Bangladesh
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden witnesses climate change resilience efforts in Bangladesh
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2023, visited Khulna and Chattogram on 19 March to witness firsthand the impact of climate change and UNDP's initiatives on climate change adaptation in Bangladesh.
With a focus on climate change adaptation and sustainable development, Crown Princess engaged with community members including climate displaced population particularly women, who have undergone transformational changes to become active change-makers in their communities. By immersing herself in locally-driven solutions, the Crown Princess gained invaluable insights into the development of comprehensive resilience models.
Throughout the day, the Crown Princess observed UNDP interventions undertaken in partnership with other UN agencies and the Governments of Bangladesh, with support from the Government of Sweden and other development partners.
In Moheshwaripur Union of Koyra Upazila, Khulna, she observed climate adaptation initiatives programme adopted by UNDP and UNCDF with support from the Swedish government. Additionally, she visited a UNDP-supported a2i digital service delivery center, where rural populations are empowered to access essential public services through ICT services and inaugurated a smart post center.
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A key highlight of the visit was the interaction with empowered female leaders championing locally-led adaptation approaches. In Jele Para Dakshin, Chattogram she interacted with a climate-displaced community and witnessed their resilience-building efforts led by women. The Crown Princess also observed innovative interventions, including an embankment wall constructed through collaboration between the UK and Bangladesh governments, facilitated by UNDP.
The visit also included a stop at the Asian University for Women in Chattogram, where Her Royal Highness interacted with female students and observed UNDP-supported initiatives, including innovative training courses aimed at empowering women and fostering sustainable development.
The Crown Princess was accompanied by Ulrika Modéer, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of External Relations and Advocacy at UNDP and Johan Forssell, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, State Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Stefan Liller, UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative, Alexandra Berg von Linde, Ambassador of Sweden to Bangladesh and others.
Her visit underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in tackling climate change and promoting gender equality, reaffirming UNDP's commitment to building resilient and inclusive communities in Bangladesh and beyond.
2 get life imprisonment for violating teenage girl in Tangail
A Tangail court on Tuesday sentenced two people to life imprisonment for violating a 13-year-old girl in 2022.
The convicts are Sagar Ahmed, 21, son of Aslam and Ahmed Nabil, 21, son of Abu Syed of Sakhipur upazila in Tangail district.
Tangail Woman and Child Repression Tribunal Judge Mahbubur Rahman handed down the punishment.
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According to the prosecution, Sagar developed a love affair with the girl, a resident of Basarchala in Sakhipur upazila.
On June 29, 2022, Sagar called the girl to meet him at a place at Basarchala village over phone.
When the girl appeared there, Sagar and Nabil took her to an abandoned place and violated her in turns.
On July 2, father of the girl filed a case against Sagar, Nabil and Farhad Hossain and police submitted chargesheet against them on February 28, 2023.
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After examining records and witnesses, the court acquitted Farhad as allegations brought against them could not be proved.
Govt to convert local post offices into smart service points: Palak
State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that the government has adopted a plan to convert local post offices into smart service points in the journey to build Smart Bangladesh.
As a result, post offices will provide more than 325 e-government services as well as regular postal services, he said.
In this continuation, even from remote villages, people can easily receive all e-government services including banking, agent banking services from those smart post service points, he added.
Along with economic inclusion, it will play an incredible role in eliminating the digital divide in the country.
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The state minister said these things while talking to reporters after inaugurating SmartPost Center Koira at Koyra in Khulna on Tuesday.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, inaugurated a Smart Service Point of Post Office in Koyra, Khulna.
Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Director General of Postal department Tarun Kanti Sikdar, and Policy Adviser of A2I, Anir Chowdhury were present at the event.
Palak said “Initially, we have started the work of converting 5 post offices into smart post centers on an experimental basis. SmartPost Centre, Koira is the first journey of this initiative. We will soon implement 500 more SmartPost Centers in continuation of this.”
He also emphasized on the need to create a digital inclusive society and said that our goal is to deliver services to the doorsteps of every person in the country, including remote areas, using the vast network of post offices, huge infrastructure and manpower.
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“We have started the journey to reach another dream destination of building Smart Bangladesh by 2041. With the smart postal system, it will be possible to deliver goods through various hubs centered around 10,000 post offices in the country,” he said.
The State Minister said the Smart Service Point (SSP) initiative is a concerted effort to integrate digital solutions with traditional postal services.
He expressed strong optimism that these service points will revolutionize accessibility and efficiency in rural areas of Bangladesh by hosting facilities like parcel tracking, bill payment and e-commerce facilities.
Hospitals asked to be ready to provide treatment to dengue patients: Health Minister
All hospitals across the country have been asked to take measures to provide proper treatment to the patients infected with dengue, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen.
“People will be made aware about mosquito breeding and dengue spread and we will take prevention in every ward, to make people aware, to make people understand dengue,” he said while speaking at an inter-ministerial meeting with the mayors of two city corporations about the prevention of dengue and chikungunya.
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“Patients infected with dengue have been asked to take treatment at hospital as soon as possible without any delay,” he said.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, who was present there, said DNCC is going to import BTI mosquito kill directly for the first time and work is going on.
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He also urged all to work together and take the responsibility by itself of their own organisations.
Gold to drop by Tk 1750 a bhori from Wednesday
Bangladesh Jeweller's Association (Bajus) has decided to reduce the gold price by Tk 1,749 per bhori from tomorrow (Wednesday).
Masudur Rahman, chairman of the Price Determination and Price Monitoring Standing Committee of Bajus confirmed this on Tuesday.
According to the Bajus, an association of gold traders, the gold prices will be slashed by 1.5 percent to Tk 111,158 per bhori (11.664 grams) from the existing Tk 112,907 a bhori, which was the highest in the country.
According to the new rate, the price of the best quality or 22-carat gold is Tk 1,11,158 per bhori, 21-carat gold is Tk 106,142 per bhori, 18-carat is Tk 90,989 and traditional gold is Tk 75,816.
The gold price marked an all-time high and reached Tk 1,01,244 per bhori in domestic market after the price hike on August 24.
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The price of gold increased but the price of silver remained unchanged.
According to the category, currently, the price of 22-carat silver is Tk2100 per bhori, 21-carat is Tk2006, 18-carat is Tk 1715 and the price of traditional silver is Tk 1283.
In line with the rise in foreign exchange, gold prices have risen significantly over the last couple of years.
Besides, the gold price increase in the global market was influenced by the Russia and Ukraine war and volatility in its supply in the domestic market.
Although Bangladesh does not import any significant quantity of gold, its prices are almost linked with international trends.
In Bangladesh, the annual demand for gold stands between 20 tonnes and 40 tonnes.
Focus on making Bangladeshi textile products popular in global market, President tells investors, engineers
President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Tuesday called upon businessmen, investors and textile engineers to focus on making Bangladeshi textile products more popular and attractive in the global market.
He said this when a delegation of Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) paid a courtesy call on President Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban.
President’s press secretary Joynal Abedin briefed reporters after the meeting with the delegation.
Butex vice-chancellor professor Dr. Shah Alimuzzaman briefed the President about the academic activities of the university.
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The President said that textile is one of the main sectors in the economy of Bangladesh and the highest foreign exchange earner in the current context.
He said the role of textile engineers in the modernisation and diversification of textile products is very important.
He also directed the university authorities to conduct academic activities following the global standard and ensure the best use of the information technology.
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During the meeting, the members of the delegation said that in 1957, when he was a minister of the then government, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman allotted land in Tejgaon for the construction of academic and residential buildings of the Textile Institute and started the construction of the institute. Later Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina established it as Bangladesh Textile University in 2010.
Secretaries of the President's office were also present.
Professor Dr Abu Taher made new Chittagong University VC
University Grants Commission (UGC) member and Professor of management department of Chittagong University (CU) Dr Md Abu Taher has been appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of the university.
The Education Ministry issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday.
With the approval of the President and Chancellor of the university and as per Section 12 (2) of the Chittagong University Act, 1973, Dr. Taher has been temporarily appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Chittagong University.
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The notification also states that the President, also the Chancellor of the university, can cancel the appointment at any time if deemed necessary.
Prof. Abu Taher, hailing from of Kanchana in Satkania upazila, completed higher education and research from Chittagong University, Inha University of South Korea and A & M University of Texas, USA.
After passing the BCS examination in 1985, Abu Taher started teaching at Government Commerce College. In 1995, he joined Chittagong University as a teacher in the Department of Management.
Later, he became a professor of the department in 2004.
Locals block Sylhet-Tamabil highway protesting rising road accidents
Traffic on Sylhet-Tamabil-Jaflong highway remained suspended since Tuesday morning as local people put up barricade at Jaintia Gate protesting frequent road accidents on the highway.
Local people under the banner of residents of Chiknagul Union, took to the road around 11 am and blocked the highway.
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The protesters demanded punishment of those involved in different road accidents in the past six months after arrest, driving of vehicles by unlicensed driver and under-age driver, conducting mobile court drive on the highway twice in a month, stopping transportation of cattle, buffalo and smuggled goods by pick-up vans, taking steps to stop movement of unauthorised CNG-run auto-rickshaw and movement of human haulers on highways.
Jaintapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sajedul Islam, Assistant superintendent of Gowainghat-Companiganj circle Shahidur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Jaintapur Model Policed Station Tajul Islam, Traffic Inspector of District Police Rafique Ahmed and Chiknagul union unit Awami League President Abul Hasan Chowdhury rushed to the spot and tried to settle the issue.
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Earlier on Monday, six people including three members of a family were killed and five others injured in a head-on collision between a pick-up van and hauman hauler on Sylhet-Tamabil highway at Darbast.
UNDP Goodwill Ambassador inaugurates smart post center in Khulna
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, inaugurated a Smart Service Point of Post Office in Koyra, Khulna on Tuesday to strengthen digital inclusion and facilitate access to public services leaving no one behind.
The Smart Service Point (SSP) initiative, a collaborative effort integrating digital solutions with traditional postal services, represents a significant stride towards realizing the vision of a Smart Bangladesh by 2041.
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Offering a spectrum of amenities such as parcel tracking, bill payment, and e-commerce facilitation, SSPs are revolutionizing accessibility and efficiency in rural areas of Bangladesh.
HC orders MP Salam Murshedy to hand over Gulshan house to govt
The High Court on Tuesday ordered Khulna-4 MP and vice president of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) Abdus Salam Murshedy to hand over his residence in Gulshan to the Housing and Public Works Ministry.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Ebadoth Hossain passed the order and asked Murshedy to complete the process within three months after receiving the copy of the verdict.
The court also said that the residence in Gulshan where Salam Murshedy is living is an abandoned property of the government.
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Senior Advocate Mohammad Syed Ahmed stood for Murshedy, Senior Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan for Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while deputy attorney general Saifuddin Khaled represented the state and Advocate Anik R Haque stood for the petitioner.
Advocate Syed said they will file an appeal petition challenging the verdict.
On October 30, 2022, Barrister Sayedul Haque Sumon filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking an inquiry into the allegations of corruption against the BFF official.
According to the writ petition, the house located in Gulshan-2 was listed as the abandoned house under the gazette in 1986. But Murshedy is living there after occupying it.
Three letters of the Housing and Public Works Ministry to the chairman of Rajuk issued on April 13, 2015, January 20, 2016 and July 4, 2022 were attached to the writ petition.
The Housing and Public Works Ministry sought explanation from Rajuk Chairman over the occupation of the house by Murshedy .
On November 1, 2022, the HC issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the inaction of the authorities concerned in taking legal steps against the AL lawmaker for occupying the house illegally, should not be declared beyond legal authority.
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It also asked the authorities concerned to submit all documents regarding the house to the court.
On February 8 this year, the ACC in its investigation found the allegations of forgery and fraud over the house true and on the basis of information of witnesses and documents, the ACC filed a case against five people including Murshedy.