The month of mourning begins today commemorating the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975. The August 15 carnage is the ugliest chapter of the nation history as the self-confessed killers not only assassinate the nation founding father alone, but also killed 16 other members of his family, friends and relatives. The nation observes with heavy heart the month of August as the month of mourning to recall the barbaric killing on 1975 15 August. The August 15 carnage martyrs included Bangabandhu wife Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, his sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, Bangabandhu brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, nephew and eminent journalist Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, Moni pregnant wife Arzoo Moni and Bangabandhu military secretary Colonel Jamil. Bangabandhu two daughters - incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana - escaped the planned assassination as they were visiting Germany at that time. With the killing of Bangabandhu, the greatest Bangalee of all times, a pall of gloom descended and a sense of deep sadness spread among the people in the country and across the globe. The world protested and condemned the killing, saying it is an irreparable loss to millions of people of Bangladesh. The month of August is also black marked with another conspiracy of assassination. The nation cannot ever forget the heinous attempt of killing Sheikh Hasina through grenade attacks in 2004. The vested quarter, who assassinated Bangabandhu in 1975, also tried to destroy Awami League (AL) by killing its president Sheikh Hasina with grenades on an anti-terrorism rally at Bangabandhu Avenue here on August 21 in 2004. Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped the attack suffering splinter injuries when 24 of her party men, including Awami League women affairs secretary Ivy Rahman, were killed and 500 others injured. Like in the previous years, different political and socio-cultural organisations, including ruling Awami League (AL) and its associate bodies have chalked out month-long programmes to observe the month of mourning.
The Sammilito Baboshayee Parishad panel clinched 15 post of directors while Baboshayee Oikko Parishad bagged 8 posts in the election of the association group of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
The election took place yesterday at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here to elect the fresh leadership of the association for the 2023-25 tenure.
After a long counting of the votes, A Matin Chowdhury, chairman of the FBCCI Election Board for 2023-25, announced the results of the country apex trade body around 3:30am today.
Some 1,746 out of the 1,954 voters cast their votes with a turnout of 89.35 percent.
The voting started at 9:30 am and ended at 4:30 pm yesterday without any break.
Mobile device, technology positively impacts in career development: Survey reports
Celebrating 25th anniversary of Telenor Asia conducted a study titled “Digital Lives Decoded” across eight markets in South and Southeast Asia last year. 5 key trends functioning as pivots for digital adaptation were underlined through the initial revelation. Subsequently, Telenor Asia unveiled the second part of their study which outlines transforming work modalities backed by mobile connectivity. Improved productivity, enhanced career skills and tapping into new business opportunities are just some of the ways people in Asia are turning to their mobile phones to enhance their working lives, according to a study by Telenor Asia.
The second part of the ‘Digital Lives Decoded’ series unveils how people are using their mobiles to adapt to changing realities, as new work cultures emerge post-pandemic. The predominant message of has been that mobile connectivity can supercharge careers, but employers need to emphasize on improving workplace policies and practices.
“Our research points to mobile connectivity as an enabler of productivity, progress, flexibility and economic opportunity. Yet, we continue to see gaps in how this technology is used between urban and rural populations, large companies, and SMEs, between industries and even between C-suite executives and their junior counterparts”, said Jørgen Rostrup, Head of Telenor Asia, discussing the merit and objective of the study. “People remain highly concerned about their skills and ability to keep pace with advancing technology. The aspect of trust is also preventing people from realizing their full potential through mobile use in the world of work. As time spent working online increases, our survey findings can help identify the right tools and knowledge to close these gaps and improve digital work lives”, he added.
The study was conducted among 8000 mobile internet users across Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Bangladesh, 57 percent were found to report a 20 percent or more increase in productivity due to mobile device and technology, while for 26 percent it was definitely over 50 percent. While delineating positive impact of mobile device and technology on career and skills development, 69 percent of Bangladeshi respondents reported to have found significant improvement. In terms of gender-based inputs, 73 percent female and 67 percent male respondents agreed to have gained significant improvement in their career and skills development. 57 percent in here believes that new income streams can be afforded by mobile devices, with 54 percent admitting its ability to help them access new job and career opportunities. 54 percent Bangladeshi respondents believe they will use their mobile device significantly more in the next 06 to 12 months for work purposes. Furthermore, for 61 percent Bangladeshi respondents, privacy and security was the most significant barriers to fully utilizing mobile technology and/or its features to its fullest potential at work, while lack of trust in technology and lack of skills and knowledge were also mentioned by 49 percent and 60 percent, respectively.
TOKYO: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio have welcomed the commencement of negotiations on agreement concerning the transfer of defense equipment and technology, recognising the future potential.
The two premiers decided to elevate the bilateral relationship to a "Strategic Partnership" as a guiding principle to lead the two countries journey into the next 50 years and beyond, according to a joint statement issued here on Thursday (27 April).
Both leaders shared the determination to enhance cooperation, specifically cooperation for peace and stability in the region and beyond, deepening economic cooperation for mutual benefits and regional prosperity, and expansion of cultural cooperation and people to people exchanges.
At the invitation of the Japanese prime minister, Sheikh Hasina is currently on an official visit and had a summit meeting with her Japanese counterpart on April 26.
The two premiers welcomed recent frequent port calls at Chattogram by vessels of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the high-level mutual visits of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and Bangladesh Armed Forces.
In light of the Memorandum of Cooperation and Exchanges formulated between the defense authorities from the two sides, they concurred to continue to promote security cooperation such as mutual visits by vessels and aircraft, unit-to-unit exchange, training programmes and goodwill exercises.
In addition, both the Prime Ministers have decided to consider opening Defense Wing in Tokyo and National Security Wing in Dhaka in their respective embassies in the near future.
Furthermore, they concurred to enhance dialogue among the respective diplomatic and defense authorities in order to identify possible ways to strengthen the security cooperation.
Prime Minister Kishida explained Japan efforts for fundamentally reinforcing its defense capabilities and strengthening diplomatic efforts, as illustrated in the new National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shared Bangladesh plan and initiative for further modernizing its armed forces under the Forces Goal 2030.
Both Prime Ministers acknowledged the efforts by both countries to contribute to their respective regional security.
Sheikh Hasina acknowledged the establishment of the Official Security Assistance by Japan, a new cooperation framework for the benefit of armed forces and other related organizations of like-minded countries for the purpose of deepening security cooperation, and looked forward to future cooperation under this framework.
The two prime ministers confirmed that, guided by the traditional and time-tested friendship since the independence of Bangladesh, the two countries have achieved significant progress in bilateral relations based on the "Comprehensive Partnership" established in 2014.
They noted that the two countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022, as a manifestation of commitment and determination to contribute to enhancing the bilateral relationship based on common values and mutual interests.
Guided by the fundamental values and principles shared by the two countries, the two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to realising a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law, where the rights, freedoms and sovereignty of all countries, regardless of size or power, are protected by international law, rules and norms.
In particular, they affirmed that maritime order based on common values such as freedom of navigation is a cornerstone for stability and prosperity of the international community and that the use of the sea as global commons will contribute to the development of blue economy.
Prime Minister Kishida explained that Japan, as the G7 Presidency, would like to demonstrate the G7 determination to uphold the free and open international order based on the rule of law and to enhance relations with partners in the international community beyond the G7.
Sheikh Hasina felicitated Japan on its G7 presidency.
Prime Minister Kishida also outlined a newly released plan for a "Free and Open Indo[1]Pacific (FOIP)", which will strengthen Japan efforts to further promote the FOIP vision, with the four pillars of cooperation: "Principles for Peace and Rules for Prosperity," "Addressing Challenges in an Indo-Pacific Way," "Multi-layered Connectivity," and "Extending Efforts for Security and Safe Use of the "Sea" to the "Air".
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appreciated Japan sustained efforts to contribute to securing regional and international peace, stability, and prosperity.