Ambassador Yao Wen Attends Inauguration Ceremony of Chinese Economic and Idustrial Zone and Signing Ceremony of Enterprises Intending to Invest in CEIZ. Mr. Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh, attended the inauguration ceremony of Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) and the signing ceremony of the enterprises intending to invest in CEIZ in Chattogram. Dr. Shaikh Mohammad Jobayed Hossain, Joint Secretary of BEZA, Mr. Li Changgui, Vice President of CRBC, Mr. Song Yang, Counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh attended the ceremonies. Ambassador Yao highlighted the pioneering significance of CEIZ, and urged CRBC to formulate more favorable investment policies and complete the construction of CEIZ at an early date. He noted that Chinese enterprises will build more industrial zones in the future, which will serve as a platform for the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and enhance China-Bangladesh economic cooperation.

Bangladesh's first Elevated Expressway will be inaugurated in September, aiming to reduce traffic congestion in the capital city, Dhaka.  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Elevated Expressway. On Saturday morning, July 08, Obaidul Quader, Minister of Road Transport and Bridges, informed about the progress of the construction work of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway in the the Kawla area adjacent to adjacent to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Obaidul Quader said, "The Dhaka Elevated Expressway from the Airport to Farmgate part will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in September. When the entire project is completed, it will significantly reduce traffic congestion in the Dhaka city. Additionally, it will have a positive impact on the economy." Minister of Road Transport and Bridges further mentioned, "The construction of the Elevated Expressway is being carried out in three phases. 97% construction work of first section from Airport to Banani and 54% work from Banani to Moghbazar has been completed. . Similarly, the last part visible work from Moghbazar to Kutubkhali has started." He added, "So far, the whole project's 63% work has been completed. Once the entire project is completed, the Elevated Expressway will be connected to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway (Kutubkhali) and integrate with the capital city Dhaka."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the ambitious double-tube Banihal-Qazigund tunnel soon. The tunnel built at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore, along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Due to the massive Covid-19 upsurge in India, the schedule is not planned yet.  Sources said the date of inauguration of the tunnel, by the Prime Minister is likely to be finalized next week. “However, keeping to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic in consideration, a decision is yet to be taken whether Modi will inaugurate the tunnel physically or virtually,” they said. If the Prime Minister physically attends the inauguration, it will be his first tour of Jammu and Kashmir post-abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state and its bifurcation into two union territories. However, Union Minister for Road Transport and National Highways, Nitin Gadkari may inaugurate the tunnel, in case the Prime Minister is not available, sources added. The tunnel will bypass Jawahar Tunnel and Shaitan Nalla, which is prone to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions during winters and results in a bottleneck in the strategically important road linking Kashmir to the rest of the country. The 8.5km tunnel is built to save the damages along with a 16km round trip. Advanced technology has been introduced in the structure of the tunnel. Some of the equipment highlights used inside the tunnel includes 124 jet fans, 234 CCTV modern cameras, and a firefighting system. Source: ANI B.M./ Rtv

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday signalled a new tone for the US government by leading a powerful tribute to the 400,000 Americans lost to Covid-19 as he arrived in Washington on the eve of his inauguration. Biden, who has suffered deep personal tragedy and is known for his public display of emotion, has stressed the need to unite the country after President Donald Trump’s chaotic four years in office. “It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation,” Biden said in somber remarks at the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The US on Tuesday recorded another 2,482 deaths due to the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally. Inauguration eve is normally a time of massive crowds gathering in the capital, but Biden, joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, were almost alone on the empty National Mall due to Covid restrictions and heightened security after the deadly riot at the US Capitol. On the Mall’s grassy expanse, some 200,000 flags have been planted to represent the absent crowds at the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday. Trump, who has not appeared in public for a week, broke days of silence with a pre-recorded farewell video address. For the first time he asked Americans to “pray” for the success of the incoming administration — a change from months spent persuading his Republican followers that the Democrats cheated their way to election victory. – Trump snub – Trump, whose efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and console its victims have been widely criticized, will snub Biden by not attending the inauguration. He has also yet to personally congratulate Biden on his win or invite him for the customary cup of tea in the Oval Office. In one of his last acts before he flies to Florida on Wednesday morning, Trump is expected to issue scores of pardons, with speculation rife over who might make the list. The latest indications are that Trump will not take the legally dubious step of issuing himself and his children preemptive pardons. Outside the White House fence, central Washington has taken on a dystopian look ahead of Biden’s inauguration, swarming with National Guard troops and largely emptied of ordinary people. Fears of right-wing attacks in the wake of the pro-Trump riot in the Capitol building on January 6 have triggered unprecedented deployment of armed personnel, concrete barriers and secure areas dubbed “green” and “red” zones. Adding to the tension, the Senate is expected to put Trump on trial soon, following his record second impeachment by the House of Representatives over the Capitol riot. – Biden comes to town – Earlier on Tuesday, tears rolled down Biden’s cheeks at a farewell ceremony in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where he paid tribute to his late son Beau, a rising politician who died of brain cancer in 2015 aged 46. “I only have one regret, that he’s not here,” Biden said. Biden, a veteran Democratic senator who also served as vice president to Barack Obama, is staying overnight with his wife Jill in Blair House, a residence for heads of state and other important visitors across the street from the White House. His inaugural speech will last between 20-30 minutes, according to a source familiar with preparations, and “he will reach out to all Americans, and call on every citizen to be part of meeting the extraordinary challenges facing all of us.” To symbolize the new spirit, Biden has invited the two top senators — Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell — and other congressional leaders to attend a church service with him on Wednesday before the inauguration. A person familiar with McConnell’s plans confirmed to AFP the Republican congressional leader would join Biden, a longtime Senate colleague, in church. – Pardons – According to CNN and other US outlets, Trump has a list of about 100 people he may grant clemency to. After what The New York Times reports has been an intense lobbying effort, these are expected to be a mix of white-collar criminals and people whose cases have been championed by criminal justice activists. More controversial possible pardons that have been the subject of speculation for months would be for the likes of Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Trump’s influential advisor Steve Bannon. But Trump has, according to latest US media reports, moved away from the temptation to issue himself a preemptive pardon. This would anger his Republican backers in the Senate right ahead of the start of the impeachment trial. Although Trump was easily acquitted thanks to party support in his first impeachment last year, this time it may not go as well. Senior Senate Republican McConnell said in blistering comments Tuesday that Trump had “provoked” his supporters and that the “mob was fed lies” before embarking on the assault against Congress. Source: AFP/BSS AH

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam has informed that Padma Bridge will be opened for traffic in June, 2022. He said this while participating at a view exchange meeting on Stimulus package initiated by Bangladesh government for recovering the sustainable and inclusive economy and facing Covid-19 organized by the financial division of the finance ministry at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Thursday. Khandker Anwarul Islam said, I was the secretary of bridges division for eight years and I also look after it. Local Government Minister Md. Tazul Islam was the chief guest in the program and Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam was present as the special guest. Senior Secretary of the financial division Abdur Rauf Talukder presented the key note papers in the program. AH