Prime Minister’s Adviser for Private Industry and Investment, Salman F. Rahman, held a meeting with the US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya on Friday, October 27.  The meeting was held at the US Department of State in Washington DC.   In that meeting, Adviser Rahman and Under Secretary Zeya discussed a wide range of bilateral issues including further enhancing the existing excellent economic partnership between Bangladesh and the USA. They also discussed recent conflicts in the Middle East, Rohingya issue and Bangladesh’s election.   Uzra Zeya praised Bangladesh’s generosity for hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya population and assured continued US support for them.   On the election issue, both acknowledged that in democracy, the only means to changing the government is through elections. Adviser Rahman reiterated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's firm commitment to ensure that the upcoming elections are held in a free, fair and peaceful manner. Under Secretary Zeya reaffirmed that the US does not support any particular political party, instead is keen to see the continuation of democracy in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Mr. Muhammad Imran, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Ms. Afreen Akhter and senior officials of Bangladesh Embassy and US State Department were present at the meeting.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the much-anticipated Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel constructed beneath the Karnaphuli River today.  She will unveil a plaque on the west bank of river Karnaphuli at Patenga and after crossing the tunnel, she will unwrap another plaque at the south bank of the river at Anwara at 11am. Reports BSS The nearly 10km-long tunnel, including approach road, constructed beneath river Karnaphuli between Patenga and Anwara upazila which was built at a cost of Taka 10,374 crore will be opened to vehicles from 6am on Monday. It would connect the proposed Asian Highway with Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway by reducing distance by 40km.   She will also open and lay foundation stones of some projects in Chattogram on the occasion. The premier will also release a special commemorative postage stamp, opening day envelope and a special seal marking the inauguration of the first ever underwater road tunnel.   Sheikh Hasina, also Awami League president, will address a public rally on Korean EPZ (KEPZ) ground at Anwara today as a huge number of people including leaders and workers of the ruling Awami League and associate bodies are expected to attend it. AL's Chattogram south district unit is organizing the rally as a festive atmosphere is prevailing all over the district for the gala occasion. "All preparations are at the final stage as Chattogram as well as the entire country is eagerly waiting for the grand inauguration of the much-awaited Bangabandhu tunnel," Chattogram South District AL president Motaherul Islam Chowdhury told BSS. He said a large boat shaped stage are being erected in the venue as Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader will also be on the dais with Mothaherul Islam Chowdhury in the chair. Chowdhury said all-out preparations have been taken to facilitate participants of the rally as sanitations and sufficient water supply will be ensured at the venue and separate arrangements for smooth participation of the females as well. "Our public rally will be turned into a vast human sea with the participation of nearly a million of people," he expected. He said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel is a matter of pride not only for Chattogram but for the entire nation.   Its 'dream comes true' for millions especially for the residents of commercial capital and port city as the much-anticipated multilane underwater expressway tunnel, first of its kind in South Asia, constructed beneath the river Karnaphuli, a major watercourse of this region, will be inaugurated today.   In a press briefing on Thursday in Dhaka, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said 17,260 vehicles would be able to use the tunnel on a daily basis equating to some 7.6 million vehicles a year. The tunnel would help increase the country's annual GDP growth by 0.166pc, he added. "The tunnel will also cut the distance among Chattogram city, the seaport and the airport as it will play a crucial role in making the economy more vibrant," Quader said.   Talking to BSS, Md. Harunur Rashid Chowdhury, director of the mega project, said the tunnel is expected to elevate Bangladesh into a new level of prominence in the world, as it is also the region's first ever under river road tunnel. It will turn Chattogram into "one city with two towns" like Chinese city of Shanghai as it will expand the periphery of the city with boosting economy and opening new doors of immense potentials for industrialization, tourism and expansion of trade and commerce and developing road connectivity in the entire region.    Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Mahbubul Alam said Bangladesh is going to enter the era of underwater road tunnel which is of course a pride for the entire nation as well it will facilitate the business community hugely. The tunnel would boost industrialization in the region as two export processing zones in Chattogram-KEPZ in Anwara and Chattogram EPZ in Halishahar- and Chinese Economic and Industrial Zone (CEIZ) in Anwara will be highly facilitated by the tunnel, he said. Alam said it would connect the proposed Asian Highway with Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway by reducing distance by 40km and it will also facilitate the ongoing and planned power and energy hub in Cox's Bazar, which is already a tourist hub of the country. Thus it will have significant contributions to the country's GDP like Padma Bridge, the FBCCI president said. Apart from the tunnel, he said, if a Dhaka-Chattogram expressway can be built and a master plan is taken to boost a planned industrialization on the bank of river Karnaphuli to turn it as a Smart city, it will be highly beneficial for country's economy as well as it can boost Bangladesh's connectivity with 'seven sisters' of India including Mizoram and Manipur expanding trade and business as well as tourism in the region. As per the project details, the length of the entire route is 9.39 kilometers (5.83 mi), with the tunnel making up 3.32 kilometers (2.06 mi) of the length while it's diameter is 10.80 meters (35.4 ft). It has been built at a cost of Taka 10,374 crore and of which around half is financed by the Exim Bank of China. It will improve the Dhaka-Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway network. A Chinese company, China Communications Construction Company, constructed it. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the construction site of the Karnaphuli Tunnel on October 14, 2017. On 24 February 2019, Sheikh Hasina also inaugurated the tunnel boring phase. The multilane tunnel route passes through the river close to Navy College on one side and Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) and Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO) on the other. It will also ease traffic congestion on two bridges over the Karnaphuli River.   Chattogram deputy commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakruzzaman said the tunnel will expedite the county's economy and regional trade and commerce by turning Chattogram into one city with two towns.   A three-layer security measures will be ensured at the venue for the inauguration of the tunnel, he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina denounced the attack on a hospital in Gaza that killed innocent people including children, reiterating her call to global leaders to stop the war and arms race for the wellbeing of mankind. "We saw killing of people and children by bombing on a hospital in Gaza and blood stained faces of the children yesterday. I am urging the world leaders to stop the war and arms race," she said. The prime minister was addressing a programme marking the Sheikh Russel Day-2023 and distribution of Sheikh Russel Padak-2023 and Smart Bangladesh Padak-2023 coinciding with 60th birthday of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sheikh Russel Jatiyo Shishu Kishore Parishad and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division jointly organized the programme at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC). The prime minister said the war and arms race never brought welfare for the mankind except destruction and the women and children are the worst sufferers of the conflicts. She urged the world leaders to spend the money, used in producing arms, for food, health and development of the children. "We want peace as it gives prosperity while the war brings destruction. So, we don't want war rather peace. We always work for establishing the peace," she said. She also said the world witnessed beginning of Russia-Ukraine war last year and now sees the Israeli attack on Palestine. People and children are being killed both in the Palestine and Israel, the premier said. In such way, she said the children are becoming orphans losing their parents and the parents are losing their children in the war.   "We know their pain as we two sisters had become orphans in 1975," she said. The prime minister said they had seen the dreadfulness of the war for themselves during the War of Liberation in 1971. "I had seen by my own eyes the bodies lying down at different parts of Dhaka city," she said. She said she and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana were in forced exile abroad six years. "Spending time as refugee, without knowing when we could return to our country, was the most painful. So, we don't want war rather peace" she said. At the function, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun and five Deputy Commissioners (DCs) from Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka, Panchagar and Thakurgaon districts received the Smart Bangladesh Padak-2023 from the premier. Sheikh Hasina also distributed Sheikh Russel awards among the winners of the competitions in different categories including education, painting, sports and cultural. At the same programme, the prime minister also inaugurated and laid foundation stone of some development schemes including Sheikh Russel Animation Lab and Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centers under the ICT Division by swiping a smart card. She, as well, unveiled the cover of a book titled "Swaroner Aborone Sheikh Russel" edited by ICT Division State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak. A video message regarding Sheikh Russel's memory of Indian Army's Col (rtd) Ashok Kuma Tara was broadcast at the programme. Tara rescued the family members of Bangladesh's Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the captivity of the Pakistani occupation forces. Presided over by ICT Division's State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the programme was also addressed, among others, by ICT Division Secretary Md. Shamsul Arefin, Sheikh Russel Jatiyo Shishu Kishore Parishad Acting Chairman Chowdhury Nafeez Sarafat, Secretary General KM Shahidullah, Organising Secretary Fariduddin Ahmed Raton and child speaker Amira Nayer Chowdhury.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's youngest son Shaheed Sheikh Russell's 60th birthday is being observed on Wednesday, October 18. Russell, also the youngest brother of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was born on this day in 1964 at the historic Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmondi road number 32 in the capital.   But he was brutally assassinated along with most of his family members, including his father Bangabandhu, on August 15, 1975 when he was a student of class four at University Laboratory School. To mark the day, government bodies, ruling Awami League and its associate bodies and different socio-cultural organizations will observe various programmes at national and international levels. Source: BSS

Renowned filmmaker Shohanoor Rahman Sohan has died on Wednesday at 64 years.  Hospital sources said in media that, he was taken to the hospital around 6.41 pm. But the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Sohan, mostly recognized for his famous film "Keyamot Theke Keyamot", "Swajan", "Amar Ghor Amar Behesto", "Ananta Bhalobasha", "Shami Chintai", "Amar Jaan Amar Pran", "Poran Joliya Jay Re", "Koti Takar Prem", "She Amar Mon Kereche" and "Lobhe Paap Paape Mrittu". In his lifetime he served as the president of the Bangladesh Film Director's Association and a member of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board, he was a highly respected name in the country's film industry.

The 69th birthday of Sheikh Rehana, younger daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatun Nesa Mujib, is being celebrated on Tuesday. She was born on September 13 in 1955, at Mitford Hospital in Dhaka.  In 1975, August 15, Bangabandhu's entire family except his two daughters was brutally assassinated in that time Sheikh Rehana was in West Germany with her elder sister Sheikh Hasina. She was placed under house arrest in Dhanmondi along with her family by the Pakistan Army during Bangladesh Liberation War.  She married Professor. Dr. Shafiq Ahmed Siddique and they have three children - a son and two daughters. Their son Radwan Mujib Siddiq is working in an international organization and a trustee of Awami League's research wing Centre for Research and Information (CRI), daughter Tulip Siddiq is a Labour Party MP of British Parliament and youngest daughter Azmina Siddiq Ruponti is working as Global Risks Analysis Editor of London-based the Control Risks.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel which is constructed beneath the Karnaphuli River on October 28 next.   Secretary of the Bridges Division,  Md Monjur Hossain confirmed the news. But the tunnel will open for vehicular movement from October 29.  Earlier on Tuesday, the preparatory meeting on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman tunnel opening ceremony held at Chattogram Circuit House. "The tunnel is a matter of pride not only for Chattogram but for the entire nation. We can say that the tunnel has been prepared under the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he added.  

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Dhaka. He will also visit the residence and studio of popular music artist Rahul Ananda on Sunday night. However, Macron is currently in India to attend the G-20 summit. Macron is scheduled to visit Rahul Ananda’s studio at Dhanmondi at 10 pm on Sunday for a short visit after landing in Dhaka, according to media reports.  He will be greeted by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, whose performers will showcase classical music and dance before or after dinner. On Monday, he is scheduled to visit the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32 and pay his tribute, and a courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  

In an exciting development for the local startup community, Mr. Farihan F. Rahman has been appointed as the new Chapter Director for Startup Grind (SG) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Startup Grind (SG), the world’s largest startup community headquartered in Silicon Valley is based in 600 cities across 125 countries. SG is renowned for its mission to connect, educate, and inspire entrepreneurs worldwide. With global partners like Google, Dell, and HubSpot, Startup Grind has become a beacon for emerging startups and established businesses alike. As the Chapter Director, Farihan will play a pivotal role in nurturing and strengthening the local startup ecosystem. With a vision to bring together innovative minds, seasoned professionals, and visionary investors, Startup Grind's presence in Dhaka is set to take on new dimensions.  Farihan expressed enthusiasm about the new role, saying, "I am honored and excited to take on this responsibility. Startup Grind has been instrumental in empowering entrepreneurs and fostering innovation worldwide, and I'm eager to bring this impact to our vibrant Dhaka community. We have an incredible lineup of events, workshops, and networking opportunities in store for our members." Startup Grind events typically feature fireside chats, panel discussions, pitch competitions and workshops with successful entrepreneurs, investors, and tech industry experts. These events serve as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking, helping new entrepreneurs learn from the best and connect with potential mentors, collaborators, and investors. For more information about Startup Grind please visit: https://www.startupgrind.com/

Veteran Awami League (AL) leader, former religious minister and valiant freedom fighter Principal Motiur Rahman passed away in Mymensingh Sunday at the age of 81. He breathed his last at 11 pm on Sunday due to old age complications while undergoing treatmentat Nexas cardiac hospital at Mymensingh.  His namaj-e-janaza will be held at Anjuman Eidgah Maidan at Mymensingh after Asr prayer on Monday, his family and party sources said. In the Liberation War In 1971, he played significant role. Mymensingh was freed from the Pakistani occupation force on December 10 under his leadership as well as he performed duties as a trainer of the freedom fighters and a successful organizer of the liberation war. He was in-charge of a youth camp at Meghalaya state of India during the liberation war, also directly participated in the war. In a row following national election in 2014, he served as religious minister after Awami League assumed office for the second time. He also served as a Principal of Shahid Alamgir Mansur Mintu College. In 2000, He was awarded Bangabandhu Padak, in 2022 prestigious Ekushey Padak.