Categories
Football

Asia’s FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers postponed

Asia’s upcoming qualifying matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup have been postponed to next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has wreaked havoc across the entire world.

“In light of the current COVID-19 situation in many countries, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have jointly decided that the upcoming qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, originally scheduled to take place during the international match windows in October and November 2020, will be rescheduled to 2021,” AFC said in a statement on Wednesday

“With the aim of protecting the health and safety of all participants, FIFA and the AFC will continue to work together to closely……..

Categories
National

Flood situation turns grim in Jashore, N’ganj; 7 die in 24 hrs

The overall flood situation has worsened in Jashore and Narayanganj districts with the rise of water level in the adjacent rivers, leaving thousands of people marooned.  

The Health Directorate (DGHS), meanwhile, said the floods claimed the lives of seven people in five districts in 24 hours till Tuesday noon. 

With the latest ones, the death toll from the flood reached 198. 

In Jashore, the Ichhamati River swelled due to excessive water coming from the upper stream that inundated low-lying areas in Sharsha upazila. 

Categories
Business

BMW introduces 2 Series Gran Coupe in Bangladesh

German car manufacturers BMW have introduced the 2 Series Gran Coupé in Bangladesh.

Executive Motors Limited who are the official dealers for BMW in Bangladesh, unveiled the first ever 2 series Gran coupe this evening through a virtual launch, according to a press release.

Christopher Wehner, Managing Director, BMW Group Asia was the honorable chief guest and gave the welcome speech, M Shamsul Arefeen, Director Operations, Executive Motors limited was present in this virtual launch. 

Categories
COVID-19

BD reports 39 COVID-19 deaths, 1,50,437 total recoveries

Bangladesh on Monday recorded 39 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 2,907 fresh cases overnight.

The recovery count rose to 150,437 after another 2,067 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a top health official said.

“Thirty-nine more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 3,438,” Additional Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at DGHS in the city this afternoon.

Categories
Sports

Messi helps Barca sink Napoli to reach last eight

A fired-up Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a 3-1 win at home to Napoli on Saturday for a 4-2 aggregate victory which took the club into the Champions League quarter-finals for the 13th consecutive season where they face Bayern Munich.

The Catalans had a shaky start but took the lead in the 10th minute with a powerful header from a corner by Clement Lenglet before Messi scored a superb second in the 23rd, seeing off four defenders to curl the ball into the far bottom corner.

Messi had the ball in the net again soon after following a superb team move but the goal was harshly ruled out for handball by the Argentine following a VAR review, although Messi later won a penalty which Luis Suarez converted for Barca’s third.

Categories
World

Eleven killed in suspected arson at Czech apartment block

Three children were among 11 people killed in a fire Saturday at an apartment block in the Czech Republic that police believe was set deliberately.

Police said one person was detained in connection with the blaze that saw five people jump to their deaths in the eastern city of Bohumin near the Polish border.

Regional police chief Tomas Kuzel told public Czech Television that police suspected arson was the cause and that they had detained one person in the case.

Categories
National

Slow internet nationwide as 2nd submarine cable damaged by excavator

Internet services across the country have been disrupted after the 2nd submarine cable was damaged in Patuakhali while “moving sand”.

The incident happened this noon when locals were moving sand using excavator and damaged the power supply and optical fibre cables of the SEA-ME-WE 5 submarine cable, reports Bangla daily Prothom Alo quoting Mashiur Rahman, managing director of Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL).

About half of the bandwidth of internet usage in the country are received from the 2nd submarine cable, which is the reason behind the slow connectivity, the BSCCL MD said.

Categories
COVID-19

Covid-19: 32 die, 2,611 infected, 1,020 recover in 24 hours

Thirty-two people have died from coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said during a briefing today.

With this, the death toll due to Covid-19 in the country has reached 3,365 and the death rate now stands at 1.32 percent.

Two thousand six hundred and eleven people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.

With the fresh cases, the total number of positive cases so far in the country stands at 2,55,113 and the current infection rate is 22.25 percent.

Categories
National

Dhaka’s relations with Delhi, Beijing must not be compared: foreign minister

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today said Bangladesh’s relations with India and China should not be compared, adding that Bangladesh emphasises its development through cooperation and collaboration.

“Bangladesh’s relations with India is rock-solid and historic while Bangladesh has economic ties with China. We must not compare,” he said emphasising on joint efforts.

Momen made the remarks after visiting Mujibnagar Muktijoddha Memorial Complex where he paid tributes placing wreath.

His wife Selina Momen, among others, was present.

Categories
National

OC Pradeep, Inspector Liakat among 7 policemen suspended

Seven police personnel including former officer-in-charge (OC) of Teknaf Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das–who are accused of Major (Retd) Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan murder case–have been suspended from their posts.

Other suspended police personnel are Baharchhara Police Outpost’s in-charge Inspector Liakat Ali, SI Nanda Dulal Rakshit, ASI Liton Mia, constable Safanur Karim, constable Kamal Hossain and constable Abdullah Al Mamun.

Cox’s Bazar police super ABM Masud Hossain confirmed the media about it on Friday night.

He said OC Pradeep Kumar Das and Inspector Liakat Ali have been suspended by Police Headquarters in Dhaka, while the rest were suspended by the Cox’s Bazar District Police.