Khaled Mahmud Sujon, the head coach of Abahani Limited believes the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) decision to bring back Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) is right one because the ‘country comes first’ always.  Mustafizur is currently playing for Chennai Super Kings where he has been the form of his life, taking 10 wickets in five matches. Initially he was given NOC until April 30 but the BCB extended it by one day, just to give him the opportunity to play CSK’s match on May 1.  He thereafter would have to return to the country to play the five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe at home.  "What I believe at the end of the day is that the country should come first always," Mahmud said after Abahani's match against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.  "Had he (Mustafizur) played the whole IPL, I would have been happy. There would've been no issues if the national team didn't have any series. Now, some may argue that the New Zealand cricketers are staying back for the IPL. But you have to understand that they have no shortage of players. We don't have 10-12 bowlers like Mustafizur, we need to keep that in mind as well.”  According to Mahmud, BCB has taken the correct decision to call back Mustafizur from the IPL even though it’s not uncommon for the cricket boards around the world to allow their players to play IPL, instead of International cricket.  Yesterday, the chairman of the cricket operations of BCB Jalal Younus hogged the headline by saying that Mustafizur had nothing to learn by playing in the IPL. Mahmud differed with his statement but said that Younus might have tried to mean it in other sense.   "You can learn from everywhere. I think maybe he [Jalal] didn't mean it like that. He probably tried to mean that Mustafizur has been playing for many years, he is not a young pacer like Tanzim Hasan Sakib. He is already a very big name in world cricket. He probably meant it from that angle. The young Indian pacers can learn from Mustafizur, that's what he meant."  Mahmud also believes that Bangladesh might give Mustafizur rest in the first two T20s against Zimbabwe in a bid to manage his workload.  "Bangladesh indeed need not Mustafizur’s service to beat Zimbabwe. Jalal vai also spoke about Mustafizur's workload management. Mustafizur might not even play in the first two matches."  Source: BSS  

The government has withdrawn the decision to increase the price of sugar considering the sufferings of the people.   However, it was decided to increase the price of sugar by Tk 20 per kg on Thursday (Feb 22). Mahmudul Hasan, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Industries, confirmed the matter on Thursday night. He said the government has changed the decision to increase the price of sugar considering the sufferings of the people.  BSFIC said it will sell sugar at previous rate of Tk 140 per kg. Earlier, the Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) raised the maximum retail price of sugar by Tk 20 per kg.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the United States’ visa policy is an internal matter of that country on Saturday, September 24. Home minister said this after inaugurating the indoor playground at Satkhira Police Lines. He said, “To whom USA will issue visa or not is completely the decision of that country and Bangladesh has nothing to do with the matter.”  According to the US officials the visa policy will be applied against the persons who will create barrier on holding next general election, he said. Asaduzzaman said it is quite natural that political parties would place and agitate on the street with their demands ahead of the next elections. He hoped that the polls would be held in a free, fair and peaceful manner as per the constitution and all registered political parties would participate in it. Local Awami League leaders Md Nazrul Islam, Asaduzzaman Babu, Mujibur Rahman and Khulna Range DIG Mainul Haque were present. About BNP’s road march programme, the minister said if BNP tries to carry out any subversive activities or arson attack in the name of politics, the law enforcing agencies will deal with them accordingly.

Finally, Tamim Iqbal has reversed his retirement decision after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's request and will return to international cricket.  He will continue to play cricket after one-and-a-half-month vacation. Tamim has reversed his deceision after a meeting with the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that lasted for a few hours.  On Friday, July 7, Tamim Iqbal returned from Chattogram to Dhaka in the morning.  After that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called Tamim Iqbal to Ganabhaban on Friday afternoon.  At that time, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the former captain of Bangladesh cricket team, accompanied Tamim. Ayesha Siddiqa, Tamim Iqbal's better half, was also present there. When leaving Ganabhaban, Tamim told the media, "The Honorable Prime Minister invited me to her residence for lunch today. We had a long chat. She has instructed me to return to the international cricket." In his verified social media handle, Tamim Iqbal also shared a picture with prime minister Sheikh Hasina and captioned: "Can't say no to the honourable prime minister."

Tapan Kumar Sarkar, the exam controller at the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, said, "The decision to suspend the ongoing SSC and equivalent examinations due to Cyclone Mocha will be taken after monitoring the situation.  On Thursday, May 11, he gave this information. Mr. Tapan Kumar said, "We are monitoring the situation. After understanding the situation, we will take our decision.  If the situation worsen, the examination will be suspended only in the coastal area whether the examination will be suspended across the country."

The government has decided to increase the electricity price at the consumer level.  In this regard, notification will be issued soon. The matter was confirmed by the Electricity Department Deputy Chief Information Officer Mir Md. Aslam Uddin.  Earlier, on January 8, in BERC's public hearing the Commission's Technical Appraisal Committee recommended a 15 percent increase in retail electricity prices at the consumer level.  The recommendation proposes to increase the average price of various power companies from 7.13 paise per kilowatt hour to 8.23 paise per kilowatt hour.

EU member states are divided on the cap, with Germany, Austria and the Netherlands skeptical of the policy. Talks will resume on Monday, with France a key player in the final negotiations. EU ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday delayed the final decision on a proposed cap on natural gas prices to next week, despite the urgency of the issue.  The European Commission proposed the price cap last month following the economic upheaval caused by Russia reducing gas supplies to Europe, hiking up energy prices. What happened during Tuesday's EU meeting? The ministers agreed on two other measures to mitigate the bloc's energy shortage: joint gas purchases as well as accelerated authorizations for renewable energy installations would be adopted as soon as the price cap was finalized.  "I was hoping to open a Champagne today to celebrate the agreement. But apparently, we still need to keep the bottles in the fridge for a while," said Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela. Poland currently holds the EU presidency and chaired the discussions.  He told journalists, "Our aim is to approve all three items in a package on Monday," when the talks on the price cap resume.  The commission had suggested a price cap of €275 ($292) per megawatt hour, but only if the price remained above that level for at least two weeks, and then only if the price for liquified natural gas (LNG) went above €58 for 10 days within that same two-week period.  To reach a deal, the EU ministers need to agree on how high the price limit should be, to which gas contracts it should apply and what safeguards to enact, such as the EU's authority to suspend the cap immediately in case of unwanted consequences.  Cap exposes 'fragile balance' in EU  Some countries, including Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, fear that the gas price cap might risk supplies going to higher-paying markets.  "We have made progress, but we are not done yet. Not all questions could be answered today," German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said after the meeting, which overran by hours as country delegates hunted for a compromise. Other states, including Greece, Belgium, Italy and Poland are urging for a cap, claiming it would protect their economies from high energy prices.  "European citizens are in agony, European businesses are closing and Europe has been needlessly debating," Greek Energy Minister Konstantinos Skrekas said on Tuesday ahead of the meeting.  "The time for consultation has run out," the Italian minister for European affairs, Raffaele Fitto, said as he went into the meeting. Both sides could each have enough votes to block a deal, with France potentially proving to be decisive in the final negotiations on Monday.  Sikela said the price cap was "extremely sensitive" and had exposed a "fragile balance" in the European Union. "Some of the countries believe that if we are wrong with the mechanism, it can basically cause like a much bigger problem that we want to prevent," he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy was the brain behind many of her government's digital initiatives but a decision on joining politics is best left to him and the people of the country. In an interview with South Asia’s leading multimedia news agency ANI, she opened up on what she thought about her son Joy joining active politics. "Look... he's now a grown-up man. So it's up to him but he's working for the country. Like the Digital Bangladesh we set up, all these satellite or submarine cable or computer training, everything these digital system, it is his idea and he is you know... assisting me and he is doing it but he never thought about taking any position either in party or ministry. No, he didn't," she said. Sheikh Hasina recalled that at one of the events of her party, there was a tremendous demand from workers that Joy should take up a role. "Even in our party conference there was a tremendous demand for him. Then I asked him, you go to the microphone and tell what you want to do. And he did it. He said no, I don't want any position in the party at this moment. Rather those who are working here they should get this post. Why I should occupy one post? I am with my mother, I am working for the country and I am assisting her, so I'll do it. So that way he thinks. So it is not that I have to make him or I have to do it, no," she said. Asked if she felt it was for her son to take a call, Sheikh Hasina replied, "It depends on the people you see". Joy is the elder of Sheikh Hasina's two children. She also has a younger daughter Saima Wazed Putul. Responding to a question, Sheikh Hasina said that dynasty politics was not an issue in Bangladesh. During the interaction, she also recalled the role of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in shaping the foreign policy of her nation. "Our foreign policy is very clear. Friendship to all, malice to none, which my father, father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,  uttered this in his address in UNO. And we follow his ideology. And my point is that we should focus on our people. How to give them a better life? How to improve their life? And I am always saying that we have only one enemy. That is poverty. So let us work together," she said. Sheikh Hasina said that she always felt that leading countries should always address disputes and differences through dialogue. "And I always feel that yes, if there is any problem which is between China and India but I don't want to put my nose to that. I want development of my country and as because India is our next door neighbour, we have very good relationship. We had many bilateral problems its true, but we solve many problems... you know that," she said. Sheikh Hasina said the priority for Bangladesh was development and it was willing to take any country's help that could offer betterment for its people. Source: BSS AH

Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming has called extra-courageous Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s decision to go ahead with Padma Bridge project with domestic financing amid overseas funding debacle, expressing his doubts if an average leader of any country could have done so. “I doubt, if any average leader of any country could have made such a tough decision as she did, I doubt, I really doubt,” he told to a group of select journalists at the Chinese embassy in Dhaka on Sunday. The envoy said some overseas development partners did not believe that Bangladesh government could ever materialize such a mega structure with own financing, without naming them. “Nevertheless, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, steeled herself for all the doubts, pressures and allegations”, and decided to build the bridge with Bangladesh’s “own money, 100 percent Bangladesh’s own money,” he said. The envoy said the decision required “tremendous courage and a strong sense of political responsibility” on the part of any head of the government. Li Jiming added: “Whenever I think of the bridge, 3 words come to my mind: courage, determination and prosperity.” The envoy said under the Bangladesh premier’s leadership the bridge emerged as a solid reality growing from a vision and from now on “nobody will ever doubt that Bangladesh cannot do it”. Li Jiming, however, also took pride for his country’s stake in the project since a Chinese company was involved in constructing the bridge saying so far this was the largest bridge that Chinese companies had ever constructed outside China. “So, I think accepting the challenge was also a courageous step taken by the Chinese side,” he said. Asked what message Bangladesh carried abroad by building the structure without foreign financing, the envoy said “lesson has been learnt (that) you should trust Bangladesh people”. “This lesson can get them better perform in Bangladesh market (in future),” he said in an apparent reference to the World Bank. Replying to a question the envoy said he did not want to view the lending agency’s decision to withdraw from the project as the fallout of any conspiracy. Rather, he said, it was a “lack of confidence towards Bangladesh people, lack of confidence towards Bangladesh government”. But, the envoy’s Beijing had full confidence on Bangladesh government in view of its past financial operations. “We know that if you (Bangladesh) say you are doing (it) with your own money, you can do it . . . we trust that and we are correct, right?” he said. The envoy said somebody might not like to see Bangladesh’s historic achievement over the bridge saying “not everybody is happy but Chinese people (are)”. Replying a question regarding a perception that the Padma Bridge was built in line with China-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the ambassador said it was unfortunate that the BRI was misinterpreted in many countries. The ambassador said the Padma Bridge would serve as the missing link of the Trans Asian Railway and Asian Highway network. “With the bridge in use, a more integrated Bangladesh will surely contribute to a more integrated and prosperous South Asia and beyond,” he added. Li said in fact, the Padma Bridge would not merely connect two pieces of land, rather it would also connect “our two peoples by heart, leading the way to common prosperity and share future”. The envoy said he felt particularly proud of, not only because the bridge is built by a Chinese company, but also because it would remain as a milestone of China-Bangladesh cooperation. “I believe that after the bridge is open to traffic, it will benefit the people of Bangladesh, it will contribute to the connectivity of South Asia, and it will serve as an everlasting bond of brotherhood between China and Bangladesh,” he said. The country’s longest ever 6.15-km Padma Bridge was constructed with domestic financing, discarding foreign loans or grant of any type while the finance ministry provided Bangladesh Bridge Authority an amount of Taka 30,000 crore as credit. Source: BSS AH