Dhaka: World Bank Country Director in Bangladesh Abdoulaye Seck made a farewell call on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Monday.

The Chief Adviser thanked Seck, who is retiring in January, for support during his tenure at World Bank-supported projects in critical sectors like infrastructure, climate ressilance, service process digitalisation, education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation.

Seck told the Chief Adviser that on December 19, the World Bank approved nearly $1.2 billion in three financings to help Bangladesh build climate resilience and environmental sustainability while improving health, nutrition, and water and sanitation services in Chattogram city.

On Sunday, the Economic Relations Division (ERD) and the World Bank signed two financings totalling $900 million.

One of the projects will develop secondary cities by constructing climate-resilient and gender-responsive infrastructure along the economic corridor from Cox's Bazar in the south to Panchagarh in the north.

The other financing, a $500 million development policy credit to support green growth, will be disbursed to the national treasury by this month.

The World Bank’s development portfolio stands at about $ 45 billion since 1972 , which has made a significant contribution to the development trajectory of Bangladesh, particularly in reducing poverty, ensuring sustained economic growth, and improving education, health, and disaster management.

Seck also promised the World Bank's support for key reform initiatives that the Interim Government of Bangladesh had undertaken.

The Chief Adviser wished Seck and his family good health on his retirement.

Special Envoy to Chief Adviser Lutfey Siddiqi, senior secretary for SDG affairs Lamiya Morshed and ERD secretary Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky were among others present on the occasion.

Chandpur: Five bodies and three others in critical condition have been recovered from a cargo ship docked in Meghna in Chandpur. Two more people died after the injured were sent to hospital. This brings the death toll to 7. It is not yet known how they died.

The news of the bodies was received after 1 pm on Monday (December 23). It is learnt that the ship is named MV Al-Bakhera. The ship was anchored. Naval police and Coast Guard members reached the ship around noon. They then rescued the dead and injured.

Lt. Col. Shams, Staff Officer (Dhaka Zone) of the Coast Guard in Bangladesh, confirmed this information.

Initially, the police believed that the cargo ship was supposed to go to Narayanganj with fertilizer. The cargo ship was robbed by robbers in Meghna in Chandpur last night. This led to the casualties.

The naval police said that the vessel was anchored in the Meghna River of Chandpur Sadar Police Station. It was transporting fertilizer. It is believed that the deceased could be the driver and other workers of the vessel.

Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) of the naval police in Chandpur, Syed Mushfiqur Rahman, said that through 999, they came to know that bodies were found on a vessel named MV Al Bahera. Five were found dead and three are in critical condition. They were rescued in a bloody state and sent to Chandpur Sadar Hospital for treatment. Since there are no passengers on the cargo ship, only staff is present. In that case, it seems that this is not an incident of robbery. Such an incident could have happened due to previous enmity. Details can be given after the investigation. The Coast Guard and the naval police are jointly searching the ship.

Dhaka: Bangladesh has written to the country's Home Ministry to bring back ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Towhid Hossain said.

He said this in response to a question from journalists at the Foreign Ministry on Monday (December 23) afternoon.

Tawhid Hossain said, "We have clearly informed India. We have informed her (Sheikh Hasina) that we want her back for the judicial system."

In response to a question from journalists about what the process of seeking her back might be, he said, "Through a note verbale (diplomatic letter) to the Indian government."

Earlier, at a program organized in Peelkhana on Monday, Home Affairs Adviser LT. Gen. (Rtd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that a letter has been sent to the Foreign Ministry to take necessary measures to bring back ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He said, a letter has been sent to our Foreign Ministry regarding her return. The matter is under process. In response to a question, the Home Affairs Adviser said that there is an extradition agreement with India. According to that agreement, Indian government will be asked to return Sheikh Hasina.

Earlier on December 5, at the weekly briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesperson Rafiqul Alam said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not the only 'partner' in the initiative to return Sheikh Hasina. Other ministries are also involved in this matter. The time for us to play our role has not yet come. When the time for us to play our role comes, we will do it.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has been in India since she left the post of Prime Minister on August 5 and fled there. Although some of her party's senior leaders have been arrested, most are still in hiding.

The Awami League government formed the International Crimes Tribunal in 2010 to try crimes against humanity in 1971. Now, the interim government has taken the initiative to try the Awami League government's repression of the student-people's movement as 'genocide' and has taken the initiative to try it in this court.

Between July 5 and August 5, many complaints of 'genocide and crimes against humanity' have been submitted to the tribunal's investigation agency and prosecution office across the country during the student-people's movement.

Mohammad Saiful Alam alias S Alam, a Singaporean citizen, has taken international legal action against Bangladesh over asset seizure and investment restrictions, according to a report in the British newspaper The Financial Times.

S Alam claims that the interim government seized his assets and damaged his investments after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; he is taking legal action to recover these losses.

S Alam founder and chairman Saiful Alam said that since the interim government came to power, his family's bank accounts have been frozen, they have been banned from traveling and they have lost control of their companies. He is also facing an investigation on charges of money laundering without any official notification.

S Alam has sent a 'dispute settlement notice' to the interim government's chief adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus and other advisers in this regard, The Financial Times reported.

The notice warns that if the matter is not resolved within six months, international arbitration will be pursued under the 2004 Bilateral Investment Treaty between Bangladesh and Singapore.

S Alam's lawyers are taking the legal action under the 2004 Bilateral Investment Treaty signed between Bangladesh and Singapore.

The notice, sent on December 18, states that the S Alam family obtained Singaporean permanent residency in 2011 and citizenship between 2021 and 2023. It also states that S Alam's family members renounced their Bangladeshi citizenship in 2020.

The letter of the notice sent by lawyers from law firm Queen Emanuel & Sullivan has been seen by the British newspaper Financial Times (FT).

The notice alleges that the S Alam family's bank accounts have been frozen, they have been banned from traveling and they have lost control of their companies. In addition, state agencies are investigating them for possible money laundering without any official notice.

It also said that restrictions have been imposed on the distribution of loans to banks owned by the S Alam Group. The management teams of the banks have been changed. The government has terminated their contracts “arbitrarily and without due process.”

The letter sent by Queen Emmanuel said that the actions and negligence of the Bangladesh government and its various agencies have “totally or partially destroyed the value of the assets invested by investors.”

The letter also said that these continued actions and negligence violated the rights available under the investment agreement and the laws of Bangladesh and laid the foundation for the ongoing dispute.

The Bangladesh government did not agree to comment on the notice when requested by the Financial Times.