State Minister for the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Nasrul Hamid said the government will publish a gazette notification this week to fix the price of petroleum products (diesel, kerosene, octane, and petrol) to the global market. He said this after a session of the concerned ministry on the third day annual conference of the Deputy Commissioners' Conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Tuesday afternoon (March 5). Nasrul Hamid said a formula has been prepared to adjust the price of petroleum products  (diesel, kerosene, octane, and petrol) in the country with the world market. The approval have already received  from the Prime Minister. The gazette will be published by this week.  

Taiwan’s foreign minister says it is documenting its experiences with China’s alleged attempts to interfere in elections next week and will publish its analysis soon after the vote. Taiwan’s government has pointed to military and economic pressure as well as Chinese-subsidised trips to China for local Taiwanese officials, as evidence of Beijing’s alleged interference ahead of the Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary election. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has called Taiwan’s elections a “purely an internal Chinese matter” and that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is trying to call any kind of interactions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait election interference. “Taiwan is taking measures to counter China’s interference and is documenting its experiences. Analysis will be published soon after the elections in consultation with international experts,” Foreign Minister Joseph Wu wrote in the latest issue of The Economist, without giving details. Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections are taking place against a backdrop of what the island’s government says is a concerted effort by China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to sway the vote to get electors to vote for candidates Beijing may prefer. China has cast the election as a choice between war and peace, and says Taiwan’s government has been “hyping up” a military threat from China for electoral gain. “Should China succeed in shaping the outcome of voting in Taiwan, it will apply the same tactics to other democracies to promote its preferred international order,” Wu wrote. He urged the international community to pay more attention to China’s efforts to undermine Taiwan’s democracy through influence and disinformation campaigns, as well as hybrid warfare, including cyberattacks. “Our desire is to turn Taiwan’s experience into a positive contribution to the rules-based international order, thereby helping the free world’s fight against authoritarian powers bent on eroding democratic systems,” Wu wrote. “It is our belief that democracy will prevail.” On Thursday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, in a statement responding to DPP accusations of election interference, said such attacks were the DPP’s “usual trick” in elections to shift the focus of attention away from the party’s own problems. “These dirty and lame tricks are used too much, and they will only make themselves become a laughingstock,” it said. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims. China has aimed its ire at the DPP’s presidential candidate, current Vice President Lai Ching-te, accusing him of being a dangerous separatist. Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed. Both the DPP and Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), which traditionally favours close ties with China but denies being pro-Beijing, say only Taiwan’s 23 million people can decide their future. But the KMT also says it strongly opposes Taiwan independence.   Source: The Print

The cabinet has given final approval of the draft of ‘Secondary and higher education board (amendment) law 2021’ to publish Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination results without taking examinations due to coronavirus pandemic situation. The approval came in at the cabinet meeting on Monday virtually presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The premier joined the meeting from Ganabhaban and the ministers joined it from cabinet division at the secretariat through video conference. After emerging from the meeting Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni informed the newsmen about it. Later Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed the newsmen at a press briefing. The education minister said, under the existing law there is no jurisdiction to publish results without taking examinations. So the cabinet approved the draft of the law to publish the HSC results. The draft of the revised law will be tabled in the winter session of the parliament that begins in January 18. After passing the law the HSC results will be published. According to the amended law results can be published based on evaluation if the authority fails to take examinations due to natural calamities. AH   

A Dhaka court ordered authorities concerned to publish newspaper advertisement asking 11 people including former Chief Justice Surendra Kuman Sinha to appear before it in a graft case. Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Qayes passed the order, asking to submit report in this regard on February 20. Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) director Syed Iqbal Hossain filed the case on July 10, 2019, for embezzling Taka four crore from then Farmers Bank and laundering the money abroad. Wednesday was set for submitting report on executing order to arrest the 11 accused. As the police submitted the report, the court ordered to publish the advertisement on two national dailies, asking them to surrender before the court. The court on January 5 issued arrest warrant against them. The other accused are- former Farmers Bank managing director AKM Shameem, first vice-presidents Swapan Kumar Roy and Shafiuddin Askaree, senior executive vice-presidents Gazi Salauddin and Ziauddin Ahmed, and vice-president M Lutful Haque, bank clients Md Shahjahan, Niranjan Chandra Saha, his uncle Ranajit Chandra Saha, and Ranajit’s wife Santree Roy. According to the allegation, Md Shahjahan and Niranjan took the money on loan from then Farmers Bank, which was later transferred to Justice Sinha’s Sonali Bank account, showing it was earned from selling of his (Sinha’s) house. Source: BSS AH

Senior Secretary of Public Administration Ministry Dr. Md. Mojammel Haque Khan has said, the gazette cancelling quota system will be published in due time according to the directives of Prime Minister. He said this while discussing with newsmen at his office of public administration ministry in the secretariat on Thursday. He said, now it is very necessary to get direction from the head of government. We are waiting for further direction by the Prime Minister. When asked, when the gazette will be issued, the secretary replied, gazette will be published in due time. There is nothing to hurry. No recruitment is taking place at the moment. It is not causing any harm to the state. When asked about how the interest of disabled and marginalized ethnic minority will be preserved, the secretary said, confusion is being created as some people are delivering different speeches in this regard. This is not a simple matter. It is a little more complex. But everything will be clear after getting Prime Minister’s directives. On Wednesday Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the parliament, as nobody want quota then all the quotas will be cancelled. Marginalized ethnic minorities and disabled people will be given government jobs after special consideration. Students were taking part in demonstration for the last several days demanding quota reformation for recruitment in government service. Many were arrested and injured following the movement. AH