Bangladesh
Youth stabbed to death in Dhaka's Sutrapur
A youth was stabbed to death in the city's Sutrapur early Monday.
The deceased was identified as Javed Ali, 36, an electrician. He was residing at a rented house with his family members in the Dholaikhal Rokanpur area under the Sutrapur police station.
The incident took place at the Dholaikhal Rukunpur area just after midnight on Sunday, technically early Monday.
Mohammad Azim, the deceased's uncle, said his nephew was an electrician. He didn't know why his nephew was stabbed and who was involved in this incident.
Read: 35-yr-old stabbed to death in Dinajpur
"But my nephew told me in a bloody state that a young man named Shawon stabbed him and ran away. He disclosed the name to me as I tried to rescue him in critical condition and take him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH)," he added.
After being taken to the emergency department of the hospital, the doctor on duty declared him dead around 1:15 AM.
DMCH police camp in charge Inspector Md. Bachchu Mia said the body has been kept at DMCH morgue for post-mortem.
DPDC publishes areas earmarked for load shedding
Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) has published a list of the areas where it plans to carry out load shedding from 10 am to 10 pm from Tuesday.
The areas include Adabar, Azimpur, Banasri, Banglabazar, Bongshal, Basabo, Demra, Dhanmondi, Jhigatola, Jurain, Kakrail, Kamrangirchar, Khilgaon, Lalbagh, Maniknagar, Matuail, Mogbazar, Motijheel, Mugdapara, Narinda, Paribag, Postgola, Rajarbagh, Ramna, Satmasjid, Shyamoli, Sherbangla Nagar, Shyampur, Swamibagh and Tejgaon. Narayanganj includes Fatulla, Kajala, East and West Narayanganj, Siddhirganj and Shitalakshya.
Read: Saving electricity: Bangladesh to begin daily one-hour staggered load-shedding from Tuesday
The list was published on the website of the DPDC. Follow the link here https://dpdc.gov.bd/site/page/d5768701-6e99-48eb-bd83-4b5f06b714d4
However, the list was published in a technical sheet which is not easy to understand for the common people, said a consumer.
Bangladesh for inclusion of apparel in PTA with Indonesia
Bangladesh has urged Indonesia to consider including apparel items in the preferential trade agreement (PTA) that they have agreed to sign to reduce the yawning bilateral trade gap.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen met Indonesian Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan in Jakarta Monday.
The ministers reviewed the trade relations between the two countries and agreed to expedite the conclusion of the bilateral PTA on the occasion of the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.
Read: Indian Army Chief meets his Bangladesh counterpart
They agreed to further accelerate the exchange and interaction between the business communities of the countries.
Momen invited Zulkifli to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time this year.
Now triplets named after Padma Bridge in Dinajpur
After the triplets in two other districts, now triplets born in Dinajpur have been named after the much-awaited Padma Bridge.
A housewife named Sadina Begum, 32, gave birth to triplets through normal delivery at a community hospital in Birampur municipality under the district on Monday afternoon.
To commemorate the Padma Bridge, the largest communication infrastructure in the country, Jahidul Islam, father of the triplets named his daughters Shwapno, Padma and Setu.
The mother and the triplets are fine. They have been asked to take advice from a child expert in Dinajpur.
The couple also has an 11-year-old daughter.
Read: PM greets family for naming triplets after Padma Bridge
Jahidul Islam said they (Jahidul and Sadina) work at a readymade garment factory in Gazipur. They came in the native Tegra village on Eid vacation and delivery purpose.
"I named my daughters after Padma Bridge to show love to the much-hyped Padma Bridge and commemorate the event.
Indian Army Chief meets his Bangladesh counterpart
Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande paid a courtesy call on his Bangladesh counterpart General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed at the Army Headquarters in Dhaka Monday and discussed ways to enhance and strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.
General Pande commenced his three-day visit, his first foreign trip since assumption as Indian Army Chief, by laying a wreath at the Shikha Anirban in Dhaka Cantonment and paying tributes to the brave hearts who laid down their lives for the Liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.
"It clearly shows his respect for Bangladesh and the existing historical and professional relationship between the two armies," Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) said Monday.
After the meeting, a special briefing was held at the Helmet Conference Room of the Army Headquarters for the Indian delegation.
After that, the Indian army chief praised the current leadership of the Bangladesh Army and its overall high standards.
Read: Indian army chief arrives in Dhaka
Earlier, General Manoj received an impressive guard of honour at Senakunja. He also planted a sapling to commemorate the friendship between the two armies.
Later he had courtesy meetings with Prime Minister's Security Affairs Advisor Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique (retired) and the chiefs of the Bangladesh Air Force and Bangladesh Navy.
In the afternoon, the Indian delegation paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi.
The delegation led by General Pande arrived in Dhaka Sunday at the invitation of the Bangladesh Army Chief.
Teen falls into river while taking selfie from train; body recovered
Body of a 16-year-old male who went missing on Sunday falling from a moving train while taking selfies at Akkelpur upazila in Joypurhat.
The deceased was Mehedi Hasan, son of Anwar Hossain from Rajmahal area in Panchagarh district, said SM Hasibul Hasan, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Akkelpur upazila.
His body was recovered around 8 am by a diving team of Rajshahi Fire Service after 14 hours of remaining missing, said Delwar Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Santahar railway police station.
Also read: Bid to take selfie from moving train leaves teen dead in Chuadanga
According to police, Mehedi was traveling with his grandmother by Panchagarh-bound inter-city train Ekota Express on Sunday. At around 6 pm when the train was on Halhalia Bridge, unaware Mehedi while clicking selfie crashed into the bridge structure and fell in the river, said the OC.
Locals found his amputated hand, mobile phone, and money bag on the river after the train crossed and informed police.
Until 10 pm on Sunday, fire service members and police conducted a drive to rescue him but failed, he said.
Also read: Teenager dies of electrocution in Kishoreganj
“A case of unnatural death was filed in this regard and the body was handed to family after autopsy,” said OC Delwar Hossain.
Load-shedding outcome of govt’s wrong policy: BNP
BNP senior leader Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku on Monday said the government is being forced to carry out ‘costly’ load-shedding due to its wrong policy.
Tuku, a former state minister for power, said Bangladesh is now facing an economic crisis because of the government’s failure to deliver.
"Before taking any power project, its sustainability has to be assessed. But the government set up fuel-based power plants without loss assessment. They didn’t consider the consequences if the fuels ever run out,” the BNP leader said.
As a result of not doing that, he said people will now suffer power outages. “It has just become a costly load-shedding.”
Read: 2-hour area-based nationwide load shedding from Tuesday
Tuku, also a BNP standing committee member, was talking to reporters at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on the government’s decision on Load-shedding.
He said the government has set up rental power plants as part of its ‘evil’ plans to plunder public money. “Any corrupt and fascist regime acts like that.”
Asked whether the government's move to carry out load-shedding will help solve the power crisis, Tuku said, "This decision has not been made to deal with the electricity crisis. They’ve taken the move to decrease import cost as they can’t import fuels and gas due to the shortage of reserves.”
He said the government has long been bragging about adequate reserves. “Where did that reserve go, why did it disappear suddenly? The government also carried out a campaign that we have surpassed Singapore, Thailand and other countries. But the country is now in an economic crisis. I will blame the government for this.”
The BNP leader said people did not have to pay for load-shedding in the past. "But people have to now pay for load-shedding. That is the biggest question."
After this government came to power, he said it started depending on the private sector for power generation. “This government hastily gave all the best plans to the private sector and brought the rental power plants as the best solution. I think these were bad and misguided plans.”
The BNP leader said the power generation needed to be kept in the hands of the government. “Because if the government produces the electricity, it would not have to be paid the capacity charges now. But the government is now paying the rental power plants as per agreement though they are not generating power.”
Instead of waiting for WDB, Khulna villagers repair dam on their own
An embankment which broke under increased water pressure has been reconstructed by the residents of Khulna’s Koyra upazila to protect houses, land crops, and fish enclosures.
Koyra Upazila Parishad Chairman SM Shafiqul Islam and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Animesh Biswas led the initiative and completed the construction of the ring dam from morning tide to noon tide.
Imtiaz Uddin, general secretary of the Koira development coordination committee, said that about 3,000 people of South Bedkashi union had built the broken 300-meter dam together to ease the sufferings.
Read: Embankment goes into riverbed in Khulna
The Water Development Board has given some sacks for this work, he added.
Earlier, the embankment started to break on Sunday noon.
According to Osman Gani, a member of the local ward, a road on one side of the Charmukha canal went into the riverbed around 4:00am.
As a result, around 7 to 8 thousand people of five villages have been stranded.
Villagers tried to repair the dam on their own initiative but failed on Sunday. However on Monday they managed to rebuild the dam.
Experts call for inclusive insurance, risk finance for all
Speakers at a workshop on Monday called upon the government, development partners and private sector for enabling an environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing for the country’s sustainable development, leaving no one behind.
The event titled ‘Inception workshop on Country Diagnostic on Inclusive Insurance and Risk Finance for Bangladesh‘ “was organized at a hotel in Dhaka, by the Financial Institutions Division (FID), Ministry of Finance, Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah, Secretary, FID, Ministry of Finance, attended the workshop as the chief guest, while Mohammad Joynul Bari, Chairman, IDRA and Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh were the special guests.
Among others, Dr. Baqui Khalily, Chairman Risk Management Committee, Bank Asia and Abdullah Harun Pasha, Additional Secretary, FID, Ministry of Finance were also present.
Also read: Default loans cross over 126 crore: Finance Minister
Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah said, “There is an increasing need for decision makers to be involved in developing the insurance products. They also need to understand how climate change risks could affect their investments and how to mitigate those risks through proper planning, incentive structures and financial instruments. In this context, to achieve the mission of developing an efficient, inclusive and robust financial market and services system, FID is continuously working on many projects. Being a part of this project is another milestone for our institution to enter the groundwork in inert-related areas of insurance and risk finance. ”
A.K.M. Mamunur Rashid, Climate Change Specialist, UNDP Bangladesh set the tone of the event.
He provided a brief overview of why inclusive insurance and risk financing are essential for Bangladesh to cover the risks of the most vulnerable communities. Jan Kellett, Team Leader, Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF), UNDP delivered a presentation on “Initiatives of the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility, UNDP and several best practices in the space of inclusive insurance and risk financing”.
Van Nguyen from UNDP said, “ I hope that under the leadership of FID, MoF and IDRA as the regulatory authorities, strong representation of the insurance industry and relevant key stakeholders – the country diagnostic will provide us with a clear direction for creating enabling environment for mainstreaming inclusive insurance and risk financing in the country. We are committed to continuing our support in the future to strengthen the legislative frameworks, institutional capacity and insurance industry for enhancing the resilience of the most vulnerable communities and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh.”
Dr. M. Baqui Khalily, Chairman, Risk Management Committee, Bank Asia, Nasir Uddin Ahmed, First Vice President, Bangladesh Insurance Association, Netai Dey Sarker, Director, Department of Disaster Management, Government of Bangladesh also spoke at the event.
Also read:Commit 2% of GDP to climate finance each year: civil society organisations
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to its low-lying delta ecosystem that exposes the country to several disasters such as flash floods, monsoon floods, cyclones, storm surges, salinity intrusion, draught and unpredictable rainfall, said UNDP.
The government of Bangladesh (GoB) is keen to explore the insurance industry to consider it as a risk transfer mechanism. UNDP is conducting a country diagnostic that will document and assess the risks and vulnerability in Bangladesh considering the existing enabling environment and financial instruments.
The diagnostic study will highlight challenges, opportunities, and areas where UNDP can, together with partners, provide the necessary support for the government and private stakeholders to improve the enabling environment for inclusive insurance and risk financing.
MOFA wins Bangabandhu Public Administration Award 2022
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been chosen for "Bangabandhu Public Administration Award 2022" under general administration and management category recognising MoFA's significant contribution.The award will be given on July 23 while marking the National Public Services Day.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will virtually join the event to be held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Saturday morning.
Also read: MoFa holds training on e-governance on easy and quick services"Great news. Hearty congratulations to all officials and staff of the Ministry for a job well done," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB on Monday.He said their setting up of Bangabandu Corners in all Missions abroad and headquarters, Gonohottha Center, Public Diplomacy initiatives, observation of Mujib Chironthon to celebrate Bangabandhu's 100th anniversary and Golden Jubilee, setting up of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Gallery and Research Center, introduction of Bangabandhu Lecture Series, introduction of Bangabandhu Diplomatic Award of Excellence, setting up of Bangabandhu Centers and Professorships in few prestigious universities, introduction of Bangabandhu-UNESCO Award for Creative Economy, publication of few books on Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina, etc helped promoting the values, principles, the sacrifices of Bangabandhu and Bangladesh and his life stories, the economic and social achievements of Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina all across the nations.
Also read: PM to inaugurate new MoFA building ThursdayAlso successful organization of World Peace Conference in Dhaka last December to commemorate Bangabandhu's 100th anniversary added to it, Momen said.