SOKKA NEWS

Trade between Bangladesh and India has been growing rapidly yet, there is a huge untapped opportunity and possibility to further increase it, said the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr A K Abdul Momen. Speaking on the occasion of the function organised to mark the 74th Republic Day of India in Dhaka, Dr. Momen said that Bangladesh is the biggest trading partner of India in South Asia. India is the second biggest trading partner of Bangladesh. He pointed out that the total trade between the two countries has increased 3-fold over the last decade marking a robust growth.

Speaking about the new initiatives to further expand trade ties between the two countries, Dr. Momen said that Bangladesh and India are in discussion to conclude the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). He said Bangladesh is working with India to ensure a stable and predictable supply of commodities so that the market remains stable in Bangladesh.

WEB DESK

At least eight people have died after a Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel sank off Japan yesterday.

The Japan Coast Guard said that Hong Kong-registered 6,551-ton Jintian carried 22 crew members, including 14 Chinese and eight Burmese, sank in the East China Sea off the coast of southwestern Nagasaki province. According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, South Korean and Japanese coast guards and local fishermen rescued 13 crew members. The vessel was sailing towards South Korea’s southwestern port city of Incheon from Malaysia, carrying wood. A search and rescue operation is still going on for the missing crew.

WEB DESK

Officials in Thailand have been advised people to work from home and wear face masks due to air pollution that has worsened to unhealthy levels in the capital city, Bangkok. The officials also urged people to use public transport rather than private cars for commuting. The Officials also said the authorities would seek to reduce sources of pollution such as outdoor burning and construction activities. According to media reports, the number of patients experiencing pollution-related health problems more than doubled to nearly 213,000 this week, from about 96,000 last week. Most were experiencing respiratory tract problems as well as symptoms such as dermatitis or eye inflammation.

Agricultural burning and forest fires are major causes of air pollution in Thailand between December and April, especially in the northwest. Pollution from these fires also affects Bangkok, which already struggles with bad air due to its factories, construction, and traffic.

WEB DESK

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated the government’s resolve to hold the next general elections of Bangladesh in a free and fair manner.

She told the outgoing Swiss Ambassador Nathalie Chuard, who called on her at the parliament house office on Thursday, that the government is making all the necessary preparations to conduct free and fair elections in the country.

Highlighting the independence of the Election Commission, Sheikh Hasina told Ambassador Chuard that the government formed a neutral Election Commission through a search committee. She reassured that the foreign observers will come to oversee the elections and they will do their job freely.

Taking a swipe at the military rulers of the past and the parties they formed, Sheikh Hasina said that Awami League (AL) emerged from the masses but the parties like the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jatiya Party (JP) took birth in the cantonment.

They grabbed power illegally and later formed political parties, said Sheikh Hasina. She said that Jamaat-e-Islami was involved in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.

In the meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has asked the Deputy Commissioners (DC) to ensure that the national elections are held in a free, fair and acceptable manner.

Addressing the Deputy Commissioners on the occasion of the DC’s conference in Dhaka, Home Minister Kamal said that people want a fair, acceptable and impartial election, while the entire world is also looking at Bangladesh too. He said the law enforcement agencies, including the BGB, police, RAB and Ansar will perform their duties according to the EC instructions, reports the official news agency BSS.

WEB DESK

In Ukraine, at least 11 people died and 10 others were wounded in the Russian missile strikes yesterday. A wave of Russian missile attacks across Ukraine, came a day after the US and Germany agreed to deliver tanks to Kyiv. Ukraine’s armed forces Commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that 20 missiles had been shot down over Kyiv.

Ukrainian State Emergency Services spokesperson Oleksandr Khorunzhyi said that most of the damage has been caused to the housing in the Kyiv region. He said, 35 buildings were damaged in the missile strikes and two fires broke out. The missiles caused damage in 11 regions throughout Ukraine. The spokesperson said that around 100 rescuers are involved in the recovery process after the attack.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and several otrher Arab countries have strongly condemned an Israeli raid on a Jenin refugee camp that led to at least nine Palestinians being killed.

The bloodiest day in the West Bank in years erupted during a raid on the crowded refugee camp in the northern city of Jenin, where gunshots rang through the streets and smoke billowed from burning street barricades.

The Palestinian health ministry said the death toll from the clashes rose to nine, including a woman, and that 20 people were wounded before the Israeli forces withdrew mid-morning.

The Israeli military also fatally shot a 22-year-old Palestinian later in a separate incident.

The Kingdom’s foreign ministry said it rejected the serious violations of international law carried out by Israeli forces, stressing its call on the international community to assume its responsibilities to end the occupation, stop escalation and Israeli aggressions, and provide necessary protection for civilians.

The ministry also expressed the Kingdom’s sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Palestine, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Kuwait and Oman also condemned the attack, their state news agencies said on Thursday. AN