Nepal
Death toll passes 150 in Nepal and India floods
More than 150 people have died after heavy rainfall triggered flash floods in two Indian states - Uttarakahand and Kerala - and parts of Nepal.
Homes were submerged or crushed by rocks swept into them by landslides, reports BBC.
At least 50 people, including five from a single family, died in Uttarakhand some 77 people died in Nepal, with dozens more missing in both nations.
Read: Floods, landslides kill at least 28 people in southern India
Rains further south in India's Kerala state also triggered deadly floods, leaving another 39 dead there.
Six more bodies were recovered on Wednesday in Uttarakhand, taking the death toll in the Himalayan state, a popular tourist spot, to 52.
Schools have been closed and religious and tourist activities suspended in the state.
The Ganges burst its bank in Rishikesh and the popular Nainital region was severely affected.
Uttarakhand, which normally sees up to 30.5mm (1.2in) of rain for the whole of October, recorded 328mm in a 24-hour period this week.
But the Indian Meteorological Department says the rainfall is now easing.
Rainfall in Nepal may not be so quick to ease.
The worst-affected areas are Panchthar district in east Nepal, and Ilam and Doti in west Nepal.
Read: 21 dead in India floods & landslides
BBIN pact to boost Bangladesh-Nepal ties: Momen
Dhaka has underscored the need for the early implementation of BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) motor vehicles pact for regional connectivity and cooperation with Kathmandu in the areas of energy and trade.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen raised the issue with the NepaleseAmbassador in Dhaka, Dr Banshidhar Mishra, at the Foreign Service Academy on Monday.
Dr Momen also highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Nepal during the meeting.
Read: Nepal can use Mongla and Paira ports, Hasina tells envoy
On his part, the Ambassador of Nepal underscored the necessity of enhanced trade and commerce between the two countries through early conclusion of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).
Bus crash in rugged Nepal district leaves 28 dead, 15 hurt
At least 28 people died on Tuesday in western Nepal after the bus they were on skidded off a mountain road and fell hundreds of meters (yards) into a gorge, authorities said.
The accident in the remote and rugged Mugu district also left at least 15 injured, local administrator Rom Bahadur Mahat said.
"We are still busy searching for bodies around the area where the bus fell," he said. The injured were rushed to a hospital.
Read: 2 children killed in Chattogram road crash
The bus, which started from the city of Nepalgunj was just a few kilometers (miles) short of its destination, Gamgadhi town in Mugu district, when it veered off the road.
It is not clear what caused the crash or how many passengers were on board. Officials feared that the death toll could rise as rescue operations were still underway.
Read: Journo’s father killed in Dhaka road accident
Road accidents are common in mountainous Nepal and are often blamed on poorly maintained vehicles and highways, and narrow roads with sharp bends.
Bangladesh to construct Buddhist Monastery in Nepal’s Lumbini
Bangladesh government has signed an agreement with the Lumbini Development Trust for construction of a Buddhist monastery in Lumbini, Nepal.
The agreement was signed by Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury and Vice Chairman of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) Venerable Metteyya Sakyaputta on behalf of their respective sides at a ceremony held at LDT headquarters on Friday afternoon.
Tamim’s EPL stint comes to an abrupt end
Bangladesh opening batter Tamim Iqbal’s stint in the Everest Premier League (EPL) of Nepal came to an abrupt end as the batter injured his left thumb.
The left-handed batter returned home on Thursday morning after sustaining the blow. He will now undergo a rehabilitation program under the medical department of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Read: Tamim set to fly for Nepal to take part in EPL
Tamim played five matches in the EPL and bagged 75 runs with the best score of 40.
The left-handed batter has been going through a bad patch for a long time now. He has earlier withdrew himself from the ICC T20 World Cup which is set to begin in Oman on October 17.
Tamim also has a knee injury which forced him to stay out of the action for a while.
Read: Tamim Iqbal desires to win the 2023 World Cup as Captain
While Tamim is set to stay out of competitive cricket for a while, the Bangladesh national cricket team is busy preparing for the World Cup.
In the first round of the World Cup, Bangladesh will take on Scotland, Oman and Papua New Guinea.
Ties with Bangladesh to grow: Nepalese FM
Nepalese Foreign Minister Dr Narayan Khadka has said that the existing friendly ties with Bangladesh are set to grow further in the days ahead.
"I look forward to working closely with you at the bilateral and multilateral levels to deal with the issues of our common concerns," Narayan said in a letter to his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen.
Read: Bangladeshi’s conviction: FM says evidence to be shared with Saudi govt
He extended his sincere thanks to Dr Momen for the kind words of congratulations and good wishes to him on his appointment as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal.
"I cherish the fond memories of my visit to Bangladesh in 2013 to receive 'Friends of Liberation War Honour' conferred on me by the Government of Bangladesh. I am deeply humbled," Narayan mentioned in the letter.
Nepal and Bangladesh have always been enjoying excellent bilateral relations marked by goodwill, mutual understanding and cooperation, he wrote.
Read: Saarc FMs' meet on UN assembly sidelines called off over Afghanistan
The Nepalese Foreign Minister also thanked Dr Momen for inviting him to visit the "beautiful country" of Bangladesh. He also wished Dr Momen's good health and happiness "as well as for the continued progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Bangladesh".
Tamim set to fly for Nepal to take part in EPL
Bangladesh star opener Tamim Iqbal is all set to fly for Nepal on Thursday night to take part in Everest Premier League (EPL) T20. Tamim will represent Bhairahawa Gladiators in this event.
Tamim was suffering from a knee injury which forced him to sit out of action for a while. He missed both the home series against Australia and New Zealand recently. He last played a competitive cricket match in Zimbabwe early this year.
Read: Tamim Iqbal desires to win the 2023 World Cup as Captain
Debashis Chowdhury, the chief physician of BCB, confirmed that Tamim would fly for Neplan on Thursday night. He also said Tamim is close to getting fully fit.
“Tamim was advised to go through a rehabilitation process after the Zimbabwe series. He has been working so hard to get fit. He was working under the guidance of the physio of the national team. He started to bat for the last three days, and he has no complaints. We believe he will be able to play EPL well,” Debashis told the reporters on Thursday in Mirpur.
The decision of Tamim to take part in EPL is part of his rehabilitation process. If he can play well in EPL, it would be determined that the batter is fully fit to play with his full effort.
“Tamim is confident after completing half his rehabilitation process. He has been doing all the skill training without any problem. But playing in a real cricket match is something different. He needs to play competitive cricket to see if he is really fit. In that sense, playing in the EPL is very important for Tamim,” Debashis added.
Read:ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021: Five Potential Replacements of Tamim Iqbal
Tamim sustained the blow on his knee in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League in early this year. Due to the blow, he missed the super league stage. He, however, took part in the ODI series in Zimbabwe despite not being fully fit.
Weeks ago, Tamim withdrew himself from the T20 World Cup citing lack of match times. At the same time, he confirmed that he is not retiring from the shorter format of the game of cricket.
The EPL will kick off on September 25 at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground. Along with the Gladiators, Biratnagar Warriors, Chitwan Tigers, Kathmandu Kings XI, Lalitpur Patriots and Pokhara Rhinos are also taking part in the EPL.
Hydropower projects in Nepal: Bangladesh’s investment decision after survey
Bangladesh will take its decision on the selection of hydropower projects for investment in Nepal on completion of the ongoing survey by the Himalayan nation.
There are five potential projects, identified by the Nepalese government for investment by Bangladesh where the survey is ongoing, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
The statement came following the third meeting of the Bangladesh-Nepal Joint Steering Committee on Cooperation in the Power Sector, held virtually on Tuesday.
Bangladesh power secretary Habibur Raman and his Nepalese counterpart Devendra Karki led the delegations of their respective sites at the meeting.
The last meeting of the joint steering committee was held in June 2019 in Cox’s Bazar while the next one will be held either in March or April in Nepal, it mentioned.
Both Bangladesh and Nepal have been exploring potential for investment by Bangladeshi companies’ in hydropower in Nepal and trying to cooperate with each other for the development of the power sector.
As part of the move, a joint steering committee and a joint working committee were formed by the two nations that hold meetings regularly.
The statement said the steering committee had a fruitful discussion on the huge potential for setting up hydropower plants in Nepal and utilizing that to meet the electricity requirement of both the countries.
Read: PM Hasina congratulates Nepalese PM Deuba, hopes to strengthen ties
The meeting seriously considered the issue of bilateral power trade between the two nations in line with their variable demands based on seasonal needs.
The meeting was informed that two joint technical teams comprising representatives of both the countries —one for generation and another for transmission—have been working to identify potential projects for financing and joint implementation of power plants in Nepal, determine the ways of import-export of electricity between the two countries and verify feasibility of power transmission through inter-country power connections.
As part of the plan, the transmission lines will be built through Indian territories. So, the issue will be settled through a tripartite agreement of Bangladesh-Nepal-India.
In this regard, Nepal proposed exporting 200 MW of electricity to Bangladesh through India using the existing transmission line.
The meeting discussed the progress of import of 500 MW power by Bangladesh from the 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydropower Plant in Nepal by Indian GMR Group.
Bangladesh informed that an agreement in this regard is at the final stage to be signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), GMR and NVVN of India.
The meeting reviewed the issues of cooperation between the two countries in exchange of experience, knowledge and skills in the expansion of renewable energy in Bangladesh and Nepal.
It highlighted the experience of solar home system activities and net metering system in Bangladesh.
The issue of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SREDA of Bangladesh and Alternative Energy Promotion Center of Nepal for mutual cooperation was also discussed at the meeting.
Bangladesh envoy in Nepal hosts lunch for women booters
Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury hosted a lunch in honour of the Bangladesh National Women's Football team at his residence in Kathmandu on Monday.
The Bangladesh women's team, which played two FIFA Tier-1 Women's International Friendlies against their Nepalese counterparts as part of their preparations for this month's AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Uzbekistan, scheduled to leave Nepal for Uzbekistan Monday night at 11.05 pm.
Bangladesh Ambassador in Nepal went to Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu on Sunday to witness the Bangladesh 2nd match against Nepal and met with the Bangladesh players and officials after the match and invited them for lunch.With the matches, Bangladesh national women's team returned to international football after more than two and half years since playing the semifinal of SAFF Championship with India in March 2019.
READ: Bangladesh fail to end winless run, loses to 2-3 Kyrgyzstan U-23
In two preparatory matches in Kathmandu, touring Bangladesh conceded 1-2 goals defeat against Himalayan nation Nepal in the first match last Thursday and played to a goalless draw in the 2nd match on Sunday.Bangladesh, placed in Group G of the Asian meet with stronger Jordan and Iran, will play Jordan on Sept 19 and IR Iran on Sept 22, both in Tashkent.
READ: JFA U-14 Football: Magura clinch title, beat Rajshahi 2-0 The group champions will qualify for the final round of the AFC Women's Asian Cup in India next year.
FIFA Tier-1 friendly series:Women's team to play against Nepal Thursday
Bangladesh National Women's Football team will play the first of the two- match FIFA Tier-1 International friendly series against Nepal National Women's team on Thursday.
The match will kick-off at 5:15 pm (Bangladesh time) at the Dasharath Stadium in Nepalese capital Kathmandu.
It will be the first international match for Bangladesh national women's booters after more than two and a half years since playing the semifinal of SAFF Championship against India in March 2019.
Ahead of the Thursday's match, Bangladesh team made their conditioning, gym and pool session at the team hotel Wednesday morning.
READ: Bangladesh women's football team reach Nepal
All the players of Bangladesh team are in sound health and fully fit ahead of their first match.
In a pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Bangladesh captain Sabina Khatun said, "We are working hard for the last few months and we want to give something to the country through tomorrow’s match (against Nepal), and to maintain our position in the AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers"
Head Coach of Bangladesh team Golam Rabbani Chotan said, "Our girls are playing together for the last few years in different levels and age groups, they have a good relation and understanding ,if they are able to give their best, then we expect a good result tomorrow".
Bangladesh team will play the 2nd friendly match against their Nepalese counterpart on Sunday (Sept 12) before flying for Uzbekistan on Tuesday (Sept 14) to participate in the AFC Women's Asian Cup India '2022 Qualifiers there from Sept 19-24.
Bangladesh Women's, which was placed in Group G of the Asian meet with stronger Jordan and IR Iran, will play Jordan on Sept 19 and IR Iran on Sept 22, both in Tashkent.