Top newsmakers celebrate with bdnews24.com

The second anniversary of bdnews24.com was celebrated Thursday with top news makers attending and the event being webcast live from the venue to viewers and readers worldwide.

The first-ever online newspaper of the country stepped into its third year on Oct. 23, celebrating the event at Radisson Water Garden Hotel.

"I don't think I'll live to see that day when every house will have internet and every child a personal computer. But the present government is serious about extending the internet to common people,' said finance adviser ABM Mirza Azizul Islam in his closing remarks onstage.

Adviser CS Karim, introducing tech.bdnews24.com onstage, said: "The next generation is the tech generation. The youth will be benefited from this site, and I wish them well."

Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed sent a message congratulating bdnews24.com on its second anniversary.

"Within a very short time it has been playing a crucial role in the free flow of information, which is a key pre-requisite for good governance."

The chief adviser hoped bdnews24.com would "continue to enlighten, entertain and empower new and emerging audiences in the digital age with reliable information".

"Tonight we were supposed to have been joined by two of our most prominent and most popular political leaders of our time," Toufique Imrose Khalidi, the editor-in-chief, said to the audience.

"The two former prime ministers, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, both have sent us their good wishes, to us at bdnews24.com and to you all."

He, however, did not enlarge on their absence.

Khaleda, the BNP chairperson, in her message said: "I am aware that there are so many users of your unique service in Bangladesh and also in many countries of the world. They are getting fast and reliable news of Bangladesh from you.

"I know over the last two years the number of users of bdnews24.com has increased at a phenomenal rate, " the former prime minister added.

A similar message came from Hasina, the Awami League chief.

She commended bdnews24.com's way of doing journalism.

"You are changing the face of journalism in this country," Hasina said.

Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda also congratulated bdnews24.com.

"bdnews24.com has done wonders in online journalism in the span of just two years," the CEC said in a message.

Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar wished the success of the anniversary programme and said, "I am confident that bdnews24.com will serve the nation by providing the latest news and views with proper and realistic approach and perspective."

"As we celebrate bdnews24.com, we celebrate the power of the Internet," said Khalidi. "When we celebrate the power of the Internet, we actually celebrate people power. Internet is free and accessible to all, rich and poor, weak and mighty,"

"And when top leaders of Bangladesh's 150 million people—leaders from all different fields—join us in this celebration, we get truly excited."

New websites for sports fans and youth were launched on the night, while pages on glitz, arts, technology, cricket and kids were introduced.

Among the celebrities and guests present at the function included advisers, political leaders, diplomats, business and corporate chiefs, IT innovators, poets, writers, artists and famous sportsmen.

The glittering event opened with the chief editor's speech followed by a short film on bdnews24.com's breaking role in online journalism in Bangladesh.

"The name and reputation [of bdnews24.com] as an online news provider has spread even further as a news institution," said former BBC journalist Ataus Samad on the film. "It's much bigger than you may think it is."

The celebrations ended with advisers, CPB president Manzurul Ahsan Khan, AL leader Dr Dipu Moni, journalism professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, DU vice-chancellor Prof SMA Faiz, former finance minister M Sayeduzzaman, Prof Khan Sarwar Murshid, DUTA president Prof Sadrul Amin, JP presidium member GM Quader, BNP chairperson's adviser ASM Hannan Shah joining Khalidi on stage to cut the cake.

Online news agency BDNEWS started its journey in 2005. Its management changed in the mid-2006 and bdnews24.com took flight on Oct. 23 in 2006.

Reaching news to the broadest spectrum of society, from policymakers to students, have never been easier thanks to as-it-happens voice updates, a range of SMS news alerts on mobile phones and on-site Internet radio.

In partnership with Reuters Thomson, the world's largest international multimedia news agency, it provides investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information.

Breaking newer grounds with cutting-edge technologies and ethical journalism, it reaches 100,000 unique readers a day, with nearly 90 million hits and 12 million pages viewed a month.

According to the September 2008 statistics, highest number of readers log on to bdnews24.com. Readers use no less than one lakh computers to surf the website and at least nine crore times every month. They browse some one crore 20 lakh pages on the site each month.

The country's first web-based 24-hour bilingual news provider is also the first to launch mobile and news-based WAP sites. It owns the first Bangla-language WAP site, with thousands reading bdnews24.com content on mobiles and PDAs. It has also rolled out internet radio, another first, in partnership with world-famous BBC, VOA and Deutsche Welle.

Those who attended the included: finance adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam, agriculture adviser CS Karim, former chief justice Mustafa Kamal, former finance minister M Syeduzzaman, former information minister M Shamsul Islam, former ministers Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Dr A Moyeen Khan and Dr Osman Farruk, former caretaker adviser Geete Ara Safia Chowdhury, AL leader Dr Reza Kibria, CPB president Monzurul Ahsan Khan and general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Hasanul Huq Inu, BNP leader ASM Hannan Shah and former Jatiya Party lawmaker GM Quader, judges and lawyers, including barrister Rafiq-ul-Huq.

Public Service Commission chairman Sa'dat Hussain, Tax Ombudsman Khairuzzaman, chairman of the Energy Regulatory Commission Golam Rahman, secretary to CA Kazi Aminul Islam, telecommunication secretary Mahbubur Rahman, home secretary Abdul Karim, expatriates' welfare and overseas employment secretary Abdul Matin Chowdhury, rural development and cooperative secretary ATM Fazlul Karim, commerce secretary Feroze Ahmed, energy secretary Md Mohsin, water resources secretary Md Ayub Mia, NBR chairman Abdul Mazid, formar deputy speaker prof. Ali Ashraf, playwright Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, former foreign secretary Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, comptroller and auditor general Ataul Hakim, Dr M A Taslim and Syed Mahmudul Huq of Bangladesh Better Business Forum, BTRC commissioners, BSS chief Editor Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, CID chief and Dhaka police chief also attended the celebration dinner.

Russian ambassador Dr Gennady P Trotsenko, Iranian ambassador Hasan Farazandeh, Chinese embassy counsellor Liu Sanzhen, deputy chief of the US embassy Geeta Pasi, Hevey Sernovitz of the American Centre, Dan Biers of the US embassy, IOM regional representative Rabab Fatima, FAO country representative AD Spijkers, IUCN country director Dr Ainun Nishat and former ambassador Waliur Rahman also joined the event.

ICC, Bangladesh president and former FBCCI president Mahbubur Rahman, FBCCI president Annisul Huq, BGMEA president Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury, BKMEA president Fazlul Hoque, former FBCCI president and Eastern Bank chairman Mir Nasir Hossain, president of Womens' Entrepreneurs Association Nasreen Awal, former American Chamber president Aftabul Islam, City Cell CEO Michael Seymore, One Bank chairman Shahidullah Khan Badal, CitiBank NA Bangladesh managing director Mamun Rashid, Janata Bank director Dr Fahmida Akter, MGH Group chairman Ghaziul Haque, DSE President Abdul Haque, Multimode Group directors Tabith Awal and Tafsir Awal, management consultant Naila Chowdhury, IT innovator and Bangladesh Computer Samity president Mustafa Jabbar and President of Women's Chamber Selima Ahmed were present.

Dhaka University vice-chancellor SMA Faiz, Prof Khan Sarwar Murshid, journalists Shafik Rehman, Muzammil Husain Monju, Sanullah Lavlu, Azadi editor MA Malek, poet Al Mahmud, writer Hasan Azizul Huq, essayist and professor Dr Azfar Hossain, TV legend Mustafa Monwar, actress Dilara Zaman, actor Aly Zaker, singers Syed Abdul Hadi, Rizwana Chowdhury Bannya, Maksudul Haque and Nasim Ali Khan, actress Tarana Halim, former national cricket captains Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, Habibul Bashar Sumon and Khaled Mashud Pilot, Riaz al Mamun and cricket organiser Sajjadul Alam Bobby also came.

A large number of senior bankers, corporate chiefs and media professionals also attended the dinner.

Asif Mahmood, chairman of Bangladesh News 24 Hours Ltd, was present.