Twelve people were killed in lightning strikes across the country. They were killed on Sunday from early morning to afternoon during the blowing storm and raining. Sirajganj: In Sirajganj district five people were killed including father and son in lightning strikes. They were killed in separate incidents in Kamarkhand, Kazipur and Shahjadpur upazilas under the district. The deceased were identified as Nabil Hossain (17), son of Faruk Hasan from Chhoyanipara of Shahjadpur municipal area, Poling Hossain (16), son of Rashedul Hasan, Shamsul Mandal (55) and his son Arman (14) of Degree Tekani village from Kazipur upazila and Kader Hossain (37) of Pestol Kuragram village under Kamarkhand upazila. Noakhali: A school boy Pial (13) was killed in lightning strikes in Maizdi under Noakhali district. The accident took place at a playground at number 3 ward under Noakhali municipality area at around 11:30 am. Pial is the son of Sohel Rana of Laksminarayanpur village under the municipality area. Naogaon: A woman named Sonavan (22) was killed in lightning strike at Sapahar in Naogaon district on Sunday afternoon. Three were also injured in the incident. Brahmanbaria: A farmer named Abdur Rahim (50) was killed in lightning while cutting paddy in the field in Akhaura upazila under Brahmanbaria district. The accident took place at Daruin village under Mogra union of the upazila at around 9:30 am.   Gazipur: A young man named Jafrul Islam (20) was killed in lightning strikes at Matikata area under Kaliakoir upazila of the district. Another was injured during the incident. The accident took place in front of Incredible Fashion Limited at Matikata area at around 8 am. Magura: Three people were killed in lightning strikes at Akkurpara and Raygram area under Magura sadar and Bunagati village under Shalikha upazila. They are rickshaw van puller Shamim of Akkurpara, Alam, son of Abdur Rashid of Blugram and Mehedi, son of Alam Mia from Manpura area of Jaypurhat. Sub Inspector of Magura sadar police station Ashraf Hossain said, rickshaw van puller Shamim was going towards Sripur from Magura during storm and Alam was a victim of lightning strikes while returning home from Magura. AH   

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government began works to formulate plans and action programs to transform Bangladesh into a developed country during a set timeframe from 2021 to 2041. ‘We have started to devise the plan how we want to develop Bangladesh and how we want to look Bangladesh from 2021 to 2041,’ she told a reception hosted in her honor by the Bangladeshi community in Sydney on Saturday. Reports BSS. Sheikh Hasina said implementation of various short, mid and long term development plans kept Bangladesh on a process of rapid advancement earning the country's eligibility to become a developing country. Bangladesh, she said, by now achieved its development targets required for next six years to keep its status as a developing country and ‘now we are engaged in devising our plans to become a developed country by 2041’. ‘Bangladesh would be a developed and prosperous country by 2041 and we are taking all steps and plans to materialize the vision,’ the premier said. Awami League's Australia chapter organized the reception at Sydney's Sofitel Hotel this evening marking the visit of Sheikh Hasina, also the party president, to join the Global Women's Summit-2018 which conferred her Global Women's Leadership Award for the year as well. The premier urged everybody to remain careful so the war criminals, killers and the forces having no faith in country's development could never come to power and nothing could dislodge Bangladesh from its ongoing development process. Sheikh Hasina urged the expatriate Bangladeshis to always remain careful about the country's dignity saying ‘Wherever you live, you have to work with patriotism to uphold the country's honor which we have earned at the cost of blood’.  ‘We have to pay homage to millions of martyrs through materializing the dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandbhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build a hunger and poverty free Bangladesh,’ she said. Bangabandhu's younger daughter and premier's sister Sheikh Rehana was present at the reception while Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and state minister for women and children affairs Meher Afroj Chumki also spoke on the occasion. Professor RMIT University of Australia Dr Shamsu Rahman, Awami League leaders Dr. Milton Hasnat, Gama Abdul Kadir, Anisur Rahman Ritu, Pradyut Singh Chunnu and Sirajul Islam addressed, among others, on behalf of the expatriates while reception committee convener Sheikh Shamimul Haque was in the chair. Leaders of different chapters of Australian Awami League as well as professional and cultural organizations greeted Sheikh Hasina with flowers at the beginning of the event.  AH

Prime Minister's Information and Communication Technology Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy on Thursday launched the national call centre '333' which is to provide remedies to social problems being faced by people across the country alongside different government information and contacts. ‘People don't have to come to government offices...We will reach all services to their doorsteps,’ Joy said while inaugurating the service at Prime Minister's Office in the capital. Reports BSS. Officials familiar with the service said one could get 24/7 information services dialing ‘333’ over both mobile phones and land telephones from across the country while the overseas callers would have to dial 09666789333. Joy told the function that the Awami League government chalked up different plans to reach all services to people's doorsteps as it always thinks about the future of the country where people will not face any type of hurdle. ‘Our aim is to move forward fast, not slowly,’ he said, adding, the country is no more a poor country, now Bangladesh has achieved the criteria for graduation to developing nation from the status of the Least Developed Countries through proper planning and successful implementation. Joy said, ‘Now our target is to turn Bangladesh into a ‘Developed Country’ by 2041. It is believed that Awami League will be able to attain it ahead of its time, if the citizens of the country keep voting Awami League.’  The Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser said, ‘Our dream and electoral pledge was to achieve ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by 2021. Access to Information, Prime Minister's Office was the first to take on the responsibility of implementing ‘Digital Bangladesh.’  ‘We could present ‘Digital Bangladesh’ to our nation two to three years ahead of its time because of our speed of work and a2i's relentless efforts,’ he added.  Main objective of ‘Digital Bangladesh’ was to reach out to rural citizens with government services. And to attain the goal, we had introduced digital centers at union level as well as 3G and 4G networks in the country, he said, adding the citizens will not have to go to government offices, services will come at citizens' fingertip. Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mostafa Jabbar, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Secretary (Coordination and Reform) of Cabinet division NM Ziaul Alam, Acting Secretary of Prime Minister's Office Sazzadul Hasan and Chief Executive Officer of Robi Mahtab Hossain, among others, were present at the event with Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rhman in the chair. AH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who reached Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning from Rome concluding her four-day official visit to Italy and Vatican City, is set to return home on Saturday after making a stopover in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital. Reports BSS. ‘Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will return home on Saturday evening after making a stopover in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi,’ PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told BSS by phone from there. An Etihad Airways flight carrying the premier and her entourage landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Thursday morning when Bangladesh Ambassador to UAE Mohammad Imran and senior officials received her at the airport. The premier departed Leonardo da-Vinci Fiumicino Airport in Rome for Abu Dhabi at 10 am local time on Wednesady (3 am BST Thursday) winding up her four-day official visit to Italy and Vatican City. She attended the annual governing council meeting of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome and held meetings with Pope Francis and Secretary State of Vatican City Cardinal Pietro Paroline at the Vatican City. AH

Tigers surrender to Lankan experience after posting a mountain total of runs to chase through half centuries from Soumya and Mushfique and a fighting innings of Mahmudullah in the first T-20 mach of the series. The absence of Tamim and Shakib was reflected clearly throughout the match. Specially the team missed Shakib’s performance. No young bowler could make the breakthrough in the match the way Shakib does. Nazmul Islam Apu brought a chance but the rest of the bowlers could not maintain that. Chasing challenging total of 194 runs, Islanders Sri Lanka made a flying start scoring 90 runs for 2 in just 7.5 overs losing two top wickets of Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis and finally reached their target scoring match-winner 194 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 16.4 overs. Opener Kusal Mendis quick-fired 27 ball 53 runs featuring eight fours and two sixes, was adjudged the man of the match. Dasun Shanaka scored an unbeaten 42 runs off 24 balls hitting three fours and three sixes, Thisara Perera quick-fired not out 39 runs off just 18 balls including four boundaries and three overboundaries while opener Gunathilaka made 15-ball 30 runs with help of six boundaries.  Debutant left arm orthodox bowler Nazmul Islam Apu grabbed two wickets for 25 runs while another debutant Afif Hossain and pacer Rubel Hossain took one wicket each conceding 26 and 52 runs respectively.  Earlier, Youthful Bangladesh team scored their ever-highest in T-20 cricket making 193 for 5 in 20 overs against Sri Lanka in the first match of the two-match  series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday, featuring two half centuries and career best score by Mushfiqur Rahim (66) and Soumya Sarkar (51).  The previous highest score of Bangladesh was 190 for 5 against Ireland in Belfast on July 18 in 2012.   After the dismissal three top order batsmen for 100 runs in 10.3 overs, Tigers Captain Mahmudullah pairing with former Test Captain Mushfiqur Rahim guided the team toward a challenging total contributing 73 runs in the 4th wicket stand. Opener Soumya Sarkar fell victim of lbw scoring his maiden T20 fifty with 51 runs off 32 balls featuring six fours and two sixes leaving team total 100/2 in 10.1 overs. Mendis grabbed two wickets for 21 runs while Gunathilaka, Perera and Udana took one wicket each conceding 16, 36 and 45 runs respectively.  Earlier Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah opted to bat first after  winning the toss against the Islanders recruiting four debutants cricketers — all rounders Ariful Haque and Afif Hossain, batsman cum wicket keeper Zakir Hasan and left arm spinner Nazmul Islam.  Madushanka makes his T20I debut for Sri Lanka in the day’s match. AH

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has said that the government has a plan to construct the second Padma Bridge at Aricha-Daulatdia point. He said this in response to a written question of Feni-1 constituency parliament member Begum Shirin Akhtar in the parliament on Thursday. The Minister said, as part of the steps the Primary Development Project Plan was ethically approved recently by the Planning Commission. Financial assistance was sought to the development partner organizations to construct the bridge. The response is yet to receive. But after completion of the first Padma Bridge at Mawa-Jajira point, more active initiatives will be taken to construct the second Padma Bridge, he added. He further said, the overall physical development of Padma Bridge at Mawa-Jajira point is 51 percent. So far two spans of the bridge were placed and more one will be placed in March. We hope that the construction work will be completed in the stipulated time by placing the rest of the spans accordingly. AH 

Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Special Envoy former military ruler HM Ershad are the masterminds of sentencing Khaleda Zia. Khaleda Zia is the victim of vengeance of Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina. So she was sent to jail after giving sentence following government order in a false, arranged and polished case. He said these at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in the capital on Friday. Rizvi said, BNP has decided to hold gathering in Dhaka on February 22 with the demand of Khaleda Zia’s release from jail. For this the party sought permission to hold the program at Suhrawardi Udyan or in front of party office in Nayapaltan. He said, though one week has already passed after the verdict but the certified copy of the verdict is not being given following government order. The BNP leader said, the government delivered the mockery verdict against Khaleda Zia by doing forgery and polish. Because, the judge wrote the 632-page verdict in just 10 days. There are rules to provide copy of the verdict to the defendants within seven days but it is not being given. The copy of the verdict against Khaleda Zia is not being provided following government order. Surely the fictitious verdict is going to be revised following order from head of the government. And for that reason the late is happening to provide the copy of the verdict, Rizvi added. AH