The Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) on Friday paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka. DCAB members, led by its President Rezaul Karim Lotus and General Secretary Abu Hena Emrul Kayesh, placed a wreath at Bangabandhu's portrait in front of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. They also stood in silence for a few moments showing profound respect to the memory of the Father of the Nation, his family members, Liberation War martyrs and Freedom Fighters. Read more: FOSA pays tributes to Bangabandhu at Tungipara Rezaul Karim Lotus, executive editor of the Daily Sun, and Abu Hena Emrul Kayesh, special correspondent of BanglaVision, were elected president and general secretary, respectively, of the executive committee of DCAB for 2023 on December 29 last year.

Daily Sun Executive Editor Rezaul Karim Lotus and Bangla Vision Special Correspondent Abu Hena Emrul Kayesh have been elected President and General Secretary of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) respectively for the year 2023. The Financial Express Special Correspondent Mir Mostafizur Rahaman has been elected Vice President of the DCAB unopposed while ATN News Chief of Correspondents Ashiqur Rahman Apu elected Joint Secretary. Other unopposed elected office bearers are Treasurer Atiqur Rahman (Daily Jababdihi) and Office Secretary Morshed Hassib Hasan (Channel 24). Khurram Zaman (Barta24.com), Nafiza Dawla (Independent TV), Rabiul Haque (The Industry), Sheikh Shahariar Zaman (Bangla Tribune) and Touhidur Rahman (Banglanews24.com) have been elected EC members unopposed. Read: US Ambassador hosts reception for DCAB Chief Election Commissioner and Editor of United News of Bangladesh (UNB) Farid Hossain announced the result of the election at Jatiya Press Club on Thursday afternoon.  Read: FM, SM,diplomats attend DCAB iftar Two Election Commissioners -- Business Editor of the Daily Observer Nizamuddin Ahmed and Machranga TV Head of News Rejoanul Haq Raja -- were present. Earlier, Rezaul Karim Lotus presided over the annual general meeting (AGM) of the DCAB. Outgoing General Secretary of the DCAB AKM Moinuddin and Treasurer Ahasan Jewel presented their reports at the AGM-2022. 

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Wednesday hosted a reception at his residence for the members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB).   He explained that he wanted to show his gratitude for the work that the diplomatic correspondents perform in Bangladesh.   “Yours is a noble profession, and increasingly, around the world, it is a difficult and dangerous one,” Ambassador Haas told the members of DCAB. Read more: US Ambassador visits residence of the coordinator of ‘Mayer Dak’ in city He said journalists play a critical role every day in strengthening democratic institutions by informing their fellow citizens of the events happening in their countries. "This role is more important now than ever.”  Foreign diplomats from other missions attended the event.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) has expressed deep shock at the death of Mohammad Ali, father of its member journalist Rased Mehedi. In a condolence message on Monday, DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus and its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin conveyed deep sympathy to Prothidiner Bangladesh Special Correspondent Rased Mehedi and his family members. Read more: DCAB shocked over death of journalist Jhumur's mother They prayed for salvation of the departed soul. Mohammad Ali, 77, breathed his last early Monday at a hospital in Dhaka. He had long been suffering from old age complications. Read more: Journalist Raihan M Chowdhury dies Mohammad Ali was headmaster of Sonatala High School in Bagura and Principal of Panchagarh Police Line School and College. He left behind wife, two sons, a daughter and host of relatives to mourn his death. He will be buried at his family graveyard in Shibganj Upazila of Bogura later today (Monday).

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted an iftar at the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) on Friday attended by Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam. Also read: DCAB celebrates International Women’s Day amid calls for gender equality

German Ambassador to Bangladesh Achim Troster has expressed displeasure over what he says BNP misquoted him on Bangladesh’s democracy and human rights issues after his meeting with the party’s leaders last month. “I read that I had uttered concerns about the human rights situation and democracy in the country. This is not true. I was unhappy about this (misquoting),” he said. The German Ambassador made the remarks while responding to a question at "DCAB Talk" hosted by Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at Jatiya Press Club. Also read:Quran burnings in Sweden: Freedom of religion must be respected, says Dhaka DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus and its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke. The ambassador said he and his deputy had a meeting with BNP leaders at BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office at the invitation of BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury which was attended by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) on Friday paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi 32 in the city. DCAB members, led by its President Rezaul Karim Lotus and General Secretary AKM Moinuddin, placed wreaths at Bangabandhu's portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. READ: Lotus, Moin elected DCAB President, GS They also stood in solemn silence for some time showing profound respect to the memory of Father of the Nation, the architect of the Independent Bangladesh, his family members, Liberation War martyrs and the Freedom Fighters.

Describing the UK’s admiration for what had been achieved in Bangladesh over the past 50 years, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson on Wednesday said they will continue to work with Bangladesh in its efforts to achieve a smooth and successful graduation. “Graduation is a milestone, not a finishing line. We’ll continue to work with Bangladesh to achieve a smooth and successful graduation,” he said, adding that they have also decided to provide continued duty-free, quota-free access to the UK market for three years after graduation, to 2029. While speaking at “DCAAB Talk”, the envoy said he was delighted that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would be visiting London and Manchester to engage with British businesses during her visit to the UK. Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) hosted the event. DCAB President Pantho Rahaman and its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin also spoke at the event. The High Commissioner reflected on the huge challenge ahead at COP26 and said the UK is looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and welcoming the Bangladesh delegation to Glasgow. “This was just one sign of the way that the UK was working with an increasingly confident, prosperous and outward-looking Bangladesh on the world stage, as we headed into the next 50 years of partnership,” he said. At the High Commission in Bangladesh, Dickson said his teams were engaged deeply in issues such as climate and biodiversity, maritime security and many other areas, including working with British businesses to build a trade and investment relationship as Bangladesh graduated from Least Developed to Middle Income Country status. Read: COP26: Dickson says Bangladesh has particular role in 3 areas Regional Security Challenges The High Commissioner said the UK is working closely with the government of Bangladesh on regional security challenges. A particular challenge is the Rohingya crisis that was created by the actions of the Myanmar army over four years ago, he said. The UK was very clear that the shared objectives were for the Rohingya to go home to Rakhine state, as soon as it could happen in a way that was “voluntary, dignified and safe”. “No one wanted to live in a refugee camp. Events in Myanmar were moving in a way that was worrying, so it seemed the Rohingya would likely remain in Bangladesh for some time to come,” said the High Commissioner. The UK is working closely with the government of Bangladesh to ensure the extraordinary generosity in hosting the Rohingyas continued, and that the funding was there to provide the refugees with the healthcare, food, shelter, water and sanitation they needed until they could return to Myanmar. The UK had contributed over £320m to the global response, working closely with allies on camp conditions and building resilience, including against Covid-19. The High Commissioner was concerned about recent violence at the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar. Read: Election should be Bangladesh-led process: Dickson He said the UK was exploring ways that refugees could be given more productive ways to spend their time, with the opportunity for them to volunteer, provide camp services and basic livelihoods, and for children to be educated. On a global stage, he said, the UK also makes sure this crisis is not forgotten. “The UK is the penholder on the crisis in the UN Security Council and works hard to keep it on the agenda, despite not having full support from all UNSC members.” Dickson said the UK is also using its new status as a Dialogue Partner to ASEAN and supporting the ASEAN Special Envoy to support better outcomes in Myanmar. The High Commissioner said the solution was leadership – leaders needed to lead people away from exploiting division, towards healing it. He said the UK was continuing to support the government of Bangladesh in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic. On vaccines, the envoy said, the UK was providing all its support globally, including to Bangladesh, through the COVAX programme. “The UK was not on the front page but was a significant part of the effort.”

Chinese Ambassador Li Jiming on Wednesday met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and explained his recent remarks made during a progamme of Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh (DCAB). The meeting was held at the state guesthouse Padma after the vaccine handover ceremony. They discussed different bilateral issues including Covid cooperation between the two countries, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB. They highlighted the importance of the growing relationship between the two countries. On Monday, the Ambassador attended a programme hosted by DCAB and talked about a number of issues including vaccine cooperation. The envoy, while responding to a question, also talked about Quad, an initiative of four countries- the United States, Japan, India and Australia, that followed by a reaction by Dhaka.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) on Saturday expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Hassan Shahriar, former President of the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) who also served The Daily Ittefaq as its Executive Editor. Shahriar, who was the first journalist from Asia-Pacific to be elected as President of the Toronto-based Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) in 2003, breathed his last at a hospital in Dhaka around 11:45am on Saturday.  In a condolence message, DCAB President Pantho Rahaman and its General Secretary AKM Moinuddin conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members and sought eternal peace for the departed soul of the veteran journalist. Also read: Senior journalist Hassan Shahriar passes away  He was the first editor of the Daily Sun and Chief Editor of Chittagong-based Daily People's View, and worked as Bangladesh correspondent for a number of international media outlets. Also read: Covid-19: Hasina for balancing livelihoods and public health Journalist Shahriar was awarded the prestigious Harry Brittan Fellowship by the Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) in 1978.