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VFS Global urges visa applicants to apply for visas early to avoid last minute challenges
VFS Global has urged the visa applicants to remain careful and apply for visas early to avoid last minute challenges.
VFS Global has reported many fake websites and social media accounts / pages that are claiming to give appointments in exchange of money or impersonating VFS Global to fleece unsuspecting applicants.
"As a responsible service provider, we continue to create awareness against this menace," VFS Global, the world's largest visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide, said in a statement on Wednesday.
As a trusted partner to client governments, VFS Global said, it handles the front-end administrative tasks in the visa application process.
This includes collecting application forms and documentation as per the checklist provided by the government, enrolling biometrics where applicable, and ensuring the safe return of passports post the decision-making process by the embassy or consulate.
"VFS Global does not control appointment availability. These are governed and controlled by the governments we serve," the statement reads.
The availability of visa appointments, mandatory documentation, and the visa application decision are entirely at the discretion of the respective governments.
"Processing times are also under their control. VFS Global has no role whatsoever," said the statement.
Visa appointments are free and available only on www.vfsglobal.com at first come; first served basis.
Post the pandemic there has been limited availability of visa appointments across visa categories including Worker Visa.
"Grey operators / black marketers are misusing the situation and promising visa appointments in exchange of money," said VFS Global.
Pahela Baishakh celebration must end by 6 pm: Home Ministry
All events centering Pahela Baishakh including those at Ramna park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University, Hatirjheel, and Rabindra Sarobar, must conclude by 6 pm.
The decision was taken at a meeting on law and order during celebration of Pahela Baishakh at a conference held at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.
Other decisions taken at the meeting include those who are attempting to spread misinformation about the celebration of Bangla New Year via social media platforms like Facebook will be brought under law.
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Besides, fireworks and lanterns will remain prohibited to ensure public safety during the upcoming Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla new year celebrations.
District administrations, district police, and event organisers will ensure security by coordinating arrangements for nationwide celebrations.
Special security measures will be taken at important locations such as Ramna Botomul, Ramna park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka University, Hatirjheel, and Rabindra Sarobar. Law enforcement forces and intelligence agencies will be vigilant during these events.
The Bangla Academy will ensure necessary security measures during the Pahela Baisakh fair.
Personal security arrangements need to be in place alongside law enforcement agencies during the celebration programmes. Volunteers and law enforcement agencies will collaborate to ensure security, said the Home Ministry.
Special security arrangements will be made for diplomatic zones and establishments.
Fire service teams, including fire trucks and ambulances, will be present at significant points in Dhaka and throughout the country during celebrations. Medical teams will also be available, it said.
Mobile courts and law enforcement units will be deployed to prevent any incidents of harassment, vandalism, pickpocketing, or other undesirable activities during the celebrations.
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Playing banned instruments like vuvzela horn will be prohibited during the celebrations.
High-quality food will be served in prisons across the country during the New Year, and cultural events will be organised.
Measures will be taken to prevent drug abuse during the Bangla New Year celebrations.
Raise budgetary allocation to fight non-communicable diseases: Speakers
Speakers at a virtual workshop on Wednesday stressed the need for increasing budgetary allocation to effectively control the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases.
They said non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for the majority of deaths in the country but the budget allocated to fight NCDs remains alarmingly insufficient.
The workshop for journalists titled “Budgetary Allocation to Combat NCDs: Bangladesh Perspective” was organised by a research and advocacy organization, PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), with support from Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI).
Journalists from different media outlets working in Sylhet participated in the workshop.
In the workshop, it was said 70% of total deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, cancer, kidney diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. However, the budgetary allocation dedicated to combat NCDs is only 4.2 percent of the total health budget.
Despite the World Health Organization's recommendation for countries to allocate at least 15% of their total budget to the health sector, Bangladesh allocated only 5% of its total budget to healthcare in the fiscal year 2023-24.
The government's health budgetary support is one of the lowest in the WHO South-East Asia region, said speakers.
The government has several policy obligations to tackle non-communicable diseases including the goal of reducing premature deaths from NCDs by one third within 2030, which requires increased budget allocation for this sector, they said.
Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh Country Lead of GHAI, Dr Shamim Jubayer, Program Manager, Hypertension Control Program, National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute and ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA were present at the workshop as discussants.
The keynote presentation was delivered by PROGGA’s Coordinator Sadia Galiba Prova, said a press release.
Biman resumes Dhaka-Rome-Dhaka flight after 9 years
The Biman Bangladesh Airlines has resumed direct flights to Italy’s Rome.
The inaugural flight took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 3:30 am on Tuesday and reached Rome at 8:30 am (local time).
The Dhaka-Rome-Dhaka direct flight resumed after nine years, prompted by a large number of expatriate Bangladeshis residing in Italy.
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“As per our market analysis, the Dhaka-Rome-Dhaka route will be another popular one, like our London (UK), Toronto (Canada), and Narita (Japan) routes," said Biman MD and CEO Shafiul Azim.
Sazzadul Hassan MP, Chairman parliamentary committee on the affairs of ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism formally inaugurated the flight as the chief guest along with Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro.
According to the booking information Tuesday, 23 people have purchased tickets for Business Class while 177 for Economy Class.
The capacity of the aircraft is 271 passengers, including 24 in business class and 247 in economy class.
The Dhaka to Rome flight will be Biman's third European destination, as currently the national flag carrier is operating flights to London and Manchester.
After the announcement of the Rome flight the visa applications to Italy have increased three fold, the Biman CEO said referring to the Italian Embassy in Dhaka.
Azim said he is also planning to use Rome as a stopover for Biman's Dhaka-Toronto-Dhaka flight, as currently the state-owned carrier is using Istanbul for refuelling its Canada-bound flights.
Bangladesh Biman initially began operating flights to Rome on April 2, 1981 and stopped on April 6, 2015, facing financial losses due to massive fuel consumption by the then DC-10 carrier.
Dhaka Metro Rail operations to continue past 9 pm from today
Between March 27 and March 31, flight BG-355 will depart Dhaka every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 2:00 a.m. local time and reach Rome at 7:00 a.m. local time.
From April 1, the flight will take off from Dhaka every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 3:00am as per the summer schedule and arrive at the capital of Italy at 9:10am.
The flight will leave Rome at 10:45 am and land in Dhaka at 11:45 pm.
Electrocution in Moulvibazar: Death toll stands at 6 as another victim dies
Another injured victim, who lost five of her family members due to electrocution caused by a torn wire of Palli Bidyut in Juri upazila of Moulvibazar district, died at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka on Tuesday night.
The deceased was identified as Sonia, 12, daughter of Foyzur Rahman of East Goalbari village in Juri upazila.
Earlier, on Tuesday, five members of her family- father Foyzur Rahman, 52, a van puller, mother Shiri Begum, 45, and two sisters-- Samia Begum, 15, Sabina Begum, 13 and brother Sayem Mia, 8 died from electrocution as a live electric wire of local Palli Bidyut Samity fell on their house that also caused fire.
Sonia, who received burn injuries, was first taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Hospital and from there she was taken to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka where she succumbed to her injuries at night.
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Local people also condemned the negligence on the part of Palli Bidyut Samity and demanded that the electric line be replaced immediately.
Meanwhile, a three-member probe body was formed to look into the death of six people.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within three working days.
Deputy Commissioner of Moulvibazar Urme Binte Salam provided Tk 50,000 to the family members of the deceased.
300 tonnes of potatoes imported from India through Benapole
A consignment of 300 tonnes of potatoes, imported from India, made their way into the country through Benapole land port recently. This rounds up the total shipment of 1000 tonnes of potatoes during the month of Ramadan.
A total of 32 trucks with potatoes arrived at the land port between March 13 and March 24, said Mizanur Rahman, revenue officer of Benapole Checkpost and Cargo Department, on Wednesday.
Dhaka’s air quality 2nd worst in the world today
Integrated Food and Beverage imported the potatoes from India.
Masum Billah, representative of Transmarine Logistic Limited C&F Agent, said the last consignment of potatoes will be unloaded today.
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Rezaul Karim, director of Benapole port, said 700 metric tonnes of potatoes have been released from the port.
Police recover woman’s body from her home in Narsingdi; family points finger at neighbour
Police recovered a woman’s body from her house in Palash of Narsingdi district on Tuesday 9 pm.
Deceased Delwara Begum (62), wife of late Malek Dewan, was a housewife.
According to her family members, two of the deceased’s three sons live abroad. One of the sons living abroad made a phone call to the neighbour to asked about his mother. When the neighbours went to the house, they came across the dead body.
Palash Thana police and PBI members visited the spot after receiving the information. The deceased’s family alleged that neighbour Habil Mia’s family could be behind the murder due to ongoing land dispute and lawsuit.
Mohammad Ikhtiyar Uddin, officer-in-charge of Palash Police Station, said that initially it is not possible to say who is involved in the murder. Legal action will be taken after the family's complaint and investigation, he said.
Dhaka Metro Rail operations to continue past 9 pm from today
In a significant move to enhance late-night transportation options, the Dhaka Metro Rail has announced an extension of its operating hours. Starting today (March 27, 2024), the service will run an additional hour past its previous closing time, now concluding at 9:40 pm.
This decision, as explained by MAN Siddique, the Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), is a direct response to the increasing public demand for extended metro service hours. The announcement was made on March 25, marking a pivotal change in the metro's schedule to accommodate the needs of late-evening commuters.
Dhaka Metro Rail service hours being extended from March 27
Under the new timetable, the final train from the Motijheel station is scheduled to leave at 9:40 pm, while the last departure from the Uttara terminal will be at 9:20 pm. This adjustment will see the introduction of trains departing every 12 minutes during the newly added service hour, integrating an additional 10 trains into the daily rotation.
With this extension, the total number of daily metro trips will rise from 184 to 194, reflecting the DMTCL's commitment to improving public transportation accessibility and convenience.
Metro rail operating hours to be extended by one hour from 16th Ramadan
Prior to this change, Dhaka Metro Rail's operation hours spanned from 7 am to 8:40 pm. The service frequency included trains running every 8 minutes during peak hours—from 7 am to 11:30 am and 2 pm to 8 pm—and every 12 minutes during off-peak periods, between 11 am and 2:30 pm. This schedule adjustment is anticipated to significantly benefit the city's metro users by providing more flexible travel options during the evening.
Dhaka’s air quality 2nd worst in the world today
Dhaka ranked second on the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality, with an AQI score of 213 at 9:48 am, on Wednesday morning.
Dhaka’s air was classified as ' very unhealthy' — posing serious health risks to residents, according to the air quality index.
Pakistan’s Lahore and India’s Delhi occupied the first and third spots on the list, with AQI scores of 266, 189 respectively.
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When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.
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Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.
Join hands in building ‘Smart Bangladesh’ under PM Sheikh Hasina's leadership: Envoy
Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday celebrated the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh with due solemnity and fervour.
Md. Mustafizur Rahman, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India, started the daylong programme in the morning by hoisting the national flag at the High Commission premises and placing floral wreaths at the portrait of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In the morning, a discussion programme was organized at the High Commission as part of the celebration.
The messages issued by the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister were read out by the Mission officials.
A documentary on the ongoing development journey of Bangladesh prepared by Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also screened.
In his speech, High Commissioner Rahman said, “The main goal of the Liberation War was to build a liberal, developed and democratic Bangladesh through complete emancipation.”
He called upon everyone to redouble their efforts to achieve that aspirational goal.
The envoy also highlighted the special contribution of the women throughout the nine-month long war.
The High Commissioner urged everyone to participate in building ‘Smart Bangladesh’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, holding the noble spirit of the Liberation War and the ideals of Bangabandhu in their hearts.
Among others, Shaban Mahmood, Minister (Press) of the High Commission took part in the discussion and highlighted the significance and importance of the day.
After the discussion session, a special prayer was offered for the salvation of the souls of the Father of the Nation, his family members and all the martyrs who played a historical role in all stages of movements for freedom and Liberation War of Bangladesh as well as well as for the peace, progress and prosperity of the country. Officials and employees from the Bangladesh High Commission and expatriate Bangladeshis were present at the event.
In the evening, a grand reception was organized at the High Commission premises.
Among others, eminent political leaders of the host country, high-ranking officials, foreign diplomats based in New Delhi and expatriate Bangladeshis attended the event.
At the end, the guests were served with celebrated Bangladeshi cuisine.
Fakruddin’s Kacchi Biryani was the special attraction of the event.