Sylhet, Nov 17 (UNB) – With their croplands filled with high yields of seasonal paddy Aman, farmers of Biswanath upazila are passionately taking their last-moment preparations for harvesting the silver crops.

Although the farmers have already started harvesting a new variety of paddy, ‘Agam Aman’, on a small scale, they will have to wait for another week to go for a full-swing harvest.

This season, Aman paddy was grown in over 13,470 hectares of lands across eight unions of the upazila where 9,200 hectares with Upushi (a variety of Aman) and 4270 hectares with local varieties, according to the local office of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

While visiting the areas, this UNB correspondent found the farmers enthusiastically taking all the necessary preparations for a bumper harvest.

Farmers and agriculture officers of the upazila are expecting record harvests of hybrid varieties of BINA-7, BR-11 and BRI-32, 39, 46, 51 and different other local varieties.

Ramjan Ali, upazila agriculture officer, said different varieties of Aman paddy have been cultivated as widely as targeted this year, putting smile on the faces of the farmers of the upazila.

Munshiganj, Nov 17 (UNB) – A convicted robber was killed in a reported gunfight with police at Paschim Baroikhali in Sreenagar upazila early Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Mohammad Tajel, 36, son of Din Islam Khorshed of Baghorar Rudrapara village.

Tajel was convicted to seven years' jail in a robbery case and also an accused in 10 other cases.

Md Yunus Ali, officer-in-charge of Sreenagar police station, said a team of police arrested Tajel from Monirampur upazila in Jashore on Friday at 10:30am.

Acting on his information, a team of police conducted a drive at Madankhali around 11 pm to recover arms.

When the team reached the area, his associates attacked the police and Tajel tried to flee, said the OC.

After a gunfight, police recovered his bullet-ridden body from the spot.

Police also recovered a pistol, three bullets and 100 Yaba pills from the spot.

Three policemen were also injured in the incident, the OC said.

Benapole, Nov 17 (UNB) – Three people, including a Jubo League leader, were injured in a bomb attack in front of a park in Sharsha upazila on Friday night.

The injured were identified as Shariful Islam Pipul, 42, joint general secretary of Ulashi union Jubo League, his associate Abdul Wahab, 35, and van-puller Abu Kashem, 34.

M Moshiur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sharsha Police Station, said a gang of miscreants hurled two crude bombs at a van when Pipul along with Wahab was returning home from Mirzapur around 9:30am, leaving the trio injured.

The injured were admitted to Jashore General Hospital.

Dhaka, Nov 17 (UNB) - The third committee of the UN General Assembly in New York has adopted a resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. 

A total of 142 countries voted in favour of the resolution and 10 countries stood against it while 26 countries refrained from casting votes on the resolution brought jointly by the European Union and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday.

Bangladesh and Austria placed the resolution on behalf of the OIC and EU respectively. 

A total of 103 countries, including the USA, Canada, Austria and Mexico  co-sponsored the resolution. 

The international community hopes that the resolution will play a significant role in ensuring sustainable rehabilitation of Rohingyas, said the press wing of Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations on Saturday. 

Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Masud Bin Momen said the resolution makes several references to Bangladesh as the host country for the forcibly displaced Rohingya. 

In its capacity as the Chair of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, Bangladesh submitted the draft resolution on behalf of the group and co-sponsored it. 

The resolution is yet another affirmation of the international community’s solidarity with the Rohingya, said Ambassador Momen. 

Last year, he said, the world had failed yet again to prevent the gravest crimes under international law committed against the Rohingya. 

Ambassador Momen said the resolution reaffirms that the Rohingyas must be allowed, on their own accord, to return to their homes or any place of choice in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Since August last year, Bangladesh has urged the international community to stand by it as Bangladesh engaged in renewed efforts to resolve the crisis through dialogue with Myanmar. 

With assurance from Myanmar, Bangladesh had agreed on November 15 to commence voluntary repatriation of individuals and families verified by Myanmar as Rakhine State residents. 

It, however, appeared that the Rohingya themselves were not sufficiently convinced by the words of assurance as not a single one of them came forward to avail of the option to return. 

They have instead made their voices heard seeking guarantees for a pathway to citizenship, entitlement to lands and compensation, protection from violence and reprisal, and dispensation of justice in Myanmar. 

The UN agencies concerned must be allowed access to ascertain the right environment for return, said Ambassador Momen.  

Jashore, Nov 16, (UNB) – A man was killed in a road accident while saving a child by pushing him out of path of an oncoming ambulance on Navaran-Satkhira highway at Satmail in Sharsha upazila on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Hussain Ali, 40, son of Lutfor Ali, a resident of the area and a businessman by profession.

Victim’s brother Zahidul said the accident took place at noon when his brother was trying to save a child from being hit by a speeding ambulance but sustained injuries.

Locals took him to a nearby clinic from where he was transferred to Jashore General Hospital as his condition deteriorated, but succumbed to his injuries around 05:10 pm, said Dr Rahitosh Das, a physician of the hospital.