Bangladesh
Mild heatwave sweeps Bangladesh
A mild heatwave is sweeping through Bangladesh and it may continue, the weather department said on Friday morning.
“A mild heatwave is sweeping through the districts of Faridpur, Sirajgong, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Mymensingh, Cumilla, Chandpur, Feni, Satkhira, Jashore, Chuadanga, Kushtia and Bhola, and it may continue, “ Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said in a bulletin.
Read: Rains likely to quell heat in Bangladesh
Besides, light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds and lightning flashes are likely to occur at many places over Barishal, Chattogram and Khulna divisions and at a few places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Dhaka and Mymensingh divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at isolated places over the country.
Day temperature may rise slightly over the northern part of the country and it may remain nearly unchanged elsewhere over the country. Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, the department said.
Read: Mild heat wave sweeps parts of country
The maximum temperature was recorded at 36.6 degrees Celsius in Tarash upazila of Rajshahi in 24 hours till Friday morning.
When Queen Elizabeth II came to Bangladesh
Britain’s now-late Queen Elizabeth II visited Bangladesh on November 14, 1983. Prior to that, in 1961, she came to Dhaka, which was then the capital of east Pakistan.
In November 1983, the queen accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, attended a low-key ceremony led by the country’s then military president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, as reported by UPI.
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband were taken by a motorcade to the State Guest House where they last stayed in 1961.
Also read: Bangladesh declares 3 days of mourning for Queen
The royal couple stayed in Bangladesh from November 14 to 17, 1983, before leaving for New Delhi, India, where the queen opened the Commonwealth Summit.
The then military government of Bangladesh had spent $2 million on giving Dhaka a facelift for the queen’s visit despite World Bank calling Bangladesh the third poorest country in the world back then.
Colourful posters of Queen Elizabeth II, banners reading “Long live Bangladesh-United Kingdom friendship” and Union Jack flags lined the 18-mile route from the airport.
Among the highlights of Queen Elizabeth’s Bangladesh trip was a visit to the National Memorial, where she laid a wreath to honour those martyred during the Liberation War of 1971.
Also read: PM Hasina mourns death of Queen Elizabeth-II
The queen travelled by train to visit a “model village” – 35 miles south of the capital Dhaka – and watched how rice is turned into “muri”, handicrafts, including quilts and pottery.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Save the Children centre in Dhaka and met beneficiaries. Bangladesh Railway presented Her Majesty a wooden plaque with metal relief and a scrolling leaf border.
PM Hasina mourns death of Queen Elizabeth-II
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed profound shock and grief at the death of the Queen Elizabeth-II.
She wrote a letter on Thursday to convey condolence to her UK counterpart Elizabeth Truss MP, said a PMO press release on Friday.
The Bangladesh premier wrote, ‘I, on behalf of the Government and the people of Bangladesh, and on my behalf, convey to you the most profound shock and grief, and through you, our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the people of the United Kingdom at the sudden passing away of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth The Second."
"Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved Royal family members and the mourning people of the United Kingdom as we pray for the eternal peace and salvation of Her Majesty’s departed soul," said Hasina.
Also read: Bangladesh declares 3 days of mourning for Queen
She mentioned that Her Majesty the Queen was not only the pillar and strength of the 2.5 billion Commonwealth people but also an epitome of grace, dignity, wisdom, and service. She wrote, "As the most legendary and longest reigning Monarch in the world’s contemporary history, Her Majesty set the highest standards of duty, service, and sacrifice and left an unmatchable legacy of dedication to her countless people around the world."
The Bangladesh PM reinforced that Her Majesty will remain a tremendous source of inspiration, courage, and strength for our nationals, who will be recalled with great reverence for her two historic royal visits to the home of the Bengali people.
She said, "The memoirs between Her Majesty and our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the UK and two Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings in Ottawa and Kingston will remain everlasting. I greatly admire our last personal interactions at the 2018 CHOGM in London."
She mentioned that Her Majesty’s most passionate message of felicitation extended to the people of Bangladesh on the Golden Jubilee of our independence - ‘We share ties of friendship and affection, which remain the foundation of our partnership and are as important today as fifty years ago.’ - shall be carried forward heart to heart over and over again while nourishing the relations between the two Commonwealth Nations.
Also read: Key milestones in Queen Elizabeth II’s life
"With her saddest demise, the people of Bangladesh and I, personally, have not only lost a most trusted friend but also a true guardian," she added.
Sheikh Hasina offered her prayers for bequeathing courage and fortitude to the members of the Royal family and the people of the United Kingdom, the realms, and the Commonwealth to withstand this irreparable loss.
Bangladesh declares 3 days of mourning for Queen
Bangladesh on Friday declared three days of national mourning in memory of British Queen Elizabeth II who died on Thursday after 70 years on the throne.
From September 9 to September 11, the national flag will be kept at half-mast at all government, semi-government and autonomous organisations, educational institutions, non-government buildings and Bangladesh missions abroad, according to a notification issued by the Cabinet division.
Special prayers for the departed soul will also be arranged, as per the notification.
Also read: Queen Elizabeth II: Britain's longest reigning monarch, no more
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch died on Thursday afternoon at the age of 96.
The Buckingham Palace announced that she died at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland, in the presence of members of the Royal Family.
Dhaka’s air quality remains ‘unhealthy’
Dhaka’s air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone on Friday morning.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 101 at 9.10am, the metropolis ranked 10th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
Pakistan’s Lahore, India’s Delhi and South Africa’s Johannesburg occupied the top three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 181, 159 and 141, respectively.
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Also read: Dhaka’s air quality turns ‘unhealthy’ again
Similarly, 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.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Also read: Dhaka’s air quality turns ‘moderate’
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy during winter and improves during monsoon.
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction works, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
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 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.
Global Covid cases top 612 million
The overall number of global Covid cases has now crossed 612 million amid a rise in new infections in parts of the world.
According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 612,521,932 while the death toll reached 6,512,972 on Friday morning.
The US has recorded 96,959,165cases so far and 1,074,787people have died from the virus in the country, both highest counts around the world.
Also read: Bangladesh sees one more Covid death, 388 cases
India recorded 3,775 new Covid-19 infections in 24 hours, taking the total tally to 44,482,411, official data showed on Thursday.
According to federal health ministry data released on Thursday morning, with the fresh cases, India's active caseload currently stands at 54,117.
The country also logged 33 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 528,090, the ministry said.
Covid in Bangladesh
Also read: Global Covid cases near 612 million
Bangladesh reported one more Covid-linked death and 388 cases in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,330 and caseload to 2,014,077, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case test positivity rate rose to 7.40 percent from Wednesday's 6.94 percent as 5,241 samples were tested.
The deceased was a woman from Dhaka division.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent while the recovery rate dropped to 97.22 percent.
BFSA donates Tk 32.50 lakh for Ashrayan project
The Bangladesh Foreign Service Association (BFSA) has donated Tk 32.50 lakh to build homes for the homeless under the Ashrayan project of the government that is being run out of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
BFSA president Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury handed over the cheque to senior secretary of PMO MD Tofazzel Hossain Miah on Thursday.
The project director of Ashrayan-2, BFSA general secretary and treasurer were present during the occasion.
Earlier, BFSA had donated the funds to build 10 houses for landless people under the same project.
Also read: Grade-3 student Jannat now dreams to be a doctor getting Ashrayan house
Tasia Securities team up with Asian Tiger Capital Partners
Tasia Securities and Asian Tiger Capital Partners Asset Management have signed an agreement for broker services.
According to the deal, Tasia Securities will provide brokerage services to all mutual funds managed by Asian Tiger Capital.
Syed Anwar Hossain, chief executive officer of Tasia Securities, and Md Manzurul Alam, chief executive officer of Asian Tiger Capital, signed the agreement in the capital, according to a media statement.
At the signing ceremony, Tanveer A Mishuk, managing director of mobile financial services provider (MFS) Nagad, and Mohammad Aminul Haque, executive director of the MFS, were also present.
Also read: BSEC show caused 15 brokerage houses for unethical practices
Momen mourns Akbar Ali Khan's death
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has expressed shock and deep sorrow at the death of former adviser to the caretaker government and prominent economist Dr Akbar Ali Khan.
Akbar Ali passed away in Dhaka Thursday night after a prolonged illness. He was 78.
Momen prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and extended his heartfelt sympathy to Akbar Ali's family.
Also read: Dr. Akbar Ali Khan: A farewell to the Professor of integrity
10 including Ansar members hurt in clash with Sitakunda slum-dwellers
At least 10 people including police and Bangladesh Ansar members were injured during a clash with illegal occupants of Jangal Salimpur in Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram Thursday.
The incident occurred in the afternoon when law enforcers went to visit a spot in Alinagar area where a camp of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) will be established, said Abul Kalam Azad, Officer-in-Charge of Sitakunda police station.
Six of the injured were identified as Ansar member Bablu Mandal, 28, slum dweller Md Aliraj Hossain, 26, Amena Begum,35, Amena Begum, 50, Md Parvez and Md Rasul,20. They have been sent to Chattogram Medical College and hospital, said the OC.
As the illegal occupants started throwing brick chips at the administrative officers on visit, police was forced to fire rubber bullets in defence, said OC Abul Kalam.
On August 30, the district administration warned of an eviction drive to the illegal occupants of Jangal Salimpur if they don’t relocate willingly.
Also read: Over 400 BNP members booked over Faridpur clash