Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus has called on South Korea to invest more in Bangladesh.

He also called for more workers to be employed in the country's shipbuilding industry.

He made the call when South Korean Ambassador Park Young-shik came to meet the Chief Adviser's office in Dhaka on Monday (November 4).

Addressing the Ambassador, Professor Yunus said, "We look forward to a broader and better relationship with South Korea. We want to take our existing relationship to a higher level. This will be beneficial for both countries."

Expressing concern over the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, Ambassador Park Young-shik noted that North Korea has sent troops to the Russia-Ukraine war and recently conducted ballistic missile tests. The Chief Adviser called for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The Ambassador informed the Chief Adviser that many South Korean companies are interested in investing in Bangladesh as the business environment in the country has taken a positive turn.

He informed the Chief Adviser about his government's interest in employing Bangladeshi workers in the Korean shipbuilding sector.

He also said that many South Korean companies are operating garment factories in Bangladesh's export processing zones.

The Ambassador said that Bangladesh is the largest recipient of assistance from South Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and Bangladesh is a very important development partner.

Korea's total ODA (Official Development Assistance) loan to Bangladesh is 3 billion dollars. This financing is available for 34 projects.

There are 14 more EDCFA projects that are ongoing or under feasibility study. If this project is funded, the amount of Korean investment will increase to 7 billion dollars.

The South Korean Ambassador said, "We look forward to moving forward with the ongoing projects smoothly."

Ambassador Park Young-shik said that just 50 years ago, Korea itself was an ODA recipient. So we are aware of the difficult situation in Bangladesh and can be good partners by sharing development experiences.

He stressed the need for early negotiations on the EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement) between Bangladesh and South Korea.

The Chief Adviser thanked Korea for its continued support to Bangladesh in various fields.

Lamia Morshed, Principal Coordinator for SDGs in the Office of the Chief Adviser, and Md. Shahriar Quader Siddiqui, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division, were present at the time. 

The death toll in the horrific fire at a Mymensingh gas pump has risen to 2. A total of 7 people were injured in the incident. 5 of them have been transferred to Dhaka for better treatment and 2 are undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. The district administration has already formed a 3-member committee to investigate the incident.

The deceased are private car driver Himel, a resident of Kishmat village in Sadar upazila, and Abdul Quddus, son of Ismail Hossain of Rahmatpur area. The names of the injured are not yet known.

Abdul Quddus died while undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital on Monday (November 4) evening. Mymensingh Medical College Hospital Deputy Director Md. Shafiq Uddin confirmed this information.

Mymensingh District Fire Service Deputy Director Md. Mofazzal Hossain said that at the time of the incident, gas was being discharged from an LPG gas tank truck brought from Dhaka. A private car was being filled with Titas gas a short distance away. At that time, the fire broke out suddenly due to a gas leak. Seven cars were burnt to ashes at the scene. Among them, one was a private car, three were CNG cars and other cars.

The body of a burnt person named Himel was recovered from the burnt private car. Six people, including a woman, were burnt in the incident. They were rescued and sent to Mymensingh Medical College. Four people are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Earlier, after receiving information about the fire at around 2:45 pm, seven units of the Fire Service tried for two hours to bring the fire under control. However, the extent of the damage has not yet been assessed. Fire Service personnel are working at the scene and efforts are underway to assess the extent of the damage.

Meanwhile, Mymensingh Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md. Mufidul Alam immediately visited the scene after receiving information about the fire. At that time, officials from various levels of the district administration were present with him.

DC Md. Mufidul Alam said that a 3-member investigation committee headed by Additional District Magistrate Lutfunnahar Nahar has already been formed in the fire incident. The committee has been instructed to submit an investigation report within the next 3 working days. Necessary action will be taken against those responsible for the incident once the report is received. Along with this, how the fire incident occurred and the actual extent of the damage caused by the fire will be known in the report.

94 lighter ships have been allocated on the inaugural day of the berthing meeting of the Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell (BWTCC). The people concerned are happy to have been allocated ships at lower fares for transporting goods than before.

BWTCC sources said that the fare per ton for transporting clinker from the outer anchorage of Chattogram Port to Dhaka and Narayanganj destinations was previously 574 taka, but now it has been reduced to 550 taka. The rent for gypsum, which was 606 taka, has now been fixed at 568 taka, the rent for ball clay has been fixed at 550 taka instead of 583 taka, the rent for TSP or DAP has been fixed at 594 taka instead of 641 taka, the rent for salt has been fixed at 675 taka, the rent for coal and sugar (bags) has been fixed at 612 taka instead of 666 taka, the rent for wheat has been fixed at 610 taka instead of 662 taka, and the rent for stone (10 mm) has been fixed at 581 taka instead of 625 taka.

Not only Dhaka or Narayanganj, the new list includes fares for Meghna, Muktarpur, Kachpur, Aliganj, Nitaiganj, Barishal, Chandpur, Khulna, Mongla, Nagarbari, Tepakhola, Baghabari, Ashuganj, Bhairab, Daudkandi, Ghorashal, Palash, Ruposhi, Sandwip, Bhola, Jhalokati, Patuakhali, Basila, Chhatak, Sunamganj, Mollarhat, Shariatpur, Mawa, Itna, Babuganj, Barguna, Lalmohan, Payra, Aricha, Mirsarai Economic Zone, Cox's Bazar, and Chattogram's Banshkhali, Baharchhara, Gandamara, Shikolbaha, Kalurghat Bridge. The products also include sugar raw materials, rice, rock sulfur, rock phosphate, HR coils, billets, pulses, corn, soybeans, mosaic stones, poultry feed, bamboo, pipes, rods, etc.

The new fare has been effective from Monday (November 4).

Commodore Mohammad Maqsud Alam, Director General of the Department of Shipping, was the chief guest at the inauguration of the berthing meeting program at the BWTCC auditorium in Agrabad on Monday afternoon.

He said, 'In order to make the shipping sector safe, fair and orderly like other transport sectors in the country, initiatives have been taken to ensure that lighterage ships can transport goods from Chattogram port in a serial manner. This will boost the country's economic development by ensuring normal and safe import, export and trade.'

The meeting was chaired by BWTTC Cell Convener Sayeed Ahmed and was attended by Chief Engineer and Ship Supervisor of the Department of Shipping Mohammad Manjurul Kabir, Cell Officer Haji Shafiq Ahmed, Engineer Mehboob Kabir and others as special guests. Members of Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners Association, Coastal Ship Owners Association of Bangladesh, Inland Vessel Owners Association of Chattogram, Local Agent Association, Cargo Agent Association and other business leaders were present at the meeting.

The meeting expressed gratitude to Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr. M. Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser to the Ministry of Shipping and Director General of the Department of Shipping, Commodore Mohammad Maqsud Alam for approving the ‘Goods Transport Policy 2024 in Sea Ports of Bangladesh through Lighter Ships Licensed by the Department of Shipping’.

The meeting was informed that in the policy formulated on October 15, the sole responsibility of serialization, allocation and determination of ship fares of lighter vessels has been assigned to the private organization Bangladesh Water Transport Coordination Cell (BWTCC). According to the new policy, a 10-member supervisory committee headed by the Director General of the Department of Shipping will monitor the activities of this cell. Convener Sayeed Ahmed said that BWTCC is a business organization, which will be free from politics. Its main goal is to make this sector free from corruption. To solve the problems of stakeholders quickly. To create a transparent and accountable cell. To prevent misuse of expenses. To protect the mother vessel's goods from demurrage and to brighten the country's image abroad. 

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain has reiterated Bangladesh's commitment to global security cooperation and UN conventions, citing Bangladesh's 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism.

He was speaking at the ministerial session of the high-level conference on ‘Strengthening International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Building Agile Border Security Mechanisms’ in Kuwait City on Monday (November 4).

The Foreign Affairs Adviser is currently leading the Bangladesh delegation at the two-day high-level conference starting today, a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

He stressed the importance of a human rights-centric approach to countering terrorism, warned against politically abused security systems and highlighted Bangladesh’s ongoing reforms to protect fundamental freedoms.

Calling for the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in security and border management, he told the ministerial session, “AI must respect human rights and be compatible with local contexts.”

Touhid Hossain urged countries with advanced technologies to share their expertise to strengthen global coordinated efforts in the fight against terrorism.

Highlighting the essence of multilateralism in counter-terrorism, the adviser said that true security is achieved only when every society is secure.

He added, "In today's interconnected world, no society is truly secure until every society is secure."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this high-level conference is the fourth iteration of the 'Dushanbe Process', an initiative launched in 2018 to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism and border security in Central Asian countries.

This conference is particularly important because it has, for the first time, expanded the scope and impact of the 'Dushanbe Process' beyond Central Asia and linked it to efforts to strengthen the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.