Prime Minister off to Madrid on Sunday morning



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, File Photo

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, File Photo

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left here for Madrid this morning on a three-day official visit to Spain to join the “Heads of State and Government Summit” of the 25th Annual Conference of Parties (COP25).

The COP25 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held on December 2-13 in Madrid under the Presidency of Chile and with logistical support from Spain.

According to Assistant Press Secretary to PM Mohammad Ashraf Siddily Bitu, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines special flight carrying the Premier and her entourage members took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) here for Madrid around 10:15 am on Sunday(Dec.1).

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md. Mahbub Ali, Chief Whip Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury, Cabinet Secretary, chiefs of the three services and Inspector General of Police (IGP), among others, saw the Premier off at the airport.

The flight is scheduled to land at Madrid Torrejon Airport at 5:40pm (local time).

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the World Tourism Organization Hassan Mahmood Khandker will receive the Prime Minister at the airport.

After the reception at the airport, a ceremonial motorcade will escort the Prime Minister to Hotel Villa Magna in Madrid where she will be staying during her visit to Spain.

On Monday morning, the Premier will attend the inaugural ceremony of the COP25 at Feria de Madrid (IFEMA), the largest exhibition complex in Spain and one of the most important venues in Europe following a bilateral meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Later, she will join a general round table titled “National plans to increase ambition by 2020″ and a photo session.

Sheikh Hasina will attend an official luncheon to be hosted by the president of Spain in honor of the heads of state and government attending the COP25.

She will later join a dialogue titled ‘Enhancing Action Together” between governments and civil society.

The Premier is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Spanish President Pedro Sanchez at Feria de Madrid (IFEMA).

The Prime Minister will join a reception to be hosted by the King and the Queen of Spain at Royal Palace on Monday evening.

Wrapping up her three-day tour, Sheikh Hasina will depart from Madrid for Dhaka by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight at 9am on Tuesday (local time).

The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) here at 12:40am on Wednesday.

The 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP25, will incorporate the 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 15th meeting of the parties for the Kyoto Protocol (CMP15), and the second meeting of the parties for the Paris Agreement (CMA2).

The President-Designate for the conference is Ms. Carolina Schmidt Zaldivar, Minister of Environment of Chile.

The conference is designed to take the next crucial steps in the UN climate change process. Following agreement on the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement at COP 24 in Poland last year, a key objective is to complete several matters with respect to the full operationalization of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

The conference was planned to be held in Brazil in November 2019, but a year before its planned start, newly-elected President Jair Bolsonaro withdrew the offer to host the event, citing economic reason.

Then Chile stepped up and became the new host, but social unrest in the lead up to the meeting forced it late October 2019 to withdraw from hosting. Then by mutual agreement between the UN, Chile, and Spain, the latter became the new host.

   

India's Foreign Secretary's visit to Dhaka postponed



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
Photo: Collected

Photo: Collected

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India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra's visit to Bangladesh has been postponed.

A diplomatic source confirmed the matter on Thursday (April 18).

According to sources, the visit will take place on a mutually convenient new date. This is part of the high-level exchange between Bangladesh and India and the review of the progress of the bilateral cooperation agenda of the two countries.

A message in this regard has also been given to the guests invited to attend the dinner with the Indian Foreign Secretary on April 20. It said, "The trip has been postponed."

Although no official announcement was made from Dhaka and New Delhi regarding the visit, he was scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Saturday for a brief visit.

In addition to the meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, the Indian Foreign Secretary was supposed to have a meeting with Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud.

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‘Amrita Sagar’ variety banana of Narsingdi gets GI recognition



Sharif Iqbal Russel, District Correspondent, Barta24.com
Amrita Sagar

Amrita Sagar

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Narshingdi: Narsingdi's ‘Amrita Sagar’ variety banana has received Geographical Indication or GI (Geographical Indication) product recognition. Farmers are happy to get this recognition. The Deputy Commissioner said that Narsingdi's position has been taken higher.

In the context of the soil, water, and weather of a specific territory of a country, if the culture of the people there plays the most important role in the production of a product, it is recognized as a GI product of that country.

Recognition of GI is very significant in domestic and international trade. Now in the list of GI products Narsingdi’s ‘Amrita Sagar’ banana. On February 8, the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, an institution under the Ministry of Industries, granted the Geographical Indication or GI product recognition to Amrita Sagar banana of Narsingdi. The GI certificate was handed over to the Prime Minister on February 11. Banana cultivators are happy with this recognition.

According to the sources of Narsingdi Agricultural Extension Department, because of loam and sandy loam soil in Narsingdi, cultivation of Amrita Sagar banana is high here. Amrita Sagar banana is supplied to the surrounding districts and the capital to meet the local market demand.

Not only that, this banana is also being exported outside the country. In this context, an application was made by the district administration to include Narsingdi’s latkon and Amrita Sagar banana as geographical indication products in collaboration with e-commerce development center. Following the application, the authority recognized Sagar banana as a GI product after vetting the application.

Narsingdi Deputy Commissioner Dr. Badiul Alam said, due to recognition as a GI product, Amrita Sagar banana will have a huge response in commercial exports in the country and abroad.

According to the information of the District Agriculture Department, Amrita Sagar banana has been cultivated in 580 hectares of land in the district this year. In this recognition, its cultivation will increase further next year, and there is optimism in the conscious community.

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242 metric tons of Indian sugar seized in Pabna, 23 detained



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
ছবি: সংগৃহীত

ছবি: সংগৃহীত

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Pabna district police seized 12 trucks with 242 metric tons of Indian sugar smuggled from India by evading customs duty. At this time, 23 people including the truck driver and helper were arrested.

They were arrested in a special operation by the District Intelligence Police on Thursday (April 18) afternoon.

Pabna Additional Superintendent of Police Masood Alam confirmed the matter.

He said that for a long time a gang was bringing illegally imported Indian sugar to the country and selling it in different districts. Based on such news, the police entered the field. Later they were arrested in a raid in the Kazirhat Ghat area. At that time they could not show the valid documents of the goods. They were later seized and 23 people were arrested.

Additional Superintendent of Police Masood Alam also said that the case is under process. Details will be given after the investigation.

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Parimoni has been summoned to appear in court



Special Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
Photo: Collected

Photo: Collected

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The court has issued a summons to the plaintiff businessman Nasiruddin Mahmud to appear in the court in the case of attempted murder in the case against the popular and criticized actress Parimani. At the same time the accused Junaid Bogdadi Jimmy asked to appear in court.

Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate M Saiful Islam gave this order on Thursday (April 18). Nasiruddin, the plaintiff in the case, had applied for the issuance of an arrest warrant against Parimoni.

The plaintiff's lawyer Abul Kalam Mohammad Sohail gave this information.

Earlier, the investigation officer of the case, police inspector Monir Hossain filed a report in the Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court stating that the allegation of beating and intimidation against Parimoni and her costume designer Junaid Bogdadi Jimmy alias Jim was found to be true.

However, the report mentions that the allegations against another accused, Fatema Tuz Jannat Boni, were found to be true.

Businessman Nasiruddin filed the case in court on July 6, 2022.

In the statement of the case, it is said that Parimoni and her associates are alcoholics. Taking advantage of the opportunity, they entered various famous clubs and drink alcohol and do not pay the price with the parcel. Parimoni threatened harassment by filing false cases with police officials she knew. On June 9, 2021, after 12 midnight, the accused entered Savar's Boat Club and used the washroom on the second floor.

Later they sat inside the club and drank alcohol. When the plaintiff and his accomplice Shah Shahidul Alam were leaving the club at around 1.30 am, Parimoni purposefully called the plaintiff Nasiruddin and requested him to sit with them for some time. At one point Parimoni tried to lure Nasiruddin through obscene gestures and pressured the plaintiff to give the parcel a bottle of Blue Label alcohol free of charge.

As the plaintiff did not agree to this, Parimoni insulted the plaintiff. During an altercation between the plaintiff and the accused, Paramoni threw a serving glass at the plaintiff and also threw the mobile phone in his hand. Nasiruddin was injured in the head and chest. Parimoni and her accomplices beat up and threatened to kill Nasiruddin and vandalized him. 

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