Bangladesh
Obaidul Quader leaves for Singapore for health check-up
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader left for Singapore on Monday morning for a routine health check-up.
Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, left Dhaka on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight around 8.30am for a routine health check-up at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, said a press release signed by Sheikh Walid Fayez, senior information officer of the ministry.
Read more: Quader promises major remedial steps as AL smarts from polling debacles
He will return to Dhaka on January 4.
This AL leader has been suffering from chronic heart and lung problems for a long time. In 2019, three blockages were found in his coronary arteries.
Headmaster withdrawn over sexually assaulting female students
A headmaster of a school has been withdrawn for his involvement in the sexual assault of students in Chattogram on Sunday.
The accused is Md Alauddin, headmaster of Kapasgola Girls' School in the city.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the education department of Chattogram city corporation.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chowkbazar Police Station Ferdous Jahan said that there was a complaint of sexual harassment against the head teacher of Kapasgola school. He was blocked by agitated students on Sunday noon.
Read: CU student assault: 5 BCL activists remanded
On information, police visited the spot and brought the situation under control, added the OC.The accused headmaster Alauddin has been transferred from Kapasgola to South Patenga City Corporation High
School in the city. Halishahar Ahmad Mia City Corporation Girls High School Principal Roma Barua has been posted in his place.
A three-member investigation committee will be formed in this regard, according to the CCC.
Food Frontiers 2.0 launched to boost supply, consumption of nutritious, safe food
Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Business Network which, co-convened by Switzerland-based international organisation Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have launched an innovation challenge for young entrepreneurs to ensure the supply and consumption of nutritious and safe food for lower-income groups.
Food Frontiers 2.0 wants to find creative business concepts, inexpensive and scalable technical solutions, and campaign ideas to identify new and innovative ways to reach lower-income consumers with nutritious food products.
The application window for the innovation challenge already opened and will close on January 15.
Read More: More awareness needed to ensure safe food: Minister
A shortlist will be made after scrutinising the submissions received in the first round of selection.
Representatives from the selected businesses or ideas will attend a three-day residential boot camp session in the capital as part of investment readiness training and business expansion.
Seven winners (two each from three categories), including one reserved prize for the International Nutrition Olympiad, will get cash and pre-seed funding for implementing a business plan, expansion of the business, and infrastructure development.
Read More: Safe food to be ensured for all amid pressure over subsidy
Food Frontiers 2.0 wants to build the capacity of young entrepreneurs on sustainable food system approaches and business skills for managing a social enterprise.
Also, it aims to co-design business models that are geared towards improving the nutrition outcome of the food system, particularly for the most vulnerable; building a pipeline of potential investments for disruptive innovative ideas for the food system of Bangladesh.
The National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Agricultural University are the strategic partners of this event.
Read more: 'Digital agriculture can give Bangladesh's food, nutrition security a boost'
College teacher killed in tire explosion in N'ganj
A 35-year-old college teacher was killed and his wife injured when a tire of a speeding truck exploded in the Siddhirganj area of Narayanganj on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Jasimuddin Jasim, 35, a lecturer at Mirpur University College, hailing from Faridpur's Alfadanga.
The victim's wife Zubaida Sharmin,22, is now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College (DHMC) Hospital, said Bacchu Mia, inspector of the DMCH police outpost.
Read: JUST student among 3 killed as truck rams rickshaw van
Zubaida said that around 12pm, the wheels of the moving truck exploded while they were waiting for a bus to go to Mirpur at a bus stand adjacent to Chittagong Road Fish market. Both of them got injured and fell on the road.
A pedestrian named Sujon brought them to DMCH where Jasim succumbed to his injuries around 7pm, inspector Bacchu Mia said.
"The body has been kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy,'' said the inspector, adding that the concerned police station has been informed.
Attendees tight-lipped on inter-ministerial meeting to tackle propaganda, misinformation
The government has decided to deal with "anti-government propaganda" at home and abroad in a "coordinated way" and fight against misinformation by presenting correct information.
Representatives from the relevant ministries and departments will sit regularly to find effective ways to present correct information about Bangladesh against fabrication and misinformation.
The decision was taken at a meeting held at State guesthouse Padma on Sunday with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen in the chair.
Law Minister Anisul Huq, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and representatives from law enforcement agencies were present.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate the work.
Asked about the meeting, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said it was a closed-door meeting and there is nothing to share with the media.
Read more: Misinformation, fake news a grave concern, says Md Shahriar Alam
JUST student among 3 killed as truck rams rickshaw van
A student of the Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST) and two other people were killed on the Jashore-Chougachha Road after a truck crashed into a rickshaw van on Sunday, police said.
Two people were also hurt in the crash.
The deceased were identified as Narail's Farzana Nasrin Sumi (21), a third-year student of petroleum and mining engineering at JUST, and Zohra Khatun (45) of Sadar upazila.
The identity of another person killed in the crash, the van driver, could not immediately be confirmed.
Injured Amzad Ali, husband of Zohra, and Motasin Billah, 21, a student of physical education and sports science at JUST, are undergoing treatment at Jashore General Hospital.
Amzad said the accident occurred in the afternoon as they were returning home from Jashore General Hospital in the van along with others.
When they reached Amin Brick Kiln around 4:15pm, a Jashore-bound speeding truck of the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) hit their vehicle, killing three people on the spot, he added.
Tajul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Model Police Station, said they seized the truck but its driver and helper managed to flee.
Read more: MBSTU student killed in Tangail motorcycle crash
CTTC arrests 6 Al Qaeda, Taliban followers
Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested six followers of the International militant organization Al Qaeda and Taliban who left home to join 'jihad'.
A team of CTTC conducted a drive in Teknaf and arrested them, Md. Faruq Hossain, deputy commissioner of DMP’s media and public relations division, told UNB on Sunday.
Read: Rab arrests 25 'muggers' from Dhaka in a night
DMP's Additional Police Commissioner (CTTC) will hold a press conference on Monday to give details on this matter, he added.
2 deaf men crushed under train in Faridpur
In a tragic accident, two speech-impaired (due to deafness) men were crushed under the wheels of a train while crossing the rail tracks at Chatul union’s Baikhir railgate area in Boalmari upazila of Faridpur district on Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Jakaria, 35, and Mirzu, 36.
Mohammad Abdul Wahab, officer-in-charge of Rajbari Railway Police Station, said the accident took place when the Vatiapara-bound local train from Kalukhali hit two people while they were crossing the rail tracks, leaving them dead on the spot.
Read: JUST student among 3 killed as truck rams rickshaw van
“As both of them were speech-impaired, they could not hear the train horn,” he said.
On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to a local hospital morgue.
Legal action will be taken in this regard, the OC added.
Half-day halt in SC proceedings to honour Khandaker Mahbub
The judicial functions at the Supreme Court's Appellate and High Court Divisions will remain suspended for half-day on Monday in honor of eminent jurist Khandaker Mahbub Hossain.
This announcement was made by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique before the 4th Namaz-e-Janaza of Khandaker Mahbub at the Supreme Court premises this afternoon.
The judicial functions of the SC will be closed tomorrow in the second half of the day (after 1 pm) to pay respect to the memory of the four-time president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the former vice chairman of the Bar Council, advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, he added.He was the shining star of the Supreme Court and we lost a star like him, the Chief Justice said.
"Mahbub Hossain always showed respect to the judges and the court and his activities inspired us," added the Chief Justice.
Judges of the Appellate and HC Divisions; Attorney General AM Amin Uddin, Bangladesh Bar Council's Vice Chairman M Yusuf Hossain Humayun; former Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar; SCBA Secretary Md Abdun Nur Dulal; former SCBA Presidents Zainul Abedin and AJ Mohammad Ali, among others, also attended the janaza.
Khandaker Mahbub, also a vice chairman of BNP, breathed his last at 10:45pm last night while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
He will be buried at Azimpur graveyard in Dhaka after Zohr prayer on Monday after his fifth Namaz-e-Janaza at Khilgaon Matir mosque, said junior lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir.
AL factional clash in Chattogram sees 6 get shot
At least 20 people were injured, six of them with bullets, in a clash among different factions of Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jubo League over establishing supremacy centering a fair at Jorarganj in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram district on Sunday.
Zahid Hossain, in-charge of Jorarganj Police Station, said the supporters of Moin Uddin Titu, joint secretary of Jorarganj union unit Awami League swooped on the activists of BCL and Jubo League when they were returning home after closing a10-day victory day fair that began on December 22 in the upazila.
At one stage, both groups equipped with firearms attacked each other, leaving 20 people injured including six with bullets.
A chase and counter-chase took place during the hour-long melee.
Kawsar Ahmed Arif, vice-president of Chattogram North unit Chhatra League and Amzad Hossain Emon, deputy Liberation War Affairs secretary of North unit Chhatra League were among those who received bullet wounds.
Besides, Shahed Bin Kamal Anik, president of Jorarganj union unit Chhatra League, was critically injured as the attackers severed the tendon of his left leg.
Six motorbikes were vandalised during the clash.
The injured were taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital.
On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.