastructure and operational processes. With an enhanced processing capacity of nearly 350,000 tons per day, the Julong mine is poised to capitalize on economies of scale and achieve greater operational efficiency, thereby enhancing its competitiveness within the global copper market.
Source: Chemanalyst