Bangladesh
Two brothers held with 10 gold bars in Benapole
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) claimed to have apprehended two brothers with 10 gold bars from near Customs House in Benapole on Thursday.
The two have been identified as Milon Hossain, 28, and his younger brother Hiron Mian, 25, son of Shahfiqul Islam of Munshipur village in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga.
Read: Man held with Tk. 1.8 crore worth gold
Lieutenant Colonel Shahed Minhaj Siddique, commandant of BGB-49, said on a tip-off, their team nabbed the duo from near Customs House around 9am and seized the 10 gold bars weighing around 1.1kg.
A case has been filed against the brothers at Benapole Port police station in this connection, he added.
50-yr-old woman crushed by train in Rajshahi
A 50-year-old domestic help on her way to work was crushed under the wheels of a speeding train in Rajshahi city early on Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Sabera Begum, wife of late Alauddin of Aliganj Modhypara under Rajpara police station of the city.
Read: University student crushed under train wheels in Natore
Anisuzzaman, sub-inspector of Rajshahi Railway Police Station, said Sabera came under the wheels of Banatala Express as she was crossing the track at Dhingadova Pathar Intersection around 7am.
The body has been handed over to the woman's family, the police officer added.
'Media a key tool to promote safe migration'
Speakers at a workshop on Thursday said that media can play a vital role in ensuring safe migration in a world where unsafe migration kills people, destroys families and drain resources.
They said migration is a national, international and geopolitical issue responsible handling could help people avoid irregular migration.
The views came at the workshop titled "Migration and Media" organised by International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in cooperation with Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at a city hotel.
Read:'Migration from Bangladesh to Japan shaped people-to-people contact'
Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, Chief of Mission, IOM Bangladesh Abdusattor Esoev and DCAB President Rezaul Karim Lotus spoke at the inaugural session moderated by former Foreign Secretary and Senior Policy Advisor IOM Bangladesh Shahidul Haque.
Shahidul conducted a session titled "Global Migration Trends and Issues; Challenges and Options for Bangladesh" while there is another session on "Migration Diplomacy: Bangladesh Perspective" by Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen.
Speaking in the inaugural session, the EU envoy highlighted the power of media and said media plays an important role.
Read:Bangladesh can’t & shouldn’t bear Rohingyas’ responsibility alone: IOM
He appreciated Bangladesh government's efforts to address the challenges in terms of migration management.
Bangladesh as a major country in sending migrant workers has been at the forefront of shaping policy discourse particularly through leading the processes related to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and protecting the rights of migrants through national initiatives.
While significant progress has been made in the arena of migration governance and related issues, there is a need to enhance the understanding of key stakeholders including journalists, the speakers said.
Bangladesh a key player in fight against climate change, says British envoy
British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson said on Thursday that Bangladesh is playing a key role globally to encourage high emitting countries to cut emissions of greenhouse gases while setting the example as a strong resilient nation against the impacts of climate change.
"The UK and Bangladesh partnered closely in the run up to COP26 to raise global ambition, and we continue to work closely to turn commitments into action," he said.
It was great to hear fresh thinking on mitigation, adaptation and climate finance from experts and passionate young people, said the British High Commissioner to Dhaka while speaking at a discussion in the city.
Read:John Kerry admires Bangladesh’s climate change adaptation, mitigation efforts
The British High Commission in Dhaka organised the event with representatives from the government of Bangladesh, policymakers, NGOs, and youth organisations on how to work together in building momentum for solutions to climate change in Bangladesh—one of the most vulnerable countries as a low-lying delta nation in the world.
The discussion was held at the residence of the British High Commissioner where young climate change activists from Bangladesh Youth Environment Initiative (BYEI) shared their ideas with climate experts and policy influencers such as Waseqa Ayesha Khan MP, Chair, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and Co-Chair, Climate Parliament; Professor Saleemul Huq, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development; Farah Kabir, Country Director, Action Aid Bangladesh; and Md Mahbub ur Rahman, CEO, HSBC Bangladesh.
Organised ahead of COP27 in November, the aim of the event was to strengthen UK-Bangladesh cooperation on climate change by exchanging views and practical suggestions for action at all levels.
The chief focus was given to views from young people who will have to face the harsh impacts of climate change in the years ahead more than anyone else.
Read:Climate disasters, debt a vicious cycle, say 58 vulnerable economies
The debate highlighted the difficulties of transitioning to clean energy and the costs of adaptation, particularly among vulnerable countries like Bangladesh.
The UK is committed to working with Bangladesh in tackling the adverse effects of climate change, according to the British High Commission in Dhaka.
The UK government is currently supporting Bangladesh’s work on expanding renewable energy to help meet Bangladesh’s target of 40% of the country’s energy from clean and renewable sources by 2041.
Bangladesh is finalising its National Adaptation Plan, and is calling on developed countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions and keep their commitment in providing financing.
School teacher sent to jail for sexual harassment of minor in Thakurgaon
A school teacher has been remanded in judicial custody by a court in Thakurgaon in connection with the sexual harassment of a minor student.
The accused has been identified as Tula Ram Paul, 38.
SM Jahid Iqbal, officer-in-charge of Ranisankail police station, said they arrested the accused after the girl's father lodged a complaint on Wednesday.
Read: Madrasa teacher held for ‘sexual-assault attempt’ on student
Later, the accused was produced in a Thakurgaon court that sent him to judicial custody.
According to the case statement, the teacher allegedly harassed the girl sexually after taking her to a room of the school on Tuesday morning.
The accused fled when she started screaming. The girl later narrated her ordeal to her parents.
Elderly man beaten to death in Kurigram, sister dies of shock
A 70-year-old man was beaten to death allegedly by his neighbour over the cutting of a tree in Sadar upazila of Kurigram on Wednesday night.
On the other hand, the victim’s elder sister also died after witnessing the attack.
The deceased was identified as Abul Kalam Azad, while her elder sister Sakina Begum was 75. They were residents of Raipur village under Kathalbari union of the upazila.
Locals and police said that Abul had an altercation with his neighbour Dulal Mia over cutting branches of a mango tree adjacent to their house on Wednesday afternoon.
Armed with sharp weapons and sticks, Dulal attacked Abul in his house around 9pm, leaving him critically injured, they said.
He was rushed to Kurigram General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Read: Swechchashebak activist beaten to death in Shariatpur
Md Shahriar, officer-in-charge of Kurigram Sadar police station, said Sakina suddenly collapsed after witnessing the attack carried out on her brother by the neighbour.
Later, she was rushed to the hospital where doctors also pronounced her dead, the OC said.
Four people have been detained in this connection, he said.
Payra Port has so far earned revenues worth over Tk 600cr: PM Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday urged the global community to end the Russia-Ukraine war, withdraw sanctions and allow people, who have nothing to do with the war, to have a shot at a better life.
“I urge people of the world, this war must be stopped, sanctions have to be withdrawn, people need to have a scope to live their lives,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said this while inaugurating some development projects, including capital dredging at Payra Port, aiming to equip it with better facilities for smooth operations.
The Prime Minister virtually inaugurated the development projects from her official residence Ganabhaban.
Other inaugurated projects included eight ships and vessels, first terminal, construction of a six-lane approach road and a bridge at Payra Port.
Read: Power flow set up from Payra plant to Rampal sub-station.
The PM said that the entire world, including developed countries, are facing acute energy and electricity crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We are facing the impact too. Prices of everything shot up suddenly due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war and sanctions,” she said.
The masses are bearing the brunt, Hasina observed.
“They are in pain. I don’t know who is making profit… may be those who produce and trade arms, but general people, not only in Bangladesh but also around the world, are suffering a lot,” she said.
The Prime Minister briefly described the projects initiated for development of the naval routes and said that Bangladesh’s economy would be more vibrant, stronger and developed once the measures taken are completed.
She said the government has been developing roads, railway, air and waterways but the priority is developing the naval routes across the country to ensure transportation of goods at the cheapest rate.
She stressed the need for dredging the naval routes every year, after their capital dredging, to ensure navigability.
said her government is arranging dredgers for every seaport, as maintenance dredging is required every year to ensure navigability.
Read: Stay united to take Bangladesh forward: PM urges after dedicating Payra plant as her Ramadan, Eid gift
The PM said the government wanted to connect the seaport with north Bengal and it can also connect Assam of India and Bhutan. In this connection, she said that her government had already allowed India, Nepal and Bhutan to use Mongla and Chattogram seaports.
She said the Payra Port has special importance as it is situated in between Mongla and Chattogram ports. Payra Port has so far earned revenues worth over Tk 600 crore since operations started.
Sheikh Hasina said she had to face opposition from many when she wanted to establish the Payra Port. The claim was that it would not be viable.
Read ‘No Hawa Bhaban and development wing at PMO to share your profits with.’
She said that after taking office, she took every measure following the footsteps of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She quoted Bangabandhu as saying that socio-economic development of Bangladesh would happen due to its geographical position.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Shipping Secretary Md. Mostafa Kamal and Chairman of the Payra Port Authority Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail also spoke at the event.
A documentary on the development of the Payra Port was screened at the programme.
Dhaka's air quality is still 'unhealthy'
Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone on Thursday.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 146 at 8.30am, the metropolis ranked eighth in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi and the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 266, 167 and 162, respectively.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
Read: Dhaka’s air quality stays ‘unhealthy’
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Rule of Law Index: Bangladesh slips 2 notches to 127th among 140 countries
Bangladesh ranked 127th out of 140 countries on the Rule of Law Index 2022, slipping two positions from last year.
This year, Bangladesh scored 0.39 out of 1, where 1 indicates the strongest adherence to the rule of law. Last year, the country's score was 0.40.
The country's score placed it at the fourth spot out of six countries assessed in South Asia, according to the 2022 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index released on Wednesday (October 26, 2022).
Read US democracy has its own flaws, says a new survey
Nepal was the top performer in the region with a global ranking of 69, followed by Sri Lanka at 74 and India at 77.
Bangladesh, Pakistan (129 globally), and Afghanistan (138th globally) had the lowest scores in South Asia.
Globally, Denmark, Norway, and Finland topped the WJP Rule of Law index. Venezuela, Cambodia, and Afghanistan had the lowest overall scores.
Read ‘Some abuses are reported while implementing any new law’
For the fifth consecutive year, the rule of law weakened in more countries than those in which it improved (85 versus 54, with one unchanged). More than 4.4 billion people live in countries where the rule of law weakened in the past year. This is equivalent to 56 percent of the world's population.
According to the accompanying report, the continued deterioration of the rule of law this year can be explained by three factors: a weakening in constraints on government powers; an erosion in fundamental rights, caused by growing authoritarianism and the shrinking of civic space; and the deterioration of civil justice, mainly due to increasing discrimination, delays in proceedings, and the weakening of enforcement mechanisms.
The Index presents a portrait of the rule of law in 140 countries and jurisdictions by providing scores and rankings based on eight factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.
Read Law protects non-disclosure of sources in investigative journalism: High Court
The WJP Rule of Law Index 2022 is the latest report in an annual series measuring the rule of law based on global surveys of more than 154,000 households and 3,600 legal practitioners and experts. The period of data collection for the 2022 data was February 2022 through June 2022.
Gazipur police apologise for state of Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway
Traffic Division of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) expressed their apologies to commuters on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway for sufferings caused by a narrow space in Millgate area of Tongi.
They made the statement in a Facebook post uploaded on their verified Facebook page on Wednesday night.
The post said the government acquired 15 acres of land to widen the space to reduce the suffering of commuters permanently.
The traffic division has constantly been working to address the problem soon, the post said.