Bangladesh
2 college students killed in Kushtia road accident
Two motorcyclists were killed in a head-on collision between their motorbike and a bus near Paikpara Mirzapur village in Kushtia’s Khoksa upazila.
The deceased were identified as Abu Musa ,18, and Parvez Hossain,18. Both of them were class XI students of Abu Taleb Degree College in Shomspur upazila.
SI Mozammel Haque of Khoksa Police Station, who was present on the spot, said the highway police will prepare a report and decide on whether a case should be filed or not.
According to witnesses, the Kushtia-bound motorcycle collided with the bus coming from the opposite direction, leaving them dead on Kushtia-Rajbari road around 1:30pm.
The bus driver and other staff fled the spot following the accident.
18 BNP activists arrested in Sirajganj
Police arrested 18 BNP leaders and activists conducting several drives across five upazilas in Sirajganj district.
The arrestees include district BNP vice president Amar Krishna Das, Kawakola union president Badal Mandal Gutu, Kalia Haripur union organizing Secretaries Monir Hossain Khan and Mamun alias Pora Mamun and others.
Sirajganj Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Md Hannan Mia said police conducted several drives in Sirajganj Sadar upazila, Raiganj upazila, Tarash upazila, Shahjadpur upazila, Belkuchi upazila and Enayetpur police station areas arrested 18 leaders and activists of BNP.
Bangladesh reports 68 more Covid-19 cases
Bangladesh reported 68 more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Thursday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,038,809, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,446 as no new fatalities were reported.
The daily case test positivity increased to 5.25 percent from Tuesday’s 4.23 percent as 1,294samples were tested.
The recovery rate remained unchanged at 98.4 percent. However, the death rate also remained unchanged at 1.44 percent.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.
Gazipur City Corporation election: Voting ends with no reports of violence
Voting in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election concluded with no reports of violence amid tight security measure on Thursday.
Beginning at 8 am, the voting continued till 4 pm without any break.
Counting of votes began shortly after the voting ended.
Early voting has been peaceful and the law and order situation is also good, said Zayeda Khatun, an independent mayoral candidate in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) elections.
She made the remark while talking to reporters after casting her vote at Kanaia Government Primary School polling station around 10 am.
There has been no complaint so far against the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), she said adding “I am hopeful about my victory in the election.’
Meanwhile, Gazipur City Corporation's (GCC) former mayor Jahangir Alam also cast his vote at the same polling station with his mother.
Eight candidates are contesting for mayoral posts in the election and there are 248 councillors and 79 female councilor candidates.
A total of 11,79,476 voters were eligible to vote and of them, 5,92,762 were men and 5,86,696 were women, and the number of transgender people was 18.
A total of 13,000 law enforcers have been deployed to maintain law and order during the election, said Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Molla Nazrul Islam on Wednesday.
Twenty platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members have been deployed alongside 30 teams of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Ansar members, said Returning Officer Faridul Islam.
China to set up agricultural machinery factories, industrial parks and research centres in Bangladesh
China has expressed keen interest to set up agricultural machinery manufacturing factories in Bangladesh, agro-industrial parks for agro-processing, and agricultural technology cooperation center for training of scientists and joint research.
Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen made the proposal at a meeting with Agriculture Minister Md Abdur Razzaque at the Secretariat on Thursday morning.
Welcoming the China's offer, the agriculture minister said the Bangladesh government will provide all kinds of assistance.
The minister also requested the Ambassador to provide more scholarships in the field of higher education for Bangladeshi scientists.
He said Bangladesh wants to maintain good relations with all countries keeping the national interest first.
“Bangladesh-China relations are very important for economic development and peace and stability in the region. There are many opportunities to boost cooperation in the field of agriculture between Bangladesh and China,” Razzaque said adding, “Cooperation in the agriculture sector will take Sino-Bangladesh bilateral relations to new heights.”
The agriculture minister also asked for China’s support to help repatriate the Rohingya people.
"Bangladesh is a small country with a population of 170 million. In such a situation, it is very difficult to ensure food, shelter, medical, and security for one million Rohingyas. Moreover, Rohingyas are also a threat to the security of the country,” he said.
In response, the Chinese ambassador said, “China is working sincerely to find a permanent solution to the Rohingya problem.”
While talking to reporters regarding the new US Visa policy for Bangladesh ahead of 12th parliamentary election – to be held later this year or earlier next year – the minister said, “The government is not worried and does not feel pressure about the US visa ban warning. This is a warning to everyone. It also applies to BNP.”
The minister also said that the new visa policy will discourage evil forces, unconstitutional forces in the country who want to come to power without elections following Pakistani style .
The minister said the next parliamentary elections will be held through a democratic process, adding that the Election Commission will hold the elections with the help of the government as per the constitution.
Bangladesh can make significant strides towards sustainable development: Roundtable
Country Manager of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Bangladesh Sudhir Muralidharan has said they believe that Bangladesh can make significant strides towards sustainable development by collaborating and innovating in this sector.
“The second edition of SDG Cafe successfully brought together experts and stakeholders to address the challenges and opportunities in decentralized renewable energy,” Sudhir said, adding that the collective knowledge and insights shared during the event will undoubtedly shape future initiatives.
SDG Café is a flagship event aimed at propelling sustainable development goals in Bangladesh.
It is focused on the theme "Challenges and Opportunities in Decentralized Renewable Energy in Bangladesh.
The event, held on May 24 at the UNOPS Bangladesh premises in Dhaka, provided a forum for relevant stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions and collaborate on effective strategies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDG Cafe gathered key stakeholders from the Government of Bangladesh, academia, think tanks, UN agencies, INGOs, bilateral and multilateral development partners, and policy advisories, according to UN Resident Coordinator’s Office.
The event fostered insightful discussions and meaningful dialogues, exploring current practices, innovative technologies, policies, and standards related to decentralized renewable energy in Bangladesh, focusing on achieving sustainable development goals.
The Keynote speaker for the roundtable, Dr. Ijaz Hossain, former Dean of Engineering of BUET and an expert in energy and environment, shared his valuable insights and expertise.
Dr. Hossain's knowledge further illuminated the challenges and opportunities in decentralized renewable energy, providing a foundation for collaborative efforts toward sustainable solutions.
Dr. Ijaz Hossain said, “Bangladesh needs to scale up its use of renewable energy urgently. And to accomplish this, participation from multi-sectoral stakeholders is crucial along with government initiatives.”
Experts from the energy sector and representatives from SREDA, BPDB, EU, World Bank, BBDF, UNDP and the UNRC actively participated in the event, enriching the discussions and contributing their expertise to drive positive change.
The SDG Cafe provided an engaging platform for knowledge exchange, inclusive dialogue, and partnership building.
The SDG Cafe is part of UNOPS Bangladesh's ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable development in Bangladesh.
Recovery of 3 bodies in Cox’s Bazar: Kidnappers set fire to bodies to hide evidences: Rab
Another suspect was arrested on Wednesday night in connection with the recovery of bodies of three friends from a remote hill in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
The arrestee is Emrul. With this, two people have been arrested so far in this connection.
was arrested from a remote area of Habibchhara hill, said Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam, commander of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab)-15 at a press conference at the battalion’s office on Thursday noon.
The Rab officer said the three friends- Mohammad Yusuf of Jalalabad Saudagar para area of Eidgaon upazila, Rubel of Chaufaldandi union and Imran of Nuniachara area of Cox's Bazar city- were going to Teknaf from the district town on April 28 last month to choose a bride.
A group of criminals obstructed the CNG-run auto-rickshaw carrying them on their way to Teknaf and took them into a deep hill, he said.
Later, the criminals demanded a ransom of Tk 30 lakh and sent a video clip of the torture to the victims’ families, the Rab office said.
As the ransom was not paid as per the demand, they killed the trio and burnt the bodies to hide evidences, he said.
However, the family members of the victims were in touch with the law enforcement agencies. But no one could be rescued alive as the kidnappers repeatedly changed their locations, according to the Rab officer.
Finally, one Syed Hossain alias Sonali Dakat was arrested from Teknaf with the help technology on Tuesday and the bodies of the trio were recovered from the hill on Wednesday noon as per the information given by him, he said, adding that the bodies are now at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
During the primary interrogation, the arrestees confessed that they had long been involved in the kidnapping and used to target well-off people for ransom.
The criminals used to bury the people, who or their families failed to meet their demand, in the hills so that no one could find their bodies, he said.
Dengue cases surge: 52 patients hospitalised in 24 hrs
Fifty-two more people were hospitalised with dengue in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
Of the new patients, 41 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 178 dengue patients, including 148 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 1,620 dengue cases, 1,429 recoveries, and 13 deaths this year.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
New visa policy merely to support democratic electoral process: Ambassador Haas
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Thursday said the newly announced visa policy was “merely their way of helping” to support democratic electoral process in Bangladesh.
He made the remarks while talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after his meeting with Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.
Ambassador Haas said they have discussed the new visa policy, among other issues, noting that this is something they have done in support of Bangladeshi people, Bangladesh government and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself and everyone here in Bangladesh who support a free and fair election.
Read more: Nothing to worry about new US visa policy; don't want arson, violence: Momen
He said the meeting with FM Momen was part of the regular series of meetings that they have. “We talked about US-Bangladesh relations, our growing relationship across a whole number of areas.”
Earlier, the US ambassador met the representatives of the major political parties and discussed the new US visa policy.
Representatives of the Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and Jatiya Party were present.
“We support free and fair elections. The new visa policy to restrict visas to those who undermine the democratic process applies to everyone," said Ambassador Haas.
SC upholds Mossadek Ali Falu’s acquittal in relief scam case
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday upheld the acquittal of BNP leader and businessman Mohammad Mosaddek Ali Falu in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on charges of embezzling relief tins.
An eight-member bench headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order after rejecting a review petition filed by the ACC against the acquittal.
Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajal appeared for Falu in the court. Advocate AKM Fazlul Huq appeared for the ACC.
Barrister Kajal said the ACC's review petition was rejected, resulting in the cancellation of the case.
“There were no further judicial proceedings left in the case. He was ultimately acquitted,” he said.
Falu ane five others were accused of embezzling relief tin in a case filed during the regime of army-backed caretaker government in 2007.
According to the case statement, Tk 4 lakh worth of tin was allocated to the poor people during his tenure as a parliamentary member from Dhaka-10 constituency. He was accused of embezzling those relief tins instead of distributing those to underprivileged people.
Falu challenged the legality of the charges in the case and filed a petition with the High Court to quash the case. The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim passed the order acquitting him of all the charges on March 7, 2018.
Later, the ACC filed a leave-to-appeal petition with the Appellate Division against the verdict. On June 2, 2021, the Appellate Division upheld the High Court's verdict quashing the case of embezzlement of relief tins against Falu.
In response, the anti-graft body filed an appeal with the Appellate Division seeking review of the verdict, which was dismissed today.